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Would've been a 10 if they didn't ruin everything up in the second half.....

Despite its narrative shortcomings, Can This Love Be Translated? remains a drama that is difficult to dismiss because of how convincingly alive it feels. The strongest elements of the series are undeniably its actors, locations, cinematography, and music, which together create an immersive experience that often compensates for the lack of narrative structure.

The first half of the drama is nearly flawless. The chemistry between Ho Jin and Mu Hee feels effortless and organic, particularly in Japan, where their interactions appear so natural that it feels like these people genuinely exist outside the screen. The absence of heavy exposition or detailed backstory does not hinder the realism; instead, it enhances it. They feel like real professionals—a translator and a rising actress—crossing paths in real time, not characters being forced into a story.

The supporting cast further strengthens this realism. From Mu Hee’s manager and Ho Jin’s writer friend to the multinational group of friends seamlessly switching languages, every character feels as though they are living their own lives independently of the main plot. Even Ho Jin’s mother, who appears without foreshadowing, feels natural rather than intrusive. Hiro and Nanami also add depth, with Hiro subverting expectations set by his early confession and Nanami standing out as a particularly strong presence, aided by authentic casting and fluent bilingual performance.

Where the drama begins to unravel is with the introduction of Do Ra Mi. Her character creates narrative chaos without meaningful payoff. While Go Yun Jung’s performance is undeniably entertaining, the storyline surrounding Do Ra Mi is poorly organized and ultimately unnecessary. Her confessions, unresolved trauma, and abrupt exits feel illogical and underexplored, and the lack of communication between the leads only amplifies this frustration. As a result, the second half loses the emotional clarity and coherence that made the first half so compelling.

There’s honestly nothing left to say about THE Kim Seon Ho and yet, there always is. I feel both blessed and relieved every time I get the honor of watching him on my screen, taking on a new role, a new challenge. This is probably the fourth drama where he appears as a lead, and what stands out the most is how sincere he is in everything he does. Every expression, every line delivery, and even his kissing scenes feel carefully thought out and intentional.

I may be living roughly 2,330–2,390 miles away, and most of this drama was filmed outside Korea, but Kim Seon Ho somehow manages to make his co-actors feel safe, calm, and grounded around him. There’s a quiet reassurance in the way he performs—something that can’t be taught, only felt.

Next comes the most talked-about actress of recent times: Go Yoon Jung. I’ve been watching her since Law School, where she played a side character trapped in an abusive relationship. I never imagined that same actress would later become one of the most beloved and respected K-actresses of her generation. She’s known to be a little introverted in real life, but from the very first episode of this drama, it never felt like she lacked control or clarity over her character.

From sorrow to joy, anxiety to embarrassment—she nailed everything perfectly. And then came the real challenge: Do Ra Mi, a character who shares the same backstory and physicality as Cha Mu Hee but is completely different in mannerisms, speech, and emotional expression. Go Yoon Jung had to constantly switch between these two while maintaining a clear distinction—and she pulled it off seamlessly. Honestly, based purely on performance, she should probably be mentioned first… but I’ll admit, I’m a little biased toward Kim Seon Ho after all.

Up next is the wild card: Fukushi Sota as the second lead. An excellent actor who deserved far more screen time. His chemistry with both Mu Hee and Ra Mi was exceptional. I didn’t expect the enemies-to-lovers trope to work this well, but the moment Do Ra Mi kissed him, all his walls—and mine—started crumbling. I would’ve loved to see more of their sharp back-and-forth tiki-taka.

His Korean dialogue delivery deserves special mention. It was obvious how much effort he put into speaking those lines, and it paid off. I don’t usually enjoy Japanese dramas, so watching him act in a Korean production was genuinely a treat.

Lee Yi Dam left a deep impression on me after Daily Dose of Sunshine, and she once again proved that she’s an exceptional actress. Choi Woo Sung is also one of my personal favorites—someone I’ve seen across multiple dramas in a wide range of supporting roles, always leaving a mark no matter the screen time.

Lastly, a special shoutout to Lee Hyunri, who played Hiro’s manager, Nanami. Her no-nonsense delivery was incredibly fun to watch, and I was genuinely shocked when I heard her speak Korean so fluently.

Technically, however, the drama excels throughout. The OSTs are exceptional, each song clearly crafted with care and emotional intent. The cinematography and locations are among the drama’s strongest achievements. Japan’s melancholic beauty sets the emotional foundation, Canada heightens romantic tension, and Italy, though visually stunning, is sadly undermined by narrative distractions. Still, the effort to showcase culture, language, and global movement feels justified given the male lead’s identity as a polyglot, making the international settings feel purposeful rather than decorative.

The rating would’ve been a 10 if the second part of this drama were a bit more organized, unlike my thoughts. Half of this rating is because of the absolutely fabulous locations this show was filmed in; I would love to forget everything like an amnesia patient so I could experience it again, and the other half goes to the excellent singers and composers who made the OSTs and actors who participated in the drama.

In the end, Can This Love Be Translated? is a drama that shines in atmosphere, performance, and visual storytelling but stumbles badly in narrative execution. The first half is endlessly rewatchable and emotionally rich, while the second half feels rushed, unstructured, and unsatisfying. It is a drama that could have been exceptional but settles instead for being memorable, flawed, and frustratingly close to greatness.

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Story:
The story is overall okay at best. Without Lee Daeum’s illness there wasn’t really anything interesting to look forward to, and they also knew that too, as they tried to sell that in the movie as well. But they couldn’t even handle that well.

So if I talk about it from the premise of the drama, it had potential, of course. Kind of a grumpy x sunshine type of lead, and it was going well until it was not. There were too many side stories and couples. I couldn’t see the growth of the main lead’s character. She was constantly bubbly and all sunshine and rainbows, and he was always kind of grumpy and uninterested in life itself. But then somewhere along the lines it changed without any solid reason. I liked the special detailed scenes where they were shooting the movie and how its story got written and altered over time because of certain incidents. Everything Jae Ha did or found out would’ve been the same without Daeum being in his life. At the end he did all those things on his own. She doesn’t even have a role in his character development. Other side stories were just too dramatic or plain to be believable (like how she doesn’t fight back when someone accuses her of something or her friends and family being always supportive without any drawbacks). I get it; everything is happening because she is terminally ill, but that doesn’t make these things believable or real. Terminally ill people also live a life like other people, and a fierce and lively person like Daeum wouldn’t just sit back and watch every wrong thing happening to her.

In the end, I was curious to see how they would send her off. But they just left that section out. From the beginning she was attempting to arrange a perfect funeral for her and her loved ones, but we didn’t even get to see it.

The story is really average at best. I think the story of the movie they were producing, “Love in White,” would’ve been much more intriguing than this mess. Putting a miserable character as a main lead doesn’t really guarantee success.

Cast:
To be frank, I really started watching this drama and was able to finish it because of its amazing cast. It is already established how good of actors Namkoong Min and Jeon Yeo Been are. There’s also Seo Hyeon Woo. But it was my first time seeing the fellow actor named Lee Seol, who also did an amazing job. With the exception of her scenes, I nearly fast-forwarded the later episodes. She played the part of a female actor struggling in both her personal and professional life really well. Between her time as a rookie in Jae Ha's film and today as an expert in her industry, there was a noticeable shift. Her tone, composure, posture everything felt different from one another. The actor who acted as an assistant director also played her part really well.

Honorable mention to Han Jong Hoon, who played Han Seung Ho in the drama. He came off as incredibly haughty and conceited from the tone of his voice to the way he spoke, which is, in my opinion, a clear sign of a wealthy investor with little to spend. I don’t think it’s necessary to name the other actors who played the supporting roles, as they are already pretty well known in the industry.

Music:
The OSTs were good. But except for the one Mimi sang, I don’t really recall any others.

Rewatch value:
I am writing this review so that I don’t have to watch it another time to recall what happened if I ever forget.

Overall:
I don't particularly dislike the drama, don't get me wrong. It’s okay if you’re watching it for the first time. The suspense and curiosity, along with great acting, kind of make you watch it entirely. However, this is not something to rewatch.

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good watch

It was quite a good movie. Future possibilities of AI portrayed in a simple story, nothing too much.... The actors are all well known and they did their role justice, music was good specially as it was sung by the cast members, the artificial effects also didn't seem over the top. Overall it was a pleasant, simple but quite emotional film, so I don't see the reason for a low rating. Yes tbh it would've been good if it was made into a series because that would give the story much depth which it needs. As the movie shows the lives of people who were receiving the service but didn't really show the full story of the characters, just fragments which is why we couldn't really perceive their feelings, many things were left unexplained ......

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A gentle, comfort-driven romance drama that knows exactly what it wants to be

I found this drama very comforting and soothing. From the leads to the supporting characters, everyone was portrayed beautifully. First, I want to admit that I might be slightly biased toward the second couple, Xiangya and Senior Lin, but every time He Suye reappeared on screen, he completely took my breath away.

I knew exactly what kind of drama I was getting into, so I wasn’t particularly bored. However, since the scenes weren’t emotionally heavy, I did end up fast-forwarding through quite a few of them. Still, one aspect I genuinely appreciated was the inclusion of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Since TCM is such a widely practiced medical system in China, it was interesting to learn about it, and I found many of its ingredients and concepts surprisingly similar to homeopathy.

That said, I struggled a bit with Shen Xifan’s character, especially in the earlier episodes and sometimes throughout the entire series. She seemed to grieve her toxic relationship far more than necessary. I understand that she loved him unconditionally and dated him for seven years, but if the relationship had already deteriorated to the point where even thinking about him caused pain and triggered her insomnia, then at some point, she needed to stop dwelling on it and focus on the good things already present in her life.

Later in the series, she rejects He Suye after leading him on for quite a long time and without what felt like a solid or convincing reason. That moment, in particular, made me empathize deeply with Feng Ke Xin, more than I expected.

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Served absolutely NOTHING!!!!

The story was sloppy. Viewers who enjoy the psychological genre would like it more. As an avid fan of dramas like It’s Okay to Not Be Okay, I had high expectations for this one. And honestly, it was almost perfect… until her father died.

After that point, everything became a big fat mess.

The narrative completely lost its direction. The story didn’t follow through on its own setup, and Baek Ah-jin suddenly started making reckless and foolish decisions. She nearly lost her defining trait, her calculative, logical nature and it felt like the screenwriter abandoned proper character development altogether. Instead, the plot spiraled into something that resembled Wattpad-level writing, full of forced drama and inconsistent choices.

As a result, nothing really matched up in the end. The emotional payoff didn’t feel earned, and the resolution lacked coherence.

I’m not going to blame the actors for this, because this is very clearly a writing issue The cast consists of experienced, well-established actors who did what they could with the material given to them. A special mention goes to Kim Yoo-jung, who once again proved why she’s one of the strongest actresses of her generation—she genuinely elevated every scene she was in.

I did have some doubts about Hwang In-yeop’s character, though. In certain situations, his performance felt a bit stiff, as if the character wasn’t fully fleshed out or properly integrated into the story. Also, it didn't feel good watching a child making those decisions on her own. I know it's merely a drama and shouldn't be taken seriously, but it was quite painful to watch the child actress acting and for some reason Ah Jin's childhood felt almost fake artificial.

On a positive note, the OSTs were fantastic and will definitely be added to my playlist, something I’ll enjoy throughout the year. Shoutout to Minnie, Olivia Marsh, Cocona, Elaine, and Kim Lim; this drama wouldn't be complete without your voice!!

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Cliched , cute & fluffy romcom, done right

This drama's plot and story is quite common.... but this drama has all the elements in right amount. At first, the male lead Kang hoo young looks quite unsocial and aloof but he has a crush on and acts different in front of the female lead Lee hong joo. The female lead Hong joo is bubbly ,cheerful, clumsy, girl's girl type of person, who loves her best friend and helping her by any means to make her love life work with the ml. However, it was quite not fun watching Kim So Hyun playing essentially the same role in another romcom.
Their coincidences plot in this drama is common (like stumbling upon her in the street or living in the same house chance)..... at first it was funny because of the initial stage of the story . But eventually everything seemed coincidence to prove that they were destined lovers witch was quite dull. I get it the name is " is it destiny" but the bicycle scene or infirmary scene is too much. And Hong joo not realizing Hoo young's feelings after ALL those things he did was frustrating !!!
Hong joo and Hye ji's scenes were a charm of this drama. The way hye ji is soo protective of hong joo and kinda tested hoo young made their friendship look real. The actor playing Hye ji acted so naturally that I couldn't know she was much older than SH.
Bang jun ho being in the drama made it fun... their past reminiscing scenes or way he looks at Hong joo gave me butterflies and tbh the reason for him leaving was quite lame. The actor really did a good job.
Other than the leads the supporting actors played their role vey well. This is a cliche , simple romcom but it was executed right. The story wasn't over dramatic other than some scenes and that was fun too. It reminded me of 'more than friends' and '20th century girl' . Overall, the drama ended really beautifully ,wasn't unnecessarily lengthy and the songs & visuals were pretty too a which made me rate this drama 8.5.

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