There is sequel baiting at the end though. The biggest mystery and problem for the main characters isn't resolved or concluded at all. Besides that, it's worth a watch just to enjoy the craziness of the drama.
Me! This drama has so much to discuss but the only thing anybody i see discussing is sun oh not getting jojo like…
That's what I love about the SciFi genre. Especially the Dystopian/Utopians universes - the social commentary about where we are as a society now and where we may end up if we don't pay attention and change/evolve. The fact that marriages would only be valid if their Love Alarm App says they're valid is seriously limiting and unhealthy for humans. Also, the employment part, where you can't work somewhere if you don't have an active Love Alarm available for public scrutiny. I just saw a comment that said that JoJo is the villain and not Sunoh. The only real villain is the App. It's also the main character of the show. The Developer knew he made an App that changed society drastically - both positively and negatively. He did confess that he doesn't have any regrets creating the App though. I thought the confession was a bit selfish bcuz he mentioned how he wasn't able to be with his crush after confessing with the App but others were able to be with their crushes through the App. And I'm remembering that there were serial killers, scammers and individuals that are homeless, jobless and dead. What about them? Anyway, the part about the LGBT members that would have been left out in this AU - great point! I'm a member of the community and I definitely feel like the community would be under constant attack and endangerment from this binary, heteronormative perception of reality. South Korea is already a conservative country. There would be no hope for the community is the App and society decided how marriages, relationships, s**ual orientation, and gender identity should always look. Plus! The App can 'out' someone too before they're ready to come out or even wish to never come out and hide it from others because it isn't safe to do so! There's a part in the series, I'm not sure which season but probably the first where a male student has a crush on Hye-yeong. Though Hye-yeong does not ring the male students Love Alarm back, he handles that very private and sensitive moment pretty well. It was one of the reasons I really liked his character in the drama. That really showed me the difference between him and Sunoh when it came to emotionally maturity. (Though I'm not saying that Sunoh would have been homophobic or intentionally mean in that moment, but his emotional intelligence at that point in time could have hurted and traumatized the male student in the end . No matter how unintentional Sunoh's reaction was, there's a possibility that Sunoh might not have handled it well. ) This is also why I really noticed Sunoh's character development and growth at the end of the second season. He did well for himself. Yes, I would like a link to that post. Thank you!
Me! This drama has so much to discuss but the only thing anybody i see discussing is sun oh not getting jojo like…
That's what I love about the SciFi genre. Especially the Dystopian/Utopians universes - the social commentary about where we are as a society now and where we may end up if we don't pay attention and change/evolve. The fact that marriages would only be valid if their Love Alarm App says they're valid is seriously limiting and unhealthy for humans. Also, the employment part, where you can't work somewhere if you don't have an active Love Alarm available for public scrutiny. I just saw a comment that said that JoJo is the villain and not Sunoh. The only real villain is the App. It's also the main character of the show. The Developer knew he made an App that changed society drastically - both positively and negatively. He did confess that he doesn't have any regrets creating the App though. I thought the confession was a bit selfish bcuz he mentioned how he wasn't able to be with his crush after confessing with the App but others were able to be with their crushes through the App. And I'm remembering that there were serial killers, scammers and individuals that are homeless, jobless and dead. What about them? Anyway, the part about the LGBT members that would have been left out in this AU - great point! I'm a member of the community and I definitely feel like the community would be under constant attack and endangerment from this binary, heteronormative perception of reality. South Korea is already a conservative country. There would be no hope for the community is the App and society decided how marriages, relationships, s**ual orientation, and gender identity should always look. Plus! The App can 'out' someone too before they're ready to come out or even wish to never come out and hide it from others because it isn't safe to do so! There's a part in the series, I'm not sure which season but probably the first where a male student has a crush on Hye-yeong. Though Hye-yeong does not ring the male students Love Alarm back, he handles that very private and sensitive moment pretty well. It was one of the reasons I really liked his character in the drama. That really showed me the difference between him and Sunoh when it came to emotionally maturity. (Though I'm not saying that Sunoh would have been homophobic or intentionally mean in that moment, but his emotional intelligence at that point in time could have hurted and traumatized the male student in the end . No matter how unintentional Sunoh's reaction was, there's a possibility that Sunoh might not have handled it well. ) This is also why I really noticed Sunoh's character development and growth at the end of the second season. He did well for himself. Yes, I would like a link to that post. Thank you!
Me! This drama has so much to discuss but the only thing anybody i see discussing is sun oh not getting jojo like…
The relationships at the end were very healthy in my opinion. I'm fine with how that turned out. I think Sunoh had so much character development in the second season because of his commitment to his new girlfriend and how it was a better version of love than his obsession with JoJo and trusting the App to tell him how love works. I liked in the drama when in the time jump, there's a wedding happening at the same time a new story is showing a mass suicide burial ground of people rejecting the App and society's integration of it. Meanwhile, the wedding ceremony has an important section that asks the newly married couple to show their Love Alarm as visual confirmation of their reciprocated feelings for one another. The first idea that came to me at that scene was, "Shouldn't you guys have checked before?" But that wasn't the point. The point was that the App had now become so normalized and performative that I wonder if the ceremony and marriage certification would have been nullified if their Apps said they were not compatible. That was insane to me. You could be in love with someone but if you guys are not 'destined pairs' based on an App, then you'll never have a grand public ceremony for their union. What if they're shunned by society and told to break up instead? That's sick and very depressing. Algorithms can make mistakes and be wrong because science is a man-made thing to help us better organize and understand the world around us (as well as ourselves). The conversation at the end with the developer made sense because honestly: having the world know who you like and who likes you is very invasive. I would never download the App, but four years later, employers and jobs only hire people that regularly use the App. It's not right. I would jobless and homeless if I refused to expose a part of myself like that on a general basis.
Me! This drama has so much to discuss but the only thing anybody i see discussing is sun oh not getting jojo like…
OMG, thank you!!! There's so much to discuss about this drama and how well this embodies the SCiFI genre and world-building. In my review, I said that the App was the main character bcuz the presence of the App greatly affected everyone and everything in this AU style drama. But its rated 6.2 bcuz some people were disappointed with the romance. Smh. Really?!
I enjoyed this drama as a fan of Sci-Fi. (It's the entire reason I gave this show a chance actually). But most bad reviews are about the short romance between the FL Jojo and the second ML Sunoh. I am confusion. Where are the comments about the serial killer, or the complete evolution of the App's day-to-day use four years after the season's one opening? I would love to discuss those topics with someone. This drama was stuck balancing between Utopia and Dystopia because of the Love Alarm app. Did anyone else watch this drama for something other than romance???
Did you all forget that Sun Oh started flirting with Jojo because his best friend had a crush on her? He later…
Thank you for saying that. I don't understand why Hyeyeong is considered the second male lead anyway. He knew JoJo first, liked her first, and was there for her throughout season 1 and season 2. He was never the second male lead. I was really confused by other people's reviews and comments. I didn't even know what SLS (Second Lead Syndrome) even meant until I read some people's reviews on this show. Sunoh was the first love for JoJo but Hyeyeong was her true love. And Sunoh was 'jealous' of Hyeyeong's feelings for JoJo, that's why he approached JoJo in the first place.
I agree with everything you said! It felt like this film was way more respectful, and a better intro to the world of BDSM than Fifty Shades of Gray could ever hope for. Very well written review!
I haven't been logged into MDL in a while, so I'm a bit late to reading this, but wow! I loved reading all the…
I love that you talked about The Devil Judge and Sun Ah here. I loved her. Everything about her and that she was one of the most satisfying female villain I have seen in a long time. Especially in an Asian drama. I honestly want more and I like that both her and Yo Han needed to obtain more power and influence in order to achieve their goals but they went about in very different ways. They also were aware of each other and in the drama, there was a long drawn-out sequence of 'Mental Chess' between these two 'villians' and it was pleasing to watch them go back and forth all the way until the last episode. Sun Ah would have been a unstoppable force (and that power walk she had after she achieved her main goal was chef's kiss. Her legs in those outfits.... yes please!) because she was a force to be reckoned with but she was still human. Fragile, lonely, insecure and emotionally unstable. (Just like Yo Han!) Her obsession with the Young Master was her biggest flaw - to me at least - and I would have loved to see her take over the world. The Devil Judge was a 10/10 for me in so many ways. The characters were just so well written.
Amazing article! I want to watch more SEA media and I'm always a fan of myth/fairytales/folklore so this is a great place to start! If you haven't already done one for Japanese dramas, there's one that comes to mind for the 'Prince & Pauper' theme: W no Higeki (2012) with Takei Emi. Or either version if the premise is still the same. I watched that when it first came out and loved its mature theme and Takei Emi's acting. I'm trying to watch more historical Japanese dramas too so I look forward to more articles like these. Thank you for the recommendations!
The fact that marriages would only be valid if their Love Alarm App says they're valid is seriously limiting and unhealthy for humans.
Also, the employment part, where you can't work somewhere if you don't have an active Love Alarm available for public scrutiny.
I just saw a comment that said that JoJo is the villain and not Sunoh.
The only real villain is the App. It's also the main character of the show.
The Developer knew he made an App that changed society drastically - both positively and negatively. He did confess that he doesn't have any regrets creating the App though.
I thought the confession was a bit selfish bcuz he mentioned how he wasn't able to be with his crush after confessing with the App but others were able to be with their crushes through the App.
And I'm remembering that there were serial killers, scammers and individuals that are homeless, jobless and dead. What about them?
Anyway, the part about the LGBT members that would have been left out in this AU - great point!
I'm a member of the community and I definitely feel like the community would be under constant attack and endangerment from this binary, heteronormative perception of reality.
South Korea is already a conservative country. There would be no hope for the community is the App and society decided how marriages, relationships, s**ual orientation, and gender identity should always look.
Plus! The App can 'out' someone too before they're ready to come out or even wish to never come out and hide it from others because it isn't safe to do so!
There's a part in the series, I'm not sure which season but probably the first where a male student has a crush on Hye-yeong.
Though Hye-yeong does not ring the male students Love Alarm back, he handles that very private and sensitive moment pretty well.
It was one of the reasons I really liked his character in the drama. That really showed me the difference between him and Sunoh when it came to emotionally maturity.
(Though I'm not saying that Sunoh would have been homophobic or intentionally mean in that moment, but his emotional intelligence at that point in time could have hurted and traumatized the male student in the end . No matter how unintentional Sunoh's reaction was, there's a possibility that Sunoh might not have handled it well. )
This is also why I really noticed Sunoh's character development and growth at the end of the second season. He did well for himself.
Yes, I would like a link to that post. Thank you!
The fact that marriages would only be valid if their Love Alarm App says they're valid is seriously limiting and unhealthy for humans.
Also, the employment part, where you can't work somewhere if you don't have an active Love Alarm available for public scrutiny.
I just saw a comment that said that JoJo is the villain and not Sunoh.
The only real villain is the App. It's also the main character of the show.
The Developer knew he made an App that changed society drastically - both positively and negatively. He did confess that he doesn't have any regrets creating the App though.
I thought the confession was a bit selfish bcuz he mentioned how he wasn't able to be with his crush after confessing with the App but others were able to be with their crushes through the App.
And I'm remembering that there were serial killers, scammers and individuals that are homeless, jobless and dead. What about them?
Anyway, the part about the LGBT members that would have been left out in this AU - great point!
I'm a member of the community and I definitely feel like the community would be under constant attack and endangerment from this binary, heteronormative perception of reality.
South Korea is already a conservative country. There would be no hope for the community is the App and society decided how marriages, relationships, s**ual orientation, and gender identity should always look.
Plus! The App can 'out' someone too before they're ready to come out or even wish to never come out and hide it from others because it isn't safe to do so!
There's a part in the series, I'm not sure which season but probably the first where a male student has a crush on Hye-yeong.
Though Hye-yeong does not ring the male students Love Alarm back, he handles that very private and sensitive moment pretty well.
It was one of the reasons I really liked his character in the drama. That really showed me the difference between him and Sunoh when it came to emotionally maturity.
(Though I'm not saying that Sunoh would have been homophobic or intentionally mean in that moment, but his emotional intelligence at that point in time could have hurted and traumatized the male student in the end . No matter how unintentional Sunoh's reaction was, there's a possibility that Sunoh might not have handled it well. )
This is also why I really noticed Sunoh's character development and growth at the end of the second season. He did well for himself.
Yes, I would like a link to that post. Thank you!
I liked in the drama when in the time jump, there's a wedding happening at the same time a new story is showing a mass suicide burial ground of people rejecting the App and society's integration of it.
Meanwhile, the wedding ceremony has an important section that asks the newly married couple to show their Love Alarm as visual confirmation of their reciprocated feelings for one another.
The first idea that came to me at that scene was, "Shouldn't you guys have checked before?"
But that wasn't the point.
The point was that the App had now become so normalized and performative that I wonder if the ceremony and marriage certification would have been nullified if their Apps said they were not compatible.
That was insane to me.
You could be in love with someone but if you guys are not 'destined pairs' based on an App, then you'll never have a grand public ceremony for their union.
What if they're shunned by society and told to break up instead? That's sick and very depressing.
Algorithms can make mistakes and be wrong because science is a man-made thing to help us better organize and understand the world around us (as well as ourselves).
The conversation at the end with the developer made sense because honestly: having the world know who you like and who likes you is very invasive. I would never download the App, but four years later, employers and jobs only hire people that regularly use the App. It's not right. I would jobless and homeless if I refused to expose a part of myself like that on a general basis.
In my review, I said that the App was the main character bcuz the presence of the App greatly affected everyone and everything in this AU style drama.
But its rated 6.2 bcuz some people were disappointed with the romance. Smh. Really?!
I am confusion.
Where are the comments about the serial killer, or the complete evolution of the App's day-to-day use four years after the season's one opening?
I would love to discuss those topics with someone.
This drama was stuck balancing between Utopia and Dystopia because of the Love Alarm app.
Did anyone else watch this drama for something other than romance???
I don't understand why Hyeyeong is considered the second male lead anyway. He knew JoJo first, liked her first, and was there for her throughout season 1 and season 2. He was never the second male lead.
I was really confused by other people's reviews and comments. I didn't even know what SLS (Second Lead Syndrome) even meant until I read some people's reviews on this show.
Sunoh was the first love for JoJo but Hyeyeong was her true love. And Sunoh was 'jealous' of Hyeyeong's feelings for JoJo, that's why he approached JoJo in the first place.
I loved her.
Everything about her and that she was one of the most satisfying female villain I have seen in a long time. Especially in an Asian drama. I honestly want more and I like that both her and Yo Han needed to obtain more power and influence in order to achieve their goals but they went about in very different ways. They also were aware of each other and in the drama, there was a long drawn-out sequence of 'Mental Chess' between these two 'villians' and it was pleasing to watch them go back and forth all the way until the last episode.
Sun Ah would have been a unstoppable force (and that power walk she had after she achieved her main goal was chef's kiss. Her legs in those outfits.... yes please!) because she was a force to be reckoned with but she was still human. Fragile, lonely, insecure and emotionally unstable. (Just like Yo Han!) Her obsession with the Young Master was her biggest flaw - to me at least - and I would have loved to see her take over the world. The Devil Judge was a 10/10 for me in so many ways. The characters were just so well written.
If you haven't already done one for Japanese dramas, there's one that comes to mind for the 'Prince & Pauper' theme: W no Higeki (2012) with Takei Emi. Or either version if the premise is still the same. I watched that when it first came out and loved its mature theme and Takei Emi's acting. I'm trying to watch more historical Japanese dramas too so I look forward to more articles like these. Thank you for the recommendations!