Love Alarm (2019)

Even Song Kang couldn't save this disaster

Let me preface by saying that I started watching this drama for Song Kang (I watched all of his dramas in somewhat reverse chronological order - started with Sweet Home, then Nevertheless, and Navillera). I love him in ALL of these dramas and thought he did an amazing job, so it was only natural for me to start Love Alarm.

Ok, first off the bat, you could really tell that Song Kang's acting improved dramatically as the years progressed...and I'm sad to say that in Love Alarm, his acting was...lacking. by quite a bit lol just wanted to get that out of the way.

From the beginning of the drama, nothing made sense. The concept of the love alarm app is just weird imo, and the storyline was boring and shallow, with no character development and no chemistry between the two leads.

Also, this is the first time that I disliked ALL of the characters in a drama...like ALL of them lol like how is that even possible?

Jojo - yes, it's great that she's hardworking and is taking on part-time jobs to pay off bills. The world didn't deal her the best cards, but what's up with kissing a dude that she JUST met when she has a BOYFRIEND?? I don't care if she no longer has feelings for him because that's just WRONG. they make her character out to be this innocent, hardworking high school student, but when the chance presented itself for the hot new classmate to kiss her, she was like, OK YES, TAKE ME INTO THE ALLEY.

Sunho - where do I even start with this boy? he knows that his best friend has a crush on this girl and instead of supporting this friend with whom he's with been friends with for yearssss, he decides to kiss the girl instead and tells his friend about it so that his friend would admit to liking the girl. YEAH, WHAT? he's not a playboy either but he actually ends up liking the girl (after speaking only one sentence to her btw). oh, and he also stalks her, but don't ask me why because again, it doesn't make sense.

Hye Young - ok, the poor boy. The girl that he has a crush on doesn't know his name and doesn't even know that he exists. We don't even know WHY he likes her (which I guess, is asking for too much at this point). He ends up stalking her to and from work, to and from school, etc. etc. and never says a single word to her and always has a silly (slightly creepy) smile on his face whenever she does something "cute". LIKE, WHAT? GET A LIFE PLEASE.

I'm sorry that this turned into somewhat of a rant but seriously, don't waste your time on this one. After sitting through 3 episodes of this, I'm only left with a lot of frustration and confusion. I read some spoilers, so I know I'm not missing anything by dropping this.

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Slow paced but cool concept.

Somehow this drama managed to make forty minute episodes feel like two hours. It's long drawn out pacing is somebody's cup of tea, but not mine. The main characters, had they had more depth, could have filled some of those back and forth panning of actors doing absolutely nothing except be pretty and look miserable with actual, interesting content. The most compelling character and the one that had the shortest amount of screen time was the app creator Duk Gu, but because this show wanted to just murder everyone with angst they decided to 'mysteriously' write him off (tw suicide) by making him jump out a window (/tw suicide) just so the main character wouldn't be able to undo her decision to never ring someone else's love alarm. There were some mentions of the consequences-- real, hard hitting consequences and not just 'does she love me?' 'does she love me not?'-- of having an app that exposes love, such as lgbtq+ hate and turning to murder because the person you ring for doesn't ring you back. These would have been infinitely more interesting subjects to tackle but they're pushed aside for this asinine main story. The pacing is already dragging, weighed down by teenage angst and sorrow and I found myself zoning out more often than not. What this drama needed to be better is a huge cut down on the retrospective "stares out of a window" scenes, less flashbacks and slow-mo.

I get it. Heartache is the worst, it feels like nothing worse could happen to you when you're going through it but there are so many other shows that I can think of that tackle this topic. What this show could have done with the 'Love Alarm' plot? What with the concept is so good, though?! They could have done so much more with it and I'm willing to bet the webtoon is a lot more interesting than its kdrama equivalent. I just see the first season show as a huge missed opportunity. Granted! I am always, always a fan of growth so I will be watching the second season.

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So I just finished watching this drama yesterday and all I can say is "WTF" . I don't even know if it's a good thing or a bad thing. Well, it only has 8 episodes so it is expected that the story line will be fast. Like f a s t. A lot of things happen since the very first episode and I will be very honest and say that I don't like everything about it. Here are some of the reasons why I don't like it

*THIS IS WHERE THE SPOILERS BEGIN*

first of all, in my opinion (pls don't hate me for this), the drama kinda romanticized cheating. it is when jojo allowed sun-oh to kiss her even though she's still in a relationship. I mean c'mon girl you can say no to sun-oh and say i have a boyfriend or smth. And while we're at this scene, for me, sun oh's character screams pervert energy. I mean this particular alley scene seems weird. A hot guy suddenly said let's get inside this alley then says things like "i wanna kiss you", "your lips are so pretty", then caressing your hair and stuff. They don't even know each other. It screams pervert energy for me. Oh and also he sent jojo a topless pic of him as a "gift". I mean-- wtf. Sun oh seems to be a fuck boy for me. :/

*END OF SPOILERS*

Okay so even though things like that happen and the plot is cheesy and kinda cliche, I still want to finish it and I look forward to the season 2 of this drama. I don't know if it's because of Song Kang or like the unique concept of "love alarm" but I am weirdly addicted to this drama hahaha.

So for anyone who's planning to watch this drama. I don't discourage you guys to watch it and judge it yourself. I, myself, did not regret watching this drama and it still gives you the romance you need. I think this drama is perfect for high school students especially those who are maybe 13 to 15 years old who are hopeless romantic. That's all. Enjoy <3

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Actually I really not understand the concept that your feelings is just based on an app of your mobile ,so I was curious to know how it would be happen and this make me to watch the drama.
So basically it was an app which tell you that who likes you and if you like him too so you become a couple .
I really not like the concept ,basically you depend on an app totally just like drama she told to him that she didn't love him and that's why she wanted to breakup so he also beloved because his app not alarmed but still he was in doubt then to he accepted it ...
Then in second scene one who make the app he also had a crush but when she came to knew about it she felt embarrassing that he liked her because he was not good-looking as well not fun type person ,he was actually had a boring personality and because of this he started making distance with everybody and then disappeared forever.
Two things they didn't show 1.why he decided 2.why so many people die
Three things I didn't like
1.first lead knew very well that 2nd lead like him a lot then why he become intruder in their matter secondly 2nd lead was the reason that he met her ,okay this thing handle that you can't control your feelings so first lead fall for her and he had courage so he confessed her and their story start
2. Then everything was going well why she broke up ,I really not accepted the reason of her for breaking their relationship.
3.when they all come across then why 2nd lead pursue her though he knew first lead love her lot and she broke up not he ....

What I expecting in second season that 2nd lead and her to be pair because first lead already has someone who love him purely with honesty but anyways what the story it will be.,let see
This drama confused me a lot .
Only because of acting and overloaded emotion connected me with a drama otherwise I would be dropped it after watching few episodes.

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Emotionally Invested and Don't Know Why...

The first half of the show was highly unrealistic, and dare I say it, pretty crappy that it almost made me drop the show, but let me explain why I'm glad I didn't. From the get-go, Jojo's behavior striked me as utterly foolish and illogical beyond belief. Her first slip-up was when she decided to basically cheat on her boyfriend by following a random transfer student she *literally* met twice into a narrow alleyway and agreeing to kiss him because he asked...? The logic here must've been "oh he's hot and popular, hence he must be good, safe, and not a criminal :)" Wait, so you're saying it's normal and not creepy to ask someone you’re interested in to kiss you the very first time you have an actual conversation? Guess it’s only okay when you’re hot and popular like Hwang Sun Oh. :/

Of course when the two kiss, Jojo's jealous "best friend" happened to be there spying on them at that exact moment to snap a photo, and rather than being a sensible person and confronting Jojo about it, she spreads it online. Then...it’s all downhill from there. At school, Jojo gets full-on dragged by other students once they found out she kissed Sun Oh, the hottest hunk of the school. x"D Personally, I didn't think the criticism was completely unwarranted and I felt she sort of deserved it for not only cheating, but also lying to her friends about attending an academy after school. But what's worse is that Jojo couldn't stand up for herself every time she was mistreated by her peers or her cousin and aunt, which made me lose respect for her. Please don’t get me started on Sun Oh and his cheesy flirtatious liners towards Jojo. LOL

However, things changed when episode 5 rolled around. To my pleasant surprise, the show improved when they revealed more of the thoughts and intentions of the characters. Jojo as a character grew on me too after I got a better understanding of her situation. Then suddenly something changed because I became emotionally invested. I think I’m just a sucker for dramas with large time skips and lingering feelings. Sure this drama has all your typical K-drama tropes, from parents dying during childhood to accidents, but it was still moderately entertaining, so I'm glad I stuck around to catch the good moments. Some scenes were tear-jerking, so prepare your tissue box. All that led to me ultimately giving this show an 8.5/10.

All in all, because the story revolves around the app Love Alarm and how it revolutionized the modern day dating culture, I really wish they would've fleshed out how the app works, or at least briefly discussed it from a CS perspective, as in how it detects love and rings another person. The premise of the alarm was rather confusing because would a minor crush ring the same as a long-term lover? One thing I did appreciate was the Love Alarm factual tidbits they interjected throughout the episodes. Those were really interesting. I tried not to question the missing details too much or else it'd take away from the viewing experience. Really, it is cool to think about a society existing where people place more trust in an app to dictate whether they are in love than their own feelings. Very Black Mirror-esque! Looking forward to the second season and dying to know whether a certain character is alive or not! :O

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With technology being on it's current peak right now, Love Alarm will surely be a hit for young people, and even young at heart. It's a light romance drama with two good looking male leads, and a good actress in Kim Sohyun. At times, it's making me wonder what if this application really exists. I wonder how could it be on real life.. It's just a pity that it ends on 8 episodes, and Season 2 is not yet sure :(

Story:
The beginning plot is very promising. For me, it's an easy hook. I finished 8 episodes in a day. Not too much complicated, but still enjoyable to watch.

Acting / Cast:
Kim Sohyun is an instant check. I'm pretty sure you might check this out because of her, but the two male leads is also good actors. They weren't as good as So Jisub level, *kidding* but, they sure have potential. Song Kang will surely get popular anytime soon.

Music:
There's not much OST for this. So I don't really remember any songs that stands out.

Rewatch Value:
I might rewatch it, when they release a 2nd Season to get refresh on the new one. But not on a rewatch list atm.

Overall, if you're just killing time and want to watch something light and new, I recommend this one.

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shut off your brain, ignore logics and you might like it

You know how you used to love Boys over Flowers and Playful Kiss back in the days, but once you actually go back to see it, you realize how little it makes sense, how much stupidity is screeching through the roof and the only way to be able to enjoy them again, is if you shut your brain off for the duration of the viewing while expecting next to nothing? Well imagine that, but 2019 version, and you pretty much get Love Alarm.

I gave this drama a 4.5 and I'm still contemplating if I'm being too generous. Now, with all due respect to the original webtoon writer, the premise was great, but the execution...? Not so much. I mean, the idea behind it had so much potential and then it drove down the hill, crashed into a lake and never came back up. It turned into our everyday love triangle story. Poor girl with a tragic past, rich male lead who's a jerk, and then second male lead with a heart of gold. Like tell me something I don't know. You probably saw that I dropped this at episode 2 so now you're wondering who tf am I to judge. Yeah, except I already know everything that's going to happen and how it will all play out because I am one nosy ass bitch who likes to spoil shit for myself. Also because my younger sister finished the drama already.

That brings me to my next point, which I am pretty sure the show is as popular as it is because it targets a younger audience. I mean, I get it. Young people likes this stuff. That's why while I was sitting through the show with my 12 year old sister who titled this her favorite drama ever, me on the other hand, was suffering through the whole thing. It legit got so ridiculous that halfway through episode 2, I just decided to embrace the ridiculousness and had to mentally ignore logics for a while.

First of all, most of the characters are so unlikeable. It's not the actors fault, because if there was anything redeeming out of Love Alarm, it'd have to be the actors casted, which Kim Sohyun, Song Kang, Go Minsi, Jung Garam and Shin Seungho are all very promising... but all of their characters planked so hard. Even characters that are written to be nice are still so punchable. The only character that was genuinely likeable was Dukgu but he wasn't part of the main cast although he does play a major role in Love Alarm itself BUT if the trio we're supposed to be focusing on are as bland as a dry sponge, then what's the point?

- Jojo is utterly so unappealing as a character. Like with 0 brain cells I tell you. This girl cannot make up her mind for shit and she needs a dictionary to look up the word "No" so she'll know wtf it means so she can actually use it. Bc it's like she never heard this word in her entire life before. Because guess what... she never uses it. She is a cheater on period and it doesn't matter if her and her boyfriend didn't genuinely like each other, she was still in a relationship. Her lip mutters I don't want it, but her eyes says go for it. Jojo honestly need to to learn how to be alone and independent for once. She gets into relationship after relationship and is so indecisive, she leads people on and makes choices that makes no absolute sense. I'd honestly hate to be in a relationship with someone like her who's the definition of a noble idiot.

- Sunoh... oh boy. Where do I even start. Before I say anything, just know that I LOVE Song Kang as an actor, but Sunoh is a whole ass mess. Sunoh is simply a little bitch who thinks the world revolves around him. He is unsympathetic and an asshole. If I ever meet someone like him IRL I'd very much like to shove chopsticks up his arse. He has absolutely NO RESPECT or boundaries for Jojo's privacy. We have a word for people like him who likes to pursue other people who's already in a relationship. Yeah, it's called a homewrecker. Sunoh, to describe him in the most straightforward way, is a homewrecker. He tells Hyeyoung just because she's in a relationship doesn't mean her and her boyfriend actually likes each other? Like ok and? Bitch you ain't a mind reader, sit down. Not to mention, he actively went for someone he suspected his BEST FRIEND liked. AND THEN KISSED HER TOO? KLSSDALDAKLSDAKDSAASDO Bitch bye. Idgaf if you're trying to prove something, YOU JUST DO NOT DO THAT! It's common sense! But then Sunoh doesn't have much of it so I'm not surprised. Also, you literally knew nothing about this girl except for a few eye contacts you made with her and that your best friend likes her. Why are you acting like this girl is some angel sent from heaven with the cure for cancer. AND YALL BARELY DATED FOR LIKE A MONTH OR A LITTLE BIT MORE THAN THAT?!!! GET OVER IT! IT AIN'T THAT DEEP! I'm sorry... I'm well aware that sometimes IT IS possible but this dude legit held onto a puppy love from high school for 4 YEARS! It'd make more sense if there was more context but from how I see it, it was only infatuation and puppy love. Sorry. If you want to see Song Kang in his full potential, then just go binge 'Sweet Home', cause his character here does him absolutely no justice.

- And Hyeyoung bruh... you need to grow a fucking backbone and a spine. I honestly just don't get it, like... he never talked to Jojo before but only admired her from afar, so pretty much for most part, she was only a pretty picture. Why. are. you. so. held. up. on. her. This is what the show failed at so badly. Development, reasoning, exploration. The show did none of these. We are just expected to know Sunoh's so in love, to know Hyeyoung's so in love, to know Jojo's so in love... but why? WHY ARE THEY IN LOVE! It's like some sort of love demon just appeared one day and cast a spell on all of them. Sunoh was Hyeyoung's BEST FRIEND! Why is he hiding his crush?! To his own best friend? He treated Sunoh like some stranger he just met yesterday instead of someone he knew for years.

It's. Just. All. Very. Confusing. And. Nothing. Makes. Sense.

Sorry for the long review lmao. But pretty much, go into this show with absolutely no expectation at all and you might enjoy it. If you have even the smallest of expectations going into this, haha... prepare to be disappointed.

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a light drama to watch

I just finished watching this drama. Its a nice, easy and light drama to watch. It does have all the ingredients any drama has. I watched it on Netflix and I was a little bit disappointed with the fact that they used voices over instead of closed captions. In my opinion a lot of the beauty of the movie was shadowed because of it. I have watched quite a bit of cdramas. kdramas, jdramas, tdramas and I not only got used to hear the actors voices, but even more to hear the original language which gives the movie a different depth. It feels more profound. Listening to the voices over it really took away a lot for me. Some of the more sentimental scenes lost their beauty because the voices over. The voices didn't matched with the actors and they felt cold and blank at times with no nuance in them. As for the characters at first I had a little bit of mixed feelings but I have to say I am a sucker for happy endings and that is why I would like to see JoJo and Son-oh end up together. I know a lot of the comments here were criticizing Sun-oh but I can see where he was coming from. The first night he came back and he saw her I think he either had a crush at first site or he felt infatuated with her. Either way after seeing her at school every day his feeling only grew stronger. I don't think he really went behind his friend back since before he did any move he kept asking Hye-yeong if he has feelings for Jojo and Hye-yeong kept saying no. Where he didn't play full honesty was where he did declare his feelings for her first and not at the same time with Hye-yeong as agreed upon. But at the time he declared his feelings to Jojo, her heart belonged to him so Hye-yeong didn't had any chance. Hye-yeong lost his time. He had two years before Sun-oh came back to say something to her but he choose not to. I don't know why but I don't see Jojo and Hye-yeong together. I can even understand why he told Hye-yeong that he used him and all the hurtful things. All those things that he said were coming from a man hurt in love, a man that is still in love with that person. A man that is frustrated and angry and says things at anger but he didn't really meant it. Any way I am afraid that in season 2 the producers are gonna shock everybody and like a lot of this dramas the results are not gonna be what a big number of viewers are expecting which is of course Jojo and Sun-oh together. I am waiting for the release of season 2 and I hope that Netflix will not use the voice over but they will use the closed captions and I really hope to see Jojo and Sun-oh together. It will be disappointing to let us see how the love between the two of them grew so strong just to hit us in season 2 with them not ending up together. Four years had past and they couldn't forget about each other. He still rings her love alarm and her heart is still beating pretty fast I am sure. So don't disappoint us and separate these two in season 2. Go team Jojo and Sun-oh. I have a bad feeling I'm not gonna see them together. I will wait.

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I was so excited for this drama to release . And I finally got to watch it . I must say this drama was pretty good. I liked it!
It was quite confusing at times but overall it makes sense .
But I wish that in season 2 the story could be more interesting and I hope that jojo ends up with Hwang Sun Oh . I really really hope so !!
I loved the chemistry between these two actors ♡ and looking forward to watch more .
The story was unique and didn't clash with other dramas. The story was quite revelent to real lives aswell .
Waiting for the next season to release.

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10/10 for plot, i love love this concept of having an app that shows whether or not you like this person, its so cool
But with that said, i hate the characters so much (read the most upvoted review i agree with him/her so much). There was a lack of character development and felt that more couldve been done to allow viewers to understand the characters more so we could understand why they make certain decisions. Hopefully, these will be addressed in season 2.
The actor acting as sun oh also has very awkward acting? i feel super uncomfortable watching him during the whole of 8 episodes.

Although there were these problems, 7.5/10 might rewatch it because it has few episodes and i really like the concept of the app.

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