Love Alarm Season 2 (2021)

Love Alarm was a Pleasant Surprise

Decided to check Love Alarm's ratings on MDL after completing it and was surprised to see so much negative reviews because I actually really liked it. Most of the hate I read comes from Jojo not ending up with Sun-oh, however, I found Love Alarm to be a pleasant surprise and an enjoyable drama overall.

Although I liked the Sun-oh/Jojo ship during S1, I always liked Hye-yeong more but never really expected them to end up together since he seemed liked the typical 2nd ML. Come S2 I was happy Hye-yeong/Jojo were dating but was pretty anxious throughout that she would go back to Sun-oh, as is usual in drama cliche.
I think the most satisfying part of Love Alarm is the emphasis place on choice- particularly Kim Jojo's choice. Her character receives a lot of hate for the breakup in S1, but it feels completely justified when you look at it from her perspective. She acted upon her instinct of self-preservation and distanced herself from Sun-oh so she wouldn't get hurt. Later, of course she is completely aware of what she did, why she did it, and how she hurt Sun-oh. In S2,4 years or so later after they broke up, the only thing she owed him was an explanation, not to reciprocate her feelings back to Sun-oh.

Now, to Hye-yeong. While the Sun-oh/Jojo romance felt more like a fling/testing out their feelings, the Hye-yeong/Jojo romance was more supportive and heartwarming, which was why I liked the latter better. In S2, although it was obvious she loved hye-yeong as well, it was hard to be absolutely sure since she had the shield up and couldn't ring his Lover Alarm. It was also due to the shield that the love triangle (Sunoh-jojo-hyeyeong) kept coming up since it caused Sun-oh to think Jojo still had feelings for him. The tension of the love triangle was due to the fact that Jojo couldn't ring any of their Love Alarms so no one could really be sure of her true feelings. All the while, Sun-oh kept coming on to her. This is also the part where Jojo's choice comes into play. Because they were essentially relying on whose alarm she would ring, which she couldn't due to the shield, she CHOSE to show who she really loved through her action, which was always to seek Hye-yeong. And this is what makes Love Alarm different from conventional Kdramas. A lot of times, romance and rom-coms may leave a feeling of dissatisfaction known as Second Lead Syndrome because we find ourselves rooting for the 2nd male lead but the FL ends up with the 1st ML. Usually, the 2nd ML is more supportive, caring, makes a better pair with the FL,...etc. but almost always loses to the 1st ML just because. Other times, the ML and FL would temporarily break up, the 2nd ML would be there for support, then the FL would reunite with the 1st ML again. Love Alarm flips the cliché around and gives us a realistic and satisfying romantic ending.

Overall, the series is short, sweet, and has a good heartwarming romance.

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The story goes bad

From the last parts of S1, they'd been so unfair with Sun Oh, got hung in the air without closure and being the unchosen one as his friend prioritizes love over friendship. The story becomes so unfair for Sun Oh, so I was hoping that he will get justice in S2 but instead they destroyed his character even more. In reality, how the story goes with him is so depressing from his family problems to the way that he has always been left by important people in his life and forcing himself to love someone that he doesn't. His one and only friend chose love over him even knowing that the girl cause so much pain to him by the way she left him hanging was just so unfair. It sounds so wrong. The storyline is just nuts and has no sense at all.

I don't have any issues with the acting. I think everyone portryed their role well.

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Why Rating is Low?

Clearly, the most of the viewers have watched this whole show while being biased towards one of the male leads.
Whenever a love triangle is strong, the rating of the series get heavily affected.

Watching from a neutral point of view, without liking one ML over the other, the story was quite well executed. I loved the OST, the production was obviously very high as Netflix was involved, the animations were superb.

The female lead because of the her horrible past, was quite selfish in some of her choices as clearly portrayed at the end of Season 2 as she herself comes to realize how selfish her choices were.

Unfortunately the ones to suffer due to female lead's choices were the two male leads. Considering that Sun-Oh fell for JJ knowing how much of a crush his best friend had on her and Hye-yeong also was ultimately unable to keep the childhood promise he made to Sun-Oh. The whole thing is a a bit Karmic and balances everything out.

With everyone having their share of trouble and ultimately finding some kind of happiness in the end.

This is only worth watching if you are able to watch it without tilting towards one of the male leads, If you do then you will be very angry the way the story goes and how it ends.

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A waste of time

Honestly, I really thought I was going to enjoy this season, and I really do want to like it. But it's just so boring that i feel like ive wasted my time. Its so obvious that they added on 'mini' stories to be able to make more episodes in the second season. theres so many uneccesary things and the only episodes that actually add onto the 'plot' are the last 2.

Its been about 4 years since the characters have been in high school ( i think? i may be wrong) , but yet theres no sort of plot development, no character development and its almost like nothing has changed. Jojo hasnt changed one bit and is taking some sort of classes, but we are never told what classes shes even taking. she has no life goals, dreams or even hobbies. all she does is run around thinking of whose love alarm to ring. Hyeyongs life literally only depends on him loving jojo and texting her 'have you eaten' or 'have a good day', its literally the same thing everytime and it gets so boring and repetitive that you physically cannot watch all of it in one go without pausing for a while. They couldve done so much more and yet they wasted such an opportunity.

The only character that was interesting was Gulmi, she actually has some sort of goal and shes trying to carry it out, shes actually changed in the past 4 years and shes realized that she messed up.

The huge cliff hanger at the end of season 1 is also never mentioned, its almost as if it never happened. and the anti love alarm group is never mentioned either.

I would only watch this to find out who jojo ends up with, but other than that I feel like I had to force my self to sit through it and just hope that something interesting would actually happen.

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I don't want to be rude but I personally didn't like the season2 of this drama. It was predicted long ago that jojo will not end up with suho. I will not lie, I was never satisfied listening to this but I still watched the season2 because I was curious of how will the writer convince the audience that jojo should end sunho with hyeong and not sunho since most of the people who watched the s1 anted her to end with sunho. So continuing with what I just said, my curiosity led me to watch it but turns out there were no efforts made to convince the audience, but there was just a ending that we had to accept without any explanation. If you have watched s1 you will understand why everyone is shipping sunho and jojo but if you haven't then it is because of the genuine an sweet chemistry they had, and trusts me the s2 only has a single kiss of sunho and jojo but that is the most romantic and memorable scene for me. the reason why the ending was a mess (according to me ) was because
1. jojo and hyeong did not have any chemistry but still ended up together.
2. Sunho was suddenly shown happy and tried to accept yukjo, despite the fact that he still loved jojo and was in the process of healing
3. Jojo's cousin still didn't accept duku gu's feelings and hurt him even when she got to know what all he had to go through for her.
4. It is still a mystery for the users regarding what happened to dukugu and when he said during the last episode when he met jojo to give her the love alarm log that even though my age is 23 i still feel like i am 18. does that indicate that he was not conscious for 5 years and that suicided scene of him in the s1 was real.
5. i was not even sure of why did jojo's shield not removed at the end when dukugu finally made his appearance since he was the developer and according to the drama the developer could remove the shield.
6. There was another scene in the last episode when they revealed that brian chon was dukugu's brother and dukugo stated that he was against the launch of the 2.0 version of the app and at the end he tells his brother to give up on the latest version and behold the title of the developer forever. but there was no conclusion to that statement as well.
in short i would just say that there were a lot of mystery in this season and i seriously want as3 that solves all these problem and has a more cheerful concept.

As for the cast, according to me the cast did a great job in portraying what they were told to portray. The emotions portrayed were seriously excellent. I will be honest, i was crying the whole time i was watching this drama since this was a more on the serious side and mostly because song kang's character sunho was mostly sad and vulnerable for love which he never received till the end.

Sorry for such a long review. and a alert if you havent watched this drama until now and read my review, then i a sorry for spoiling it for you and and as for recommendation, I would say that if you really want some to watch some serious drama ten go ahead watch it .

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Total disappointment

First of all it a whole new story in season 2, there is no story line up with season 1, director though that season 1 was fantastic that's why let's do something different and then he just spoiled it and disappointed us.. Until season 1 episode 6 everything was fine, afterwards from no where near they just broke up between them without any valid reason and made a storyline that is never gonna fascinate kdrama's fans!
I enjoyed so much that, I couldn't wait to see 2nd season but now I regret it, I never skipped season 1 while watching those episodes, but I almost skipped every part of it and waited for a happy ending between Kim JoJo and Sun-Oh, but that didn't happen,
Bro, you made a break up between them, so they struggled for it and you need to make things up for them after sometime, but the director didn't even give it a chance to patch up between them, that jerk(Lee Hye-young) came from no where, won JoJo's heart and made us disappointed...
I just regret that I waited and watched the second season, director and story script writers should watch 18 Again season 1, to learn how to make a good story line up and how to end the little story with a happy ending that would make the audience happy! You guys go and wash your brain before thinking about making any story about love and affection!
You guys disappointed us, and I will make sure that I never watch any drama that is directed by
Kim Jin-woo...

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Satisfying, despite the haters

I know a lot of vocal people are mad about the ending, but honestly, they followed the original ending. I know that according to most drama formulas, she should have ended up with the emotionally stunted boy who's obsessed and infatuated, but I absolutely adore that it wasn't so.

As an adult who's made a point of choosing healthy relationships, the point of the drama is that we can rise past our trama and traumatized relationships to choose something healthy with someone well balanced and kind.

It was heartwarming. the cinematography was gorgeous, the music nice, and the writing was meaningful. The characters had depth and flaws. It was really well done. I hope the haters who fetishize unhealthy relationship dynamics don't get to the writer. I wouldn't change a thing except to get actors that could do more than wooden face. Not bad if that's my only complaint.

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Rejected all cliches, wonderful ending. Season 2 was way way way better than Season 1

A lot of people seem to be complaining that she didn't end up with Sun Oh. Honestly I loved that she ended up with Hye Yeong. Realistically, she would've rejected Sun Oh. It'd been FOUR years since they'd dated. OF COURSE she was gonna reject him. Even after 4 years, Sun Oh was really creepy and forceful with her. The borderline stalking, chasing her with this car, causing a scene, demanding that she admit she likes him, and kissing her without consent. And yes, Hye Yeong was pretty creepy with all the following her in season 1, but you can really tell he's grown as a person and become more mature and wouldn't do that anymore. Sun Oh, on the other hand, was selfish the whole time. Back in season 1, he kissed her even though she said no. He pursued a girl he KNEW his best friend liked, just because he found her kinda attractive (they admitted it was just pure lust at first). And tbh, their relationship was overall pretty meh. They had some good moments, like when Sun Oh showed up when she was having a panic attack, but other than that, it just felt like infatuation. Teenage love. 4 years pass by, and somehow he still is crazy in love with her?? He strings his girlfriend along, much to her heartbreak. He stalks and chases her. He demands that she admit she still loves him, which was very creepy and not okay. He kisses her without consent. He's the creepy ex-boyfriend character; the only reason anyone still roots for him is because he's cute, so it's easy to look over his creepiness. On the other hand, Hye Yeong understood her. When Sun-Oh and him fought, he wasn't mad at Sun-Oh because he was jealous. He was mad because by going to the classroom, Sun-Oh caused Jojo a lot of anxiety, Hye-Yeong knew this even before he'd met with Jojo. He understood her that well. He wasn't even mad at her, just worried. That's the difference between Hye-Yeong and Sun-Oh. Hye Yeong loved, understood, and accepted her, even when she didn't love him back. Sun-Oh loved her too, but in the selfish way. Sun Oh simply wanted her. He was willing to cause a scene and make her uncomfortable, anything if it means he could have her. Even if it broke his current girlfriend's heart. That may just be a form of love, but it's not the type of love that one should desire. The fact that Jojo didn't end up with the rich, handsome, daddy issues boy makes me really happy I watched this show. It really rejected all the cliche's and gave the underdog the crown, as he deserved. Season 2 was much, much, much better than season 1. I'm really happy with the direction the writers chose to go.

They dealt with Jojo's character better in this season as well. Last season, her motivations felt somewhat contrived to suit the plot. Her motivations for breaking up with Sun-Oh felt pretty weak. How she got together with Sun-Oh seemed pretty weak as well. This season though, Jojo felt a lot more like a character and less like a plot device. Her motivations were more realistic, and she was likable. Her reasons for using the spear in season 2 were a lot more realistic than her reasons for using the shield in season 1. They also dealt with her trauma decently, which was nice. Jojo just felt a lot more real, likable, and less stupid this season. I remember screaming at the screen when she followed Sun-Oh into the alleyway in season 1. I was completely baffled by why she trusted him despite the fact that he was being incredibly creepy. I was uncomfortable the whole time. This season, she was way more likable. She made better choices, and when she did make a bad choice, it made sense. The only problem I had with the ending was that Sun-Oh ended up with the girlfriend he was ditching for Jojo. Even if he was showing up every day, their relationship just left me with discomfort and pity for her, so I felt like it was unnecessary. Sun-Oh's ending should've revealed his start on his path to growth and maturity. That would've been a nice ending for Sun-Oh. I also really liked the Gul-Mi's growth. She became a better person, but not in a super-fast, unrealistic way. She just slowly started making better decisions. Like Jojo, Gul-Mi's motivations made sense.

Overall, much much better than season 1. If I ever rewatch, I'm only rewatching season 2. All the Hye Yeong-Jojo scenes were really sweet, heartwarming, and intimate. I really wish more shows like this would come out. I really wish the non-selfish asshole second lead would win more often. But unfortunately, with ratings like this from Sunjo shippers, I doubt it. As far as I'm concerned, this was a pretty awesome season from a character standpoint.

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BIGGEST Disappointment EVER

Like many other watchers, I've been waiting for this for over a year. I was literally so excited when I heard about the release of season 2. Then I saw the trailer. Honestly, I still had hope after the trailer. I was hoping that maybe she would finally understand her feelings and choose Sun Oh. she is still as slow-witted as ever in S2.

She not once tried to understand how Sun Oh was feeling. He was heartbroken for 4 years because JoJo decided to use the stupid shield. He didn't deserve that heartbreak, and his feelings for her were so genuine. I started crying so many times because of how SunOh was treated... Sun Oh had barely any screen time, and he was supposed to ba a main character.

Honestly, the producers just couldn't read the mood, could they? They KNEW we wanted JoJoxSunOh but decided to crush our hopes. Waste of time. SunOh didn't even have a decent ending. Hyeyoung and Jojo's relationship was fake and forced. Where is the chemistry between them?
JoJo still had feelings for SunOh......
I thought Season 1 was disappointing, this was on a WHOLE another level of bad.

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First of all I for one loved the ending and the progression of the
plot. Although the story line was CHOPPY at times and we enevr got the full story behind what happened with Deok GU.

I freaked out when I found out that the concept of Love Alarm was inspired by Hyeoung and Jojo omgggg
So may of you are angry that Jojo ultimately picked Hyeoung LMAOO and are bashing him and calling him boring. When did being decent and kind be boring and bland? Yall must be teens.

There are many reasons why Hyeoung and Joho are the endgame:
1. Hyeoung was never forceful or aggressive to Jojo. Yes JJ was annoying at times, But you forget she had some deep childhood trauma which naturally makes her vulnerable, insecure, and scared. She needed someone there as a support system. Hyeoyoung was literally her boulder and stayed by her side selflessly without demanding anything in return.
2. 2. Hyeoung was extremely mindful and cared about Jojo’s feelings. He never only thought about only his feelings.
3. He never pressured her
4. He didn’t want to reveal his trauma to her because he didn’t want to burden her since she has her own trauma. He was so thoughtful.
Y'all call Hyeyoung a loser for suppressing his feelings at first and letting Sunho confess to her first. LISTEN. His father is a murderer. Bc of this he felt that he needed to be EXTRA CAREFUL and paint this always nice image of himself so that people don't assume that he's only a murderer's child. HE wanted to amicable bc he felt that's what he deserved and that he needed to prove how good he was. so people don't make that association. He felt the need to overcompensate always.

And y'all calling him weak? UM he literally denied his lying, murderer, father parole. THAT TAKES A LOT OF STRENGTH AND COURAGE TO LET GO OF SOMEONE LIKE THAT SO STFU. Especially your father.

Jojo did Sunho dirty by not properly explaining herself to him. BUT let’s not act like Sunho is the total victim in this love triangle. He literally kissed JJ twice despite knowing she had a boyfriend. The second time he kissed her despite knowing his best friend was dating her. Why y’all romanticizing his homewrecker behavior? Is it bc he’s hot? JJ even revealed how when he kissed her, all she thought of was Hyeyoung at that time yikes.

Second, goddamn he’s aggressive and reckless. I understand he felt hurt but storming in her class like that and making such a scene was so disrespectful and childish tf? How does this scene NOT make him look selfish. Hyeyoung literally called him out for his selfish ass and that was SO satisfying. He basically told Sunoh yeah you lover her hard man but wtf you know she has anxiety and you put her in such a tough spot. YOU SEE???!! Hyeyoung ALWAYS considering JJ’s feelings first.

I think the reason why most people are mad is bc most of the viewers are highschoolers or teens. Sunoh and JJ’s chemistry is great no doubt but that attraction and love at first sigh didn’t sustain them. They grew up and had their own demons.

Hyeyoung and Jojo’s lovestory was dynamic it built up. It was HEALTHY. NON TOXIC.
FYI for everyone saying JJ didn’t love Hyeyoung. UHHHH embarrassing. Have you seen the ending???? How many times her love alarm COULD have rang when she was with Hyeyoung.

Yall make nice, attentive men look so boring. I wonder what would of happened if the casting switched. Hyeyoung is SOOOOOO ATTRACTIVE. Sunoh is gorgeous as well. But they each have their own charms. Trust me when you grow up and pass the highschool phase, a man like Hyeyoung will be a dream. Please watch this with an open mind and understand Jojo’s story and choices. Don’t senselessly give the drama bad review just bc she chose the nice guy for once.

TBH my other fave character was Yook JO. SHE WAS SO SWEET OMG I LOVE HER. SunOh can't let her go either damn. IDK maybe if there is a season 3 , we may see their relationship progress and buildbeautifully :') Overall IM SO HAPPY THAT MY OTP FINALLY MADE IT.

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