Watched this drama a fortnight ago but couldn't bring myself to write its review. Maybe because I had too much on my mind, I couldn't figure out what to write and what not to. So here it is.
This drama is indeed a masterpiece, as per the hype. Its realistic plot, showcasing realistic life issues, distinguishes it from the rest. It shows that not all dreams come true, at least not in your expected timeframe; not everyone makes it to the top, because for many, bare survival is the biggest achievement of life; and your children don't always make you the proudest parents, no matter how preciously you raise them. And in whatever trouble, parents are always your sole savior; no one comes to your rescue except them. And likewise, every child is precious to their parents, regardless of what the world thinks.
Everything about this drama is so true that it's actually heartbreaking. The plot is family-based, circling around parenthood, especially motherhood. Ae-sun's life is depicted from childhood to seventy. Ae-sun is a girl with nothing but Yang Gwan-shik. Although poor, he always stands by Ae-sun and never lets her suffer alone. He does his best to provide for his family till his last breath. Gwan-shik is not only the best husband but also an amazing father. Both Ae-sun and Gwangshik take each other's side even when it's one of them versus their children. Their mutual love is so remarkable that even on his deathbed, Gwanshik asks his children to take care of their mother.
Their eldest daughter, Geum-myung, is the personification of most of the girls, who appear cold to their parents but actually are the warmest. Contrarily, sons are often impudent brats. Daughter are the exact reflection of their mothers, the same loving, caring, even self-sacrificing. Seeing her belittled by her supposed in-laws made me feel for Ae-sun that how hard it is for mothers to watch their children suffer. All the parents raise their children with the best they have and watching their children being looked down upon is extremely heart-aching.
I really admire her courage to let go of her first love, because she was not accepted in his household. And then, she got the man worthy of her. That's how life is, the wronged one gets better than what he previously had, as a compensation. (Personal note: Although I love Seonho, I didn't like his character here. It was too overboard and unrealistic, and both had no chemi development).
Going back to Ae-sun and Gwanshik, their life was far from perfect, they had more of hard days than good days and their life was a continuous struggle. Still they always stood by each other through thick and thin.
This drama is totally unlike the others nowadays. No CEOs, no luxury items, nothing just plain village life, where people silently help each other. Drama has the best direction and storyline. IU is such a versatile actress that no amount of appreciation can do her justice.
I can still write loads about the notions and aspects depicted, but this review has already got too long, so let's just end it here.
Endnote: regarding Gwanshik and Chungseop, and all the men out there, "if he wanted, he would!"
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A Poetic Love Story That Grows with Time
When Life Gives You Tangerines is a beautifully rendered meditation on love, resilience, and the slow passage of time. What captivated me most is how it feels profoundly intimate—every glance, every subtle gesture builds decades of emotion. IU and Park Bo-gum deliver quietly powerful performances that breathe warmth into their characters, while the production design and cinematography evoke Jeju's cultural soul with stunning clarity and nostalgia. It’s not a fast-paced drama, but that languid rhythm lets you savor the relationships, the generational shifts, and the unwavering bond between Ae-sun and Gwan-sik. If you appreciate deeply human storytelling that lingers long after the final episode, this one stays with you.Was this review helpful to you?
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so good and then so bad
Aw, this one pains me really. I had this at a rating of 9.5 until about the 5th, 6th episode. I was glued to the screen, I laughed and cried and laughed again. I loved everything about this drama, the actors, the fantastic soundtrack, the sets with so much love to detail, the touching stories in the beginning, all peaking with the death of the little son which had me in tears.And then there was a harsh break in this drama. As soon as the older actors took over everything went wrong for me. One thing that bothered me until the very last episode was that the aging of the characters was totally wrong. So the two main characters look pretty much exactly the same in 1983 and in 1999. That's ridiculous. Also the male lead's mother at some later point looks as old as her own son and daughter-in-law. At the same time, they used the same actress to play mother and daughter and she is simply never aging at all. She is born when? in 1968? And she still looks like a 14-year-old in 1999. Also at her wedding there is this very (and I mean VERY ) old couple, who were ancient in the end of the 1960s, when they helped her parents out with food and stuff, and they still show up to her wedding in 1998 looking exactly the same and are still alive? How old are they supposed to be? 120? This really bugged me so much and destroyed lots of the vibes in this drama.
But even more was that harsh break for me when the previously very touching, serious and thoughtful storytelling with tangible tragic and happy events turned into a steady slapstick party most of the episodes from ep. 7 to ep 16.
I started ff-ing the last four episodes because I was so tired of this steady totally over the top screaming and slapsticking, taking out all seriousness and true to life storytelling of this drama.
And the daughter, who looked like the mother because it simply was the same actress? I just didn't like her character at all. Her steady screaming and crying and pitting herself for everything while the whole world is running after her and trying to make everything fluffy for her? Nah, sorry, I don't like such people and she never really had reason to be and act like that.
The five stars are soelely for the first 5 episodes, which were absolutely brilliant and I loved every minute of them. The lacking other five stars are for that mess they made of the rest of this drama.
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No Words Can Describe
This is the first time I valued life seriously because of this. I am currently in a hard time situation with myself and my family and it is not good, I am depressed. The thing is, I have no GwanShik who will be on my side with all the ups and downs, and I also don't have a GwanShik father who will comfort me by patting my back, provide for us without getting angry, and be there for us personally. This drama touched my heart and went so deeply that I had to cry on every episode to let out all my loneliness, anger, and happiness. 2 days ago was the first time I had suicide thoughts and when I checked my phone I had a lot of signs from God that I shouldn't; I finished this drama to just let the time pass by, I cried a lot. This made me look back and appreciate people and hardships in life. I realized I need to be Ae Sun, she is strong, diligent and intelligent. Ae Sun is the person I really want to be. If I am gonna advice my own self, I will just say "be Ae Sun". She went through a lot and so am I. She may become a poet at the peak of her age but at least she did everything whether she liked it or not. Her and Gwanshik had a lot of dreams for themselves and their family but life isn't easy and perfect however they went through it because of their love and because of each other's bright. Ae Sun may not married a man who is rich that we all wanted but she married Gwan Shik because he was patient with her, he wanted to be happy with her, he wanted to share everything he knows and he owns, he fights for her until the end, even their hair turned gray, Gwashik still treated her like they were kids and most of all every way he do to speaks out for her. Those will never be heavier than being rich. I may want to die because of money but if I have a person like GwanShik, I will strive to live a long with my Mother's teachings and memories.Her poems is so pretty. I cry everytime I read them, I hope I can read them in reality.
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A simply beautiful story about family and life successfully told.
This will be the first review I have written on MDL.When Life Gives You Tangerines 🍊 (2025)
I knew this drama would end up being similar to my expectations, but the storytelling elevated the experience further. For such a simple story, the storytelling was stellar, along with the cinematography, to keep the audience on their toes and their hearts softened. The history of Jeju was richly presented by aligning the struggles of villagers and Aesun and Gwansik, whose lives were filled with emotional, grand and simple moments. I was reminded of my parents whenever Aesun and Gwansik, as grandparents, stood by each other, and so I resonated with the sad, happy, and funny moments in the story, especially through the eyes of Geum-myeong and how she ended up being their treasure and so-called princess.
Besides the main story, side characters were tied to the storyline and were important to the lives of the main characters, which I enjoyed a lot for a slice-of-life drama. The direction and visuals, helmed by the director of critically acclaimed dramas like My Mister, Signal, and Arthdal Chronicles, left me breathless. The budget was intentionally spent, and I appreciated that a lot. The actors and actresses did their job, especially IU, who played Ae-sun and Geum-young and showed her versatility as an actress in between the relationship of a mother and her daughter. So did Park Bogum, who I didn't see in a project elsewhere except Reply 1988 in 2015, he crafted the image of a young father to his grown-up self, played by Park Hae-Joon. Moon So-ri was as great as Ae-sun, she felt like a real person to me with all of her emotions as a mother who once had dreams of her own. I never felt a disconnection between the same characters played by two different actors and actresses.
Volumes 1-4 each had a central theme that resembled a tribute to the younger generation and a great thank you to the elder generations. From the dreams of youth to the hardships and regrets of adulthood and parenthood, to the uncertain events in history that struck the country were covered in the seasons of time, fall, summer, winter, and spring.
The ahjummas and other roles, such as Bu Sang-gil and Yeom Hyeran, convinced me that their characters were, in fact, just as important in bringing the scenes of family and community that stood out to me in symbolism out of all the dramas I've seen. Kim Seon-ho was wonderful too. Two mother-daughter relationships were excellently written, and the messages of the story were strongly supported through their scenes and how they contributed to the growth of the female characters throughout. I would like to write about the scenes that impacted me the most, but I will mention that the death of Dong-myeong truly broke me. Bogum as Gwan-sik's cries were haunting, and IU as Ae-sun in complete denial hurt me badly. In a way, I will never forget, and how they have not forgotten what happened to him from the guilt and regret that arose in their hearts and minds.
The music wasn't that spectacular for me, but I still was able to cry at quite a few scenes because of the powerful writing and acting. The rewatch value remains low since I never rewatch dramas fully, but for anyone who would rewatch, I would suggest they skip many moments in the middle of the drama instead. The timelines involving the lives of Geum-myeong and Eun-myeong were not captivating or interesting for the most part, but there are still many moments to look forward to. I will be thinking about this show briefly whenever I think of my family, especially my mother. A lot of lines were special to me.
I loved that Ae-sun was able to write poetry, including her long-lasting marriage in the warm spring and that Gwan-sik's last moments had him thinking about the love of his life. This show was able to focus on the romance of the parents in the last episode and how their love had them walking hand-in-hand and overcoming each hardship together. The last line is deeply emotional and summarizes the message of the story,
"To their seasons,
once so young and still so tender.
With remorse, gratitude, and the deepest respect.
Here's to all you have been through."
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When life gives you tangerines you get see a whole Pie of life
This is not just one slice of life but a whole pie with cream and what not of life. As it offers us a bunch of glimpses in to several generations of life, struggles, love and more struggles.Ordinary people, in some extraordinary circumstances showing us that it can be the little choices that define us. And that being loved matters more than being controlled.
The main couple is as sweet as sweet gets. Pure, loving the type that will litterally do anything to protect each other not only physically but mentally too.
"You have six people in your in your house hold, why do you only buy five fish?"
Showing us how to stand op against family oppression, tradition and prejudges. They may have been poor but they gave their children love and tools to stand up for them selfs teaching them not to settle and know their worth. Without skimping on the hardships poverty brings.
I loved the village, and the it truley takes a village feel to this, I loved the family, the aunts, the kids, the pain... the sweetness. The window in to the different decades and society and day to day life as it was, without diving in to politics. Showing common people. I also enjoyed them showing us even more pain and the time skips with the date and time shown like they used to on old photographs.
I did not like the last 30 minutes or so of the drama, it had a bit to much of a preachy tone and did a bad job with making me believe IUS character was over 50. It also has one moment that feels a bit off and over the top in this otherwise pretty down to earth drama. Making me lower the score from a 9,5 to a 9. Then all the yelling crying, and more yelling knocked off another 0,5 stars giving this an 8,5.
A good drama indeed, and apparently there is a lot you can do with tangerines, if it is life or some one else who gives you them is however a different question as the tangerines seem to be the first to go when poverty hits.
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Most Heartfelt Drama in Years
I haven't written a review in a long time. I've watched hundreds of dramas the last 20 years...but this one has left and indelible imprint on my heart. The weaving and storytelling was beautifully done, capturing almost every episode something that impacted me deeply. It is one of those rare dramas that is heartbreaking in its loveliness. Each character is multi-dimensional. Even the "villain" has a redemptive arc that felt real and believable. You reallly fall in love with Oh Ae-sun, Yang Gwang-sik and their children. The weaving of history was brilliant. After watching this, I want to be appreciative of the people around me, honor the elderly that sit around me and hear their stories. It makes me thankful that we now live in an age where our stories are being told and told so brilliantly. It's a drama that has something relatable to anyone if they want it to be. There's so much to love about this.Was this review helpful to you?
When Life Gives You Tangerines Review - ZyKuu
"A young couple from an island experience the fruits of life side by side" - The story was very realistic as we witness the main couple experience life across many decades. I found the plot to be very lengthy and the only issue with me was the pacing, but all together it was a beautiful story of life that was told. This show does a amazing job at portraying the inconsistencies of life. Oh Ae-sun (Young) / Yang Geum-myeong is an incredibly talented actress. She was able to perform both roles excellently.Yang Gwan-sik (Young) was an amazing actor himself, he demonstrated what it truly meant to be a father and husband. Hopefully many people look up to his character and draw inspiration from him. Oh Ae-sun (Old) and Yang Gwan-sik (Old) were also terrific in portraying their roles. Both Park Chung-seop & Park Yeong-beom did well in their reduced roles during the screen time they had as well. The OST was decent, it fit in with the theme of the show but nothing in particular stood out for me. I would say that this show is more catered towards an older audience as I feel it would be more relatable to those who have been battle tested through life already. All in all, this show was very impactful and does a tremendous job at telling the story of life!
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cried a river T.T
It’s a family drama but a really really “depressing” one. This drama focuses on the reality of surviving when you are not from a wealthy family and also highlights the different stages in the life. How the choices they make affect their lives is also clearly shown. How parents can sacrifice so much for their kids and how the kids learn to appreciate their parents.I cried alot watching this show…somehow IU always picks really sad dramas but she is able to really portray her characters well. I was amazed because she had to cry almost every episode. As an actor I feel like that must have been so hard and tiring. IU has the main role in the drama, most of the scenes are of her.
Park bogum, unexpectedly doesn’t have much screen time but he did really well as well. He was loyal supportive and hard working. He was the perfect husband for Aesun so she never regretted marrying him.
The drama was directed very well with clips from the past and present blended nicely and presented in a clear timeline. It was not confusing to understand and the story was very heartwarming.
Overall a very good drama which shows the difficulties of the past and how a family managed to live on together.
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if could give it more than 10 i would!
I went in not having a clue what this kdrama was about. God damn it wrecked my heart. made me think of life and my parents and their sacrifices, but also my own husband and how much he does for me. the cast was fabulous, their acting was so heartfelt i just cried a lot lol, but i also laughed and could relate to so much of this drama, i never thought it could happen! this is an amazing drama definitely worth the watch and if you ever need a good cry this would definitely be the drama for it but not in a depressive way but just bitter sweetWas this review helpful to you?
When Drama Gives You Depression
Unlike most people, I couldn't enjoy this drama at all. I felt miserable throughout barring a couple of episodes. I laughed maybe once or twice. It took me 4 months to complete because it was my personal hell. Perhaps a bit too real for me. I was desperately hoping things work out for them but some misfortune or the other kept coming into their lives. They struggled so much and I just felt sick to my stomach watching helplessly.The actors were all great since I could feel their emotions and connect with them. Perhaps connected too deeply that it triggered a lot of negative emotions in me. I was reminded of some of my personal struggles as well as my mother's. Because of how sad it got, I had to watch at double the speed and it still didn't prevent me from crying buckets. One beautiful thing that I did love was Park Bo Gum's character's love for IU's character and standing up for her and being there for her always.
This is not a direct critique at the show. It is just not something I could enjoy. I'm glad I made it to the end despite how awful it made me feel. Not something I would recommend personally but I probably won't need to seeing it's popularity.
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A poignant story following the love story of a couple that is always rooting for each other!
I had zero expectations coming into this drama. It was getting popular and my friends asked if I was watching, naturally I gave it a try.'When Life Gives You Tangerines' gave me the vibes of daily Japanese dramas called asadora(s). They typically follow a female protagonist throughout their life including building a family for themselves or making a name for themselves. That's exactly what we see in this drama but obviously condensed into 16 episodes. Usually I would think 16 episodes feels too short and fast paced to connect and understand each character but WLGYT was well paced and thought out. Every episode just felt perfect, not too fast and not too slow. Just the right pacing for me.
There were many life lessons that everyone can take from this drama.
I think my top three were: 1. Never settle for less and don't put yourself down just to please others. 2. Even if you grew up with nothing, know that your parents tried their very best to keep you fed and happy. 3. Cherish every moment, who knows what could happen. Take care of your family especially your parents. 😭
The acting of each and every actor and actress were amazing and natural. No complaints, just applause especially to IU.
Highly recommend! :)
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