To the delight of K-drama fans, the highly anticipated Netflix series When Life Gives You Tangerines starring IU and Park Bo Gum premiered on Netflix on Friday (March 7). The 16-part show captures the four seasons of their life, with four episodes releasing every week on Friday.
This marks Park Bo Gum's first K-drama since he enlisted and subsequently completed his military service, while IU returns after her 2019 hit Hotel del Luna. The actors, both aged 31, first starred in a commercial together as teens. The duo briefly reunited for The Producers in their 20s. With When Life Gives You Tangerines, they star opposite each other for the first time as leads.
The first installment captures the relationship young Oh Ae Sun (IU) shares with her mother. Raised in a poor household on Jeju Island, Ae Sun hates the sea, which she blames for all the tragedies in her life. She wants to run away to the city. For Gwan Sik (Park Bo Gum), home is where Ae Sun is, so he really doesn't have many complaints. Just like real life, their characters, Oh Ae Sun (IU) and Yang Gwan Sik (Park Bo Gum), have known each other all their lives.
Touted as a slice-of-life romance, When Life Gives You Tangerines follows a non-linear storytelling, with a focus on 1960s Korea in Jeju Island, where the two protagonists grow up. Jeju has been a main character in many dramas before, but this is the first time we truly see the loneliness of the countryside.
The first week focuses on the spring season, where the young love of the protagonists blossoms despite the hardships of their youth and the uncertainty of their future. Almost the entire first episode takes viewers through their childhood in poor households, where the ten-year-old Ae Sun undergoes a multitude of emotions. From the happiness of returning to her mother's house to sitting at her wake, she sees it all at a tender age. The only constant in her ever-changing fate is Gwan Sik, who would steal dry mackerel from his house every day for her.
Yeom Hye Ran shines as Oh Ae Sun's mother, delivering a memorable performance that poignantly captures the struggles of a young mother. Child actors Kim Tae Yeon and Lee Cheon Mu do wonderful jobs as young Ae Sun and Gwan Sik.
The drama sees IU reunite with her My Mister director Kim Won Seok, who is also known for directing masterpieces like Misaeng (2014) and Signal (2016).
You see his genius right from the opening credits, where he weaves an interesting narrative with an old woman at a care facility painting a picture of the story of her life. As she walks barefoot on the seashore, you wonder what kind of life she has lived. It keeps you wondering what struggles young love can bring other than rejection from family and dearth of money. The masterful storytelling throws unexpected twists and turns that make a rather ordinary plot an endearing watch.
Lim Sang Choon surprises with another strong female character. The script for When Life Gives You Tangerines is penned by Lim Sang Choon, who is known for writing strong female leads like Choi Aera (Fight for My Way) and Oh Dong Baek (When the Camellia Blooms). Her strong pen game reinforces why it's important for women to tell women's stories.
The narrative may deter viewers who prefer faster-paced storylines, particularly those not fond of slow-burn romances. Additionally, while IU and Park Bo Gum's on-screen chemistry is undeniable, the familiar childhood sweethearts trope has been done to death in K-drama, somewhat diminishing the nuanced storytelling the drama has to offer.
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