I AM NOT OKAY. No more water is left in my body. I cried it all out. 😭
This K-drama hit me like a truck full of emotions, and I don’t think I can ever recover. When Life Gives You Tangerinesis a beautiful, devastating masterpiece that makes you question life, love, and fate.
When Life Gives You Tangerines Short Review
Set against the breathtaking backdrop of Jeju Island, this show takes you through four volumes of heartbreak—losing a mother, a son, a lover, and a husband. AND I FELT EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM. IU and Park Bo Gum delivered career-best performances, but the older versions of their characters? CRUSHED ME. 😭💔
I thought this was going to be another typical K-drama with a love story, some misunderstandings, a tragic past, and a predictable ending. BOY, WAS I WRONG.
This show is art. Every scene is like poetry in motion. The cinematography? STUNNING. The writing? TOO GOOD. The emotions? TOO RAW. There are no villains, just life being cruel, and characters fighting for their happiness in a world that refuses to give it to them easily.
I have never cried this much for a show. Not even for my own life. And the worst part? IT WAS WORTH EVERY TEAR. My views on love, life, and grief have been completely overturned. The life lessons in this drama? TOP-TIER. I was expecting a bittersweet love story, and instead, I got a whole existential crisis. 😭😭
When Life Gives You Tangerines (KDrama) Quotes
1. “Life goes on for the living.” — This line broke me. It’s simple, it’s true, and it hurts like hell.
2. “Tangerines are sweet, but sometimes they leave a bitter taste. Just like life.” — This metaphor carried the whole show.
3. “When the waves come, you either learn to swim, or you drown.” — Said by the older version of IU’s character. CHILLS.
4. “I loved you then, I love you now, and I’ll love you even in the next life.” — I AM IN PAIN.
5. “A mother’s love never disappears. It just finds new ways to stay with you.” — This one destroyed me.
6. “You think you have time, until one day, you don’t.” — TOO REAL.
7. “If I knew this was the last time, I would’ve held you longer.” — Why do they do this to us???
8. “Regret is the heaviest thing a person can carry.” — And now I’m rethinking my whole life.
9. “She waited. And waited. And then one day, she stopped.” — PAIN.
10. “You don’t move on. You just learn to live with the emptiness.” — Oof.
11. “I’d rather have loved and lost you than to never have loved you at all.” — WHY.
12. “Every choice we make is a path we can’t walk back on.” — I need a minute.
13. “Memories don’t fade. They just hide in the quiet moments.” — So poetic, so sad.
14. “If love is a gift, why does it feel like a punishment?” — This show is evil.
15. “The sea takes, but it also gives.” — Symbolism on point.
16. “When you love someone, you become their home.” — 😭
17. “I never wanted forever. I just wanted more time.” — I CAN’T.
18. “Some wounds never heal, they just become part of who you are.” — WHY DOES THIS HURT SO MUCH.
19. “Even if the world forgets, I will remember.” — Goosebumps.
20. “Goodbye isn’t the end. It’s just a pause before we meet again.” — And I’m sobbing all over again. 😭
This drama was everything. It was painful, it was poetic, and it was unforgettable. I genuinely don’t think I can watch another show for a while because my expectations are now SKY-HIGH. If you want to cry your heart out and experience an emotional masterpiece, When Life Gives You Tangerines is THE ONE. 🍊✨