When Life Gives You Tangerines Review: Don’t skip IU & Park Bo Gum’s K-drama if you’re dealing with life’s sour moments

When Life Gives You Tangerines Review

“Mom, do you regret marrying Dad?” Decades later, Ae Sun’s daughter, stressing over her childhood in poverty, asks the question.

“You wouldn’t have married him again if given a chance right?” she asks

“Yeah,” she says. “I would have married him again.” Ah Sun goes again, “And why?”

When Life Gives You Tangerine is a reminder that for every struggling Ae Sun, there’s a Yang Gwan Sik, a constant, unhesitating presence, walking beside her like a shadow. Living up to Kim Won Seok’s legacy of My Mister, Signal, and Misaeng, the drama follows childhood sweethearts in Jeju as they battle hardships, societal norms, and their own dreams.

Period dramas can be a tough sell without the right intrigue, but this slow burn spells its magic effortlessly. Kim Won Seok builds a world so rich that from the very first frame, you’re locked in, eyes glued, breath held. With a storyteller’s finesse, he lulls you in with beauty before jolting you awake with the raw sting of reality.

The first week takes us through their spring era where, despite life’s cruelty, love finds a way to bloom. Gwan Sik, patient yet persistent, waits years for Ae Sun to see him beyond friendship (something she was ready for since 14). And when that long-awaited moment finally arrives in a breathtaking kiss among Jeju’s golden canola fields, it’s clumsy, real, and overflowing with emotion.

Spanning decades, the drama captures time’s passage not just in its storytelling but in its performances. The actors subtly shift their mannerisms, their expressions deepen, their voices carry the weight of experience. It’s a love story that unfurls like the island itself—rugged yet beautiful, unpredictable yet enduring. A quiet, healing and comforting slice of life gem that lingers long after the screen fades to black.

When Life Gives You Tangerines- Character arcs

IU may be widely known as Korea’s beloved soloist, but her acting in Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo, Hotel del Luna, and My Mister has established her as a true powerhouse. When Life Gives You Tangerine is no exception. As Oh Ae Sun, she delivers raw, lived-in emotions. Tears that hold both sorrow and determination, passion for literature and dream of becoming a poet, playful innocence balanced with fierce resilience. Her journey that started with hardship and unshakable dreams, mirrors the quiet battles many face, making her performance not just commendable but deeply relatable.

Starring alongside her, Park Bo Gum, known for Reply 1988, Love in the Moonlight, and Record of Youth, once again delivers a standout performance. As Yang Gwan Sik, the boy who fell for her at ten and never wavered, he brings a warmth that feels like a promise. From slipping her extra fish to giving up his own dreams just to see hers through, he makes you believe that in a world this harsh, there are still people who choose to stay. And that, in itself, is magic.

What do IU and Park Bo Gum think of each other?

“The first thing that came to mind was that I want to work with him again no matter what,” said IU according to Forbes. “But I would say a very, very small part of me inside, I did feel a little sense of fear, but all in all, I wanted to work with him again.”

“I was willing to go into it right away,” said Park Bo Gum confidently. The show takes its title from Jeju’s famous crop, lemons. When Life Gives You Tangerine/Lemon perfectly captures the essence of life’s unspoken battles, the monotony, the black-and-white moments, the feeling of losing grip, yet always holding onto a ray of hope.

“I try to ask myself, am I able to truly understand and relate to this character or this story,” Park Bo Gum continues. “I’m also drawn to projects that have a very clear, heartwarming message. While you work on a role, I think when it comes to the profession of an actor, we are always able to learn from every role that we take on.”

For IU, “I think when it comes to selecting my projects, for me it’s really all about does it light a fire inside me,” she said. “Does it make me want to take on the challenge? It’s hard to pinpoint what particular details make that happen, but I think I approach it more intuitively, where I think to myself, after reading a script, does it make my heart beat?”

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