Moon at Half Past Noon

( 폭싹 속았수다 )

My love for K-darams instantaneous. Netflix brought it home. It began with Crash Landing on You. Then, a conversation with Shekhar’s home in Bhopal led me to Extraordinary Attorney Woo. These dramas were a great relief. The relentless pursuit for gore and violence that made Netflix a staple, took a toll on mind. Korean dramas came upon TV addicts as a CPR.

Even though I do not watch TV as often. I still surf the OTT world in search of some easy viewing. When Life Gives You Tangerines hums and resonates with love, life, and meaning.

A love story set in the Jeju Islands takes you in the blue oceans. Here, travails of love take the audiences through an arduous tale, much like an arduous dive to pluck abalone. Gwan-sik is stuck to Ae Soon like a puppy. She is a cry baby. A girl with big dreams and a bigger spirit. Her mother, a haenyeo, leaves her to the world without any relatives but a friend, called Gwan-sik. In many ways, there love story is of a standard stock. Two different people whose fate is tied by time and birth. Their love story is better than the love of Romeo and Juliet, as aptly described by one of the characters.

When Life Gives You Tangerines is different because it is more than just two lovers struggling. The story only begins when Gwan-sik and Ae Soon are united. The story is ‘happily-ever-after’ tale of shattered dreams. The fragments of those dreams somehow come together and turn into a mosaic of life itself. Parents find joy and build a future for their kids. Only love remains as eternal hope. Love is a fount of happiness.

Adept handling of a cliched theme that has a universal appeal. Kim Won-seok and the three writers are successful in creating an endearing story of a rebellion against odds and traditions. Screenplay is adept and handles period elements with sophistication and deft. The cast is accomplished. Park Bo-gum, much loved star from Reply 1988 and Itaewon Class plays the part with sedately but succintly. His quiet persona and handsome face is as expected. But, the true star is IU. The popular singer, songwriter, and composer plays Ae Soon perfectly. Now, her character is a stereotype popular in K-drama. Headstrong and a rebel, she brings enough histrionics and spunk to create a memorable character. The lead casts holds together a beaten-to-death story so strongly that one falls in love with the entire experience.

Season 1 ends with the protagonist still in the midst of an uncertain future. Season 2 is to be available on March 15. There is so much to look ahead to in this simple story.