So lame
It shouldn't have ended so badly, I didn't watch last 10 (ten) minutes of the last episode because I was so over the storyline. Why does a review have to be so long? Anyways, it was so, so bad. I thought things would get resolved in second season and it would be a happy ending. Which kind of did happen. Everyone who's curious should check out for themselves if you're confused by my review. I guess I still don't have 500 (five hundred) characters. Will this be enough now? Omg, what else do I write, I don't want to spoil things for people, just wanted to voice my displeasure over what happened, this isn't why I stayed up all night?Was this review helpful to you?
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I understand what they were going for, but I think it was executed poorly
Where to begin... I was one of those poor souls that was left waiting for 2 years to see the second season, and was also spoiled immediately after the first season about what the ending was going to be, so I thought I would be mentally prepared to have my heart ripped out watching it. I was not.I understand what Love Alarm was going for. In a dystopian world, almost paralleling today's age of digital dating, it's hard to fall in love organically anymore. We rely on cryptic text messages and online dating profiles to determine who we're supposed to love, instead of relying on our own intuition, our own feelings and heart. Given a shield, she was able to choose who she truly loved without a confusing love Alarm ringing all the time. I think it's important to consider that you can love many people to varying degrees. Since her Love Alarm told her to love Sun Oh, she has no choice but to believe it. But Love Alarm strips them of their freedom to choose who they love, and strips them of their will to fight for someone who doesn't ring yours. So, with that in mind, I understand why they decided that Hae Young was ultimately the person she chose over Sun Oh.
That said... I really disliked the way they went about trying to portray this message. What irked me the VERY most, was Duk Goo. If it was supposed to be a truly organic love between JoJo and Hae Young, then he wouldn't have gotten involved at all. By giving her the shield and the spear, he's essentially playing cupid and fate to get them to fall in love. His reasoning of how it gave her the opportunity to see that she would love Hae Young imo was just stupid. If she was meant to fall in love with Hae Young, she would have. She and Sun Oh would have organically broken up because she was too young/scared/etc... and she would have naturally found comfort in Hae Young and realize that he was the one she truly felt comfortable with.
Frustrations:
- JoJo - girl, why didn't you just tell him you had the shield once you regret it?!
- Sun Oh lost his best friend AND girlfriend at once. I felt like he deserved a better explanation from them.
- I'm sorry, but I saw very little chemistry between Hae Young and JoJo
Pros:
- Sun Oh and JoJo were both broken people, and found comfort in each other, but weren't able to heal each other. That was a powerful message to send.
- I think Yook Jo was a perfect character for Sun Oh. I'm truly happy for her and their ending
- I think Hae Young is a great guy, and I am also happy he got the girl (that his best friend kinda stole from him in the first place lets be real)
- The consistency of the cherry blossoms + red whatever (telephone booth, mailbox, bus shelter) - that's when I knew Hae Young was the one.
All that said, my k-drama heart wished that Sun Oh and JoJo ended up together, and my heart is broken, but I did my best to take my personal attachments out of the bigger picture of this story, and hopefully that will give me the consolation I'll need going forward.
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A story that had so much potential but was wasted due to poor writing
I stole Sun-Oh’s smile away from him.. just so I wouldn't feel any pain - JojoThe above quote pretty much sums up my feelings and the show as a whole. The cinematography is not good at all compared to Season 1 and the plot is just a worse version of the love triangle that was developed in Season 1. We got no proper closure or anywhere near a good apology or explanation. We had the wrong ship sail. Don't even get me started on her use of the spear. So cowardly and something only Jojo would do. That one scene between Jojo and Brian in Episode 5 summed up everything about Jojo.
You used the shield to prevent Sun-Oh's Love Alarm from ringing and you used the spear to ring Hye Young's Love Alarm. You lie for your convenience. - Brian
No truer words have ever been said in this show. Well maybe that Gulmi quote, but that's neither here nor there.
Nothing went right this season. Not even the side stories. After the SunJo ship failed to sail we should've spent less time on the love triangle and spent the time to actually develop the romance between HyeJo and YukOh. The ending felt super unsatisfying just due to very minimal development in the two relationships. We didn't even get to see Jojo's full journey on her path of reconciling with the past and healing. We got to see the end result in the final half of Episode 6 but it just isn't as emotional as it could have been. The same thing goes for the very last scene showing us viewers the times when Jojo rang Hye Young's Love Alarm unconsciously. It just didn't hold that much weight due to the relationship feeling forced from lack of development. But I've got to give credit where credit is due as those scenes were beautiful. Just doesn't hold too much weight as they could've held if we had good writing.
Going back to the point on the development of the relationships. This is one reason I wished we had the normal 8 episodes. To delve more into the relationships so that scenes stated earlier could hold more weight. I mean come on, YukOh was pretty damn cute not gonna lie. That final scene between the two of them was so heartbreaking and wholesome. I just want Sun Oh to be happy and Yuk Jo as well. I've grown to love this ship more after the writers decided to completely ruin my SunJo ship. Lastly, for my final remarks on this show, we really did need more scenes dedicated to the building of HyeJo for it to have anywhere near as much meaning, weight, or satisfaction that SunJo had.
Oh yeah, one more thing I would like to add that I just came to realize. Remember how in Start-Up the writers made Do San explicitly say that he has changed instead of actually showing it on screen? Yeah, that same exact thing happened here. When you force a character to say something that you can't convince the audience through said character's actions you know you are doing something. I want to actually see Jojo fall for Hye Young through their interactions and I want to see development. I don't want to hear not only her but Love Alarm through Duk Gu to tell me that it was her own volition to choose Hye Young.
While on the argument between choosing what your heart tells you and what a program tells you, I am glad that Netflix found a way to insert it into this drama with the right answer to the argument. What I'm mad about though was the execution in which the argument was inserted. One it was done super late into the final episode and two there are a lot more nuances to the argument than Netflix lets on. Yes, it may have been her own true volition, but behind every volition, there is a motive. We may never know what her motive was behind choosing Hye Young (outside of what the writers tell us through dialogue) so can we really make the case that she followed her heart? Not really. She may have done because she truly did love Hye Young or maybe she was just continuing to run away from her feelings.
Overall just not worth my time and left a bad taste in my mouth. Still can't believe we waited 2 years for this mess. Sigh.
To end this review, let me sign off with one of the truest quotes ever said by a side character that I hated for most of the show.
Jojo doesn’t do anything, but she has two guys taking turns ringing her Love Alarm here and then - Gulmi
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I ABSOLUTLY HATED IT
wtf!!! I don't usually write reviews but this one totally deserved it,season 1 was cute , intense, all of love and excitement I absolutely loved it! I waited 1 year for this bull**it like seriously what is this crap , I think I can speak for all of us when I say we all wanted sun oh and jojo to be together, they had such a great chemistry, BUT NOOOOO the writers decided to end it with jojo and hye yong, through all this season I was so mad and stressed out, hoping that a plot twist happened, the script didn't even make sense, jojo was so cold ,hypocrite , and immature, like frrr I felt so bad for sun oh,
WELL AT THE END THIS IS NOT WORTH WATCHING ITS LIKE THE BADDESTTT K DRAMA I HAVE EVER SEENN
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hmm so yeah I don't have much to say, to be honest I don't even know why I'm writing this I never write reviews but I'm so frustrated please- I waited almost two years for this? to be honest I didn't expect sun-oh to end with jojo because of the trailer( it seemed obvious who would be endgame) but still?? what did they do to sun-oh's character, please they destroyed it completely. As I said I didn't even expect them to be endgame but at least they could've made jojo explain herself to sun-oh, he deserved that. They just destroyed their relationship and his character. About hye young and jojo i don't know lol I didn't really feel chemistry. About the vibe of this season, I don't know honestly? It seemed like I was watching a whole different drama and it felt so weird. Also the brother of guk-do and the whole storyline??lmao I don't even know what to say. I feel like 6.5 is too much but yeah, attachment issues i guess lol, am I listening to falling again while writing this?yup anyway let's watch season one and pretend this one didn't happen. Was this review helpful to you?
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A disappointment but not for the reason that most might think...
I actually don't mind Hyeyoung and Jojo ending up together despite being a Sunoh and Jojo shipper from season 1. I like Sunoh more in season 1 because he has history with Jojo. He was there for her when no one else was. He may be a cold character to others but when it comes to Jojo, he was so warm towards her. People may not like Sunoh because they think he's arrogant but the thing is that he was never mean or arrogant towards Jojo though. He was surprisingly very sweet when it comes to her. & I guess that's the reason why I initially shipped him with Jojo more.On the other hand, I grew to like Hyeyoung in the last half of season 1. He was super passive in the first half so the change in his character in the second half was great. I find that change very welcoming because it was also the reason why I like Sunoh more than him initially because Sunoh was so much more proactive. So the more confident and proactive Hyeyoung definitely won me over. Hyeyoung is a nice guy and he treats Jojo well and I think that's enough for Jojo. & also feelings can change with time so it's definitely plausible that she would move on.
Not saying Sunoh deserves Jojo less though because he was actually an incredibly sweet boyfriend to her but Jojo unfortunately ruined the relationship herself. I say that, in this context, she actually does not deserve Sunoh so it's better this way. Sunoh deserves someone who loves him unconditionally and who won't break his heart without giving any reasons like Jojo did. He's way better with Yukjo and all that's left is for him to finally open his heart up to her and forget about the past.
However, I do have to say that season 2 was a bit of a let down. & I'm saying this as someone who supports the end game. People assumed that some don't like season 2 because of the end game. While that is true for some, but I'm pretty sure there are a lot more who share the same sentiments as me.
Season 1 was full of tension, fast-paced and actually has an interesting plot. There was also a sense of suspense in some scenes that incites curiosity. Season 2, however, felt rather meaningless and easy? The pacing was super slow and the plot was quite non-existent. It almost felt like a completely different drama from season 1 because the pacing and even the directing and vibes felt so different this time round.
All in all, it just feels like a super long music video to me.
6 episodes of just endless wistful staring with a few 'romantic' moments between the leads with music playing in the background...
Story-wise... it was just super bland.
The actors and OST were great though!
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Love Alarm was a Pleasant Surprise
Decided to check Love Alarm's ratings on MDL after completing it and was surprised to see so much negative reviews because I actually really liked it. Most of the hate I read comes from Jojo not ending up with Sun-oh, however, I found Love Alarm to be a pleasant surprise and an enjoyable drama overall.Although I liked the Sun-oh/Jojo ship during S1, I always liked Hye-yeong more but never really expected them to end up together since he seemed liked the typical 2nd ML. Come S2 I was happy Hye-yeong/Jojo were dating but was pretty anxious throughout that she would go back to Sun-oh, as is usual in drama cliche.
I think the most satisfying part of Love Alarm is the emphasis place on choice- particularly Kim Jojo's choice. Her character receives a lot of hate for the breakup in S1, but it feels completely justified when you look at it from her perspective. She acted upon her instinct of self-preservation and distanced herself from Sun-oh so she wouldn't get hurt. Later, of course she is completely aware of what she did, why she did it, and how she hurt Sun-oh. In S2,4 years or so later after they broke up, the only thing she owed him was an explanation, not to reciprocate her feelings back to Sun-oh.
Now, to Hye-yeong. While the Sun-oh/Jojo romance felt more like a fling/testing out their feelings, the Hye-yeong/Jojo romance was more supportive and heartwarming, which was why I liked the latter better. In S2, although it was obvious she loved hye-yeong as well, it was hard to be absolutely sure since she had the shield up and couldn't ring his Lover Alarm. It was also due to the shield that the love triangle (Sunoh-jojo-hyeyeong) kept coming up since it caused Sun-oh to think Jojo still had feelings for him. The tension of the love triangle was due to the fact that Jojo couldn't ring any of their Love Alarms so no one could really be sure of her true feelings. All the while, Sun-oh kept coming on to her. This is also the part where Jojo's choice comes into play. Because they were essentially relying on whose alarm she would ring, which she couldn't due to the shield, she CHOSE to show who she really loved through her action, which was always to seek Hye-yeong. And this is what makes Love Alarm different from conventional Kdramas. A lot of times, romance and rom-coms may leave a feeling of dissatisfaction known as Second Lead Syndrome because we find ourselves rooting for the 2nd male lead but the FL ends up with the 1st ML. Usually, the 2nd ML is more supportive, caring, makes a better pair with the FL,...etc. but almost always loses to the 1st ML just because. Other times, the ML and FL would temporarily break up, the 2nd ML would be there for support, then the FL would reunite with the 1st ML again. Love Alarm flips the cliché around and gives us a realistic and satisfying romantic ending.
Overall, the series is short, sweet, and has a good heartwarming romance.
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Satisfying, despite the haters
I know a lot of vocal people are mad about the ending, but honestly, they followed the original ending. I know that according to most drama formulas, she should have ended up with the emotionally stunted boy who's obsessed and infatuated, but I absolutely adore that it wasn't so.As an adult who's made a point of choosing healthy relationships, the point of the drama is that we can rise past our trama and traumatized relationships to choose something healthy with someone well balanced and kind.
It was heartwarming. the cinematography was gorgeous, the music nice, and the writing was meaningful. The characters had depth and flaws. It was really well done. I hope the haters who fetishize unhealthy relationship dynamics don't get to the writer. I wouldn't change a thing except to get actors that could do more than wooden face. Not bad if that's my only complaint.
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Not a satisfying watch
This is going to be more of a rant than a review so those who like this series please skip reading.What worked well - the beautiful cinematography, ost music, new concepts being explored.
However instead of a feel good romantic drama as one would expect based on the title, this one turned out to be melancholic and weepy. Most of the time the FL is seen crying or silently ruminating. Sun Oh who was the main FL in the first season is understandably angry, confused and upset, unable to move on from the sudden end to his first close relationship - he never got closure from JoJo despite repeatedly approaching her to understand. All he wanted and was entitled to was an honest conversation with JoJo so that he could make sense of the past and move on in life. Kim JoJo was an immature coward, that too a selfish one who didn't care to give any explanation. Sun Oh was always kind to her and saved her from public humiliation by openly offering his hand to her in the classroom in the first season. However towards the end she is seen publicly humiliating him by showing that her alarm does not ring for him any more, despite having her own selfish reason she never clarifies why nor cares how much heartbreak her decision and lack of closure would cause. I couldn't empathise with her idiotic decision as Sun Oh had been nothing but kind and supportive of her all the while, and an honest conversation with him him would have been enough to keep the relationship alive.
As for Hye Young, he was the only character which had some development. From being a creepy stalker kind of person who loved JoJo without even being on speaking terms with her, he went to openly expressing his interest and courting her. He was also a lousy friend to Sun Oh, cutting off all ties with him and moving out of home without even informing him.
I felt all the sympathy more for Sun Oh character more than the JoJo or Hye Young. He lost his love, his friend, his smile and his girlfriend in between because of lack of open communication from JoJo. If JoJo could be excused for her fears, why couldn't Sun Oh be excused for his justified anger? If JoJo could love someone again, why didn't she choose Sun Oh who was still in love with her, someone she is attracted to and had left in the lurch. Why go for Hye Young?
Using the sword and the shield for selfish reasons is cheating. Hiding the reason from someone you like is also a kind of betrayal. I wished both Sun Oh and Hye Young had walked away from her towards the end and taught her a lesson to be honest to deserve a relationship with either of them.
The only satisfactory part is that Sun Oh deserved a warm and honest girlfriend rather than JoJo and therefore in a way it was good he didn't end up with her. The gloomy reticent JoJo and the morose glum Hye Young deserved each other.
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Total disappointment
First of all it a whole new story in season 2, there is no story line up with season 1, director though that season 1 was fantastic that's why let's do something different and then he just spoiled it and disappointed us.. Until season 1 episode 6 everything was fine, afterwards from no where near they just broke up between them without any valid reason and made a storyline that is never gonna fascinate kdrama's fans!I enjoyed so much that, I couldn't wait to see 2nd season but now I regret it, I never skipped season 1 while watching those episodes, but I almost skipped every part of it and waited for a happy ending between Kim JoJo and Sun-Oh, but that didn't happen,
Bro, you made a break up between them, so they struggled for it and you need to make things up for them after sometime, but the director didn't even give it a chance to patch up between them, that jerk(Lee Hye-young) came from no where, won JoJo's heart and made us disappointed...
I just regret that I waited and watched the second season, director and story script writers should watch 18 Again season 1, to learn how to make a good story line up and how to end the little story with a happy ending that would make the audience happy! You guys go and wash your brain before thinking about making any story about love and affection!
You guys disappointed us, and I will make sure that I never watch any drama that is directed by
Kim Jin-woo...
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Worst kdrama ever
This is what happens when Netflix gets involved. It revolves around money and their need to make a season 2 out of it. It was so slow paced and boring that I had to skip the endless flashbacks, slow motions and scene cuts the whole time. There is no character development and they skip over important parts pretty quickly, but drag out the unnecessary parts where the characters walk in slow motion. Also, all characters except for the one who’s getting nothing out of it, seem to be bad people. These characters are far from realistic.The only reason I kept watching was because of Sun Oh’s good looks. I hate it and I don’t want to watch Netflix Original kdrama’s again.
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