This review may contain spoilers
Season two falls slightly short of season one
Love alarm 2 is a well thought out concept continuing in the future from love alarm season one and is a quite well packed 6 episodes that was able to crammed a lot content into the short season 2 series. There are lots of great areas but some flaws as well. In comparison to the first season, this second season has slightly a more serious tone and is trying to drive several messages and close the story. I personally liked season one better and thought that it did not live up to the hype and bar that the first season has set.Story (7/10) and Rewatch Value (4/10)
I thought the story was well written and that it was able to concretely convey its message (that in this new world, humans are too reliant on tech telling them what to do what who to love that they are simply sheep that do not think for themselves. Also, that communication and showing love by saying out "I love you" is now replaced by the love alarm. Lastly, love can be nourished) without compromising on the story and direction of characters and story. I did not agree with the choice of the closure of the main couple and thought that if that was selected and known by the director and story teller - then the focus should be direction from that angle so that the audience is able to build a connection with the intended couple. However its so focused in telling its story from the tellers preference that we have this disconnect and the audience's viewpoint ignored. Massive points lost there; Kim JoJo and Hwand Sun Oh were obviously the better young love couple :P. As much as I like the Lee Hye Young's character - I think too much focus is put on JoJo and Sun Oh's struggle to get back together. That being said - rewatch value and story took a hit. As well - I thought some plot points could have been scrapped ... like Park Gul Mi (JoJo's cousin) and Cheon Duk Goo's storyline ... and what the heck was the point of Brian Cheon anyways...
Also, it seems like the story kind of shifted into a more one directional view solely from Jojo's prospective as a lot of focus was put on her backstory as well as a bit of Hye Young's back story - while the story was trying to ship JoJo and Sun Oh ... which created dissipated focus (I'm guessing they wanted to keep the choice open - like as if JoJo can end up with either one of the guys... but if the focus is going one way and shipping another couple.. its hard on the audience to invest in).
On a more positive note - I thought it did an absolute amazing job with the shooting and videography. Scenes were very very well shot - great choices - good lighting, angle and focus where it really brought out feeling out of the picture. Even though - some scenes I felt was dragged out too long, it was still enjoyable to see great camera work. The CGI was also seamless and high quality, very high budget quality.
Acting (9/10) and Music (7.5/10)
All the cast were great! The main roles did an amazing job - especially Song Kang and Jung Ga Ram! Kim So Hyun was amazing too! Support roles were okay, but roles are very minor considering the limited screen time for six episodes. Music was alright. The 10/10 song was still Blooming story by Tearliner - Amazing. They should have used it more! and not only near the end. Second might be 'Edan - For you' .. however its like half a song. lol The others were mediocre.
Overall (7.5/10) was a good short series. I ranked it high due to factors outside the story telling (production value, skillful art of its beautiful camera shots, actors did a great job given the hand they were dealt). It definitely wasn't as good as season one, but if looking at it objectively, it isn't all that bad. I know there are many really bad reviews - and totally understandable! since the direction the story that led the audience did not know where it was going! I'm not hating on Hye Young and JoJo; they make the sweetest couple, however if that was the intended ending then the story telling should have been different! and Season one setting up the foundation shouldn't have focused on JoJo and Sun Oh so concretely! Hence 90% of the audience including myself are rooting for JoJo and Sun Oh. I felt like the character's maturity and characteristic as well as Season one has set us up for some young reckless love! and not some serious mid-life deep true love. Nonetheless - production value and cinematography was extremely well done! Story telling had a solid and powerful message, great actors, pretty people, and heartaching love. If it was longer - i'd say can skip to save your from heartstrings being pulled in all random directions - however, since its short - I'd recommend giving the 6 episodes a spin.
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What a strange story
At first I thought I was going to watch a wonderful drama. The beginning was wonderful. But after the accident of the heroine, I never imagined that the story would take such a bad turn. As the heroine's head was replaced by the hero, the hero fell madly in love with the heroine, sacrificing his social status or self-esteem. How could the heroine cost him like that. I cried when I saw how the hero begged madly for the heroine at the end. So much love was not shown in the second hero's performance. The hero selection was wrong. It would have been better if the role of the hero was swapped. Or me. I want a third season where the heroine matches the first hero. It hurts to see such a horrible boring ending. What happened! Even if the heroine can't be good even with so much love, is the heroine's heart made of stone or does she have no mind at all? The cast of the heroine The hero came like crazy at the moment. What did the heroine do. What kind of story is this. Nah I couldn't believe it. I watched the 2nd season after the accident in the 1st season. I prayed to God to match them in some way. But what did I see? My chest was bursting with tears. The hero's face was covered with tears. His question was ringing in his ears. Tell me why this shield, what is the shield. Extreme towards the heroine. Anger is rising and towards the writer.Was this review helpful to you?
AWFUL
I don't even know where to start. This season was just infuriating and just completely unnecessary. Like y'all could've left S1 on its own and we would've been fine! But noo y'all had to fuck it up. First of all everybody here was absolutely annoying. The characters' motivations make ZERO sense! There was no story to be found. The acting was just as bad as S1 but the characters were written WORSE. The visuals looked worse too smh??? I only gave the music a 5 because I can't remember any of it- The strawberry on top was the awful ending which is literally a crime against humanity. This was only 6 episodes long but was smh still way too long I cannot...Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
I actually really like how the story developed.
Please, if you can't see its beauty at least try to respect and appreciate others work.First of all the reality of Jojos life which is basically like ours even though she lives in the ringing world. The struggle of understanding and accepting her past and that none of it was her fault. Past is always gonna be a part of her. duh. cause that’s her memories. She was really hurt and we have to sense that. I know that sometimes it was hard not push her and make her talk about how she feels and what she thinks but it was her choice and we have to respect that. She was just not ready yet.
Season one was about her love life, relationship with Sun-Oh and with Hye-Yeong. I fell in love with that plot and I was expecting the same from the season 2, but season 2 was on a whole different level. Center of this season was who she is and that she has to accept herself in order to move on. She literally had to hug the kid version of herself. If this won’t grab your heart idk what will.
Jojo is the perfect example of the situation when you first have to love yourself if you want to love someone and create a healthy relationship with them. I also think that relation with Sun-Oh was TOXIC for both of them. They loved each other but it was painful FOR BOTH OF THEM . As for Hye-yeong, their relationship was more like they were improving individually and in the end they were healed together.
Sorry for my bad english…Hope this was helpful ;)Thanks for reading <3
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It’s actually good
First I wanna say that I kinda hated first season and that season two saved the show (for me).During S1 the characters were really annoying, ALL of them; that made for me really boring S1 because I couldn’t stand them.
Jo Jo: By being this kind of introverted girl with emotional problems and ignoring her feelings also she made a lot of stupid choices.
The MLs: They were pretty annoying, BOTH of them that I didn’t root for any and actually hated them. (I wanted Jo Jo to be by herself )
But in S2 they got a lot of development like:
Jo Jo: She managed to overcome her past and grow and be more trusting of her feelings.
The MLs: I didn’t hated them this season so that's something :/ , I’m kidding. Actually they were really like different characters they changed a lot that I kinda like them now lol.
I have to be honest that this wasn’t what I expected for S2 (also waiting 2 years for 6 ep isn’t pretty :/ wish there where more eps) I expected that S2 would follow more the love problems kinda vibe from S1 that it did but at the same time we can see Jo Jo through out the S2 that she is confronting more her feelings and her past and so grow as a better character. So I liked the turn that taked the show. Also have to say that this show doesn't feel like a typical drama, cause in this one I couldn’t tell with who she would be ending up with if she was going to end up with someone at all. As well this drama paints more roughly than others how it really ends the love triangles and an unrequited love and the pain behind them and that’s obviously sad but I appreciate that they did it like that.
So yeah better than S1, IMAO.
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A few bumpy roads, but overall I enjoyed it
It comes as no surprise for many that when the second installment of Love Alarm only having 6 episodes was announced, it made me feel discouraged about how they can wrap this story up in a manner that is appropriate in conjunction with season 1. However, I think the writers did a splendid job wrapping the story up within this short amount of time, with a few bumpy roads along the way. The latter of the series had been unexpectedly impactful for me and I thoroughly found this season to be quite frustrating, but also enjoyable to watch. It is a series that will have you on the edge of your seat, wants to reach out to the other end of your screen and shake the characters to wake them up, get you scratching your head from the characters, and have your stomach flutter a little.If we go beyond the love story in this drama for a moment, this season we see the development of Kim Jojo’s story from her childhood trauma and how that, in turn, affected her actions and behaviours as a young adult: how our thoughts drive us to want to push away others and spend our lives in solitude in the fear of hurting them, the fears of others becoming knowledgeable about our dark pasts to the point it’ll drive them to leave, and the consequences of running away from your problems and feelings. This season will get you agitated over Jojo’s actions and behaviours throughout this drama, but it will also enable you to empathise and understand more of her as a character which is what I thoroughly enjoyed. The insight into how wealthy families can live and how being born to a father that you have never met was quite insightful and powerful. To summarise, this series had some really deep, meaningful, and beautiful messages for us viewers that go beyond the app Love Alarm and how love cannot be conformed to technology.
The romance was cute and warm at times, but it was not anything extraordinary. I felt as if they rushed the romance at the start by having the two leads officially date, that for me, ruined the momentum of what the series was going for. There was not much closure with the gap between the end of season 1 and the start of season 2 which left me feeling bewildered over the relationship between the two. And there was not much closure for some parts like the sudden change in the relationship between Jojo’s family. What I particularly liked here was the unveiling of Hye Yeong’s story which we did not get to see in the previous installment. To conclude, I found the love-triangle story to be overall compelling as it is slightly different from the atypical love story.
I was quite dubious over the character development that this series was going to have, especially when the cast mentioned that in the trailer, thus I was anticipating something marvelous. It took some time, but I saw a few subtle significant changes with all the characters. It can be argued that all the characters can be deemed as frustrating in their own ways, but I think this drama really gets you to analyse and think deeply beyond what the story tells us about each character’s behaviours. The outcomes for each character were definitely satisfying. I think that this second installment was something that I enjoyed because of the nature of where the characters stood in their lives. As they all develop into adults, i found this to be more comfortable to watch
Overall, some may be disgruntled over the outcomes of this drama, but I believe that this was a brilliant way to end this series. If you are that person that needs closure on any series that you watch, I would highly recommend you watch this to soothe your hearts. Would I recommend you watch this drama overall? To be quite frank. if you were able to skip to season 2 and not watch season 1, then yes. Realistically speaking here, I wouldn't recommend it, despite thinking highly of this season. Albeit saying this, if you are looking for something interesting and unique to watch, then it can be worth giving it a go. It is worth noting that you should watch this - not only for the love triangle - but the depictions of reality this drama holds. The trauma, miscommunications, family dysfunctions, romance, and mental health
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Bitter sweet
First I want to add a disclaimer. I was team Sun Oh and I was very very disappointed that Jojo went to Hyeyeong. But before I started watching season two, I decided to put my feelings aside and now I will tell you my objective opinion (well okay opinions are never totally objective) about the series.First of all, I gave the drama in overall a 7. This is because some parts were too fast for me and some parts too slow. It felt like Jojo was suddenly in love with Hyeyeong while she still had lingering feelings for Sun oh (at least it seemed like this). Some parts were too slow for me, like around episode three it felt too slow. While episode six went by very quickly because it contained a lot of information about the story and characters.
Second thing, I really liked the part of the brothers. Gok Doo as the developer of love alarm one and the brother who made love alarm two. And I loved the lesson at the end. Something along the lines of: You shouldn't let people rely on technological innovations and decide for people whom they should and will love. To me it's still a little unclear what happened to Gok Doo in the meantime and it's sad that we'll never know the exact reason why he was in the hospital.
Third thing.. (AND THIS IS MY BIASED OPINION) I feel like.. Sun Oh was a a dream to Jojo like he was the first person to be there for her and the first person to give her heart flutterings. Sun Oh gave her real feelings of being in love. Yet, I feel like she went for Hyeyeong because he was more reliable (in her opinion). Not someone that would make her feel as in love with butterflies in her stomach like with Sun Oh, but someone she can rely on and feel safe with. And.. I don't know how I feel about this. She looks less in love but more relaxed.
Last but not least, I really loved how the story ended for everyone. Everyone has an ending they deserved. The niece, gumi or something, got lowkey dissed by Dok Goo. Dok Goo decided to work on new things again. Sun Oh wants to move on and had sort of closure on why Jojo treated him like shit. Hyeyeong got his love and Jojo let go of her past and realised that she was a victim of her parents and she decided to move on and be happy. The aunt of Jojo decided to look for happiness with her hiking group. All in all, a fairly good ending for everyone.
Honestly, the series is good and the idea is fresh. I was just fixed on team Sun Oh for like two years. If the two seasons were released immediately after each other, then I might've understood why she went for Hyeyeong. But even though I did enjoy season two, it was just disappointing for my ship. Sun Oh went through so much because of Jojo's egoism and her fear. I do understand her actions but I can't lie I'm not disappointed.
I give this season a 7/10 based on the fact that some things are not explained well and some of the slow scenes.
Ps. I did really like the ending scene with the dates on which her alarm went off. (For the people who already watched love alarm season two, you will understand)
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Roles vs Characters
You must analyze first every role and character in this drama. In that case, you will find this drama worth it and meaningful to acquired lessons to learn.ivxjpvajbdojaxvohvdqohohvdqojvdqojvdqohvdojvqdojvqdojvqd0jvqd0jvwd0jvqd0jvqd0jvwf0jvwf0jvqd0jvqd0iv0jvd0iqgd0ivqd0ihqd0igqd0igqd0jvacpjavd0ivqd0ivqdivqd0ivq0kvdq0jvd0ivqx0iva0jvq0uvd20uv2d0uvd0I bad ibd0jd0jwvd0jv1d0uwvf0kbqd0ivq0udgw0uvd0iqvdpkqvd0vqj0vdb0qkvpkd0iqvd0kbw0ivdw00ivd0wi0vx00wjw0igdw0uvd0iqv0idb0ibqd0qidg0igq0idv0qig0ihdhqidqdojqd0ivad0ihdq0ibd0ihd0ihdibd0ihdihdqihqcoh0ad0ihsc0ihwx0ihqd9ubqd0ivdq0ivqd0igdi0hdi0hwf0ihdqi0sh0ihdwi0bqd0igqd0igdq0igqd0igqd0igqd0igqdhi0qfjoqdvpjbqdpjbqdjpbqdpjvq0jdbax0iapjvxapkvxpkabx0kab0kdwbbd0iqbd0iwhifh0iwc0wk0cvwo0xbq0ixb0iqgdu0qgdq0iwdv0wi0xw0kxbw0kxb0wvi0bc0iwbic0bw0ixv0iwbc0iwhc0iwb0owch0iqbc0iwh0oc0oqcb0wocbo0wh0ichiwch0owch0iwhci0wh0ciwicb0iwhc0iw0ichwi0bci0sbci0wc0iwh0ich0wich0iqhc0ia0ihq0ibc0dic0iqd0ic0iqdb0icb0iqc0ihqd0ihc0idh0icqd0ihiqdhcidhqcidqhqdiviqdhoad0ihv0id h0idhivdi hadvh0idh 0d 0ad0schis0ai 0dia 0idccid0ia bi0ad0b 0ibi 0ad0 hadi0hcWas this review helpful to you?
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Most of people didn't understood this drama at all
So people don't get how a story is built. Also, don't seem to see the abusive behaviour of Sunoh in the first season.Those who say that there is no explanation should watch again the series to see the drawings and reaction of Sunoh to them. Also, Sunoh started liking her just as a way to bother her friend.
Photography: Lovely photography, much better than the previous season.
Minor setback: The last scene is never to be found complete, that is just not well done.
I like the development of secundary characters, except Yook Jo who deserves something better than Sunoh. Either way the realism is to be praised and the rich boy didn't achieve what he wanted.
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A second season vastly different from the first but still enjoyable.
Since I wrote a review for the first season, I figured I might as well write one for this season. I didn't rewatch the first season before, mostly because I didn't like it that much, and also because I hadn't really planned to watch this one. This being said, even I can tell that both seasons are very different but I ended up enjoying both as much for very different reasons.Right from the beginning, you can tell that they wanted to do things differently simply with the fact that they just ignored the cliffhanger from the first season and it goes right in random happy scenes. It's a bit disorienting at first, but once you just accept that it's going to be different, it's fine. Overall, the vibe of the second season was more enjoyable to me, it's more relaxed, less angsty and dramatic. Things happen, obviously, but it doesn't sour everything for no reason. The characters take the time to think about the situations they're in and eventually work towards a solution. In a way, it fits the evolution of the characters, especially Jo Jo and the kind of relationship she's in when the show starts: calm, more mature and building slowly.
However, most of the subplots around the Love Alarm app and how it affects people are pretty much gone here, which is a shame because it was the most interesting part of the first season. Maybe because I've been watching mostly crime shows lately, but I really wanted more from that murderer storyline so it was very underwhelming in the end. Some questions are answered but so... awkwardly, a bit like they forgot to actually develop their ideas until they realized that they only had two episodes left. Since the focus wasn't on that at all anyway, it didn't prevent me from enjoying the drama but it still is disappointing that they didn't fully exploit the concept. The downside of having a lighter season romance wise means that they dropped all the interesting conversations the first season had brought to probably keep the general vibe of the season.
As for the characters, I feel like Gul Mi and Sun Oh (the Sweet Home line?) were the ones with the most interesting development. I like the fact that Gul Mi ended up working on her flaws without becoming a completely different person. As for Sun Oh, I feel like he was stuck in the past while everyone seemed to move on so he felt left behind by the people he loved the most. While he annoyed me a lot in the beginning of the season (and in the first season as well...), he does learn how to be more understanding in general and he finally opens up without being aggressive. His relationship with Hye Yeong was my favorite in the first season so I wish we had more scenes about them and their friendship. I don't have much to say about HY and JJ... but I like that we saw JJ continue to work on her trauma and try to be more honest with her feelings and with others. HY... just isn't the most interesting character. I like him but he was a simple and nice but flawed guy in the first season and that's still how he is. A couple of introverts isn't the most riveting thing to watch but it was cute, at least.
So, overall, I'm giving this a 7/10, just like the first season. In the first season I couldn't stand the romance but I liked the subplots around the app itself or the side characters, in this season I liked the romance side of the story but most subplots were either badly done or just not there.
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*sigh*
I get it now. I am frustrated that none of this made sense until the final episode, but I get it. This story is realistic in that, until you face/heal your own issues, you will mess it up for yourself and others. When it comes to love, don't depend on an app to make those decisions for you.Sun-oh finally got the closure he deserved. Realistically, you may not be granted closure and must figure out how to move on without it. But this is fiction and I'm glad JoJo "released him." The way he got JoJo was rude as hell in the first place. So, this whole ordeal although cruel, can also be seen as karma. I went back to first episode and JoJo said that she didn't love him. The urge to kiss came first. With that in mind, Sun-oh was working out his mommy issues. He desperately needed someone to love him. He forced his love on her.
JoJo probably went along with it because she needed someone on her side. Similar to how she went along with the relationship with Ik-Shik. She was working out family issues too. If Hye would have made the first move, we wouldn't have a story. Hye, although creepy in his actions, respected her relationship with Ik-Shik. So I could understand why he was holding back. I feel bad about Sun-oh and Hye's friendship but Sun-oh ruined it in the first place. Hye was an excellent friend, and Sun-oh wasn't.
JoJo finally faced her past and let shit go. It could be argued that her aunt and cousin are just as much to blame for how they treated JoJo. They reinforced those negative thoughts in JoJo's head. (We have not seen JoJo train, but she runs a marathon? Not important.)
I'm glad that JoJo's Aunt found happiness. One thing I don't like about Korean dramas is that the adults are rarely held accountable for the pain and messed up things they do to their children. (i.e., Sun-Oh's mom, but she's so miserable why bother)
Gul-mi is still Gul-mi. Her relationship with her mom and JoJo is better but I fear for her future. (If she was a real person)
I will say that this is a win for the second lead. This is not a bad drama. It could have been told differently. As a viewer it was frustrating to watch because even though I knew why characters were behaving a certain way. It just wasn’t clear. I wasn’t sure if it was the story telling or my intuitiveness that relayed the messages. I feel like certain themes and story-lines could have been better explored. There could have been better hints along the way. It didn't end as bad as it started. I feel like it would be better as a re-watch. Or would I just know better?
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Season Two managed to save Season One for having a bit more sense.
Just read from the comments that they changed director for this season and I am thankful they made that move. Seasom 1 really threw me off and I only stayed partly because I was curious where this was all heading.Season 1 honestly sucked. I'm not a reader of the original work, and I can say that the writers assumed that the audience would automatically know the background of the story. But for a viewer like me with fresh eyes, everything was messy- from the plot, the unexplainable reasons behind their actions, the annoying love triangle and how highschool (immature) everything was. I have no idea how I managed to finish all episodes.
But Season 2 came in and turned everything around. We found connections that finally made sense, character arcs that made you appreciate the characters that were unlikeable in the first season, and more backstories that added realness to the story. I'm happy I proceeded with this season.
Can I also say that I'm sucker for the concept? The whole premise of the show can really become a Black Mirror episode where you start to question humanity's love for technology. Concepts like these really make me think deeply about the possibilities of these things. Are we really prone to swapping our true feelings to scientific discoveries? It's a fun idea to play with.
Also, I love the build up of Hye young and Jojo's relationship. First season showed a stalker admiring his crush, but second season showed us someone who maturely waited for the love of his life to love him back. Their love story was such a joy to watch and I honestly felt warmth seeing their interactions together. Their tandem made more sense just because of how they could relate more to each other.
But I agree, Sun-oh did deserve better. But I like how his character seemed to mature a bit towards the end. This show really tells us the importance of choice and hardwork in a relationship as seen in both couples. Feelings come and go, but who you choose will always be your choice alone.
Love-hate for this show. Not perfect, but I hope people would give it a chance before being swayed by the overwhelming negative reviews.
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