I don't know if anyone is actually going to read what I am writing, but I have the urge to make a discussion to finalize some points of this drama before I actually write a review. There's a ton of backlash and hate for this second season. I for one cannot stop thinking about it, and that means a lot. It's been brewing and simmering in my brain for 3 full days now because there are so many feels to this, and they're good feels. I hope this opinion will get to the writers and directors of this drama!
If you want to skip and get onto the discussions or questions then please just go straight to the Q/A below. I am about to have a mini rant on my thoughts of Kdramas nowadays. I won't go in full depth of what I think about this show as a whole because that will be reserved for my review. I have a lot of things to talk about and it took me several days to recollect my thoughts. For those who don't know me from this mydramalist forum, I have been around for a long time. Unfortunately I am no longer a teenager, and I am in my late 20s, so perhaps my perception of Kdramas have evolved. For a period of time, I just gave up on Kdramas because I find they're very childish and redundant. A lot of times they try to make something funny or romantic, but they come off as cringey. So over the last couple of years they just don't interest me anymore. "Crash Landing on You" and "Something in the Rain" pulled me back into the Korean drama world, but somewhere midway of both series they made me lose interest. The story and characters started going onto this nonsensical path in my opinion. Don't get me wrong, I don't expect Kdramas to make sense because they have so many plotholes and their stories are pretty nonsensical to begin with. Though, the characters should have a form of realism to them so that I am attached to them. Trust me, I am a dreamer too or else I wouldn't be wanting to watch any of these dramas. Though, I need to feel for these characters and I can't just feel for them simply because they do something cute.
So fast forward after already watching S1 of Love Alarm, which I quite enjoyed. It was like a typical Kdrama vibe minus all the long banters and they actually get straight to the point. I was thankful for that. It was a drama that I couldn't wait for a S2 and I usually am not that eager. Boom, came S2 and I was like so taken away by how it turned out. Taken away in a GOOD way. Like, I literally had an epiphany and I'm not even the targeted audience. I was like this is the first time that a Kdrama has spun its story without its fans influences (which I hate). A story is meant to be told from point A to B not rearranged just to satisfy a mass audience. Don't get me wrong, there are major flaws in this series, especially the transition from S1 to S2. However, the overall message was very mature for a Kdrama. It's probably one of the more mature ones I've seen in my whole Kdrama history viewing in a long time. Mature in the sense that these characters could actually be real life characters making these decisions. I was so sad that this season is getting a ton of backlash for doing something outside of its comfort zone. I hope the people who worked on this project won't hinder other directors/writers to stop doing these kind of works. This was a show that made me reflect a lot on the human psyche and our world right now.
1. When does the love alarm actually ring?
I think the app will only ring when someone is attracted to you / likes you, but the v2.0 upgrade shows a list of possible people who might end up loving you. Gul Mi and other famous people like Sun Oh were able to garner many hearts for this reason. Also, this is really important; just because your love alarm rings does not conclude it's love. That's why when Sun Oh and his mom were talking about his parents' loveless marriage, Sun Oh's mom said her love alarm still rings but his dad's doesn't anymore yet he's the one cheating. It makes me feel like the love alarm doesn't actually represent any form of true love.
2. When did Jojo start liking Hye-Yeong?
From the ending scene with the tape playing, I'd have to say since the beginning of S2 where she went to hug him from behind. The scene where she backed off from him at the curtain in episode 1 of S2 was there to make the viewers confused and it was shown to amplify how she was truly confused about love. It was not done well, but that was my understanding.
3. When did Jojo start loving Hye-Yeong?
Jojo probably only loved Hye-Yeong after Sun Ho kissed her, since Duk Gu did mention that as soon as her name disappeared from Hye-Yeong's list, she loved him.
4. Why does Jojo look so hesitant and not in love with Hye-Yeong?
She was first and foremost unsure of her own feelings because she depended on the app so much that she couldn't even understand her own feelings. Imagine a world where we rely on technology to answer our own feelings; we wouldn't trust ourselves anymore. Also not all love is like insane passion with puppy glitter eyes. True love is about having the same values, goals, being able to understand and support each other.
5. Did Jojo ever love Sun Oh?
SCENARIO 1: Jojo and Sun Oh's relationship from S1 was more intense and passionate because they actually got together really fast without knowing much about each other. Everything happened in a whirlwind. They went for the kiss before getting to know one another. Personally when things happen really fast it could be anything. It could be love or lust or the desire to be loved. We will never know. However, I think from the message of what this whole show is about, they both were in this intense like or love, but that's not real grownup love. Real love takes time and patience (which is the exact opposite of all these Kdramas). Also, we cannot sustain ourselves just base on love. Maybe if Jojo did not use the shield on Sun Oh they could have blossomed into true unconditional love. Yes, it's bittersweet, but that's part of life.
SCENARIO 2: Jojo and Sun Oh did fall in love at first sight and loved each other passionately, but her trauma caught up to her, so she backed off as soon as she saw Sun Oh hurt. It reminded her of how she was the sole survivor during her family's suicide, and she became numb to go through the same ordeal with Sun Oh. She backed off from Sun Oh to save him in her mind, and sometimes when you love someone a lot, you let them go if you think it's better for them. Also take note that she was at her weakest at this point, and she just wanted to run away from her inner problems.
6. Why does Hye-Yeong force his love on Jojo?
Hye-Yeong was always patient with her and never forced his feelings on her. He mentioned it a couple of times in S1 and even confessed to her, and she did not oppose against the idea of dating him. She only said that she couldn't love anyone else, yet little did she know what love was even about. She let Hye-Yeong in willingly. I'm sorry, but forcing love would be like Sun Ho kissing Jojo in S2 when she has a boyfriend already and is not in love with him. Nowhere in this entire second season did it imply that she still had feelings for Sun Oh if we actually replay it. She still reminisces about their bittersweet times together when she sees him, hence, she flinches or feels uncomfortable several times. She is living in the present, whereas he is still living in the past.
7. Why did Jojo break up with Sun Oh?
I feel like the part that gave her the final pull in breaking up with Sun Oh in S1 was when she overheard his mom and dad talking about sending Sun Oh back abroad if he messes up again. She thought he had too much of a package for her and him to carry together. She thought she was doing them both a service in ending things. They are too different and he came into her life at a time that was not her strongest. She was still weak, and she hurt him in the process of growing up. Humans make mistakes, especiallyteenagers. I am not defending her, but that's just life. It's bittersweet that they met at the wrong time in their lives, and this route that they took make us reflect on choices and life which is sublime.
8. Why didn't Jojo tell Hye-Yeong about the shield and spear?
Jojo was still unsure of her feelings then, even though we know what she's feeling already at this point. She knew that she didn't want to disappoint Hye-Yeong. She was scared that perhaps if the shield was gone maybe she didn't like him and that she's hurting him. Little did she know that by feeling this way she already fell for him.
9. Why did Jojo keep going back and forth between Sun Oh and Hye-Yeong?
She never went back to Sun Oh since the last time she broke up with him. We never saw her attempting to make contact with Sun Oh until the end where she needed to make things right and give him somewhat of a closure. The entire S2 was about her being confused about her feelings towards Hye-Yeong. By confused, I mean unsure due to the app. Sun Oh was pinning after her here and there in S2, but never did she reciprocate. We can see that she's trying to move forward with her future, whereas Sun Oh was stuck in the past. There were so many times in S2 that she told Sun Oh that she always thought about Hye-Yeong before herself. The scene where Sun Oh visited her in the classroom, and had all the spotlight on them. In these times, she would normally feel embarrass for herself, but who did she think of first? Hye-Yeong. She was scared that it was going to hurt him if he saw the video. Jojo even told Sun Oh that if given the choice, she would repeat this all over again and regret once more; proving that what she did was not a mistake.
10. Why did they make Sun Oh the villain?
I don't know why people would refer to him as being turned into a villain out of nowhere in S2. He has been the same since S1. Very impulsive and go-getter type. It's just that this time around, Jojo says no to him.
11. Why is Jojo so immature?
Jojo had past traumas from her parents' suicides that carried over to her present time. In her mind, she thinks it's partially her fault for not being able to save her parents or that they did that because of her being alive. She is truly conflicted and feels alone no matter what. During her teen years, for the first time ever, she did not feel lonely with Sun-Oh, but she immediately felt the past traumas creeping back when she saw the possible conflicts they would encounter. First being their different family background and Sun Oh parents' remark on sending him back abroad. So she went away, but by the end of S2 we see that she is no longer the same immature girl. She finally accepted who she was, learned what it was to go head-on with loneliness, and understood what it is to love and be loved. That is something truly magical in a Kdrama.
12. Who was the male lead?
I don't think Hye-Yeong was the male lead of this drama even though he ended up with Jojo. Sun-Oh has more of a character arc and we see him go through more struggles and growth. Hye-Yeong is like an extension of Jojo. Though, strictly speaking, all 3 of them are lead characters. I don't know why dramalist decided to switch up Hye-Yeong and Sun Oh's order in the cast list. It just kind of defeats the purpose of those who do end up watching the drama later on. NO SPOILERS PLEASE.
13. Final verdict: who should Jojo have ended up with?
The whole message of this show was not about who she was going to end up with, but more of what the love alarm can do to a person and how it can affect their love life. When she was young and with Sun Oh they relied on the love alarm and moved really fast. Hye-Yeong was a more mature story. She did not force herself to love him, but fell for him without depending on the app; something that she only realized at the end. Also, Jojo was never able to make many of her own decisions when she was with Sun Oh. He went in for the first kiss without her consent twice in S1 and S2 and those were paralleled so well. Hye-Yeoung allowed her grow into a more confident woman because he always allowed her to make her own decisions. In the end, it showed that love is not confirmed through the app because that's simply not a fact and apps cannot read human emotions. Jojo even admitted to Sun Oh that she would do this all over again and regret once again if she could because she learned so much from it.
I also wanted to add that Jojo seeked a grounded and stable love/relationship, not some drama like we are used to watching. Suh Oh would be problematic for her knowing the background and pressure of his family. Heck he's an actor. She would also garner a lot of attention from other people, which we can tell she despises. She just wants to be loved by one person. Hye-Yeong on the other hand matches Jojo so much better because they both understand each others' loneliness and seek a stable relationship. I am not saying Sun Oh's relationship with her was bad, but it was bad timing and they don't share the same values. If she actually went with Sun Oh then it would have defeated the purpose of this drama. It's like yes, go find people through this app and not through the old fashion way. Honestly, this drama really had the guts to take this path and I hope more Korean dramas in the future deliver their stories without trying to appease to all fans who want Lalaland. Justice for delivering a story without influences.
If you guys have any other questions or up for discussions, I'd love to talk about them so leave them below :)!
I've read many reviews and discussions on S2 now. And I've never agreed with anyone more! Like every single word you said was just so true!
I think that in S1, Sun-oh forced himself on Jojo, constantly pressuring her and saying "you like me" "you like me" - basically manipulating her into believing that eventually herself. And Sun-oh succeeds with this manipulation, bc Jojo's boyfriend, bestfriend, aunt, or cousin won't give her the comfort and support she needs. Jojo is pretty much a broken and vulnerable person in desperate need of someone's comfort, so when Sun-oh forces himself onto her she's too weak and vulnerable to see his manipulation and can only see that she can get some comfort with him, so she subconsciously give in to his manipulation and gets swept up in his romancing.
I also think Sun-oh only went after Jojo in S1 Ep1 out of pure spite, bc he saw how Hye-yeong didn't take his call outside the bbq place and realised how he's not the most important person in Hye-yeong's life anymore. Sun-oh keep holding on to their childhood promise - basically expecting Hye-yeong to dedicate his entire life to him, not allowing him to have a life and love on his own. So to keep Hye-yeong to himself, he basically takes away Hye-yeong's "distraction". Like how self-absorbed can Sun-oh be?
Where on the other hand, Hye-yeong didn't act on his feelings in S1 because he respected that JJ had a boyfriend so he patiently waited. Opposite Sun-oh, who had no regard to that Jojo had a boyfriend or that his bestfriend has the biggest crush on this girl, and forced himself on her anyway. And when Sun-oh dated Jojo, Hye-yeong respectfully stepped back and didn't interfere, uninstalled the Love Alarm app (so he wouldn't ring Jojo's Love Alarm all the time and confuse her), and let Sun-oh and Jojo be happy. And even tried to help their relationship after the crash by sneaking her into the house and so on.
But when Hye-yeong is finally dating Jojo 4 years after, Sun-oh constantly interferes, follows (basically stalking) Jojo around and even forced a kiss on Jojo. Sun-oh is not respecting her, her boundaries or HY at all. (If this was me, I would've gotten a restraining order on this guy already.) Also when Jojo constantly rejects Sun-oh telling him she likes Hye-yeong, Sun-oh is so immature and can't accept that fact and is constantly blaming it on Jojo lying, the Love Alarm app or the developer. He is both selfish and arrogant and only cares about how he is feeling and not what the other party is feeling and acts with no regard to either Jojo, Hye-yeong or his girlfriend Yuk-jo.
Whereas Hye-yeong takes it slow with Jojo, respecting her, her boundaries and not pressuring her to do or feel anything and really letting it to be up to her on how she feels and acts. Exactly the opposite of Sun-oh. And when he sees the viral video of Sun-oh and Jojo, he never questions or blames Jojo, only worrying if she's okay. Though I was sometimes frustrated at Hye-yeong for not showing more affection in their relationship. Like, if she is hugging you and kissing you on the cheek, you can hug her back, that's a green light for that it's okay! But I also really respect Hye-yeong for respecting Jojo's boundaries and never forcing himself upon her like Sun-oh did. And letting her decide when she is ready to kiss him.
I love how the show started in season 1 with Sun-oh forcing a kiss on Jojo and ended with Jojo kissing Hye-yeong on her own free will in season 2. It really shows that girls should be the master of their own feelings and fate and that they should've never be pressured into feeling or doing anything by a guy. I really think kdramas (and the whole film industry in general) should follow in Love Alarm's footsteps; teaching girls they deserve to be treated well and with respect!
And I totally agree that it would have made no sense for the show to make Jojo to end up with Sun-oh. Sun-oh is holding on to the love he had with high school Jojo in the past. You can see that he always imagines teenage Jojo and never adult Jojo. Meaning that he is in love with past Jojo and not present Jojo. And for Jojo to end up with him would've made no sense. Jojo ending up with Hye-yeong shows growth and organic mature love.
Jojo does have a hard time being honest to Hye-yeong throughout S2, because she is a broken person and has yet faced and overcome her trauma and survivor's guilt. It is not until the last episode where she embraces her childhood self and finally embraces the fact that she survived and is alive. She's had a hard time giving and receiving love bc she never truly felt like she deserved to be alive. So now that she has finally embraced herself and told herself that, that little girl deserved to be alive. She can now finally express her feelings and be honest to Hye-yeong. Many are hating on Jojo, but I've never seen a character grow more in a kdrama than Jojo before!
And I just love how the show incorporated criticism on today's society into the storyline. Like how it has become so normalised to express your feelings through this app, that we forget how we actually used to be aware of our feelings. And how couples break up if their Love Alarm doesn't ring anymore, and that we never say words like "I love you" anymore, because the app does that for you - Shows how you begin to trust an app more than your own judgement. Which really criticises today's fast evolving technologies and society, where we as humans has begun to trust technology more than ourselves these days. Just like how people are depended on Love Alarm to love in the show, we are in today's society depended on various kinds of technology to "function".
But the shows also portrays how this technology can be dangerous and harmful, especially with mentally unstable people like Jang In-su. But also in season 1 how Love Alarm caused more depression and loneliness with the people in the mass suicide. We see the show obviously criticising the app's nature themselves with the protests in season 1. But in season 2 they also show that even though a technology is bad and harmful, you can't just exclude yourself from it when everyone in the world is using it. Because how will you ever date or find love, when everyone around you dates and finds love based on Love Alarm? Which really draws a clear parallel towards social media, because even though you might be against social media, everyone arounds you uses social media and that it is their only way of communication, inviting you to things and so on. So you're more or less forced to be on social media if you don't want to be excluded. Like how you're forced to have Love Alarm if you ever want to find love. I must say I'm really impressed with how the show incorporated this criticism into the storyline.
After watching S2 3 times already, I can confidently say it's my favourite romance kdrama ever!
Nicely explained with Q & A. Commenting on the comment section is just tiring sometime cos I have to keep on repeating same point. Now, they should just look up yours and move on or ask more questions or add things that you might be missing. Thank you for doing this.
I think JJ brought tape (JJ's love alarm log) to HY to make him happy while pretending to be anxious at the end. Later, she got embarrassed and changed the subject to go for lunch.
I had to get all my thoughts off my chest about this show, and I'm glad you enjoyed reading through such a long wall of texts @Ahead!
I couldn't agree more with you @AnnaPudding!! Thanks for your input. I just felt like this whole drama felt very organic despite some flaws. The addition of the love alarm app itself is pretty intriguing. I honestly prefer watching these kind of love stories as opposed to the "oh I'm a strong female lead who excels at everything and need no one, yet I will fall for the abusive guy nonetheless". I am actually tired of plots that have to do with a female lead who says no to all guys, and sticks with the jerk because he was her first love. I also hate they make the first love turn out to be some evil dude because he was cheating and all. No, in real life we break up with people sometimes not because of their bad actions, but we don't fit. Sometimes it happens in a bad way and we are not nice about it; it happens. Kdramas don't really talk about these stuff.
Love Alarm is seriously giving me withdrawals, and I'm trying to look for another kdrama that makes me feel like this! I am currently watching 18 again which is a fun one so far, but it doesn't give me the same type of feel and realism.
Love Alarm kind of reminds me of 5cm/s where it's a slow burn, but it's so rewarding because it reflects on life, choices, memories, and melancholy nostalgia. It has layers of meaning if we actually go further. Do you guys know of any kdramas?
This one is great (9/10 for me). It may seem kind of bizarre at first but the ending is one of the best I have seen from k-drama. This drama is kind of different from common plot line too I think. If it is not your taste, you can skip things that you don't like but make sure to watch the ending. It is the highlight.
| The most hilarious Dramas by per episode for me. I hope you don't miss it. :D |
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Thanks @Ahead, do you have something that is a bit melancholy, but won't make me mad hahah? I'm in need of something like love alarm.
Haru:
Yes, Sunoh's family issues, him being an actor/ model...
Since Season 1 I'm already #TeamHyeyeong
I waited for the season 2, I didn't watch season 1 lol
What about Sunoh and Yookjo?
Their relationship?
Whenever was Sunoh was having a hard time he would go to Yookjo's place and hug her? Their last scene?
@Haru Sun-Ho's relationship with Yok-jo could have been better played out, but from my understanding he finally realized who was there for him all along. We have seen several scenes where he does enjoy being with her, and tries to make her happy. He even got jealous when he thought that she was moving on with someone else. I don't think Sun-Ho is the type of character who would accept anyone to be his girlfriend. He already has a lot of girls after him, so why choose her?
I wouldn't say that he was settling for her like many people are saying, since if he was actually settling, he wouldn't have come to her door everyday at the end. Also, I don't get why people are saying Yok-Jo is a leech. She's like the female version of Hye-Yeong. She has a lot of integrity for not accepting him right away when he came back at the end. She made sure he kept coming. She also she gave him a lot of chances to get back with Jojo and was never menacing unlike some other supporting female characters in generic Kdramas.
I used to make a lot of quotes when I was younger, and the quote I made back then reminds me of Su-Ho and Yok-jo's situation.
"I have experienced that at some point you stop searching for what you're looking for, only to realize that it's been ignored while you were too busy trying to explore."
Sometimes we are too busy chasing a fantasy that we don't realize that the person we are looking for could be right beside us all along. Thankfully, for Sun-Oh he was not too late.
The entire ending came in full circle with one of the show's recurring theme. It shows that love comes in many forms and the one that last requires patience, selflessness, and full support; but most importantly timing. That if one truly loves someone earnestly, they can be their endgame. It's not about who gets there first. Love requires a lot of work to be earned, and does not come easy.
@Starlitelet
I totally feel the same way! I've been left in my feels for the past couple of days after Love Alarm and because of that I've just been watching S2 over and over again. But I'm actually in the same position trying to find a new drama that makes me feel the same way again.
And I tried googling recommendations and saw that people recommended 'Something in the rain' and 'My Holo Love', so I will be starting on those soon. But I haven't seen '5 cm/s', so I will definitely check that one out as well!
If you don't mind jdramas, I would totally recommend 'Dear Sister'! It depicts realistic and mature romances and personal growth and also left me in my feels afterwards like Love Alarm. This one has been one of my favourite dramas for a long time!
I would also say 'My First First Love' portrays very pure and organic love like Hye-yeong and Jojo. And somewhat realistic for example that Do-hyun in the drama isn't well off so he has to work hard to take Song-yi on dates and so on - so dating isn't as easy as it may seem to be. It's sometimes pretty cringey though, but also very cute. (I haven't seen S2 though so can only speak for S1)
Do you know any dramas where the second lead got a real chance with the girl haha? I can't believe it's been more than a week since I watched Love Alarm and I'm still thinking about it!
I will check out the Japanese drama called "Dear Sister"!! It's been a while that I haven't watched a Japanese love story drama. The last one I watched was Alice in Borderland, but that wasn't a romance hahaha.
I have watched "Something in the Rain" and I really enjoyed the OTP chemistry and relationship, but it got annoying towards the end. I hate it when they just create obstacles for no reason. That was actually one of the dramas that got me back into Kdramas.
"My Holo Love" sounds interesting, but I don't really like the main actors from what I'm seeing. I know I'm so picky haha.
"5cm/s" is actually an anime. I highly recommend it because it gave me such feels. It's from Makoto Shinkai who also made the well-known anime movie "Your Name'. Those two are splendid slice of life stories. Really suggest you checking them out if you haven't!
I am currently watching "18 Again", and I'm on episode 8. The last two episodes were kind of boring, so I don't know if this drama will pick up its pace or like stop preaching so much. I remember why I usually stay away from Kdramas. It's because they usually shove down obvious life lessons down my throat. I would rather enjoy the drama for what it is. Other than that, it was quite funny at the beginning. I'm still going to continue though. If you're interested, I'll message you how I thought about it after I'm done!
Thanks for the other recommendation too!
Love Alarm is seriously the first kdrama I've ever watched where the she gets the second male lead! So I totally understand your struggle!
I would say I was confused at first who was first and second male in Start-up, but I would totally say the guy she ends up with is a nice good guy (even though both were actually nice guys more or less). So I can recommend watching that one.
Please watch Dear sister! I would say it's more of a slice of life romance with some comedic elements (which is typical for jdramas). I really wanna say much more about it, but I don't wanna spoil it for you. Please tell me what you think about it when you watch it.
I've actually just finished My Holo Love and I'm pleasantly surprised. I don't think the main actors are all that bad.
Lunarorbiter:
This is the first time I am just agreeing to everything in this discussion. It's just so on point and I really love the fact that this drama did not get influenced by its target viewers and stayed true to its story and message.
Yes, I have tried to watch other Korean dramas after this one, but I can't seem to stick till the end. I hope another drama like this comes out soon!!!
@Starlitelit
Great points about the drama. You’re spot on. I’m also glad I was the only one to enjoy it
I do have a question. Sun Oh’s mother mentioned to him that Jojo had come to see her after the accident. I don’t remember seeing that interaction or any replay/memory of it. Did I miss it or was it never explained?
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