Started off dull, builds up the latter half of the season nicely

I watched Season 1 of Love Alarm two years ago and have been on the wait for Season 2 ever since. Recently, as the second season's release had been fast approaching, I rewatched the first just to hype myself up and get a grasp of the plot once again, and I really have to say, the first season IS GOLD. Every second of it felt nostalgic and inspiring. Unfortunately, I might not be able to say the exact same for this season, though there are some noteworthy and loveable parts from this season too.

Warning: Pretty long review (?).

PLOT

Plot-wise, the first two episodes of S2 were honestly quite slow. Especially since I was fresh off my S1 rewatch, I really waited for a continuation of the final scene where Jojo, Sun-oh, and Hye-young were gathered at the Love Alarm conference event, but to my surprise, S2 didn't start there. I have no idea if this was the intention of the Webtoon writer, but I really hoped it wouldn't just skip on it, 'cause it created a lot of tension, leaving me wanting its next scene. Are we supposed to just guess what happened after they met at the conference? The writers also introduced a lot of new storylines that weren't in the first. What happened to Jojo's job at the wedding events place? How about the friend she made there? Did Gulmi's family move elsewhere and bought a new convenience store? (I wouldn't call these spoilers since they don't contribute much to the plot, but if they are for you, I'm sorry. There are many more surprising new plots in the new season that I didn't include here.) It took a while to get used to them, so I only picked up on the plot and found it interesting halfway through.

I would have to say though that even if there were these new interesting workable storylines introduced, they still added to S2 being very disconnected from the premise of S1. The first two episodes, as I have said, took so long to build upon the continuation of the first, and it's probably because of the large time jump they made. This, honestly, I'm not a fan of. We literally caught a glimpse of all 3 leads in the final episode of Season 1 and at a dramatic encounter at that, but why did it take 1-2 episodes just to establish the same situation as last season. Did nothing happen at the event such that it had to take 5 years for the next encounter to happen?

Regarding the set and environment for this season, it looked really different from the first season's. It may be due to the pandemic's push-backs and restrictions that the original filming sites were abandoned due to not being available, but it really didn't feel right. I think I speak for a lot of us when I say that the sceneries from the first season were absolutely iconic to love alarm. The school's environment, the convenience store, and even the alley. They all added to the warmth of the series. I understand though that S1 took place during the fall season, while I think S2 is during the summer. This could be a reason for the vibe change. I sure the writers could also defend the scenery changes (Sun-oh's house, new convenience store, etc.) by saying that the plot's 5-year time skip from 2018 to 2023 had a huge part. However, the dryness of it all still added to the disconnection from S1 that I felt this season.

The plot's development could definitely have been better, most especially for the first half of this season. Also, the characters' maturity arcs could have been introduced more slowly too, since I really felt like I was watching a different drama multiple times throughout the first half. Toward the end though, I still found myself warming up to it anyway, so I wouldn't give the plot an extremely low score. Give it a chance I guess, since its scenes still advance the story quite well. About the direction of the plot and romance, I'm not against it, since thinking about it from Jojo's point of view, it was the most logical choice for her, although not the most logical choice from a viewer's perspective who does not know what happened during the 5 years in between the seasons' settings. As much as I did not find this season to be iconic as the previous, I still absolutely want an S3, because this drama really has a knack for making their viewers invested with the plot.

ACTING/CAST

Top-notch as usual. The actors are perfect for their roles! The chemistry between the couple this season, it's there--as well as all the heartbreaks. They really did a good job conveying their characters' emotions.

MUSIC

I'm glad they kept the OST and background music from the first season because aside from the sceneries, the music really sets the atmosphere up for this drama. I definitely felt the nostalgia and remembered the bittersweet that came with it from the first season. It really helped lessen how disconnected S2 felt from S1. Whenever I heard songs they used from the previous, it brought lots of memories. From the newly added songs though, I didn't really feel for much. Maybe I should give them multiple listens? Anyway, the music was great!

REWATCH VALUE

Kinda low for this season, since there weren't many iconic scenes like you know, S1's alley-kiss scene. I would watch several clips on YouTube though when they come out. And who knows? Maybe when S3 is under works and about to come, I might watch again as I did for S1 while I waited for S2.

CONCLUSION

Season 1 may have been better overall since the first half of this season was slow and dull, but I'm still a fan and willing to wait for the next season if ever there is one.

Read More