User reviews

I call it love!

As "Western" people, I think it is difficult for us to understand Asia. We will find it difficult to understand that not everything that comes to mind needs to be said. We will find it difficult to understand that family in Asia has a different, albeit somehow familiar, meaning from what we understand it to be and how we live it. And we will find it difficult to understand that the art of filmmaking has a completely different claim than ours. Much is very theatrical and artistic, indirect and implied - as if spoken in verse. For the western consumer who needs an arc of suspense, a (more or less) obvious story development and the good old happy ending with marriage and children and a single family house, this series will be difficult to understand.

To be honest, I can't watch American shows anymore. Everything is kind of the same, and everything that isn't the same is either extremely violent or action-packed in some other way.

There's probably a lot in KDrama that's just entertainment, too. However, "Call it love" is very refreshing. I have eagerly awaited every episode so far and enjoyed every minute of the series. You have to read a lot between the lines, be able to interpret a lot and pay attention to the details. This is entertainment for me. And I wish for more of it, even if experience has shown that it won't go down well in the West.

I read some reviews complaining about slow and boring this show is. If you are looking for a fast paced show/storyline this is not for you. This love story is the slowest of burns. And I didn't even mind that.

The main characters have so much chemistry I was eagerly awaiting their scenes together. The acting was so well, one of the main points I like this series so much.

Just finished the final episode and I would have loved a few episodes more with my main characters (the secondary characters sometimes got a bit too much screentime for my taste (i.e the older sister). But I will take what I can get.

It's a serious drama, something I usually avoid. However, I liked the cinematography of the episodes which keeps getting brighter n vibrant as the story progresses, indicating the emotions of the leads. The drama made me cry, especially for the female lead a lot many times. Things are not spoken out loud and struggles are not explained in great detail. That's why I mentioned that if u hv deep understanding of emotions you'll get it. Especially since the makers left it on the audience to understand it by keeping the camera on the actor for a loner span n the leads, especially the lead expresses even d miniscule emotions so beautifully like the way his gaze will shift or a head tilt.... I can't completely explain but if you're a fan of detailed acting, this drama n especially the male lead will provide that a lot.

The story keeps progressing and doesn't seem stuck as some others suggested, but that's my personal opinion. It's a great drama. Only two episodes are left to release but based on the 14 episodes I've seen, I'll say it's definitely in my top 5 all time fav kdramas. Any drama which is successful in making me feel any sort of emotion strongly, is a good drama to me. And this drama successfully did that. And that too multiple times!

Whenever I was hoping that the ml gave the fl a hug cuz she really needs one, and voila they hugged for the first time just then! When I thought, I hope they don't kiss here cuz even though the tension is high but it's too soon or not apt now, the drama delivered the same emotions thru the scene.

It wasn't that I was trying to think from the drama's or director's story telling pov but the drama seemed to be thinking from my pov. What emotions I hoped the leads would deliver in a particular scene, they delivered. That's something I loved abt this drama.

It's definitely worth a watch. Maybe decide yourself if u can think in the same frequency as the characters. If you do, maybe you'll enjoy the drama like me. Or maybe you won't and feel it was slow paced. But I would totally recommend to watch it atleast once.

If you want to feel intense emotions (or if you're a kind of person who's able to feel the same), must watch this drama. I usually do not write reviews but this has touched my heart. One needs to be sincere to fully enjoy and feel the every part of the drama. Dialogues are well written especially the ones between main leads. They were less talkative, but whenever they spoke, every sentence was sentimental and was having deep messages for people who are in relationship. I can understand why some might feel it boring because it's not one of the regular romcom or sad dramas we watch everyday. It is sad but it's also very intense in every frame. So, please keep an open mind and try to see the characters with not only through the words coming out of their mouths but their presence and their skill to show the emotions through their eyes and actions.

This was very addictive to me. I couldn't stop watching it and I ended up not sleeping at all even though I had work early in the morning!

Very infuriating antagonist, you will hate the bad guys so much and empathize deeply with the main characters and their revenge journey.

It is slow paced and gloomy and has a dark touch to it but at the same time is deep and emotional and sooo beautiful. Filled with hope.

Slow burn romance but the emotions are shown quite early on although they are subtle and secretive and I liked the chemistry between the leads as well.

Nice secondary characters as well with good and entertaining subplots, also no cliches at all.

I would say that the only thing that I didn't like was the fact that it is really frustrating sometimes how kdrama writers sometimes have to give a perfect ending for everyone and it feels forced. I will never understand the obsession with everyone has to forgive everyone no matter how bad that person was to them. Maybe its cultural, but I don't get it.

Other than that, pretty good watch!

Sometimes I crave for something overwrought and dreary and this series has been doing it for me. It requires deep character analysis as you aren't watching it for the plot but for the character development that's why it isn't for everyone if you like dramas that have defining stance just skip it .

I'm really loving the chemistry between the main leads, it's developing well not too fast paced and not to cringy. I love as this drama brings out the ordinary details in life and teases out each of the characters motives , and thought process, it's like I'm developing with the characters, seeing their struggles and making decisions with them. But it's also far from perfect there are some fill ins that the writer probably stuffed in a place or two maybe as the drama begins to unfold it would all come to place. So,if you aren't into slice of life dramas or character driven dramas don't watch this it isn't for you, don't go watching it and giving it a bad rating just skip it and save yourself the stress.

It was a good start to the season of Call it love, good story line and easy to follow. Didn't drag, actors gave a great performance but... I felt depressed watching it and wondered why. Basically both the main actors are depressed all the time. I'm not sure why others said it was a feel good, happiness is feel good. I thought perhaps it may improve as the story line was great so kept watching in the hope the story line would take a turn. By episode 8 I started to skip bits just to see the ending and a few parts I wanted to. Sorry, just being honest but the whole thing just leaves you feeling depressed, the story had no hope, just something positive to look forward to. You feel depressed for the actors lives not improving, depressed because of all the unhappiness. It left me a little disappointed actually. I rated it 6, lower than others. Would have been nice to just see some happy bright times and I would have watched all of it then.

It shows how hard it is to accept and move on from some things in life and how much we can change as persons without even noticing or wanting to. Here characters by exposing themselves to other people's problems actually start to recognise their own issues and slowly slowly begin the healing process.

You have all of this emotions mixed up together and that confusion that you feel in your every day life and realisation that every person has so many layers to them and how hard it is to determine what are your emotions towards them. And after realisation .. how to accept and express them :D

The conversations are sometimes a bit harsh , sometimes "deep", sometimes pointless... just like in real life. Humour is present trough out every episode, it is subtle and endearing. Main characters are in all of their seriousness actually quite silly people( I love them both ), you can easily relate to them and recognize your own mood swings :D Soundtrack is beautiful .

I love it really, up until now (part 10) I enjoyed every episode. I especially loved the ending of 9th episode , simple but beautiful <3.

I hope a lot of people will watch it <3.

A well written and at times, very touching story. At other times, a very slow and frustrating watch. It focuses on loneliness, grief, healing and family.

The good: The setup of the family and story is interesting, and I liked their dynamic, it was realistic and wholesome and fun a lot of the time, which was needed because the rest of the drama is pretty depressing. The cinematography is beautiful. There's a truly platonic male-female friendship which is a breath of fresh air in a romance drama.

The bad: I know the lead actors in this have a decent range, because I've watched other shows with them, but here their characters are very stoic and wooden, and their scenes became a drag. Don't think they had good chemistry, and I mostly finished the show to see what happened with the family and second couple.

This is a masterpiece that does not try to stand out. It's not grand; it's quietly impactful. It starts off as a simple vengeance, that becomes nuanced as relationships bud and characters evolve. I appreciated the moral of this story... Revenge isn't all that it's cracked up to be. Behind it are people with emotions and stories. We may all judge one another, but we can also seek to understand. In understanding others, we may see the beauty in their being. It takes courage, but it helps us connect and carry on in a dignified way.

This k-drama is 10/10 in my books. I cried in the first episode (and many episodes after) and binged it in a few days. Some people describe it as depressing, but there's a feel-good hope deep within that kept me on the edge of my seat. If you appreciate a richly emotional state, if you have the capacity to savour slow, sweet moments, if you take pleasure in impactful micro-expressions of characters onscreen, then you will enjoy this k-drama. It might not be everyone's cup of tea, but it is so well done that I believe it deserves at least an 8 to 8.2 on IMDB.

The cast was good. The storyline was good but it was too slow paced. The main actors were too depressed all the time and the so many unnecessary scenes were dragged for too long. I skipped a lot of scenes to finish the show faster. The personality of the lead actress was so annoying for almost the entire show, I liked her only in a few scenes in the last 2 episodes. Her character wasn't endearing. I liked the story so much but the whole atmosphere was depressing, it could have been done in a better way. The relationship between the main couple was dry. The last scene was my favorite because the characters were more energetic and happy.

Main actors are so depressing. Every episode dragged on. The interractions between all actors was so dull. I found it difficult to sit through each episode and skipped half of it. I felt like they should just go to the doctors and get some medication. The only somewhat interesting characters were the younger brother, sister and the pharmacy guy at least they had a bit of life in them. Main characters and ex girlfriend were set on lets just stare at each other mode, never speak and oh so boring. It was like they were running on 5 percent, or had a brain injury. I never felt any emotional connection to any of them, but kept watching hoping it would improve, but sadly, no it did not.

The lead characters, shaped by their tumultuous childhoods, exude a soothing calmness! Their performances, coupled with a stellar supporting cast, make this drama an unforgettable experience. Every episode is refreshingly direct, with none of the usual drag; the entire 16-episode run flies by in what feels like no time. Woojoo's straightforwardness injects a refreshing dose of authenticity, breaking the mold of typical drama characters. But it's the direction that truly steals the show. The creative use of camera angles and panning, especially the clever portrayal of different perspectives through side-by-side windows, elevates the series to a whole new level.

Had some difficult times with this drama, mainly because the family customs in US & South Korea are so different. However, this was so poignant, loving, interesting that I was able to shove aside my anger at the elder Shim sister and her straight jacket prejudices, displeasure, etc., and watch it to the end.

This show was emotionally overwhelming in many ways: righteous anger, sympathy, hatred, crazy 'mother', love, emotional healing, care, compassion, friendship, sharing, enjoying life, struggling, despair, ... In fact, an overwhelmingly human drama.

The 2 male leads, Kim Young-Kwan and Sung Joon, are, as usual, fantastic, touching, human. They and Lee Sung Kyung, the middle sister, were the anchors in this show. But each character was excellent, they worked together so well, be they villainous man stealers, supportive coworkers, little brother with dreams, ....

For most of this drama I hated the eldest sister. But she grew in compassion where I was able to forgive her at the end.

This is a story about human relationships, the baggage we have, how we learn to jettison junk that isn't important and choose happiness. Life should be about finding happiness and love, which was done in this drama.

Watch it!

That ever-so slightly scary young actress, Jee Un Lee (ex Kdrama My Mister, 2018) with a seemingly unquenchable penchant for complete loser guys is fated to meet, this time a younger quest, promising a real, juicy romantic encounter at last! But our scary senorita, Sim Woo-Joo shows herself to be not only the astutest on the block, but also the kindest and warm-hearted-est when it comes to her downtrodden protégée, Han Dongjin, played by Kim Young Kwang. This is classical revenge drama, completey turned on its head, and a great achievement both in casting and fantastic, understated acting by our lady Jee Un Lee, that proves she's truly come far since her first, kid-drama appearances a decade ago. It is difficult not to be secretly in love with Sim Woo-Joo. It's certainly a comprehensive refutation of the lie that women CAN'T hold their own on a mixed company stage without the need for those awful "about HER" concoctions, presently showing at cheap, tinsel town theaters.

This would have been a great series if it was oonly 6 episodes. They main conflict and the relationship between the lead characters was good. Some of the supporting character stories were good as well. So it had the receipe for a good show.

Unfortunately it dragged on and on with the same stuff over and over. I realize the show must have 16 episodes, but in that case they should have ended some of the conflicts and created new ones. As it was, only I got through the end was with a whole lot of fast forwarding.

Without giving spoilers, the end problem was that the reason the main couple was being kept apart towards the end seemed completely unbelievable. One of those things where you feel like screaming, "Come on, get over it already!"

Waste of a good an initial captivating premise.

CIL is a show that shows us what happens when a stormy cloud latches on to a gloomy front and electrifies it. It brings together the manic and the depressive in nature's way of bringing balance to the force. Sim Woo-Joo hates her father, who had abandoned them (her, mom, sister/Sim Haesong, and brother/Sim Ji-Gu) for his mistress (THAT woman) years ago. Watching her is like watching the backstory of a supervillain. If she had a theme song it would be The Rolling Stones' Paint It Black. She attends dad's funeral. (in a leopard dress and red spiked heels) and lets it be known. Han Dong-Jin is a slumped pile of suffering on long legs. He exudes depression more than Joni Mitchell or Radiohead. More than Eeyore, even. His one love is camping. His company brings together vendors for outdoor living fairs and exhibitions. (He does all the work and his partner does all the golfing). He is also the son of THAT woman. Crashing the funeral wasn't enough. SWJ decides she's bringing HDJ down.

Soon, SWJ realizes she'll have to queue-up to bring HDJ down. He's down already because of his ex. The only thing he has going is his company. The crows and raccoons have rifled through most of that already. As she's implementing her plan she grows more uncomfortable with her goal. HDJ is not the bad guy. All the critters around him are. Though morose, here's a handsome, perfectly good man. He's been dropped in the dirt, but all she needs to do is brush him off alittle. To begin, all she needs to do is take his hand...

CIL is a 2023 release that is rated 90 on AWiki. It is 1 season consisting of 16 60ish-minute episodes. The directors are Lee Gwang-Young (The Secret Life of My Secretary) and rookie Kim Ji-Yeon. The writer, Kim Ga-Eun, is another rookie. If this is what they can do right out of the gate, we can look forward to great things from them.

SWJ is played by Lee Sung-Kyung (She's marvelous in Cheese in the Trap as the borderline Baek In-Ha). SWJ let heartbreak make her hard and mean. She decided to be hateful. Sis, Haesong, put her efforts into becoming lovable. She looks to boyfriends as substitutes for her father's love. Brother, Sim Ji-Gu, is played by Jang Sung-Bum, who has a voice like an angel. He's the baby and is somewhat insulated from the pain by the women in his family. He dreams of a singing career while SWJ insists he spend all his time studying for the Civil Service exam. THAT woman is portrayed by Nam Gi-Ae. She's a force. Playing #313 guest in 2015's Oh My Ghost10 led to 25 mostly bit parts. Next, she is the ML's mother in When the Weather is Fine9 & quite a different Oma in 2020's Flower of Evil8.9. Since then she's been in 19 not-bit-parts >8/yr. I'm not the only one who thinks she's capable. HDJ is played by Kim Young-Kwang. His hands are often bleeding. He's always getting cut. His mother abandoned him when he was a kid and his GF dumped him a few years back. He's been slowly bleeding out for most of his life.

The Romance is a tranquil campsite with a warm kindling fire... And a river of lava flowing 10ft beneath the surface. The two leads are under a weight of grief. There's a China-sized wall between them. She's been out to destroy him over his mother's transgressions. He promised himself he would not be hurt, nor would he be abandoned, ever again. Will we get to see them smile freely? The audience knows her secret, and we know that the truth will come out. As we get to know all the characters more, the more wary we are of the truth being told - It is going to hurt. The more we know, the more we know it will hurt. Romance is in the eyes, more than anywhere else. In ep15 he manages to go from gloomy eyes to lovey-eyes - he does it better than my cat, and that's saying alot. My kitty has the best lovey-eyes. In ep16 we get to see some smiling eyes.

CIL is a thoughtful commentary on human relationships. The show is quiet. The viewer feels like s/he is watching the grazing heard from the quiet of the woods. Wolves are prowling while the prey are tending to their daily routine, mating up, and vying for power. The themes revolve around hurt, revenge and weakness - and the enslavement those bring - but also endurance and forgiveness, with the freedom they bring.

Revenge. 'Do you crash your ex's wedding?' He sincerely wants to know. Her: 'Yes, you get revenge by any means possible. You trip your ex if you have a chance.' Him: 'No, you'll have to live with that horrible memory and that empty feeling the rest of your life." Oprah is attributed with stating that if you're 40 and people call you "nice" there's something wrong. "Nice" is often substituted for "weak", and weakness invites aggression. She tells him this. She tells him people are trying to take him down and pick his bones because he's too easy. He's been focused on pain. Endurance. Pain. ENDURE! "I keep going back and forth." "Just deal with it," she says. Athletes know all about it, she'll tell us. So does he.

CEO Shin let wounded pride fester inside of him. He, perhaps unwittingly, let a desire for 1up-manship take over his life. He was the original malefactor. HDJ simply reacted accordingly and left his company. CEO Shin then let a desire for "revenge" take over his life. He allowed HDJ to live in his head which prevented him from moving forward freely. HDJ enslaved himself in grief. SWJ enslaved herself in rage, grief, and vengeance. CEO Shin enslaved himself in pride and vengeance - false vengeance, at that, as he had no valid complaints. "I've been living like a crazy person as if I was possessed by something. I ended up coming this far. I wanted to stop, but... I don't know what else to do with life. I'm so terribly sorry." In the end he was left with regret, which leads us into ~>

Forgiveness. CIL is satisfying and inspiring and as good as it is because it has a true and positive message. It offers solutions that we all can use. All of our protags are called upon to forgive. They aren't called on to forgive small things, either. We see how forgiveness brings release, Forgiveness doesn't mean we let go of justice or proper punishment - That is not a requirement. Forgiveness is us releasing ourselves along with the offender. It's stepping out of the cage of bitterness and hate. It is freeing ourselves, though it ain't easy. I find that trail too rocky and difficult without a lot of prayer and divine help.

Our leads are no lazy slouches and neither are the directors. The filmcraft is excellent. CIL drops tasty tidbits along the trail to keep us following along. There's connections made with good use of dialogue, camera shots, and the actors themselves. Many lines have double meanings. Juxtaposition is used cleverly. CIL is often accompanied by pensive, somewhat melancholy piano and the whole show is like a concerto of such music. It's sad, hypnotic, emotional, and oddly relaxing. What Can I Do, by Hyunji, is Spotifyable. They do some fun shadow animation as HDJ conjures up some of his favorite camping memories. The well-off people drink at a bar that looks like it's on the inside of a cob of roasting corn. "I think I'm going to cry," Haesong says happily, because she sees SWJ holding a man's hand. The camera pans to a woebegotten pharmacist... In one episode, Haesong is wearing a top that has two fabric straps hanging from her left shoulder, and her work name tag is pinned in such a way that they make a big "A" on her chest, resurrecting Hester Prynne from The Scarlet Letter. Haesong has dated alot of men. She is looked at, by some, as tarnished. By ep15, Jun and Haesong are unconsciously matching their clothes. Quality touches such as these turn a good feature into an excellent one. CIL is excellent.

As moody and methodical as the pace is, there's smiles to be found. "His house is big, but there's nothing in it. Just like him." HDJ's misery is reinforced to the point of humor throughout the show. "How could you 3 make so much drama every day? You guys make trouble one after another. It's almost like teamwork, " remarks Jun. SWJ isn't much of a people person. "I'll pretend being ignored is all in my head," is cheerful CEO Sun-woo's response to her non-response. 'It's good to be gathered with you all - You who trust me least in this world, but cherish me most,' Jiju quips at one point. It's all good for regulating the pressure valve and providing sufficient release.

HDJ and SWJ are seen walking alone in every episode. One beautiful irony is that his mother had been an obstacle in all of his relationships, but she ultimately brought him together with SWJ. She is the broken road that led them to eachother, and forgiveness paved the road. God bless that broken road - They don't have to hike alone ever again.

QUOTES📢

Do you know what the most loyal thing in the world is? A sense of foreboding. Animals know that an earthquake will happen and take shelter. Even animals are able to protect themselves.

If an issue can be solved with money and time then it's not a problem.

Nobody cares about loyalty anymore, so why should I? It only stabs you in the back.

〰🖍 IMHO

📣8.3 📝8.5 🎭8.5 💓7.7 🦋7 🌞6 🎨6 ⚡1 🎵/🔊7.8 😅3.5 😭4 😱2.5 😯4 😖2 🤔6.4 💤1 🔚8.5

Age 13+ with the following cautions: This is an adult romance that is mostly quiet and respectful and conservative. The benefits outweigh the liabilities. Not much physical contact is even depicted throughout its entirety, but we do see couples kissing in bed. A man invites a woman to spend the night. There is violence that is depicted without being fully shown as the screen goes black. The ML's mother always has a man in her life. Language: PG-13 here and there.

Rated TV-14: Parents Strongly Cautioned.

Re-📺? Very likely

🎰

I just completed episode 8 and it's time for review. I really tried to like this show. The story is actually really good and give credit to the writer. The issue is the lack of direction on how to handle the story. I think the director is trying to create a very artistic show, but it was too slow. You want the drama to build up with each episode, but it stays flat throughout. Watching the main characters was emotionless and with no connection. The side stories were just as emotionless. You would get to the end of an episode thinking ok this ending will get this show going the next episode. In the end it never amounted to anything. The acting was pretty good except the pharmacist. I think they put him in for looks and not the acting.

This was rather like Ajhussi (My Mister) but not half so good. There were no funny bits to lighten the mood and it was so slow: there were so many repetitions of past scenes not from another viewpoint but just in you had missed the point or fallen asleep I assume. Those who were disappointed inthe ending of My Mister may prefer this, possibly. The acting was good and there was character development but the characters were also so boring. From the reviews I thought maybe it was going to get better but this story could have been told in 8 episodes instead of 16 without cutting out any story lines just a lot of slow walking, eating and repetitions of scenes. I would suggest go watch My Mister instead.

Watching this entire series was very challenging. At times I wanted to bang my head from frustration. There were so many unnecessary filler scenes that made the series uncomfortably long. Like just watching the characters walk down the street and hearing their footsteps, or stare at a campfire and even a virtual one on screen. I tried to fast forward at times but of course when I did, I would miss the one line they actually spoke. I understand the culture in that it is unnecessary to speak to avoid a conflict or hurt the other persons feelings. That is very common in all Asian dramas, but this particular drama takes it to the extreme. In the west we believe communication is key to a successful relationship. If you don't tell me what you feel or want, how can I understand/satisfy you. It's amazing any of their relationships work. All in all, it is a good love story, and the characters performed well. However, be prepared to practice a lot of patience.

Korean Drama " Call It Love " is a melodrama with interesting cinematography and a story focusing on family bonds and an unconventional love story.

The drama, first of all, has inspirational cinematography, with a pink filter for the real-time timeline, while using harsh lighting for the flashbacks with stretched frames. The mood of the drama is also enjoyable, atmospheric, and chill.

On the other hand, the story was quite intense, even though the drama presented it in a more relaxing tone. Therefore, and even though it was reaching its end, it felt like there should be more episodes, as the story didn't seem to have kicked in or reached its climax, when the emotions burst and the melodrama reaches its peak. Rather, it felt anticlimactic and rushed.

As for the performances, everyone did a good job with their characters.

So, overall, seven out of ten.

The story began with a promising idea, but unfortunately, it was poorly written and executed. I was excited about the revenge plot, but it was resolved quickly, leaving us with the main leads' love story, which was extremely boring. There was no chemistry whatsoever between the leads, they were so depressing and lifeless. If the ML wasn't such a wooden face model, I would've liked it more. I can't remember any of the songs from the OST, which says a lot about its quality. The whole story could be told in just six episodes but given that the leads move in slow-motion they made it up to 16 episodes.

Save your time and energy and skip this.