Love Alarm

Episodes: 8 

Synopsis:

This short drama is about a world/society where you can no longer hide your feelings for someone. There is an app that has become the center of everyone's lives called "Love Alarm." It syncs with your heart and will notify the person you like that they have an admirer within a 10-meter radius around them. It changed the way people confess, date, get married, and so forth. This story follows around three characters that become very disenchanted with the idea of wearing their hearts on their sleeves. 

Review: 

       I saw a lot of hype on Youtube and the internet about this drama. I think a big part of that hype is that this drama is available on Netflix, which makes it easier for many populations to watch this drama or come across. Likewise, it is very short and quick to get through--targetting some of the main things that cliche Korean dramas go for: the poor female lead, the rich and arrogant male lead, the unselfish and loving second lead, and a lot of love drama. I really wanted to get into this drama and enjoy the fanmade videos online, and I wanted to also just relax and enjoy a standard/stereotypical Korean drama with the added twist of the "Love Alarm." 

         Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this drama. I feel that 8 episodes were too short to allow the audience to really get into it. It didn't even build the world and society very well considering it kind of reflected a Black Mirror-Esque dystopia. I wasn't sure how this love alarm really synced with your heart (did technology get that advanced by this time that feelings can be converted digitally? How was the app created? Why do people make a big deal about it if it is an app you can choose to download/not download?)

           I also did not enjoy any of the characters. I thought Kim Jojo was pretty shady for leading people on (even if their love alarm doesn't sound--that is still playing with a person's emotions). She consistently led her ex-boyfriend on from the first two episodes despite actively knowing she wasn't interested in him, was avoiding him, and was even kissing Sun Oh when she was still in a relationship. It just made her character seem kind of sleazy. It did mention in the first episode that the kiss between her and Sun Oh didn't mean anything because it was a "kiss without feelings." However, it really doesn't matter as much whether there were feelings present or not. It's just hard to watch when it was only the first episode and I wasn't attached to her or empathetic towards her. It also made me despise Sun Oh's character. Everyone is so caught up on the fact that the actor is a beautiful man...but the character he's playing, I'm sorry I cannot. He just seemed like he wasn't approaching Kim Jojo with the right intentions. It seemed that he was trying to keep his hyung to himself and that he was being selfish above all else. He seemed to be playing around with everyone around him. So it was really hard for me to see them act awkward around each other and flirt with one another after that incident. Like...I thought it was a kiss with no feelings? Then move on with your life? 

          But of course not.

          This is a Kdrama, and they end up dating. 

           I could not take their relationship seriously. I did not like the dynamics they had. I couldn't feel the chemistry very well. I have watched Kim So Hyun act in numerous dramas since she was a child actress--but her role in this drama was a huge disservice to her acting abilities. Everything felt stunted and a little too dramatic for my liking. And none of the characters were that likable! And I hated the way their society stressed so much on how the Love Alarm was harming people and hurting people who weren't getting liked. It just seemed so extreme with so little context about the world that they live in, how this app took hold, and then the context and influence it holds. 

             The second lead Hye Yeong aka Sun Oh's Hyung was probably the best character in this drama. He was genuine and the ultimate perfect package in that he is willing to wait for Kim Jojo, he takes his time to truly understand her, supports her decision when she decides to be with Sun Oh, and doesn't judge her through all the low points in her life. I think he honestly deserved better than to be pining for a girl that can't get over arrogant/narcissistic Sun Oh. 

All in all, this drama has shady characters with shady morals and a bad plotline/poor world-building. I do not recommend this drama to anyone...unless you're just curious.