Netflix smash hit racks up 32,900,000 views and a 100% Rotten Tomatoes score

Some Netflix shows grab our attention with huge marketing campaigns, plenty of hype, enormous budgets or a whole stack of cliffhangers. When Life Gives You Tangerines, however, takes a slightly different path.

Since its release back on March 7, the breakout Korean drama has steadily found an audience, reaching the 32.9 million views mark last week and earning a perfect 100% audience score over on Rotten Tomatoes.

It has been described as emotional, grounded, profound and quietly powerful, standing out from a crowded field of new releases with its different, thoughtful tone

Set on Jeju Island in South Korea, the series follows Oh Ae-sun, a young woman with big dreams who never quite gives up on them, even as life pushes her in different directions. Her long-standing connection with Yang Gwan-sik provides a steady thread through a story that spans the decades.

Rather than dramatic twists, the show focuses on the quieter shifts that happen over time – ambition, family and love, all of which evolve down the years.

When Life Gives You Tangerines leans into some interesting themes, including things like resilience, loss and cultural identity. The setting is key too. Jeju Island’s traditions, including the lives of the famous haenyeo divers, give the story a strong sense of place.

Mostly known in her home country for being a pop star, IU plays Ae-sun with a mix of fire and restraint, while Park Bo-gum brings a quiet steadiness and stoicism to the character of Gwan-sik.

The two leads reportedly spent significant time working together before filming to build natural chemistry, something many reviewers have picked up on and cheered.

Their performances have been described as understated rather than showy, while critics have also praised the series as a whole.

RogerEbert.com called When Life Gives You Tangerines ‘four seasons of love,’ highlighting how the show allows relationships to shift gradually over time in a patient and rewarding way.

The South China Morning Post praised its ‘intimate’ approach and ‘exquisite’ performances, while reviewers also enjoyed the show’s uniquely slow rhythm.

However, some have argued that the pace makes it a challenge to get through the 12-episode run, as Decider wrote: ‘Those of us who aren’t diehard fans of K-dramas may struggle to sit through 12 episodes of a conflict-light slice-of-life story.

‘At a certain point, we get the feeling that this show would have been better told in less episodes, or better yet, a long-ish feature film. Both would be able to capture the epic nature of Ae-sun’s life while moving things along faster’.

Many fans have connected with the way the show portrays aging, changing expectations and long-standing relationships without going overboard on the melodrama or becoming soap-y.

A Rotten Tomatoes reviewer added: ‘Ae-sun’s journey is bittersweet… it’s sad to see how life distanced her from her dreams, but joyful to see she found sweetness in life’.

Directed by Kim Won-seok and written by Lim Sang-choon, the series had a reported budget of around $40m, making it one of the most expensive K-dramas ever made.

While fans have been enjoying the show, it’s by no means an easy watch. Gwan-sik’s illness plays havoc with the happiness the two main characters crave.

There are plenty of reasons to keep a box of tissues nearby, so be warned – this is a show that is designed to tug seriously hard on your heartstrings.

When Life Gives You Tangerines arrives at a time when Korean dramas are experimenting more with genre, tone and pacing – although it doesn’t have the global buzz of a thriller like Squid Game or the spectacle of The Glory yet, it has carved out its own space rather well.

The show hasn’t relied on huge twists or sensational headlines to find its audience. Instead, it has built a reputation slowly, through word of mouth and strong, steady reviews.

Whether we’re all drawn in by the setting, the performances or the broader themes, it’s clear that the series has become a success in its own right.

When Life Gives You Tangerines is available to stream on Netflix now.