Netflix does not believe in boxes, let alone confining itself to one. This is probably why the bigwigs of the streaming giant never hit the brakes on brainstorming, finding new ways to captivate the audiences across the spectrum and beyond the demographics. Amidst the OTT platform’s ongoing rollout season, anticipation has reached a fever pitch about a K-Drama, When Life Gives You Tangerines. 

For those curious about what Netflix has in store with this one, here is a rundown of everything you must know about When Life Gives You Tangerines.

Following the non-stop teasers of Netflix’s expanding catalog of thrillers, the streaming mogul has been creating a buzz about an unmissable romance saga, When Life Gives You Tangerines. Set against a backdrop of hardship and struggle, this K-Drama tells a poignant story and follows the turbulent life of Ae-sun, a talented but poor girl who aspires to become a poet, and her loyal companion, Gwan-sik, who unwaveringly supports and loves her (via Tudum by Netflix). 

The series chronicles the layered aspects of love and perseverance, underscoring the power of resilience. When Life Gives You Tangerines begins in the 1960s’ Jeju Island of South Korea and the story unfolds over the course of several decades as the two lovers harken on a journey of togetherness despite disapproval from Gwan-sik’s family, and Ae-sun’s personal misfortunes following her father’s death. The story is set in retrospect of Ae-sun who is now in her 70s.

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While When Life Gives You Tangerines reeks of an emotional rollercoaster, when will the K-Drama hit the Netflix shelves? 

Several high-stakes projects are awaiting Netflix’s queued-up pipeline this year. However, When Life Gives You Tangerines is fortunately not one of them, at least in part. Netflix subscribers can now stream the romance slice-of-life television series, having had its first and second volume premieres on March 7 and 14, respectively. The third and fourth seasons will be released on March 21 and 28. 

Though originally planned for a release across 190 countries last year, several outlets confirmed an exclusive Netflix release worldwide on January 30, 2024. It was not until this January that the streaming sensation finally decided on its release date. When Life Gives You Tangerines was reportedly filmed over 30 times in Andong in 2023. Lim Sang-choon wrote and Kim Won-seok directed the four-volume series.

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Having said that, who makes up the cast of Netflix’s When Life Gives You Tangerines?

According to Tudum by Netflix, When Life Gives You Tangerines' cast includes IU as Oh Ae-sun and Yang Geum-myeong, Park Bo-gum as Yang Gwan-sik, Moon So-ri as older Ae-sun, and Park Hae-joon as older Gwan-sik. Yeom Hye-ran portrays Jeon Gwang-rye, Choi Dae-hoon plays Bu Sang-gil, Kang You-seok portrays Yang Eun-myeong, and Cha Mi-kyung plays Park Chung-su.

Lee Soo-mi as Choi Yang-Im, Baek Ji-won as Hong Gyeong-ja, Kim Yong-rim as Park-Mak-cheon, Na Moon-hee as Kim Chun-ok, Oh Min-ae as Kwon Gye-ok, and Jung Hae-kyun as Oh Han-mu rounds out the star-studded ensemble. The series unfolds over the span of 50 years on Jeju Island, in Seoul and Busan in South Korea. PAN Entertainment and Baram Pictures have produced the series.

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