Disney+ kdrama “Call It Love” is definitely one of the stand-out projects of 2023, and probably among my top 3 kdrama productions by the giant player that is Disney. Lets talk about it!
Note: this will be a spoiler-free review of the said episodes in the title. This is a subjective review.
The script and characters
I must say, in general, there was nothing I disliked about this drama. Not the writing, the direction, the editing, the acting, etc. I thought every piece came out beautiful and completed each other. The plot and the story came together beautifully to create the drama that we have been watching for the past couple of months.
The biggest factor in determining why this drama became such an important and memorable drama in my opinion has to be the screenwriter. Her name is Kim Ga Eun. She is one of the most in promising rising screenwriters I have seen in a while.
She blew me away with her writing techniques, and for how she approached the characters and this story with so much thought. I loved how she approached the characters with such nuisance. Overall, I would say I was impressed with what she had done with this script. I have said this before in the first half review of the drama, but I became a huge fan of her because of the way she writes. And I must say, despite the fact that there are 16 episodes, I think she’s done mostly a wonderful job in the writing, and she’s done way better than I would have expected from a rookie screenwriter who was making her debut project with this drama.
It must have not been easy to write such a great script that perfectly encapsulates just how much parents can make or break their children.
Touching on characters briefly, I also have nothing but nice things to say. As time went by, I came to understand and appreciate each character and if not [because they’re awful], the writing for them. Some actions of key characters have very deep emotional reasons behind them, there were many cases where I was blown away by that. That type of detailed writing is something that I always appreciate, especially in slower-paced kdramas.
In some episodes which inevitably felt like filler episodes because we have 16 episodes to go through, I found the characters interactions kept me coming back. Also, given the type of story and the type of characters we dealt with, the story inevitably moved at a slower pace, something you’ll understand if you watch this drama.
I’d say “Call It Love” has a somber outlook on life and its pretty much self-explanatory. It can be quite sad for some people. I think those who were also cheated on by their partners, or people whose parents went through a nasty divorce will relate to this one on a deeper level.
Because of the drama’s mood, it might not be something I’d recommend to everyone, but if you like watching slow-paced dramas about life that are well written, this one is for you.
The editing
I had an issue with the color palette for the drama overall and it was something that others pointed out too as well. I would say I got used to it as time went by. I’ve also noticed an amazing detail, the fact that as long as the characters became closer to each other, the color palette shifted into something that is more bright and colorful.
I wouldn’t say that the color palette initially used in the earlier episodes of the drama were my favorite, but I’d say the color grading was probably not the biggest factor that would turn off anybody from watching this drama not unless you were paying so much attention to it that it distracted you.
You could say it’s a minor inconvenience and not something that would make or break a drama, because this was not so bad enough that it would warrant a lot of criticism or a lot of backlash. And when you get into the story and get into the characters, their struggles and the dialogues they have with each other, you realize just how much you’re immersed in this story and how the colors don’t matter as much anymore.
Aside from that, I really liked other aspects of the editing overall. I like the addition of the music, I really like the soundtracks that they’ve used throughout, and I also liked the camera angles that were used. The direction for this drama is truly astounding.
It’s not often that we come across a kdrama that is made with what appears to be so much love, I can tell that everybody who was involved in this project really tried their best to encapsulate the feelings that the characters went through. Every single angle, every single character, every single sentence that was uttered, it was something phenomenal. Everything came together to create the masterpiece that is “Call It Love.”
The performances
The actors performances in this drama truly stand out and I must say I became a huge fan of Ye Won because of this. Lee sung kyung puts on her best performance to date In my opinion. I think that if I had to pick a drama that I liked by her the most, this would be the one.
She truly gave her all, and I’ve seen a much more mature performance from her this time. I still don’t personally believe that she has a wide range, but I can see that she’s trying to grow as an actress, and I truly appreciate that. I have not checked out what Korean netizens think of this drama, but I believe that everybody who has watched this drama will walk away having a very positive impression from her, and to me, this was her best project to date. I put this above “Dr. Romantic” because this truly feels like her ‘own’ project so to say, Han Suk Kyu is the face of “Dr. Romantic” but in this one, she’s its face.
Kim Young Kwang is an actor you can rely on. He is absolutely stunning and perfect in this role. You will almost forget that he played the role of the Psychopath in the Netflix drama that dropped in the latter half of last year. He is truly one of the best model-turned-actors out of his friends group, He always mesmerized me and showed me the range that he has. The restraint and effort that he had to put into his character is something that I can feel on screen. The frustration, the anger, the resentment and slight hopefulness. The buildup of all of those emotions, and the way he perfectly embodied the energy of his character was something to behold. It will not be an easy role to forget.
Ye Won performance was her best to date in my opinion. I thought that she truly got to shine in this drama, every single scene featuring her character was absolutely amazing. I think she was definitely the standout actress in this project. Honestly, everybody did such an amazing job that it would be very difficult for me to signal out one person as the best. They all did wonderful and showed a level of professionalism and commitment to their character that is to be admired.
Sung Joon Makes a Triumph return as the character of Yoon. I believe that he is one of the most underrated model-turned-actors currently active in the Korean industry. He took some time off because he got married and had a child and I’m really glad he’s slowly going back to the scene and receiving the love and attention he deserves. I truly look forward to his next project. His character stood out, even though we could say that the main character story was very heartbreaking and the center of a lot of tension, he was also one of the great characters in this drama.
Similarly to what I said previously, the writing for this drama was truly amazing, there was no one character that overshadows another one. Something not easy to pull off.
Hee Yeon did an amazing job. I think she has a bright, bright future as an actress and I will be rooting for her. I will be waiting for her upcoming project, and I hope that she gets to pick a character that can make her the next big thing. I think she Can do it. She just needs that right role to elevate her as one of the top idol turned actresses in the industry.
Conclusion
“Call It Love” was a beautiful drama, it was a drama made with so much love. I loved every moment and it will be something I recall over and over again in the near future. Definitely one of the standout projects of 2023 kdramas.
Would highly recommend this drama, especially if you love slow-paced well-written kdramas.
