Disney+ “Call It Love” Episode 1 And 2 Review- A Promising Start with Strong Performances

Disney+ newest kdrama “Call It Love” is here and quite honestly, its a lovely start, lets talk about it!

Like the majority of people, I was excited to see the drama due to the lineup that I thought was very interesting. If you guys don’t know Kim Young Kwang and Lee Sung Kyung go way back, they’re both model-turned-actors and have known each other for quite some time and are good friends, so this pairing was bound to be more interesting in my opinion.

Note: this article is a first-impression review, it doesn’t mean this is the writer’s final thoughts on the drama. This is a spoiler review.

The drama’s production is led by unknown people, its directed by two people, Lee Gwang-Young, Kim Ji-Yeon. I couldn’t find any information about them. I am assuming its a woman and a man from the names, correct me if I am wrong. Its also written by an unknown screenwriter named Kim Ga-Eun.

For a start, I think they’re doing all a good job thus far. In terms of directing, I have one complaint that I think most of you know what it is, its the color grading they use. Its awfully pinkish and gives rookie editing vibes, its very similar to an Instagram filter that I used to use a while back. Its very strong. I think its meant to symbolize the melancholy of the plot, but I wished they had dialed it down a bit, its too much. Wouldn’t using a darker tone be more suitable here?

The way the scenes are shot is beautiful but they’re undermined by the color grading that took me a while to get used to.

The scenes in which Woo Joo recalls the past have a much better color contrast overall which makes the pinkish color stand out even more.

Now onto what I liked, which is a lot.

I liked the introductions of the characters for the most part, some scenes felt a bit too on the nose at first but once you get into the mood of the drama and understand whats going on, you get the picture and become invested.

Each character felt real, despite this only being an introduction thus far, I think its also due to the episodes being on the longer side with over 70 minutes each, but they didn’t drag for me personally.

I think for our main characters, the screenwriter did a better job than I would have expected from such a premise with the exception for Sung Joon’s character, I’ll discuss more on that below.

The events seem rather plausible and very real, Sim Woo Joo’s frustration can be felt instantly and you just want to punch a couple of people. I also felt the very ‘messy’ way she went about ‘revenge’ seem rather what a ‘crazy’ woman who has been bitten by life and betrayed by her closest people would do. It seems petty and not as malicious as some other dramas of the same genre would present. It also feels very sad, the way she dresses for her father’s funeral and the way she goes about revenge against Han Dong-Jin, it all feels sad the more I look at it. Its like she’s crying for help pretending to be strong, I don’t blame her and my heart aches for her. I am sure the character has been through some sh*t. And we’ll find out about it even more in the coming weeks.

Onto characters.

I especially loved Han Dong-Jin, he’s played masterfully by Young Kwang. He seems very sad, leading a miserable life with no purpose. From what I’ve seen thus far, he seems rather an emotional man who doesn’t know how to deal with his emotions and life issues. I could be wrong, but he seems to be taking life too seriously and so gloomy, I guess with that mother he has, it was to be expected. The look in his eyes, it tells you everything you need to know about him. I like how he doesn’t react much to Woo Joo’s ‘stalking’ and how he seems to have some sort of understanding and sympathy for her. I think its possible he knows who she is and is letting her be. He seems to know his mother f*cked up royally and stole her childhood and life.

I also liked the introduction for the eldest sister. The one I have a bit of reservation about is Sung Joon’s character, Yoon Joon. I just don’t have patience for what appears to be the type of character I saw thus far. That best friend who seems to harbor feelings for the female lead and goes above and beyond what any rational being would do only to get shut down eventually when he attempts to make a move on her once he realizes she’s fallen for the 1^st lead.

Now since we are only 2 episodes in, I could be very very wrong, I hope I am. I’d like it if a romance starts between him and the eldest sibling and I wish to god its not what I suspect.

In terms of performances, everyone did an amazing job, especially Young Kwang and Kim Ye-Won who knocked it out of the park and left an impression on me. Everyone is praising her on SNS, love to see it. She’s very talented.

Sung Kyung also did a great job. I think she’s a good fit for the character she’s playing. I am glad her physical movements are a bit more restricted here despite what the drama would have you believe is a ‘crazy’ woman.

Overall, I had fun watching “Call it love” more than I had expected. I look forward to the next episodes and I hope the 16-episode format is not too much of a strain on the plot. I mean its on Disney+, they didn’t have to make it 16 episodes, I hope there is a logical reason behind this move.

So, have you guys seen “Call it love” yet? Thoughts?