when life gives you tangerines is a really cute title because don't we usually say lemons? yes—but the drama takes place in jeju-do in south korea which is widely known for this specific type of citrus. and i'm all for this subtle promotion of the drama setting, especially how its targeted towards the international audience.
does it make the drama any less sour, though? no. in fact the story is arguably more sour than it is sweet, so much that its content probably suits the korean title a lot better: 폭싹 속았수다, a phrase in korean dialect which translates to something among the lines of "thank you for your hard work."
hard work in what, you may ask? well, life.
this series tells us about life. shown through one that perhaps not everyone is overly familiar with, but can relate to all the same. because we all know it's difficult, this whole ordeal of living. of being pushed into adulthood without any semblance of experience, but expected to excel in it nonetheless. no free trials, no repeats, nothing, nada. it's absurd and almost unfair. it's our first time living after all.
yet life relentlessly takes and takes, and voids us of the ability to stop for just a moment to breathe or even—for goodness' sake, grieve when we should; when we need to.
but it's fickle in that it also gives. because nothing ever really lasts. nothing good, sure, but also nothing bad. life smiles at us sometimes. it comes in the form of a loved one, or a flower blooming in spring. it gives meaning to enduring all the hardships.
so we try so hard to survive even if it's hard to keep up and we're barely getting dragged along; a stubborn grip on the hem of life that waits for no one. it's not easy. it probably doesn't look pretty either. but we try.
and for that, as the original title goes, "thank you for your hard work."
"you're doing a good job."
it looks different for everyone, but we all are.
