#i am married...but!

[thisonelikesaliens]

Alice Ko (I Am Married...But!) and Cheryl Yang (Oh No! Here Comes Trouble) at the 60th Golden Bell Awards

GET THEM A GL SCRIPT NOW!!!

[xinyuehui]

Ko Chia Yen & Yang Chin Hua at the Golden Bell Awards 2025

♡

[ireadiguess]

what to watch (and read) after when life gives you tangerines

like everybody else i completely fell in love with when life gives you tangerines. i'm a huge fan of family stories & generational stories, so i thought i share my expertise with everyone, uf you are looking for something similar to watch! and for my fellow readers, there will be some book recommendations at the bottom. i will also share my personal pain factor so you can prepare yourself for more tissues. also some of these shows can have some quite triggering content, so please take care of yourself and look into them before to be safe (feel free to ask me too, i will try my best to help)!

1) pachinko (2022-, apple tv+, 16 episodes)

If you loved tangerines please, please watch this! Its one of the best things that has been made this decade and its so underrated! its another generational family set in korea & japan, following the family of korean immigrants in japan during and after the japanese occupation of korea. like tangerines it shows how parents are trying their best for their children even after one to many misfortunes. also from this list its the saddest imo (maybe even a touch sadder than tangerines 😖). Not a big cryier when it comes to media but both shows made me cry frequently. oh, and just to let you know i havent watched season 2 yet, so this is based on season 1 alone.

sadness factors: 🍊🍊🍊🍊/5

similarity: 🍊🍊🍊🍊/5

family dynamics: 🍊🍊🍊🍊🍊/5

My overall rating: 🍊🍊🍊🍊🍊/5

2) our blues (2022, netflix, 20 episodes)

another show set on jeju, but modern day! It follows a community of people living on the island and the struggles they face. its kind of an anthology show by shifting on which characters to focus on, but most characters will appear in someway throughout the show. does both focus on family relationships and friendships, romantic relationships. Has bustling fish markets, haenyeo, complicated and flawed characters and beautiful writing.

sadness factor: 🍊🍊🍊/5

similarity: 🍊🍊🍊.5/5

Family dynamics: 🍊🍊🍊.5/5

My overall rating: 🍊🍊🍊🍊.5/5

3) the bond (2021, viki + youtube, 36 episodes)

is set around the same time as tangerines (but in china). following a family who just lost their mother, which causes the eldest son having to raise his younger siblings because their dad is trash. we then follow them all grow up, going through the ups and downs in their life. less so about the parent/child dynamics but still a lot about family and the joy and pain that comes with it.

(there is a short sub plot about the military interventions in taipei (during i belive the 80s or 90s) that i wasnt to fond of how it was handeled. while it only takes up a small part of the show, i wanted to mention it)

Sadness factor: 🍊🍊.5/5

Similarity: 🍊🍊🍊.5/5

family dynamics: 🍊🍊🍊🍊/5

overall rating: 🍊🍊🍊🍊/5

4) i'm married... but! (2025, netflix, 12 episodes)

first off all, i wish people would pay more attention to taiwanese cinema. so many great shows that fall under the radar.

but anyways, this is less so similar to the whole shows as it is to the first half which is focused on gwan-siks and ae-suns early marriage. It is about the complexities of marriage and finding a way to communicate better with each other. there are even some scenes that are quite similar, like when ae-sun has to get up in the early moring to fullfill ceremonies that will help her with pregnancy.

Sadness factor: 🍊🍊/5

Similarity: 🍊🍊.5/5

Family dynamics: 🍊🍊🍊.5/5

Overall rating: 🍊🍊🍊🍊.5/5

and now for my readers!

1) fatima farheen mirza- a place for us (2018)

like tangerines we have a in depth explorarion of family dynamics. and how you can try your best to be a parent, but at the end of the day you will always have blindspots that end up hurting your child. so beatifully written from different perspectives of the family members. so underrated, so lovely!

sadness factor: 🍊🍊🍊.5/5

similarity: 🍊🍊🍊.5/5

family dynamics: 🍊🍊🍊🍊🍊/5

overall raiting: 🍊🍊🍊🍊🍊/5

2) angie cruz- how not to drown in a glass of water (2022)

a mother looking back at her live so far. slowly her regrets are being revealed of mistakes she made while rasing her sun. a very short read with a very memorable main character

sadness factor: 🍊🍊/5

similarity: 🍊🍊🍊/5

family dynamics: 🍊🍊🍊🍊/5

overall raiting: 🍊🍊🍊🍊🍊/5

3) hye- jin kim- concering my daughter (trans. jamie chang, 2022)

quite similar to the last book, again a mother reconsindering her relationship with her daughter. its about aging, motherhood and change (and how its never to late to change)

sadness factor: 🍊🍊/5

similarity: 🍊🍊🍊/5

family dynamics: 🍊🍊🍊🍊/5

overall raiting: 🍊🍊🍊.5/5

4) min jin lee- pachinko (2017)

and at last the book to the tv show pachinko. while i have to admit that i enjoyed the tv show more, this is still a good book! pretty much everything i said about the tv shows applies her to eventhough i would say that the tv hits harder emotionally.

sadness factor: 🍊🍊🍊/5

simillarity: 🍊🍊🍊.5/5

family dynamics: 🍊🍊🍊🍊🍊/5

overall raiting: 🍊🍊🍊🍊/5

i hope you can find something to fill the tangerine shaped hole in your heart! always love media about family and generational stories. So feel free to recommend me something back!

[kakenaku]

- Do you like that movie too? - Mm, there's this line in it that stuck with me. They don't say goodbye, they say- - [Together] See you down the road.

I am married...but! (2025) EP 4

[romchat]

Drama Rec: I Am Married...But!

Every time I watch Taiwanese dramas I always kick myself that I don't watch more. Netflix's latest I Am Married...But! is such a gem. A romcom with an edge, the drama asks the age-old question of is there really a happily ever after when the fairy tale ends.

The story follows I Ling, a married woman who contemplates divorce everyday. After falling in love with her husband Xue You in a classic meet-cute, I Ling soon becomes disenchanted with married life and having to manage her in-laws and her sweet but man-child of a husband. The story takes a turn when a work client forces I Ling to sign up for and play with a dating app they've designed, and suddenly she connects with someone who seems to represent everything good and different from her everyday life.

Straddling the line between hilariously painful realism and fantasy (hello, our FL has hotties played by Tseng Ching Hua, Fu Meng Po, AND Jasper Liu chasing after her???), I Am Married...But! is a great example of the zippy and compassionate storytelling Taiwan is so good at. The production team apparently did surveys with real married couples to understand the challenges they experienced post-wedding and it shows with so many moments reminding me of stories from my own IRL married (and newly divorced) friends. And what I especially appreciated is that the drama doesn't let I Ling off the hook--she too realizes how she has had a hand in her own misery and that Xue You isn't necessarily the loser she thinks he is. It's not a perfectly crafted drama but it manages to touch upon a lot of taboo topics most romances skip over with equal parts humor and empathy. Marriage is hard and the show offers all its characters some much needed grace in their struggle.

Also, special shoutout to actress Alice Ko who plays I Ling's exasperation with such naturalism and charm. She and all her leading men have crackling chemistry that makes you want to root for the best possible outcome for all of them.

Final Verdict: Would definitely recommend for anyone wanting a light watch that still manages to pull at the heartstrings. It's 12 episodes but the total runtime is around 6.5 hours so perfect for a weekend binge.

Bonus: I can't emphasize enough the eye candy on display in this drama. The casting director deserves a raise.

[lurkingshan]

I am sad virtually no one is talking about I Am Married...But! so here is my plug: it's great and you should watch it! This is the story of a young married couple struggling with the pressures of early married life, and it approaches this topic with realism, humor and compassion and so much grace and empathy for all of its characters. I was really impressed with the way the drama continually shifted my perspective on the characters and relationships as the story progressed, and I really love where it ended up. The show is made with a lot of care and it's full of color and life and fun visual gags. The cast is also really excellent, with familiar faces like Alice Ko, Jasper Liu, Tseng Ching Hua, and others that Taiwanese BL and drama fans will recognize.

We don't get that many high quality Taiwanese dramas because their industry is just so small, but this one is definitely in the upper echelon and it's available on Netflix. It's a short binge at 12 episodes that are around 30 minutes each. Shoutout to @romchat for writing about it and inspiring me to move it up my watchlist.

[decrescendo]

童話故事下集 I Am Married... But! (2025)

[stuff-diary]

I Am Married...But!

TV Shows/Dramas watched in 2025

I Am Married...But! (2025, Taiwan)

Director & Writer: Li Nien Hsiu

Mini-review:

What a pleasant surprise! I should have expected great things from a drama with this cast, but it caught me off guard just how good it is. For starters, it made me laugh so much, especially during the first half; I can't quite remember the last time I came across such a hilarious drama. Its sense of humor is a perfect showcase for Alice Ko and Jasper Liu's comedic skills. And to top it all off, the show's dramatic moments hit the spot just as well. It's almost hard to believe that I Am Married... But! is basically Li Nien Hsiu's debut as director and screenwriter. I'll be looking forward to seeing her future works, for sure.