When Life Gives You Tangerines starring IU and Park Bo-gum, ranks at #1 IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes & more, earning an ALL-KILL

Netflix's When Life Gives You Tangerines starring IU and Park Bo-gum, achieved remarkable success following its release, securing top positions on IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, and other prominent review aggregators.

On March 30, 2025, the series ranked at No. 1 on Netflix's Global TOP 10 Series (Non-English) category. It got 10 out of 10 and a 99% score on Rotten Tomatoes. The show also topped the Top Show List in South Korea on IMDb.

Meanwhile, Netflix reported that the show has been topping the Global TOP 10 Series (Non-English) category since March 26, 2025. The series topped the Watcha Pedia, Kinolights, AlloCiné, Good data TV-OTT (both movies and actors), Douban, and on TMDB (romance genre).

Upon its debut on March 7, 2025, the series rapidly ascended to top positions in various countries. According to FlixPatrol, it debuted at No. 1 in Indonesia, Singapore, Hong Kong, and South Korea, and secured spots in the top 10 across 37 other nations, including the Philippines, where it premiered at No. 2.

In the South Korean entertainment industry, an "ALL-KILL" refers to a work that simultaneously tops all major charts and rankings. When Life Gives You Tangerines achieved this rare feat, dominating viewership charts, critical reviews, and audience ratings across multiple platforms.

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When Life Gives You Tangerines: Story of love, devotion, and parental sacrifice through three generations

In the concluding episodes of When Life Gives You Tangerines, Ae-sun and Gwan-sik confront the culmination of their lifelong struggles and dreams. The narrative brings them full circle, reflecting on their youthful ambitions and the realities they've faced. The finale is marked by a series of events that underscore the depth of their relationship and the resilience they've demonstrated throughout their lives.

As it comes to closure, it ramps up to the moment when Ae-sun and Gwan-sik reach important moments that will define their legacy. Their daughter, Geum-myeong, wishes to study abroad, which represents the next generation's desire for new opportunities.

To prove their commitment as parents, Ae-sun and Gwan-sik are faced with the possibility of selling their home, which they cherish, in order to pay for Geum-myeong's education.

This set up for the series finale with the early demise of Gwan-sik at the age of 56. Born in 1950, the father of three kids and a devoted husband to Ae-sun died in 2006 due to blood cancer, which stemmed from his untreated arthritis.

Even before Gwan-sik took his last breath, he spent around nine months at his home in Jeju amidst his family and grandchildren. The series shows how the "steelheart" (Gwan-sik's nickname) looked frail due to his illness, yet stood tall to provide for his family one last time.

He fixed the windows, attached extra door locks, and filled Ae-sun's dressing table drawers with new hairpins so that she could wear new ones even when Gwan-sik is no more.

He surprised Ae-sun by getting her poem published in the local Jeju magazine—Gwan-sik's dream to see Ae-sun's poem getting published since he was 10 and she was 9.

When Life Gives You Tangerines showed how Gwan-sik couldn't live his childhood dreams as he had to step up as a husband and a father. However, he never regretted sacrificing anything for his family. The series beautifully uses the sea to mirror Gwan-sik, both always offering and ever-providing.

The series employs powerful symbolism to convey its themes. The recurring motif of tangerines serves as a metaphor for the sweetness and bitterness of life experiences. The finale's imagery poignantly reflects the characters' journey, emphasizing themes of love, sacrifice, and the passage of time.

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When Life Gives You Tangerines is available on Netflix for viewers to watch.