Say You Love Me (2023)

A substantial, mature and exceptionally beautiful love story

For me this is my highlight of 2023.

As a phenomenal firework of quiet nuances, “Tell Me That You Love Me” is exuding soulful warmth in graceful silence while creating a soothing atmosphere that takes root deep in the heart. Accompanied by a soundtrack with pulling effect, that could hardly be more harmonious, sincere feelings are conveyed via looks and gestures, while words and thoughts are frequently communicated in sign language, thus telling a story, that knows how to gently touch the audience.

It's not about appearance, facade, coat and make-up, but about essence. Approaching the substantial is exactly what makes this production so exceptional for a KDrama. With Jung Woo-sung, who is once again breathing pure authenticity, certainly a perfect casting for the ML. He also seems to having actually communicated in sign language most of his life. But Shin Hyun-been was also able to effortlessly impress me with her reflected presence. What a couple!

Calm aesthetics and gentle pace intensify the profoundness of the encounters, which opens up spaces for the essential. Even if trenches between the worlds of the hearing and the deaf may be deep and ample at times, loving encounter is still possible. Even if the feelings for each other may be deep and honest, specific barriers inevitably remain. “Tell Me That You Love Me” is gently approaching the dilemma - a desire to face the challenge with confidence, but on the other hand the fear of failure considering the barriers and therefore wanting to run away.

I´d say, anyone who can open up to this rather idiosyncratic “language” of this KDrama will be rewarded by a substantial, mature and exceptionally beautiful love story.

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Nostalgic, Colourful, Magical joyous melodramatic experience.

-- Refreshing drama--

The series, which is based on a hit Japanese show of the same name from 1995 ( written by Kitagawa Eriko) is a throwback to the soft and melancholy romantic tales that were popular on Korean television. Instead of feeling out of date, this evergreen story of love, longing, and loneliness is a nostalgic journey into the nostalgia path.

Let's See :-
two people who met on Jeju Island came together like destiny and gradually became closer. However, there is also an episode that provides more insight into Jin-woo and Mo Eu difficult lives. Jin-woo, who was falsely accused, and Mo-eun, who faced countless failures in the process of realizing her dream, both of them became aware that the path they took was not the same, easy. Two people with their own shortcomings gradually become closer and develop love. Yes, It is pretty popular for two people with wounds to cross paths and heal each other's wounds, but it depends how the story processed with character development.

Tell Me That You Love Me is a clean classic melodrama" that meet for the first time in a long time, writing the essence of classical melodrama in kdrama. Jung Woo-sung and Shin Hyun-bin are at the center of it. They two proved their true value of clean performance by delicately portraying the narratives of Cha Jin-woo and Jung Mo-eun, who started from chance and were led like fate with their deep acting like a melodrama. The emotional performances of the two actors were enough to create a tight sense of immersion in the stories of those who are healing and growing through communication with each other. Each line or dialogue provides deep meaning of life and depth of the story. Sometimes It is not easy to make watchers to feel emotional with words/actors ( I watched some dramas they failed to create emotional impact on watchers with good actors ) but in this drama the director succeeded to create emotional impact by using scenario without big words.

Actors acting :-
Cha Jin-woo, the main protagonist ( Male lead Jung Woo Sung) conveys his emotions through sign language in place of words. Because of the nature of his character, it ( his character) does not convey emotions through dialogue, however it conveys deep an impact through the eyes and sign language. The straightforward storytelling that appears typically also leaves a solid impression.
Mo-eun main protagonist ( Female lead Shin Hyun bin) sees Jin-woo's emotions through his eyes, Mo-eun cannot exchange his emotions and feelings through dialogues with Jin-woo, but she does with her heart. She impressed with her acting. Park Jin-joo added a smile to each appearance with a lively and cute appearance that added charm as Oh Jiyu

Direction and other Departments:-
The simple story is clearly adapted by Kim Min-sung (The Sound of Magic) and elegantly framed by director Kim Yoon-jin, who previously breathed life into the acclaimed romantic drama Our Beloved Summer. The cinematography and camera work refreshing.Music director Nam Hye-seung's performance is also important. Sometimes music that replaced the language and emotions of the characters created a sense of immersion.

Finally:-
Tell Me That You Love Me belongs to the recent category of so-called “healing dramas” – deliberately slow and soothing entertainment designed to be an antidote to the hectic lives of modern Koreans.
melodrama" that met for the first time in a long time, writing the essence of classical melodrama. The stories of Cha Jin-woo and Jung Mo-eun, drawn with their eyes and fingertips, resonated beyond excitement. Jung Woo-sung and Shin Hyun-bin are at the center of it. He proved his true value by delicately portraying the narratives of Cha Jin-woo and Jung Mo-eun, who started from chance and were led like fate with his deep acting like a melodrama. The emotional performances of the two actors were enough to create a tight sense of immersion in the stories of those who are healing and growing through communication with each other.
I really enjoyed this kdrama with a very realistic love story, portrays modern generation people struggle in relationships and sometimes people break up because they get scared or they don't know how to show or deal with their feelings, so many things can happen in relationship. But it all depends on us how to overcome from those obstacles like express our feelings clearly and erase misunderstandings with good talk. As we see in this drama the both main protagonists Jin-woo and Mo-eun were responsible of their misunderstandings and everything else that led them to break up, but they don't have any proper reason to breakup but misunderstanding led them to end their relationship. But at the end they meet again and took the second chance to start over again their life which made a perfect ending for this drama by giving simple deep message " If two people are meant together, eventually they'll find their way by overcoming from their obstacles ".

It was a beautiful kdrama, totally recommendable for those who enjoy really heartwarming and slow paced and stories.

Brought by :- Shinnosuke Lee.

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An interesting, thought-provoking, but somewhat unsatisfying love story

The writer tries to show us the stages of a relationship, but doesn't go far enough. The first half is beautiful, how it shows the development of the relationship between the two leads. The way their communication is portrayed is relaxing and nice to watch. When signing to each other or writing messages through their phones, it felt like they were completely attentive to what the other was thinking and saying. Those scenes were the most romantic to me. As the FL says, "it feels like we're having a silent conversation that never ends in a quiet world of our own".

But part-way through, that conversation seemed to end, and the relationship unravels. Of course, it's realistic for relationships to change after an initial honeymoon stage. The FL has anxieties that come from a reasonable place, her position is understandable. But the sensible thing to do is to talk those anxieties out, to confront each other, to demand explanations and get everything off of your chest. It feels like the FL unilaterally decides to stop communicating, and that's the death knell for any relationship. There are moments where it feels like she has fallen out of love, although you could see it instead as her being overly melancholic or prone to insecurity.

In other words, we see the honeymoon and uncertainty stages of a relationship, but nothing else. There's no sense of recommitment, or really any solution to the problems raised in this relationship. The leads reunite at the end, but it doesn't feel satisfying, it's unearned because none of the problems were resolved. For a drama that dedicates so much time early on to idealizing communication, this is a big misstep.

Character-wise, I think the FL is the most fascinating character in the show. I think people can debate her motivations, the changes in her feelings, whether she's 'realistic' or not for a long time.

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It’s a mature and melancholic love story so worth the watch!

I adored the calming vibes, soft music, the poetic dialogues, the wonderful aesthetics and most importantly, our heartwarming main couple; Jin Woo and Mo Eun are both flawed and have their own struggles, so empathizing with them requires zero effort. Although the pacing is quite slow, it's never boring as their relationship develops in a very natural way.

Of course, they have doubts and anxiety of not understanding each other, especially when they start seeing how different they are. Miscommunications in personal feelings, family matters... are unavoidable, but it never feels long-winded and frustrating. Watching them interact is just beautiful. Jin Woo conveys his emotions through impactful sign language and his thoughtfulness are shown through his care towards Mo Eun. Then, Mo Eun, even when she cannot exchange dialogues with Jin Woo due to her shortcomings in sign language, she makes efforts to comfort him. Their story gives me all the feels and that's all I could ask for. The drama overall left me feeling hopeful.

-Jan 2024, Yovita
Find me on Instagram: @kdramajudge

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Writing this is hard for me

Don't get me wrong...
Writing this is hard for me because I LOVE THIS DRAMA SOOOOOOO SOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH, that it's hard for me to describe that in words....This drama is like a drug and I am ADDICTED...
I think it should be illegal for dramas to be sooooooo perfect, my standards are getting outta my control.
Ever since I started this drama, I told myself I won't cry, but this drama always found a way to make me ugly cry... (not in a bad way but in a heartwarming way)...
Jung WooSung did a FANTASTIC job at playing JinWoo, our male protagonist. But here I wanna talk about our GORGEOUS FEMALE LEAD, MoEun played by actress Shin HyunBin....She is the definition of GREEN FLAG...The way she supports JinWoo in everything, the way she takes care of him, QUEEN, YOU HAVE MY HEART...She taught me that I need to be the person my future partner can emotionally lean on.....
I think, we as a society should appreciate such character more and more...Women are amazing when they're in love...
Ahhhhhh, I think instead of writing a proper review, I just wrote down my jumbled up thoughts about this drama...ㅋㅋㅋㅋ... I apologize, if this wasn't helpful to you....

At the end, I'll just say, I HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS DRAMA...Its a million/10 for me....
Super amazing, sooooo heartwarming and a very well written story...

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

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When you can see how understanding forms in between the lines of (un)spoken dialogue

This drama is a beautiful gem. Something that I enjoyed every minute of. Even the painful parts.

The acting is on another level for this one. The actors show us what human interaction and understanding brings and where it falls short. The messiness and the noise, the hardship when things do not reveal themselves as expected... it's all here.

There has been a lot of talk about FL being toxic and their relationship being unhealthy (some of it might be based on the Japanese original). And a lot was said on ML being too old and the age-gap being an issue.

And yet, it is not. There is no manipulative drama-usual plot here, but only human life at its purest and messiest, unclearest. There is not difficulty other than the silence in between us all. In the things said that leaves room for everything and the things we do not say and that ultimately still get a say.

I can say this: the only unhealthy thing in their relationship is him not really fighting for her. We never see him standing up with true effort (as his did with his former GF... mind you, he DOES stand up TO her FOR Meon, but not FOR her.). He said it at the beginning: for him it was new that for once he was not the one to make all the effort for a hearing person, but her actually doing all the work. And at some point he grew attached to it being this way, while disregarding (or not telling her) about what was happening with his former GF. Even though there is a lot of off-screen relationship handling happening ("we talked a lot..." in Ep 15.) He learnt through her that he was deserving of that effort. But the thing is: in a relationship that's normal. Sometimes you are pulling more and being supported more, and then it levels out until the other needs more.

Here the levelling out never happened... because let's face it: he unpacked lifelong trauma and hurt which informed ALL his reality.

And lastly: sometimes the greatest hurt we create for ourselves is when we think we are something for someone else that we are not. Sometimes we do not immediately know why we come into the life of someone else. And so we project our needs and wishes. She thought she needed to be his lover to show him the hearing world. He thought he needed to be her lover to protect her. And yet: She came into his life to teach him about self-love and respect, to lessen the harshness of the hearing culture in which he can barely exist, to bring peace to his child-heart of a mother who rejected him by bringing him to his old home and his mother (Ep 16). She was there for all of that, and it didn't matter that she didn't knew how or why.
He brought her confidence in moments of deep doubt. She built herself up again through being loved.

This series has so many layer and the writers had courage to show us how understanding forms without words and beyond the explicit forms of understanding we are attached to, how it erodes in the silence that allowed for expansion a few moments before and how eventually the same silence will grow so heavy and break love apart.
And let's not start on second lead Johan: who loves in silence over years and years and it is just enough. Even in the hard moments or when he is tempted to say it out loud, he keeps it in his heart like a precious treasure because he fears losing what he has. His silence is deafening and anybody can see it. And yet... it is his companion.

It's a beautiful, beautiful drama. And I cannot get over it. I cannot get over the layers and the depth and I will forever be grateful that there are still creators out there that make dramas with so much depth possible.

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Such a gem

I’m up to episode fourteen and what is not to like about this drama so I’m compelled to spread positivity for it’s a masterpiece. Why is it a masterpiece? According to me, myself, and I, if each episode of a drama leaves me in lingering feelings of connectivity and don’t want it to end, then it’s really good.

The drama is purely a love story. In its center is a hearing impaired man who definitely has a colorful backstory of pain and hurt stemming from his hearing loss. He’s now a grown man getting by until a sweet, somewhat naive young woman enters his life. That’s the story…relationship development. Leaving you to enjoy it, i just want to say that if ever there’s a couple you want to root for, it’s this one.

The deliverance is a standout for both main leads. After a few episodes, I feel like I got the hang of signing and became familiar with some. Much credit to the actors for learning and preparing. What lacks in oral speech or even in understanding signing you glimpse it in their expressions….worry, question, joy, concern, love, etc. They really learned and prepared well. This alone just makes me cry in every episode. It’s a beautifully woven love story.

With two episodes left, i hope they can continue the favorable writing. If they do, i can positively say this will easily be in the top list of many for go back rewatch.

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How to ruin a really good show in last 4 episodes

I will keep it simple and short , the show started good, continued even better but coming near the end went straight downhill.
The entire character of FL was ruined at made folks hate her even more than SFL.
Looks like the writers did avoid the cheating trope in the original but still managed to ruin the female lead's character.

The actors did justice to their roles be it the leads or the side characters, who didn't do justice were the writers who could have done a way better job with the ending .
This show could have been an extremely good love story about two mature people but went quite an opposite way ruining the mood. Still better then the original Japanese version which was even way worse.

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EYES THAT ARE LOUDER THAN VOICES

I don’t usually watch these kind of drama because I consider them to be boring, full of dull moments and silences.
But thank goodness I decided to give this a try!

STORY
Slow paced and beautiful, but the female lead confessing her feelings at ep 6 gave me more than butterflies in my stomach!! A love story about a deaf man and an aspiring actress who is still figuring out her life quietly. This drama was executed in such a lovely way which also shows that even disabled people deserve all the the love in the world.
especially the second couple who are also friends with the male lead, a man who owns a cafe married to a dead woman too and they have a baby together. I feel that the writer is using them to show our main couple that it’s possible to stay with a person who is hearing impaired. And still understand each other so much.

ACTING AND CASTING
IMO , the male lead was made for this role! The female lead too. Even tho they’re both introverted, every scene with them is so beautiful that even their silence makes me giggles. The way they’re so into each other and the way their communication is so amazing even with the difference in language. Kudos to the female lead for such wonderful efforts she put just to learn sign language in order to communicate with the man who has become her comfort. Then to the side characters, everyone is suited for the roles they were given.

MUSIC
I just have three words to describe the music
BEAUTIFUL, SOOTHING, PURE BLISS.

REWATCH VALUE?
Hell yes!! I would totally rewatch again.

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Old school romance

4 episodes into this drama and I am all drawn into it and eagerly wait for the new episodes to release. This drama has a slow and steady pace, where the emotions are not rushed but rather are being cooked at low flames to have the real aroma and feelings reached to the audience. I feel the drama has high potential to make the audience feel a different perspective into the romance. it won’t be wrong saying it’s a perfect depiction of “Old School Love”. I am sure all millennials would Absolutely love it.

Coming on the characters then male lead has appeared as bird is caged where female lead is going to set him free.

Tag me if any of the viewers happens to share the similar thoughts on this lovely drama.

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