''Love Alarm'' () is a South Korean

streaming television Streaming television is the digital distribution of television content, such as TV shows, as streaming media delivered over the Internet. Streaming television stands in contrast to dedicated terrestrial television delivered by over-the-air aer ...

series starring

Kim So-hyun Kim So-hyun (; born June 4, 1999) is a South Korean actress who began her career as a child in 2006, initially gaining public attention for playing pivotal roles in ''Moon Embracing the Sun'' (2012) and '' Missing You'' (2013). She took on he ...

Jung Ga-ram Jung Ga-ram (born February 23, 1993) is a South Korean actor. He rose to prominence for his roles in the films ''4th Place'' (2016) and ''The Poet and the Boy'' (2017). He is also known for his roles in television series such as '' Standby'' (2 ...

, and

Song Kang A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetitio ...

. Based on the

Daum webtoon Kakao Webtoon (Hangul: 카카오 웹툰) is a webtoon platform operated by Kakao. History The service originally launched in 2003 by Daum, a popular web portal in Korea, as Daum Webtoon making it the first official webtoon platform in the worl ...

of the same name by Chon Kye-young, it follows the life of a high school girl in a society greatly influenced by a

mobile app A mobile application or app is a computer program or software application designed to run on a mobile device such as a phone, tablet, or watch. Mobile applications often stand in contrast to desktop applications which are designed to run on d ...

capable of notifying whether someone within their vicinity has romantic feelings for them. ''Love Alarm'' is the first Korean series confirmed for pick-up by

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

. The first season of the series premiered on Netflix on August 22, 2019. It was ranked as one of Netflix's top releases and was renewed for a second season in October 2019; season 2 was released on March 12, 2021. In 2021, the series managed to rank as the 6th most watched K-dramas worldwide in the platform. In 2022, it is the 9th most searched Korean drama worldwide.

Synopsis

''Love Alarm'' revolves around the story of a technology that enables users to discover love through an application which notifies users when someone within 10 meters has romantic feelings for them.

Cast

Main

as Kim Jo-jo, a beautiful and hardworking high school student who is bright and cheerful despite her family's painful history. *

as Lee Hye-yeong, a hardworking high school student who also likes Jo-jo and is the childhood friend of Sun-Oh. He is the only child of a domestic helper working at Sun-oh's house. *

as Hwang Sun-oh, a handsome model and high school student who grew up as an only child in a rich, but uncaring family with lots of problems. He falls in love with Kim Jo-jo.

Recurring

Go Min-si Go Min-si (born February 15, 1995) is a South Korean actress, model and director managed by Mystic Story Entertainment. She is known for her prominent roles in ''Sweet Home'', ''Love Alarm'', ''Youth of May,'' and '' The Witch''. She is also k ...

as Park Gul-mi, Jo-jo's selfish, egotistic cousin. She is a popular girl at school who likes Sun-oh but is asked out by Cheon Duk-gu, developing hatred for him. She also became jealous of Jo-jo at one point. She gradually matures and becomes more empathetic in the latter half of Season 2. * Lee Jae-eung as Cheon Duk-gu, developer of the Love Alarm application. *

Song Seon-mi A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetitio ...

as Jeong Mi-mi, a popular actress who has a distant relationship with her son Sun-oh. *

Shim Yi-young Shim Yi-young (born Kim Jin-ah on January 31, 1980) is a South Korean actress. Career Shim Yi-young made her acting debut in Kim Ki-duk's ''Real Fiction'' in 2000, and has since appeared in films such as ''Bongja'', ''Paju'', and ''Love, In Betw ...

as Bae Kyung-hee, Hye-yeong's loving and caring mother. * Kim Young-pil as Hwang Jae-cheol *

Park Sung-yeon Park Sung-yeon is a South Korean actress. She is known for her roles in dramas such as ''Love Alarm'', ''Mine'', ''Abyss'', '' Reflection of You'', ''Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol'' and '' Record of Youth''. She also appeared in movies ''The Silenc ...

as Jojo's aunt and Gul-mi's mother. *

Yoon Na-moo Yoon Na-moo (born August 13, 1985) is a South Korean actor under SM C&C. He is best known for his roles in the Korean television series '' Dr. Romantic'' (2016) and '' Dr. Romantic 2'' (2020). Early life Yoon was born on August 13, 1985 in Seo ...

as Kim Min-jae *

Shin Seung-ho Shin Seung-ho (born 11 November 1995) is a South Korean actor and model. As one of the leads, Shin received the most attention after appearing on ''A-Teen'' (2018). He is also known for appearing on ''Love Alarm'' (2019) and ''Alchemy of Souls ...

as Jang Il-sik, a vibrant judo student and Jo-jo's ex-boyfriend. * Ji Hye-ra as Kim Jang-go, Jo-jo's best friend. She secretly likes Il-sik. She and Jo-jo eventually drift apart. * Kim Ye-ji as Sung Ji-yeon * Kim Young-ok as Jo-jo's grandmother. * Choi Joo-won as Choi Joo-won, Sun-oh's playful and energetic high school classmate. * Yeom Ji-young as Jo-jo's mother. *

Song Geon-hee Song Geon-hee (born August 16, 1997) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his role in the hit television series ''Sky Castle ''Sky Castle'' (; stylized as ''SKY Castle'') is a 2018–2019 South Korean television series starring Yum J ...

as Marx, a popular idol star. *

Kim Si-eun Kim Si-eun (; born October 29, 2000) is a South Korean actress and model. She is known for her lead roles in ''Crushes Reverse'', ''Miss Independent Ji Eun 2'', and ''Monchouchou Globalhouse''. She is also known for her role in the hit drama ''L ...

as Lee Yuk-jo, Sun-Oh's new girlfriend. * Jo Yoo-jung as Mon Sun, Jo-jo's wedding hall co-worker. *

Bae Da-bin Bae Da-bin (; born on 24 December 1993) is a South Korean actress. She is known for her roles in ''Gangnam Beauty'' (2018) and ''Do You Like Brahms?'' (2020). She has acted in two films: ''Beautiful Voice'' (2019) and ''Pipeline'' (2021). In 20 ...

as Lee Wei-ju, Jo-jo's best friend *

Yoo In-soo Yoo In-soo (, born March 25, 1998) is a South Korean actor. He is known for his roles in dramas such as ''Strong Girl Bong-soon'' (2017)'', Gangnam Beauty'' (2018)'','' ''At a Distance, Spring Is Green'' (2021), ''All of Us Are Dead'' (2022), a ...

as Student *

Ham Sung-min Ham Sung-min is a South Korean actor. He is known for his roles in dramas such as '' Sweet Revenge'', ''Save the Family'', ''Gangnam Beauty'', ''Tunnel'' and '' All of Us Are Dead''. He also appeared in movies such as ''Psychokinesis'', '' The ...

as Bullied student * Bigman as OST Singer (Cameo; Season 1 episode 5) *

Ki Do-hoon Ki Do-hun (; born April 5, 1995,) is a South Korean actor and model He is best known for his appearance in the Korean Television Series ''Arthdal Chronicles'' (2019), and '' Once Again'' (2020) Early life Ki was born on April 4, 1995, in Gwangj ...

as Brian Cheon, developer of Love Alarm (Season 2) * Yoon Dong-hwan as Lee Gang-rae, Hye-yeong's father who was serving

life imprisonment Life imprisonment is any sentence of imprisonment for a crime under which convicted people are to remain in prison for the rest of their natural lives or indefinitely until pardoned, paroled, or otherwise commuted to a fixed term. Crimes for ...

for murder and currently pending a review for parole. (Cameo; Season 2 episode 2)

Episodes

Series overview

Season 1 (2019)

Season 2 (2021)

Production

In January 2017,

collaborated with

Hidden Sequence Hidden Sequence () is a Korean drama production company, founded by '' Misaeng'' and ''Signal'' producer Lee Jae-moon in December 2016 shortly after he resigned from the cable network tvN. List of works Drama Movie A film also ...

to produce their first South Korean original series for the platform based on the eponymous

by Chon Kye-young. The series was planned to be released in 2018 but the premiere date was postponed to 2019 because of the delay in production for internal reasons, as reported by

Korea JoongAng Daily ''Korea JoongAng Daily'' is the English edition of the South Korean national daily newspaper ''JoongAng Ilbo''. The newspaper was first published on October 17, 2000, originally named as ''JoongAng Ilbo English Edition''. It mainly carries news a ...

. On September 4, 2018, Netflix announced that ''Love Alarm'' would now be produced by

Studio Dragon Studio Dragon Corporation () is a South Korean drama production, marketing and distribution company under CJ ENM's E&M division. It was established on May 3, 2016, as a spin-off from E&M Media Content. The company joined the KOSDAQ index of Ko ...

, with Lee Ah-youn and Seo Bo-ra ('' Coffee, Do Me a Favor'') writing the screenplay and Lee Na-jeong (''

Fight for My Way ''Fight For My Way'' (; lit. ''Fight My Way'') is a South Korean television series starring Park Seo-joon and Kim Ji-won, with Ahn Jae-hong and Song Ha-yoon. It premiered on May 22, 2017, every Monday and Tuesday at 22:00 ( KST) on KBS2. The ...

'') directing.

and

were cast for main roles; Song Kang was selected through audition competing with 900 people. First season with eight episodes was released on August 22, 2019. In October 2019, ''Love Alarm'' was renewed for a second follow-up season. The first script reading for season 2 took place on February 21, 2020. On February 14, 2021, Netflix announced that season 2 would be released on March 12, 2021 and it would be written by Cha Yeon-soo and Kim Seo-hee, with Kim Jin-woo ('' Suits'') directing and Ryu Bo-ra (''

Snowy Road ''Snowy Road'' () is a 2015 South Korean historical drama film directed by Lee Na-jeong which narrates the story of two teenage girls' fate as comfort women during the Japanese occupation of Korea. It originally aired on KBS1 in 2015 as a two-par ...

'', '' Secret Love'') participating as script producer. Production H, which already collaborated with Studio Dragon in 2018 to produce ''

Life on Mars The possibility of life on Mars is a subject of interest in astrobiology due to the planet's proximity and similarities to Earth. To date, no proof of past or present life has been found on Mars. Cumulative evidence suggests that during the ...

'', joined as a co-producer for the second season.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack of ''Love Alarm'' includes seven songs and fourteen musical scores; it was released through several music portals on September 6, 2019. Vocals were performed by Tearliner, Klang and Hodge. Instead of Studio Dragon's sister company

Stone Music Entertainment Stone Music Entertainment (Hangul: 스톤 뮤직 엔터테인먼트), is a South Korean music distribution company under CJ ENM, along with music streaming store Genie Music. It was one of the largest co-publisher companies in South Korea. The ...

(which had the distribution rights to soundtracks of most Studio Dragon-produced dramas), indie music distributor Biscuit Sound handled the distribution rights for the soundtrack.

Promotion

''Love Alarm'' held an interactive experience zone from August 18 to September 1, 2019 at Lotte World Tower World Park Square. Each space was decorated as if the app function in the drama is visualized in reality and gave a romantic experience to lovers, friends, and family who visited the place. Also, an app that looks like the one in the series (but works differently) was released for the promotional events.

Reception

Season 1

On December 30, 2019, Netflix unveiled the 10 most loved shows in South Korea in 2019, in which the series was ranked eighth. ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...

'' Joan MacDonald said that ''Love Alarm'' gives the familiar romance drama "a fresh twist" by introducing a mobile app and found that "Kim So-hyun is well cast as Jo-jo". Maggie Adan of '' Cosmopolitan Philippines'' wrote that she "initially found the motivations of the characters a little irrational and

hallow To hallow is "to make holy or sacred, to sanctify or consecrate, to venerate". The adjective form ''hallowed'', as used in ''The Lord's Prayer'', means holy, consecrated, sacred, or revered. The noun form ''hallow'', as used in ''Hallowtide'', ...

... but afterlooking back on erteenage years and recalling that hewas prone to blowing things out of proportion and being melodramatic about love and relationships at that age, too, herealised that the show is actually more truthful than hegive it credit for ... it just doesn't resonate with eranymore" Stephen McCarty from the ''

South China Morning Post The ''South China Morning Post'' (''SCMP''), with its Sunday edition, the ''Sunday Morning Post'', is a Hong Kong-based English-language newspaper owned by Alibaba Group. Founded in 1903 by Tse Tsan-tai and Alfred Cunningham, it has remained ...

'' opined that "''Love Alarm'' is not only an innocent love story but also deals with data protection, gay rights, the extreme consequences of heartache, and smartphone invasion." ''Cinema Escapist'' Richard Yu commends ''Love Alarm'' for being a social commentary on the negative influence of

social media Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...

in today's society. He posits:

Season 2

Season 2 of ''Love Alarm'' primarily received negative to mixed reviews from the critics. Pierce Conran of ''

'' gave a rating of 2 out of 5 and said, "There is even less meat to the story than first time around, and some jarring secondary plot lines that try to mix in social commentary are distracting." Greg Wheeler of ''The Review Geek'' gave a rating of 5 out of 10 and said, "Ultimately though Love Alarm serves up a lukewarm offering that's going to feel colder for fans expecting a red-hot follow-up to what's come before. If you can go in with no expectations, Love Alarm certainly has enough to enjoy, but there's equally nothing here that really stands out. This follow-up uses all the K-drama tricks in the book and does so with very little aplomb. This is one alarm that's very unlikely to ring for a third season." However, the series was generally well-received as it managed to rank as the 6th most watched Korean drama worldwide in Netflix in 2021.

Awards and nominations

Notes

References

External links

*
''Love Alarm''
(season 1) at

''Love Alarm''
(season 2) at

''Love Alarm''
(original webtoon) at Daum * * (season 1) * (season 2) {{Works by Studio Dragon 2010s South Korean television series 2020s South Korean television series 2019 South Korean television series debuts South Korean pre-produced television series Korean-language Netflix original programming Television shows based on South Korean webtoons Television series by Studio Dragon South Korean romance television series South Korean high school television series Television series about teenagers Television series about social media Social reputation in fiction Works about mobile phones