What Comes After Love Ep 1-2 Review: Lee Se Young, Sakaguchi Kentaro's tender romance doubts eternal love, fate and more

What Comes After Love starring Lee Se Young and Sakaguchi Kentaro premiered on September 27. Here is a review of the first two episodes of the drama.

Updated on Sep 27, 2024  |  10:36 PM IST |  1M
Kentaro Sakaguchi and Lee Se Young in What Comes After Love: Coupang Play
Kentaro Sakaguchi and Lee Se Young in What Comes After Love: Coupang Play

What Comes After Love is a romance melodrama starring Lee Se Young and Sakaguchi Kentaro which follows the story of two people who meet and fall in love in Japan. But they had to part ways due to the realities of life. After years, they reunite as adults. Anticipation runs high as the star cast comes together with the talented crew for this project based on a novel. The series is adapted from a novel written by Gong Ji Young and the Japanese author Tsuji Hitonar. 

What Comes After Love Episode 1-2 Review

Name: What Comes After Love

Premiere Date: September 27, 2024 

Cast: Lee Se Young, Kentaro Sakaguchi, Hong Jong Hyun, Nakamura Anne

Director: Moon Hyun Sung

Writer: Based on the novel Sarang Hue Oneun Gotdeul by Gong Ji Young and Tsuji Hitonari

Scriptwriter: Jung Hae Sim 

No. of episodes: 6

Genre: Melodrama, 

Language: Korean, Japanese

Network: Coupang Play 

Where to watch: Viki 


Plot

The series will tell the story of a Korean woman, Choi Hong, who is a student in Japan. She meets a Japanese man, Aoki Jungo, and they eventually end up dating and falling in love. However, due to the realities of life and their differences, they chose to break up. After 5 years, when Aoki Jungo travels to Seoul for work, the two unexpectedly meet each other face-to-face. 

Positives

The drama seamlessly blends the world of Hong and Jungo. Though they are very different from each other, their chemistry is palpable. Lee Se Young as Choi Hong perfectly portrays a young girl who is confused yet ambitious about her future. On the other hand, Sakaguchi Kentaro as Aoki Jungo balances with his sweet smiles and loveliness. 

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The drama has many anime-esque features with fans will enjoy. Though they might be a little over the top, it helps bring out the spring and blossom of the youth of the characters. 

Negatives

For people who are not very familiar with Japanese style, some parts might throw them off. Additionally, the story sometimes succumbs to being predictable and falls into using cliche tropes. But it has a fresh flavour which keeps the audience engaged. 

Final Review

What Comes After Love is an enjoyable watch for anyone who is looking for a good time and enjoys romance and drama. Though the main plot is related to former lovers coming face-to-face, the first two episodes perfectly build up their past showing what the couple once had. 

This makes their breakup even more heartbreaking. The viewers follow the characters' journey from meet-cute to falling in love and eventually parting ways. Though the viewers know that they will eventually meet after 5 years, from the characters' perspective, all hope is lost. But the drama effectively makes the audience also feel the same emotions of hopelessness. 

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Lee See Young and Sakaguchi Kentaro's chemistry is very romantic and adorable. They don't feel out of place as the story gradually follows their lives as they eventually fall in love. The two falling in love feels natural. Their love is portrayed in a relatable way with which the viewers can also empathize. 

What Comes After Love Episodes 1 and 2 build the base of the drama raising anticipation for the upcoming episodes.

ALSO READ: Top 10 Park Jin Joo movies and TV shows that showcase her acting prowess

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About The Author

Moumita Chakraborty did her Master of Arts in Mass Communication and has been writing professionally since 2022. She is a

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