Love Alarm is a South Korean drama television series based on the Daumwebtoon of the same name by Chon Kye-young. It stars Kim So-hyun, Jung Ga-ram, and Song Kang. The series premiered on Netflix on August 22, 2019. The series was a commercial success, ranking as one of Netflix's top releases in 2019, and thus, renewed for a second season on October 29, 2019.
Synopsis
Love Alarm revolves around the story of a disruptive technology that enables users to discover love through an application that notifies whether someone within the vicinity of a 10-meter radius has romantic feelings for them.
On January 5, 2017, Netflix announced that it would produce its first original South Korean television series, with a release planned for 2018. The premiere date was eventually pushed back to August 2019. In an interview, director Lee Na-jeong mentioned that the production of a second season was dependent on the first season's popularity. On October 29, 2019, Netflix renewed the series for a second season. The first script reading took place on February 21, 2020.
Casting
The male lead role was initially offered to Ahn Hyo-seop but he declined the offer. Lee Na-jung casted Kim So-hyun as Jojo because of a high synchronisation rate in appearance and her rich acting skills that were beyond her age. Moreover, Kim was the first choice to play Kim Jo-jo of Love Alarm webtoon author Chon Kye-young and online fans. When explaining the reason for casting Jung Ga-ram, the director praised his eyes, saying they were lyrical, clear, and clean, not like other actors in their 20s these days. Meanwhile, Song Kang went through audition competing with 900 people and got casted.
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. Moreover, an app that looks like the one in the series has been released for the promotion events, but it works differently.
Reception
's Joan MacDonald finds that Kim So-hyun fits well with the character Jojo. For MacDonald, it is interesting that the two main characters kiss already in the first episode, without being a couple or before confessing their love. This is unusual for Korean dramas. For Stephen McCarty from the South China Morning Post, 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. Kim Minyoung, director of content at Netflix Korea describes the drama as "focused on unique storytelling with creative edges in their narrative". According to a survey conducted by SBS, Love Alarm ranked first among the Korean dramas in 2019. On December 30, 2019, Netflix unveiled the 10 Most Loved Shows in Korea in 2019, in which the series was ranked eighth on the list.
Original soundtrack
The soundtrack of "Love Alarm" includes seven main theme songs and fourteen background music. It was released through several music portals, including Melon, iTunes, and Spotify.
