Jazz for Two (2024)

pushing & pulling

i have never written a review before; spare me, but i felt the need to for this series.

i believe this show is only for people who can deal with heavier topics and are able to understand characters flaws on a higher level. every single character in this series is complicated & it's not for the weak of hearts.

there are some scenes i felt were just straight-up unnecessary, but that never deterred me away from the show or the characters themselves. especially taeyi or juha; who are indeed more flawed than the rest. they could've written taeyi much better (then again, i am not familiar with the original media this is adapted from, so he could be just right) - and i wished they did, considering he's a likable character if you look at him through a good and understanding lens - some of the parts felt incomplete and lackluster, but it's certainly not trashy for what they had. (i believe a solid 12 , maybe even 10, episodes could've done them some good).

seheon was a well-written character! i liked how even in the very first episodes, he found himself wondering what was wrong with taeyi instead of just entirely thinking he's a bully of some sort. he's been through a lot, they all have. doyoon and juha were perfectly awful. i didn't have much interest in them until later episodes, but their dynamic and relationship is extremely interesting if you take internalized homophobia into the equation, because that's certainly what it felt like to me. not much to note; the storyline was interesting and actually made sense in the end. i like how it was history repeating itself. the main leads' chemistry was good, despite what anyone says, and i think seheon and taeyi make a nice couple after everything they've been through with each other. there wasn't a large amount of the second couple, but i hope they're swell. (i would like to see the main leads in another series together, maybe a softer one, that seems more up their alley).

overall, would i recommend it? to the right person, yes. if you don't enjoy hurt/comfort, messy up & down and even toxic relationships: this isn't for you. but there are plenty not like this, so go watch! ^^

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Happy ending (because that is very important not just for me, but for so many).

It had me on the edge trying to figure it out and I can say… I was wrong…lol. The story is very cute with a message of the importance in mental health (I’m a caseworker so with more reason, I liked it). Furthermore, it did make me wish one of my toxic relationships would have ended in a good and nice tone as one of the couples did (you will find out which one…lol). But the plot twist was very good, and it did made me feel bad (in a good way… if that’s possible).

Overall, I cried, was laughing, and cried some more once I was done with the show. I just wish it had more episodes.

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and all that jazz...

Honestly, I wasn't planning to watch this one... but I couldn't skip out on supporting my blue haired bias. I'm glad I did though! Compared to A Shoulder to Cry On (by the same company), this series had a much tighter plot, more interesting ensemble cast, and better production quality--particularly some really excellent score, which was vital to this series. While I still have my gripes with some K-BL tropes that get overused and abused here, I was prepared for them going in and didn't find that they significantly detracted from the story. I may have tuned in for Hangyeom, but I'd definitely watch it again on it's own merits.

-The Full Review-

STORY:
In general, I really enjoyed this plot! I spent a lot of time with music majors in my schooling, and some of the ridiculous antics were really nostalgic. I liked the push and pull of the four main characters, and felt that the structure of the story worked well for the run time and pacing. The flashbacks and dream sequences worked well and weren't overused, though sometimes it was confusing if the voice-over was meant to be taken as ongoing dialogue.
What I didn't like, as has driven me away from a huge amount of K-BL, was the rampant homophobia. I understand that homophobia is a real issue faced by many people, especially in conservative countries, but three separate characters doubling down on how disgusting and weird being gay is... is a little much. I would have at least liked to see some of these characters unpack those thoughts a little bit more.

ACTING:
I was quite happy with acting here! I am definitely a fan on Ji Hogeun now--I was very impressed with his performance. I liked most of what Kim Jinkwon brought to the table, though his character ended up being a little bit static for my tastes. As a pair, I thought they were very sweet! I particularly enjoyed their flirting in the classroom as an insight into them as a couple. They established a strong sense of intimacy.
Of course, I came here for Hangyeom, but I'm happy to say his comedy was a delight and really brightened up the story. I also enjoyed the few moments where he was allowed to settle into something more serious. Kim Jungha was an interesting match for him, and I'm not sure I truly cared about where the show took them. But it was competent and complimented the main couple at least. It was definitely not a lack of talent.

PRODUCTION:
To begin, for the most part the production value was very nice. Good compositions, evocative lighting, good costuming choices despite being limited by school uniforms, and excellent set dressing (especially of the piano room and the jazz bar). It felt quite polished throughout and established a good tone. I especially likes how it leaned on lighting tropes of this genre.

INTIMACY:
C's get degrees, my guy. Listen, it's fine. I get it. I know that I can't put the expectations of other countries media on K-BL, especially when tangling with idol actors. And there definitely *were* kisses, so it's doing better than most. But I really am just tired of shows that will double and triple down on how "gross and weird" being gay is, and then go out of their way to avoid showing any "controversial" intimacy, even if it's as simple as a kiss.
The main couple kisses, and it's a little bit dead fish (though they do try). The second couple "kisses" and it's a trick of cinematography. It's fine. It is the absolute minimum required to tell this story effectively, and they do it decently well. But I'm not going to get excited about it or praise it. In my opinion, it definitely doesn't feel like a story for queer people, that takes joy in the love between two men, but rather a story that happens to have queer characters dotting their I's and crossing their T's.

In all, Jazz for Two exceeded my expectations, but my expectations were pretty low. I would recommend it and I did enjoy it, but it's not really one that hits me hard in anyway and definitely reinforced some of my grievances with K-BL. It was good. It could have been great.

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Jazz for Love

Where do I even begin? I think this is one of the top 3 Korean BLs out there. Everything about it is just fantastic.

I love the character of Han Tae Yi so much. He doesn't want to like Yoon Se Heon, but still cares for him, especially at the beginning. When he couldn't admit to himself that he loves it when Soheon plays the piano, especially because the song reminds him of his brother. I completely understand why he reacted that way at first. It's also just incredibly cute to see how their love developed, especially the struggle Taeyi had. Deep down, he already knew he loved him, but his mind kept saying no.

And the story between Seo Do Yoon and Song Joo Ha is just lovely. I hope they get their own BL because I don't think I'm alone in believing that they ended up together. Their story has so much potential.

All in all, I just love this BL. Everything about it was just right.

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it went from good to average to bad really quick

I'm a bit disappointed because the show started so strong, I created a lot of expectations for it to then turn into a completely different thing.
It had potential in the beginning since I think the whole concept of music - specifically jazz - could be very interesting to incorporate in the drama, since it is something that I personally enjoy as well. However, as the plot advanced it became confusing and I started to dislike characters that I could not go back to like due to their actions. Also conflicts were resolved too easily, which didn't make much sense to me.
Nevertheless, I liked the cast - which was completely new for me - and the music they played throughout the drama was nice and soothing.

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Pretty empty...

Well, here goes another typical korean bl under the belt! Nice production value, warm and rather beautiful cinematography, zero chemistry and a lot of lipstick. A lot!

Jazz For Two was one of the first webtoons I ever read a couple of years ago and I remember liking it a lot. The art was pretty, the story gripping and I even found a playlist on Spotify featuring every song mentioned in the webtoon. What I do not remember is the plot just that it was about two boys in high school bonding over jazz!

The drama is another superficial bl romance koreans are known to produce. It touches upon serious issues but it never tackles them in depth. And issues here were many: homophobia, suicide, bullying, assault. The way to deal with these issues? Love, of course! Love, which magically cures mental problems, behavioural problems etc. etc.

Teens are still children, exploring the world and figuring themselves out, so their reactions towards anything outside the instilled norms may turn violent. Care and kindness are not necessarily the standard. They are scared of being different, to stand out and therefore, when faced with the unknown, they tend to reject it violently! This was shown relly clearly in this drama.

The main characters are four boys in an arts high school who eventually form two enemies-to-lovers couples. The actors were correct, the best being Song Han Gyom(3rd lead) who played DoYoon. The worst by far, Kim Jin Kwon(ML). I had trouble recognizing him even though I remember him from To My Star. The costume and make up designers created an unlikable image: oversized clothes and too much make up (nobody has such red shiny lips naturally: he looked really artificial). Moreover, he had no chemistry with his partner.

I would like to end just with one question: is there such a thing as korean drama taking place in high school but with absolutely no bullying?

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Slow and smooth

March 31, 2024

Jazz for Two is a decent Korean BL drama. It has some homophobic and violent content so, if you are looking for fluffy and cute plots, then I suggest that this might not be the show for you.

I feel like the manhwa will give you a better understanding of the characters given how short the series is. So there are instances where the plot feels jagged in terms of the storyline of our leads. I do love their dynamic and the chemistry is definitely there. It isn't as strong as what I expected from them, but I guess this is my bias in comparison to the manhwa.

Nevertheless, it was still a fun ride watching Jazz for Two and I hope you guys can give this KBL a shot !

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Made me feel whole bunch of emotions

I went blind into this K-BL drama. Didn't watch trailer either when I decided to see it.

First of all, the actors were eye candy (as usual). The chemistry between the first couple was very very sweet.

The second couple chemistry was a bit abrupt imo. We needed to see more build up. Also, Juhee should have gotten her own partner as well.

The OST was good, but not mind blowingly memorable. However, the Jazz tunes they played were AMAZING.

Idk if Jee HoGeun played the trumpet himself or it was someone else, but it was AMAZING !!!

I also wanted to see what's with the father. Why did he change his attitude so much overnight?

Is it too much to ask for a s2 cause I wanted to see more of the second couple ???

Waiting to see more of Jee HoGeun in future, cause he stole the show for me.

Overall a good watch. Go for it.

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