I decided to watch this because of Ha Ji Won, one of my favorites, and she does a great job as Cha Young even though her character is pretty one-note, basically melancholy and apologetic. This matches the mood of Yoon Kye Sang as Lee Kang as well, who is equally somber and melancholy. They do have pretty good chemistry, and I liked their story in general, but there is way more heaviness and sadness than butterflies in their story. There's the expected destiny theme as well. It also builds very slowly, and although I didn't mind the pace, it definitely made me watch more casually instead of being excited to watch each new episode.
I also liked the rest of the cast as well. To me Jang Seung Jo as Lee Joon is definitely the standout, playing a role he's so good at, the "rich guy rival" (like his performance in "Money Flower"). The cast is also full of great performances by the supporting cast as patients, staff, and relatives... although The Lee family did seem a bit cliché at times with their typical greed and scheming. I blame that more on the writing than the cast.
The story is this dramas weakest point for me, not because it's a bad story, but more because of how somber and standard it is. However, instead of comic relief, this drama's most uplifting moments all center around food. Yes, this is the kind of drama (like the "Let's Eat" series) that will probably make you very VERY hungry. So many food close-ups. So much emotional eating. Sooo many chewing scenes! It's about way more than just chocolate too. Food is the real star of this drama.
It's also beautifully shot. The scenery is amazing and all of the food looks delicious (even stuff I don't eat). It has a cinematic feel visually which helps with the slow pace. I was much more forgiving of certain scenes because of how beautiful it looked. At the very least, Netflix definitely knows how to make pretty dramas.
Would I watch this again? I don't think so. I was honestly caught off guard by how sad this was, and I didn't love any part of this drama enough to endure that sadness again. The story is also pretty typical as far as the "Who's gonna take over the family business" tropes go.
Overall, I appreciate the main theme of this drama, which is to appreciate every single moment of the life you have and that a fulfilling life is more about love and giving than about how much you can acquire. That theme really hits home by the end, and I shed a lot of tears throughout this drama, so I think I would recommend this drama but only with that warning. Death comes up constantly, which could feel therapeutic or like too much. For me, it was a combination of both.
"Chocolate" is a low key melodrama, so there's less excitement and much more contemplation. If you don't like the mood of the first episode, don't expect it to pick up later. The resolutions are also subtle. Some things were left hanging, which I'm ok with, and it's much more about going on a journey with each character through their personal traumas, dysfunction, and moments of failure and empowerment. This drama from beginning to end will try to come for your feelings!!! Make sure you have enough tissues and snacks while watching.
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There was food and whole lotta good shots of it which is basically catnip for every foodie out there and me being one, I did a happy dance inside every time I saw someone eating or cooking- which was A LOT.
There was some bromance, sismance, amazing chemistry between the leads and family bonding sprinkled all over it and last but not the least; the message it went out to portray was brilliant.
Despite the inevitablity of death, people can still find moments of happiness. It was beautiful and heart-warming to watch.
In the beginning, that is.
Despite being a slow burn in every sense of the word, the show did go pretty fast for me up to about 7 episodes. I was really really into it but then the monotony started setting in. It's the same K-drama tropes over and over again and soon enough you realize that there isn't much of a unique spin on it.
Call me heartless but when you show me the same sentimental shit and corny deep dialogues in literally every episode, I'll go from being touched to annoyed real fast. That's because over-doing emotion takes the sincerity out of it. Every case was more or less the same and that irked me a lot.
A lot of things were added as useless plot devices and left unexplored. It was almost criminal how little screentime the main couple got. You barely get to see them together till around 12th episodes and even then it's scarce and underwhelming.
I feel like the show dabbled in a lot of things but didn't truly go into depth for even one. And it's a shame truly, given the immense potential.
Towards the end, I just had to fast forward stuff- an urge I was physically restraining for about 14 episodes.
A reviewer said that it's a great drama for new watchers and I agree but if you have already seen these tropes a billion times and in their most basic form, this drama will end up being quite mediocre for you.
I'd rather watch 'Just Between Lovers' that took one of the issues also mentioned in this drama, went in depth with it and actually managed to portray sadness, heartbreak and loss in a way that was never over the top and yet, extremely impactful.
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''The day you wasted today is the tomorrow that someone who died yesterday so badly wished for.''
Whether you'll like ''Chocolate'' or not, it pretty much depends on your mood. If you are looking for intense melodrama which focuses mainly on the romance, then ''Chocolate'' is not for you. But if you are looking for a well-written, soothing story with unqiue main and supporting characters, then you hit the jackpot!I'm almost never in the mood for melos which is why I didn't believe that I'll enjoy this one. I've read different opinions from different reviewers and even though I quite agree with some of the negative things they said, I can't lie that ''Chocolate'' is totally my cup of tea and I loved it even with its flaws.
I think the premise of the drama is a bit misleading -- it looks as if it's a story which focuses on the romance the most, but it's not like that. Actually, you have to wait (quite) a lot to see some heart-warming moments between the two main leads. ''Chocolate'' is one of the dramas that focuses on the supporting characters a lot and yes, I know that in a lot of kdramas that is extremely annoying. BUT it's not the same case here. The supporting characters in this drama were so interesting and loveable and I loved every second of them on the screen. The story takes place in a hospice which means that you'll encounter a lot of dying patients so beware that you'll bawl your eyes out. I loved how they appreciated every patient, how they showed their story and left a message to the viewers. I loved every side story -- the ahjumma and the director of the hospital's story was so heartbreaking and painful, yet very touching and beautiful. The FL-s brother -- Taehyun, was sometimes so annoying to the point that I wanted to slap him hard, but he had his own charm and he brought a different light to the story. Plus some of his words were so strong. So I really appreciated his characters, even though he was flawed. I even liked the scenes with Jun's parents especially in the first half. Well, his grandma was a bit... unlikeable.
Now let's get into my absolute favourite character -- Lee Jun played by the charming Jang Seung Jo. He is for sure the character that developed the most. I really hated his younger version, but he progressed with each episode and I fell in love with him easily. Extremely interesting person, whose life was pretty much ruined by his toxic family -- but who still wanted to change himself and live better. I was so pround of my man! Jang Seung Jo was flawless and I believe he was born to play this character. The bromance between Jun and his brother Kang was something that made me smile the most and the development of their relationship was so beautiful.
The main leads were also very strong and intiguing characters. Lee Kang is, undoubtedly, one of the best male leads out there! I'm not gonna lie, I completely fell in love with Yoon Kye Sang and the way he portrayed his character. Moon Cha Young is an actual strong female lead which is not that often seen in kdramaland. I've never been a big fan of Ha Ji Won; I know she is a good actress, but she has that very specific way of acting which isn't my cup of tea. But I have to admit, she was brilliant here and she definitely managed to impress me. Her acting was so real, it was obvious that she acted with her heart. The romance between Cha Young and Kang was amazing, their chemistry was very natural and convincing.
Yeah, there are a lot of things happening in ''Chocolate'', but they were very well-balanced. All the different characters and their different stories brought different nuances to the overall plot which was nice. There are still a few things that I kind of dislike: the time skips in the first few episodes were not very well done? And kinda confusing; the first half was more interesting that the second and the final episode could have been better but I still loved it; I believe some things needed more explanation but yeah, anyways. I don't think I'll ever rewatch this, because it just won't be the same.
So overall, ''Chocolate'' is a very heart-warming and well-written drama which will heal your heart and soul. It has a very soothing atmosphere which will make you escape from your reality. If you've seen ''Uncontrollably Fond'' by the same writer, maybe you should expect something similar to it but with better story and characters. :D
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The acting of all the characters are top notch and the plot naturally flows from one episode to the other. Certainly it was not light neither heavy it was a balanced between that.
For those who are interested in finding a drama that has romance and without annoying characters, this may be it for you as their characters are mature and take time to think before they act.
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This review may contain spoilers
With the drama synopsis looks so gloomy, its easy to skip this gem drama. As I don't even look at it first. But how I was wrong, this drama is so moving. The storyline is pretty strong with the setting of hospice and first love gone wrong case. All the side characters story are deeply moving and keep me interested enough to continue watching. Of course, the slowburn romance between the doctor and the chef is so addictive. Yoon Kye Sang & Ha Ji Won played so well here in depicting the forbidden love between them, due to misunderstanding & wrong timing.
Perhaps, there some minus to this drama. Like the family background competition which is so common in k-drama. And the formula of additional tragedies in the start of the drama is a bit too much.
Overall, this is a beautiful drama. And have I mentioned it? The OST is to die for! Try it Special no 7 by Yubin. And of course the OST that personally sang by the 2 leads. YOU & I.
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Waffley Bit...
This is a really slow burn romance, and they manage to do something that most really don't do very well at all - they manage to find a way to get the two leads actually in an ice cold place (at least from one side) to where he actually can't stand the sight of her and then slowly turn the heat up throughout - it's a good 7 or so episodes in before there's thawing even, let alone when they get to kiss (which is much further in). I liked that nothing was just magically resolved, they went through things and just because they are decent human beings ended up in situations helping each other and that's what starts to grow their affections.
The story is principally based around a Hospice that provides palliative care for the terminally ill and helping ease their way in their final time. You can immediately tell from that that there's going to be a lot of characters passing away and that's the source of a great many sad moments throughout, lots of different stories and backgrounds for the characters, and how they resolve them. I was particularly engaged by the story about Michael, his adopted American mother and his birth Korean mother and how that story develops. It is quite emotionally tiring though as there's quite a lot of it throughout so keep that in mind.
The other major theme in the story is cooking and food. With Ha Ji Won's character being a renowned Chef there are many opportunities for cooking to be shown and they don't shy away from it at all. Imagine the kind of detail you get in medical dramas and now put that in cooking - there's a lot you can learn about Korean food and how it's prepared, what the ingredients are and so forth in this show. I recognised Jajamyeong being prepared in one of the recipes straight away and I don't think any steps were left out at all - which I found really interesting and unusual. I realise that's a pretty straight forward recipe but hey, I'm no expert :)
Some of the story takes place on an island in the south of Korea called Wondo, I always appreciate stories that venture out to the islands a bit more because it feels more like "real" Korea than the westernised way that Seoul is usually presented (not that I have anything against Seoul), some lovely scenery and great shots out there.
The story with the Director at the Hospice and his first wife was another particularly touching one, it's another one that runs throughout most of the story and you discover new things about their history, how they got to be where they are and so forth at various times during the story. I always enjoy watching Kim Won Hae anyway and this was one of his more emotional roles I think.
There is one patient story which kinda sneaks in about a YouTuber that forms the basis for one of the most profound messages in the drama which Cha-Young's brother says to the screen as if recording a YouTube video - but really, I suspect it's intended as a message from the production and writing teams to the viewer, breaking the fourth wall.
The title is an interesting choice, because on the one hand chocolate doesn't figure much in the story at all... but if you think about it more after you've watched it you'll realise it was the foundation of the entire story from just about the moment it starts.
Soundtrack is superb, I need to listen to it properly on its own but you can tell a good soundtrack when you are humming along to the songs as they come up during the drama.
Annoyances...
The only real annoying for me was the male lead's family, a typical shouty moany whiney fighty schemey Chaebol type family - I get that they are probably meant to provide the counterpoint to the deep messages being put out by the time in the Hospice but it just got a bit much at times. I didn't fast forward anything while watching - but the scenes with that family would be the ones i'd fast forward through on a re-watch, without a doubt.
I didn't really appreciate the ending. I like that it ended on a positive, but I just thought the way it was done made absolutely no sense to me what so ever. I was honestly expecting them to end up running Bada Restaurant in Wondo, both being chefs and making people happy, taking forward their life lessons from the Hospice. I expect i'm missing something deep and and meaningful but... I still missed it.
Overall I really enjoyed it, I was hyped that Ha Ji Won was in another drama, one of my favourite actresses. Really glad I watched it but a re-watch is less likely as I didn't really appreciate the ending as much as I hoped I would.
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I really cannot understand how the korean writers can write amazing stories but cannot write a god damn proper final. I did not like the ending. At all. The 'solutions' to the problems were found in the most basic way or ignoring their existence overall. I could not get the reasoning behind Moon Cha Youngs' final decision. Overall, the last episode felt like two episodes were merged into one by cutting parts out, and so it didn't feel cohesive. I liked this drama. The only thing I didn't agree with was her leaving. If it had been because she learned the truth about his mom then I could understand her wanting some time because she might be guilty (which she shouldn't), but her leaving because of what happened with her mom? Nope, I feel like that's when you would want to be closer to the person you love.
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Another average entrant into the sea of Korean dramas on Netflix
Korean dramas are reaching wider audiences thanks to Netflix’s foray, but Netflix’s flawed “Match” ratings system obfuscates true kdrama gems. Luckily, the backlog of dramas are mostly well-received ones from trusted cable networks, like jtbc and tvN. The same is not true for the new dramas. (On a tangent, Netflix produced dramas are pretty mediocre less Kingdom, which is still incomplete).Even the jtbc and tvN dramas from 2019 have been slightly worse than previous years. Albeit, my 2019 favorites, Be Melodramatic/Her Private Life/Search: WWW were not available on Netflix (US region). In this context, Chocolate is just another average show. I will skip straight to recommendations! One Spring Night and Romance is a Bonus Book are both available on Netflix. Dr. John is a more makjang medical drama, and Romantic Doctor Teacher Kim (season 1) is a better character driven medical drama.
Story:
As average as Chocolate is, it covers many typical Korean drama tropes that might be beneficial to experience for new viewers. The main leads are tangled from childhood to present, both have traumatic pasts to overcome, and their relationship develops slowly. The only “different” wrinkle is mixing cooking and medical genres, and as good as the food looked, it adds surprisingly little to the plot (a.k.a. Medicine cannot cure these people so give them a yummy last meal…). If this is one of your first Korean dramas, look forward to all the amazing ways this format can stretch tired tropes, just not in Chocolate.
Acting:
The two main leads, Yoon Kye-Sang and Ha Ji-Won, have a strong, subtle chemistry and deliver adequately, but the support/guest roles are the highlight. Major props to Kim Won-Hae who owns a much more serious role than his usual. I also enjoyed Yeom Hye-Ran’s part (especially coming off of a strong performance in When the Camellia Blooms). Even the guests are fun, like Yubin with the guest role AND OST credit.
Music:
Segueing into music, Chocolate relies on a surprising amount of k-pop idols, from Yubin to Seventeen to Hui (from Pentagon). There is also a solid presence of k-ballad/ost veterans. The backing sounds of Chocolate remained strong throughout, and the high production value of Chocolate shines through its beautiful settings and its credentialed musical cast.
Rewatch Value:
I already gave recommendations upfront and stand by them here. Chocolate is a totally acceptable watch (contrary to its 6.5 rating) but leaves little impact afterwards. Personally, taking more risks in storytelling would have been appreciated, even if it were to land a bit flat. In that regard, Doctor John is a great example of turning the stereotypical korean drama tropes up one notch.
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The series didn't deliver what was advertised in the synopsis, but something even better. An emotional roller coaster ride from the romance to the hospice center where most of the series takes place.
I felt like every character deserved main character status, and I loved them all.
I'm so glad I started with this series and will definitely be recommending it to others as well as re-watching it later on when I need a good cry or a good laugh. I really miss these characters already!
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It was coooking show that was sponsored by Quiznos
This drama had a lot of potential but instead ended up as a waste of time. After putting up with missed story lines and focusing on the side plot, instead of focusing on the primary couple (OPC), I had to simply fast forward to focus on the main plot.For me, It was after Episode 13-14, the main story started to unfold and became somewhat enjoyable.
I liked the theme of the story.. Find compassion through other those people who are witnessing their final moments on this planet.
I liked how tragedy made the person facing the difficult situation stronger.
From Episodes 3-14, I was simply frustrated. There were countless scenes of cooking, after cooking..Meaningless scenes with a car pulling up to a parking lot with nothing to follow!!
I wish this story could have been told differently or a shorter version.
I do not recommend this drama.
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This review may contain spoilers
WARNING! This review will contain spoilers." The value of one's life is determined by how much love one gives, not by how much love one has received." by Epictetus
Let me be honest. At first, I did not want to start this drama because it sounded too emotional for me when I first heard about the story. Now I have to tell you that I do not regret starting watching it. It was worth to spend time on each episode even when my exams were near.
I wasn't so interested in the story, but after I started watching it I've realized there was so much more behind it. It wasn't just one story. In a frame story, there were so many other stories. Every single one was meaningful and touching. ( I was crying a lot while watching this drama.) I've found this k-drama very detailed and well-written. I think the writer did a great job. So I give 9.5 for this, that -0,5 point is for a scene at the end which I don't understand but I hope after watching it over I will.
Being honest I am not a fan of Ha Ji Won but I think her acting skill is not a joke. She has shown us the character development of Moon Chae Young. She portrayed an innocent, kind, cheerful, helpful and thankful for her life's saver grown-up woman who has a deep wound in her heart. She did an excellent job. Let give her a big applause!
I've seen Yoon Kye Sang in a drama before but I didn't remember him ( I still do not remember his acting in that drama, I'm so sorry Ahjussi). I think Lee Kang's character was made for him. That nice end lively boy was growing up in an environment that was just not for him. I have to tell you that I am very happy about the fact that k-drama world shows up that kind of main leads who are much more loveable like Ko Ji Seok ( Kim Seon Ho) from Catch the Ghost or Hwang Yong Sik ( Kang Ha Neul) from When the Camellia Blooms. Even though Lee Kang was not so likable sometimes but still we could understand him.
There are two more people I have to mention for you who deserves it. First is Lee Jun (Jang Seung Jo) who had the biggest character development in the whole story. I think we all can agree. At first, I thought: Oh my, here is another spoiled kid, but he is NOT at all! He did not want to be that kind of person, he wanted to do something different, he just wanted to be the same as others. This is what makes him a person. Jang Seung Jo is a great actor who has excellent skills for acting.
The second person who deserves a few words is Moon Tae Hyun ( Min Jin Woong), brother of Chae Young. I think a lot's watcher hated him because he was annoying, always causing problems for his sister. I've found him annoying too, but I'm happy because the writer didn't put him aside. They showed us what made him be like that. He loves his sister but how could he become a decent person when he just saw a bad example from his mother?
I give 9.0 for the acting/cast. Let's give them (not just the main leads but every supporting actor, actress) applause because they deserve it.
I give 10 for the OSTs because every single one of them is beautiful and meaningful.
Rewatch value is 10. I want to watch it again, even if it is just for the small stories. I think I can learn a lot from this.
Everyone, let's stop for a moment every day and value what you have.
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