Do You Like Brahms? (2020)

The characters shine. The plot... not so much.

This drama’s rating is high purely because of the characters. Song Ah x Joon Young are two of the softest, politest, most introverted leads I’ve ever watched. I fell in love with them from the start and I never fell out despite my declining interest in the drama. PEB & KMJ play them to perfection.

The second leads are both great too. Hyeon Ho is easy to love - the smiling, puppy in love. Jung Kyung is more complex. Struggling with her fallen star & complicated feelings, she’s still clever and kind and I don’t care what anyone says, I loved her. I’ll be adding her to my pantheon of second female leads who deserved better. (It’s a really great club btw I’ll make a list of them all one day)

Cha Young In (the noona from the kyunghoo foundation) was also a quiet favourite of mine. Unlike the many immature & selfish professors from the university, she’s grown wise with time & dispenses advice and knowledge freely without judging or looking down on anyone. Everyone is lucky to have her as their senior in life tbh. I’d love an older female friend like her.

So yes. 6.5 stars purely because they all live bright in my heart and the first third or half was really good.

The plot lets it down. At some point past act 1 it becomes this endless slog of misery and miscommunication (from a couple that thrived on being open with one another no less!)

I didn’t mind it being slow because it felt like a healing drama and for a while it was. It soon devolved into a melodramatic mess however and the neat bow-wrapped ending isn’t enough to save it.

Just another drama of what-could-have been to join the many already littering the LOST POTENTIAL graveyard.

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It is my cup of tea

"Do you like Brahms?" is a drama that teaches me about the things that makes life so graceful. This drama may not be everyone's cup of tea, but for me, journeying with this drama is like sipping my fine tea on a lovely afternoon. Like my green tea, this drama wont give a strong and special impression, just simple and sweet feeling. That moment when you hear people playing their instruments somehow relates to that nice warm feeling when you smell from the aroma of the tea leaves. Its that kind of magic.

The story itself is something I would love to enjoy like how I would enjoy my tea. One sip at a time, feeling its flavor as the aroma engulfs your soul. I love how it was subtle and slow, that as I went through it, I gradually feel its elegance from the bits and pieces of emotion finally settling in towards the end. As tea comes with different unique flavors, so was the characters in the drama. Everyone character was like those different type of flavors, others were more bitter than sweet and some are too sweet to be bitter. But even for me, I appreciate all of them, no matter how bitter and sweet they are.

What made it special to me was because it was not special.
Its a mundane drama that reminds me of my love for tea.
I love it.

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