This review may contain spoilers
a sensitive, sweet and musical melodrama.
this drama is, for sure, an affection for the soul. the whole plot is developed in such a sensitive and careful way that it's practically impossible for you not to cling to the characters, not feel what they're going through. it's beautiful from start to finish.I cannot fail to emphasize how park eun bin's performance was simply impeccable. I smiled when she smiled, and cried even more when she was sad. chae song-ah became one of my favorite protagonists, with all her kindness and sincerity. it was amazing to see how honest she was about her feelings. it was liberating to see his maturity, his careful way of making decisions, of thinking about his well-being. I could spend hours talking about how amazing this character is.
kim min-jae was not far behind. his character was complex, reserved and also wounded. it was impossible not to feel compassion for our pianist. to see him keeping so much to himself, it suffocated me, it was extremely sad. I'm glad things have improved. it was a caress in the heart to watch him so light, happy in the last episode. despite some bad attitudes having upset me, they were important for her maturation.
lee jung-kyung left me confused about my feelings about her. while I felt anger at her inconsequential attitudes, I saw that she was not a bad person and had empathy for the difficult times she went through. in the end, I ended up just being happy that the character was able to pursue her career as a teacher, she really has a vocation for that. han hyun-ho suffered a lot, it was visible how he loved lee jung-kyung, I cheered a lot for his happiness, he deserved a lot, for everything he went through.
I would also like to talk about how the production of the drama related the characters' feelings to the objects. I thought this was brilliant. the handkerchief, the suitcase with old memories, the sheet music, the musical instruments. the way they associated agonies, memories and doubts to these utensils was memorable, in addition to the music, a key point of this work of art.
about the ending: it was perfect, i can't imagine a better one. it was realistic, sincere and moving. nothing was loose, conflicts were resolved. the couple's chemistry in the scenes warmed my heart with melted butter, I feel fulfilled. I cried a lot, I confess, but I also got my cheeks aching from smiling so much. it was worth it after all.
finally, to prevent this comment from getting even bigger, I can only say that this series has become one of my favorites, for all the care and love they put into the script. it was beautiful to follow this story. this drama will be engraved in my heart, along with all its teachings ❤️.
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This review may contain spoilers
Do you like Brahms? Kind of
If you want a slow and warm feeling drama then Do you like Brahms? is for you. Park Eun Bin plays a music student Chae Song Ah who wants to become a violinist. But she has started late and is a fourth year University student but tries her best. She tries hard to be good at playing the violin but doesn't have the talent. Meanwhile Kim Min Jae plays Park Joon Young a talented Pianist and had been playing in various competitions but has taken a one year sabbatical. He is unsatisfied and unhappy with playing and doesn't enjoy it. Both leads are introverted and sweet.Plot wise there isn't much to the drama. The leads are cute together. The drama makes good use of music and has a good OST that works well with the plot. As much as those parts are enjoyable there is are frustrating love triangles in the middle of it all. At first the leads are quite with each other but as they get together in the second half there is a lot of miscommunication between them. There isn't much growth to either the main leads and the other characters. The leads break up near the end and get back together in the second half of last episode. This I think should have happened earlier but they spent to much time on one of the love triangles.
The second leads Lee Jung Kyung (Park Ji Hyun and Han Hyun Ho (Kim Sung Cheol) are a big part of the story but there isn't much attention given to their development either. Jung Kyung especially is used only to come in between the leads. She does have depth but that is ignored in favour of the leads.
That's not to say there is nothing enjoyable about the drama. Especially in the first half before the characters get together is definitely the better part. The leads shared their problems and communicated well. And it would have been good if that continued. The break up I actually didn't have a problem with that. It seemed necessary.
For me the second half wasn't a surprise at all. There was of course going to be angst. There were times Song Ah stood up for herself but at times I was frustrating to watch her be used by her professor. The characters talked too slowly at times especially the female lead. The drama had so much potential but it failed to use it properly.
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Beautifully done but...
Mixed feelings on this one. I absolutely love the work and attention to detail to make the actors playing these instruments look believable. As a former violin player myself, seeing poorly acted instrument playing is one of my pet peeves. I don't know that I've seen anything better in screen as an example of how to do this right. A lot of the music details written into the script made it .more of a nostalgic and immersive experience for me (with very few exceptions: like how they mention multiple times that bridge of a violin is very difficult to damage. And it kills me because there's a scene where the 2nd FL sets casually her violin facedown once --a HUGE no no. One of the first things drilled into your head as a violin player is NOT to do this because the bridge is super delicate and easy to break or knock out of place. But honestly, a few things wrong here or there didn't ruin this for meThe plot did. The pacing was ridiculously slow with to much drama and very little payout. The main conflicts are understandable but easily avoidable and over-emphasized. I also didn't feel much chemisty between any of the leads, except for thay extremely thorough and swoonworthy first kiss. While the attnetion to detail was amazing, I just didn't like how the story was told.
That being said, I can understand why some people loved it. I have never seen Park Eun Bin a role that she hasn't been spectacular in, this included. The cast was great. The music was beautiful, and some of the scenes themselves were works of art.
Overall, it's a beautiful peek into the world and struggles of performing arts, albeit a bit of yawner at times.
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This review may contain spoilers
RELATABLE like GURL
The story is amazing!! From the beginning where they met until the last parts they really planned it out. Ill give out my 2 favourite parts. First was when the trio fought they rlly built up the tension before the fight and even had backstorys and such. I also like the love triangle i like the female lead getting jealous and insecure with the Main leads female friend and the break up was actually for the better it made Main lead be more focus on himself first and the female lead. As for the casting... ALL ACTORS FIT THE CHARACTER!! My fav character was the second female lead she was rude and elegant which you normally see in kdrama but she was rlly different!! I also like the ML alot he was nice not like bad boy stuff but a real human being and the kiss scenes was OFF THE CHART I TELL U!!! How the ml iniates the kisses and put feelings into it. DEFINITELY ONE OF THE BEST KISSES IN 2020. THEY SAVED 2020 FOR ME. For the ost, yeah it was good no need to expand it a bit more cuz they literally hired the ost kings and queens!!!I would totally rewatch! I like the storyline mostly because its music, the jealous/hurt/insecure scenes of female lead (im a sucker), realistically being not good at something you rlly want to pursue (same sis)! Its a drama where you can relate to it.
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great drama if you like slow, poetic dramas, raw emotions and powerful acting!
this drama was a very beautiful experience.kim minjae and park eunbin did a wonderful job at portraying jooyoung and songha, their chemistry is undeniable, and their acting immaculate! everything in this drama seemed so delicate, fragile, but also strong and sturdy, just like the development of the main leads' relationship. jooyoung and songha having to deal with their own internal struggles, while developing feelings for each other was interesting to watch.
get ready to get attached to the characters very easily, and let me tell you: they know how to tug your heartstrings! the music is beautiful, and the dialogs poetic and raw.
overall, this was a very enjoyable watch, filled with butterflies and teary smiles! i recommend it if you like slow dramas focused on character development and building a relationship!
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The couple suit each other so much. The roles suit them so well as characters. Casting is on point. I love them SO much. They look so lovely together. Best couple no question.
Chae Song Ah is relatable and cute. Park Joon Young is a super nice person with a shy and quiet demeanor, but a bright shy flower when it comes to love.
The cinematography is good without being overdone like most other new dramas.
The melodrama doesn’t hurt, and only leaves good feelings behind.
It is such a unique drama. One of those that you appreciate the meaningful moments between them more than any kisses. The comfort given to each other and the dialogues exchanged between them.
Good one. Good drama, South Korea.
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Not everyone cup of tea, but definitely mine
I find myself truly loving this drama because slice-of-life stories and slow-burn romances are exactly my thing. My ideal drama doesn’t need an extravagant plot or perfect heroes and heroines. I just want something that portrays ordinary people living ordinary lives. and I’ve liked Park Eun Bin from her previous dramas, but Kim Min Jae is new to me. To my surprise, the two of them are perfect together despite their flaws. Their slightly awkward interactions felt genuine, not cringey, something that introverts like me can really relate to. Sure, they can be a bit frustrating at times, especially in the second half of the drama, but that’s just how life is.It’s an 11/10 for me. I’ll definitely rewatch it from time to time whenever I need some healing, just like When the Weather Is Fine did for me.
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I apologize for my review!
I loved that they made this a classical drama type. I love the classical music of Brahms, Beethoven, etc. I loved Kim Min Jae in this drama. I actually love anything he does so there is that. Let me apologize first and foremost but most of you are going to be mad at me but Park Eun Bin, for me, was not made for this part. Her acting showed it. I just don't like a female lead to be weak and timid. Maybe it is not her fault but how they produced this character. The other actress was no fun either. I almost dropped it but I didn't because of Kim Jae Young. I gave a rating of 8 because of the lead actor and those who played supporting roles, also, because I did like the storyline so kudos for that.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Everything's cyclical
Ah, where to start?Story: Great idea. A woman decides to follow her dream of violin at 29 and meets a famous pianist, forming a friendship over their common love woes that mirror Brahms' own love triangle. They form a relationship before they're truly out of their own love triangles, forming a polygon of romantic hardship for everyone involved. On paper, it sounds like enough for a 16-episode run, but the execution was less than ideal. Maybe it wasn't paced right, but the plot was spread too thin by episode 10, resulting in a recycled last 6 episodes and a last-minute plagiarism plight that seemed out of nowhere. The romance would be sweet if not for the constant barrage of issues they faced, and the FLs own insecurities about almost every decision she makes.
Acting/Cast/Music: Everyone was fantastic in terms of acting, and the music was absolutely beautiful.
Rewatch: Probably not.
I watched this at a time when I needed a break from other ridiculous dramas I've been watching lately. It's slow-paced and repetitive, but it's a good taste breaker drama. While the plot got boring pretty quickly, I still enjoyed watching it. I finished it in two days so that has to say something.
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A simple plot, without huge tension, and slow paced romance.
After few times of hesitation, I finally watched Do You Like Brahms , and here I am perfectly satisfied. I loved the way it keenly deals with emotions. The peaks and breakdowns of the drama weren't incidents, but change of emotions. And yes. Nothing can be more realistic. When someone struggles with lack of talent, the other one face challenges of having a talent, which even led to see it as a curse. And the drama always dealt with 'friends to lovers' issue. Friendship growing into love is beautiful indeed. Yet at slightest mistake, it might crumble you forever. Things get awkward. Not to mention that unrequited love for your best friend is miserable. And this made me curious about the story of Clara, Schumann and Brahms.If you are a viewer who loves a simple melodrama with a slow burn romance, I highly recommend Do You Like Brahms.
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Incredibly warm + refreshing
My first ever review, because I truly loved this drama. It was so incredibly warm and sweet, and had some really hilarious moments too. Some of the relationships were so lovely and natural (incl. non-romantic relationships), and the actors were all perfectly casted for their roles. The music (incl. OST) was excellent, too, and the fact that the instruments were all played by the actors themselves was so weirdly satisfying.Even at times where I was frustrated, I could completely understand why the characters were behaving like that (though some might take you through a roundabout way of explaining, but you eventually get there) - it was all understandable and justified, because you could follow the characters in such a realistic and smart way. I was never angry with the show itself, which keeps happening to me with other dramas where things just happen out nowhere, for shock value but nothing more. Do you like Brahms had none of that, without it being boring or cliché.
Really, really lovely and refreshing drama. Will absolutely be recommending it to everyone, and re-watching again for sure.
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Bittersweet
'Do You Like Brahms?' is Kim Minjae best performance, dare I say. The four main cast story entangled really slowly even though the point was already made from the start, but things made it more complicated. In the middle of the season, around episode 8-12, I have to admit it kind of get boring. Similarly to 'The Third Charm', I must say, this is a hard watch for me. The dialogue is too... stiff? No banmal or anything, it's just plainly normal. It is true that this is one of the best drama in 2020 but it just not a perfect fit to my cup of tea.Was this review helpful to you?
