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Jazz for Two korean drama review
Completed
Jazz for Two
0 people found this review helpful
by adjective_boy
Jul 7, 2024
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 9.5
Rewatch Value 9.0

Delivered complex characters and a lovely romance

Typically I don't expect too much out of Korean BLs. Since they're so short, they often can't go into enough depth. However, Jazz for Two managed to balance their short time and the right amount of character depth perfectly, leaving you with complex characters without overwhelming you with backstory.

Yoon Seheon just transferred to a performing arts high school after being homeschooled for years. His classically trained pianist father has only ever allowed him to focus on classical music on the piano, and Seheon is constantly compared to his perfect older brother. However, Seheon really just wants to play jazz, and is hoping this new school will let him break free of his father. However, when practicing in an abandoned piano room at the school, Han Taeyi hears the song and is angered by it - not because it's bad, but because it reminds him too much of his late older brother's playing. Han Taeyi struggles to deal with the grief of losing his older brother, and takes it out on Seheon, only for Seheon to keep pushing Taeyi to become closer with him.

This show delivered on both the slowburn romance front and the entertaining characters. While the side characters didn't get much screentime, the two main characters each had distinct backstories and personalities, which complemented each other well. They start as polar opposites and appear to be enemies, but naturally over the course of the show we get to watch Taeyi deal with his grief and Seheon open up to Taeyi.

My biggest complaints about this show would all be resolved if the show was longer. First, the show tried to touch on homophobia, including internalized homophobia, but simply didn't see it through. It was brought up as a problem but then just disappeared? I also think that we missed out on seeing the early stages of Seheon and Taeyi together, because it seemed like they were fighting and then all of a sudden they were together? We never got to see the conversations or dates between them, and I think it would have helped to flesh out their relationship more. Frankly, we didn't get much time with them in a relationship because it takes so long for them to get together. I love a slowburn too, but I would have liked more happy moments with them as a couple. Also, some of the issues in their backstories (Seheon's dad, Taeyi's brother, etc.) could have used more screen time to really explore more. For the time it had, this show was wonderful. I'd say it's one of the more engaging and deep Korean BLs I've seen. However, the time constraints always seem to be my worst enemy for Korean BLs.
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