Editorials 
I cannot put into words how intense and unique this drama is, but I’ll try!
To start off this review, if you’re looking for a typical cliche romance k-drama, this isn’t it; although I’m sure you’ll still love it. Yes, there’s some really good chemistry and cute romantic scenes, but the story consists of many other characters and stories that will keep you engaged. Seeing the characters develop throughout the plot as they learn from the past, teaches you many valuable life lessons, which is surprisingly rare in a lot of dramas.
My opinion:
The plot:
I kept putting this drama off thinking that I wouldn’t enjoy it for a while now, but I’m so glad that I finally decided to watch it. I haven’t been this addicted to a drama in a long time. The plot never got boring and truly emerged me into it making me feel so attached to the characters. I didn’t just feel like I was watching it, but I felt like I was their friend rooting for them and sobbing with them like a baby quite often. The entire story is filled with emotion and will leave you crying quite often. Many great people die and will make you sad as if you’re their friend. The happy moments will make you so happy you might also cry. I cried almost every episode, but in my opinion, that’s one of the main reasons this show is so good!
They truly mixed in family, romance, friendship, medicine, death, a but of humour, tragedy, cooking, and that delicious Godiva chocolate ;) so well! I’ve never seen a drama so successful with mixing so many genres. Especially chocolate. I’m a chocolate lover and I know this sounds cheesy, but this made me appreciate chocolate even more. I wouldn’t have been able to pick a better name for this show. I’m still craving that chocolate Lol. I also love it when a bit of humour is mixed in to relieve the tension; especially with a drama like this (it’s very intense and emotional). I found myself crying and laughing at the same time in a few scenes, which made me love it even more. Now, with all that being said, the end felt a bit rushed and I was left hanging on a few characters. I don’t want to spoil it, but there were a couple characters that I wished we got a better look at what their future may be like. I’m not sure if there will be a season 2, but I highly doubt it. Other than that, the whole drama is amazing and you should definitely watch it. I think anyone will enjoy it.
Acting/characters:
The acting and chemistry was so amazing! Everyone did a great job. Especially the patients suffering! I was truly shocked by how incredible the acting was and I believe they chose the perfect cast for this drama. The character development and learning from the past truly did inspire even myself as a person that relates to a lot of the characters situations and feelings to go out and enjoy life.
Music:
The music was perfect and very well done for the most part. There was one song that I kinda felt didn’t sound great, but that may just be me. Other than that, the music was great!
Rewatch Value:
I’m not the type that usually rewatches dramas, but maybe only a few scenes or episodes. I personally wouldn’t rewatch most things, but I feel like that depends on the person. I’ll probably watch it again in a few years when I forget a lot of it.
Regardless of the little things that may have lowered my rating a bit, this is definitely one of my top dramas. It’s full of valuable lessons about life, family, relationships, trauma, a person’s past, learning from your own and others mistakes, appropriating living life and making the most of it, and many more. I feel like each person will see this drama differently depending on your own past and situations, but I have no double that almost anyone will enjoy it. So if you have any doubts, put them aside and get watching!
Thanks for reading!!
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It started with the main characters in unusual backgrounds. With busy career lines, health issues, cold and dull emotions, no one can expect how to make their ends meet. But the storyline gradually develops at a constant pace by becoming humane and more lovely towards the end. No pressures to love and they just allowed fate to draw them together. And this is what made it beautiful.
The supporting characters added majority of the weave in the story. I unexpectedly realize that they are the ones that made a huge impact to my tears in almost every episode. The OST and visuals are also excellent!
I wish there would be more happy details in the ending, like Kang proposing to Cha Young, or Cha Young managing the seaside restaurant. Their chemistry was really good!!
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This review may contain spoilers
If I'm being completely honest I was bored when I started watching it. I found the plot slow-paced and boring. I expected romance throughout it. I stopped watching the drama for a while and went back again because I didn't have anything else to watch. I didn't expect to be hooked. I started to understand the meaning of the drama and enjoyed it. It was incredibly emotional. It centered around a hospice and you grew to love characters. It was upsetting to see people's lives coming to an end and how it affected everyone. It had an impact on the way I thought about life and death. The romance aspect was good and realistic. When Cha-Young realized that she needed time alone I felt happy for her. I thought it was brave of her to be alone and I think that she needed the time alone. It showed a different side to romance. It showed that they don't have to depend on each other. It was refreshing. I also liked seeing character development. I think that many characters grew but seeing Kang's views and opinions change was particularly nice.The acting was great and I think that the characters were portrayed well. I also loved the soundtrack as it was fitting. I listen to the soundtrack a lot. Personally, I think I'd struggle to rewatch it but I would be able to. The only thing stopping me is the first impression I had.
Overall, I recommend this drama to anyone that's looking for something a little different, refreshing, and emotional. However, if you're looking for something lighthearted and bubbly this isn't it.
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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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This review may contain spoilers
Lee Kyung Hee is not the best writer out there, and her narrative is always problematic (collection of out-of-this-world narrative tropes, the questionable logic of it all and too many loose ends), but her dramas always have strong core and if she takes time and give the spotlight to that core, it works. I think that this is one of her weakest work. But the thematic consciousness of this drama still resonant, not as powerful as her other works though. Problematic but still worth it if you're looking for well-meaning drama. Was this review helpful to you?
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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
You know how we all hold out hope for that last episode? I am there. I have had some very clear realizations while watching the final 16th episode. It starts out terribly in my opinion, with the ML lying, which has been a problem with the FL the entire season. This drama has been full of secrecy in the name of protecting other people or denying their own feelings from the get go. It has also been full of false guilt, followed by apologies for things that were not actually their fault. I know that in some Asian cultures this is considered a virtue, but I despise it. Clearly it is the writer's theme for this drama. I appreciate when a cast gets to be adults and actually discuss their emotions, deal with facts and work things out. No one in this entire drama does that. It has been frustrating for me, but the main story line has been compelling enough to hold my attention. The recently (like 2 episodes ago) paired main couple did not build a truly romantic relationship early enough to support their intimacy in this last episode in my opinion as well. The ML lead feels more like a friend or a pal than a boyfriend honestly. The side stories took up a lot of air time and were well developed, but that actually took away from the core romantic aspect of the drama. The backstory and flashbacks were well done and intriguing leading the viewer to believe that the final result would be emotionally comparable, but the ML has hardly cracked a smile the entire drama, so now that he is relaxed and smiling at the end it seems contrite and unnatural honestly, out of character. In this entire last episode, his denial that his mother was the person who gave the FL chocolate when a mall collapsed trapping them both, loomed over the joy of their relationship in my mind. He surely can not keep that a secret forever and when the FL finds out he lied what then? But, that was not revealed before the drama ended. I haven't mentioned that the drama was set in a hospice and patients do die in every single episode, which was ok emotionally, since that was the theme, and it was never overly dramatized. The ending was understated and sweet, and did get more believable in the last few minutes. I would still recommend this to be watched, but it is not one I personally will re-watch later. I enjoyed Kim Won-Hae's role in this as he is an eternal treat for me anytime he is in a drama, but even his character speaks of death and has false guilt. I give this an 8 which is low for me. I believe the true moral of this story is, do not take life for granted and appreciate what life you do have. A worthy message. Was this review helpful to you?
They started so well! Anyway...i cheered for the characters till the end. Good effort everyone, i still enjoyed watching it :)
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An extremely poorly told story
This drama was the most frustrating and disappointing that I have ever seen. A good story destroyed by poorly written script and even worse direction and editing. It is an example of how good actors can have their performances overturned by a very weak script and direction. Even so, I watched until the last episode with the expectation that I could be wrong and even it get better due to the promising opening scene of their reecounter reunion in Greece, and I was punished with a very weak ending beyond what was the obvious ending that protagonists would be together. Still, I wish I would watch a remake, which could be with the same actors, but with a completely redesigned script and new direction. Best set designer and costume designer would also be welcome.Was this review helpful to you?
1-if your looking for your beautiful romance in this drama then you in the wrong place, it dose not have any romance what so ever.
2-the story flows in a very slow rhythm creating useless filing scenes that are not relevant to the story.
3-The story time line skips alot with nothing being solved.
I finished the last 4 episode in less than 10 min by jumping trying to find any important scenes bit had no luck. Over all I will never recommend this drama to anyone its just a waste of time.
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