Do You Like Brahms?

Like a warm cup of tea on a rainy afternoon

I recommend watching Do you like Brahms if you are looking for a soothing and musical love story. It’s the first drama I’ve watched in months from start to finish without putting it on hold (and not on my phone). That’s not to say that the drama doesn’t have any flaws or doesn’t drag towards the end, but overall it was an easy watch for me. It’s not a very fast paced show but it’s good enough that I didn’t realize until maybe episode 11 that I’d come so far. Like most k-dramas, the episodes drag a bit after the 10th episode, but not so much that I just had to stop! Having said that, I wouldn’t recommend this drama to those who are in for lots of surprises, big twists and maybe a dark side to the plot (like in What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim). It also doesn’t have much comedy to it (True Beauty). Do you like Brahms is a mellow and subtle love story. Sure conflicts are aplenty but nothing that doesn’t get resolved or completely breaks your heart. Yet, the execution is unique and the characters are really well written. It also avoids a lot of K-drama tropes and the relationship between the leads is handled very well. It might also help you to decide if you want to watch the show if you understand the focus of the story. It’s mainly a story about two people overcoming their pasts and other internal conflicts to eventually fall in love and commit to each other. There are several love triangles tied in together and the focus is on 6 characters who face various conflicts mainly with unrequited love. As the plot focuses on them, some of the other side characters such as their families don’t get a lot of attention (more on this later) – I personally found this refreshing, that all conflicts were between the leads and not because maybe a parent wasn’t happy with their relationship and so on… But those who love the quirks and emotions that the supporting cast can bring to a drama, you will not find much here however the advantage is that the focus is on the relationship between the leads and on MUSIC which obviously is key to the plot.

Now some of the pros and cons of the drama in more detail that you may find helpful –
Pros
Female Lead - I think any introvert who has watched the show would agree that Song Ah’s character is one of the most relatable introverted female characters I’ve seen in (recent) K dramas. Park Eun-Bin is subtle and believable in her portrayal of Song-Ah, she’s brilliant in this role. Something about her feels very personal and real. Song-Ah is gentle and quiet yet strong, honest, and straightforward. She knows her mind and is not afraid of expressing her feelings. For some, towards the end of the show (episode 12 onward) her character probably seemed annoying and not in line with how it was portrayed early on in the show. I personally didn’t see it as a stretch. Since she is an introvert, I did not see it as unrealistic for her to tolerate as much as she could and then one day just blow up in an attempt to reclaim her sanity. It was impressive how she stood up to her manipulative professor and was not a push over. Because the writer waits until episode 13 to have Song Ah release all this pent up anger or frustration (lol) to some she can come across as overbearing and unfair to Joon-young. I actually really liked that she was true to herself and did not hesitate from making changes in her life to reclaim her happy self and reduce her anxiety. I respected her decisions and felt that her character was very well written and nuanced. The writer remained true to her character and her honesty and courage not only helped her but also others around her in the end. There was one minor complaint I had (see ending) about how her professional dilemma was resolved but I didn’t mind it too much. I look forward to other female characters the show writer will develop in the future. Thanks for bringing Song Ah to screen!!

Musical passion v talent – Joon Young has a natural talent for playing piano. In fact, that’s what he’s done for the majority of his life. While Song Ah came late to music… she left her potential career in business and started playing the violin for her sheer love of it, unfortunately she doesn’t have a natural talent for playing it. This conflict between Joon Young and Song Ah is central to the plot. Although this conflict is specifically regarding music, it lends itself to other relatable scenarios of life. The dialogues portraying this conflict are beautifully penned, and you’ll find yourself relating to Song Ah’s dilemma and find courage from her to pursue your passion in life and be true to yourself.
Music – As you already know, music is key to the plot, and there are classical music pieces throughout the show. I found all of it very soothing. I will say though that the Traumerei piece does get old by the end of the show because it is referred to several times during the show. It is still a beautiful piece and the production team has done a great job pulling all this music together.

Chemistry between the leads – The chemistry between the leads is great! It looks very real and they are very cute together. There are some great scenes between them especially in the first 10 episodes. It’s too bad that later the writer-director team chose not to focus much on their chemistry. Later their relationship becomes more talk-y and heavy on emotions. This is not necessarily bad as most relationships run into communication related issues early on and as both partners grow and mature these issues get ironed out. It was wonderful to watch their relationship mature over the course of the show, in fact in the last episode they look so comfortable together. However, I personally would have liked to see some sexual chemistry or tension in later episodes as well just because it would have made their relationship seem more realistic, but I also get what the writer and director were going for.

Cons
Did Joon Young really love Jung Kyung? – I frankly found this angle to be the most unconvincing part of the plot. Too bad, that this is such a major part of the plot. It’s shown that Joon Young used to be in love with Jung Kyung and is slowly emerging out of it, as he attempts to start a new relationship. At first, watching the flashback to his show in NYC, I thought maybe they slept together, or at least they shared a passionate kiss. But what happened seemed very minor for such a big conflict and it was mostly from Jung Kyung’s side. And even if you buy into that, I just felt that not even once Joon Young showed any type of affection or emotion towards her that would lead me to believe that he loved her a lot. He seemed mostly cold and cordial and frankly it seemed more like a one sided ordeal for Jung Kyung. If the show wanted to tell the story of people who are in love with more than one person at once, they should have committed to it more fully. I felt the show backtrack several times and there was not much in it to convince me that the leads had eye for anyone except each other right from the start.

Underutilized subplots and side characters – There are some characters in the show I would have like to known more about, but it probably was hard for the writer to juggle these subplots and give everyone ample time on screen. An example is Dong Yoon, Song Ah’s first love. It was fascinating for me, how his love for Song Ah unfolded gradually. But he kind of disappears after he confesses to her and becomes more sort of a messenger between Hyun Ho and Jung Kyung. So are the oddities of the drama land, that even when he sees Song Ah crying in his studio in one of the later episodes, he calls her friend Min Sung to comfort her instead. Of course it’s a wise and respectful decision, but if he loved her wouldn’t he lean toward comforting her himself.

The other interesting angle is Song Ah’s family especially her sister and mother. Song Hee, her sister is a fascinating character but we don’t learn much about her. I understand that it’s probably hard to give screen time to everyone in a show but it would have been nice to have known more about her. Interestingly though Song Ah’s family seems to not support her decisions at first , they come around later, and the writer chooses not to spend so much time on their disagreements. There are disagreements but unlike some other dramas the mother doesn’t seem authoritarian. I actually thought that later in the show the class differences between Song Ah and Joon Young would become an issue but it never does and refreshingly they don’t seem to care much about her dating life.

Ending – How often do we even get a perfect ending in drama land? *sigh* there’s always more to desire. One of my complaints is how Song Ah ended up professionally. She ended up pretty much what Soo Kyung (her professor) had predicted. She gave up music and got more of a management role! Isn’t that what the dilemma was to begin with. I mean, I get it, it wouldn’t have been realistic for her to have become this gifted artist all of a sudden but it did seem like a bit of a let down when ultimately what she was fighting in all 15 episodes is what comes to be.

Overall – This is a great show to watch if you are looking for a relatively light love story. It has few to none comic parts but I didn’t think it was emotionally very heavy. The leads have great chemistry and the FL is very relatable. Just know it drags from Episodes 11 to 15, but ultimately there are no big setbacks and you’ll have a smooth ride until the destination.

:) Having said all this I would love to know what were your thoughts on the show? Also what did you end up watching after you finished Do you Like Brahms?

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They guarantee the drama / Eles garantem o drama

Them, the actors. Kim Min Jae par excellence. A contained, expressive representation, how he likes to present us.
Park Eun Bin manages to be the dreamy girl, insecure, without grace, a saltless bun, which the writernim wanted with all his soul.
The others are also faithful to what - of course - was asked of them.
You soon realize the reason for the ratings.
The story starts well, but around episode 10 it threatens to sink... and it almost succeeds. From there until the middle of episode 15 it's a fight, KMJ will ensure that we don't use the drop feature.
And the music. I don't understand why in a drama about classical music this aspect has not been better explored in the OST. I just remember a dull ballad.
Know. I can see that this is more of an outburst than a review. But, that's what we have for today.
(this is in Google´s English, sorry

Eles, os atores. Kim Min Jae por excelência. Uma representação contida, expressiva, como só ele.
Park Eun Bin consegue ser a mocinha sonhadora, insegura, sem graça, um pãozinho sem sal, que o writernim desejava com toda a alma.
Os demais também são fieis ao que - certamente - lhes foi pedido.
Logo percebem a razão das avaliações.
A história começa bem, mas, lá por volta do episódio 10 ameaça naufragar... e quase consegue. Daí até o meio do episódio 15 é uma luta, KMJ vai garantindo que não utilizemos o recurso do drop.
E a música. Não entendi porque num drama sobre música clássica que essa vertente não tenha sido melhor explorada na OST. Só me lembro de uma balada sem graça.
Sei. Tô vendo que isso é mais um desabafo do que uma review. Mas, é o que temos para hoje.

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Beautiful but can be little bit gloomy

This drama will be enjoyable for those who likes slow paced, calm, fluffy but little bit too gloomy and relatable conflict kind of story. I really enjoyed it myself.

Story: I love how this drama is about dreams, love and people who talk through musics. Both main characters are an introverts with their awkward first meeting, it was so cute and fresh. It is very rare to see main characters that are both introverts and not some talkative, reckless FL with cool, tsundere ML. This drama is free of some kdrama cliches like no annoying ex-gf/bf that suddenly appeared, no pitiful 2nd male lead who wants to snatched away the FL, no cinderella story.

In this drama we can see all four characters have their own struggle whether it's in career/music, life and love story. The characters also slowly grow along with progress of the story. I like Joon Young and Song Ah's awkward and cute relationship. Even though sometimes the conflicts can be little bit gloomy to watch but for me the story is very relatable. They conclude this drama with satisfying ending with beautiful classical music performance.

Acting: Park Eun Bin and Kim Min Jae's acting and passion to learn piano and violin are truly amazing. They deliver enough amount of introverted energy but sometimes a brave and determined character. Also props to other actor and actress.

Music: One of the BEST thing in this drama is of course the OST. Amazing line up and beautiful songs also classical musics that I really enjoyed while watching.

I consider to rewatch this drama just to rewatch JoonSung couple's fluffiness and the classical music performance.

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As much as I was genuinely curious for this drama, something about it feels oddly.... vacant. You'd expect for a drama that is based on classical music to be profound and passionately written but Do You Like Brahms? has the talent to make it feel empty and stale.

The two main leads are quite possibly the saddest people I've seen in dramas in a while. Sure, they aren't sad all the time. No one is if I'm being honest - but the tone in which the drama sets its plot is in one of tragedy and sadness: they are stuck in a dreadful web of romances: there's, if I got the memo right, 2 love triangles, one for each main lead, and possibly a 3rd one will blossom (I dropped the drama but a little bird tells me it will happen eventually). Apart from this, which is already 70% of the plot, a lot of the personalities are only built on their weaknesses and fears, there's little space for other stuff. The female lead is relatable because she tries her best yet fails, the male lead is relatable because people set expectations on him which he feels obligated to meet, sacrificing his own happiness in the process. And everything else is just a sad blabber of their career struggles or how they're in love with the wrong people - until they fall for each other, then it will most likely be a sad blabber about their relationship issues.

Then there's the other 30 minutes of the episode, where we'd get to see the inner lives of the second leads, whom i could not care less, and some other trouble related to the music scene the drama was set in, which I skipped out of simple boredom - why should i care about these characters, whom i feel no affection towards?

Maybe I'm being too neat picky, maybe I just had high expectations. The drama isn't bad, I did enjoy some parts I watched: I really do like the music, the filming and scenery. There were fun, adorable and intense moments between the main leads here and there. I absolutely adore Park Eun Bin, she's a genius, and Kim Min Jae's voice is something out of this world, with his performance being the exact opposite of what i saw in Tempted.... But, for now, I'll wait for their other works. This drama just feels like a lot of unnecessary stress, and I don't want to give in on the temptation of the pretty leads.

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Let music comfort you and set you free

I just watched Ep3 and Ep4 and I already rewatched the show from start to finish. What's so refreshing about this drama is that after seeing Kim Min Jae in Dr. Romantic I was rooting for him to have a major role and he never fails to impress, add to this is his very cool voice, I become a fan. On the other hand it's my first time to watch Park Eun Bin and the chemistry between these two shy introverted people is really something to behold.

I love the slow unfolding their friendship gets into from awkwardness, to stealing glances, to exchanges of sweet smiles and the connection they steadily gain while opening up to each others pains.

I can relate to how they seek to be consoled with their music as I also play an instrument that has been my companion specially on times when words fail and I rely on my music to soothe my soul.

This is one beautiful masterpiece to watch after I find myself soaking to too much hospital and legal settings. I can't resist their smiles so I had it as my wallpaper. A reminder that with music and love there is always a reason to smile.

A breathe of fresh air indeed.

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music but with no good music
SFL is evil, you can not excuse her because she did not attack FL
first she choose to date one friend then she feel greed for other one who got famous
so she meet famous one in NYC and give him hope with a kiss then both of them hide that meeting
she broke up with her boyfriend not because she love other man but its her greed to be with famous one
when she find he moved on she try to interfere in his relationship
SFL call her greed love she is fame digger just like a gold digger
i wanted to she Hyun Hoo moved on from her and date park eun bin friend Kang ming sung
and Jung Kyung realizing that she only loved Hyun ho and regretting her decisions.

FL is doormat she allow ML do anything he want when she wasn't feeling right about that she should have been more honest about how she feel and tell him not to have any contact with Jung Kyung but she said she understand but it is not something that can be understand,
she broke up with him and then she get together again but WHY she go back to him when she know it will just torture her, she struggle for violin in whole drama but end up give up on her dream to become a sidekick for ML
ML is worst friend he destroyed his friend's relationship and then says he did not even want girl now, to him both Jung Kyung and Hyun Ho doesn't mean anything, he was portrayed like he care for other more then himself but he always only care about himself, and pity himself most, play victim card every time..
SML is isn't proper Man, he remain friends with Joon young and Jung Kyung after he know everything between them how he is able to like a woman as disgusting as Jung Kyung, she should have moved on from her and cut all ties with both disgusting friends, because he was never there friend they never resected him, and looked down on him and his serious feeling,
Jung Kyung get swayed when she find Famous Joon Young likes her. if he was not famous handsome genius would she have broken up with her boyfriend and cling to him like a parasite ?

FL And ML have same situation they both are pathetic people who both deceived there best friends and have eyes for something that is not there's,
FL and her best friend Kang ming sung reunite with each other but how when they reconcile how she got forgiven for her hiding and liking her boyfriend when all that happen,, as Kang Ming sung is Side character director doesn't take her feeling in consideration, but its not that easy to Forgive someone who you love and care like sister deceiving you and has thoughts of stealing your boyfriend, Kang Ming sung would not have forgiven her this soon it take time and it might never happen, but in Dramas our lead always get forgiven no matter what......
I like the actor who player Kang Ming sung (Bae Da Bin) and i have been in same situation it took me few years to forgive that friend and still we are no longer best friends but just friend who might say hi to each other if we meet, trust one broken can not be same as before

over all this is watchable drama but those who give 10/10 are not real they are all simps so not believe them
and park Eun bin acting is lacking compare to her current drama Attorney Woo and her pervious drama age of youth i do not think she did her best in this

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The chemistry between the leads was off the charts compensating for other flaws in the series

This is a true romance, which is surprisingly difficult to find. Many dramas labeled as romances are really "slice of life" or "friendship with romantic undertones" stories. But this is a legit romance, with pining and yearning; affectionate, deep friendship; and mutual trust and support between the two leads.

I decided to give this drama 8.5 stars because on a 10-point scale, the chemistry and scenes between the ML and FL was a 100. That's right, out of a possible 10, their chemistry/story/scenes/dialogue/direction was 100. LOL! Plus, I loved the classical music element. Thus, even though the story wasn't perfect, the ML and FL were so beyond perfect that their believable scenes more than made up for the drama's other failings.

Here's the thing: if you want butterflies, this show is going to give you ALL THE BUTTERFLIES. But you will have to FastForward through filler and weird / unnecessary scenes to get to the butterfly scenes.

If this had been 2 episodes shorter and the side stories with his / her friends had been reduced, it would've been perfect.

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Great healing drama, just a bit too slow

After reading reviews on DYLB?, I thought I would really hate this drama. Quite on the contrary; I do believe that there are some shortfalls in the plot, but the depth of the characters and the music make up for it.

What I liked:
As a violinist and pianist myself, it is always disappointing when dramas don't make an effort to accurately display musicians playing (e.g. the bowing doesn't line up, the pianist is just hitting random keys, BOF I'm looking at you!). I therefore would like to praise DYLB? and the characters for attempting (quite successfully, I might add) to actually play the pieces. Although some might consider it a small detail, it just shows the dedication of both the characters and the director as well as contributes to the immersion into the story.
Second of all, the music was top-notch. I think DYLB? did a great job at selecting pieces that pertained to the Brahms/Schumann story, and while these served as plot devices, I enjoyed the traditional departure from traditional OSTs for dramas. The classical music was well performed, and I sometimes go back just to listen to the OST just because how good it was (which I rarely do for any drama!). It is also a great drama to introduce the world of classical music. I think a lot of people believe that classical music is boring, but this is definitely not the case.
The characters were also very well written. Each character had its own complexity. When I was watching this drama, it felt like I was watching real humans. I could really sympathize with each character.
Then, let's get to the acting. I think Park Eun Bin and Kim Min Jae did a superb job at acting as a musician. Their acting was excellent and sensible. PEB did a great job at portraying the struggles of a music student, and KMJ did a great job of portraying a pianist, and I felt their performances were very believable and enjoyable.

What I didn't like:
As with most of the critical reviews, most of my issues stem from the plot. I felt that the plot was a bit too slow, and I would've liked to see more plot development in regards to PEB in music school and KMJ as a pianist. I know that the main purpose of this drama is romance, but it felt like the characters were stagnant in a plot that almost didn't exist. I didn't really see any improvement or plot movement in regards to PEB in music school, or how KMJ became a more mature pianist/dealt with his relationships with professors, etc.
Another problem is the ending, and this is why I have marked spoilers. I felt that the ending, contrary to the whole story, was quite rushed, and they left a lot of open holes. The ending left me unsatisfied, as there wasn't sufficient closure for some of the characters. The ending was also very rushed, which didn't allow me to appreciate the ending.

Overall, a very great drama which is a bit underrated on MDL. I think the reason behind this is its slow pace might be a bit off-putting for some people. If you are intrigued, please watch it, I don't think you'll regret it!

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Good Enough

Korean Drama '' Do You Like Brahms '' is a slice of life romance.

The drama has an interesting theme, and its slow pace allows the characters to deeply connect and to let their relationships develop organically. It was also a positive note that the drama didn't focus solely on the romance but, rather, on the characters and their life's journey, their hopes and dreams, and how they deal with their fears and misfortunes.

On the other hand, the second half and, especially the final episodes, were quite boring, as there were few things to get resolved.

Finally, the performances were all great by every actor and actress in the cast and the music was enjoyable.

So, overall, five out of ten.

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feels like one of those shows with complicated relationships

Story:
(ep1)
I am pretty satisfied with the first episode, it showed enough to make me want to watch on and see how the relationships will unfold. I love the awkwardness between the two leads, it makes the show so much more realistic and relatable (its really cute actually). chae song ah feels like a really accurate representation of the introverts (like myself)., shy, unable to open up to people quickly and share her own opinions. i feel her struggle of wanting to pursue her dream, although it seems like everyone else is against it. She doesn't receive the support from her family, classmates and conductor which is really painful to watch because its not easy to gather the courage to go against the status quo and do what you love. I'm excited to see how the story and characters will develop!
(ep3)
the last scene of this episode just stole my heart away! i just love the chemistry between song ah and joon young, they're exactly what each other needs. although it seems like the story might progress a little slower than I'd like it to, hopefully the plot becomes more interesting

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