Do You Like Brahms?

Park Eun-Bin and cast fabulous. Do you like Brahms not so much.

This series is about a young lady of 30 choosing to study music as a violinist. What follows is all the struggles that came with that decision. There are 6 main characters, all of which are connect to each other thru music and intertwined love triangles.
I believe the best way to review this series is by pros and cons.

Pros

The series stars Park Eun=Bin as the main female lead. And as would be expected, her performance was flawless. Other stand out performances were given by Park Ji Hyun as the stoned faced, cold hearted silver spoon violinist Lee Jun Kyung. And Seo Jung Yeon as the down to earth, consoling voice of reason, performance planner Cha Young In. Other actors not listed were also very good.

There were a few very touching and thought provoking moments in this 16 part series that were really clever. But far too few to support the show. If the show had been written to the standard of those touching and thought provoking moments, it could have gotten a much higher rating.

Cons

As you can tell by the short Pros list, there are a lot of Cons to this series. The writers seemed to have crammed in every single cultural hardship they could think of to add misery to this story. I would judge 90% of the entire series were characters in pain and suffering. Most of which the characters tried to cope with within themselves. Misunderstands and setbacks were abound. Everything connected to social class status ranging from income status, musical talent, what school you attended, ticket sales, who your tutors were and years of experience you had been playing your instrument, and social and family connections just a few problems facing the characters. Add in the relationship/love struggles and the pressures the parents put on their children to be the best at their chosen craft AT ALL COSTS and you end up with a very depressing viewing experience.

Watching this program was a marathon of how much sadness you could bare in hopes of a happy ending. They did seem to wrap up the program in a satisfying way. But the payoff was just not worth the effort it took of watching all the continuous agony and depression.

Rating

Because of the performance given by Park Eun-Bin and most of the other cast, I will give 5 points. There was no music that I wished to add to my music list. And too few standout "wow" moments to helped support the show. The lack of a really good story will take away half a point. It really pains me to say this. But unless you are a fan of Park Eun-Bin and can watch her character endlessly suffer for many episodes (not to mention all the other characters also suffering), I would not recommend this series.

My rating is 4.5 out of 10.

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Refreshing

While there were the typical issues with rich girl crushes, snobbery from people with money, self-esteem and reserved personalities, I was very much impressed with the ML and FL and the chemistry and emotional bond they built.

there was of course the tearful break-up and reunion, and even though it was frustrating to watch adults talking over someone and then in turn not feeling heard, this series was actually quite good.

Both leads were insecure, and needed to work on learning how to communicate with each other, even when they were separated.

The support roles were refreshing as they didn’t join forces to separate the leads. Parents mostly kept their manipulations to a light, and almost non-existence level.

Both leads were excellent in portraying angst for feeling responsible to parents and their desire to do what they truly loved, even if that meant disappointing people they cared about.

When the leads finally reunited, there wasn’t s sappy overly cheesey wedding, but there were glimpses of both having finally understood themselves and learned to truly care for another person and express that verbally.

This is worthy of a rewatch for me.

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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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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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Deep, Complex, and Utterly Captivating

Set in the world of classical musicians, this engaging K-drama’s overarching theme exposes the negative impact of unhealthy competition and the toxicity it engenders. The series is replete with examples of the deleterious effects of ranking as a measure of self-worth. It explores relationships—ranging from nurturing to deeply toxic—between parents and children, peers, professors and students, as well as the arts foundations meant to support them (embodied by the manipulative matriarch CEO).
The first-rate cast inhabit their roles effortlessly, making the performances feel entirely natural. The lead actors shine, by capturing their quiet, shy awkward characters while the supporting cast remains equally convincing. The details of the visual portrayals of the actors actually playing their instruments is wonderful.

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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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A show to savor like a good wine

I need to leave my ⭐️ already because it’s just THAT good.
I am totally hooked and have developed a serious crush on the female lead‘s character. Her personality is a silent but persistent power which knows how to articulate her thoughts when necessary. 🤩👍💪
After watching more than half of the drama - serious binge material! Update after finishing this show: Still going with the 10 stars! 🤗
The second half included some episodes where they took the melodramatic quite seriously and it felt oppressive to watch all these discouraging moments. And yes, some part of me was considering if this drama should’ve been shorter, too. If they might’ve stretched and overdone some negative story elements.
But after ending this drama I’m not sure if a shorter storytelling would’ve worked out regarding this drama in its entirety. Perhaps it needed these difficult parts filled with nearly only hopelessness so we viewers can fully appreciate the growths in the protagonists at the end.

If you’re now struggling with the decision to watch - this drama made me often smile so hard that my cheeks hurt, too. 😅
And I don’t recommend to skip through these difficult passages because (imho) they’re fundamental to fully appreciate the satisfying last episodes! I ended the show with a big smile on my face, deeply satisfied with how they concluded the different subplots. Some other reviewer compared watching this drama with savoring a good wine. In my eyes a suitable comparison! Bravo! Well done! 👏👍🤗
(Review from 2020/10/29)

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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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