Do You Like Brahms?

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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Para amantes de la música y las historias de amor clásicas

Los amantes de la música clásica y de las historias de amor sin estridencias ni grandes sobresaltos encontrarán en este drama todo lo que buscan. Es un drama maravilloso, elegante, íntimo con una muy buena historia pero sin prisas ni sentimientos exagerados. La historia se desarrolla siempre a buen ritmo y no pierde fuelle en ningún momento. Quizá los latinos nos exasperemos en ocasiones con los silencios, con las palabras que no se dicen en esta historia de amor, porque nosotros gritaríamos, exigiríamos, reclamaríamos más abiertamente si estuviéramos en la piel de los protagonistas, pero ellos no son así. Park Eun Bin en la piel de una tenaz estudiante de violín y Kim Min Jae en su papel de exitoso pianista hacen una interpretación magistral de dos personas de pocas palabras pero mucho mundo interior. La música lo envuelve todo, y acompaña nuestro viaje a través de 16 capítulos hasta su maravilloso y redondo final. A mi parecer merece mucha más puntuación, yo la he disfrutado mucho!!!

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quando eu comecei brahms, eu tinha achado o clima do dorama muito bom, mas aí em dois episódios eu realmente desisti pq percebi o quão lento seria o seu andamento. mas deixei passar umas semanas até que vi que não seria tão lento assim, e voltei a assistir.

do you like brahms não é o dorama da sua vida, é mais um acompanhamento bonitinho pra poder preencher a sua semana com momentos doces e se sentir menos sozinho no seu dia a dia, mesmo o dorama provavelmente não se passando na sua área de trabalho (que no caso é o mundo musical).

depois que eu aprendi que melodramas realmente tinham aquela velocidade eu aprendi a apreciar com mais calma o enredo. ele não traz muitas coisas diferentes, mas ainda ensina lições muito bonitas e mostra personagens que refletem insegurança, medo, luto, arrependimento, amizade, amor, confiança, e todos esses outros sentimentos e valores corriqueiros do ser humano. é o que eu chamaria de dorama de transição, você assiste esse entre o dorama ótimo que você assistiu recentemente e o próximo que deseja começar.

os personagens também, como já dito, tem histórias já vistas antes e meio previsíveis quanto ao que irão se desenvolver, mas isso não faz deles superficiais. o romance é doce e fofo, e muito legal de ser acompanhado, assim como os "empata-f0d4" nos dão muita raiva (e ao mesmo tempo, pena), entre outras trajetórias previsíveis mas bem-feitas.

quanto à trilha sonora e às performances, elas combinam muito bem com o tema do drama mas são baladas que não grudam na sua cabeça depois (a não ser que você decida ouvir novamente, é claro). são marcantes pra quando você estiver assistindo mas não pra levar pra vida, apesar de terem uma boa qualidade.

os atores fizeram, da mesma forma, um ótimo trabalho quanto às performances de seus instrumentos enquanto os personagens passavam pelos seus conflitos, mas de novo não foi algo que ficasse marcado na história.

os cenários serviram seus propósitos apesar de não serem notáveis, assim como muitos outros aspectos desse dorama.

por último, duas anotações finais sobre os protagonistas:

esse foi meu primeiro trabalho com o kim minjae e só queria dizer que eu pensei que ele ia ter uma voz mais fina MAS É MÓ GROSSONA! eu gostei bastante da performance dele e ele agindo como boiolinha dentro e fora do dorama fisgou meu coração de um jeito que olha... eu já estou assistindo outros doramas dele pra ver o que mais ele pode fazer.

quanto à park eunbin MARAVILHOSA, que protagonizou um dos meus doramas favoritos da minha vida, também está fofíssima e graciosíssima em do you like brahms, deu até um pouco de agonia da personagem dela aí porque no outro dorama ela é TOTALMENTE DIFERENTE, super extrovertida e ativa na vida dela, isso significa que ela tem uma range de atuação vastíssima e eu admiro muito isso!!!

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Do You Like Brahms?

A história de Do You Like Brahms? é sensível e emocionante, falando sobre amizade, amor e realização profissional, mas tem o desenrolar lento. Muitas vezes, me senti cansada da trama pois, mesmo sabendo que em melodramas o desenvolvimento é um pouco parado, em Do You Like Brahms? é até demais. Senti frequentemente uma sensação de fadiga, mesmo gostando dos personagens e da história contada, e acho que isso pode ter sido culpa da construção vagarosa do enredo. Também não gosto muito de quando existem mal entendidos por causa de suposições na história, e isso aconteceu nessa. Mesmo assim, é um K-drama bonito, o casal é muito fofo e precioso e a música presente na trama é abordada de uma forma linda, já que ela também é uma protagonista. Eu particularmente amo histórias onde a música transmite os sentimentos!

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