This review may contain spoilers
a confusing tale of music with the right intentions at its heart
TW // MILD profanity, GENEROUS spoilerswelcome to the world of 한강 philharmonic orchestra; a wonderfully chaotic sh*tshow of intertwined lovers, power dynamics, and confusing developments that make you question what the show wants you to take away.
inherently, the show isn’t all too creative, with the main character being a korean that decides to suddenly repatriate and reconnect with their roots, but it desires to convey an endearing tale centered around the beating heart that is classical music.
however, no matter how hard they tried, i simply could not get over the fact that nearly every rendition of the orchestra was MIDI; even someone with just a little bit of musical experience would easily be able to point out the artificiality of all music played by the orchestra actors, let alone the alignment of their movements to the actual sounds—though, of course, given that one is a bit more experienced in the technicality of such instruments. the only believable thing, albeit admittedly, due to the ease of imitation, was the conductor’s movements and actions. all in all, it was a major turn-off to the show which i really tried my best to ignore.
another red flag is BOTH the male leads… both are snarky and flawed, with one (영재) being outwardly so while the other one (필) becomes as such when revealing his true colors. NEITHER seem to find a way to fix themselves, and 필 gets punished for, seemingly, NOT being that way earlier, whereas 영재 seemingly gets REWARDED for it—it’s hinted that 세음 FALLS for him. yeah, FALLING FOR HIM, a WALKING RED FLAG… girl i would NEVER let that fly were i in any way, shape, or form close to her. instead, the show seemingly praises 영재’s inability to get over her, which, erroneously, pushes the narrative that it’s OK for men to NOT get over their ex-es, and to go as far as taking OVER their lives and PROTECTING them instead of letting them even try to do so themselves, resulting in them swooning for them.
one other major issue i have is that the plot seemingly goes nowhere. we want the orchestra to develop, but it takes painstakingly long for any progression whatsoever within them. all it seems to be is 세음 literally screaming, venting, or projecting on the members, giving them horribly difficult and/or gratuitous tasks, and the members collectively gossipping back, including, interestingly, the old concertmaster as well. these are the major things i’ve mentioned that i dislike about the show, but others are the seemingly unrelated case of 봉주 and his related plothole; where is he and why has nothing been said about his removal? again, what was the point of over-punishing 필, but more relatedly, why is his and 아진’s relationship dragged out for so long just to be taken down? where in the world does luna play into the orchestra as a child genius, and what is she meant to accomplish? you may find answers while watching, but there’s not really many you can give other than that the producers just pulled plot devices out of their a**es to give some filler content while eventually halfheartedly developing answers to these questions.
however, i will admit that the show does have its merits. the one thing that truly shines through is 세음. i truly stood for her endurance and mental tenacity through times of distress and her witty maneuvers—especially her courageous, even audacious, public acknowledgment of her disease, the most satisfying 1-up she scored on 필—and her sheer skill and level of rigor. i truly feel that she carried the show on her back; kudos to her actor 이영애 (she looks disconcertingly reminiscent of 김헤수). in fact, i feel that all of the actors brought about quite a good performance, as they developed the ambience, however annoying or inadequate as written, that conveyed the messages the show intended to convey, at least, to the extent that the writing allowed for.
i’m not saying you should avoid this show, though. if you’re not an avid music enjoyer, or are an avid music enthusiast and can bear MIDI, and are looking for something to get you out of a slump, this show would be a great fit. it’s terrible to binge, so one episode a day will you keep on the edge for the next, as the ending scenes are, admittedly, compelling, and 세음’s stellar performance will keep you coming back for more of her, if nothing else and all else fails. personally, i couldn’t keep watching whole episodes after episode 6 after over a week of back-and-forth watching of the show.
edit: after completing the show, i loved the seat-gripping twists at the end, which, i would say, are worth living through the show for, meriting a 1 star increase overall.
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Captivating
Wow, what can I say? It's finally over. This show was very interesting to watch without too many over-the-top theatrics. I liked how everything tied in together in the end.Things I wish would have happened/my only complaints (minor spoilers):
1. Development of YJJ and CSE's relationship. We got a lot of flashbacks but I still feel like more could have been done for the audience to grasp what led YJJ to want CSE back after he got divorced. Additionally, it would have been nice to have had more than 1 episode focused on them. They start getting closer and she becomes vulnerable and then bam, something happens towards the end of the episode that leads her to distrust him. Though the distrust is brief it is still unsatisfying.
2. The husband's obsession. It's not fully explained why he is so insistent on staying married to CSE. We can make assumptions based on what is seen so far but I somehow wish that was explained further. It did need a lot of episodes but just even a flashback maybe or something that shows what exactly it is he's clinging to. Is it her prestige and the benefits of being her husband alone, or does she have some hidden wealth or is it a combination of that and some lingering feelings? I feel like we the audience are left speculating.
Aside from that, I think everything was well done. I won't say anything else because it will lead to major spoilers but if you are debating watching this, I think you should give it a go. It's great with a great, strong, and complex female lead.
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It's Fine.
It has a lot of the classic kdrama tropes I love but the storytelling is uninspired. Even the first episode didn't pull me in. I find myself only caring about the FL and her love for music. All the other subplots could be interesting but they're done in such a boring,ABC kind of way. I can walk away to make a cup of coffee and come back without missing anything important. I know I'm going to forget about this show in like a month or so.I'm mostly watching it for the music and orchestra scenes. It's nice to watch while waiting for other kdramas to debut.
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loved this series to tiny pieces
the simplest way to describe this drama is that it's something between makjang and melodrama. unlike similar dramas, all characters had a purpose. although some of them managed to make my blood boil (cough cough FL's husband), the leads kept me enough hooked until the final moments of the series. the acting was flawless and raw, but what else to expect from such a skillful cast?Was this review helpful to you?
For Me it's 10/10 ♡‿♡
Lee Young Ae Unnieas expected she never disappoints,Such a Queen . I really waited for her to return to the kdrama world, when I found out that she will have another drama, I really waited for it HAHHAHA
I finished watching, so all I can say is that for me this is my cup of tea drama ( although I like all the genre but this one is Wow, ♡ ♡Amazing ♡ ♡, and I also enjoyed its Ost because for me it fits the whole vibe of the drama.
maybe it won't have a season 2, I'm satisfied with the ending, so I'll just rewatch it HAHAH
♡ ♡♡ ♡♡ ♡ Congratulations and Thank You MAESTRA ♡ ♡♡ ♡♡ ♡♡ ♡♡ ♡
✨✨Unforgettable Harmony ✨✨
#Maestra #마에스트라
#MaestraStringsOfTruth
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Disappointing
I expected this drama to be as good as "secret",but after 2 eps all excitement vanished. There was not enough thrill in script to keep me tied to screen. ML was not enough engaging for me at all ,i couldn't continue just for sake for FL(as i am a female watcher)such dramas though they give you dark and deep emotional entanglement, they should be engaging enough for average water like meWas this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Its fine for FL to have affair but not her husband
Fl is working with her ex lover and hiding it from her husband but its all rightBut husband having a affair is biggest problem of the drama
Her music is most important and her gangster lover.
Drama focus on self centered femlae lead to make her look strong independent but all in this she will end up becoming a parasite for gangster lover to feed her..
Her lover and her husband both blackmail her but she goes her lover because him blackmail her is love.
But her husband is criminal
Nobody is seeing her and her lover together ?
Everyone is one her side and its fine for her she is openly having an affair and its fine
What kind of nonsense story is so one sided
He husbyis awful person but her lover is more of gangster and she is crazy herself
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This review may contain spoilers
Resenha: Maestra Strings of Truth
Ano passado minha irmã me chamou pra acompanhar o lançamento desse kdrama, e posso fizer que foi uma grata surpresa em vários sentidos.Sempre fui uma dorameira que gostou mais de maratonar os dramas quando finalizados do que acompanhá-los em lançamento, mas por algum motivo isso mudou drasticamente no ano passado.
Simplesmente coloquei na cabeça que só ia assistir dramas que estivessem em lançamento. Naquele momento da minha vida corrida, fez muito mais sentido que eu dedicasse apenas um dia da semana para assistir dois episódios, do que passar longas horas todos os dias maratonando até conseguir finalizar a história.
Confesso que isso não mudou ainda, até hoje continuo dando preferência pra acompanhar os lançamentos.
Me conte nos comentários se: você está maratonando loucamente os doramas? ou preferindo assistir em lançamento como eu?
Let's Go!
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Atenção o último tópico desse blog contêm um pequeno spoiler. Não leia essa parte caso não tenha assistido o drama ainda.
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Eis aqui um drama com uma temática maravilhosa. Sou um tanto suspeita pra falar de música clássica, já que sou violinista e já toquei na orquestra jovem da minha cidade em minha adolescência.
Nunca falo sobre isso, talvez por falta de oportunidade ou por achar que esse assunto nunca se enquadrou no tema de qualquer blog que já escrevi.
Tocar para mim é um hobby divertido e delicioso que mantem minha mente ativa e memória em plena atividade.
Sempre tive uma ligação estreita com a música. Daí você já pode imaginar como esse kdrama foi especial pra mim.
Sempre quis assistir um drama que girava em torno da música clássica, do fantástico mundo dos instrumentos de corda e tudo mais. Mas nunca conseguia encontrar para assistir os dramas antigos que pesquisei a esse respeito.
Maestra veio justamente para preencher essa lacuna na minha vida de dorameira.
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Gostei do drama desde o primeiro episódio, a fotografia é bacana, o elenco fez muito bem o seu papel. E olha que não conheço a maioria dos atores. Além disso, a trilha sonora é um show a parte.
Não sei se você tem noção desse fato, mas e muito difícil convencer um instrumentista de que realmente se está tocando aquele instrumento. Até a forma de segurar um violino é diferente e em várias produções que assisti nesse tema, achei as atuações dos atores pouco convincentes.
Não sei quanto aos bastidores desse drama, mas todos os atores da orquestra pareciam realmente estar tocando seus respectivos instrumentos. O que é um feito e tanto, imagino que tenham ensaiado bastante para fazer esse Kdrama.
Gostei bastante de como conseguiram manter o foco na orquestra na maioria dos episódios. Mesmo com tantas histórias paralelas a serem desenvolvidas.
Ainda assim não posso deixar de destacar que em algum ponto da história as brigas conjugais da protagonista com seu marido, e o mistério envolvendo se ela tinha ou não herdado a doença rara de sua mãe, passaram a ocupar o primeiro plano.
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O marido da protagonista é daqueles personagens bem odiosos mesmo. E o pior é que seu comportamento só vai piorando ao longo da trama.
Apesar dessas questões que levantei. O drama conseguiu me manter interessada do início ao fim.
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ALERTA DE SPOILER. Não leia esse tópico se você não assistiu o drama ainda.
O final foi um tanto apressado, mas eu já esperava isso por ser um kdrama de 12 episódios.
Tenho que confessar que esperava que depois de revelado se ela tinha herdado ou não a doença da mãe, ela continuaria regendo a orquestra.
Mas dados os rumos dos acontecimentos consigo entender porque ela decidiu se afastar de sua profissão.
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Vou ficando por aqui, espero que tenham gostado do blog.
Não esquece de compartilhar sua opinião sobre o drama nos comentários
See You Later!
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