This review may contain spoilers
Incomplete story
I had read part of this webtoon but never finished as it dragged on a bit. This series did the opposite. There are so many unresolved issues as a whole in the story that I think 2 more episodes would have given more time to fill in the gaps.This series had three major issues that were not resolved to any satisfaction. First is the bullying. Second is he suicide of Taeyi’s brother. Thirs is the domineering father.
For the first matter of the bullying. How can Juba who was beaten that bad but no teacher of students seem to care. Is bullying this bad seen as a normal thing. I don’t know how Korean school systems are but every series with bullying and how celebrities get canceled because of it seem like bull isn’t tolerated. Then how is it gloss over. I don’t care if a bully gets bullied but this isn’t making sense for me.
Taejoon being a depressed person who is gay to be shun by the very person who kissed him first isn’t addressed properly. How can they bring Sejin in but make him so ambiguous to how he has internalized homophobia? It was so glossed over to what a piece of trash he is not only to Taejoon but whole situation with his brother Seheon.
Sejin is such a self serving cretin. He seem to not care about how his father is applying pressure to his younger brother because his father is praising him and have a loving good relationship with him. It can be hat he’s more talented and he likes being an award winning pianist. But he can’t be that oblivious to how his brother is struggling under his abusive father.
The side couple is so underdeveloped. The pace and arc of Juha and Doyoon seem so rushed that it came out as an afterthought to fit in a filler. Either leave the out or flesh them out with a more satisfying ending for them.
Two major ambiguous points was the umbrella scene. It can be view as a kissing scene at first. But after the replay it just seemed like a lean in which Mae more sense after Seheon kissed Taeyi and Taeyi had such a strong negative reaction to the kiss. Again it’s internalized homophobia.
The acting wasn’t bad. The story as a whole seem to have all the right elements. The problem was the direction and the editing. It left a lot to be desired with lots of gaps that needed to be filled. The way to fix it would have been to add more episodes or reduce some of the story points. We don’t need that many scenes with the music quartet performances or the competition. I can skip the whole girl crushing on Taeyi part. The time could have been used on side couple or flesh out the main couple’s issues.
I would score it lower if it wasn’t for the acting being good. The cameo helped too.
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"The Story Sucks"
Jazz for Two is an enemies-to-lovers BL series, and honestly, nothing hits quite like this trope when it’s done right. Trust me — this one had huge potential to be a banger, but unfortunately it ended up falling flat.The main problem with this series is that it does so many things that should never have been done. The story felt like a walking trash bin. Han Tae I was a massive red flag for me. He was literally abusing Yun Se Heon for no valid reason. Having past trauma does not justify that kind of behavior. Please stop romanticizing sexual harassment in dramas — it’s gross.
When it comes to the acting and visuals, they were genuinely good. My disappointment lies purely with the writing.
Now, about the second couple — I was seriously hyped for them, but once again, we got another bully dynamic. Juha wasn’t exactly evil, but the whole “I acted badly for my sister” excuse? Absolutely not. If that’s the justification, he seriously needs therapy. He kept bullying Do Yun repeatedly, and the show still tries to normalize this mess in the name of love.
Juha is a walking red flag, and Do Yun is completely color-blind to it.
The ending also felt rushed. Overall, almost every aspect of this series needs major improvement. That said, I don’t regret watching it — but it definitely wasn’t a good drama.
And honestly, the biggest culprit here is the writing.
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Happy ending (because that is very important not just for me, but for so many).
It had me on the edge trying to figure it out and I can say… I was wrong…lol. The story is very cute with a message of the importance in mental health (I’m a caseworker so with more reason, I liked it). Furthermore, it did make me wish one of my toxic relationships would have ended in a good and nice tone as one of the couples did (you will find out which one…lol). But the plot twist was very good, and it did made me feel bad (in a good way… if that’s possible).Overall, I cried, was laughing, and cried some more once I was done with the show. I just wish it had more episodes.
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and all that jazz...
Honestly, I wasn't planning to watch this one... but I couldn't skip out on supporting my blue haired bias. I'm glad I did though! Compared to A Shoulder to Cry On (by the same company), this series had a much tighter plot, more interesting ensemble cast, and better production quality--particularly some really excellent score, which was vital to this series. While I still have my gripes with some K-BL tropes that get overused and abused here, I was prepared for them going in and didn't find that they significantly detracted from the story. I may have tuned in for Hangyeom, but I'd definitely watch it again on it's own merits.-The Full Review-
STORY:
In general, I really enjoyed this plot! I spent a lot of time with music majors in my schooling, and some of the ridiculous antics were really nostalgic. I liked the push and pull of the four main characters, and felt that the structure of the story worked well for the run time and pacing. The flashbacks and dream sequences worked well and weren't overused, though sometimes it was confusing if the voice-over was meant to be taken as ongoing dialogue.
What I didn't like, as has driven me away from a huge amount of K-BL, was the rampant homophobia. I understand that homophobia is a real issue faced by many people, especially in conservative countries, but three separate characters doubling down on how disgusting and weird being gay is... is a little much. I would have at least liked to see some of these characters unpack those thoughts a little bit more.
ACTING:
I was quite happy with acting here! I am definitely a fan on Ji Hogeun now--I was very impressed with his performance. I liked most of what Kim Jinkwon brought to the table, though his character ended up being a little bit static for my tastes. As a pair, I thought they were very sweet! I particularly enjoyed their flirting in the classroom as an insight into them as a couple. They established a strong sense of intimacy.
Of course, I came here for Hangyeom, but I'm happy to say his comedy was a delight and really brightened up the story. I also enjoyed the few moments where he was allowed to settle into something more serious. Kim Jungha was an interesting match for him, and I'm not sure I truly cared about where the show took them. But it was competent and complimented the main couple at least. It was definitely not a lack of talent.
PRODUCTION:
To begin, for the most part the production value was very nice. Good compositions, evocative lighting, good costuming choices despite being limited by school uniforms, and excellent set dressing (especially of the piano room and the jazz bar). It felt quite polished throughout and established a good tone. I especially likes how it leaned on lighting tropes of this genre.
INTIMACY:
C's get degrees, my guy. Listen, it's fine. I get it. I know that I can't put the expectations of other countries media on K-BL, especially when tangling with idol actors. And there definitely *were* kisses, so it's doing better than most. But I really am just tired of shows that will double and triple down on how "gross and weird" being gay is, and then go out of their way to avoid showing any "controversial" intimacy, even if it's as simple as a kiss.
The main couple kisses, and it's a little bit dead fish (though they do try). The second couple "kisses" and it's a trick of cinematography. It's fine. It is the absolute minimum required to tell this story effectively, and they do it decently well. But I'm not going to get excited about it or praise it. In my opinion, it definitely doesn't feel like a story for queer people, that takes joy in the love between two men, but rather a story that happens to have queer characters dotting their I's and crossing their T's.
In all, Jazz for Two exceeded my expectations, but my expectations were pretty low. I would recommend it and I did enjoy it, but it's not really one that hits me hard in anyway and definitely reinforced some of my grievances with K-BL. It was good. It could have been great.
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This review may contain spoilers
Binge-Worthy Bliss: 'Jazz for Two'
First off, let's talk about that trailer. I swear, when it dropped, I lost my mind with excitement! And let me tell you, the chemistry between the actors? Off the charts! Plus, can we take a moment to appreciate how darn good-looking they all are? It's like they were born to be on screen together.One thing that really impressed me about this series is the improvement in Korean BLs lately. Remember those days when they'd be over in just 20 minutes? Well, not anymore! "Jazz for Two" gives us a solid 30 minutes or more per episode, and I'm here for it.
Oh, and let's talk about those kissing scenes. Gone are the days of awkward pecks. The smooches in this series? Let's just say they're raising the bar for Korean dramas everywhere.
And here's another reason to love it: most KBLs these days are based on manhwa/webtoons, and "Jazz for Two" is no exception. That means you're not just getting eye candy, but also a killer storyline to keep you hooked.
Seriously, this series was a wild ride from start to finish, and I'm already crossing my fingers for a sequel. Ji Ho Geun and Kim Jin Kwon, please bless us with more KBL magic in the future. You've got a fan for life right here.
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This review may contain spoilers
Jazz for Love
Where do I even begin? I think this is one of the top 3 Korean BLs out there. Everything about it is just fantastic.I love the character of Han Tae Yi so much. He doesn't want to like Yoon Se Heon, but still cares for him, especially at the beginning. When he couldn't admit to himself that he loves it when Soheon plays the piano, especially because the song reminds him of his brother. I completely understand why he reacted that way at first. It's also just incredibly cute to see how their love developed, especially the struggle Taeyi had. Deep down, he already knew he loved him, but his mind kept saying no.
And the story between Seo Do Yoon and Song Joo Ha is just lovely. I hope they get their own BL because I don't think I'm alone in believing that they ended up together. Their story has so much potential.
All in all, I just love this BL. Everything about it was just right.
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Here for a good time not a long one
To me the show wasn’t even half as bad as everyone is saying.Was there uncomfortable parts in the show? YES BECAUSE IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE. So many people want to watch queer shows but not experience the sad reality of being queer. Being queer and growing in an environment where you can’t be yourself is uncomfortable. There’s so much internalized homophobia and yes it doesn’t make it right but it happens. This show was so good and we need more BLs like this that openly show the uncomfortable parts about being gay where you’re not accepted and when your confused about it yourself because you think there’s something wrong with yourself.
Anyways rant over but I do wish we had more of the Do Yoon and Joo Ha because the chemistry was there!!!! What can I say I’m a sucker for a golden retriever love story and the “bad guy”.
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it went from good to average to bad really quick
I'm a bit disappointed because the show started so strong, I created a lot of expectations for it to then turn into a completely different thing.It had potential in the beginning since I think the whole concept of music - specifically jazz - could be very interesting to incorporate in the drama, since it is something that I personally enjoy as well. However, as the plot advanced it became confusing and I started to dislike characters that I could not go back to like due to their actions. Also conflicts were resolved too easily, which didn't make much sense to me.
Nevertheless, I liked the cast - which was completely new for me - and the music they played throughout the drama was nice and soothing.
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Beautiful!
I loved this series from beginning to end. It has a beautiful story about regret and misunderstanding. Will recommend to anybody loving a love story. Will most definitely watch it again!This is one of those stories where within the first 10 minutes you know it is going to be great. I have watched a few BL's over the past few weeks and even though it is good, it is missing something. Jazz for two has that "something". Korean BL's are getting better and better. Keep up the good work.
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This review may contain spoilers
A masterpiece that should have been longer
The story is quite deep and covers love, friendship, family issues, trauma, depression, and some other, very dark, topics.It could have easily been a longer series and in fact, I wish it had more episodes to give the viewer an even deeper understanding of everything - hence, why I only give it 9.5 out of 10 points.
The acting is amazing! I believe them everything and they all deliver a wonderful performance! I think they also choose a very good cast. I'm not 100% sure about Kim Jin Kwon, who plays Yoon Se Heon, and I can imagine someone else would've fit the role better, but overall it's very satisfying to watch them. The acting never gets awkward and they all portray the emotions very well.
The music is great as well ofc, I mean, it's the background for the whole plot. And I love classical music as well as Jazz, so I was very happy with everything :)
I just finished the last episodes about 30 minutes ago and I already wanna rewatch it - so 10/10 for the rewatch value!
Overall, I give it a 9.5/10 as I feel that it should have had more episodes to give a deeper understanding of some of the issues.
And finally, I would also like to say something on the S/A that happens. If you don't want spoilers, please stop reading here!
If you continued, then here's what happens: Taeyi touches Seheon in a sexual way (hand underneath his shirt) when the other doesn't want it. It's not nice to look at, and some might find it very disturbing. However, it's a scene of 10 secs max, so it can be skipped easily. Later, Taeyi reflects and apologizes for his behavior, and I think that it's very important for the plot as it shows how Taeyi's character evolves and matures. So please stop dramatizing it more than it needs to be. It's 10 secs out of hundreds of minutes that are worth watching! Give it a chance :)
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This review may contain spoilers
My thoughts/opinions
Honestly, after reading some reviews here, I feel like I'm alone.I just feel like this drama has so much potential.
It made me revisit memories I have long kept at the very back of my mind, made me cry out of nowhere, but the actors had so much potential in this drama. This may only be from my point of view, but I really root for them, this drama, and to their future projects together or individually :)
And to their roles, I really enjoyed the run of it, it may rock but slowly they find their pace back again. And to the second lead, I just knew they were worth waiting for as well, they weren't exactly how a potential lover should be met, but they were being true to their characters, so I enjoyed the lessons!
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Under rated BL
This is a beautiful story with depth of plot and characters. The plot is a little rough at times with flashbacks that can be confusing and with some unanswered questions about the main characters families, etc. However, overall, it's touching with young men growing to understand their sexuality, maturing as young adults, learning to forgive, and finding what love means. The music is great and fits the story line in a wonderful way. Yes, the bullying is at times, rather disturbing but is part of the realism of the plot. Do not miss this drama.Was this review helpful to you?
