Zogitt

This is not your typical makjang, but it will hit you in a similar way.

Setting a drama in the classical music world is nothing new. It is a ready source of human drama after all. To reach the top usually requires total dedication and a herculean effort. It also raises the question of nature vs nurture. There is a story behind every success and, more often than not, failures.

While the A-plot is relatively straightforward, the main strength comes from the cast. In this regard, the production hit paydirt. Our two male leads are top stars. When you combine them in such a drama, we get fireworks.

I am going to keep this review spoiler free as there are not many twists. One spoiler can give the whole game away. ;)

So, what can we talk about? The music for starters and what music! It is the foundation of the show. Many pieces used are familiar and help to build a lovely musical backdrop. The production did not cheap out on us. Nice!

Then we have the music makers. Both the people involved in the business end as well as the performers filled the roster. To say some of them are temperamental is an understatement.

This brings us to the human element. There is no doubt obsession played a key role. Both in terms of the drive to performed at the highest level, but also the unhealthy winner-takes-all attitude of some parents. It is a witches brew. Song Kang's family is the source of much angst and toxicity. There is no shortage of pontificating and many feelings are hurt in the making of this drama.

Considering how these performers are put under a lot of pressure from a young age and then throw in teenage angst, bullying and stage fright. You have a pressure cooker ready to explode. There are lots of triggers. You have been warned.

This brings us to the acting of the ensemble. So many emotionally charged scenes. It is a challenging watch at times. Of course, this show is not about being subtle. There are lots of emotions on display. Sometimes it is raw and heartfelt while other times it is pure makjang.

Credit where credit is due. The production managed to make our actors look good as classical musicians. They have to undergo months of training and learn to channel that state top performers enters when they are totally immersed into the music. Much credit must go to pianists Park Joo-young and Lee Min-sung who were their "performance" doubles as well as coaches. Bravo!

They also used some serious filtering to get our leads to look 10 years younger for their schoolyard scenes. That is some serious movie magic. The overseas segments gives the series an international flavour. It is a little awkward at times, but definitely more than a token effort.

Now the elephant in the room. Is it BL? The show left it open ended. There is a strong bromance between our male leads while they were at school. It feels a little contrived at first. There is definitely a hint of BL, yet the show also has a strong religious undertone. They are not comfortable bedfellows.

It seems to lean more towards a straight friendship as the show progressed. How you want to interpret the finale is up to you.

This show is good. It can be both exhilarating as well as disturbing. I would say "go watch it" if you like makjang and/or you are a classical music lover.

I gave the music bonus point. Our ML's also deserve credit. The makjang side lost mark with me. I would buy the OST without hesitation. Sadly, this show won't be on my re-watch list. Peace.