A beautifully shot, slice-of-life drama

This is going to sound strange, but watching this show made me want to drink coffee. You know that early morning feeling, when you're just waking up and you're having your preferred drink of choice and everything feels promising and hopeful? That's what watching The Eighth Sense felt like.

Although this is a romance drama, there are many meaningful underlying themes within the story. Every character has their own journey, and this short series offers you a glimpse into each of their lives. Some characters from smaller towns have moved to the big city of Seoul for the first time, and are navigating the transition. We have incoming college students first learning to drink coffee, while others are graduating and thinking about uncertain futures. Some characters struggle with mental health. There are all these little threads making up the narrative. It truly is a slice of life itself - you get the sense of friendships being forged and time passing, all encapsulated within the story.

The characters are layered and interesting. Our two main leads are each a combination of soft and strong, and it's rewarding to watch them grow closer. I also appreciated how natural their bond felt. I could imagine them as a couple within my friend circle, and the open flirting was a refreshing choice to add to the show. I also want to mention that the friendships shown here are varied and rewarding: we have childhood best friends, friends you keep because you've known them too long, friends you didn't like at first but now cannot imagine not knowing.

I loved the cinematography, scenes, and the soundtrack. We have scenes where characters are simply sitting and chatting about life, adding a contemplative aspect to the series. The cinematography includes gorgeous shots of the seaside, the Han River, and city streets. The coloring was also very emotive. You can tell there was a lot of thought put into every aspect of the show, and I appreciated that. The soundtrack managed to hit a sweet spot between wistful and hopeful, and I can't wait to add the music to my collection.

I'm so glad I found this show <3

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The story follows the main leads over a five year period. They first meet when Sang Zhi is 14 and Duan Jiaxu is 19, but it's a brief encounter. The story picks up again when Sang Zhi is 17, and the show chronicles how their relationship shifts from little sister/big brother to mutual feelings and finally, a couple.

What I liked about the story was that you really see each character go through different phases of their life, and the trials and joys of each period, be it losing friendships, finding a new job, graduating - from high school or university. Like changing seasons, we see our main characters getting their hearts broken, overcoming grief, and finding comfort and happiness.

Both the narrative and the cinematography (close-ups, focus on actors' minor expressions) reveal a story that is deeply personal. We mostly get Sang Zhi's perspective, and we spend a lot of time with her - she narrates her thoughts, we see her journals and sketches. It's cute, if you like that kind of storytelling, but there were moments when I wish they had used the screen time more wisely.

I will not say that this story is not meaningful or does not have depth, because it does. I will say that the world we see is very contained, and sometimes seeing the same faces gets old. This is exasperated by the fact that it's a low-conflict drama, which can be good or bad, depending on your preference. I thought the romance was sweet to the point of boredom. At times, I wished there was more conflict just so the pairing would feel like a more rewarding watch. However, if you want a sweet, comforting drama, this is a good pick.

The highlight of this show has to be the family bonds. I loved watching Sang Zhi interact with her brother. Their relationship was very relatable, from the bickering and petty fights, to the protectiveness. I loved how they could have little spats, but were a united front when it came to their parents. I also found the culture relatable - my parents would also ask me to focus on my education before my love life.

The romance itself was wholesome, if a little dry. Chen Zhe Yuan plays a charming Duan Jiaxu. Sang Zhi is meant to be cute and shy, and while that worked well when she played a teenager, it got a little drab as the story progressed. It was nice to watch them as a couple, but there isn't a lot to keep you excited once they get together. Or, at least, that's how it felt in my book.

It was an enjoyable watch but I'm clearly not the target audience of this show. At any rate, if it sounds like your cup of tea, you should give it a go. It's not my favorite, but it wasn't a bad watch by any means. I smiled a lot :)

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Beautiful and Heartfelt, but Sadly Underrated

Story

Do You Like Brahms? has a richly layered, character-driven storyline. As the drama progresses, the story slowly unfolds. Well-timed flashbacks reveal deeper dynamics between relationships in the present and add depth to every character. The pacing of this drama is slow. Incredibly slow. Conflicts take several episodes to span out and longer to resolve. There are no big reveals, no big displays of emotions that conveniently wrap up disagreements. Instead, the plot is characterized by small interactions that are telling.

The reason this drama moves at a snail’s pace is because it needs you to pay attention. You have to read between the lines when people are talking. There were moments when Chae Song-Ah talked about how she felt playing the violin, but she was really talking about her dreams and ambitions.

Some reviews talked about how frustrating the plot was because it was fraught with misunderstandings. But isn’t that an entirely human thing, to have moments of miscommunication? How often do people say what they mean? Even when they want to, how easy is it to let someone know how you feel? This drama asks these questions, all the while telling a story that relies on the relationships different characters have with each other, and themselves.

Do You Like Brahms? narrows its focus into everyday interactions between characters. To be fair, Chae Song Ah and Park Joon Young communicate better than most drama couples. There are moments when they misunderstand each other, but they straighten things out quickly.

Acting/Cast

I admired the cast here. I thought they all portrayed their characters well. Most scenes required subtlety to get emotions across, and everyone did their part there.

I loved the characters in this drama. Chae Song Ah, on the outside, seems like a pushover because of how quiet and thoughtful she is. Yet she has a quiet inner strength. It isn’t that Song Ah isn’t a fighter. She simply chooses her battles. She graduated as a business major and then went back to school to study music. Despite all the obstacles in her way, she silently, but steadily fights for her dreams.

Park Joon Young is also introverted. Lee Jung Kyung says that Joon Young speaks with his music first, rather than his words. That being said, he has his bold moments, just like Song Ah. He carries all his burdens himself and doesn’t open up easily, but he also cares deeply for the people around him.

I loved watching Song Ah and Joon Young. They’re both incredibly polite and there are a few awkward moments when they’re getting to know each other. It was rewarding to watch their relationship grow. They stole my whole heart in this show. I liked that they didn’t hesitate to talk about what was on their minds. They weren’t always fair to each other, and there were moments of conflict, but they worked their way through things. I found myself hanging on to every interaction and looking forward to each episode.

The side characters were a treat all on their own. Han Hyun Ho was cheerful, caring and soft. Jung Kyung was a complex play of strength and vulnerability. She’s sharp-tongued and selfish, but she’s also surprisingly vulnerable. There’s a part of her that’s lost, who’s trying to find herself. It was endearing to watch her journey in this drama.

Music

I liked the soundtrack here. Tayeon’s Kiss You might be my favorite, but the songs ranged from light-hearted to emotional and made all the scenes better.

Rewatch Value

I would definitely rewatch this, given some time. It’s one of those dramas that I feel will have new things to love with every screening, and I’m happy to add this to my list of all-time favorites.

Overall

Do You Like Brahms? is about a lot of things: about losing love and finding a new one, about following your dreams, but also about knowing when it’s time to stop fighting and let things go. It’s about friendship, love, pain, healing, and having the courage to start over. I haven’t come across a drama with this much depth before (it’s like a book, there’s so much to analyze). I’d say this is a psychological drama, but not in the sense of crime dramas. Do You Like Brahms? goes inside the minds of all its characters, revealing what is hidden: flaws, insecurities, hopes, regrets, wishes, and dreams. It gets very personal with the main characters in the story. This show made me smile like an idiot, tear up and feel like I wasn’t alone. It’s safe to say I loved it deeply.
If you’re looking for something light-hearted, or something exciting, I’d say skip Do You Like Brahms? This is a drama for people who are ready to invest their time and emotions in characters and all the small parts of their story. It takes some time to paint a picture, but at the end of the day, it’s a beautiful painting.

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