The Hymn of Death (2018)

Not All Stories Need a Happy Every After

me cry as I listened and from there I searched up the story of Shim Deok and Woo Jin and fell in love with their story. It's the timeless tale of love and heartbreak... but I think it's common for us to look for these drama's and stories more than the happy ones, with the "tied neatly up with a bow" ending with a wedding and happy laughter because sometimes it's so hard to believe that can truly be achieved because we know that after marriage it won't always be beauty and butterflies, that there will still be hard times and concessions. The dramas we watch and the stories we read do not have to have happy endings to leave us satisfied. I feel more at peace with an ending like this, that stays with me and keeps me thinking about it for a long time after.

The story was wonderful. Even if some parts aren't true to history or are embellished and skip over things, it didn't matter. I was enraptured the whole time, barely breaking away from my screen to even eat. I smiled and laughed, but the somber tone never quite left me as you get the ending in the beginning. To me, it seemed more than just the story of adultery and betrayal; if this is keeping you from watching the drama, please reconsider. Woo Jin spells it out plainly to the woman he is married to in almost every scene they are in: to him, he will never love her and will never be hers. They married without seeing each other and while she accepted it as her fate, he couldn't. Shim Deok is the same. She left when she found out and when they came back together, it was because they didn't want to fight anymore. In the scene where he explodes at his father, that isn't a man who is alive-- he's only alive with those who encourage his passions. His father chose to turn away from his son and his wife went along with it.

Lee Jong Suk was wonderful, his performance was moving and even when he was not speaking, his eyes told us everything you need to know about Woo Jin. You could tell the exact moment he fell in love with Shim Deok and likewise with Shin Hye Sun. Their chemistry was amazing and they gave off the intimate feeling without it ever being explicitly stated. You can buy into the innocent love, that it can be pure and untouched even when so many things are happening that try to disrupt it. They were completely their characters which only added to the story. The secondary characters left an impression as well, especially her sister, Seong Deok. Their last scene together really throws a knife in your heart as you can see the inner turmoil in Shim Deok's heart, but she won't turn back to a life full of nothing. The fiancé played by Sang Yeob made you swoon. He was caring and dashing and he was so sweet even when she left. The cast fit everything perfectly and I loved how I could recognized them from other projects. It was sweet and short and lovely.

The music was phenomenal. I pay much better attention to the music now and I loved how they decided to use the instrumental of Hymn of Death instead of the vocal version. It made the 'movie' more bitter-sweet and I can't wait to download the OST.

I'll probably rewatch it, honestly. I love Lee Jong Suk and Lee Sang Yeob, not to mention the first jilted man, Lee Ji Hoon. The show made my heart race, especially at the end where I wished for it to keep going. It's hard when something ends, yet the watcher isn't ready to say goodbye just yet but there's also nowhere else to go so you create fan-vids and stories and endless Tumblr posts... which it probably where I'll end up.

I hope this helps and that you all can feel the love for the drama, the actors, and the history.

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Whilst I didn't know much about the story this drama is based on when I came to watch it, and originally I was mainly drawn in by the actors, I couldn't anticipate how much it has stayed with me.

A tragic love story from the start, the journey of Yoon Shim Deok and Kim Woo Jin was hard to watch because of their known inevitable end. However, I still found myself falling hard and becoming emotionally attached to them and their relationship, despite the barriers they faced. No matter what they did, it was obvious this was the only true end for them.

The acting from the main two leads in this I think was perfect. It wasn't over dramatised or unplayed, there were the right amount of emotion from each of them that my heart broke every time they faced a hardship.

The OST isn't incredibly memorable, however it fit perfectly with the story and style. It would have been nice if they sang 'Hymn of Death' rather than read it like a poem, but I understand why they didn't. And because they didn't, I went to do some research and listening of the song myself, which I probably wouldn't have done if it was included in the drama.

Of course this drama is a tragedy, despite this, because the drama is so short I feel I could easily watch it again just to experience its beauty all over again.

I would recommend if you're heart can take the pain of what is to come, and if you appreciate that sometimes love can be strongest in death.

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When duty to your family and reality Crush your dreams

Completed: 9/22/2022

“The Hymn of Death” is a beautiful tragic romance when the duty to your family crushes your dreams and love. I found it more satisfying to think of this drama as a 3-hour long movie, than a short 6-episode drama. If I think of it as a movie, my expectations are lowered and I am OK with the fast-paced development of all events. But if I think of this as a drama, I might complain about how fast-paced it is. I wanted more scenes of how the leads fall in love and how reality forces them apart. Otherwise, I can’t totally be moved by their romance. I did not cry at all while watching this, and I am usually a cry baby.

Shin Hye Sun is beautiful as the female lead, Yun Shim Deok. She acted so well, both as an outspoken college student and as a mature opera singer. I wonder if Shin Hye Sun is actually fluent in Japanese, as she sounded so natural to my untrained ears. Her mouth also matches her opera-singing voice and I could feel her emotions. Lee Jong Suk did an admirable job as well as our male lead, Kim Woo Jin. I particularly enjoyed his emotional outburst towards his father, but other than that, the acting is just solid, and pales a little in comparison to Shin Hye Sun. But then, what is up with him leading his woman on the whole time? That’s not cool and such a cowardly move!

The supporting cast is a familiar bunch. I am surprised I recognized so many faces, though they all look a little old as college students. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the scenes of the troupe and seeing their fun and silly scenes together.

I love all the poems in this drama. They really add a lot of feelings and emotions to the characters. I am usually lukewarm about opera music but the songs in this drama are all beautiful. I even enjoy the opera songs, and probably because Shin Hye Sun did such a great job acting as well. I really want to be moved to tears, but that didn’t happen for me. I would still recommend this if you are looking for a short and beautiful drama about a tragic romance.

Other Random Observations:
1. I noticed this about Lee Jong Suk from previous dramas, whenever he cries, it’s always one teardrop from his right eye. 🥲
2. Male lead looks just fine after being released from prison and being beaten. Aside from a few scratches on his face, it’s like nothing happened.
3. I love all the outfits. The leads look gorgeous together.

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"Before your name can be forgotten
I long for you again. "

There's nothing like a drama that makes you cry not just during the sad scenes but also the happy moments. Because it means the words aren't the only thing evoking that feeling of sadness but also everything that you're witnessing on screen. From the shots, to the actors subtle emotions, to the soundtrack, this drama makes you feel. A starcrossed lovers story that reminded me of this Spanish film Little Ashes about Salvador Dalí and Federico García Lorca. I feel there's a lot in fact in this drama that will remind you of Spanish films in general. So, anyway that's how good it is. And truly the most beautiful thing about Hymn of Death is that it feels less about the actual characters portrayed and more about the struggle broken people face when they try to live a life of love and passion. In fact, even more beautiful was the way both the leads cried in many different moments, but don't shed a single tear in the entire last part. Like, that's PHENOMENAL. Because I was still a heartbroken mess for the entire last episodes.
Must watch for anyone who truly appreciates art.

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What an astoundingly mesmerizing portrayal of a ravishing tragedy!

Given its factual back story, the entire dramatization was elegantly made without incorporating exaggeration of any sort. For the whole three hours my heart was drenched with intense emotions, establishing deeper connections with the main protagonists. The screen writers and directors basically ameliorated the somber mood of the drama including various features such as correctly choosing the filter, season, particular day for every scene, especially when both the protagonists meet which enunciated the feel accentuated from the story profoundly.

The scintillating sound of raindrops when Kim Woo Jin was immersed into his melancholic thoughts, the rustling sound of leaves into the bamboo forest while the lovers were gradually approaching towards each other are some extraordinary effects combined with perfect acting skills of the ensembles.

Although a forbidden love but the aestheticism of the romance between the couple was pure resplendence to enjoy. Both of them from different social status and having different occupation and dreams were gradually becoming susceptible due to their finicky surroundings. Inured by their circumstances, the misfortune was creeping in where they left with an only indelible option.

Exudation of such poignancy through a dramatization of a saturnine historical fact takes a lot of creative intelligence. The makers should be lauded and awarded for this. Both Lee Jong Suk and Shin Hye Sun left us with no tears in our tear gland with their riveting chemistry and effusive emotional interaction. Their gesture, posture, every facial expressions and dialogue delivery were unbearably doleful yet enamoured and submerged me deeper into their romance.

Moreover, the wonderful piano and flute music as background score aligned with right kind of OSTs seeped out all the pain I could possible feel from my heart and mind. I was enchanted and fell in love with such grandeur; even their chic style and appearance drawn out the sufficient essence of the romance. This is the perfect depiction of a tragic romance.

In one word this drama is ethereal. I am still at awe. I can’t do justice eulogizing this paean of death.

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Hymn of death is based on a true story and maybe because of that I felt so unconnected from it. I feel like in many ways the whole Romeo and Juliet aspect is generally very stupid to me, I get that people react differently from each other and sure different times show different actions, but the whole life problem showed in the drama felt very solvable to me. I want to praise Hye Sun for her acting though, for me it was the main highlight of the drama, she was incredibly believable and this role was made for her, I felt every tear and every sound, if anything she was the reason I kept on watching even though I didn't like the plot. Jong Suk on the other hand, oh boy he was not a good pick for this role! His character was a real problem to me, I couldn't relate at all with his white people problems, I mean... Boy, go do something else if you don't want to work for your rich daddy who gave you everything. Jong Suk made it even worse, I didn't think he was even trying at points, I didn't feel the slight chemistry between him and Hye Sun, I didn't feel any of his character's emotions, specially because he basically didn't do anything, even his crying face was the same. I don't think he was on the same level of acting as Hye Sun, there, I said it. Music was good I guess, plot was stupid but life based so I can only dislike it for what it is, acting was overall okay. Am I ever rewatching this? Oh, God no!

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While the story itself was a tad basic and did not go fully in details for every character (probably impossible with just six episodes), the series itself exceeded my expectation with the cast performing an absolute terrific job with their roles. The emotions, choice of songs were excellent and little did I know about the history of those two and to see such an ending. Absolutely worth a try to watch and I would highly recommend it.

Also to state that the supporting cast was a very strong one and did an excellent job. I was especially fond of Go Bo Kyul's character.

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Love the storyline, not so much the romance storytelling

This is a-3-hour-miniseries of a tragic romance between a genius stage drama writer and an opera singer. "Hymn of Death" a remake of the 1991 film "Death Song," based on real-life events. For those who are going in not knowing the story, trigger warning of suicide! So if you know that suicide is a trigger for you, you need to prioritize your mental health and just not watch this show. Even though it's done implicitly, characters' emotions and the vibe gave me much anxiety. There's a part of it that I wished I hadn't seen it. Thus, rewatch value is low, once is enough.

The visual is very artistic: from the luscious costumes, to the very well done cinematography. Maybe it's just me, but I feel the music feels a bit overpowering, it could have benefited from a lot more quieter moments especially for this genre. The show does well in showing their family dynamics, though I think the romance is far too rushed. The first two hours go by way so quickly, and I'm left with snapshots of their lives. I wanted to dig deeper and explore the relationships and how they develop, but it's just not shown.

Overall, this drama is a beautiful tragic void that left me feeling empty... and that is a good point. I want to feel devastated because I appreciate the characters even more that way. I just think I would like it much more if we were given a little bit more time with the characters, to tackle both a powerful romance and the powerful dynamics between the families.

-Dec 2023, Yovita
Find me on Instagram: @kdramajudge

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“That was such a sad love story” was exactly what I exclaimed after watching Hymn of Death on Netflix. The special drama that actors Lee Jong Suk and Shin Hye Sun brought to life touches on the sad realities of being obligated to sacrifice one’s own happiness.
People tend to avoid tragic stories as much as they can. Perhaps, because we don’t want to be reminded of the sad realities in life.

Hymn of Death presented the story of a man and a woman who have been living to please and make sacrifices for their families when their utmost wishes are simple joys they can easily obtain on their own.

Although it is a quick drama watch, it challenged me to formulate the takeaways from Sim Deok and Woo Jin. Their story might not appeal to a general public owing to how it touches themes of alienation, depression, disobedience to parents and even forbidden affair. So, I flipped the other side to make the lessons from Hymn of Death to be more relatable and understandable.
Of course the situation of the lovers in the special drama would not fit in the modern broad-minded thinking of today’s generation. But the striking heartbreaking end of their story would shock people who will hear it even in years to come.

Not owing anyone an apology if you can’t please them because you want to live a life that is entirely your own, is the lingering impression I got from Hymn of Death. Celebrating life and finding your purpose does not need to be grand, because often times, what makes us happy are simple things and quiet solace.

I would not recommend how the main leads ultimately resolve the conflict set by the fictional world which drowned them. However, I understand the weight of emotions bottled up inside them which led to the sad closure.

Lee Jong Suk and Shin Hye Sun scored palpable portrayals which made the drama even more affecting. The emotional yet not exaggerated weep frames they both displayed were exceptional.

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Just poured my thoughts

"Hymn of Death" is a drama including 06 episodes. Within 06 episodes, they have tried their best to portray the political issues, freedom, family issues, marriage vs love, responsibilities, rich vs poor, a woman vs rumours, the art of literature, a difference of living vs dying, choices etc... Most of these issues are not revealed throughout the story and sometimes they tried to reveal such issues only through one line without dragging just to run the plot. I have no degree to evaluate the acting skills but there were some incidents where I felt that the male lead should have tried more. When he argued with his father about his freedom, I felt so. Again I thought maybe he tried to exhibit that calmness within his character. Even when his books are burning in front of him, the way he silently followed his father proved that fact cause a book lover's worst nightmare is that. And also it may indirectly show that he had already given up hopes about his future and his life. If not maybe the respect he had towards his father may have controlled him. Even when their first kiss is about to happen, then also he stepped back. Even when his father told that the woman will leave when he becomes poor, he said that if she leaves, then it'll be his fate too not the cheesy line that no she won't do that. Again this may indirectly indicate that he has no desire to live more and fight for his dreams. If I have to talk about the female lead, I can write even a book. Even though her family situation is on the ground level, I didn't feel like I want to focus more on that situation while showing my deepest sympathy towards her cause the aura she gives is strong and unbreakable while handling family issues. I'm not saying it's a fault it's just given me a different vibe than the other typical dramas. Even when her siblings didn't trust her, the way she acted is speechless. This drama highlights the theme; a woman vs rumours smoothly and perfectly. She acted her character with dignity in her mind, body movements, facial expressions and also in her tone of voice. Both leads are struggling with their problems no matter whether one is born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Then at the end of the day, they both find solace by thinking about each other. This drama painfully showed me that if you have to live with the ones whom you don't like or love, that means you feel like dying but when you open your eyes you are still living. So for them, death is the only answer to finding their peace. Yes, suicide is a really sensitive topic and we shouldn't encourage people to suicide but if we look at this from another angle, this drama gives answers to those people who keep asking "why does he have to go that much far?”," why they run away from problems and why can't they face them together?” etc... With the problems, these two characters have faced so far, they might have gone insane but thanks to the way both of them took a stand for each other, they survived and this drama purely shows how a person can express his thoughts in words and make a beautiful context to control their inner balance. If others try to ban even that thing from their lives, what can they do? This drama made my eyes fill with a lot of tears. When I felt that warmth of teardrops in my cheeks, it felt this is so real and then it reminded me that this is based on a real story. At the end of the drama, they both completed a poem, it made me so emotional and OST blended well with the situations and mood. I think OST had a great impact to melt our hearts.
Modern-day people should watch this not to get the idea of just cheating is good and suicide is acceptable but to gain the idea that how they directly take decisions without beating around the bush and how they are 100% certain about their feelings and the way how they stayed in their relationship and also how they remember little details and the way they both act responsibly to the extent as much as they can etc... There are a lot of sub-issues rather than cheating and suicide. I hope people will discuss them too.

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??

Andai ya, andai, Sim-deok gak jatuh cinta sama U-jin pasti dia bakal mau aja nikah sama bangsawan kaya raya itu. Bangsawan itu kelihatannya beneran baik dan bersedia menopang hidup Sim-deok beserta keluarganya. Kalau dia mau nyoba deket, pasti lama-lama bisa cinta juga. Inget kan di episode 1, Sim-deok awalnya gak mau ambil risiko ikut tampil dan mau cari aman aja karena dia pengen hidup dengan nyaman. Yaa, semua ini menjadi rumit karena Sim-deok sedang cinta-cintanya sama U-jin, tapi gak bisa bersama, plus masalah finansial yg menghimpit karena dia satu-satunya pencari nafkah di keluarganya.

Kalau U-jin itu, di sini diceritain kalau dia menulis dalam rangka memperjuangkan Joseon. Tapi ya, peran dia tuh gak segede itu sebenarnya, alias kalo dia gak melakukan itu ya gak apa-apa. Ya aku ngerti sih, meski hidup dengan nyaman sejak kecil kalau sepanjang hidup menjalani kehidupan yang ditentukan ayahnya dan gak diberi kesempatan untuk menjalankan apa yg dia sukai memang terasa sesak. Tapi lo ya, yg disuruh ayahnya tuh masuk akal dan ayahnya pun gak jahatin siapa-siapa walau dia keras. Gak ada salahnya kalau ingin hidup dengan aman dan nyaman. Selain itu, istrinya juga baik dan bukan tipe istri yang suka nuntut ini itu. I felt sorry to her.

Huft.

Walau gabisa relate, aku bisa ngerti kenapa mereka lelah. Cinta terlarang, masalah finansial, tuntutan keluarga, hanya punya satu sama lain sebagai sumber semangat, tapi susah juga kalau pengen kabur untuk hidup bersama dan mereka gak bisa juga mengabaikan persoalan keluarga.

Pasti rasanya kaya bertemu jalan buntu. Mau kabur gak bisa, mau bertahan udah gak kuat.

Yaa karena ini kisah nyata, maka dramanya juga dibikin begitu adanya.

Rest in peace, Yun Sim-deok dan Kim U-jin.

Btw, aktingnya Shin Hye-sun keren banget.

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