Jazz for Two (2024)

Jazz and internalized homophobia holding hands

'Jazz for Two' is subtle in mixing several themes to bring us a romance between two boys, with the world of jazz as a context, marked by internalized homophobia in one of the members of the couple.
A lover of this rhythm, Song Soo Lim, known for directing 'A Shoulder To Cry On', adapts the popular Clazju webtoon in live action, published in Lezhin Comics in 2017, offering us a romantic and musical drama with a complaint against a problem which can lead members of the LGTBIQ+ community to feel ashamed of their identity and question their own validity as people, as well as making them feel isolated and alone, which can lead to mental health problems such as anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress.
With its unique combination of music, romance and drama, the series, produced by MODT, confirms the growing appeal of BL dramas and webtoon adaptations, both by fans and the industry.
With the inclusion of jazz music themes, the series is not just a story of high school students, but a testament to the power of storytelling to explore universal themes such as love, identity, friendship, grief, musical studies, personal improvement, the discovery of sexual orientation, the process of overcoming complexes and traumas, acceptance, intolerance, homophobia, internalized homophobia and internal family struggles, in its narrative arc about a journey of discovery for the four protagonists .
In an intimate tone, the series is structured around Han Tae Yi (Jee Ho Geun), a cold, scheming and expressionless musical prodigy who has brilliant trumpet skills and a captivating voice, and Yoon Se-Hun (Jin Kwon), a jazz otaku who wants to be recognized for his music and has just transferred to Wooyeon Arts High School.
When the gaze of Yoon Se-Hun, playing the piano with a slight smile on his lips, and that of Han Tae-Yi, surprised, from the door of the old music room, meet, a dazzling visual combination occurs. This eye contact will be enough to change their lives. We are facing a spontaneous piano recital that is actually the overture to romance and seduction.
Have you ever met someone who makes you feel restless and calm at the same time? Have you fallen in love with a person who, although beautiful, seems complex and mysterious to you? Have you crossed your life with someone who keeps your heart rate at 112.5774 beats per minute?
If this happens when you listen to jazz, it also happens when you meet the love of your life. Se-Hun's arrival at Tae Yi's school represents an alteration in the latter's routine, where the hours in which he does not study or make music are spent immersed in his thoughts, among which an apparent hatred towards him stands out musical genre caused by the suicide of his brother, who was a genius jazz pianist, which is why he lost the will to live. On the one hand, Se-Hun's brilliant appearance contrasts with his own, while on the other, he has been shocked by his piano performance.
The attraction between them does not take long to materialize and little by little we witness how the surly and cold Tae-Yi opens up to the feelings that invade him, slowly but unstoppably revolutionizing his life emotionally. However, he rejects Se-Hun's feelings and distances himself from him.
If the reason why Tae Yi's brother commits suicide has always been a mystery, I am even more intrigued by the young man's question to his uncle: "Was my brother weak (in character)"? This made me think early on that both had had sexist and even homophobic teachings from their father. Would Han Tae Joon's (Byun Sung Tae) death have been related to this cause? Why does Tae Yi reject all approaches from Song Joo Hee (Kim Min Ah), Song Joo Ha's (Kim Hung Ha) sister? There was no doubt in my mind that Tae Yi was gay before Seo-Hu came into his life.
In this way, a very sensitive topic that is rarely addressed in BL is introduced in such an open and stark way: internalized homophobia. Marked by trauma, having to comply with what is demanded of him by a conservative country with strong patriarchal and heteronormative traditions, with an internalized homophobia that prevents him from admitting his own homosexuality, in a fascination that reflects his struggle of feelings: hatred and desire, Tae Yi rejects the boy he loves over and over again.
Tae Yi has all the cards against him: traumatic and painful experiences, such as bullying, physical or emotional abuse, the loss of friends and family. Tae Yi is a victim of the discrimination, rejection or shame that some LGTBIQ+ people feel towards their own sexual orientation or gender identity. It is a common problem among people who have grown up in societies that stigmatize or repress sexual diversity.
The series, for my taste, is a very subtle and interesting criticism of the discourse that seeks to suffocate minorities by stating that being homosexual is something abnormal and depraved. But instead of taking you down the path of vindication in search of conquering our rights, Song Soo Lim directly shows us the consequences that something that seems so general has on a normal person.
In theory, something that would not have to affect Tae Yi, who spends his days at school, his house or his uncle's bar, oblivious to everything and everyone, except forgetting his deceased brother. But it does affect him, because after meeting Seo-Hun his whole world collapses, feeling a fascination for him that borders on obsession. Tae Yi transforms into another person, but he doesn't know how to react to him. He doesn't know what the consequences will be of his actions of admitting to himself that he loves another man.
How to repress and hide a part of yourself that is suffocating you little by little and eating you away from the inside. But also, this inhibition not only affects you, but all the people around you who are also swept away by that gale.
'Jazz of Two' is a series that proposes us to reflect on internalized homophobia, on the many generations that have been affected by that intrinsic message that society constantly sends you and that tells you that you are not normal, that there is something wrong with you and that you have to hide, make yourself invisible. How you learn to put certain feelings or opinions in a box and wear a mask to feel safe, at the cost of never being your true self.
And I really liked that the drama portrays this process realistically, not in a perfect entity, but in a fallible young man, who is struggling with his reality, who makes mistakes, who takes steps back and is afraid. Tae Yi lives two separate worlds. That of the talented high school student, that of a genius with a trumpet on his lips, on the one hand, and that of a gay boy in love with the jazz-loving student, on the other.
It might seem for these reasons that we are talking about a dark and depressing series. But it's not like that. Its director also shows us what it means to build community and how your queer family, especially the other three young protagonists, and their uncle, can be there for you in difficult times.
'Jazz of Two' is sometimes a mirror that many have found difficult to observe. It will remind us of so many moments in which people who carry a great deal of internalized homophobia within themselves feel just as uncomfortable as Tae Yi, with the same feeling of hopelessness and helplessness.
For this reason alone it is worth giving great recognition to the series, to the members of the technical and artistic team. How can we not consider the series timely, revolutionary, provocative and innovative in a country like South Korea, where relationships between people of the same sex are not yet recognized and equal marriage is not legal, when in the United States, a nation supposedly less conservative, every day states pass laws that seek to bring LGBT+ people back into the closet, or in Spain a children's movie is censored because it shows a lesbian kiss.
But it's not just the main couple who is damaged by internalized homophobia. The second, made up of Song Joo Ha and Seo Do-yoon (Song Han-gyeom), two other students at the school and the latter's friend of Tae Yi, will also suffer for this reason. And even a third, made up of Yoon Se Jin (Ko Jae Hyun), Se Hun's brother) and Han Tae Joon, Tae Yi's brother, composer of the jazz piece that gives the series its title.
Just like that of the main couple, the chemistry between Seo Do-yoon and Song Joo-Ha is also unique. Both characters show their passionate emotions, capturing the viewer's attention. It also adds curiosity about what type of relationship there would be between them through the question posed by the first: "What happens if I cross the line?", incorporating new tensions and questions to the story of four sensitive and pure teenagers who go through friendship. and love.
The viewer can appreciate that it is not a simple plot, as it may seem at first glance, by showing us the social reality of South Korea, to which is added a homosexual love relationship marked by internalized homophobia, with jazz music as background.
Ya

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Highly Anticipated, And Not Disappointed

I've heard nothing but good news about Jazz For Two, and I usually get a bit skeptical about BLs that gain a lot of popularity in a short amount of time, cause people's opinions can be so skewed with a popular series, but honestly, for once, the majority of them got this right. Jazz for Two explores the very emotional, very toxic relationships of two pairings, while also giving us some fabulous instrumentals.

Let's Dive In.

Again, going into this, I didn't give my hopes up to see anything worth watching, but after episode 2, I was on the edge of my seat. JFT isn't anything we haven't seen before: high school students playing instruments who fall in love; but the acting in this is what makes this series stand out so much to me. They do an excellent job with emotions, even Taeyi who has one facial expression, but he has so much expression in his eyes. Hangyeom (Doyoon) absolutely stole the show for me. I was shocked to see this was his first acting gig outside of his idol stuff, because he did an absolutely fantastic job. He had the perfect mix of funny and serious and happy. Absolutely adored him, and hope to see him in so much more in the future.

Moving on to the lead pairing, Taeyi and Seheon, they had excellent chemistry. Mixed with the finery that is Hogeun, and Jinkwon's cuteness, they did an excellent job at selling their connection. I love a slow burn, it's my favorite thing in their entire world, and this couple did that to a T. They have such a strong build-up, and leave the audience yearning for more, and that's exactly what I love. Once they get into their relationship, you can see how swiftly Taeyi's persona changes, and it's just such great character development.

with Doyoon and Juha, I wondered if they really were going to work for me, and in some odd way, they really do, except I think it's a lot more toxic (which I hate) in their sense than in Taeyi's and Seheon's relationship. Juha is the bully of the series, causing chaos in Taeyi, Seheon, and Doyoon's lives. I never really got around to appreciating him because I just think he sucks as a person, even after he and Doyoon start to work out. That dude needs therapy and a lot of it. Glad he could find some solace in Doyoon, but it'll take a lot more than that to fix his broken soul. Other than that, I think these actors did a great job, and again, Doyoon's just the best character out of them all.

I love a plot twist and I did not see the brothers happening at all. It truly is a sad tale, but it's told in such a beautiful way that I have to give props to the writers. Definitely a job well-done.

Now, the only reason this series isn't a 10/10 for me is because of how overly abusive and somewhat non-consensual these relationships are. Taeyi throws around Seheon for more than half the series, which is just so much excessive force that it completely turns me off from their romance. Same with Juha, who's only excusable for punching Doyoon when he kisses him without any prior consent. but every couple in this series kisses for the first time without consent, which is somewhat sort of forgiven in the end, but still, it's just a lot. Same with Juha, he just abuses Doyoon over and over again, even with Doyoon's very odd behavior, and even after being punched. I think a lot of that didn't have to be added, the being pushed against the wall, Seheon getting hurt in like, every episode, the cat and mouse chase from them having these fights and arguments to it being completely fine in the next scene. I know, this is how some relationships are, toxic, but my god, it's so hard to root for somebody when their behavior is like this, because if this was real life, I would've told all of them to move towns and start over, especially poor little Seheon.

Ratings:

Story: 8/10 - Superb! It's just an 8 cause the story is rather simplistic, it's the acting that sells it. Great storytelling, it stays on its feet for the entirety of the 8 episodes, and it not once bored me. The plot twist was a fun addition, so really, such a good job.

Acting; 9/10 - Hangyeom did the best out of the cast, which is crazy because it's his first acting gig, but he did literally amazing (I'm also just remembering the same guys from ASTCO cameoed, and that was nice, also they're all from the same K-pop group, so that's cool too!!) Jinkwon did really well, followed by Hogeun who had to be stoic for most of this, but shows emotion later on in the series. Everyone else did a good job too.

Music: 8/10 - beautiful instrumentals. I didn't even mind Taeyi's singing in the end.

Recommendation Value: 7.5/10 - they did a really good job and I had fun watching it. Also, Hogeun is just gorgeous, so if you want to see beauty, watch for that reason too.

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it's cute and chaotic, but kind of a mess

The story is about a classical piano player who dreams of playing jazz, and a jazz player who because of a traumatic past, doesn't want to play jazz. Honestly the story is a bit strange, you think they're going to go in one direction and then they yank you the other way. I havent read the manhwa so I'm not sure if it's the adaptations fault or not, but I do know it doesn't flow very well. Their meeting was chaotic and intense, and their development was toxic angst, but i enjoyed the angst. I'll leave a spoiler comment to rant about the story, but I'll leave the review at that.

The actors did an okay job, they're all cute and decent actors, but the two mls chemistry is just okay. They did a good job with the tension in the scenes though. Also our little side couple had great chemistry.

The quality of the filming and production were good, well shot scenes and decent music, no complaints there.

Overall I'd say its worth the watch, it was a cute story for the most part, and the angst and tension are great, but just be ready for a toxic and strange ride in the story line.

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I got excited for nothing

I hate the feeling of being disappointed in the outcome of an anticipated show. An example of this is Jazz for Two who did pretty well during their promotions but the quality of the drama itself was below average. K-BL always has this standard of embellishing the visuals from the casts to its cinematography which became their trend and branding. It was satisfying but not good enough to save the whole show.

Where did they go wrong? It was from the pairing and acting of the cast. They’re all good-looking but lack the right amount of chemistry needed to sustain the romantic vibes of the story. I felt nothing but emptiness despite seeing two handsome men kissing each other. Weak character establishment can lead to failures in catching the viewers’ attention.

It was a good start but that’s it! The next episodes were mediocre with inconsistent tension and phasing from the main leads. Seeing Shin Yechan back in his BL role, even though it was only a cameo appearance, was the best thing in the show.

Did someone remember the psychiatrist on EP04 talking to Han Taeyi? I am annoyed by his way of sitting like a mafia while communicating with his patient. The little details are also important factors that need to be polished now and then. I was also a bit unsatisfied with Seo Do Yoon’s love interest with his senior Jooha, the victim who fell in love with his bully. Is it considered masochist or is it something that occasionally happens with teenagers’ romantic aspects in life?

Nevertheless, it was obvious that the side couple had better chemistry than the main couple. Kim Jin Kwon’s delivery of his role as the main lead was too frail. His role in ‘To My Star’ was lovely. I believe he can do better especially since he is the front liner of the show. Han Taeyi and Seo Doyoon have a better onscreen appeal with decent chemistry; they are my ghost ship.

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cowardly gay dudes that hate the boys they like

at first, jazz for two seemed promising. the synopsis was intriguing and the first episode didn't seem half as bad, but it quickly went downhill.

the entire series shows immense sympathy towards seheon, doyoon, and taejoon's love interests. but they completely do not deserve it.

there is clear distaste towards juha, even from his own sister, but the reason doyoon appears to forgive him every time is because juha saved him once before hurting him tenfold? juha is not given a clear redemption arc and it is hard to forgive his character so quickly, especially considering his sexual assault of seheon.

in regard to seheon, i cannot understand why he likes taeyi so much. upon their first encounter, taeyi injures him and continues to be hostile towards him, even assaulting seheon the day prior to them getting together. taeyi's emotions sway too often and it's not clear what he wants-- he is the kindest person to seheon one day, treats him like he's shit the next, then wants him back all over again, and seheon is too forgiving and blinded by whatever the hell he sees in this boy.

while internalised homophobia is a real issue that many lgbtq+ people face, jazz for two handles the topic poorly with very little care. each romance is the same. one boy openly shows his feelings towards his love interest and his love interest responds with disgusting, homophobic retorts. for taejoon and sejin, it leads to the worst case scenario and a horrible fate; but taeyi and juha are able to simply solve anything with a sorry and a kiss. what bugs me is that the internalised homophobia is never addressed and the three boys do not come to terms with this issue.

additionally, there was something unsettling about the way the series handles taejoon's death. i understood taeyi at first. he was grieving. he was hurt that his brother made the decision to kill himself with no apparent reason, leaving taeyi by himself to search for an answer. however, what bothered me was taeyi's idea that taejoon killed himself because he was a 'weak man.' i did not enjoy the repeated idea that suicidal people are weak; it was like we disregard what went into that person's decision and look down on them because of how they felt about themselves. unless i had missed something, taeyi does not understand the full depth of his brother's story. taejoon was alone. he didn't want to burden his little brother and the only other person he could turn to abandoned him. i understand taeyi's anger, but i do not think it is right to think that taejoon ended his life because he was 'weak.'

i would've liked to see more with the relationship between seheon and his father, as well. it felt like the argument between the two was simply a plot device used to get seheon into taeyi's house lmfao. quickly after that event, it was like his father had just disappeared (unless, again, i missed something).

despite the poor writing, i applaud the actors. their emotional performances were well done and were able to draw me in. unfortunately, the story fell through and all went down the drain with it.

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I wanted to like it so bad..

Seeing a Korean BL about music students was so exciting to me at first because of my love for music and LGBT dramas. But I was just so disappointed. First of all, the premise was just boring to watch. An 8 episode drama would usually take me no more than 2 days to finish but this show took me 5 days. There was so much potential to dig deeper into the characters trauma but it felt so lackluster.

But the bigger issue lies within the ships. I liked Taeyi and Seheon at first, but after Episode 7 I was done with it. Was no one who recommended this show gonna mention the casual SA that went unmentioned? I don’t care if Taeyi was hurting, I don’t care if Seheon “wanted it”, when Seheon told him to stop he should’ve done exactly that. It’s 2024 and we still have these kinds of scenes… sigh.

And don’t get me started on the second couple… I hate bully x victim tropes so much that this was a no-go from the start. But the line “I’ll love you even if you bully me” made my stomach twist in a bad way. It’s such a shame cause these actors would be good together, it’s just the characters.

Anyways, point is I wouldn’t waste your time on this show. It’s not that good. Watch The Eighth Sense or something instead

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OVERFLOWING WITH GOOD VISUALS

STORY
There was really nothing new about the story, characters who can't move on from the past, confused guys coz maybe the school they are in are all boys ? Is it ? But I think I have seen some girl students, maybe girls are just separated, whatever and present affected by the past things and sort of. I was able to go through it tho, It was easy to understand and entertaining ! Like off course ! Korean drama makers are so expert with it. Since the drama was short, we are not able to see how Se Joon's Dad finally allowed him to play Jazz as he wanted for me somehow that is the point of the story, like it seems since Se Joon have associated with Tae Yi he seems like became divided, I think it would be better if they have also shown some of SeJoon's enthusiasm on Jazz genre and how he is on fire to become a jazz player, but it is still okay, this drama somehow is about visual and gay romance anyways which they did not lack at all
My favorite parts are the confrontations and their confessing, how straight guys react when someone I mean when a gay says they like them, this is how guys react in real life, it happens in reality, but what does not happen in reality is they are not being liked back, also the suicide part, that is pretty serious and a reality also, maybe we have some awakening here
ACTORS/ ACTING
This is what I hated to Korean BL makers ! They always choose guys with too perfect faces ! Like how are we fans gonna refuse ?! This drama has so much of it ! Junho SeonBae so good looking and sexy ! Do Yoon so great acting ! I wanna have a friend like him ! And so pretty face ! Tae Yi he is like Hyeong Seop, him being silent is so sexy , and this newkid member so pretty face and so beautiful lips ! , the acting is enough and satisfying for me, just right facial expression, good script and the tension is in the air so our eyes are so so full of it.
OVERALL
Visual 100% Gayness 100% HAHAHA and rewatchable 100% STORY so so .. OST so so

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Dated and confused ...

I dunno how in the span of 60 days, did I end up from watching one of the best KBLs to one of the blandest KBLs of 2024???

One questions the logic of why the charcters pine after those walking red flags . Getting assaulted and insulted cant be overlooked in the name of love, I mean its 2024 for godsakes. While one can reason it out saying that the characters were kids, their redemption should have had more depth justify that argument.
The shorter duration of the drama hinders the character and storydevelopement significantly. Often times it struggled swinging between the theme of grief and resilence, it failed to stick to one and fumbled its pace and storytelling. Thus the whole drama felt unfinished. I sincerly hoped that charcters had some form of growth , but alas the growth/improvement that they showed comes across as superficial (espl Jung Ha) .
The actors were wonderful , special shout out to Song Han Gyeom and Kim jung Ha.
I really wished that Se heyon and Do yoon came together, they had waaay better chemistry and would not have made the drama feel so dated.

bottom line : great visuals + jazz music + paper thin plot =/= a good drama.

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so promising, yet so disappointing

I've never written a review before, but I feel so strongly about how absolutely insane this show was.

the couple's storyline's made no sense, the characters were so wishy-washy, especially Taeyi, he could never decide on a personality. Seheon was honestly just annoying, Juhe was straight up a bad person, and Doyoon was completely normal...until you realised how weird and toxic his romance was. I honestly wasn't in support of a single romance in this show by the end, I was just angry at the characters.

the story overall was just a mush of stuff that wasn't well planned at all, I found myself laughing in shock at scenes that were supposed to be sad because it was so insane. it felt like they skipped necessary scenes between stuff, because things would change out of nowhere making it not make sense. it all just felt so far-fetched and unrealistic. one thing I did appreciate was the portrayal of homophobia, because it is very much real in Korea, but most K-bl's act like it doesn't exist. I'm glad this one had some elements of that to make it feel more real and heartbreaking.

I really liked the overall aesthetic and visuals of it, the colour grading was nice, so I was really hopeful, because I can be very specific when it comes to colour grading, I just wish the story had been good.

I honestly thought the actors weren't too bad, the script was just terrible. how does anyone play such insane characters convincingly? I quite liked Juhe's actor though, he did a good job, but his character felt the most realistic of them, so maybe that's why it was possible to pull off.

I haven't read the webtoon, but it seems like people don't think this is accurate to it and that the webtoon is good, so I think I'll read that instead.

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