Naeil's Cantabile (2014)

I realize that this show was based on an anime and that there was a Japanese version as well (Nodame's Cantabile), but I have seen neither, so I cannot compare. Knowing that this was based of an anime however, explained a lot with our main lead Seol Nae Il. She was quirkily cute, and it really was like an anime character had come to life. I understand that she was annoying to some, but I found her interesting and charming enough to continue on with this show.

I believe that this is my first show with Joo Won as an actor. He had to grow on me a bit as Cha Yoo Jin, but I warmed up to his character somewhat. Nae Il was my favorite though, withYoo Il Rak coming in a close second (that bleached blond hair though....yikes). I also thought "mini Min Hee" was adorable and hearing them call her by her nickname was super cute. I didn't really warm up to Park Bo Gum's character Lee Yoon Hoo very well at all though. He seemed very tacked on to the rest of the group with nothing much to do except cause the teeniest tiniest bit flicker of jealousy in Yoo JIn. I honestly didn't feel like any of the characters were developed well enough and that is part of the lowering of points.

The music was fantastic and probably one of the main reasons to watch this show. Both the piano and violin parts are so moving to hear. The story didn't progress as much as I hoped and there was not enough justification given for some of the character's actions for me. So it was a little messy and the story was a little flat, but the characters were kind of engaging. This drama has a romance tag, but the romance is very minor. I was disappointed in Cha Yoo Jin the most. Seol Nae Il was very open about her feelings, but Yoo Jin was very reserved. This was understandable in the first 3/4 of the show because his character is learning to open up to other people. However, I was expecting even the tiniest bit more from him by the last episode and was it was very unfulfilling and had a lackluster ending. I don't want to give away anything, so that's all I will say.

I won't re-watch this simply because I wasn't completely satisfied with the plot. It wasn't a bad show, by any means, and is worth a watch if you just need a casual filler. And if nothing else, the music is beautiful!

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What do I love about this show? Allow me to list it here.

The ragtag team of orchestra members who each must overcome their personal obstacles, and the unlikely love stories among them. These themes never fail to warm my heart, especially when they’re executed with care like in this show. Not too much cheese, but getting the message across nonetheless.

Shim Eun-kyung’s portrayal of the Nodame character did seem exaggerated at first, but then again I remember being pretty disgusted and put-off about the Japanese live-action one. What I appreciated most was the emotional development and maturation of Nae-Il throughout the course of the show.

I think Joo Won did a really good job of portraying the Chiaki character. In fact, I like his portrayal better than Hiroshi Tamaki’s in the Japanese live-action. At times, the Japanese version was a bit violent (in fact it’s something I observe in Japanese live-action shows in general). He showed so much emotional growth and maturity that was satisfying.

Go Kyung Pyo is excellent as always in this type of role as a goofy, best-pal character.

As always, the classical music was really enjoyable, and was weaved seamlessly into the story and journeys of the characters. Executed just as well as the Japanese live-action version.

Overall, a lot of care was put into creating this remake, and it is clear from the final product. A very enjoyable watch that doesn’t have too much high drama but with satisfying character journeys and growth.

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Story:

They didn't 100% follow the manga, which is a good idea if done right. But the changes they made were definitely sub-par compared to the original story. If I watched this without watching the anime/manga, I would probably given it a slightly higher mark. And since I watched the anime, I was expecting this drama to come out at least as good as the anime. A huge disappointment is possible to happen when you have great expectations.

Acting/Cast:

In my opinion, the cast and the acting were both terrible.

Music:

Since this is a music drama, the music should be great right? Yes, it was. This was probably the only thing that they did right in my opinion. There were some parts where the hand movements, and the music weren't in sync, but that's bearable.

Rewatch Value:

I couldn't even finish it. However, I will try to watch this again. Someday..

Overall:

4/10 I hope this will change when I try to watch it again. But for now, 4.

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I simply loved this version of Nodame Cantabile. I only watched the anime, and struggled through the japanese version till I ended up dropping it. This one was simply perfect. The story itself isn't too complicated, but entertaining and easy to keep watching without major efforts. What I loved the most was the music, I love classical music and enjoyed every bit of it, some performances even had me in tears. Would I rewatch this? A thousand times, no doubt about it.
Even though many didn't like the addition of the cellist, I have to say it was refreshing and enjoyable. Loved the guy too :P

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Good story, Great music.. I'm not really a classical music person, but i'm sure for those who understand music, would definitly have a better insight for the story. Because i havr this gut feeling that the musics supposed to have deeper meaning to the story itself. The casts were good buat nothing awesome. The spotlight of this drama, for me, is Gong ryeong, for i think his act is the best in this drama. Oh, last but not least, one thing i noted from this drama is that romance could still be in the air even without any kiss scenes.. (The fact that most recent k-drama had abandon, and i personally think kiss scenes does not relate horisontally with romance.. ) Big applause for the casts and director...

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This isn't my usual type of drama, and I don't think I would have even watched it had I not been given a free month's trial of Netflix! But I'm glad I did!

Story:
I'm not usually keen on music themed dramas - but I guess I was feeling spontaneous! At times, for me, the story was boring. I feel like it was very repetitive and never really surprised me, or got me in the feels! I liked the idea of highlighting how being good at something doesn't mean you're passionate about it, but unfortunately as far as the story goes, it was very generic.

The characters themselves were honestly quite likeable. The main characters really did begin to get on my nerves, but I found most of the other characters to be likeable in their own way.

Acting:
I think for a majority of the actors, this was the first drama I've seen them in! I think the acting was brilliant, I felt as though they portrayed their characters well. As I mentioned before, the main character's did get on my nerves a little, but I feel as though that was their character design, and not the actors' fault. I look forward to seeing them all in different roles when I watch more of their dramas!

Music:
In terms of my personal taste, I didn't enjoy the music that much, however in terms of appropriateness, the music fit well for the drama themes and genre.

Rewatch Value:
I honestly can't see myself rewatching this drama. It was enjoyable for the most part, however it lacks plot twists and a unique story line. I don't see the point of rewatching it when I can find other dramas with a similar plot.


Despite it being a very generic story, I did find it enjoyable and did finish all the episodes! If you like music, or like the specific actors, I'd say give the first few episodes a go, and if you like them, then you like them, and if you don't well... you don't!

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I have watched this version many times probably because of the music ...i have watched the japanese version of course the main man is my favorite actor in japan. Japanse version is really so much better but korean version is good too.. The main actress in this played it very well so cute especially when she goes abroad i love how the camera follows her while she sings dances plays very cute and the rings at the fountain was so adorable loved it...i give this version a 9.5 versus japanese version 10 only because the japanese version tells more and has many more shows.. loved the main lead in this very much

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I surprised myself by enjoying this. Enjoyed the quirky character Seol Nae Il, enjoyed Shim Eun Kyeong in Miss Granny and now in this drama. (The story doesn't really say if she is autistic or exactly what her condition is). She was still lovely and fought her own demons in the drama but her character was pleasant and gifted I think I would have liked to see more about her background something other than her piano teaching struggles. As usual Joo Won was great. Character is talented, suffering from a phobia and the girl must rescue him as he rescues her. The usual cliches and NOT ONE KIss WTH. I'm deducting points for that. Lots of hugging though. Still the music was great and made me wish I too knew how to play an instrument any instrument by the time the drama was over. The Dean was fabulous, LOVED her clothes and style in this drama. The other characters I enjoyed as well, it was a nice story. Didn't dive into the supporting characters background just skimmed the surface. The characters were interesting and the scenery was beautiful even the school. There were no crazy girlfriends, or family member to distract you. Except for the occasional strict parents and teachers which is to be expected when you deal with shows on talented people but there were very likable parents as well who showed support. The focus was on the music and their experiences and gave a glimpse into a school that produces that type of talented people. Sped right thru the episodes without a problem and kept me interest. It's Likable and sweet. Nothing too fluffy and nothing that has you yelling at your screen.

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Let me first start off to say I started this drama solely for Joo Won as he is one of my favorite respected actors who takes on seemingly a different role every time and is always believable as the person he portrays - he is a true genuine actor who loves what he does <3 I have not seen the original Japanese version or ever read the manga (not a huge manga or anime fan to begin with).

Story: Music: Piano's, Violins, Chellos, Flutes, Trumpets & all the rest surround this drama as students are brought together to form their schools own concert team. We follow the lives of Yoo Jin & Nae Il and the struggles they go through in order to achieve their dreams, love and friendship ;)

Cast: Cha Yoo Jin (Joo Won) My favorite character out of the whole drama, he was a bit cold, harsh sometimes and rude/arrogant but you could tell he liked all the attention he got from Nae Il and the rest of S orchestra ;) He is always a joy to watch and he fit the role perfectly - I had no doubt that he would (after all he is Joo Won - a master of acting, who always takes his projects seriously). Nae Il (Shim Eun Kyeong) This was my first time seeing this actress at work but I couldn't have wished for anyone else (honestly if it would have been any other actress this might not have turned out so good) she totally fits the part of being childish & naïve and I had a blast watching her pester Yoo Jin throughout the drama ;) When I first saw her (since I never saw the original) I was like 'what's wrong with her?' lol, but she was totally loveable - no wonder Yoo Jin fell for her ;) Il Rak (Go Gyeong Pyo) (I have previously loved this guy on Flower Boy Next Door) and he doesn't disappoint here, he was my 3rd favorite character & one of Cha Yoo Jin's "idiots" lol (You'll understand if you watch the drama). The only characters I disliked in this drama were Mastero Franz von Stressman & Song Mi Na - ugh whenever they came on screen my stomach would churn -_- I could have done completely without them. & may I say the strict music teacher Do Kang Jae reminded me of the Grinch whenever I saw him :p

Music: My favorite piece was the Violin solo by Il Rak (by Tchaikovsky (sp?)) & a piano piece Nae Il played once, and the concert that S did when they were all dressed up 50's style^^ I'm not really a "classical music" fan - but sometimes some of it is fun ;)

Re-watch Value: I will probably re-watch this one day as it was enjoyable - but not too soon ;)

I debated what I should rate this drama - 9 or 8.5 but since I love Joo Won so much and I know he put in a lot of effort - I've given it a 9 - the acting was stellar ;)

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Enjoy The Music

At first I did not know if I would like this drama but they did a good job making us believe that these were real classical musicians. As the story went along I enjoy the music and you learn about the composer and why they wrote that particular music. It seems that this story tells us that music geniuses have a little mental problem which makes them great musicians or they have to suffer when there young to become a great musician. ( I do not believe that) The relationship between the male lead and the female lead is very weird. She constant acts like a child and he acts very arrogant. He starts realizing his problems and makes friends with other students who are consider losers. but I feel that his relationship with the female lead character is more like he is her parent and she needs a lot of attention. There is no real emotional romance between then but as a teacher and a student and they are very loyal to each other. The actors performances was great and I liked all the characters from professors to students to parents. I enjoy it.

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Amazing music!

Having never seen any other version or read the manga, I can only review based upon my enjoyment of this show. Let's start with the positive - the music. Absolutely beautiful classical music, which wove itself seamlessly through the show. For me, that's as far as the positives went. I suppose the actors did a good job, but the two main characters were not likeable throughout the entirety of the show. She was a stalker, hanging on him, liking him for no apparent reason. She was an odd woman, trying to be cutesy at times, troubled at others. She irritated me throughout. As for the male lead, he wasn't likeable either. I understand that he had trauma in his life, but that's not really an excuse to be so mean, especially to her. I didn't feel that the relationship was believable at all. There was no chemistry between the two, even at the end. By the time this show ended, I was so frustrated with the amount of time I had wasted. Park Bo Gum's character was more likeable, and I felt that she and he were much better suited for one another, because he didn't want to change her.

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