Praise of Death (2018)

Hymn of Death Korean

They each face their own personal difficulties when it comes to achieving their dreams and living their lives how they want to. He’s unhappily married and working in the family business after reluctantly following his father’s wishes while she struggles to support her poor family. Society and their families have definitely tied them down. Then when a romance sparks between them, even that becomes a forbidden love that stands in their way of happiness.

The mood of the drama is on the somber side with a melancholy feel and increasing sadness. Since it’s a short drama, we don’t get a whole lot of time to develop everything, but the story is thoughtful and well directed while being accompanied by some beautiful music with the soundtrack.


Hymn of Death Korean Drama - Lee Jong Suk and Shin Hye Sun

Lee Jong Suk and Shin Hye Sun were both very well cast in their roles. They gave moving performances that conveyed the struggles and heartaches each were feeling. Their lives were sad as roadblocks got in the way of their dreams and their love for each other.

It would have been nice to have more time to develop a story like this so I could get really emotionally invested, but overall Hymn of Death is a decent watch with enough good qualities to depict this tragic romance.

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This is a short, sweet, poetic, heart breaking drama. At times, I did wish it had more episodes but looking back, it might have ruined the story by giving in too many details.

I started watching this because of Shin Hye sun but what drawn me more to the story is the fact that it was based on a true story. I have no idea why, but I do love me some tragic stories from time to time. I just find it so hauntingly beautiful.

I think the casting for this drama was 10/10. I really love Shin Hye Sun, she can pull off anything. Never imagined her to be with LJS but in all fairness, they look good together.

Aside from the story and actors in this drama one thing I did really like was how poetic it was. The ending poem is what struck me the most, it goes something like this:

"Are you truly living?
No, I am yearning for death in order to truly live."
From the poem
The Theory of Death and Life, 4 May 1926

I guess its because of all the things happening to us every day, we usually forget to live life. We over think a lot and that makes us miss on important things in life, and that's just sad if you really do think about it.

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Please have a huge pack of tissues and possibly a shoulder to cry on

This drama is beautiful. Historically very accurate. Portrays the 1900s aesthetic very well. Good chemistry and excellent acting. I can't really say much because this drama was that perfect. It was surprisingly fast paced but in a good way. Sentimental scenes weren't dragged out unnecessarily. It was 3 hours of pure bliss. An excellent portrayal. Absolutely gives justice to Yun Sim deok and Kim U Jin. Since it's based on a real story I can't say much. The OSTs are excellent. After watching the drama, please check out the original Death Song by Yun Sim Deok. It's beautiful. You can practically hear the sadness in her voice. It will soon become a century old. It's beauty has been preserved through the times. The version of the Hymn of Death by Min Woohuk is also a must-watch. All the respective links are below.

https://youtu.be/PQuwBbcpdFM
https://youtu.be/Mfb4aqQufPM
https://youtu.be/Kl0jhO4Mn3A
https://youtu.be/uGdJXu5XBl4

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Beautiful painful

When you read about the real story and you hear the voice of the real person soprano that recorded the song, this show takes another level: it hits you deep. I love Lee Jong Suk, and he made one of his best works here, in particular, the scene with his father. Highly recommended, short as it should, the essence of what could happen between this two lovers before they planned and agreed how tonend their story. Heartbreaking.

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rip gg

The strongest points of this series are the scenery, costumes and classical music and songs used as soundtrack. It's all just beautiful.

The second strongest is the acting from FL, which was just amazing. You could feel her emotions in every little movement.

The mid point is the story. I know it was based on real life events, but I can't help but think that the main characters (especially the guy) could have avoided all of that if they made better, smarter choices along the way. However, once they arrived at certain point, I understand why they would prefer to rest rather then struggle and suffer more.

And the low point is the ML's acting which was wooden and completely failed to capture the emotional complexity of his character. I think he was cast for his face alone.

It is worth noting that I could immediately tell which characters are korean and which are japanese even before their nationalities were stated from the way they spoke japanese. Koreans kinda chained the words together like in korean language, while japanese made proper pauses between syllabes and words. I appreciate this detail.

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the charecters were so utterly beautiful.

This drama is the definition of "short and sweet". It's about rebelling, not only against society and government, but also family. It felt like an inspiring drama about two characters who wanted to take control of their lives and do what their heart pleases than the people around them. The adultery part was a bit icky for me, but the circumstantial effect of the time period made it so that i could overlook it.

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WOW. A short but emotional watch. Will make you feel things and think about what it means to live within the span of 3 hours.

Backdrop of 1920's Japanese-occupied Joseon. A couple that cannot be together. Beautiful and mature acting by Lee Jong Suk and Shin Hye Sun. Can't believe this was made in the same year as 30 but 17 lol -- she feels so different there.

The soundtrack is melodic and really adds to the storytelling. The cinematography also handled important moments in an elegant and meaningful way. I would recommend this to anyone who has 3 hours to spare and wants some feels.

PS: Just found out after watching the full drama that it's a true story, up to the very last moment. It makes my heart break even more :(

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Das perfekte traurige Drama, aber...

Das K-Drama ist eigentlich sehr gut, nur bevor ihr das Drama anfangt, kann ich nur empfehlen sich kurz mit der Koreanischen und Japanischen Geschichte zu beschäftigen, weil sonst sitzt, man da erst einmal total verwirrt[Ich war am Anfang nämlich sehr verwirrt, warum die jetzt Japanisch reden]. Wenn man weiß, was zwischen Japan und Korea passiert ist, kommt man viel besser in die Story.
Wenn man nach einem Drama sucht, was traurig ist, ist "The Hymn of death" perfekt dafür. Das Dilemma der Charaktere wurde sehr gut dargestellt. Was das ganze wiederum etwas kaputt macht, ist, dass man am Anfang schon weiß, wie das Drama endet, was die letzte Folge extremst kaputt gemacht hat. Ich denke, wenn man nicht sofort erfährt, dass sich beide am Ende umbringen, wäre das Ende hundertmal trauriger. Abgesehen vom Ende ist "The Hymn of death" ein gutes Drama und ist nur zu empfehlen.

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I always have a room for historical kdrama during Japanese occupation (not so saeguk, i guess?). So, this one is kind of good for me. Like the other dramas with this kind of time setting, it usually ends with tragic story line, but thats also what makes those dramas memorable and loved.
Hymn of Death is basically portraying a tragic love story between a stage drama director and a classical singer. The situation is hard during that time, it made them so hard to be together (especially Woojin is a married man). The ending was also kind of tearjerking... it was painful and sad that they had to chose to end their life together. Overall, i really love the story (it is based on true story) and the execution of makin this drama. Good job!

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For starters, I only got intrigued with this drama because of Lee Jong Suk (well, who can’t resist his dramas anyway). I thought the drama will revolve around their love in the midst of rebellion but I only got an affair where they always long for each other. The drama is too short to fully express their feelings for each other. The actors didn’t lack emotion but I found myself commenting on how they were just merely acting and not being so immersed on their characters. However, after I did a rewatch I was really moved by Hye Sun and Jong Suk's compelling performance that I probably overlooked on my first watch. Overall, I still like how the writer recreated the life of the soprano artist. Jong Suk is still one of the versatile actors I have watched and it hurts my heart how this is his second to the last drama before entering enlisting.

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I finished this drama and I felt like I lost something and I couldn't find it. It's a sad story narrated in a beautiful way and sure, it'll get to your feelings and if you're like me you'll probably cry- a lot, but still, there's something missing. I think this should've been a longer drama; 6 episodes that last half an hour aren't enough to tell the story with detail, and that's exactly my problem with it.

We eot to know a little about the characters but, do we really get to know them in a personal way? I don't think so. We just see them fall in love (this ain't a spoiler) and how they handle it, we get to see a piece of their personality but not the rest of it, and that in the end is what makes me give it the rate I'm giving it.

For me a 7.5 rate is good, though. I really enjoyed this drama and I couldn't get my ass off my bed until I finished it. It drags you in and handles to keep you hooked. There are a lot of emotional scenes and that's what I liked the most. The acting is amazing and I have to say this is my favorite Lee Jong Suk performance by far. There is a scene (you'll recognize it) where his feelings seem to trespass the screen and go straight to your heart.

Overall, this is a really good and emotional drama. It could've been better, yes, but it's enough like it is. Definitely should give it a watch.

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minha maior decepção até agora

fui assistir a esse kdrama cheia de expectativa, tanto por ser baseado em uma história real quanto por receber tantos comentários positivos, mas acabou sendo uma grande decepção, por mais que seja um mini, senti falta do desenvolvimento e da dinâmica do casal, não consegui entender o motivo deles se gostarem tanto, a atuação do jong suk foi bem mediana e como sempre entregou mais do mesmo, podendo ser qualquer um dos seus personagens antigos, o único ponto positivo aqui foi a hye sun, no fim, não chorei e nem me senti comovida pela história, são só personagens mal desenvolvidos jogados em um enredo corrido.

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