Jazz for Two (2024)

jazz for... idk who i'm watching for anymore

this series was a bit... confusing? i'd say, at first i thought the plot was peculiar and interesting, something maybe light as usual from kbls, but then it takes a turn, which i'm thankful for in some sort of way, because it'd have been way boring! my mind went from oh, to Oh, to oh...
and the last oh is a bad one.
i don't like the way south korean kbls have been using the same tools thai bls were using back then (romanticizing abuse, non con behavior, or bullying), so i wasn't pleased towards the end.
anyway, the actors did a good job and the piano music is chef's kiss but do read warnings before watching!

Leer más

As a For X, I feel like I have an obligation to watch this drama. It's Hangyeom's acting debut after all! Plus this drama has a pretty good blurb that makes me want to see what's going to unravel.

Overall, I really enjoy the story! There is of course some things that made me scratch my head and feel like it could be better than this, but I'm not disappointed in what I've watched.

What I like:
- Jungha! You see, I never read the manhwa before so I never expected Juha to be a hell of a character. Jungha has a rather gentle face so it's really surprising to learn that his characters is like... that.
- The story. As I said, I really enjoy it. I don't know the technicality, about the pacing or whatnot, but it's really better than what I thought it would be. I guess given the work has longer airing time (30-40 minutes per episode??) so I think some of the main points of the plot can be elaborated pretty well.
- The cast! I think aside of Jungha, the other cast feels so perfect to the characters. Jinkwon to Seheon, Hogeun to Taeyi, and Hangyeom to Doyoon. A special note to Hangyeom tho, I also think it doesn't stray too far from what Hangyeom is like as far as I know him as an idol.
- The reveal of Taeyi and Seheon's brothers' relationship! Did that count as plot twist? Because I never really expected it to be that way. It added spices imo, although the resolution might look too easy?? I thought Taeyi would be angrier about it. But I guess at that point, Taeyi only wanted closure about what happened to his brother and won't bother to point fingers and blame whoever made the event happened. Idk.
- The music theme! Although I'm not super familiar with jazz, but the piano playing is really pleasant in my ear. I especially love the ensemble performance and their fall festival performance! Jazz for Two do sound really good!
- While I don't think Doyoon and Juha's relationship change is the best out there, but I kinda like it! It makes me wait for a second season hoping it would explore their relationship.

What I don't really like:
- Juha. Just... I can't relate to him and why he needs to be that mean to Taeyi, Seheon, and Doyoon. Especially Doyoon cause like you can see how smitten Doyoon to Juha ever since their first eye contact. But after a thing that happened in the locker room, I started to be like, "OK, at least you're showing a bit of development!"
- Not that I don't really like but... it's too surprising how Taeyi and Seheon's relationship dynamics changed. Like, the day before, Taeyi was REALLY mean to Seheon, but the next day he's really mellow and suddenly being a simp??? I guess he actually liked Seheon a lot but he's afraid of something. Like his own feelings, maybe? Since after a tragedy, he's pretty much stuck in the past and his feelings for Seheon was something entirely new.
- I also don't really like Juhee in the first two episodes of the drama. But my impression changed afterwards, especially after the karaoke event. Hopefully Juhee can find a better man :)

I want to end it by saying good job everyone who's involved in this production! Thank you for bringing out a story that I enjoy a lot. Especially Hangyeom, good job on your acting debut!!!

Leer más

disappointing,SA,physical abuse,rushed

first of all i would like to say that acting cast and music was good.Second last 2 epi felt rushed specially epi 7 where seheon get SA but next he forgive taeyi like it was nothing?!?!??like how can you forgive someone easily who just bullied,SA, physical abuse you throughout whole series.toxicity in this series is really concerning.About the second to be couple which got flopped dont have much to say but yeah "meh".Tbh i liked the kiss at the end which is not a deadfish kiss.And people who gave 10 ratings for this series needs a reality check.Sometime it felt like series on its own screaming homophobic.And my review was based on only watching the series and not reading manhwa so yeah overall it was "meh" not bad and not good either.

Leer más

bamboozled

So cute until ep7., damn he gave me the ICK, man turned full on harassment mode. like what do you mean ur gonna be stuck knee deep in de Nile and TWO seconds later it’s like nothing happened.
Also we don’t talk about the thing with the brother enough. He likes main dude cuz he reminds him of his brother? do we ever talk about it again? nope
SO rushed towards the end. It just makes no sense why they would rush over the most important a part of the plot like that.
The acting is not bad but not good. This boy won’t stop inhaling every time he says something . Once you notice it you can never go back

Leer más

BL & Jazz FTW !

I just finished this short series with a happy contented smile on my face.
There are some shows that go on and on and you wish they would have cut them in half, but not this one. If I have any gripe it would be that I wished it was longer with way more jazz music shown.

There was great chemistry between the main leads and it would have been great to see this develop more deeply, same for the second couple. I think this 8 episode series only allowed time to skim over the surface of everything that was happening, both past and present, but that being said, it was still very well done.

The story was engaging and interesting, and an unusual take on the usual "BL in high school" shows we get.
It would have been great to see Seheon come to terms with his Father and play him some jazz on that beautiful Baby Grand!
Overall I loved this show and hope for a second season :)

Leer más

pushing & pulling

i have never written a review before; spare me, but i felt the need to for this series.

i believe this show is only for people who can deal with heavier topics and are able to understand characters flaws on a higher level. every single character in this series is complicated & it's not for the weak of hearts.

there are some scenes i felt were just straight-up unnecessary, but that never deterred me away from the show or the characters themselves. especially taeyi or juha; who are indeed more flawed than the rest. they could've written taeyi much better (then again, i am not familiar with the original media this is adapted from, so he could be just right) - and i wished they did, considering he's a likable character if you look at him through a good and understanding lens - some of the parts felt incomplete and lackluster, but it's certainly not trashy for what they had. (i believe a solid 12 , maybe even 10, episodes could've done them some good).

seheon was a well-written character! i liked how even in the very first episodes, he found himself wondering what was wrong with taeyi instead of just entirely thinking he's a bully of some sort. he's been through a lot, they all have. doyoon and juha were perfectly awful. i didn't have much interest in them until later episodes, but their dynamic and relationship is extremely interesting if you take internalized homophobia into the equation, because that's certainly what it felt like to me. not much to note; the storyline was interesting and actually made sense in the end. i like how it was history repeating itself. the main leads' chemistry was good, despite what anyone says, and i think seheon and taeyi make a nice couple after everything they've been through with each other. there wasn't a large amount of the second couple, but i hope they're swell. (i would like to see the main leads in another series together, maybe a softer one, that seems more up their alley).

overall, would i recommend it? to the right person, yes. if you don't enjoy hurt/comfort, messy up & down and even toxic relationships: this isn't for you. but there are plenty not like this, so go watch! ^^

Leer más

Glad 2 Know Jazz For Two^^

MUST WATCHH❕
_____________________________
The KBL series is the best, providing an interesting storyline that makes the audience curious about the plot of each episode. Opens and ends with an interesting plot, I like it when Han Tae Yi plays a strong man and meets Yoon Se Heon Which is cute and adorable. All the roles played very well, in fact I think 8 episodes is not enough, there should be more episodes even if there could be a season 2! Hahahahah🙏🏻🫶🏻

Since KBL is still hot, let's enliven it so that hopefully season 2 can be made!!! Amenn

Leer más

Happy ending (because that is very important not just for me, but for so many).

It had me on the edge trying to figure it out and I can say… I was wrong…lol. The story is very cute with a message of the importance in mental health (I’m a caseworker so with more reason, I liked it). Furthermore, it did make me wish one of my toxic relationships would have ended in a good and nice tone as one of the couples did (you will find out which one…lol). But the plot twist was very good, and it did made me feel bad (in a good way… if that’s possible).

Overall, I cried, was laughing, and cried some more once I was done with the show. I just wish it had more episodes.

Leer más

and all that jazz...

Honestly, I wasn't planning to watch this one... but I couldn't skip out on supporting my blue haired bias. I'm glad I did though! Compared to A Shoulder to Cry On (by the same company), this series had a much tighter plot, more interesting ensemble cast, and better production quality--particularly some really excellent score, which was vital to this series. While I still have my gripes with some K-BL tropes that get overused and abused here, I was prepared for them going in and didn't find that they significantly detracted from the story. I may have tuned in for Hangyeom, but I'd definitely watch it again on it's own merits.

-The Full Review-

STORY:
In general, I really enjoyed this plot! I spent a lot of time with music majors in my schooling, and some of the ridiculous antics were really nostalgic. I liked the push and pull of the four main characters, and felt that the structure of the story worked well for the run time and pacing. The flashbacks and dream sequences worked well and weren't overused, though sometimes it was confusing if the voice-over was meant to be taken as ongoing dialogue.
What I didn't like, as has driven me away from a huge amount of K-BL, was the rampant homophobia. I understand that homophobia is a real issue faced by many people, especially in conservative countries, but three separate characters doubling down on how disgusting and weird being gay is... is a little much. I would have at least liked to see some of these characters unpack those thoughts a little bit more.

ACTING:
I was quite happy with acting here! I am definitely a fan on Ji Hogeun now--I was very impressed with his performance. I liked most of what Kim Jinkwon brought to the table, though his character ended up being a little bit static for my tastes. As a pair, I thought they were very sweet! I particularly enjoyed their flirting in the classroom as an insight into them as a couple. They established a strong sense of intimacy.
Of course, I came here for Hangyeom, but I'm happy to say his comedy was a delight and really brightened up the story. I also enjoyed the few moments where he was allowed to settle into something more serious. Kim Jungha was an interesting match for him, and I'm not sure I truly cared about where the show took them. But it was competent and complimented the main couple at least. It was definitely not a lack of talent.

PRODUCTION:
To begin, for the most part the production value was very nice. Good compositions, evocative lighting, good costuming choices despite being limited by school uniforms, and excellent set dressing (especially of the piano room and the jazz bar). It felt quite polished throughout and established a good tone. I especially likes how it leaned on lighting tropes of this genre.

INTIMACY:
C's get degrees, my guy. Listen, it's fine. I get it. I know that I can't put the expectations of other countries media on K-BL, especially when tangling with idol actors. And there definitely *were* kisses, so it's doing better than most. But I really am just tired of shows that will double and triple down on how "gross and weird" being gay is, and then go out of their way to avoid showing any "controversial" intimacy, even if it's as simple as a kiss.
The main couple kisses, and it's a little bit dead fish (though they do try). The second couple "kisses" and it's a trick of cinematography. It's fine. It is the absolute minimum required to tell this story effectively, and they do it decently well. But I'm not going to get excited about it or praise it. In my opinion, it definitely doesn't feel like a story for queer people, that takes joy in the love between two men, but rather a story that happens to have queer characters dotting their I's and crossing their T's.

In all, Jazz for Two exceeded my expectations, but my expectations were pretty low. I would recommend it and I did enjoy it, but it's not really one that hits me hard in anyway and definitely reinforced some of my grievances with K-BL. It was good. It could have been great.

Leer más