The story line is very unique, both in subject matter and tone. We follow a group of normal people following the dream of orchestral performance together, under the direction of a conductor who is as rude and arrogant as he is famous and talented. The experience and accompanying tribulations change their lives, as you might expect, but the difference can be genuinely felt. There may be unbelievable circumstances that bring these people together, but the way they progress and transform is realistic and subtle. Some may complain the final episodes are bittersweet and somewhat open-ended, but I feel they composed the perfect ending for a story such as this. Any other result would have felt too saccharine, especially with the heavy emotions this drama evoked. We pursued a dream with these characters, but it's really not the result that matters...it's the path we took and what we choose to do after.
This is also the first drama where I've felt I would actually miss the characters after completion--in particular, abrasive conductor Kang Mae as played by Kim Myung Min. His acting really is as outstanding as everyone says it is. It's a rare gift to see a character spring to life as vibrantly as this; he felt like a real person separate from the actor, no doubt thanks to his extensive preparation. I mean, Myung Min was actually even able to conduct an actual orchestra at a press conference for this drama...something he'd learned how to do in five months. Another favorable mention must go to Jang Geun Suk, who was still in the early stages of rising fame (and looked nothing like he does now). I'm not sure he's played a part like this since, but I'm hoping he will soon. His Gun Woo was an earnest, hardworking, genuinely good kid...but with very human failings and no sob story to excuse them. Geun Suk was a joy to watch too, and stood competently alongside the great Myung Min as his foil.
As to music, as one might expect, there's a ton of classical used in Beethoven Virus. The performance sequences utilize elegant and meaningful pieces, looking as good as they sound. Other works serve to fit scenes as background tracks, and add a delicious feeling of high drama without also becoming cheesy. Fans of instrumental music and classic in general will love it, while others might find a spark of interest growing in them after watching! Vocal tracks are also great, with Insooni's inspirational number "A Goose's Dream" basically summing up everything Beethoven Virus stands for.
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I have to say, the conductor really really impressed me. It's hard to copy the movements of a conductor, and he did a good job. He must have suffered a lot while learning, so kudos to him!
The acting is great and believable. The drama mainly focuses on character development, but it also has moments of relationships and drama as the "obvious couple" turns out to not being so obvious after all. Despite this, you still get your solid dose of music, which makes me a happy girl.
In writing moment, I have yet to finish this, but the 11 episodes I have watched were watched in 3 days. Not many dramas manage to capture my interest like this, and I am looking forward to watch more!
*will be edited*
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The music gets a 10, of course. The music was amazing. The music makes you want to learn how to play an instrument if you don't already.
Acting/Cast also a 10. I admit I watched this because of Jang Geun Suk, and he was fantastic. The viewer could feel his love of music through his performance. There was so much good acting in this drama that it is impossible to mention everyone. Kim Myung Min as Kang Gun Woo was the person you wanted to hate because of his abrasive attitude, but at the same time you couldn't help loving him and admiring his talent. All of the actors pretending to play instruments that they don't play in real life and doing it so convincingly was impressive. There were a lot of side stories in this drama, real life problems and struggles that keep people from pursuing their dreams. I would like to mention all the actors that I believe were amazing but that would take forever, so let me just mention one more..Hyun Jyu Ni as Ha Yi Deun (the flute player). I shed a lot of tears with her. She did a great job
Rewatch Value..had to give this a 10 because I believe this is one of those dramas that you can watch over and over and get something new from it each time
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An excellent cast of supporting characters help bring the drama to life, as well as providing sub-plots for diversion. There are several faces you'll recognize from other dramas.
Serious classical musicians will recognize that the actors are not "really" playing the instruments, but actual musicians are used for background roles, which lends credibility. The drama features many popular classical music pieces and the OST is a nice compilation for a music collection.
This hidden gem in kdrama land is well worth the watch. It's a great choice for an original storyline or someone with an interest in classical music; as well as fans of Kim Myung Min and Jang Geun Suk.
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This drama is very suitable to those who love music.....
well y i'm amaze with this drama is that because i am a music lover, everything i watched in here is perfect for me.....
episode 1-5 seems to be the part 1 of the story. its up to u if u continue watching the next episode since looks like its already complete..... u will love the performance of the orchestra here
episode 6-10 is another part as if its the part II of Beethoven virus, the more interesting the drama is in..... the story of music is becoming more interesting too....you'll love what will happen here
episode 11 to 18 is the part III wherein at this part u will see the real finale of the drama, how the life story in part1 ended and who became the conductor of the orchestra. you'll finally know what happened to the side story of each character of the drama.... a total real life event.... in some drama, we wished for a happy ending, but in this drama shows the reality of life....... the reality of a dream....
The ending of the drama is like a concert that even the viewer will be well entertain....ahhh, music wont choose any person to play them, its by heart.
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I am a music freak throughout every atom in my body, no lie. Everything I do includes it, and I can find a way to involve music in whatever I'm doing, I will. That's why I was so excited to see this drama, also after reading some reviews and ratings of it and seeing that Jang Geun Seok (or however you want to spell his name) was one of the main characters. How could this go wrong?
Apparently in very many ways.
I felt like the screenwriters hadn't really put down much energy in this drama. A lot of events seemed to be repeated over and over again and there wasn't much of a plot in any of the episodes. There were many characters and many side-stories to keep track of. My sister and I were annoyed at the main characters through the entire serie because they were just so stupid and made the wrong decisions all the freaking time. They all seemed too immature for their age.
To not be too pessimistic I have to say that I liked the acting very much, the actors did a great job TRYING to give life to a story that didn't exist. Also, thankfully, the music was very beautiful and sometimes created the mood that the viewer was supposed to feel.
I must also express my love to the cabaret-trumpet-playing-dude (Bae Yong Gi, played by Park Chul Min) who was the funniest person and the mood-maker of this drama.
If you want to watch this drama, you can skip everything and jump to the last episode, I assure you that you will understand everything anyway.
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The rest of the cast also did a good job, including Jang Geun Suk, in a different role from what we're used to see him playing.
This drama focuses mainly in character development (also the major shortcomings in BV lie in this area) and in music. In fact, you could say classical music is the true main character in this, and the repertoire is fairly chosen (although I expected a little more originallity, to be honest).
Therefore, do not expect a typical romance story.
The tension between politics and culture plot had its potential but it was overall a little boring to me. I enjoyed some other subplots much better.
You could call this a minor drama, but still I found it really interesting and I recommend its view.
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Underrated That’s it.
7.2 is preposterous for a drama this good. Of course this is subjective as I do believe this drama could be a hit or miss for certain people. And it could comes down to one factor. The Main Character, Misteo Kang. He’s a straight up unashamed asswhole through the drama… And I love him for it.Hes not a character for everyone. And if you don’t like him in the first episode you wouldn’t like him in the last. Both supporting main characters and certain side characters have there heartwarming moments to shine. The music is simple amazing especially The first OST (idk the Eng name I call it mistro Kangs’s them song) and Taeyeon- Can you hear me. The script was not cheesy as most Kdramas are and all of mistro Kangs lines where sharp and witty.
This drama is not perfect. And it’s not for everyone but it’s now my favorite. Watch it you (probably) won’t regret it ?????
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