Chocolate (2019)

Life, Love, Death and Chocolate

I passed on chocolate so many times and I'm glad I stopped and actually gave it a try. The first few episodes are hard to get into and through, but once you make it past the overall setup for the drama then it gets pretty good. Chocolate is about hospice care and the people living out the rest of their lives in them. The romance itself is EXTREMELY slow burn and is a back burner story to the several other plot lines going on.

Cha-Young has been through a great deal of trauma in her life and finds herself becoming a chef after coming across Lee Kang when they were younger who is now a neurosurgeon. He also has childhood trauma and is very cold and distant as a result. Their paths always seem to cross at different stages of their lives and they always seem to find each other even when Cha-Young left South Korea. As the drama goes on, they both begin to open up and Kang becomes more open and caring.

The huge piece that kept me coming back to this drama were the people inside of the hospice and the food. They each have beautiful stories that play out and are each given the last dish they want to taste by Cha-Young. So many episodes had me crying and mourning with everyone. It feels like you are a part of their last few months as well and really helps drive home that they are people who live there and aren't just in the hospital. They are cherishing their every moment and everything in it.

As well as all of the hospice patients, the director of hospice and Ms. Han, were such incredible characters that pulled at my heart strings every moment they got. It really hit home for me personally and just had me feeling for the both of them. Life gets in the way so much and sometimes you only have the moments before it's too late. They were such a beautiful story in the world of chocolate. I felt the same way about Cha-Young's brother Tae-Hyun and the woman he meets while in hospice. So many beautiful people and stories linked together through food and love.

--Spoilers in this paragraph! --
I rated this drama an 8.5 because of their relationship mostly. I was rooting for them from the beginning and even more so towards the middle of the show and the burn is very slow. I could appreciate this entirely because it made it even more worth it when they finally did get together, but the ending made it fall flat for me. It felt as though the writer felt they had to keep going when they could've just stopped. We didn't need to see Cha-Young meeting her mom again after 20 years... It was really unnecessary in the story and only added to the weird ending that we got. We spend almost 14-15 episodes waiting for them to get together and when they finally do, Cha-Young just dips again to Greece? Leaving behind Kang AGAIN after waiting for him to love her back... right after they were talking about running away together and eloping. It just didn't give me the conclusion I felt was good enough for the love story I had watched. The show could've been so much better had it just ended with a cheesy marriage scene. Sometimes the happy ending is the better one versus trying to tie in more of this "We always find each other" stuff. It really ruined the overall vibe of the last episode for me. Episode 15 would of been a perfect ending point.

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It hurt so good until it didn't

This will be the first drama that I take time to review because it had the potential to be one of my favorites, yet ended up turning into one of my greatest disappointments.

What starts out as a tragic romance ends on an incredibly dry and bland note which I'll get into in the spoilers below. I still give this 8 stars because I enjoyed the overall story, and when I did enjoy it I had so much fun with it. The angst of the leads was addicting and left me anticipating new episodes every week since I watched it as it aired. Outside of the romance, the setting is interesting and allows for some heartbreaking but worthwhile storylines, and a lot of the characters that could have been very one-note were developed in interesting ways, especially the male lead's cousin.

I recommend if if you're ever feeling in a masochistic mood (look into trigger warnings first), but personally I was left feeling disappointed and betrayed by an underdeveloped relationship and unexplored plotlines.

Mild spoilers ahead:
One of my favorite aspects of the drama, as mentioned above, was the ANGST. There was so much longing and anticipation building up for their inevitable relationship, which at the time felt like it was leading up to a fantastic and passionate romance. I'm not typically into the childhood connection and shared trauma tropes but it worked so well here, and as they continued to face hardships it just felt like we were building and building before getting to a satisfying conclusion. I also usually hate when things keep going wrong for the leads, but again, it just worked here. I mean a surgeon who can't use his hands, and a chef who can't taste? CINEMA. I was hooked. And then...

And then they got together. Finally. And everything just. Fizzled. All this lead up and there was no passion. There wasn't much of anything. I'll be fair and note that I haven't watched this in four years, but I remember being so disappointed in their relationship once they were actually together. At one point he throws her a little birthday party, and it should have been so cute. But it just felt so awkward. Once they were together there just weren't any sparks left, and the female lead just seemed to lose all personality, just standing around blank-faced while he seemed happy enough. It never really felt like they connected. I ended up kind of hoping that things would pick up between the FL and the ML's cousin because at least they felt like they connected on a real level rather than just "Oh, we liked each other as kids." Even the tragedy of their careers (surgeon who can't use his hands/chef who can't taste) wasn't explored as deeply as I had been anticipating. I just wish they had taken more time to develop the relationship once they were actually together, as well as more development as they worked to overcome or accept their past and present trauma as a couple.

I still give it a high score because there is so much more to this drama outside of the romance, but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't my main reason for me to watch it, as well as the main reason for my disappointment.

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Slow-burn Romance

I didn’t expect this drama before I watched .
I watched this because of Oppa ( main lead actor ) I knew him from current Kdrama “kiss sixth sense”.

this drama is quite nice , meaningful scripts , nice ost / music , main lead actor can act micro-expression !!
I like the actress too. It is slow-burn romance .
Their love story is made me nostalgic and heart-warming .
Main lead actor and actress have great chemistry!
This drama also included foreign country scenes and was largely filmed on location in Greece and Wando Island, setting up a series filled with postcard-perfect scenes.

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" Chocolate " was a good combination of food, travel and melodrama.

The story had a nice amount of romance, drama and family dynamics. The tragedy was all over it, not only in the background stories of the two leads, but with the actual side stories of the hospice as well. Some of the characters were annoying though. However, overall, the family drama was good, the bromance was nice, the love story intense enough and with enough chemistry, and the performances were very professional on top of that. The story, however, was lacking a bit of intensity and that made it boring at times, as it was easily predictable.

So, overall, seven out of ten.

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Don’t be fooled by the title, this is a very sad and heavy drama

I think the main point of this drama is acceptance of different things, be it relationship, family, life or death. The story mainly focus on a Hospice, so you should except to see a lot of deaths. When we know the end is near, there are a lot of things we need to learn to accept. But the lesson learned is not just for those facing deaths, it also pertinent to those around them, from family, friends, doctors, nurses and even the staff member of the hospice.

This would be a great drama if they delve deeper on just some of the plot point they have instead of trying to divulge all the plot points. There are too many different messages they want to impart with the plots that everything is just skimming the surface, without any depth. It feels like looking at a lake, where you could see the surface, but you don’t know what’s inside. It left me unsatisfied by the end of it.

There are quite a few plot point that for me worth to be explored more deeply and some could probably be saved for later. There are too much going on that it felt scattered, unfocus and shallow. It has romance in it, that I think really need to be developed more. The brotherly relationship between Lee Kang and Lee Jun should also be delved deeper, because it’s so interesting. And a lot more other plot points that I think they could actually make several season of the drama to be able to explore them all.

The drama have a lot of medical undertone, but they just gloss over it. It’s a hospice, there are doctors and nurses and hospital, but they never go over the medical aspects. For me this was a real negative point of this drama, other than the skimming the top plot. I wish they explore more of the medical problem faced by the people in the hospice and even the doctors.

There are a lot of food, cooking and eating, but it still only feels like a garnish, not a meal or even a complete dish. This drama really feels like snacking, it only feels you up for a little while but it actually make you yearn for something more substantial. I really wish they just focus and delve deeper on some plot point and expand it. They should make several season with all the plot fully explored.

The chemistry of the casts are top notch. My favorite is Kim Ho Jung, playing as Han Sun Ae, the chef in the hospice that have Alzheimer. She’s convey they progression of the decease so convincingly. Min Jin Woong as Moon Tae Hyun also great at portraying this really annoying brother of our MFL, wish they give him more time on screen and developed him. The main female lead character, Ha Ji Won as Moon Cha Young, for me is too one dimensional, she’s just too nice and sympathetic. The main male lead character, Yoon Kye Sang as Lee Kang, is better developed, you could see the change in his world view after working in the hospice. Jang Sung Jo as Lee Jun should have been explored more, because I think he could have a really great character development.

The music is good, it really help developed the atmosphere of the drama and build up the mood. Nothing that I would remember afterward though.

The cinematography feels very artistic, a lot of beautiful scenery with with angled shot, and also close up of delicious looking food. The show makes me feel hungry after looking at all the food they cook, and makes me want to travel to all the places they shoot at.

I would rewatch some of the scene to enjoy the cooking and scenery, but it would always makes me a bit annoyed because I feel like they should have explore the story more.

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Food, Romance, Destiny, Life and Death

I recently finished (as in minutes ago) Chocolate in 5 days and that just shows how addictive the show was.
The first few episodes drew me in and when the plot revolved more around the hospice, it got even more interesting.
I love a childhood/ first love romance theme, but this one made it interesting with the theme of missed opportunities and chance meetings.
The characters we interesting and loveable and the ones that were annoying were infuriating as they should be.
I enjoyed the character growth of the main cast members, especially Lee Jun. At first I was super annoyed with him, but he later grew on me. Everyone's relationships were precious as well.
Spoiler: it had to happen, but I'm still sad Min Seong had to die. His scene asking out Cha Young was adorable!!
Also idk if anyone here watches Jolly (youtube), but Min Seong legit reminds me of a Korean Josh lol

Anyway, I enjoyed the theme of a hospice and it's importance in people's lives . I find kdrama's always get me thinking about life and cherishing moments more. Sadly with just 16 episodes and taking a bit to get to the hospice, I found myself not crying at the deaths of characters. Normally I get super immersed, but with the pacing I guess I wasn't as attached to certain character's deaths. For instance (could blame squid game too lol spoiler) the grand pa always waiting for his son at a chinese place death didn't make me emotional. Where as with something like Hi, Bye, Mama!and Goblin the passing of the ghosts had me bawling tears.
I do give them props for depicting the struggles of alzheimer's on people and those around them though.

The theme of trauma and harsh expectations in a rich family were aspects I liked as well. It reminded me of the cut throat attitudes in Seri's family in CLOY. The building disaster also reminded me of Rain or Shine (Just between lovers) which may be why it was recommended as something to watch after viewing it.


I'll say this drama was quite the pallet cleanser after not enjoying One Spring Night and I believe it's a nice suggestion to watch if you liked Rain or Shine.
The only really negative thing I have to say is that I wasn't as satisfied with the ending as I thought I would be. I guess I wish there was more of a nice bow put onto the other character's story lines. Also the fact that Cha Young ran off to Greece again and Lee Kang went to go find her????
Like okay? Idk just felt funny, like it connects with how the story opened but why? XD

Anyway I still say give it a watch! Make your own opinions on it too cause I'm sure people would love to see more.

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Be wary of what you wish is to be the goal of your life, especially when your heart forbids it

If you ever feel like you haven’t fulfilled your quota of 'shedding tears' in this world, this is it! this show will surely help you complete that task.
I've never seen a main-character attend this many funeral in a single drama, as much as I did in this very show.
Ep 3-13 (you are bound to cry at almost every episode except couple maybe)
I can't believe this came out the same year as The King Eternal Monarch did (2019) yet I somehow missed seeing or hearing anything about this great slice of life drama and then out of nowhere 2½ years after its release Netflix recommends me this soul crushing heartwarming story narrating the necessity of Care facilities, Love in life and Family and also gives us a strong message of how money is not the most "important" thing to have a satisfied life, it can sometimes be a good homemade meal, a family outing, your fascination twords pottery or anything that makes you happy and this show serves as an alarming advices to how badly in-sibling rivalry can affect one's mental peace especially when such disputes are encouraged by family elders.

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Chocolate (2019) - Every episode is a heartache. This drama may seem boring to others because of the vibes it gives but not me, I like this type of dramas. For a melodrama, it’s fast paced and I was not really expecting it, so one episode per day is what I do to balance out my emotions. There is a lot going on in this drama having introduced characters in the hospice is a great addition to what the drama is all about. A lot happened and I am glad that I did not binge watch the drama. A heartwarming drama that reminds death can be painful but the memories left will help those who remained get by through life, I also realized how short-lived life is.

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My rating was all over the place as I watched

Overall, I really liked this drama, with the assistance of my fast forward button. I had to skip over her terrible brother and his entire family (other than the cousin). They were all simply terrible, and they were jarring compared to the rest of the drama.

Yoon Kye Sang was wonderful. I've not seen him in anything else (now I'll be on the lookout!) but I loved his characterization of Lee Kang. The despair, the loneliness, the invisible wall built around himself keeping others at bay. He's got such a great face, his vulnerability shone through. It was a treat to watch him slowly open up and watching him not able to control or figure out what his feelings were, taking advice from a child, acting out of character. My only problem came when he lied to ChaYoung about his mother. I think that was an important part of the healing process for both of them.

Ha Ji Won as Cha Young was good, I just had a problem with her character. She reminded me of Eeyore, carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders.

Jang Seung Jo as Lee Joon was terrific as Lee Kang's cousin. I loved watching their relationship progress (If you've not seen them, he was great in The Good Detective 1&2).

The pace throughout was slow and calm. I, personally, liked all of the hospice cases. We got to see our ML and FL be changed by those they encountered. Through sadness, my takeaway was to live fully and completely every day, cherishing the time you have and those that you love.

The OST was wonderful.

All of the cooking/eating scenes were a feast for the senses.

It was beautifully filmed, the locales as well as the lighting, camera angles, etc.

I think I would have given this drama at least an eight, but the time skip and her leaving out of the blue just made no sense. She'd finally gotten closure on things, was with the man she loved and said, "Give me some time, don't wait for me." What the heck!?!?! It was a cop-out to say the least. We could have gotten a lot of lovely scenes with the leads, a happy ending, some closure, but no...she continued to be depressed and morose even toward the end! It was a happy ending, just poorly done.

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