This review may contain spoilers
I prefer this over the "series" version
I watched the series version of this as it released but never left a review for it because I only recently added all the Asian shows/movies I've watched to MDL - and rated them - very recently. And when I say recently, I mean a week ago haha. However, the movie cut for WISH YOU was released onto viki and now all the English subs are loaded now, so I just watched it. I wasn't going to rewatch this until I heard there was an extra twenty minutes added that wasn't in the original series cut. That definitely interested me since I only scored the series a 7/10 due to the flow not being quite right and the story not making complete sense.With that, I'll start my review.
Story: Honestly, a solid 8/10 from me. This type of story and the amount of development in it really fits a movie format more than a series. One of my biggest gripes with all of the Korean BLs is that they release them in 8-10 ten minute episodes instead of just releasing it as a film in the first place. But also, I'm not going to complain that much because at least South Korea are making BLs in the first place, ya know? (ones that aren't tragedies or sad haha.) Anyway, I only gave a 8 because I still feel as though the characters are a little under developed. In the end, we still don't know all that much about either of them except that Kang In Soo's dad is a CEO who doesn't want him pursuing a music career. The writing is great, the cinematography is great and so is the aesthetic. Great quality all around. What I'm really happy about is that the story MAKES MORE SENSE in the movie cut and it FLOWS NICELY (woo!) and it's all because of that extra 20 minutes. Even though the added scenes may not seem important, they are. For example, in the series I'm pretty sure they didn't show that Sang Yi was in a band early on like they did in the movie, so that scene where Kang In Soo sees him playing the keyboard makes way more sense lol. Plus, we got to see Kang In Soo hear the arrangement he doesn't like and them eating after he walks out while he avoids the topic with Sang Yi - which is why he says "Say it" to him when Sang Yi won't drop it after lunch/dinner. There argument makes more sense that way. Another example is when we see Kang In Soo after the kiss as he plays the guitar and thinks about Sang Yi, I think this was an important scene to include rather than the story skipping straight to the next day when everything happens like it does in the series. And even the scene later in the movie when we see Sang Yi go to Min Sung (In Soo's friend/manager). That whole searching scene adds a lot honestly. All of the added scenes that they originally cut out of the series are subtle moments, but they make the story flow way better and helps with the logic of the story as a whole. Thank God I wasn't left feeling confused by the end this time.
Acting/Cast: Not much to say but the cast did a great job and I think everyone was casted perfectly. I especially loved Sang Yi's acting. They had great chemistry too which is always important.
Music: The OST for this WISH YOU is amazing. I really love all the songs but Wish For You is definitely my favourite. I listen to it a lot. I even learned it on ukulele and learnt all the words despite being a native English speaker. Both Kang In Soo and Sang Yi are great musicians.
Rewatch Value: I feel like this is strictly personal preference so take my opinion with a grain of salt here. However, I only gave the rewatch value of this movie a 7/10 because I'm not a rewatcher in general. I only rewatch shows or movies that really stick with me or that I become obsessed over. This movie is super cute and maybe somethings others would love to rewatch, but it's not obsess-worthy for me. Again, that's just my personal opinion! Although, technically I did rewatch this since I watched the original series and then this movie cut of it.
Overall: I highly recommend this! It's cute, revolved around music, and it's only 1hr 42mins of your time! (:
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A Progressive Tale About The Melody of The Heart in Seoul ...
Going into this movie without a lot of prior knowledge of the series beforehand , left open a lot of ground to analyse and draw up where issues and strengths lay within the movie overall.
The biggest thing to say is that the series both portrayed our male leads , rising singer Kang In Soo ( playing himself ) and novice producer Yoo Sang yi ( Lee Sang) ‘s relationship in a refreshingly less cliche way than previous same-sex pairings in Korean productions - not through their sexuality, but through Sang Yi’s journey in making sense of his genuine feelings for Kang In Soo over the course of the movie.
It was an undeniably sweet and modern love story for our two male leads , yet nonetheless sugarcoated in favour of avoiding more difficult issues about Korean society. Whilst South-Korea is undeniably becoming a lot more progressive than other Asian countries and in comparison to its past towards homosexuality, some members of Korean society are still prejudice and homophobic towards homosexuality and gay relationships.
First of all it is important to say that whilst this wasn’t the main aim of the movie to home-in on a “ realistic” relationship and certain Korean beliefs towards this, it still felt a little odd in the particular plot’s centralisation of the music industry, not point or at least suggest this. The repression of sexual orientation amongst musicians and producers in K-pop has particularly come into light in recent years , something which although gradually getting better, is still something which should’ve have at least been raised or emphasised upon the other pressing issue of “ masculinity” as well.
Undeniably, Kang In Soo and Lee Sang were brilliant within their portrayals echoing a certain level of heartache and emotion behind their performances. Their characters were also evidently Kang In Soo was set out to be the “ mysterious” and “ handsome” musician, whilst Lee Sang acted as the “ awkward” and “ kind-hearted” producer. Yet apart from these roles and their evident relationship onscreen, their characters often felt lacking in greater depth.
What makes a character intriguing is getting to know them either through their pasts, friends, family or interactions. Sans from some interactions with In Soo’s best friend Choi Min Seong ( Baek So Bin) and Sang’s Lee Yoo Jin ( Su Bin), we were left a lot in the dark a lot in the movie about our characters as actual individuals- their journey to their respected career choices, if they have faced problems with their sexual orientation as well as problems or connections with their family.
Whilst these points may seem minor, it would have been probably made the relationship between In Soo and Sang Yi more “ fleshed-out” if we’d actually got to know more about them as “ realistic” individuals first, rather than just mere plot devices.
Overall WISH YOU: Your Melody From My Heart isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but it was a surprisingly sweet and progressive love story in Seoul with a fairly intriguing premise and brilliant acting from our male leads. However, the show lacked a lot of character depth and realism within its portrayal and the issues around both the music industry and homosexuality in South-Korea, making the production feel sugarcoated and generic at times as well. Certainly worth a watch as a sweet romance movie , but certainly flawed within its deliverance of story and characters.
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This review may contain spoilers
This was my favorite Korean BL!
I hardly ever write reviews about anything I watch but this movie version of this show I had to.The actors are amazing. This made the series good by itself, but the added scenes in the movie make the difference! The first half of the movie doesn't really add anything to what we saw in the series. Lee Sang (Sang Yi) makes me believe that he has fallen in love at first sight. The extended scenes were nice, but didn't make or break it against the series. The second half, the additional scenes make the movie so much better than the series. Kang In Soo's friendly demeanor doesn't let us truly understand his feelings for Sang Yi in the first half. The added scene in the second half allows you to see his questioning of his true feelings, something that was completely missing in the series. It made the whole movie for me.
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Amazing
I actually cried, it's so hard to find really good lgbt films but this was just perfect !! I saw people complaining calling it a bad 'bl' but this isn't made for people who want to fetishize gay relationships. It's a cute and pure film and makes me, as an lgbt person, very happy. I've become so used to lgbt films being made for straight people to get excited over, it's such a great feeling to come across something genuine like this. The actors had great chemistry and overall it just worked so well.Was this review helpful to you?
Without Dilemma the Plot Lacks Depth
The acting here was great, however the dialogue and plot were lacking. I found it difficult to understand why these two fell in love, beyond physical attraction. There's no journey of getting to know each other, just typical K-Drama long shots of lingering gazes.There seemed to be almost no dilemma to overcome, without which, there's no real story.
Also, as a musician, it's not the *worst* offender out there, but from the beginning with he says "Ah yes, Am and G" then plays a Cm chord... I knew to temper my expectations. It's good that the actor could play the piano I guess, but when the story centres so much around music, the producers could try a bit harder to get that right.
Signing a record deal that explicitly passes all creative control to the label, then whinging when the label excercises said creative control, is a good way to get dropped. This part of the story irritated me.
The setting had a lot of potential, but sadly they blew it. Hopefully, though, the popularity of BL series and films will lead to better things.
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This movie adaptation was WAY better than the show
I have to admit, I very much hesitated to watch the movie because I honestly didn't care for the drama. I gave the show 5/10 stars overall because I honestly found it boring. But I saw that it was available on Netflix in my region, which I found quite impressive as my region is often short of Korean movies, so I thought I might as well rewatch the story.Needless to say, I honestly think the movie was way better in literally every aspect.
The story felt more whole than it did in the drama. There were even so many new clips and sequences added that it made me wonder if I accidentally skipped some show episodes. I don't want to mention specifics that could spoil anything, but there was so much more to unpack and it honestly made the story make way more sense. Some lines and moments weren't featured in the drama that just made sense to the storyline. They portrayed the story so much better in the movie.
Acting-wise, yes, it was a little basic. But because the editing in this movie was better than in the show, it somehow made the acting seem better and more complete. I mentioned in my review of the drama that I enjoyed Lee Sang (Yoon Sang-Yi)'s acting, and that is still true.
The background music also varied which made the movie seem more emotional in a sense. One thing I didn't like about the drama was how much time the music took up. Like yes, obviously it was a show about music, but each 10-minute episode spent at least 3 minutes playing a song, not to mention that "Wish You" got replayed too many times. But this movie did a good job of varying the music. "Wish You" was played not that many times, and when it was, it was different parts of the song.
If you want to watch Wish You, I recommend watching the movie rather than the drama. It was a nice watch, even though I did get a little distracted. If you like the trailer, you should watch it. But if it doesn't interest you, then don't, since it's not that~ great of a watch. But I still enjoyed it!
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Lovely, Sweet, I cried, I smiled. Beautiful
I don't know if it's the pacing, production, acting, music or that I just watched this at the right time but it was so sweet I cried. It put me in my feels more than once which is hard enough to do so I'm really impressed and happy with this movie.It has a very nice context and a good character development on the protagonists. I love the supporting characters with all my heart because they are the sweetest souls.
It has little elements of everything, with a little bjt of action, little comedy, etc etc...... its all subtle but blended in together so nicely to creste such a beautiful atmosphere through out the movie. The pacing was so beautiful, a little drowned on the climax but in this story's case it felt like it didnt need too much of a climax anyways. The pacing from start to finish was my favorite kind of vibe. So its worth while. Consistency in the story is much appreciated.
I loved love loved the music especially because every track was directly suited and somewhat tailored for each and every scence a background song was played for. The atmosphere created by the music is immaculate and as a sucker for good music and a music nerd all in one such as myself my connection with the musical element was very strong here and it helped a lot to bring out the essence of the story as a whole. That being said it was technical enough for real musicians but put simply enough for the average Joe to be able to understand and relate to as well. A difficult thing to pull off be done so very well in this movie.
The acting itself is on a whole nother level and i just want to say bug round of applause to eavh character who could make you feel as if you were in the same room as them. For the acting there's not much j can say other than amazing, and the best way to really witness it is to watch it for yourself because its a movie element that cant say enough through mere words. You'll guaranteed fall in love with the characters.
Production team gets a full on medals for visuals and audio quality because gosh it was amazing i must say. Anthoer round of applause please. Great audio and visual mixing... something i greatly appreciate in anything that i watch because i do tend to be picky when it comes to production quality and i have a low tolerance for poor production quality, lol. But for this one i had a smile on my face the whole time. Amazing!
It was such a nice ending as well, I loved it.....i simply love it.
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A beautiful story.
It tells the story of the singer and songwriter Kang InSoo and the keyboardist Yoon SangYi who fight to pursue their dream of music.It's the first Korean BL movie I have watched and i loved it. I loved how the story progressed. None of the leads forced their way into a relationship. I loved everything about the movie especially the songs.Initially I couldn't decide upon watching it coz of the reviews but then i made a right choice. I wished the movie to be a bit longer coz i wanted to see more of them.
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The Melody of The Heart in Soul ...
Going into this movie without a lot of knowledge, left me reluctant to watch, but I went ahead and watched it regardless.For me it started kind of slow, and it took a while to get into it, biggest thing to say is that the movie both portrayed our male leads , rising singer Kang In Soo ( playing himself ) and novice producer Yoo Sang yi ( Lee Sang) ‘s relationship in a refreshingly less cliche way than previous same-sex pairings in Korean productions - not through their sexuality, but through Sang Yi’s journey in making sense of his genuine feelings for Kang In Soo over the course of the movie. It was an undeniably sweet and modern love story for our two male leads , yet nonetheless sugarcoated in favor of avoiding more difficult issues.
First of all it is important to say that whilst this wasn’t the main aim of the movie to home-in on a “ realistic” relationship and certain, Kang In Soo and Lee Sang were brilliant within their portrayals echoing a certain level of heartache and emotion behind their performances. Their characters were also evidently Kang In Soo was set out to be the “ mysterious” and “ handsome” musician, whilst Lee Sang acted as the “ awkward” and “ kind-hearted” producer. Yet apart from these roles and their evident relationship onscreen, their characters often felt lacking in greater depth.
Overall: This probably won't be everyone’s cup of tea, but it was a surprisingly sweet and progressive love story, like I mentioned I watched it without any prior knowledge. brilliant acting from our male leads.
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So cute :3
I had originally watched the drama but knew i needed to watch the movie too. I am so glad i did as it really helped show the feelings of both characters. The acting was very good and the chemistry between them is really sweet too! Even if you have seen the drama, check out the extra scenes, it pulls the story together so much better.On a side note, i can't believe I've only just realised that In Su is THE In Su from MYNAME! The whole time i was looking at him thinking, 'I really recognise him!' Lol! They were such a good band btw~ for the newer kpop lovers out there, go check them out!
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This review may contain spoilers
this was amazingly bad
i cannot believe how horrible this was.there is no plot. at least not a very good one. it's full of holes and nothing really makes sense, like they meet briefly for 10 seconds and then the main dude is obsessed with him and goes out of his way to become friends with him..? and then they fall asleep together and then they break up and then they kiss/?? LMFAOO????? like this was actually so bad i can't believe i watched the whole thing. there was no development or anything you would expect in a romance film it felt like it was written by a 10 year old on wattpad with bad grammar and poor punctuation
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This review may contain spoilers
Incredible Music and Eye Candy
This is another extremely biased review of a movie that I absolutely adore!The first thing I fell in love with is the music. The soundtrack is fantastic. The movie (and series) starts out with wonderful cello and violins playing a variation of the title song Wish You. Now, I'm not a strings person at all but something about this song and the sound the cello makes is completely magical!
Then one of the male leads hears the other singing on the street, stops dead in his tracks, starts watching and listening, and falls instantly in love. You can see it and feel it at the same time. Seriously, pure magic. That's what makes this a complete 10 for me, just the feel of the story. I mean, just listen and watch! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4opvypXJQ30
When you watch this be prepared to fall in love with a couple of really really adorable guys who are lucky enough to have found their soulmates and who want to make beautiful music together. Yes, the story isn't deep or complex, there are a lot of leaps and assumptions, but I don't care. The music and these 2 guys make it all perfect in my eyes.
The only disappointment is that not all of the songs are part of the soundtrack album and there are some songs that till this day I can't find anything about. Neither Shazam nor googling finds anything about these songs. One in particular has moved into my brain rent-free and has been living there for 4 years now. If anyone reading this knows please share! The song starts with "If it all comes crashing down we'll be just fine." Damn I love that song!
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