Chocolate (2019)

You know how we all hold out hope for that last episode? I am there. I have had some very clear realizations while watching the final 16th episode. It starts out terribly in my opinion, with the ML lying, which has been a problem with the FL the entire season. This drama has been full of secrecy in the name of protecting other people or denying their own feelings from the get go. It has also been full of false guilt, followed by apologies for things that were not actually their fault. I know that in some Asian cultures this is considered a virtue, but I despise it. Clearly it is the writer's theme for this drama. I appreciate when a cast gets to be adults and actually discuss their emotions, deal with facts and work things out. No one in this entire drama does that. It has been frustrating for me, but the main story line has been compelling enough to hold my attention. The recently (like 2 episodes ago) paired main couple did not build a truly romantic relationship early enough to support their intimacy in this last episode in my opinion as well. The ML lead feels more like a friend or a pal than a boyfriend honestly. The side stories took up a lot of air time and were well developed, but that actually took away from the core romantic aspect of the drama. The backstory and flashbacks were well done and intriguing leading the viewer to believe that the final result would be emotionally comparable, but the ML has hardly cracked a smile the entire drama, so now that he is relaxed and smiling at the end it seems contrite and unnatural honestly, out of character. In this entire last episode, his denial that his mother was the person who gave the FL chocolate when a mall collapsed trapping them both, loomed over the joy of their relationship in my mind. He surely can not keep that a secret forever and when the FL finds out he lied what then? But, that was not revealed before the drama ended. I haven't mentioned that the drama was set in a hospice and patients do die in every single episode, which was ok emotionally, since that was the theme, and it was never overly dramatized. The ending was understated and sweet, and did get more believable in the last few minutes. I would still recommend this to be watched, but it is not one I personally will re-watch later. I enjoyed Kim Won-Hae's role in this as he is an eternal treat for me anytime he is in a drama, but even his character speaks of death and has false guilt. I give this an 8 which is low for me. I believe the true moral of this story is, do not take life for granted and appreciate what life you do have. A worthy message.

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The situations you’ll encounter within the series are really eye openers. It will have you thinking about what important in life. I will admit that this is a burner for sure. I warn you all, this is not a romantic drama. This is a drama with tragedy and sad stuff with a hint of love. Don’t be fooled. It’s not bad but it’s not sweet either. This drama surrounds a man that went through hardship as a child and a women who suffered as well. You will also see a lot of their families and the role they played in how they are today. It’s a very sentimental series with a hint of warmth. This was not a great love story. It was so sad. Very few if any upbeat moments.

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I started watching this drama because I was bored and I saw Ha Ji Won as the main actress. I honestly did not expect anything from this drama; however, it was one of the most heart-warming dramas ever! This was a drama that I needed in my life at the moment. It will always have a special place in my heart.

I think I cried in every single episode and this is a first. Kudos to the writer, director, the whole production team, the actors and actresses that produced such an amazing, well-written drama. A MASTERPIECE!

Story: This is not your typical medical/food drama, but the writer somehow combined both genres so well. I don't want to spoil too much about the storyline, although it's very obvious that you can predict what is next with the main characters. However, what really had me crying every episode was the stories behind every patient at the hospice. The writer was able to incorporate food with each story and give meanings behind every dish was brilliant.

Character: All the characters had developed throughout the drama, but my favorite gotta be Lee Jun. He changed so much from the beginning until the end. His relationship with Kang had me crying the most. I'm so glad the writer & director did not turn him into a bad character. Although his mother was my least favorite because she ruined Jun, but I guessed the second to last episode explained why she wanted the hospital so bad. Still disliked her though because she used Jun for her own greed. Each character has their own sad story behind it, which is why I also loved this drama so much. It did not focus on the main characters too much, but it also gave the support characters a lot more screen time. I think that was why this drama was so heart-warming.

Acting/Cast: HANDS DOWN EVERYONE ACTED SO WELL!!! Even the children made me cried...

Music: AILEE sang their main OST, ofc it should be good! Overall, the OST did set the mood for the whole drama.

Overall: This is a must-watch if you are looking for something that is super heartwarming and you are in the mood to cry every episode. I'm glad that I watched this drama while it was airing because at least I could take a break from crying lol. Honestly, this will be one of my top dramas and I would rewatch it later on. Do not expect too much romance from this drama, it will teach you valuable lessons though. Every moment in this drama was meaningful. Also, the cinematography is so beautiful!

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A melodrama done right.

The weakest point of Chocolate is the first few episodes which make the show seem like the run-of-the-mill melodrama, with plenty of classic sibling rivalry and serendipitous meeting between the romantic leads. The quick transition of time and space, in addition to the contrived missed opportunity of the romance, is a drag to get through.
The show takes off towards the middle when the story transitions from the hectic ER drama to the calming environment of a hospice. The slice-of-life quality of middle episodes gives the world and characters room to breathe. Each side characters fulfill their arcs as the main characters grow with them. The sibling rivalry also transforms as the brothers become more introspective about their place in the world.
The show reaches a crescendo when the romantic leads tie up their intertwined history together towards the later episode. While predictable, the chemistry between the leads blossoms into a rewarding experience.
To conclude, while this is a melodrama with no regards to realistic plot, the characters really find a place they belong in a power-hungry world that reflects the one we live in.

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Para começar, preciso dizer que a ost é linda e a fotografia é de tirar o folego nesse kdrama e o foram as primeiras coisas a me chamarem a atenção em Chocolate.

Eu curti a história desse drama, sim é um melodrama que tem um desenvolvimento mais lento e gradual principalmente no quesito romance, mas isso não prejudicou minha experiência em nada, percebo que muitas pessoas não curtem historias nesse estilo, mas eu não tenho nada contra e acho que foi o drama perfeito para a ocasião que comecei.

Eu estava entediada e com muita dificuldade de achar algo diferente para ver na época da estreia e me deparei com aqueles posters incríveis e aquela sinopse super interessante de chocolate.Achei bem original essa ideia de mostrar uma chef de cozinha e um medico e segui-los em suas carreiras durante a trama.

OS PARENTES TERRIVEIS

A familia dele é terrível e nunca demonstra mudança durante a história, em especial a mãe do Jun e a avó do Kang duas cobras que te dão nos nervos, o pai do Jun era um ser humano muito patetico e ao mesmo tempo infantil.

A família dela não ficava a atrás, o irmão dela era tão fútil e superficial que me irritava profundamente. O mais ridículo era como ela aceitava tudo calada sem nem brigar com ele, mesmo que ele continuasse aprontando mais e mais.

A TRANSIÇÃO DE CENAS

Aqui eu tenho que reclamar de uma coisa que me gerou estranheza nesse drama desde o primeiro momento que foi a transição de cenas muito mal feita. Era muito esquisito quando estávamos em uma cena e ja cortava para outra antes de vermos a resolução da anterior, ou então quando personagens brotavam do nada em locais sem explicação. É uma pena que isso não foi devidamente corrigido ao longo da história e quando menos esperávamos la estava mais uma cena estranha dando as caras novamente. Eu torci muito para isso mudar mas infelizmente isso não aconteceu!


SOBRE O FINAL

Como eu disse, gostei do ritmo mais natural desse drama mas justamente por isso eu esperei muito mais do final do que realmente aconteceu e acabei me decepcionando com isso. Achei meio sem sentido ela pedir um tempo pra ele naquela altura do campeonato, até porque não da pra dizer que eles foram muito rápidos em seu romance, tudo fluiu tão lentamente que quando eles finalmente vão ficar juntos não faz o menor sentido se separaram daquela forma.

Fiquei com aquela sensação de que os roteiristas nem sabiam como queriam terminar o drama ai inventaram aqueles acontecimentos só para terem uma desculpa para terminar a ultima cena na Grécia. Sei lá aquilo ficou bem estranho e na minha opinião tinham tantas alternativas melhores que a decepção foi certa.

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I have always been a fan of Ha Ji Won and it seemed like she and Yoon Kye Sang was an unlikely pair. Plus this was also a melodrama. I kinda had qualms with most of Korean melodramas because they tend to drag the second lead storyline way too much but I was surprised with this story. First of all, the OST is so good that I had to buy the physical copy. HJW and YKS even had a special duet song included. This is one of those legit slice of life melodramas where there is no unnecessary love triangle conflict. It was a legit story where their only hurdle is life's situations and circumstances. I also liked the fact that the story not only focuses on them but also with the people around them.

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"O dia que você desperdiçou hoje é o amanhã que alguém que morreu ontem tanto desejava."

Os pacientes da unidade de cuidados paliativos não só mudaram a vida dos protagonistas, como fizeram eu refletir sobre mim mesma do início ao fim. Chocolate é um melodrama único por colocar as memórias afetivas associadas a comida.

Fiquei pensando tanto nisso, que muitos dos nossos desejos, do momentos sejam eles solitários ou compartilhados, envolviam algum tipo de comida. Às vezes parece algo bobo e passa despercebido, mas por trás de uma refeição está uma memória da qual nunca poderemos viver de novo.

A trama muito bem construída, mostrando o contexto do passado dos protagonistas que foi complexo, carregado de traumas e dramas familiares. A Chay-young sem dúvidas foi a minha personagem preferida. Ela teve uma vida muito difícil mas tentou ao máximo ajudar as pessoas ao seu redor, e a forma como ela fazia isso era espalhando amor a cada prato feito.

Todas as cenas que a chayoung cozinhava me deixavam tranquila, eu amava ver ela cozinhando. E todas as histórias naquele hospital envolvendo alguma refeição especial, deixaram meu coração quentinho e ao mesmo tempo me levaram as lágrimas. Mas acredito que o choro seja bom para lavar a alma, né?

Senti falta no final de saber sobre alguns detalhes que foram sofridos pelos personagens mas ficaram com um final aberto. No entanto, a história me emocionou bastante e a forma como abordaram a culinária em torno de todo o peso dramático da trama, foi lindo demais.

A fotografia, as OSTS, até o romance que não teve foco geral, porém a história do casal principal é linda e tem o seu valor, foram bem executados.

Se você está com o emocional em dia e ama o gênero de melodrama, Chocolate vale muito a pena. Envolvente, com inúmeras lições de vida e desperta todas as emoções possíveis.

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Slow poison!

Should you? Would you? Could you?

You should watch this one (MAYBE! )
You would recommend this to others. (MAYBE!)
You could watch this again. (NO!)

Ending: Happy

It is like slow poison - it seeps into your veins and slowly consumes you with its intensity. This is not a drama for everyone. This is not a drama for the weak hearted because believe me you will end up crying a lot thanks to it’s setting which is in a hospice.
This is a drama that you will start enjoying only after the third or the fourth episode. There is something that pulls you into this but I repeat it is not everyone’s cup of tea. It is slow and it is intense. It has a lot of sad moments which will make you shed a tear but it is worth a watch definitely.

The creators have very cleverly drawn parallels between two emotions: happiness and sadness. Happiness always comes from eating good food and sadness always arises out of weakness, sickness and death. So they have taken these two emotions and exposed the audience to doses of both in equal proportion. They take you where you know that you are going to meet terminally ill patients and there you are exposed to this amazing array of food which is given to these amazing people and then you slowly watch them die that leads to intense sadness on our part.

The romance is gradual and that’s perfect for this story line. I didn’t really find too much chemistry between the lead pair but that also didn’t seem to take away from the effectiveness of the story.

The cast: the lead pair are good in their respective roles. Not much chemistry between them. But Jang Seung Jo ( lead actor’s cousin brother),Min Jin Woong (lead actresses brother), Kim Won Hae (director of hospice) & Kim Ho Jung ( director’s ex wife) deserve a special mention as they have brought their roles alive with fabulous performances.

Watch it if you have the patience. It’s meant for those who are willing to shed a tear and not expect a fast paced drama.

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A sensitive drama about family, hospice care, and mental health - and the healing power of food

I've actually rewatching "Chocolate" as I write this review - my first review for the first K-drama I've ever watched in my life (which happened about seven months ago).

My message to you is, watch it! Even though I've read elsewhere that it's considered somewhat old fashioned, I hope many Koreans watched it, because it sends so many important messages about love and self-care that we could all use.

What people mistake for gloominess is actually a courageous take on difficult subjects that are often avoided in polite Korean culture, like depression. It also tackles hospice care, dementia, and the immense pressure of familial expectations placed on Korean children. It's definitely got its melodramatic moments, and you will shed many cathartic tears.

It's beautifully shot, it's got a lot of heartwarming moments centered around food, and thankfully it's got plenty of moments of levity in between. All of this frames the beautiful love story between the two main characters - two wounded people who didn't seem like they could be together because of so much baggage in their younger lives.

The drama has gathered a real powerhouse of actors, from the leads, Ha Ji Won and Yoon Kye Sang (who is somehow, frustratingly, not getting enough career breaks, much as he tries), to Jang Seung Jo (YKS' rival cousin), Kim Won Hae (the hospice facility director), and Min Jin Woong (HJW's brother).

It's probably not going to affect you like this year's big hits. Think of this as the underdog drama that tries to send quiet messages of caring and concern to the people who probably need it most. There's plenty of room in the plot, the photography, and in the acting to appreciate this drama.

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Thumbs up with the development of the story!

It started with the main characters in unusual backgrounds. With busy career lines, health issues, cold and dull emotions, no one can expect how to make their ends meet. But the storyline gradually develops at a constant pace by becoming humane and more lovely towards the end. No pressures to love and they just allowed fate to draw them together. And this is what made it beautiful.

The supporting characters added majority of the weave in the story. I unexpectedly realize that they are the ones that made a huge impact to my tears in almost every episode. The OST and visuals are also excellent!

I wish there would be more happy details in the ending, like Kang proposing to Cha Young, or Cha Young managing the seaside restaurant. Their chemistry was really good!!

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When we think about chocolate and what it means for most of us, one of the thoughts that come up is that it is soothing and helps us feel better in our difficult times. Just like it's namesake the drama Chocolate also is very comforting. The notion that food provides us comfort in our hardest times is put forth in a remarkable manner. The actors portrayed their roles beautifully and the story was quite good. For some reason, I felt at ease after watching the drama. It was a new feeling after having watched the drama. I'm sure people who enjoy food as I do would take a liking for this drama too. Happy watching!

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