#symphony's romance

[lyselkatzfandomluvs]

Liú Chàng 劉暢

DY update 11.25.2023

ChàngChàng... I mean... CHÀNGCHÀNG!! HOW DARE?!

[dailyasiandramas]

Dailyasiandramas' Sunday Throwback Event Poll 14: Choose a Drama With The Word Romance In The Title

Romance Is a Bonus Book [South Korea, 2019]

Lost Romance [Taiwan, 2020]

A Romance of the Little Forest [China, 2022]

The Romance of Hua Rong [China, 2019]

Bloody Romance [China, 2018]

Symphony's Romance [China, 2020]

My Romance From Far Away [Thailand, 2022]

The Romance of Tiger and Rose [China, 2020]

Radio Romance [South Korea, 2018]

A Camellia Romance [China, 2021]

Voting ended onMay 27, 2023

[for-dramas-sake]

Verdict: I love them. 

I admit it. I really do love these two adorable, music-loving geeks.

While the drama is long and drags in place, I have never felt bored with Ling Zhen Yan and Fang Xiao Wo, especially when they are together. She brought him out of his shell and he gave her purpose. They are like and yet not like Chiaki and Nodame from “Nodame Cantabile”. And I’m okay with that.

What this drama did that I really wanted for the Japanese drama was get these two onto the same stage. It was a dream of Nodame’s but never became a reality, just imagination. I was so happy to see the drama end with these two smiling at each other: one at her piano, the other at his podium.

While miscommunication was still a big hurdle for them, they learned to get over it and ask for apologies and make up. And they got married and had a little girl! I love it!

[danisdramadiary]

Review | Symphony’s Romance

This drama is not a remake but an adaptation. There are elements from the original story but they are waaaay tone down and this makes Symphony’s Romance break away, distinguish itself, and become a drama on its own but still be that familiar tale you know so well. As a result, I could enjoy the drama without constantly comparing it to the other versions.

The relationship between Xiao Wo and Zhen Yan develops naturally, from a mutual admiration of the talent each holds to a professional and personal partnership among equals. This makes the romance feel more grounded and mature. A welcome change since it makes leading man more affectionate and open to the leading lady’s proactive and flirty ways and, in return, he becomes the person she can rely on when her genius overwhelms her. They support each other’s dreams and ambitions, based on the knowledge not only of themselves as individuals but as a couple. They keep choosing each other through hardships and insecurities. Xiao Wo and Zhen Yan work out things together like the dream team they choose to be.

The same can be said about the secondary characters. For once we see what happens when some of them make it in the world of classical music and others don’t. What happens among friends, lovers and rivals, whom so far have been following the same path, when they go out into the stage of the world. Do they follow their vocation? Was music just daydreaming? Do they decide to follow society’s expectations of what kind of job they should have?

I appreciate this more realistic take on the story. It’s not a youth drama, it’s a drama about young adults trying to find their place in the world and that’s definitely Symphony’s Romance strongest point.

The only weak point, for me, it’s the musical performances. In a drama about musicians and the need to stand on the stage as the best version of yourself, the performances were lacking for my taste. I am not sure if it was the music selection or the editing but, at times, it felt like there was no emotion behind the music that was playing. It should have been since it was supposed to be the culmination of trials the characters had gone through. In very few performances I can truly say that it felt like these passionate musicians left everything on the stage. However, this does not take away from the drama or the character development.

Overall, I had a really great time with this drama and enjoyed every episode. I have no complains about this drama, it gave me exactly what I wanted and needed from it. Symphony’s Romance is the perfect drama to relax and enjoy as the story evolves and its characters grow. With a super cute romance on top. I recommend it!

Rating: 8/10

[for-dramas-sake]

I have fallen for this couple despite my extreme attachment towards the originals, the love for the manga/anime, and my disappointment of the Korean remake.

I am talking about “Symphony’s Romance” which is a retelling of the Japanese drama “Nodame Cantabile” which was based on a manga of the same name. I have seen VERY FEW Japanese dramas (probably around 10, I think) compared to the mountains of Chinese and Korean dramas. “Nodame” is my FAVORITE Japanese drama and probably will remain so forever. If you’ve seen it, you understand why. If not, check it out, honestly. It’s worth it.

When there are remakes of shows or movies, we tend to compare them to the originals. That’s exactly what I did to this drama. The OG Chiaki x Nodame couple were SO FREAKING CUTE! They were funny, passionate about music and grew closer together during the hard times.

Then came the Korean remake “Tomorrow Cantabile” (2014). I tried to like it, but couldn’t even finish it. It fell flat for me (even with Joo Won!!! my fav Korean actor). There was no chemistry between the leads and the story was so jumbled and boring I couldn’t enjoy it. 

So that brings us to “Symphony’s Romance”, the Chinese remake that came out this year. I started it out of pure boredom (waiting for new eps of “Qing Qing Zi Jin” is introducing me to a TON of new dramas). And... yes, I kept saying “Ling Zhen Yan is nothing like Chiaki”...”that’s not what Nodame would do”... etc, etc. 

BUT, you know what? Sometimes you have to shed that bias for the original to appreciate something that is the same but different. So little by little, episode after episode, I shed the bias and started to like the drama. (Note: for clarity, I did a lot of skipping of some characters that I felt were unnecessary for me to know)

But what about our main couple? Main verdict: CUTE! And surprisingly, they have a healthy relationship. The FL does an adorable job and plays a keen attachment to the ML. He seemed a bit...too happy for a Chiaki (again back to the comparing), but I like him. He’s like Chiaki, but he has a different growth spurt and develops a different attachment to his love than Chiaki did. For THIS drama, they are perfect and adorable.

All of that to say: I still love “Nodame Cantabile”, but this new couple in “Symphony’s Romance” is proving to be a new like. 

[chineseredcarpet]

Lin Yun reunites with Symphony's Romance costar Zhang Xincheng at GQ 2023 MOTY Awards

[dingyuxi]

How do you do it? How can you appear so foolish, but in the most stressful moments, you’re able to calm me down? Tell me, just how much magic do you have stored away? I have good luck. If you stick closely to me, it’ll last forever, and I can share it with you.

[dingyuxi]

It’s ugly.