Hate to have to say this, but maybe K-dramas really shouldn’t attempt another Japanese manga adaptation for the foreseeable future. Or at least hold off until it figures out how to delicately flesh out the source material in a Korean aesthetic without butchering it wholesale. I haven’t written about Tomorrow’s Cantabile (Naeil’s Cantabile), the Korean adaptation of the shoujo manga Nodame Cantabile, since it premiered last week. I honestly don’t have a single good thing to say about it after watching the first two episodes so refrained from piling on or raining on the parade of those who do like it. It’s not for me doesn’t mean it’s not for somebody out there.
Sadly for production coming in with high expectations, it’s now looking more and more like a whole lot of people may not find it a palatable either despite the big name stars and big budget. TC premiered on KBS with a decent 8.5% ABG rating for episode one but since then it’s been on a fast track downward spiral, dropping to 7.4% in episode two and now to 5.8% with yesterday’s episode three. Ouch. Every previous Joo Won drama on KBS has been a massive ratings hit from Baker King Kim Tak Goo, Ojakkyo Brothers, Gaksital, and Good Doctor but it looks like his KBS hit streak has finally come to an end.
Tomorrow’s Cantabile’s double-digit ratings drop is even more noticeable considering Mon-Tues have been a dead man’s land in terms of quality dramas and ratings, the stupider than a sack of potatoes fantasy sageuk Records of a Night Watchman leads in the low teens ratings mostly by inertia of not having any competition. Discovery of Romance was too frustrating for most viewers while The Secret Door likely too dour and/or serious, TC really had a ratings chance but blew it by basically being a case study on how not to adapt a popular written source material.
I haven’t watched a second of The Secret Door so I can’t render any opinion on that sageuk drama, but Tomorrow’s Cantabile is qualitatively a better drama than Records of a Night Watchman, a drama that basically makes zero sense wrapped in bad acting from most of the cast. But TC being better than another crappier drama means nothing, especially when TC exists as a different version of a story where a nearly universally beloved earlier drama adaptation already exists. If there wasn’t the Tamaki Hiroshi–Ueno Juri version of Nodame Cantabile, then perhaps TC would be received better since it has nothing to stack up to. But the reality is that TC was always going to be judged both on its own merits and against the J-dorama, and knowing that the production still failed in all ways to grasp the source material.
Joo Won doesn’t bring the condescending arrogance and pent-up frustration of Chiaki while Shim Eun Kyung turns Nodame from a weirdo into a straight up fool. Between the two of them, Joo Won is actually more bearable to watch, I basically cringed through every scene from Shim Eun Kyung in the first two episodes. She’s doing a shockingly terrible interpretation of Nodame, whether it’s her own take or she’s being written/directed that way. Nodame is an oddball on campus, not the school buffoon, a 4D girl with a love of music and a lack of social graces. Shim Eun Kyung’s Naeil is basically the campus idiot. So wrong, so much wrong I can’t even.
K-Stresemann is dull without any zing to him and even the pitch perfect Milch Holstein joke fell flat when it was such a brilliant aside in the original. There are too many side characters in the K-version so that none of the main leads are given the proper development, and what passes for character development is glossed over rather than organically introduced. I’m not even going to touch the music but my classical musician drama friends have declared the K-version to be butchering the musical playing while at the J-version properly paid respect to the technique of the piano playing and the conducting.
Nodame Cantabile is nowhere near my favorite J-dorama, the first time around I enjoyed it and moved right along when it was done without any lingering attachment to the story. The K-version actually makes me appreciate the J-version more for so effortlessly bringing to life such a rich weird musical world without ever making it feel like a caricature. If the ratings for TC resurrects after hitting this new low then the production can heave a sigh of relief otherwise TC continues the multi-year ratings bombs of drama adapted from Japanese mangas.
This year 2024 has been a slow year for K-actress Suzy in terms of her…
There are weird casting choices and this one is weird from both the leads itself…
Well this is an interesting pairing, setting aside the age difference at least I can…
I swear I just wrote about Song Joong Ki having his first baby and then…
At the end of the day, the core of any good drama remains the Story,…
If I didn't know this drama was a romance set in space and done K-drama…
This website uses cookies.
View Comments
Miss Koala secret door is a really great drama but its not easy viewing if you know what I mean. The tone of the drama is really serious.
The nodame remake seemed liked a caricature of the original. I have higher hopes for liar game since they made it a reality show.
Well I've watched the J-version for over 5 times so probably I'm biased towards it, this is my very personal opinion.
I can't talk about how terrible TC is as I'm not an expert in this, but I dislike the Korean version. I liked the first two episodes, but after that it went down to the love triangle, academic politics and things rather than just enjoying music. I think the storyline is too much about the love between SN & YJ, it's no longer about their love for music.
And to look at SN's piano, I can't tell that she's enjoying piano from her expression. YJ is slightly better, when he conducts he looks a little happier tho.
If I watch TC as an ordinary k-drama I think I'll love it, as it's very typical-love triangles, academic politics, conflicts among friends, romantic scenes and whatnot. However if you're expecting something musical, artistic and sensitive, I think you should go for the J version as the interpretation of Nodame is way more sensitive than Naeil. It's through Nodame that I feel like I really love music, but not TC. Anyway it's still good as a 'typical' Korean drama tho!
Well if you look in a another way, none of the dramas these days are doing good.. Even the popular slot Wed-Thursday arent quite doing well either. My Spring days is sucks too, the drama doesnt even have a double digit rating.
Why are you talking about MSD in this article.
People seriously
Everyone bounds with their own opinion I guess. I really like MSD and actually it is the only drama i watched on this current time. Oh wait, I just added Misaeng on the list. lol. But I have to be true about TC.. I have problem watching it especially when I have such a high expectation on the casts and yet all of those went down because of the characters weren't interpreted the way I thought it would be. This is the problem with all Kdrama remakes to be honest. I felt like the scriptwriter just blindly took a famous Japanese drama without actually do any depth research on the subject. That's how it got so bad. Nodame is a very complex character that perhaps you need a very versatile actress to pull it off. Sigh.. what a mess..
I am watching secret door. and yup it is quite serious. But man has it taken my fancy, Park Eun Bin and Lee Je Hoon have good onscreen chemistry!!!
but I guess I understand where you are coming from, Kdrama nowadays are missing the ZINGfactor. But one drama is really bringing it for me, OCN's thriller criminal drama BAD GUYS. just awesome!
Honestly, I enjoyed the first episodes of Naeil's Cantabile. If this drama's able to make me finish it from the beginning to the very end, and I end up watching it more than once, then I won't have any complaint.
I know nothing about music so I'm quite indifferent when it comes to the butchering done to the musical playing. The only thing that seems really ogg is the ending ost, they should have put instrumental music instead.
I'm
--looking forward to the romance between the main leads and, of course, it would be pretty nice to know more about the supporting cast's background. I just hope there will be enough episodes to give at least an overview of their individual stories (since there won't be any movie).
Finally I'm feeling relief for an open statement.
despite the silliness of Nodame Cantabile, it did gave viewers good remarkable impression on classical music and for people like me who doesnt appreciate classical music, my naive-ity and s mesmerised by it. TC has a different approach and lets just enjoy to those who are following it ;-p
I sincerely luvs following ms koala recaps - but.... with due respect.... I also noted the hints of dislike against Joo-won...
I haven't watched the drama myself but I have Korean friends who told me that the drama comes across as flat. These Korean friends haven't read the manga nor watched previous screen adaptations of the manga.
Thank you for this. I feel that everytime I bring up the k-version as butchering the original (manga or J-drama), I get lots of brickbats. My issues are the same - the music selection in the k-remake is poor and lacks understanding of the original pieces to the characters. For example, replacing Beethoven's Pathetique with Liszt loses the initial connection between the leads - there is no "cantabile" feel in how Naeil played Liebestraume, which misses the entire point of Nodame's playing style. Yoojin didn't even have time to figure out why he liked Naeil's playing before being dragged away. The motivations, if any, for the two-piano duet were not well established either. And to have a pop song as closing credits... that's just wrong for a drama about classical music.
This is a result of the production not having grasped the essence of the characters themselves. I don't understand why they interpreted Naeil to be such - Nodame is not a five-year-old idiot who manhandles and obsesses over the first good-looking (drunk) guy she sees. She's also not some smart-mouth chick trying to be "quirky". There's much to Nodame than her outwardly 4D-ness and often she understands more than she lets on. Yoojin is just a watered-down version of Chiaki - as a typical kdrama rom-com hero, he would have done fine. But there is much dichotomy in Chiaki's personality that makes his character development and musical growth throughout the drama much more satisfying to follow - there's little in Yoojin's character that shows this. K-Stresemann was boring and had no ero-jiijii vibe, which was a defining characteristic of the original character - the guy was an oddball lecher who would have taken advantage of Nodame had Chiaki not stepped in. I found Ilrak to be a bit of a thug, which isn't what Mine is.
The conducting is a joke from the get go and the playing wasn't much to shout about either. The funny scenes that were supposed to be funny fell flat. The storyline execution is poor and I feel it assumes 1) that viewers would already have some understanding of the plot and characters since there are already the existing manga, Jdrama and anime; and 2) because of this assumption, viewers thereby would "understand" if the remake didn't "explain" certain things. That, or they were banking on viewers who had not read/seen the manga, Jdrama or anime and wouldn't mind what was dished out.
I think it's all very well to not want to do a frame-by-frame copy of the original Jdrama, but at the very least the remake must understand what the story and characters are really about. I'm not seeing that here.
Snow, I agree with you 100%.
The crux of the problem isn't a difference in interpretation (it's cool when remakes bring something new to the table). But rater, TC is mediocre and lacks a fundamental respect for the heart and soul of Nodame Cantabile.
The remake sucks. Period. The narrative lacks coherence. The characterizations are not compelling. The acting is all over the place. And the overall editing/production feels shallow.
The comedy and liveliness of the original are carried by this massive collision of opposites. He's uptight. She's warm and bizarre. He's obsessive-compulsively clean. She lives like primordial cavewoman. He approaches music with perfectionism and precision, paying utmost respect to the composer's intent. She plays music like a rock star.
These opposites meet and chaos/hijinks ensues (like when he discovers goo leaking from her trashed balcony lololol). But along the way there is transformation and transfiguration. His is a world of fragmented childhood, arrogance, and one hellishly traumatic flying experience; you get the sense that he's weighed down by his own brilliance and neuroticism. Yet as he inhabits more and more of Nodame's strange environment (she makes things happen! friends flock to her! music is lively and wonderful from her fingertips!), he loosens up and becomes more free. And above all he becomes the first champion of her music. He believes in her genius when she is blind to it. He cleans after her and makes sure she eats.
So how much of this narrative does the K-remake butcher? Well, a lot.
In TC, Yoo-Jin comes across as slightly melancholy rather than frustrated and frozen with doubt/anxiety. You don't get the sense that he's literally *stuck* in Korea and can't travel to Europe and is about to give up on classical music. When he plays that cadenza from Grieg's piano concerto (op. 16), he is scolded for "playing it however he wants". UM. NO? The point is that Nodame (not Chiaki!) is one who "plays it however she wants", and because of it, transforms Chiaki's attitude towards music. If he's already such a musical maverick, what's the point of meeting Nodame?
And then there's the problem of Naeil, who is genuinely unappealing. Nodame is a messy oddball, yes ... but she's charming too. The original meeting between Nodame and Chiaki is wrapped in tenderness and mystery. The remake makes the moment too long, with lots of gross oogling on Naeil's part, and some nasty-ass chocolate stains on his shirt as she gropes him.
So then you're left with very little interesting story to tell. The stakes are low, and the future is unclear.
Spot on. It's pathetic what the remake has done, and the mistake starts almost from the get-go. I'll just name one scene:
In the original, Chiaki is shown to be mired in despair, his happy times with Vieira sensei contrasting sharply with his current misery - this is beautifully depicted through a series of shots that are either close-ups of his pain or show him boxed in (by furniture, walls, pillars etc). He's half shrouded in darkness while gazing forlornly at the bright light outside. The whole segment is intercut with scenes of the horrific emergency landing, hinting at a possible childhood trauma. Chiaki is seated on the floor, leaning back against the pillar, smoking - at the end of it, his head droops. His whole posture and demeanour show how helpless he feels.
What does the k-remake do? Show Yoojin sitting in his posh armchair staring mopily at his conducting baton, drinking wine in his nice, bright and sunny gigantic house with a huge bookshelf. What despair was there? It didn't even take two minutes. How is anyone to relate to whatever piecemeal "pain" or "despair" that Yoojin is supposedly feeling? He's more like some mopey suitor who got rejected on his first date.
When Chiaki got dumped by Saiko, there was self-loathing evident in his words about wanting to give up music and work in her family's music shop business instead. So it was understandable she wouldn't want a "loser" boyfriend anymore since she's a rising opera singer and it just wouldn't do for her to hang around a guy with no ambition. Yoojin? Nada. Zilch. He got dumped because he was "boring".
And you're right, the remake just cheapens the initial meeting between Nodame and Chiaki. I can't believe it even went the way it did.
I see a lot of comments saying the Japanese slapstick was too much and they couldn't relate. But beneath the slapstick was a lot of heart, warmth and depth - the characters had their own stories to tell and share, and the screenwriter, director and actors brought that across beautifully. Despite the slapstick, this became a journey that viewers were willing to believe and go along with Nodame, Chiaki and their merry friends. I think some people placed the wrong emphasis on the slapstick and missed the whole point of Nodame Cantabile.
I agree :)
In the opening episode we hear Chiaki (Jdrama) saying that people he is listening to are crap, in contrast, Yoo Jin (Kdrama) comments on their technique before proclaiming them to be crap. The difference in the characters is that the JDrama (Chiaki) would have still thought they were crap even if their technique was good. That trait of the Japanese character was important because it showed just how impressed he was with Nodame when he heard her play the piano. But even that part was severely downplayed by the Kdrama.
In the Kdrama Yoo Jin is filling out his withdrawal notice when he hears the piano in the background, he comments that it has subtle charm and then calmly walks up to find out whom is playing it. Yoo Jin doesn't make a mention of her technical ability, so you could be forgiven in thinking that her sound came from her technical skill since the character (Yoo Jin) was obsessed with it in the earlier scenes.
In contrast, Chiaki starts off commenting on the sloppy playing, saying it's pathetic, but realises that it's not wrong, then proceeds to run in the direction of where the music is played.
For me, this was one of Nodame's key moments because it summed up her character when she received praise by a character that thought everyone else at the school was crap. It also set the ground work on why Chiaki became interested in Nodame. However the Kdrama seems to miss this interaction and as a result all of Naeil's (Nodame's) key moments seem to be downplayed.
I really tried to like it, but it is just so boring.
Thank you, Ms. Koala, for this. TC was just unbearable to watch ~ I was a fan of Joo Won's previous dramas until this. And JW's Yoojin is bearable unlike Shim Eun Kyung's Naeil (which is just a slapstick joke). I had tried not comparing the two version, but even on its own, there is nothing noteworthy about TC so far. Nodame Cantabile had great acting from both leads, good chemistry, strong supporting cast and excellent music choices.
Shim Eun Kyung is playing Nae Il like Gu Hye Sun played Jan Di, which was a major reason K-HanaDan sucked donkey balls. The character of Makino/Jan Di was butchered in the performance in the K-version, the same way Nodame is grating on every last nerve. Sure Shim Eun Kyung is a good actress, no one can deny that, but she is certainly putting in a terrible acting performance for this particular role.
I still think that given the outstanding performance she delivered in Miss Granny it's more likely that her terrible performance is exactly what she's being asked to deliver. I haven't seen the Japanese dorama, but even I am finding her character to be incredibly annoying and stupid, after only 2 episodes seen for me. Very disappointing. Of course, it is a KompleteBloodyShite production, so I should not have expected anything better.
Bingo! I couldn't have said it better, Ms. Koala. The ironic thing was when I first started watching the J-version, neither leads were on my to-watch list, unlike this K-version. I was a fan of SEK and thought JW is a serviceable actor. And I had looked forward to a different but unique interpretation ~ which has yet to be seen thus far.
Ueno Juri's Nodame was likable; she was childlike, not childish. SEK's Naeil is harder to take and GHS' Jan Di which I never thought possible from an actress of SEK's caliber. I have excused Jan Di's brassiness in speech and mannerism was to compensate for her poor blue collar background. I don't know what Naeil's deal was and neither do I care. I just can't finish ep. 3.
....SEK's Naeil is harder to take than GHS' Jan Di.... **typo**.
Wow, you and I had the same thoughts. I kept thinking that Gu Hye Sun's character in "Boys over Flowers" was similar to Naeil in "Tomorrows Cantabile." I kept thinking how the series would be if Gu Hye Sun played this role instead of the girl currently portraying it. I wouldn't say BOF was butchered though, as it was a hit overseas, and was one of the Kdrama that had me hooked. I can still re-watch over and over for BOF. Not sure why since I can't stand Lee Minh Ho's other dramas, but I can in BOF.
I think you're over rating the Japanese nodame she WAS and straight up cool and weirdo she was foolest human being during that show ..and I think the reason you guys are not seeing boo won as the low key type ..while the drama is just missing the stupid effects the jap.ver had ..
Yes, the piano playing, violin playing and conducting is really awkward, still better than in Beethoven Virus but only marginally.
I think the editing is poor.
To be fair, Ueno Juri had some piano training when she was young so she wasn't a complete novice. Tamaki Hiroshi had no music training and even in the J-versio, in the beginning episodes, Tamaki's piano and violin playing also looked awkward but he obviously got better, partucularly when he "played" Rachmaninov on the piano and brought his own style of conducting which came across as least charismatic though not exactly polished.
I'm very disappointed with SEK's piano playing... cpuld be the editing as well but mostly she does not looked like a genius immersed in her own brand of piano playing nor was she able to show the connection to the puano the way Ueno did tight from the get go. Same for Joo Won, though I'm not as critical since the real test for him is conducting. Though the scenes of Chiaki playing Rachmaninov Piano Concerto no. 2 with Stressmamnn conducting as well as his piano duet with Nodame of the same piece are pivotal in the dramas. Assuming that the k-version will keep these scenes then I really hope SEK and JW can do better.
Will condu
Agree that Tamaki's playing was awkward initially, but he did really well to improve. I loved his Rachmaninoff piano scene and he was fantastic when he played Bach in the first film.
Oh that's sad about the ratings, there's too much expectation and pressure in this remake because it's such a beloved manga and jdrama. Here's hoping it becomes popular internationally at least. As a fan of Nodame Cantabile, I'm really liking the korean version so far. Joo Won, Shim Eun Kyung, and Go Kyung Pyo are fun to watch. But I also find portrayal of Streseman and Masami lacking so far.
comment by K in episode 2:
I would argue that this Korean version has too LITTLE music. The whole point of Nodame Cantabile is how Chiaki and Nodame’s lives are so intertwined with music, in their world they live, breathe and grow with it, it is what drives them, it is what inspires them. That’s why the drama was so beloved, because it gave the audience insight and new appreciation for a brand of music many people think is boring, and the drama achieved this by giving the classical music room to breathe on its own.
The Japanese drama was all heart and depth and stuck to the manga so closely. I don’t know how you saw only ‘some’ character growth because Nodame Cantabile had one of the best writing in terms of character development. If anything the Korean adaptation is the one lacking in dept and character growth.
Just take the piano duet. In the original Chiaki was forcing Nodame to play according to how he wanted it to be played, but in the end he realised he was doing the exact thing he hated his piano professor for doing to him, and that’s why it was so significant when he told Nodame to just play however she likes. He also recognised her talent and realised that special thing that emerges when she plays freely: her cantabile style. Chiaki had hit a slump and was about to quit, but that duet with Nodame was when he became reinspired and made the move to pursue his dream to become a conductor. You see this continued character growth in the next episode, when Chiaki has to accompany Mine for his exam, he tells him, listen to my piano, but otherwise play as you like. “Play as you like” because Chiaki learned that people shine brightest when they’re allowed to express themselves as they are. And in turn, Mine responds to Chiaki and produces a great performance, which also secures his loyalty to Chiaki.
But in the Kdrama there was none of this build up and exposition, none of this continuity and link to later unfolding events. The piano duet didn’t seem to serve a purpose beyond Yoo Jin feeling guilty about hurting Naeil.
Plus Naeil, all I’m seeing right now is childishness and her obsession with Yoo Jin. Where is the piano prodigy? Where is the girl that chose to go on practicing the duet because she didn’t want Chiaki to give up on himself? Nodame always understood and saw more than she appeared to and right from the beginning was always more than her attachment to Chiaki, but Naeil feels very one dimensional at this point in time even though she’s supposed to be the main character.
Of course I’ve watched the Korean version, otherwise I wouldn’t be commenting. You’re missing my point; I’m saying that the scenes may be the same, but it’s the lead up and exposition that’s lacking, and it leaves the scenes feeling insignificant. In the Kdrama Yoo Jin tries to force Naeil to play, gets bitten, apologises, and then all of a sudden they’re happily having fun with the duet. There’s no punchline, no deeper motivation for change. It’s the same with Rak, him and Yoo Jin had no interactions beforehand and Rak supposedly thinks he’s a rude jerk, but suddenly Yoo Jin stands in for Naeil and right after that Rak turns around and declares Yoo Jin his best friend? In the Jdrama Mine and Chiaki had interacted before and there was a whole storyline that showed how and why Mine despised Chiaki. That’s why it was such a big thing for Chiaki to accompany Mine and for Mine to come out of there wanting to be Chiaki’s friend.
Nodame is attached to Chiaki, but not obsessed like Naeil is. Naeil got sick camping out in front of Yoo Jin’s door all night; Nodame got sick because she wore thin clothes in an attempt to be sexier- do you see the difference?
Very very agree to this. This is exactly what I was looking for in k-version but disappointed. I kept asking "how?". Like I am missing all those subtle yet very significant leading up- scenes. Joowon is not doing it for me- bit flat, missing many of important facial expressions. I just can't connect with him.Nae-il was ok in the first episode but it's getting too much I am cringing. Soo bad that into 7 mins of ep 3, I just switched it off and decided to watch the j-version and ended up watching 8 episodes instead of working. When SEK was confirmed, I kind of feel relieved because I saw her other works but at same time sad because I would really like Eunjung to play Nodame. Now I kind of wishing again it was Eunjung. But then, if it's a flop like this, I'm glad she's not in it.
I hope it will get better in the next epi or it will be really a shame for such a great casts.