Autumn's Concerto unlike the name implies really has nothing to do with music at all. Music is not part of any theme in this drama nor is it mentioned often enough to warrant the name. Therefore I question the logic of this English name for the drama. It's Chinese name in fact means 'Next step, Happiness' which is a much more fitting name for this drama. Therefore be warned, do not watch this drama expecting something similar to 'Nodame Cantabile' with music as its theme.
Chinese and Taiwaness dramas of the few i watched have always followed a similar formula with regards to character creation, triangular relationships, and view of modern society. Autumn's Concerto is dime in a dozen and very closely follows this well trekked and guaranteed to succeed formula to high viewership. The formula is as below:
1. Rich/well off/successful guy (with an attitude) meets poor/innocent/pure/kind girl and finds her special
2. The rich guys' family disapproves of them together and thinks of various devious plans to split them up
3. Insert: Secondary male who is often the best friend of the girl, he is kind, thoughtful, helps her with problems, does not care that she is poor or has unfortunate family background
4. Just when it looks like the couple is about to get together, some kind of accident or tragic circumstance cause them to separate and split up
5. Separating for 'insert time period' often going to 'insert random city/town/village name' they meet again by freak chance
6. Various misunderstandings will occur without any of the characters trying to explain anything to each other causing episodes to drag on for a long period without anything seeming to be resolved
7. Just when it seems like things cannot get any worse, all the characters suddenly become smarter and realize 'wow we can just talk with each other and explain' which results in a hasty get back together, pregnancy and happily ever after
This is a phenomenal which appears to only occur in Chinese/Taiwaness dramas. Of the Korean dramas i've seen there appears to be much more creativity and uniqueness when it comes to character and story creation. However Autumn's Concerto should not be judged merely by it's adherence to the formula as it is not without good points some of which includes it's emphasis on familial love, loyalty to friends, and strength in females to overcome difficulties.
Watching Autumn's Concerto is one of the only time I was tempted to drop a drama in the first 5 episodes due to bad acting. With kdrama I don't understand the subtle nuisances in their words and matching facial expression, but I did not have this luxury with Autumn's Concerto because i understand Mandarin. One of the most upsetting thing while watching this drama is how sometimes the tone and meaning coming out of the actor/actress's lips does not match their expression at all and looks fake. In the beginning of the drama, I felt this way whenever Ren Guang Xi (Wu Vanness) was doing his playboy act and flirting with the girl he is interested in. After a while his act became more solid but I still can't give him high points for his acting.
Liang Mu Cheng (An Ady) did a much better job comparably. Her expressions and speech was always spot on and realistic without appearing faked or forced. She performed really consistent through the drama and so props to her. The bad acting is most obvious in the first 5 episodes, the side characters too were just off to a rocky start and overall I've never felt more tempted to drop a drama. Later on around the time of the time skip, the acting improved and it feels like the cast was finally getting comfortable with their character and story.
The music is really the highlight of this drama. The OST of this drama is composed of some old famous Chinese songs that felt vaguely familiar to me as i was watching, as well as some new songs by various artists all of which was really lyrical and soulful. More than once i found myself singing along to the music playing in the background. The music inspired the mood, often enhancing the scene playing on screen and was overall great choices for this drama. I usually rate music not by personal preference but by how compatible a fit it was for the drama and this drama's music is one of the best.
I don't plan to ever rewatch this drama. The good and sweet moments are few and far in between, if i really miss their romance (which i won't because the story dragged too much and killed the romance for me) it will be hard for me to find the specific scene that i miss since this drama is so long.
My last words are Autumn's Concerto is a worthwhile drama to watch if you have lots of time. Pros are the characters and music. Cons are the story which drag its feet and bad acting at the beginning if you understand mandarin like me. Overall a solid drama from one coming from Taiwan.
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