Chocolate is a 2020 Korean drama that was directed by Lee Hyeong Min(The Snow Queen, Sorry, I Love You, Winter Sonata etc) and written by Lee Kyoung Hee(Will It Snow For Christmas, Innocent Man, Sorry, I Love You). The drama wasn't very highly rated even with the well known cast of Ha Ji Won, Yoon Kye Sang, (G.O.D.) and Jang Seung Jo. Still, some viewers call Chocolate a hidden gem though.
Two children met by chance on at an island town. The boy wanted to be a chef and the girl was just living out her youth. Their meeting would hold a special place in the girl's heart for years. They meet again years later but the boy has become a man and doesn't remember her. plus they both have traumatic pasts that connect them more than they would want to know.....
Chocolate begins using a feel of K-drama from the early 2000s. There's no surprise considering director Min has directed classic productions from that era. The characters start from children that are innocent but then life happens and they become connected by tragic events. There's no denying that Chocolate is a sad melodrama. Subject matters involving death come up frequently. Especially when Cancer patients become the main topic of the story as it progresses through the episodes. If I'm to be honest, I'm tired of medical Korean dramas and had no desire to watch anymore since they all tend to wind up the same way, however, the second topic of cooking different foods really balances out the story. I loved seeing all the different Korean and foreign foods being prepared by the lead actress. Other topics occupy a space in the story such as family problems which is the norm in K-drama. This isn't something that started ruining the show until the family fights get a bit played out. It's the same old same old and the problem fixed it's self a bit too neatly. Meanwhile, the story drags our leading couple through a land of misery for the duration of the show. Literally these characters have passion for what they love to do but the story tries to take that away from both of them too. By the last three episodes, I was very tired out by all the missteps that happened in the past episodes that I was ready for the story to be over. At least the ending was one of the cutest one's that a K-drama has gotten in awhile.
The medical aspect of chocolate shined because of all the talented co stars that the production had. I loved the variety of character from different walks of life and their families. The script even takes the time to relate their struggle to food. Food invokes memories in people which then leads to you feeling love for the person or people you associate that food to. Yoon Kye Sang's performance was pretty stone cold here and Jang Seung-jo feels like he just got type casted after being in Money Flower(amazing drama!!). The fact that this drama went through two third wheel potential love interests was cool to me as well.
I thought the places outside of Korea where very beautifully shot when done over head. The one shot defining the show is shot in a stone arch near the beach and I loved the overall view of the characters's kissing in the scene.
Chocolate is a good drama. The earlier episodes shine more than the second half of the story. Also, the storyline gets a bit bothersome toward the end but I think it's still enjoyable. The soundtrack is one of my favorites.
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