HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAAH!!!!!! It's all about that damned kiss!

Well, @raonah, at least you got one from your prince!

@raonah I wonder why of all the possible leading-man screencaps, you chose one with PBG in the background ;)

And yes, the emotional dissonance and distance in the final ep along with the lack of True Love’s Kiss … gah!

Haha, yes! I have always remember this drama fondly as the romcom I love, which doesn't have a kiss scene!

It's really rare for a romcom to not have a kiss scene, but that's what makes Cantabile Tomorrow special too. <3

Nice. Yes, the kiss is what I would have added as well :-) BTW, I think they were in Austria, not in Germany.

This show was unexpectedly one of my favorites. Maybe the music has got something to do with it plus I think Joo Won looked his best in here.

I was disappointed by the last episode, not because there wasn't any kiss but rather the tone was jarring compared the previous episodes. They had filmed the last episode together with the first because filming took place overseas in Salzburg. Those who watched would know that Naeil or rather Shim Eun Kyung tone down her acting as the show progressed. Towards the end, culminating in the second last episode, there was this tenderness and chemistry not evident in the beginning. So it was a total whiplash to find the couple in the finale back to where they started.

It is pouring on db with these alternate endings! I love it, and this one is my favourite. I admit, I was laughing out loud that your kdrama kiss wish was thwarted so many times. Sorry that your pain was my amusement. 🤣

To be honest, I also googled out the same thing and was mildly appeased when I read (by a certain javabeans) that the Austria scenes were shot before the rest of the drama. That helped me reconcile with the whole ending, because I was more miffed that Nae-il had reverted to her bratty behaviour and that she was taking the competition so lightly (sorry, musician here), than the fact that we didn't get a kiss.

LOL I loved Tomorrow's Cantabile...I watched it on a whim on Netflix. Most people seem to hate it but I thought it was cute and entertaining. I loved Joo Won (first time seeing him in a drama) but I was also irritated by the no kiss. I think this is the only kdrama I've seen with no kiss.

I am actually the same. I started out with Dramaworld and became super intrested and watched Cantabile Tomorrow....and now I am down the rabbit hole. 😅😅😅

FINALLY SOMEONE SAID IT ~ I’ve been mad for so long about this, that their relationship REGRESSED in the last episode ~ Nae Il was more concerned with couple rings, and Yoo Jin was annoyed by her affection... sigh...

I have always been unhappy with the final episode of this drama, especially that one scene filmed in advance in Austria. Unfortunately when pre-filming scenes in Austria, the writer/director gave absolutely no consideration to the character arcs that the H/h would under go as they filmed the H and h both of acting the exact same way in the final episode as they had in the first few episodes. It was jarring to say the least. The drama would have been better served if the director had left certain of those Austria scenes on the cutting room floor (I don’t care what it cost to film them) and replaced them with more character appropriate scenes between the H/h. I guess the director decided that given the cost to film those scenes he had to show them even if it meant ruining the final episode.

The Japanese drama version of this drama (Nodame Cantabile) also lacked a kiss. If I remember correctly, I had to set through the 11 episode drama, 2 specials and 2 movies before the H/h in that series kissed in the last 5 seconds of the final movie.

Damn right it does!!!

I had a hard time with the tone of Naeil's character and dropped the show after a few episodes. Part of it was that the Japanese live action is one of my favorite dramas ever, and Ueno Juri's Nodame one of my favorite drama heroines. You may enjoy that adaptation. Not much by way of kisses, but it's very heartfelt and the music is amazing.

Thanks for ensuring the inclusion of the smooches we were deprived of, @raonah!

Seriously though, the music was great, and it was a blast to see Salzburg, which I visited during high school. Plus what's not to love about Joo Won as an ultra-fastidious tsundere with fear of flying? And Jejudo satoori, IIRC!

Now is there some way you could arrange for Matt Frewer to drop in from EUREKA with a tranquilizer gun to subdue Nae-il when she gets a little too carried away? At times she reminded me of a hyperactive miniature poodle or a levitating Boston terrier on speed. It drove me out of my tree. *shudder*

For connoisseurs of hyperactivity, Shim Eun-kyung dances up a storm in the 2011 film SUNNY. And the music is dandy. Classic, but not classical. ;-)

Am I the one who has never seen both the dramas you have written about. But I found the post amusing and loved it a lot. Though I couldn't get your frustration (bcoz I haven't seen the drama) it was cute seeing how upset u were bcoz of that.

Cantabile Tomorrow has a special place in my heart. I love Nodame's Cantabile but Cantabile Tomorrow had its own charm. I especially love it when it decided to be a show own its own and decided to be a different. The last episode was such a downer because all the character development Nae-il experienced and how Yoo-jin was mellowing towards her were just erased. Knowing that they were couple was not enough. I curled up and cried when the credits rolled.

I needed to feel the satisfaction that the 6-hour date and that back hug gave me. I hated how the last episode was filmed before everything that aired. I hated how I did not get a kiss.

I have to agree that the overall lack of skinship in Tomorrow's Cantabile was a huge source of frustration for me. They were all in college, living on their own, sleeping over each other's houses, yet no physical intimacy...at all? They most have been the most well-behaved 20-somethings ever! But what ruffled my feathers more was that Nae-il always but herself out there for skinship and he never responds. I recommend the Japanese version if you want the kisses and more, especially the movie.

I also kept waiting for it when I saw it first. 😡 I don't know, I never watched the mangha, so I don't know the original. But yes, I was also disappointed.
same with prime minister and I, which "True Ending" I wanted to write for this month's theme, but I was wrapped in work again and couldn't write a single word.
Anyway, cantabile left me exactly like it left you, waiting😢.....
And I loved the characters, and I enjoyed the story, except of course noble idiocy.
But I also wanted a kiss, and.... same as you....

While i don't mind about the no-kiss *let say that some people not really fond of PDA* but i remember being dissapointed of that filmed-first last episode. Something about concert (can't remember tho.) And no Blue Rhapsody! Bummer.

Lets scream it once again: ORABAAANG!!!!

So much wasted potential in this drama!

This was also my first Kdrama, although I came to it through the classical music theme. I've also watched the Japanese version (including a 2-part movie) which I felt was a bit better, overall.

I do not know this "Dramaworld" show. Will have to check it out, apparently.

Like a lot of viewers, I have a problem with the manga-inspired dramas as they are so over-the-top campy and the violence is kind of jarring.

For me, if wasn't just the lack of a kiss at the end, but the feeling that maybe they weren't quite suited for each other, after all. I mean, if the guy can't display some tenderness for her then, well, when can he? Is he even normal?

Omg I can't believe it was your first Korean drama! Well I can actually, you have to start somewhere. But this was a fun read and I'm so sorry for the lack of skinship/kiss. I never got around to finising it but I might give it a second chance now. 😉
Btw I don't think the Japanese version had any either but that'd be less surprising tbh. Off to google that...

Haha that was good one XD
This is one of my favorite dramas because its based in my most favorite many/anime ever, & I wasn't surprised by the lack of kisses, in the manga & 3 seasons of the anime I got like 3 kisses max which is saved in my laptop btw, & since I never got a kiss in season 1 of the anime....no kiss in the drama ending just got me like....oh...fine... -_-

Haha.. I so love this! I didn't watch Cantible Tomorrow, but I'm familiar enough with the Japanese version, so I wanted to read this alternate ending. So glad I did!

I would be equally frustrated with all the cock-blocking of kisses, by the lead man's reservations (repulsion?), a phone alarm, and...water fountain?! Maybe the actors expressed their desire not to actually kiss, and the director agreed?

I guess this is one case where you actually want the trope to play out, and it doesn't.

I love this drama too. Joo won is perfection, as is Park bogum, go kyung po and the rest of the supporting cast. I can see all the hard work the cast and the crew put in to play all those wonderful pieces like professional classical musicians. I enjoy every bit of the music, play-off, petty disputes, oh and the music campus is so beautifully filmed too. The only jarring bit is Naeil , I think the character is not handled very well.

Thanks for sharing your really hilarious journey to dramabeans. I loved the manga so watched most of Cantabile, but I don't remember the ending. It must have been lackluster due to LACK OF KISS

I read somewhere that the lead actress didn't want to kiss on screen or something, that's why there was no kiss in this drama.

Great analysis! I love that you used the rules from Dramaland to view Cantabile Tomorrow, which is one of my top 10 Korean dramas. I love this show for the music being featured almost as a character, the development of the ML/FL to face their debilitating fears, and the power of music to inspire the underdogs to reach within themselves and overcome the odds. I discovered Dramabeans as a result of this drama, for I was so confused by the last scene that I googled it, namely that the last episode had character regression because they filmed the Austria parts at the same time as episode 1. I found the recaps to be wonderfully written, especially that Yoo-jin's nicknames/puns for Nae-Il changed over the drama, such as fluttery feelings and flutter feet, which is not a detail I would ever get from a subtitle.

Just finished this one. More than the kiss, the male lead should have treated her better. He was as obnoxious as the first episode.