Coffee Melody – Series Review & Episode Guide

Duen Yi is a songwriter who works for a record label company. In the past, he has created some hit songs. For his latest assignment, he must write a new debut song for an up-and-coming group, the Winter band. However, Duen Yi is in a creative slump and can't come up with anything creatively. His best friend, Chan Chao, works for the record label. She constantly checks his work progress and reminds him about urgent deadlines. Nonetheless, Duen Yi can't overcome his writer's block to make a great piece of music.

Chan Chao has an appointment with Tit Nuea, a member of the Winter band. She asks Duen Yi to tag along, hoping this meeting will inspire some creativity in him. Upon arrival, Duen Yi develops an immediate crush on the coffee shop owner, Pleng Ruk. They hit it off during their first encounter. Duen Yi is forward with his flirtatious advances, making his romantic interest clear. Pleng Ruk maintains a warm and friendly demeanour towards his customer.

Later, Duen Yi revisits the coffee shop to flirt with Pleng Ruk. They continue their pleasant interactions. Pleng Ruk is knowledgable about coffee, and Duen Yi feigns interest in the topic to get closer to him. Jean, one of the café employees, even teases him for making his flirting this obvious. However, Duen Yi is troubled by the close bond between Pleng Ruk and Tit Nuea, who seem chummy. Duen Yi feels annoyed with the musician, perceiving him as a love rival. Despite the animosity, Tit Nuea wants to befriend Duen Yi, the songwriter working on his band's first song.

Tit Nuea is the vocalist of the Winter band. He formed this group with his high school friends, Thunwa, Khua Ioke, and Nam Nhaw. They're all grateful to sign a contract with a record label to launch their careers. Chan Chao is happy to be their manager and believes they show much promise. Chan Chao's boss Nava wants to insert one of his company's trainees, Sri Kham, into the band. Tit Nuea seems okay with the decision. The band leader, Thunwa, is hesitant and doesn't believe this new member fits in with their group.

Duen Yi attends one of the band rehearsals and agrees this group has talent. However, he's still uninspired and can't create a decent song for their debut. Duen Yi voices these concerns to Pleng Ruk, who is sympathetic. Pleng Ruk makes snacks and drinks to get his creative juices running. Touched by his kindness, Duen Yi finds himself falling for the coffee shop owner. Simultaneously, he's starting to feel inspired to write a love song. Despite their rapport, Pleng Ruk seems reluctant to make a move on Duen Yi. Duen Yi can't figure out what's holding him back.

Coffee Melody is a light, casual story with cute characters, cozy romances, and comical exchanges. Occasionally, it offers thoughtful plots with sentimental messages. Despite its inoffensiveness, this series is getting hammered in the reviews. The general consensus regards it as a dull, uneventful BL drama with slow pacing. While I don't feel passionate about Coffee Melody, it gets too much hate from the audience. Seeing all the negativity evokes my natural urge to defend the underdog.

Contrary to what the title implies, the selling point of this series isn't the coffee or the music. Coffee Melody deals with surprisingly sophisticated storylines that highlight romance, career, friendship, and family. The protagonists and supporting characters are conflicted about love or work, which leads to intriguing dilemmas. The series shows moments of brilliance where it conveys meaningful life philosophies. I'm impressed whenever the characters have mature discussions and resolve their disputes sensibly.

Despite some insightful moments, the writing quality is inconsistent. Coffee Melody suffers from clunky exchanges and silly scenes with ridiculous reactions. For instance, the annoying fuss with Pleng Ruk's ex is a colossal misstep. The story also falls on the mundane side, failing to maximize the drama in many banal subplots. Some compelling ideas, like Chan Chao's tensions with her boss, have flat execution. Coffee Melody needs a massive dose of adrenaline and pizazz. It can benefit from polishing the script, trimming away filler, and injecting more momentum.

The protagonist, Duen Yi, is a delightful minx. He flirts aggressively, indulges in playful mischief, and wears his heart on his sleeves. His courtship with Pleng Ruk progresses steadily with tender and intimate moments. Unfortunately, their frustrating quarrels sour my opinion about the couple. Furthermore, the relationship doesn't soar to incredible heights due to the weak acting. Both leads exhibit low charisma, so their scenes together never stimulate strong emotions in me. Generally, this cast seems inexperienced and delivers underwhelming performances.

Coffee Melody isn't just focused on romance. It dedicates time to developing friendships and family bonds. I like how the series portrays Duen Yi's close rapport with Chan Chao, emphasizing their unconditional support. Their entertaining banter is more adorable than most of Duen Yi's interactions with his love interest. In addition, Duen Yi has heartwarming scenes with his parents and brother. Likewise, I enjoy the camaraderie between Chan Chao and the band. Everyone's relationship dynamics evolve over the series, displaying growth and solidarity.

Let's go back to the allegations that Coffee Melody is a boring BL drama. Sadly, there's some truth to these critiques. While I'm okay with the relaxed pacing, the narrative lacks exhilarating highs. It never drums up enough enthusiasm to excite me about the next episode. The series may be a little bland compared to its action-packed counterparts. Overall, my feelings about Coffee Melody are mild. However, the public reception seems so chilly that I want to express more admiration. This underappreciated love story is sweet, sensitive, and wrongfully overlooked.