Four Hands, Two Sonatas – Series Review

Pi-o wants his grandfather's approval.

Kang Pi-o is the star student at Korea Arts High School. He's young, rich, ridiculously talented, and already collecting awards as a pianist. The school bullies can't stand Pi-o's success, so they attack him for being arrogant. They also call him a bastard child since his mother raised him without ever revealing who his father is. Pi-o usually ignores them, but his best friend Jae-in is always ready to jump in and defend him.

Pi-o comes from a wealthy family. His mother, Ji-hye, is one very intense parent. Ji-hye manages Pi-o's music career very closely. She wants her son's future mapped out perfectly, and heaven help anyone who gets in the way. Pi-o is signed to a talent agency run by Jae-in's mother, but Ji-hye won't hesitate to raise hell if she thinks the company is neglecting him. Pi-o's grandfather is Maestro Kang Seung-woo, a huge name in the Korean music world. Seung-woo still resents Ji-hye for having a child outside of marriage. They live together, but their relationship remains quite tense.

For all his confidence, Pi-o turns insecure around Seung-woo. He worships his grandfather's musical opinion and desperately wants to hear, "Good job, kid." Unfortunately, Maestro Kang has strict standards. While he thinks Pi-o's technique is flawless, the actual music has no soul. Every note is correct. Every movement is polished. Yet, Seung-woo hears no emotion underneath the perfection. To him, Pi-o plays like a machine following instructions instead of a talented musician. Pi-o is devastated that his accomplishments still aren't enough to impress Grandpa.

Jeong-yo enrolls in a fancy music school.

Seung-woo has remarried Seon-ju, the headmaster of Korea Arts High School. Unlike him, she seems much more excited about discovering young talent. Her newest obsession is Choi Jeong-yo, a student who isn't even enrolled at the school yet. Jae-in has asked him to play piano during her violin recital, and one rehearsal is enough to get everyone's attention. After Seung-woo and teacher Hyun-soo overhear Jeong-yo's performance, this random accompanist becomes the hot new musical discovery.

Seon-ju wants Jeong-yo badly enough to offer him a full scholarship, but he isn't impressed by the opportunity. Music school? In this economy? Jeong-yo comes from a poor family. His alcoholic father has buried them under unpaid debts. While the rich kids worry about recitals, he works shifts at a convenience store to help pay the bills. Becoming a professional musician sounds nice in theory, but Jeong-yo needs money now. He only changes his mind after one of his father's loan sharks gets violent. Since the scholarship includes a dorm room, Jeong-yo gets to move away from his father and protect himself from danger.

The school bullies sniff out Jeong-yo's poverty almost immediately. This time, Pi-o steps in and defends him. Their instructor Hyun-soo gets another idea. He sees potential in both pianists and suggests they perform together. He thinks they can learn from each other. Pi-o thinks he has nothing to gain from a partner, while Jeong-yo doesn't even want to perform publicly. Still, they keep practicing together and realize they like being around each other. Pi-o learns how to loosen up. Jeong-yo starts enjoying piano again. Best of all, they make some damn good music together.

Four Hands, Two Sonatas isn't officially a BL series, but that hasn't stopped BL fans from getting mighty suspicious. They took one look at those two pianists and thought, "Hmm, something gay is going on!" Every glance becomes romantic subtext. Every tender moment gets sent to the forensic lab of homoeroticism. Are Pi-o & Jeong-yo just friends, or is there a secret romance? BL Watcher is gonna investigate whether Four Hands, Two Sonatas has a hidden BL storyline. Like Lady Gaga on January 6th, I looked for evidence!

The series gets off to an incredible start. I really enjoyed those first few episodes, which made me so invested in the characters' emotional journeys. Pi-o loves the piano, but his grumpy grandfather is his biggest hater. "You suck! Give up on your dreams!" Jeong-yo can't even enjoy music because he's too busy dealing with loan sharks and his alcoholic father. I hate seeing them suffer, but their drama is super compelling. When Pi-o and Jeong-yo help each other overcome their struggles, I'm delighted for them. That's the power of good storytelling. I get so attached to the characters that their victories feel like my own victories.

Four Hands, Two Sonatas gets very angsty, but both leads bring so much vulnerability to their characters. Pi-o's actor (Song Kang) gives a fantastic performance as a tortured musician. I love how he conveys his emotional turmoil in the later episodes. His co-star (Lee Jun Young) is also captivating as Jeong-yo. He makes me feel every bit of his pain. Plus, I'm equally impressed by the production quality. As Pi-o plays the piano, the atmosphere becomes larger than life. The way these scenes are filmed, you'd think you're witnessing the greatest concert of the century!

Pi-o and Jeong-yo's bromance develops so nicely in those early episodes. Oh, some of their intimate moments are definitely BL-coded! The way they gaze fondly at each other while playing the piano? The way Pi-o rests his head on Jeong-yo's shoulder? They're hugging and holding hands? And they even sleep in the same room? Their so-called platonic friendship looks suspiciously like the start of a romance in a BL drama. I watch every ambiguously gay scene while hiding a smile behind my hand. Sure, this series only gives us the tiniest BL crumbs, but damn, they're delicious!

Sadly, Pi-o and Jeong-yo ruin their friendship in the second half of the series. No more sweet moments that I can misinterpret as falling in love. Instead, they treat each other like sworn enemies. To make matters worse, Pi-o kisses his girlfriend. Their relationship is barely developed, but this straight couple has killed my BL fantasy. I should've known better than to get my hopes up with a mainstream K-drama. Hey idiot, you fell for the queerbaiting again! After realizing Pi-o and Jeong-yo's imaginary romance will never thrive, I spent the rest of the series in a foul mood.

The plot becomes too damn ridiculous. Am I the only one who thinks the amnesia and abduction storylines are stupid as fuck!? This series was supposed to be about music. But now, Pi-o suddenly chases some random assassin across Europe. Ugh, the story has taken a hard turn into typical K-drama nonsense! Also, the characters get so annoying. I constantly roll my eyes at Pi-o & Jeong-yo's feud. When Pi-o's mother appears, I wanna throw tomatoes at the screen. Between the dumb plot twists and the lack of BL content, watching this series just isn't fun anymore.

Four Hands, Two Sonatas started out so well, but the story lost its way in the middle stretch. Thankfully, the finale is decent. Once the messy drama gets resolved, Pi-o & Jeong-yo have time to repair their friendship. Aww, look at them playing the piano and smiling at each other! There's even a relationship montage, almost like the ending of a love story. Nice try, but I'm not falling for this fake romance. If you're wondering whether Four Hands, Two Sonatas is worth watching for the BL content, I'd say no. This bromance stops being fun to ship after the first few episodes.