TV Review: Hymn of Death

                                                         Hymn of Death Review

Hymn of Death is set in the early 1920s while Korea was under Japanese occupation and is about play write Kim Woo jin whose father disapproves of his writing and his desire to speak out against Japanese ruling over Korea and Korea's first soprano singer Yun Shim Deok. Woo jin and Shim deok meet while they're studying in Tokyo while working on a play to be perform around Korea and through out the course of working on this play together the two get to know each other and they began to fall for each other. Since Woo jin is already married him and Shim deok agree to part ways as simply friends before they allow themselves to fall too deeply for each other.

Woo jin and Shim deok don't see or hear for each other for five years during that time Woo jin had been working for his father's company and not writing since his father has forbidden him from doing so while Shim deok has been working as a singer but is not being paid enough to completely support her family. When Shim deok performs in a certain prestigious theater that she had Woo jin promise that he'd watch if she ever preformed there in the future the two of them meet up again and find that they can't bare to loose contact with each other completely again which leads to them starting to write letters to each other. Woo jin starts writing again secretly after Shim deok tells him that she enjoyed reading what he wrote and he also starts to send out his writings to publishers under a false name. Woo jin and Shim deok write letters to each other and meet up secretly with each other and it seems that by all accounts that their having an affair with each other.

Woo jin ends up leaving his family in order to pursue his writing and his love for Shim deok which leads to him moving back to Tokyo. Shim deok plans to join Woo jin in Tokyo but after her reputation is ruined because she met alone with a male record executive in his home she finds that she is no longer able to get work or support her family. Shim deok and Woo jin spend about a week together very happily in Japan before heading back to Korea by ship. Woo jin and Shim deok share a slow dance under the starry sky right before its implied that they kill themselves since unable to live without each other but also can't live with themselves if they abandon their families.

Overall I really enjoyed this drama it was a beautiful romantic and tragic story that was directed and acted beautifully. I really enjoyed seeing a drama that was set in this time period since I felt that the period this show was set in added a lot of drama to the story even though it wasn't really the focus of the story. Please tell me your thoughts on this show in the comment section below.