‘Quartet’ Netflix Series Review - A Musical Masterpiece

The beginning moments of the Quartet leave you confused with the plot being all over the place, but soon enough it pieces together. Four musicians happen to meet by chance in winter and decide to form a quartet to showcase their musical talent with dreams to reach the top.

Seeing a group of musicians in their 30s trying to figure out where it all went downhill was an emotional rollercoaster. We think we got it figured out but age doesn’t tell you what to do. Quartet showcases the struggles and experiences that different sectors of life go through in the musical career. The four musicians- Maki, Sebuki, Iemori, and Beppu decide to live together in a house near the wooded resort area of Karuizawa during the winter reason, hoping to get comfortable around each other so they could play better. Little do they know there was a hidden secret in play.

Maki Maki is the lead violinist in the quartet. She is the only one with professional experience. She has a family and only goes to play with them on the weekends for performances. Her personality seems to be slightly askew and negative. She comes across as shy and only mumbles her opinions. Suzume Sebuki plays the cello in the TV series. She happens to be unemployed with the uncanny ability to fall asleep anywhere. This quality makes her seem really innocent and her personality seems to be quite overlooked. Yutaka Iemori played the viola in the quartet. He comes across as a player at first but turns into a slightly more romantic character throughout the show. His humor and witty replies in Quartet are highly underrated. Tsukasa Beppu was the leader of the quartet. He seems to be the one who put it all together. He plays the second violin in the quartet and comes from a musical background. Moreover, he has a job at a donut company. The house in Karuizawa, where they live, is his grandfather’s villa. He has a secret that could break his dreams apart and he seems to guard it really well.

The cinematography seems to be perfect with award-worthy acting by the actors and actresses. The plot line and script were beautifully and humorously written. The best part of the script was the conversations around the dinner table filled with witty and philosophical bits that seemed to change the mood every now and then.

The song choices were, once again, perfect. The characters are applauded by hundreds of fans for their miming skills. Some believe that the cast was chosen for their familiarity with the music whereas others think it was the miming that sold the directors on them. Lastly, the ending song- Otonano Okite by Doughnuts Hole has gotten much love. Originally sung by four musicians, this song has a special space for lovers of Japanese drama. 

What made this show absolutely impeccable was the perfect amount of laughter, sadness, suspense, and creepiness throughout the episodes. It kept the audience hooked through thick and thin with their teeth biting through their nails. Quartet is a must-watch for all dark movie lovers and witty script lovers!

Final Score- [8.5/10]
Reviewed by - Jess Doshi
Publisher at Midgard Times