Review: Quartet (カルテット, )

Is it better to set aside ambitions and fit in with societal expectations or pursue your passion even though you will never be good enough to become self sufficient?

Quartet is a Japanese drama about four string musicians who meet in a karaoke bar and decide to form a quartet. Each character has depth and a hidden past. Over the span of a winter, these four musicians face the highs and lows of following their dreams, sometimes setting aside personal ambitions for the benefit of the group. 

Every episode focuses on one of the four musicians as they must deal with society's expectations and secrets from their past. Throughout the series, they learn to lean on each other and overcome individual differences. At times, the conversations are quirky and messy and other times heartfelt and full of emotional struggle but often the final resolution is only discovered through their music.

I watched the series on Netflix in the original Japanese with English subtitles. As such, I feel like the English translation was generous in hiding some of the darker tones to the dialogue, or perhaps there are cultural meanings lost on my Western way of thinking. The show was witty and engaging, with plot twists and teasers after the credits that kept us excited to watch the next episode.