I am not sure where to start with this drama as this is an amazing drama. Probably one of the best dramas of 2015 if not the best. I could talk about how great this drama is for a long period of time but I will try to make this review as short as I can.
First things first. I started watching this drama as soon as it came out because I found out about it a month or so beforehand. As soon read the synopsis I was hooked. I have never seen or heard of anything like that for a Korean drama. So the synopsis is what drew me in but seeing who was cast as the lead characters made me want to see it more. The only thing I was worried about was where they going to be able to pull off a drama like this. Well my worry went away straight after the first episode and left me blown away. Some dramas start really great but then start to slow down and others take a few episodes to get going. While watching D-Day not once did it slow down, it continued the momentum it started and kept it going through all 20 episodes. I never felt bored or tired and each episode left me wanting to watch the next one right away.
Story
The story for this drama as I said before is something that I have not seen or heard of for a Korean drama. I was worried how it was going to work out but it was done way better than I expected. The special effects and sets they had made it more realistic. What I really like about the story is that it is so believable. This is something that could happen and I think that is what first drew me to it. I am a person who loves romantic type dramas but what I like about this one is romance is not the main feature. The romance is there but it focuses on the disaster a bit more. You get to see how the doctors and other emergency workers deal with a disaster like this. If you are a person who loves romance in your dramas and likes shipping the main leads together then I will say this drama does have that. It does have some sweet and cute moments admits the tragedy that happens. So don’t worry about that.
Acting/Cast
The cast for this drama I think is perfect. I loved all the actors and their characters even if some characters where not so good. Kim Young Kwang does a phenomenal job in this drama. I first saw him in Love Rain and every time I saw him since he has played a supporting role or played the second male lead. So I loved that he was finally the main lead in a drama and boy did he do an amazing job. He is such a great actor but in this drama you can see just how good he is.
Jung So Min played the female lead and also did a great job. I first saw her in Playful Kiss and while watching this drama you can see how much she has grown as an actress. She plays a doctor in this drama just like Kim Young Kwang and does a great job at it. I really liked her character and also Kim Young Kwang’s. I think both lead actors had great chemistry together and I would love to see them both again in another drama.
Also loved the other actors in this drama. A few of them I recognized and had seen before and loved seeing them again.
Music
The music in this drama was so good. Most dramas have about 4-5 or more OST songs that have music and lyrics but this drama only had 3. But the 3 it had were so good and fit the drama perfectly. One of the best parts about the music was the instrumental/Score soundtrack for the drama. It was amazing to listen to and scored so perfect for the drama. So in all the music is really good and I have already bought the 3 OST songs that were released. I also plan to download the rest of the soundtrack once it’s available on iTunes and possibly buy the physical soundtrack as well. That is how much I just loved the soundtrack.
Rewatch Value
The rewatch value of this drama is so high for me. Actually while I was watching this drama I went back and rewatched a few episodes. This is a drama that I would defiantly rewatch from start to finish a bunch of times. I will probably watch it again very soon and this time introduce it to a friend. Since I watched this drama by myself it would be a great drama to watch with a friend or friends. Also if this drama comes out on DVD with English subs I will defiantly be buying it.
I highly recommend this drama as everything about it was so good. All that is left to say is if you are reading this and trying to decide if you should watch this what are you doing. Go watch it now. It is a must watch drama that should not be missed. One of the best or if not the best drama of 2015.
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The special effects were done very well, I was a bit worried at first that the special effects would be awful and it would ruin the drama entirely but thank goodness they were good and made the scenes very realistic! It had been a long while since a drama had made me sit on the edge of my seat in suspense and left me watching the next episode straight after until 6am ;'D
Yes there were unrealistic elements and plot holes in the story, some story parts felt a bit unnecessary and rushed, I wanted them to focus on the other minor character's growths, but we only touched on them, the main focus was put on the hospital which I think fair enough, it works but i think it would have worked even better if they had shifted their focus on other characters and their stories!
I hadnt seen Jung So Min in anything since Playful Kiss but she played her role exceptionally well and nailed the Busan accent! The chemistry between her and Kim Young Kwang was adorable, and the romance that we got was cute, I just wanted more! I know I know, its a disaster drama, obviously the medical side of things and saving lives is probably more important to focus on but ahhh they are both so cute! if we had that litttttlleee more i would have been satisfied!
The other actors did really well! They were actors that I hadnt really seen in anything else before and I'm reeled in and want to watch them in their dramas too!
The music was OK, it suited scenes and were soothing to listen to but they werent very memorable, I think i was too invested in watching the actual scenes to pay enough attention to the music!
I'm not sure if i would rewatch this again, it made me think alot about earthquakes and kept me up at night or entered my dreams about if it happened to me so i was a bit unsettled in that sense, maybe, maybe one day i would rewatch it but skip through it for the really good parts, im not sure if i can sit through it all again.
The antagonists in this were characters I hated watching! so i wouldnt want to rewatch their scenes!
I also wished that they had shifted the story so that Jung so min's character was the main focus rather than just Kim Young Kwang's character i think it could have been a much more powerful drama.
brb, whilst i go fangirl and watch all Kim Young Kwang's dramas!
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Story: When an unexpected earthquake hits Seoul and brings disaster everywhere, the doctors and firefighters do everything in their power to save lives. We see cold treatment and rejection from certain doctors who refuse to treat patients who aren't easily fixable, and we see other doctors who do what some call reckless behavior in order to save people. Firefighters who are told to focus on saving people and patients who are searching for someone to help them.
Cast: I loved Kim Young Kwang as Lee Hae Seong in this drama! He was so charismatic and a true doctor who cared about saving people's lives - he didn't look at them as just a number - he looked at them for who they were - a person who has memories and family. He would disobey superiors at his workplace in order to save a life. This made him a enemy of one in particular person. Jung So Min as Jung Ddol Mi a resident doctor from Busan who happens to be in Seoul on the day of the earthquake, she meets Hae Seong and starts working with him and learning what it means to be a true doctor. Their scene's together were always good, intense, sweet, and funny at times. I also liked Ji Na and Woo Jin (Yoon Joo Hee & Ha Suk Jin) they were in conflict with one another for most of the drama but you could feel the connection they had and you really wanted it to work out. I also enjoyed the cute "romance" between Lee Seung Yeol & Kim Jung Hwa - so cute^^ Other characters that will remain in my memory: Lee Woo Seong (Song Ji Ho), Choi Il Sub (Kim Sang Ho), Oh Min Ho (Kim Chul Ki) - they all hold a special place :)
Character I hated: Park Gun (Lee Kyeong Yeong) and Dr. Yoo (Go Gyu Pil) >_< I really wanted to strip the first of his title and the second I wanted to remove from any type of doctorate field >_<
Music: Good, but no memorable songs - However! Since Jung Dong Ha sang the ending song - and I liked it (I love all his songs) I will be listening to that one - Going to find it and add it to a CD ^_^
I would re-watch this drama and would definitely recommend it!!! I marathoned it in 2 days! My eyes were glued to the screen <3
"If saving a life is a sin, then all the doctors of this world should take off their gown." - Dr. Lee Hae Seong
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Story: It was rare; finding this drama that focused on the event of a natural disaster and the challenges people face; especially in the medical field. Each episode left me with the 'anxiety; on the edge of my seat' feeling as problems pile on-top of each other. With the addition of a a corrupted hospital; it seemed that it would take forever for everything to be settled, but that was the fun of this drama. What i loved about this drama was that it was somewhat realistic as it showed the harsh reality of the after-effects of a disaster. It made me sympathize with the situation and understanding of the actions some of the characters chose. Although there were romance, it wasn't the main genre that was heavily focused on; which i was fine with surprisingly as I am a person who values romance the most.
Acting: The cast was fantastic! The directing, writing, graphics, etc were done beautifully as well. Both the main characters had an amazing chemistry and worked well together as you could tell from the start of the drama. Although some characters were not portrayed as nicely as I had hoped; it wasn't a major issue . I hope I can see the two main leads work together on another drama.
Music: The instrumentals are amazing; although repetitive, I was fine with it as the music was beautiful and appropriate at times. Downloaded one of the tracks within the first episode!
Rewatch: Although I would probably not rewatch some of the episodes as I find that there were several parts that seemed a bit draggy, some episodes are worth the rewatch as it shows the growth of the characters.
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The only reason why I started D-Day was because I heard that amazing song on youtube, Jung Dong Ha - That Day. I was sooo moved by it that I just had to watch the drama behind it.
Ok, where to start... the good things? Doesn't really matter, right?
What I was most impressed by from the very start, was Kim Young Kwang. I only saw him in Pinocchio and Yong-Pal before and he didn't stand out that much. But here, woah... His acting was so strong that I almost fell for him. Seriously. (I don't like curls either, but it made him very handsome, too.) Many other actors/actresses did also a good job, although not all of them. And I don't like Ha Suk Jin. He just opens his eyes so strangely wide when something schocks him, that I couldn't take him seriously.
Lee Kyeong Yeong's character on the other hand... Well, I hated that guy the most. Seriously, never hated a person in a drama like I did here. And still, in the end I liked him the most, because his 'departure' and change was the best of them all. He didn't fold completely. He may have understood his wrongdoings, but he still maintained his personality and conviction what made him look even more human. In most dramas, the bad guys changing at the end seem like they changed their souls or something. But not in this one and I was very pleased with that.
Another good point of this drama were the surguries. There were alot of them and thank God most of them didn't have a dramatic showdown, though many of them were quite dangerous and tight in success.
What else... the scenery or better said the special effects. It was a drama but that didn't stop the producers from doing a great job on those. You can see that they put alot of effort into the realistic view of the distaster and that was just candy for my eyes.
What I also liked was that there were not only black (bad) and white (good) people. There were many grey persons, too, like someone who is trying to help, but in order to do that he has to make some difficult decisions, even if it means to become the black sheep among them.
Also, not all of those who did bad things were punished. That makes it even more realistic.
Another plus? I just like the main pairing! They were great together and really cute. I wish there would have been some more 'cuddle/hugging' scenes or something. My romantic heart wasn't well served!
I guess, now we have to go the things that made me rate this drama an 8.
First of all, I know that a situation like this, a distaster is not only ruled by heroes but also by individual fates and people who start acting only intuitively which implies the ever first rule: Self-preservation/survival.
But nevertheless, many wrong behaviours just seemed too excessive. And with every new episode I was getting more and more annoyed by the director's attitude which didn't even budge an inch. At least once I wanted to see his pride as a doctor.
Well, that's it. No matter what and despite this one point of criticism, I still enjoyed D-Day (I had to cry alot, too.). Only my rewatch value is a bit low. Don't take it the wrong way, I just don't think I will rewatch it. Listening to the song mentioned above is quite enough for me.
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I'd say it was all thanks to both good pace of action and the actors' incredible chemistry that got me hooked almost right away. Kim Young Kwang's character was completely different from Pinocchio and for me it really seemed like Young Kwang was truly enjoying his character in D-Day. And don't even get me started with Jung So Min. I have a feeling I haven't fell in love with a woman character in this extent before. But the most important thing is the chemistry between the main lead which really shook me!
The balance between action & suspense and humor is really good. The only thing that bothers me is (like with every single 20-episode-k-drama) that in the middle the plot started to drag, but from episode 1-8 and 16-20 the story and pace was on point.
Also the soundtrack BLEW my mind: It was rather like watching a high budget movie than a drama. After finishing the drama I had to listen to every track from the OST and I still can't believe how good work the composers have done with it!
Overall, after almost 6 months, D-day managed to be a K-drama that really got me hooked. It gave me hard time trying to focus on other things like school and even managed to make me cry which felt quite refreshing: For a long time dramas have tried real hard to make me emotional and haven't succeeded. D-day was a real savior and I motivated me to look for more thrilling and moving stories.
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I sat on the edge of seat from beginning to end , to the point where I didn't want to shut down my computer and go to sleep, I wanted to keep watching.
This show was I think one of the best all time shows and that includes all my American shows.
Starting from episode one the actors were phenomenal, Kim Young Kwang's performance was outstanding!!
I think that watching this scary natural disaster drama pushed my faith in humans to the breaking point, showing that there is good in all of us to withstand any occurrence.
Action packed, sad stories and a few laughs. This is a show I strongly recommend
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Must watch medical drama for all ages
D-Day is one of the best medical dramas you can ever watch because it has a bit of everything: disaster, family, friendship and romance in one great drama. You will find yourself immersed with the characters' individual stories and feel like the disaster really happened and you're with them. It will make you think about the present reality and a lot of what ifs.At first I actually mistaken this for a movie because tsunami/earthquake movies became trending on Western movies but I discovered it has 20 episodes so I was hesitant at first but when I watched the first episode, it already hooked me. The plot is really interesting. A bit downside, some parts of it are a bit cliche like where there is a corrupt doctor who always go against that selfless doctor who wanna save everybody. Good thing is that some of the characters are like half villain and hero. It creates variance and also makes the story interesting. Most medical dramas are always about romance most of the time, the love line between colleagues and such but D-Day is unique since disaster is a serious matter, it always comes first. The romance are indicated little by little so you crave for more. The romantic scenes became more cheesy as ever. Romance aside, this drama is very touching as well. (It made me cry a lot.)
Even before Descendants of the Sun was born, D-Day already happened. For medical drama addicts, this is a hidden gem you must watch.
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This drama DDay is one of " D"best I have ever seen! Their acting is indeed impressive especially Kim Young Kwang! The Doctor role suit him so well!!! Such a great actor !! he's indeed my favourite. Oh gosh Dr Lee I fell in love with you instantly!
I like the concept of this Drama because its something different, yet they pulled this off and created a phenomenal one!
I get excited to watch each episode. Thrilling, moving, you get different emotions just watching it. I didnt mind bawled my eyes out every night watching it and come to work the next morning with puffy eyes just because I got carried away and cried too much from most of the scenes. Seriously! Thats how great actors and actresses they are!!! Maybe thats why I like it so much! Because the drama itself allowed me to be part of it somehow. Its absolutely moving!
There are so much to see in this drama. Its worth watching. Thumbs up!
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Not for RomCom lovers
A medical drama that instead of worrying about themselves in a hierarchy system, they, against all odds, worry about the patients. Almost none romance, and even though I hated it at the beginning, that's what made this drama one of my favorites. But don't worry my children, there is romance. Well executed, if I may add. I became a fan of every single actor and actress in this drama.It has good OSTs but nothing over the top. Most of them were played too many times but for the times it was played in the right moment I'll give an 8.5.
Disaster either brings the best or worst side of people. The plotline revealed well what each of the characters was going through. There's no supreme evil villain here, just people with personal interests (maybe their methods are somehow evil). However it did have plotholes that were plain obvious. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll find yourself shouting at the screen. 100% recommended.
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What was truly amazing is the writers did their homework. The response to the disaster was on-point! The firefighters and the hospital portrays were true to real life as dramatic influence allows. You get the feeling of being there as the action happens; the raw feelings of the responses to situations! Yes, there will be flourishes of heroism, but this is drama! Not discounting the other actors, Kim Sang Ho as the fire-chief was as believable as it could get!
The story line can only get a wopping 10. The writer and conceptualises really, really researched this. The raw politics, the blame game, the cunningness were all there as one would expect from both politics and raw ambition! Even in a disaster these human traits would show!
The effects: Again, wow! There are big budget movies that do not make you feel the destruction and effect on everyday people on this scale! Perfectionists will say that you can tell when it's CGI, but come-on! A small screen production showing this level of damage to a real (yes, real: not made-up) city! in such a realistic manner! The damage to buildings, landmarks, and infrastructure all felt completely present!
We get a clearly defined hero and villain which is basically my only hang-up about this series. Not that it took anything away from the reality or grittiness of the story. There should have been some blurring of that line to make it just a tad more believable, Not everything is good and evil. There will always be shades in between. This, however does not lessen the impact of the story at all!
Also, with this many episodes a little background into the characters and institutions would have been helpful. We start getting snippets of lives lived after the actual disaster, which is very helpful to character development. The thing, however, is this could have started before the real emergency and worked its way from there.
All in all one of the best disaster series out there! Well worth the watch if you like emergency dramas, real feelings and firefighters. Who doesn't like firefighters?
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This review may contain spoilers
AN UNDERRATED MASTERPIECE
I just love it. That's it. I love how the drama didn't focus on the lead's romance and instead, they stick to their main idea which is the different struggles that people go through. I love them both, Young Kwang and So Min. It's one of the best for me. Although it's so underrated, it's definitely worth binge-watching. No words can really describe how I love this drama.Watched it for two days and night, LOL. I will most likely rewatch this drama, but I think it will take me a long time to do so. There was no episode where I got bored, really.
The actors were so good, especially the Hospital Director. I've been irritated for nineteen episodes because of him HAHAHA. Especially when he was enjoying classical music because he was so satisfied and excited about destroying the male lead's life. LOL. I literally screamed and cursed because of him. And the satisfaction I felt during Episode Nineteen? IT WAS UNDESCRIBABLE. Kudos to Lee Kyung Young.
Ohh, of course, Kim Young Kwang and Jung So Min. I'm so loooove Kim Young Kwang. I first watched him at Pinocchio, and I fell in love with him at Go Ho's Starry Night. Such a good actor. He suits a doctor role, same with Jung So Min. They did really well. Their chemistry was great, too.
I kinda want a season two, though. This time, it focuses on their daily lives and their story. But I know it's kinda impossible. And the only thing that I regret about this drama is that I watched it way too late. LOL.
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