I should say that I love medical dramas though. As an aspiring doctor, RDTK really made me think about the responsibilities of a doctor that extend past the operation room.
I began to watch RDTK because of Seo Hyun Jin but I stayed for Han Seok Kyu. Dr.Kim's complexity and romantic ideals of a character pulled me in, made me curious, and is essentially the anchor of the whole show.
What constitutes as a 'good' doctor? Essentially, the story revolves around that question that seems to have a simple answer; however, there's no real right or wrong answer and everyone has their own definition of a 'good' doctor. Philosophies and ideologies clash and it's just utterly fascinating to watch as morals are questioned and consciences are tested in the face of moral dilemmas.
Asides from the philosophical questions, hospital politics, and the emotional patient stories, the romance also holds its own in this already plot packed drama. The romance, while not at the forefront of the show, is a slow burn that keeps you wanting more, and when it finally happens, it is so satisfying. Gotta love the slow burns that are worth waiting for.
The whole cast of Doldam hospital seems like a big family. Side storylines are interesting, bromances are fun, and the verbal fights are satisfying.
Even if you don't like medical dramas, please don't pass up on this drama. RDTK is a a human drama, about human emotions, actions, and consequences. It poses interesting questions about society and humanity. I really enjoyed this unique drama that is honestly extremely different from other dramas I've watched before. If anything, at least give RDTK a try to see if it's up your alley!
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I'm glad I finally gave it a try. This one is going to be on my top 5 for a very long time. It's a perfect mix of medical, comedy and romance. Yes, there is great comedy if that's what you normally look for. I would vote this as an equivalent to the American TV series 'House MD'.
First of all, out of all Asian medical dramas I've seen, I really think this one has done the best job. It doesn't take medical elements too lightly, yet it doesn't get too obsessed with 'showing off' medical knowledge either. The story sets inside a hospital, it progresses as they treat patients, there's blood, there's surgeries, and they definitely make you believe everything is real and enjoy every procedure at the same time.
The characters are probably the show's forte. Everyone is great at what he/she does. There are a lot of dramas/movies that go for the 'clumsy' or 'unskilled' main characters who get by because of their 'cute' or 'nice' personality and basically 'pure luck'. That kind of characters belong to romcoms. Romantic Doctor's characters are rather smart in a very likable way. They're not too good to be true also. They do make mistakes, and they also teach you a lot of lessons as they fix them. Characters from main to even some small patients develop in a very satisfying way.
At the same time, the titular character Teacher Kim is the gem of the show. His every word combines into countless inspirational quotes. He's witty and funny and can be sarcastic at times, yet he's very dependable like a father figure to so many characters in the drama. The term 'romantic' isn't used that often in the drama to describe him, however. I did expect that to happen since it's the title of the show. But after watching the entire show, I finally understand why he calls himself like so. "Romantic" here is as in his 'positive, idealistic, hopeful yet realistic' view of life. It's not the 'love and relationship' kind of romantic. It's not about him and his love interest at all. I rather find this point refreshing.
There's also comedy in this drama – actually there is a lot more comedy than you can imagine. Teacher Kim's frequent sarcastic remarks are already funny enough, and the quirky supporting characters add a lot to that. It's not the slapstick kind of comedy, by the way. You've got to know that the tone of this drama is not dark or melancholic at all just because it's set in a hospital and the poster looks gloomy. I smiled and laughed a lot.
Compared to other romance-medical drama, I'd say this one has less romance. Still, it's definitely there. In down moments when they take a break from their main medical scenes, the romance will keep coming back to remind you that it's there, and it's really cute and worth the wait.
I really liked the cast in this one. Everyone has done an amazing job at portraying their roles. I'm so glad they don't go for the unrealistic good-looking doctors. Honestly, this might be a disgrace to the actors, but I'd say they're good-looking just enough to look believable as doctors – not as models walking around the hospital like some medical dramas go for.
Also, after finishing this, the drama special 'Master Kim's First Love' is a must-watch. It should even be considered the 21st/final episode of this series because a lot of unanswered questions will be answered there. It makes the entire show complete.
I don't remember any song from this drama, but I still think it's a medical drama, so OSTs aren't their main point. I also don't choose to re-watch a drama very easily. I wouldn't choose to re-watch this one so soon also because I personally don't need to see all those technical scenes over again. I gave it a fairly high 8/10, however, to honor such a great drama.
I had an amazing experience, and you will as well.
EDIT: I just found the full OST album of this drama, and, wow, it's got an entire album full of quality compositions. If you take time to appreciate them one-by-one with headphones, you'll feel the passion of this drama from it. Still, I'm not changing my scores because this good music barely received spotlight during the show.
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All of the medical cases were weaved into the story seamlessly. Excellently executed. Great characters. Master Kim embodied the righteous teacher you would want to learn from, who had made mistakes and had learned from them. He was such a mentor to the younger doctors in the hospitals. He inspired them. He also stood up for them, in many satisfying scenes.
I've seen a number of Korean medical dramas, and most of the time the surgery or medical cases only served as plot devices to move the story further along. More often than not, it was difficult to be invested in the cases. However, with this drama, each medical case really brought along a lot of emotions and drama, as you learn not just from the doctors, but also from the patients.
This drama especially reminds me of early days Grey's Anatomy. Lots of heart. Lots of tension. Satisfying to watch when injustice is overturned, which the doctors face on an almost daily basis.
The romance, while light in this drama, is well done for its realism.
Watch this if you are in the mood for a medical drama and you will be drawn in by the doctors at Doldam Hospital, who put saving the lives of their patients above all else, as true modern day superheroes. Be prepared to drop some tears!
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If the only thing that keeps you from watching this drama is the title, just ignore it. Give it a chance and you may be surprised by it. It's a story that tells about doctors who try to protect their ~romantic ideals and about doctors who yet have to come to their own ones as they grow with their difficult tasks day by day (and sometimes have to be pushed into the right direction). It's a story that shows what doctors can be like if society and power-ruling wouldn't interfere and darken single souls. Though this doesn't mean the drama is free from money-driven betrayals that go along with the main plot. It's still a k-drama thing.
Some of you may already know Han Seok Kyu and some of his works. If so, you might already belong to his fans. If not, this drama would be an excellent first try to get to know this wonderful, brilliant actor. His acting alone is worth a 10 and I have no doubt that he will also cast a spell over you - like he did with me some time ago.
His co-actors and co-actresses shouldn't be disregarded either. Though they might not yet reach the level of this acting senior, they did a very good job themselves in supporting the story. I liked many of the face to face dialogues as they gave special light to the respective characters and left quite the impact sometimes. But what I really loved and appreciated in this drama were all those small cases that happened all the time (and that helped keeping the pace and suspense of the story). Most times the guest actors were great with their short appearances and their stories really touched my heart. And I was pleased to see doctors deeply care for their patients in a way I imagine a doctor to be.
But although the drama itself was pretty good, I just had to take off a point. I got irritated every time an emergency occurred and they just stood there, arguing with themselves, arguing with others, having the whole staff watching them while nobody is actually working. I do get that doctors are humans, too, and they can have a bad day or feel bad or whatever. But the whole thing doesn't work when everyone plays along and nobody sees the actual emergency right in front of their eyes. A problem many medical dramas face and sadly, Romantic Doctor couldn't escape that cliché either. Although it's not as bad as I've already seen it in other dramas - this one is still bearable.
So, overall a great show worth watching - either you get bothered by the flaws mentioned above or you just ignore them. Your choice on missing out this wonderful drama or not ;)
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What made this drama so rough in the first half for me personally was the fact that I found Master Kim to be insufferable for more than the first half of this drama. It wasn't that I disagreed with his reasons for giving such severe "tough love" to the other characters, I just didn't agree with how severe and cut throat he addressed the desired character changes of the younger doctors he was trying to inspire to change. I think there were other ways for Master Kim's character to have been written that would not have made such an extreme impression. The fact that his character was written in such a rough and sharp fashion left me feeling bitter and angry on behalf of the other characters - which some people might say is a "good" thing because the writers got me emotionally involved, but to me, his character was enough to make me want to drop the drama. What actually kept me hooked was the young doctors aspiring to learn and specialize as well as the sick patients that came into the hospital requiring treatment. Which leads me to the acting in this drama.
The acting in RDK was phenomenal. All the actors, ranging from the main cast and supporting cast all the way to the guest roles who only played in one episode were absolutely moving in their roles. I truly cried nearly every episode which I simply attribute to the expertly chosen cast paired with the swelling soundtrack. The main actors did an exceptional job demonstrating raw emotions and character growth, which I found so incredibly awesome.
Honestly, I don't think I'll rewatch this drama. It wasn't that it was bad or that I disliked it as a whole, I just struggled getting through the first half that I'm not sure I can get through it all over again. I *did* enjoy the humorous moments scattered throughout the drama, but I wouldn't call this drama a romantic comedy at all. The drama touches on very serious and emotionally charged topics in every episode that truly break your heart. The first half of this drama is really what brings down the rating of this drama for me with the second half of this drama bringing up the rating significantly.
I think the people who will enjoy this drama are those people who have a severe hankering for medical dramas with melodrama. I would not recommend this drama for someone who wants a light, fluffy, romantic comedy medical drama.
Another drama with similar tones and motifs would be Pinocchio, which I think was much more successful in portraying the moral issues and dilemmas tackled in RDK.
*****UPDATE after completing Romantic Doctor Kim Season 2*****
Season 2 was a huge improvement from season 1 - Dr. Kim was so much more balanced and well-written and the new characters were great! So glad I took a chance on watching season 2 after such a rocky experience with season 1! Definitely has me contemplating whether I should rewatch season 1 and season 2 altogether to see if my overall outlook is changed.
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*claps slowly*
What a masterpiece. I want to thank the Mdl family for recommending this. I wouldn't have watched it otherwise because i don't usually like medical dramas. But this was one epic and amazing journey. I'm gonna miss all the characters so much.
The plot was truly inspirational and the writers did a wonderful job with the characters development. In the beginning some of the doctors were annoyingly too immature but i loved to watch how they slowly changed,it was impressive. And the friendship between all of them was spot on. I would've liked a little bit more of romance in the ending but nevertheless it ended perfectly.
Overall,the entire cast was excellent,the story was intense and emotional and it had a great cinematography. It's one of those rare gems that keeps you interested from the first episode to the last one. Even if you have a weak stomach and you can't stand blood,i really recommend it.
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This is the easiest 10s I've ever given. I kind of feel that all the dramas in my list with a five stars don't deserve them. Because they can't compare to Romantic Dr. It is just another level.
Before watching this, everyone should know one thing - you have to be ready to not just watch, but feel and understand. You have to be ready to feel what the characters feel and to be able to see the things from their perspective. I've seen a lot of negative comments from people who obvioulsy didn't do that and I felt hurt without a reason.
To be honest, I didn't like the first episode. Yes, the medical part seemed promising, but everything else... nah. The fast-paced romance was so strange for me that I started wondering if I should continue watching it. Well, I made the best decision. Because after the second episode, I became obsessed.
The medical part was brilliant. The surgeries were so intense, so real to the point that I was sometimes praying for the patients. And I'm not even that relligious. You have no idea how much I cried for the patients who died or for their families. Everything was so emotional, so well-written. Every second, every word made me forget that I'm watching a drama.
The romance disappointed a lot of people and no matter how much I try, I just can't understand why. It wasn't even a big part of the drama. It was refreshing and realistic. I founf it really enjoying to see how Seo Jung and Dong Joo's relationship was progressing.
I can't believe how much I loved all the characters. Every one of them had a special place in the drama. None of them felt unnecessary and it was easy to get to know them all. And not just know them, but also understand them and love them although they are not perfect. And that's why the drama was so realistic and so heart-warming.
First, I want to clear some things out. I've seen a lot of comments about the fact that Master Kim is not a romantic and the title of the drama is pointless and misleading. You know, romantic not always means love. Romantic sometimes means idealizing view of the reality. Having that in mind, Master Kim is a romantic.
I loved him and his passion. Yes, he was rude from time to time. Sometimes he was right, sometimes he was wrong. However, you can clearly see how much he cares in his eyes. You can see that with all the harsh things he say, he wants to make the people he cares about stronger.
Seo Jung is a stong female lead, maybe one of the strongest I've ever seen. She developed a lot. I loved the fact that she was honest with herself and her feelings. She overcame her trauma in the best way. She really deserved to be a doctor.
I loved Dong Joo since the beginning. Yes, his behaviour was annoying, but he was just a man who lost his path while being next to arrogant people. But he was a good person. He developed a lot, thanks to Master Kim, Seo Jung and Doldam Hospital in general. From a person who only cared about the opinion of the others, he developed into a doctor who only cares about the patients and doing a good job.
Also I can't help but mention In Beom. I didn't like him at first, mainly because of his lies. But in the end, he proved that he can be honest and independant. He also dveloped a lot.
Every side character brought a different light to the drama. I loved Manager Jang with his kind of foolish personality, Nurse Oh with her intelligence, Nurse Park with his cheerful smile and even the bad guy Yoon Wan wasn't completely unlikable.
The writer showed that rich chaebols are not always bad people which we rarely see in dramas. Chairman Shin proved that.
Overall, Romantic Doctor, Teacher Kim is a must-watch. It teaches you so many things. I want to thank Kang Eung Kyung for writing such a masterpiece.
I won't be able to forget this drama and if you give it a try, you'll understand why. But remember, don't just watch, feel.
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The word "romantic" I think it suits the drama, the story is about the romantic ideas of what it is to be a doctor vs the reality, all this sounded very good and would have been better if the story had been better written, the Drama is full of clichés and inconsistencies and doesn’t go deep enough in all these emergency cases in which there are important issues like life and death as well as the ethics of a doctor that might have been important if it would have been treated in a more realistic way, it only mentioned these issues superficially and worse still ends up giving moral lessons, "family is the most thing important even if they despise you" "If you are ambitious, you have a very pure motivation or a very perverse one "and so many more lessons taken from makjang dramas. The romance in this story wasn’t really necessary, and it was only interesting in the first episode, the drama about Professor Kim’s past and the rivalry for power with Do Yoon Wan it was interesting at times but it was exactly the same as in other korean medical dramas. The best part was the medical part, really well done but it was a bit unrealistic since at one moment they had 2 patients and little staff and 5 episodes later they had 3 more doctors and 20 patients with very specific diagnoses (I mean…. How?)
I saw that everyone liked the performance of Han Seok Kyu as Professor Kim, but I was more surprised by Yoo Yeon Seok as Dr.Kang the only character I found to be more realistic who faces his ambition, his romantic ideas every now and then And his ethics during almost all the drama, the only character with a real development. Jin Kyung as the nurse Oh, Seo Eun Soo as the resident as well as Han Seok Kyu I thought their performances were good, the other supporting actors I think they also did a good role, my only problem was Seo Hyun Jin with her exaggerated acting in almost all episodes, her character had nothing interesting except her past but she could have done much better, the drama could have been better with another actress or without this character, I don’t know how she went from Another Miss Oh to this Lousy performance.
Kim Hye Soo was definitely the greatest actress of this drama, she only appears in the last episode, I don’t know how the producers didn’t hired her for the entire drama, she was the best thing that this drama had and o she only was in a few scenes, if you haven’t seen the special episode I recommend you to see it only for her.
Honestly, I don’t remember the music. I would rewatch this drama although maybe not all episodes, and just because I enjoyed almost all the medical stories.
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This review may contain spoilers
it's not in the same league with Hospital Playlist.
The Good:-Seo Hyun Jin
-The show has charm.
-There is no love triangle.
-The head nurse and her ?ex-husband?
The Neutral:
-The romance is alright, but there is very little of it.
-It's not a very well researched medical drama
-The overdramatized surgeries
-I could just not warm up to Teacher Kim.
-Hospital Playlist is just a thousand times better in almost every way.
The Bad:
-There is not much plot beyond going from emergency to another emergency, but what plot there is, it is just pretty bad.
-The hospital politics
-In Bum is a somewhat poorly written character
-Surgeons do crazy non surgery related med things.
-The silly main villain
-There were way too many unreasonable BS characters.
-Yoo Yeon Seok's acting (It's crazy how much he has improved since this drama finished airing)
-The big cheating/drunk driving reveal never really happened.
-Seo Jung's PTSD faded into nothing. "It's alright, the audience won't remember!"
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A great medical drama with a bonus romance
This series was well worth the time to watch all 21 (20+bonus) episodes. I had a hard time pulling myself away from the screen. I didn’t realize that I liked hospital dramas until I watched this one. I like shows that set the tempo early. In episode 1, we knew who the bad guy would be, Director Do. In episode 1, we knew where the romance would be, Dr. Kang and Dr. Yoon. Another one of Seo Hyun Jin’s epic kisses.Each episode was a different story that captured the lives and careers of this unique hospital staff. There were so many problems in each episode that it kept the whole series interesting. No filler, no repeating of useless scenes, just non-stop drama. The operating scenes were full of suspense and looked realistic. I’m not a doctor, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express.
I watched this because of Seo Hyun Jin. She can display on-screen chemistry like no one I’ve ever seen. She must be a director’s dream. She kisses with her soul. At least that’s the way it looks on screen. Seo Hyun Jin has an on-screen presence that pulls you into the scene. Her portrayal of Dr. Yoon Seo Jung showed that her acting ability is second to none. Yoo Yeon Seok also did a great job with his portrayal of Dr. Kang Dong Joo. As he struggled with his identity, you struggled with him. His on-screen chemistry with Dr. Yoon was fun to watch and very heartfelt. At times you couldn’t wait for their next kiss. I liked his upfront approach to the woman he loved. It left no doubt in your mind. The way Dr. Yoon handled him was priceless.
The characters in the story all had their differences. Dr. Kang was probably the most unbalanced and easy to influence. Even though I think the story intended otherwise, it took him a long time to develop an ethical decision that should have been easy. A simple certified letter has him completely flustered. He gets angry and portrays a total lack of composure at times. But still, something makes you pull for him.
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