I decided to give this drama a shot because of ji sung who is a great actor and the synopsis sounded interesting. The first couple of episodes were really captivating and it shocked me that they discussed a subject which has always been a source of debate with no ending conclusion, but i appreciate to watch something different and the fact that makes you search and think about topics that we don't usually talk about.
The music was so good and it fits the atmosphere of the drama and the acting was great. I know everyone is talking about the FL hair style that was a mess but i didn't care and i found the cast did really a good job portraying their characters.
The story started very well with medical mystery genre and a slow developed romance that really fit this kind of story. The chemistry between the leads was good and then the euthanasia was brought up. i thought it was great to see a drama that approach this topic. The writer did a good job in the beginning but toward the middle i felt like she was lost and didn't know how to handle the story anymore and she focused more about the illness. I expected more deep conversation about pain death and the value of life and i expected the actor lee kyu hyung's character to have much more importance in the story.
Beside that "in my opinion" the story wasn't so well developed the drama was worth watching. I enjoyed every episode and the acting was soooo good never gt disappointed by ji sung and i loved the side love story of the second lead.
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The initial few episodes started off great but unfortunately it didn't keep the same pace due to it leaning much too heavy towards romance. It didn't help that the two mains had zero chemistry with one another and her character felt more like an obsessed fan, rather than an effective partner. The supporting cast had much more character development than the female lead. She was consistently clingy and didn't seem to be a very competent doctor despite the excess praises she received. Overall, I managed to finish the series by skipping through large chunks of the scenes where the two leads were alone and being awkwardly sappy. This one had potential, but for an hour long episode with 16 episodes, they could have used that time to dive much more into the lives of the rest of the team or included more cases to add more substance. Even excluding the romance aspect, it felt like the plot was put together with pieces that don't quite fit together.
Really surprised this series had such high ratings and I wonder if it's due to the fact that there are some pretty great cast members in it.
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Okay to watch
I watched this because I love Ji Sung so much. He's brilliant at everything he does. And he did in this one too. Everyone was great, just too much running and too much crying.The female lead's part irritated me to say the least. Too obsessive about him to the detriment of her job. Never have i wanted a couple to never succeed. They had no chemistry and that's putting it mildly. Everything always ended in tears.
The nurse with the vendetta just disappeared into thin air. So she wanted an apology, so why not say so. The story was all over the place.
Worth watching but not a 2nd for me.
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What a waste
"Doctor John' starts with a bang and interesting first episode, however it goes downhill after the main female lead character, second year resident Dr. Kang Shi-young, falls madly in love with the male lead character, professor/attending Dr. Cha Yo-han. As a second year resident in a very demanding pain anesthesiology program, it is unlikely that she would have so much time running after (almost like stalking) her professor/attending at work or after work. I bet all residents that are doing residency wish their life is as easy as this second year resident. The scrip is not well written. Also, there are too many long "love scenes" that become too annoying and boring. I tolerated watching "Doctor John" because my significant other liked the lead female character and enjoyed the long "love scenes". I respect his preference.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
There are a lot of things that make a drama worth watching. But the one thing that makes a drama 'unforgettable' is the appropriate use of it's theme and maintaining the moral of the story throughout. This drama picked up a very controversial topic in medicine and law and handled it really well. It gave no definite answers to Euthanasia but just like the endless debate, left no side as the bad guy and no side as the good guy. Instead of focusing on pain leading to 'death' as an abrupt end of life, this drama focused on 'living' till the very end. It gave a very memorable perspective to death and life. It may not be the best medical drama, but this drama was much more. It left valuable lessons and worth watching perspectives behind and that is as important sometimes.
The acting was quite obviously outstanding. Nothing less to be expected from Ji Sung. Doubt any other actor could have portrayed the different emotions this drama and story required. He was as usual phenomenal. The other actors were brilliant as well, especially Lee Seyoung who is most definitely a very promising actress.
The soundtrack was brilliant and fitting in every scenario. It was both melancholic and hopeful, happy and sad. Just perfect. The romance was handled very well. Not the typical romance drama types but rather a mature romance. Practical, deep and beautiful.
This drama did justice to all the tags and to it's viewers in my opinion and is definitely worth investing your time in. Also i mean, it's Ji Sung! Come on! Haha.
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Nice story that will keep you involved.
If you think medical dramas are all the same, you need to watch this one. A unique twist on doctors who manage pain with an overriding theme of euthanasia. Throw in a little romance and you have something exciting to watch. Don’t let the 32 episodes discourage you, the 30 minute episodes will fly by.The storyline concentrates on pain management and does a good job of bringing excitement to an otherwise boring topic. Each doctor in the group has their own personality making it that much more interesting. Ji Sung was amazing as Dr. John (Cha). He fit the part and made it believable.
The love interest between Dr. Cha and Dr. Kang started slowly and peaked briefly at an airport farewell. It was a nice scene with love confessions on both sides. Other than a few minutes later in the story, there was no more real romance, and there definitely wasn’t much chemistry between the two leads. I don’t know if it was the story or the actor, but Ji Sung just didn’t seem to warm up to the romance concept. Lee Se Young, on the other hand, had much better chemistry and gave you a warm feeling that she was really in love. They tried to bring them back together in the last few minutes of the drama but that never really works to anybody’s satisfaction. But this drama really wasn’t about romance, it was about pain management.
In summary it has a good storyline and a strong supporting cast. I liked this drama. The music was fantastic, some of the best I’ve ever heard.
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Only Ji Sung can make me watch and enjoy16+ hours of serious surgeries and doctor-politics LOL
Only Ji Sung can make me watch and enjoy16+ hours of serious surgeries, doctor-politics, heartbreaking discussions on euthanasia and actual blood, sweat, and tears.He is as always PHENOMENAL in his role, and truly disappeared in his portrayal of the enigmatic Cha Yo Han. He was stellar, and so was the show.
I liked his relationship with the lead actress and enjoyed their interactions, he was adorable with her, and they had a fitting end together.
I LOVED the other doctors, the sister of the female lead with Lee was SO CUTE, and the other two male doctors with their adorable bromance.
The rest of the cast was great too.
The story has a lot of thoughtful moments, discussing what it means to be truly alive and what can blur the line between living/surviving so easily. It was enjoyable from beginning to the end, and for some reason didn't even feel like I had seen 16+ hours of this show, it kinda felt like a movie almost.
Highly recommended as a great medical drama.
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This review may contain spoilers
After watching dramas for nearly a year now, I finnaly got myself onto a medical drama and it did not dissapoint. As a person who is into science this show was very interesting. When watching the show i really felt connected to the leads becasue they didn't make them over the top to where thier lives are unbelievable. With Cha Yo Han, who was a person living with CIPA it made me realise that there are unfortanate people in the world at at the age of 18 i am very lucky to have what i have which is mild asthma. It almost makes me appreciate life a lot more because there are people who are more unfortunate than me but they are fighting thier hardest.
I really enjoyed watching Kang Shi Young's character develop I reallyt think that Lee Se Young did a really good job player that character. I loved teh chemisty between the two leads as i realised that a romance drama doesn't need to have the usual loads of kissing and things like that. This taught me that love between two people is about understanding one another and respecting eachother.
I really loved the Prosecuter's character because he was dealing with his own personal problems but was also dealing with corrupt medical practises. I like how the relationship between Cha Yo Han and the Prosocuter turns from kinda enemies to a friends and when i saw them in a last episode I wished it happened earlier so we could see thier bromance.
Overall for my first every medical drama I loved what i saw and would reccomend this to anyone looking for something new that isnt the whole mushy love that a lot of dramas do and it shows a sense of reality.
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Not your usual medical drama
This drama became one of my overall fave dramas and my fave medical drama (even though I'm not so fond of the genre) because it treats a lot of ambiguous topics from many angles.What I found most interesting is how I didn't expect it to be deep. The way it invites the viewer to think about things we usually wouldn't bother ourselves about much unless when we're faced with a similar situation like he meaning of pain, death and most importantly the real purpose of a doctor.
One of the main reasons I kept on watching was Ji Sung as I love his acting and how he brings every role he plays to life by conveying so much emotions but got really hooked.
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With such a plot deemed to be serious, I really enjoyed the bonding between everyone in the anesthesiology department, it was like a breeze of fresh air watching them all work as a team and supporting one another. Character development was also very nice to watch.
Romance aspect wise, I personally think romance in the drama is pretty different in comparison to other medical kdramas (at least from the ones I've watched), instead of seeing a lot of couple-like-moments, we got to see all couples involved grow as individuals especially the leads with its gradual development from mentor & mentees to an actual couple.
Acting was superb, all the characters executed their emotions very well and yes overall I loved this drama a lot, I honestly had this in my plan to watch list for quite some time now because I was pretty reluctant on watching it but it only took me 2 days to finish watching. So if you are looking for a medical kdrama to watch, I strongly recommend Doctor John.
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You should watch this one (YES! )
You would recommend this to others. (YES!)
You could watch this again. (UPTO YOU)
There are some stories that impact you and leave an impression on your mind for a very long time. I would rate this drama as one of them. It leaves you thinking about pain and suffering and makes you pause and look around you to observe those who are suffering amongst you. It gives you an insight.
The topic of Euthanasia is tackled logically. There are so many theories expounded. Some we will accept. Some we won’t. The writers have done some good research on the topic. There are some rare form of illnesses which we are exposed to in each episode.
The thread of romance is beautiful and deep. The way the lead characters understand each other is beautifully portrayed. The supporting cast of doctors are very impressive in their roles. The anti-heroes are aptly placed and make you want to shake them up for not understanding. It makes you cry, it makes you laugh, It makes you empathize. The last 5 episodes take you on a roller coaster ride of emotional upheavals. It is definitely one of the finer dramas which you will watch and never regret. It does get a tear or two out of you (actually more than that). It’s worth watching.
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