This review may contain spoilers
Friendship so precious you want to be part of
I inserted a warning sentence before the part that is a slight spoiler :) after it the paragraph ends so you can know when it ends also :)10 out of 10!
First of all if anyone asks me if they should watch this drama I will definitely say yes! It’s very beautiful story of 5 friends and their life as doctors. The first episodes might be a bit overwhelming with too many characters but soon you will get attached to them and know them all ^^ Honestly I thought I won’t like it when I first turned it on. But as soon as I reached even half of the first episode I loved this a lot. :) It's an epitome of my friendship dream! <3
Life in a hospital is not always sweet but it’s not always sour eirher, it’s not always easy but not always hard either, it’s not always cool with glorified doctors but it’s not always uncool either... it’s just life with it’s ups and downs and in this drama we see it through 5 main characters. Yes 5! Not a male lead, female lead and second lead, but 5 friends with different likes, different departments, different stories. Their friendship is the highlight of this drama and the most precious thing in this world of hospital playbook. This whole hospital life is not shown to us only through these 5 precious friends, but also nurses, some directors, and of course patients and their families. How each and every family is different, how doctors are in pain with their patients and are happy with their patients too.
Honestly I don’t like slice of life/ slow dramas. But this one is different. What I don’t like in those kind of dramas is the grey-ness and sadness they show. But here, they show that it’s not always bad, and even if the life can be horrible at the moment, there is always sun that will shine again later. They show that routine can be enjoyable too and even if it’s not it’s not that bad and can’t be just done. And that they can enjoy different hobbies! The next line is a slight spoiler but we all know how doctors can be called any moment and even if they get a call at night they have to run. So when Sung Hwa reaches her camping site and puts the tent she gets a call and has to clean up the tent right away and go back... she didn’t get to do anything but still she says that she enjoyed going there even if it was for a short moment.
And I just loved their band and jam sessions! It was always my dream so it was especially meaningful for me :)
Characters in this drama like I already mentioned are amazing. Each and every one is special, different and interesting. I love how this drama doesn’t have a villain. All of them are just people. And they are awesome people! All of this of course was possible by amazing directing, writing and acting! Actors did such a great job I got attached to each character and don’t want to say goodbye.
Yang seok young may seem like a boring loner and a mama boy, but is very sweet, had his own share of difficulties and is very strong, responsible and nice.
Chae Song Hwa is like a perfect woman but she too has her difficulties and her little hobbies she enjoyes a lot, she is also very strong and very nice.
Lee Ik Jun may seem like a crazy and irresponsible man, but in reality he cares for everyone and is very sweet, he doesn’t help only his friends but also absolutely everyone in this drama, friend of the world.
Kim Joon Hwan may seem cold and harsh but he also cares for everyone around him and does all the sweetest things without anyone knowing.
Ahn Jong Won may seem naive and week, but he has his own big special things that he is responsibly doing and a heart of big soft gold.
The nurses, residents and other staff had their share of screen time too which wasn’t even slightly brining. Each and every person was unique and interesting.
I love how they show us that you can start your career even later in life, even after you failed at another place. That you can find your love later in life too and that everything will be alright and life goes on.
I need to mention also parents of the main characters and other older cast. At first some of them are introduced in a tricky way making us think that they may be bad. But each and every one of them is so precious! I especially loved chairman’s Rosa’s friendship!
And of course patients and their families, we see all kinds of patients mean and kind but all in all everyone was human trying to live their lives.
Humor in here is another thing and I loved that even after the devastating tragical cases they always included comical scenes to not make the viewers sink in the sadness but give them some ray of light and hope that the sun will shine tomorrow and you can laugh!
Anyway it was really a phenomenal drama that made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I cried and laughed with them and was extremely jealous of their friendship!!!!
P.S. I never rewatch dramas so I just put a random number in there :)
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Absolutely THE BEST DRAMA I've ever Watched
I'll just write the pros and cons here in a list form.This drama is actually a slice of life drama. It's just like an anthology of short stories but the roles are the same.
Pros (not in any order):
I. OST-rich
2. No boring episode. Here, you have 5 main roles to watch, they are funny and are true friends.
3. This drama grants you a LOT of comedy in each episode
4. THE MOST REALISTIC KDrama I've ever found
5. This drama DOES have romance stories with perfect ratio (the drama isn't overshadowed by romance scenes).
6. This drama does NOT rely too much on past stories/conflicts. The past is just to explain that those 5 characters are friends since long ago and the history of how they became friends.
7. Rich of BEAUTIFUL LIFE STORY, no unnecessary plot twist.
8. WILL make you understand some of the medical terms and procedures.
9. THE BEST NATURAL COMEDY in K-drama ever. You will laugh just by watching their acts, in fakin' EVERY episode!
10. You will also be teary because of the kindness or sadness in the story. This drama's setting is in the live-or-die building after all.
11. It's planned to have the SECOND SEASON!!!
Cons:
1. It's too short. Only 12 episodes (1 hour ++) each. But, still not enough for me :(
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Diaries like drama, in the start it look so simple like there are nothing on it but it have so much if you look more, so much relationships and so much love lines /ships ^^ and that's so reality if you work in the same place for all day and we all that hospitals have that much couples in real..
ACTING i think there are no need to talk about the mean cast acting they all known and proved how good are they.. but let me tell you literally everyone is good from big roles to small roles even the kids, maybe it's the power of Shin director he is known since replay even bad actress act well with him.. he is that good.
Music = Nostalgia , even though it's not from my young age not from my country it steal take me to that time . I enjoyed it the most and wait for the band gather scenes the most.
Lastly as expected from shin won ho and lee woo jung give us the best life , friendship , love and heartwarming feel all in one show. I want to thank them for that.
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Realistic Plotline
Hospital playlist is a such a soothing and realistic drama, no unrealistic love triangle or fight over ownership or whatever. Though this drama won’t be everyone’s favorite, it might be boring to some people because of the plotline but I believe it’s a drama that is closer to reality, dramatic plots can be tiring also.The acting, the OSTs, the side characters and how issues are addressed by the characters just hit different. I love everything about this drama and I hope season will be better
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In case you don't know Hospital Playlist is about a 5, 30-something doctors who have been close friends since college. The 5 of them let off steam by forming a garage (well basement) band. Hence the playlist part of the title. There are several stories woven into the fabric of HP. There are the patients, the hospital staff and their interactions with the core 5, and the core 5 themselves. The 5 have separate side stories that cris cross nicely. The same way all of our stories intersect with friends and family I would assume. Screenwriter Lee Woo Jung did a very good job juggling the stories, the sweet and bittersweet. The director, Shin Won Ho, did an excellent job as did his editors.
The cast is what truly made the drama special. Each lead actor brought something unique and different to the screen. The character's personalities were unfolded wonderfully. They were fantastic. Not just the lead and supporting actors, but the guest stars were wonderful. The guests I'm referring to mostly played the patients. From the children to the elderly, they were brillant. I caught myself wanting to console so many patients. It was ridiculous how many times I wanted to cry; how many times I was happy; how many times I wanted to kick them and yell snap out of it. OK I did the yelling part. My family just looked at with raised eyebrows. There really was no stand out acting among the 5. They were a true ensemble amongst themselves. I will admit Jo Jung Suk's Dr. Lee Ik Jun was my favorite from his first to last scene. If I had to pick one thing I didn't like, it was seeing the band in almost every episode. Thankfully, their stories moved along during the singing, but oft times I could have done without. But, honestly, it wasn't that bad.
The music was good. I usually don't pay much attention to it, but as I stated the 5 form a band and sing in every episode. All 4 of the men have great voices, especially experienced stage/musical actor, Jo and Yoo Yeon Suk. I don't know if Jeon Mi Do can sing, but her character most definitely can not! I have to say I did like the songs they sang. They seemed to convey the mood of each episode. I just wish it weren't each episode.
I'm not big on rewatching, but I can see Hospital Playlist having a large rewatch value for those that do, especially since season 2 will be out next year. Rewatch or not, it's definitely worth a first watch. It's emotional. It's funny. It's uplifting. It can be sad, but not depressing. It's addictive. Mostly, it's enjoyable.
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Healer
Simple yet Extraordinary medical drama. I actually don't know how could I appreciate this drama with just words. Each episode will make you cry, laugh and you'll go with the flow till the end and didn't realize how quickly this drama ends. The whole cast ,each and every actor, Ik Jun is such a charming person and his cutie son U ju, Song Hwa's strong female character won my heart, Jun Wan and Seok hyung were perfect,and other supporting actor's expressions were mesmerizing. Music, stories of patients and friendship , love stories ( especially Gyo Eul and Jung Won ) relationship between doctor and patient... Can't describe how beautifully they depicted everything.Full package of healing.At last this drama sets another level of medical dramas. Just GO FOR IT WITHOUT ANY DOUBTS.
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Best !!!
BESTEST MEDICAL DRAMA ❤️If you haven't watched it yet...Go, Watch it Now.
Heartwarming Stories... True Friendship and Awesome Acting Made this drama Realistic and Worth watching.
Everyone's Story was Beautifully described, How Their friendship starts and they're still together and spend their weekend by Singing and enjoys it. They'll definitely remind you your Friends.
Heart touching and Emotional scenes of Patients. Comedy scenes of Ik Jun,Wow... He was such a Mood maker and U ju too.
Slow Burn Romance of couples was so Good. Specially Gyeol Eul and Jung won. I was waiting for their scenes in entire drama. And I'm desperately waiting for next Seasons, how other couple's love stories will proceed.
Loved it. Feels So Relax while watching it & Enjoyed a Lot.
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you just need to focus while watching this drama.
you just need to focus while watching this drama. maybe people are a little confused because of the many main characters and many people around the main character, you have to memorize the names of many characters, because this is a drama about medicine, you will also find foreign terms, I think that's why people get confused and unfocused. but once you focus on every scene and read every translation correctly, you will find deep meaning and find extraordinary experiences while watching this drama. especially about their friendship, their friendship was really envious and very meaningful. You will also reminisce when watching this drama. very highly recommendedWas this review helpful to you?
Fundamentally, it’s a show about friendship that continues strong after two decades, but it also encapsulates the tough work those in the medical field have to go through daily as well as the pain of the patients and their family members when they have to face a difficult obstacle in their lives, which is to battle an illness. I have watched just a few Korean medical dramas, but because of the genre difference, I was for the first time in Hospital Playlist, rewarded with the opportunity to see for myself just how tough their job is, which other medical dramas seemed to fail to strike it in me. Doctors don’t just study for years and then land themselves in a supposedly good paying job. They don’t just sit there and prescribe each passing patient a random medicine and call it a day. For me, that’s what I’ve always known, but I’ve never really thought much of it and just brushed it off. But Hospital Playlist has excellently portrayed the hectic life of the medical field that made me reconsider my so-called apparent appreciation for those in the medical field. Watching them drop everything they’re doing — be it any meal they’re eating or any destination they’re travelling to — and without hesitation return back to the hospital was something very commendable, because I couldn’t imagine how many times they had to do it and how many plans they had to forgo just for perhaps the smallest malfunction that may not even require immediate attention. But then they would, with patience, return back to their personal lives like it wasn’t anything big. This was what I was rewarded with — the deepest gratitude I could ever have for you doctors, surgeons, nurses, etc. I truly cannot imagine the countless amount of sacrifices made and I’m forever grateful for it.
Of course, this whole fat paragraph I had just written wouldn’t be possible for the actors who have excellently portrayed their respective characters. Our main 5 was amazing and I don’t think anyone else could have played their roles better than they themselves. Fun fact: many of the casts are also theatre actors, and for Jeon Mido who plays Songhwa (one of the main 5), it’s her very first major television role other than 1 or 2 super minor ones and she seriously slayed it! I also want to commend the side characters who did an equally fantastic job. There were many touching moments in the show that rendered me a few drops of tears, but there was one particular scene that truly broke me. It was when Cho Yihyun who plays a female medical student Jang Yunbok, tells Songhwa ‘I miss my mother so much’ and then breaks down in her arms. I wasn’t awe-struck by her acting initially because her roles didn’t seem to have any proper room to truly showcase her skills, but that one line brought out some kind of pain in me I didn’t think I would have had. In that split-second, I suddenly missed my mother more than ever, even though she was just in the room next door sleeping. What I wanted to say is...every actor in Hospital Playlist is deserving of a proper recognition because they have successfully brought the script to life, in a very interesting and enjoyable way, and that’s what makes the show a success.
Hospital Playlist isn’t just a television series. It’s an eye-opener to the daily struggles of different parties, it’s a recipe to everlasting friendship and it’s a form of enlightenment to you, that there is beauty in this world, in small ways that has the potential to amount to a lot when you slowly build it up.
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REALISTIC MEDICINE BUT MORE REALISTIC CHARACTERS
This is one of the best Kdramas i have ever watched.Each and every character is special and has a variety of traits that make him unique. Even some bad traits are presented with humor but also with respect and they make you fell in love with flawed characters *cause no one is perfect*
This show will make you laugh and cry at the same time. The friendship between the five lead characters is one of the best i have seen and the chemistry is undeniable.
Also the love stories are super cute; we have friends to lovers, bestfriend's sister to lover and workplace romance.
If you like medical dramas you will love it, but even if you are not into them this show will make you fell in love with a new genre.
I recommended 100%
I look forward for season 2
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Unique
You know....after watching a lot of overly dramatic and crazy romantic dramas it was a huge transition for me when I started this drama. I didn't know what all the hype was about when watching this drama. In the beginning it might be a little slow but as I kept going and going it was honestly worth watching. I loved how these doctors aren't going through "exaggerated" points in their lives. It's more realistic and everyone can honestly understand what they are going through. Whether they connect with the patients or one of the 5 main doctors. Honestly it is an amazing drama. It is hilarious and it's one of a kind in my book. If you are considering watching it I think you should be open minded and give it a chance to open up to you.Can't wait for season 2 :)
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