Heartwarming with an incredible and touching story
Every single part of this series was enjoyable, valuable, and fulfilling to watch and it is one of the best dramas I have ever seen. Everything from the characters, stories, and the musical elements, is definitely worth a watch. This drama was quite simple to follow with not much medical jargon and it's definitely a drama that will tug on your heartstrings. They also showed us how we should all value the small intricate things that life brings us and that we should treasure these moments. Due to this, I believe that this drama feels very different from other shows I've watched in the past. The series made me laugh, cry, smile, and feel sentimental - with a hint of longing to eat some delicious food.Story
The story itself was quite interesting. I wasn't immediately hooked on the series, but I decided to go ahead with it due to how they would add the musical element into their lives. Medical dramas are not the typical genre I would yearn for watching, but I particularly enjoyed the aspect of the doctors enjoying the company of each other and enjoying every aspect of free time that they individually have. The slice of life drama gives us insight into how important friendship really is and balancing life and work. All of the patient stories were very touching and realistic; also the inspiring stories that followed with it. Everything was executed well and the progress of the drama was extraordinary. This drama paints a realistic depiction of what the life of being in the medical field and working in a hospital setting really is, such as communication amongst patients and their guardians, incompetent and impolite staff, being on-call 24/7, and dealing with the emotional, mental and physical challenges of patient conditions
Although the romance isn't the centre of this drama, I do have to mention that the romance was sweet, mature, and realistic, with no cliche moments
Acting/Cast
Ik Jun - Shown to be the humorous and the 'mood maker' of the bunch, you will definitely favour him for his lighthearted, kind, extroverted and sweet personality. He's known as the 'crazy' one, but that all ties in with his bubbly demeanour I have huge admiration for his character role in this drama series as he balances the life of being a surgeon and a single Father. It was very sweet to see his moments with U-Ju.
Jeong Won - His love, passion, and care for kids was definitely a favourable characteristic of Jeong Won. His caring and compassionate side towards his patients and his subtle caring exterior towards his loved ones were very moving and gave me butterflies. But among that, he's also emotionally sensitive which was quite refreshing to see
Jun Wan - He has a cold, mundane, and outspoken personality that made him slightly intimidating, but as the show progressed, we get to understand more of his tough-love personality and his wish for the best to the ones he cares about. He definitely has a straightforward approach to his relationships as well as his soft side.
Song Hwa - Highly intelligent, tough, and competent, she is the character that we would all admire and feel inspired by. She is the one that holds the group together and ensures the best out of all of them. Her compassion and love for her job are truly amazing and her intuition is remarkable. Although her emotions are not shown much in this drama, I think it made her character more relatable.
Seok-Hyung - Introverted, awkward but also considerate, his non-materialistic and humbleness is what drives me to like his character. His love and value for the small and intricate things in life really moved me. It is quite evident that he treasures the time he has with his best friends from office meals, evening dinners, karaoke nights, and band practices.
I think that each character was loveable in their own ways and thus, I don't have a favourite, because they all shine respectfully. Their friendship goes above and beyond of goals and shows how we should all treasure the moments we have with our friends and look out for those who are really genuine and caring towards us. The selection for the cast was amazing and the actors did an amazing job in depicting the emotions and hardships that they individually portray. This is my first time watching the main cast act so I can't really make a comment on their previous work, but I must say they did exceptionally well
I loved that each supporting role had their moments and stories to share in this series. The relationships that they have with their professors, as well as each other, were memorable and cherishing.
Music
Throughout the show, the cast delivered some great songs that were good. There were some songs that I really found catchy and would listen to again, but others, not so much.
Rewatch value
Again, I am the type that is reluctant to watch a series again, but I would have to watch this again to catch some details of the drama again as I wasn't quite familiar with the drama a few episodes in. This series is deemed as rewatchable to watch the hilarious and valuable experiences that the characters go through.
Overall, I believe that this is one of my favourite slice of life dramas to watch. It's realistic and touching with some amazing chemistry between the characters of the show. Definitely would recommend it if you need something to watch to take a break away from love-triangle dramas, which is what I did.
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i can understand when people dwy this is overrated cuz everyone and their mamas know about this drama but really it deserves the recognition. ive gotten accustomed to jumpscares and sudden betrayals in dramas sm i expected smth to happen at least but nothing happened lmao. hospital playlist is all about 5 doctors and their personal lives and i loved how much insight we got in every operation and everything. i loved how they had a personal life to enjoy too after all their struggles the whole week
i have nothing much to say this is just a feel good drama showing struggles of doctors and the strong friendship between 5 besties. i have a lot of hope for season 2
i loved senghwa and ikjun sm. their foodie besti thing ugh i love them sm. also the parents being friends <33 ah my heart i love all of them sm im gonna cry
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This review may contain spoilers
I had high expectations from other reviews but found it slow and drawn out
7/10 Season 1. 8/10 season 2. This is a 2020 South Korean medical drama with 12, 73-113 minute episodes.First I provide a unique synopsis then review
Synopsis
The series centers around five doctors who have been friends since medical school. Lee Ik-jun (Jo Jung suk) is balancing a busy career as a general surgeon and medical professor with the demands of single fatherhood. Despite the many challenges in his life, his magnanimous personality makes him well liked by fellow doctors as well as patients. His son, Woo joo (Kim Joon) is growing up well in the extended family he is experiencing among his father’s close friends despite the absence of his mother. Ahn Jeong-won (Yoo Yeon seok) is an assistant professor of pediatrics but his real passion is Catholicism. He is considering focusing on the clergy as he has a difficult time dealing with patient suffering. Chae Song hwa (Jeon Mi do) is a brilliant neurosurgeon and her amiability and pleasant disposition often draws the group together. Kim Jun wan (Jung Kyung ho) is admired but his austere domineer also prompts fear, particularly among the interns. His career is on the move as he achieves the head position in cardiothoracic surgery. He has known and been friends with Ik jun since childhood and is also close to Ik jun’s pretty and energetic sister Ik sun (Kwan Sun young). Yang Seok hyeong (Kim Dae myung) is also among the divorced. He is perceived as cold and distant because he is quiet and shy particularly compared ti his more outgoing friends, but he is a very caring doctor and professor of obstretics and gynecology.
Review
Comtrary to a lot of other reviews, I found it slow and I forwarded every time they did the band practice. In the first season it really just goes from one tragic medical case to another. They often had good outcomes but it still was emotionally a bit of a downer. The friendships among and between the five doctors were nice and heartwarming and it was clear their mutual support is what helped them weather the emotional storms to excel in the areas of medical expertise. But their romances were less believable as the focus seemed so strongly on the friend group you did not see full development of the romances. So when they started having a romance it felt abrupt. Woth the exception of two of the couples but there were still some aspects that felt unfinished where there would have been more time to develop aspects if so much time was not spent on band practice. I am glad the second season was out when I watched it or it would have been a sudden and incomplete end. That is why liked season two better, it at least wrapped up loose ends.
Spoiler
Jeon won and Jang Gyeo-ul (Shin Hyun been) become a couple but there was no lead up of significance. She confessed and he at first rejected her feelings. Then he basically had his friends and his mother Jung Ro-sa (Kim Hae sook) say they would be a great couple which I guess made him reconsider. Then he suddenly reconsidered, and when she confessed again, kissed her and then they became a dating couple. But it was like she confessed the first time and then he goes back and hangs out with his friends and it doesn’t seem like much developed between the two of them and then later he’s like “oh wait a second you’re right I do like you” and then they are together. It just seemed weird.
Jung Kyun ho (Kim Jun-wan) and Lee Ik-sun’s (Kwak sun young) relationship also felt just out of the blue. He had a girlfriend he broke up with because she seemed to have alcohol issues. Then what felt like all of a sudden he expressed interest in Ik sun. There was no build up. Just, bam, suddenly he is really into her. I got angry with her when she selfishly broke his heart because she decided her illness and the distance thing were too hard on him. Since she told him she was in love with someone else, she lied to him about her real reasons. They seemed to be dating again in the end but they were never fully back together which made the whole relationship seem pointless. Ik jun obviously came to know one of his best friends and his sister were a couple but neither of them ever talked about it to him. It was weird and also felt like it did not reach a logical juncture where one of them would have “come clean” to Ik jun.
Song hwa was my favorite and it was easy to see how someone like her would be loved by her patients as well as her students. It was also believable that two of the men in her friend group had feelings for her beyond friendship, and why all her male friends looked to her for companionship, comfort and advice. That was why I absolutely loved her and Ik jun’s romance. They were perfect together and made so much sense. It was sad they liked each other all those years and had their early romance derailed because of their mutual friend, Seok hyeong’s confession to her. I wish they had further closed the loop by showing Woo soo’s reaction to Song hwa and Ik jun becoming a couple. Song hwa and Woo Soo already acted like mother and son so I think he would have been very happy to have Song hwa as a stepmom.
I was suprised that I very much liked the romance between Seok hyeong and his intern, Choo Min ha (Ahn Eun jin). She did not like him at first, got to know him and fell for him and then pursued him diligently. It was slow burn and very believable when they finally started dating. His mother, Jo Young hye (Moon Hee kyung) was something else so I wish they had shown Min ha either win her over or tell her off but we did not get the satisfaction of either. And the whole gold digger suspicion his mom had around his ex wife, Yoon Shin-hye (Park Ji yeon) was never resolved. They show Shin hye with this large diamond necklace that could have been from the ring Young hye thought she stole but was it? If it was the same diamond then it would have vindicated Young hye and laid the ground work for Min ha and her to have a good relationship. I did not like that aspect of Young hye’s character, her as a horrible harpy of a mother-in-law. They spent so much time early in the series portraying her as a character we should sympathize with because of her husband’s flagrant affair, that switching our feelings for her as a mean mother-in-law seemed to be an inconsistency in the character. Were we supposed to like her or not?
Overall it felt like there was a heavy focus on the friends. I liked that but did not like there was so little time spent on the romances. And too much time spent on band practice. They did some awesome songs and one or two would have been okay but it was a lot more. And hearing Song hwa sing off key was not enjoyable at all. I know it was supposed to be comedic and it was, the first time, but they had her sing off key a lot.
They spent a lot of time playing music. I found we fast forwarded a lot not because we did not like the music but because we wanted to watch the drama content.
#HospitalPlaylist #JoJungSuk #YooYeonSeok #JungKyungHo # KimDaeMyung #JeonMiDo #KwanSunYoung #MoonHeeKyung #AhnEunJin #KimHaeSook
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As I get older I appreciate stories that focus on characters in their 30s/40s because its nice to see aspects of my own reality reflected back. The world is different at this age than when I was in my early 20s floundering through love. There are hard stories to watch here; one of the doctors works pediatrics. There were tears, and choked up moments because this show is so great at humanizing characters that only show up for a few minutes of screen time.
It’s also great at subverting expectations. There are not really and villains that you’d expect. There are shitty chaebols but also human, endearing ones. People come in a range of good and bad and we get to see them through our loveable group of long-time friends. The show is just the definition of a moving human drama.
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IKJUN BEST HUMAN!!
i personally watch this bcs jo jung suk is in the cast, he has incredible acting and can do anything. and i was right!!!him playing as ikjun is the best ever!! can sing, can dance, can act, handsome, also great at humor?? lee ikjun is literally jo jung suk in real life!!
thesecond best i like about this is the OST!! damn, i replying this over and over again, they r so talented. esp jo jungsuk and jeon mido. they did really well, their ost also charted so well, pretty sure jjs gonna got that Ost of the year!!
the third best character that i like after ikjun and songhwa is jang gyeo wool, i love her character development. the girl who dont care abt a patient, she did it her own way too~
about the ships, iam all for ikjun-songhwa, they r the sweetest, altho at 1st i like chihong, but when he cant take the hint with how many times songhwa reject him and he still pursuing her, and that day at the dinner with other nerosurgeon doctors, he crossed his lines. iam 100% IKSONG for endgame now!! def knewiksong gonna be super slow burn couple, but whatever, they r my endgame now
also, the cutest ujuuu!!
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But with an average rating of 9.3 and many dithyrambic reviews, I was expecting a unique gem. The show wasn't that for me.
The good points :
- Incredible cast and acting : great actors in EVERY main and supporting roles. (Probably the best casting I have ever seen in quantity and quality).
- Solid writing and pacing.
- Beautiful stories, realistic enough characters.
The average or bad points :
- The show was previsible to me (but I watched too many dramas... )
- I skipped some of the band parts (musical parts of the drama) : I didn't like the way it was recorded/mixed and the music didn't move me.
- For a medical drama, it is amazing (although I don't know anything about medecine). BUT there are already many great medical dramas out there, and although the medical parts were amazing, there was not much originality.
- The first season calls for the second with some cliffhangers at the end.
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Pure wine
This is most likely the only drama review I'll make in a lifetime. And that's because Hospital Playlist is certainly a drama that'll stay me for life. Friendly summary of everything I loved about it:- It's hard to beat the greatness of the main five friendship. Their chemistry, understandment and care are just something else.
- It portrays the beauty of life in its root. No flashy heroes, hateful villains or over the top happenings; only life and its greatness, and life doesn't have a planned outline.
- Characters are so well built and compelling, supported by brilliant acting. And I mean all characters, including hospital staff, families and patients. All of them feel important to me, it doesn't matter how big their roles are.
- Again: the acting in this drama is no joke, but rightfully expected from such a great cast. All the care on the process of casting showed.
- The musical breaks are so heart warming and comforting! The OSTs have been in my playlists for months already, and the Aloha karaoke scene remains as my favorite moment in the drama. Plus, props to the actors for making such an effort on actually playing the instruments. No more bad instrument playing cringe on dramas, please!
- It only gets better with time. By the time of this review, I've watched season one 8 times, and it's amazing how the show hooked me more the more I watched and understood its elements.
- The CRAZY amount of details and consistency. The amount of information (specially in the first couple of episodes) can be overwhelming at first, but it's full of meaningful scenario, characters and background details. It's impressive, really. Rewatch value is so high on this one!
- It's so full of emotions and realness. The work put here by all the actors and production must be commended. I sincerely want to thank all of them for making such a masterpiece.
I could go on and on about it, but this is already too lengthy. It's unbeliavable to me how Hospital Playlist could climb my favorites list right away, but I'm so happy it did. This is my comfort show and I can't get over it. Season 2, please come fast!
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Mature, skillful writing, direction, and acting that inspires
This is my current all-time favorite drama. Although it's a medical drama, it resists going down the melodramatic path and really strives for a sense of hope. It gives us a glimpse into the lives and meaningful friendships and relationships between very smart professionals. You get to know every character, including all the supporting cast, in amazing depth. It's light in the sense that you're not crying over dead people every moment and it isn't plot driven so some would say the pace is slow, but it's so very deep around the characters' love and support of each other that you are never bored. All the characters are written in a mature way without silly angsty features, which is refreshing. There is magic in every interaction and conversation. And there's an overlay of confidence, humbleness, and making good, moral decisions so the entire show radiates hope and inspiration that you feel like striving to emulate when you watch it.If you are looking for mature stories, amazing writing, and great acting, this is it. This is the ONLY drama I've rewatched more than twice, and without skipping ANY scenes. It's. That. Good.
The only thing I would have liked to change would be at least one more female in the main cast. It does pretty much balance out because there are a couple strong female supporting characters but having only 1 main female lead out of 5 is disappointing.
And if you've seen this show, you should check out the many behind the scenes videos online. You gain so much respect knowing how they made the show, how skilled the director is, and all the skills the actors had to learn.
In a COVID world where hope is sorely needed, I can't wait for the next season of inspirational relationships! I have a feeling it will take a very long time for another show to take the place of HP as my most favorite show ever.
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This review may contain spoilers
Okay. I started watching this drama without reading anything about it (well except the actors and director). Didn’t really know how the story will go or what. So half way thru the first episode I kept looking for answers to questions I have in mind - what’s the story? Who’s the main lead? Who’s the protagonist? Antagonist? What would be the main problem? Main love line? Etc. So when the first episode ended, I was quite surprised. I realized that I may have misinterpreted this drama. This drama is simply about the lives of five friends who happened to be doctors and are working in the same hospital.Seeing that this was the plot (reminded me of reply series tbh), it made me feel refreshed. Initially I postponed watching it when it first aired because it will only air one episode per week and I cannot stress enough how I anxious I think I will be while waiting for the next episode. But I easily gave in, I started watching when episode 3 or 4 was out.
It’s not your typical medical drama where everyone keeps cockblocking the career of others for their own advantage. And where one episode is dedicated to just solely treating a patient.
I love the friendships of every one in this drama. Starting from the five main leads, the doctors in the hospital and of course, the “oldies” (the mothers and the chairman). They really complement each other. But of everyone my most favorite character would Ikjun. He’s just so funny and mature at the same time. A good father, a good friend, and I believe he is a good lover.
Love love love the OSTs as well!!! The voice of Jo Jungseok is really something!!! Daebak!!!
The ending was such a cliff hanger. Can’t wait for the next season!!! Hopefully it’ll be out next year. And really hoping that they will still be the leads for the next season.
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We saw each character’s strengths and weaknesses, their inner conflict, and the reality of what they have to go through in their daily lives. Sometimes they need to give bad news to the patient's family and how every bad news also breaks them inside, as they are a human first before they are a doctor. How they have to sacrifice their personal time for patients and how to make time for themselves.
This show does not have a major plot going on, a major villain, a major case to solve, a big secret buried and waiting to be revealed, nothing like that. This is just a story of a few doctors and how they cope with their daily life. Yet I did not find any dull moments for 12 episodes. Every case is interesting, every patient shows a piece of the reality people struggle with. I feel like I watched us on hospital playlist, I watched the stories about humans and I think that's what we need right now.
I am so happy we will get season 2. I will not wait for season 2 just to get the endgame of our beloved iksong couple (even I certainly hope they will end up together), but more than that, I will definitely wait for another patient’s story and the relationship they have with our doctors!
PS: this drama definitely has the best soundtrack ever (other than goblin)!
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1. The all around feel-good nature of the drama. There aren't "bad" character or "enemies".
2. The morals and lessons that are taught throughout
3. The character development/interactions between not only the main characters but side ones.
4. The witty and comical bantering between everyone
5. The style in which the writer tries to mislead you into thinking one way and then reveals the underlying truth sometimes not until much much later. Details are important!!
I'm so so excited that Hospital Playlist is getting a second season. I just can't get enough of these characters and I can't wait to see them again soon!
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This review may contain spoilers
Light drama that takes your stress away
First things first, this drama is a big appreciation for our medical staffs especially now that we are in the COVID-19 pandemic. Second, this is so light and it's perfect as a stress-reliever. If you are tired, overworked, bored, sleepy, you can watch atleast one episode then after that continue whatever you need to do. For my case, it really worked. A few times, I only watched half the episode then continued later. It's not because it is not engaging but it was just really light compared to the ones that keep you in the edge and that's its beauty. There is no major plot, the drama strive no masterpiece, it is just meant to make you smile a little, laugh a little, cry a little and just there to refresh you. The medical aspect is close to reality, not dramatic, just right and some of the stories just hits you naturally especially those in the finale.But, I do believe that our medical friends will much more appreciate this drama, since, there are technical terms that might be really helpful for them especially to those that are med students. And there are med jokes, I'm sure they'll loved (I am not a med student, I am programmer btw). Overall, this is really nice, I also learned a little on what the doctors do on certain cases.
However, the reason why my rating is not that high, because although it delivered as a light medical drama, I think there is some mediocrity in it, especially in the first two episodes. The first episode was a bit over the place. There are some stories of the patients in those episodes that I just felt like kind of force. I mean, the stories are sad and I cried, but the directing and acting on some of those first emotional scenes weren't delivered very well as I expected. The humor is also there, I laughed but did not buy me off. The editing of the first scene in episode 1 did really seem mediocre in my opinion --but, wait hold up!! Don't be discouraged because episode 3 got me attached to it and have warmed up to their friendship and by episode 4, I am really vibing the drama.
I also want to talk about the romance as its sub-plot, although I enjoyed the ships especially Min Ha and Seok Hyeong, I think this drama would've been really impactful not it almost turn into a shipping club. But, for what it is, I enjoyed its low-key romance.
The likes:
- Jun Wan and Song Hwa best food buddies
- Yang Seok Hyeong, the sweetest teddy bear!
- Min Ha x Seok Hyeong ship (they are my absolutely OTP in this drama!)
- Gyeoul's character development and her motivation of becoming a better doctor!
- The friendship, it is lovely
- Chae Song Hwa best teacher, best girl, best prof
- Ik Jun being the best PR, doctor and a father
- Uju moments (I hope to see more in season 2)
- Jun Wan and Jae Hak friendship development!
- The touching finale
- Its nice OSTs
The dislikes (major spoilers ahead):
- Ahn Jeong Won's shallow character development.
He's a sweet nice doctor, I commend his character for that. But, I don't buy the way he was 'obsessed' of being a priest, maybe not really 'obsess', but the drama did not give a backstory or the main reason why he wanted to become a priest, the whole plot was just there to become some comic relief. It was really shallow for me. I also thought that at least at the end of this season he would realize that God's calling for him is to become a doctor, but he realized mostly because of some 'romantic' reasons. I know not just because of Gyeoul, but let's admit that she is the biggest influence.
- Ahn Jeong Won treatment on Gyeoul that doesn't feel right
- The lowkey jokes about Catholic priests and nuns
- Some transitions of scenes on the drama's first part
- Choi Young-Joon role as the gossip doctor (I really liked him in Flower of Evil but here his only job is to be a gossip doctor, if he's going to be cast again in season 2 I hope to see more involvement in the medical cases^^)
So, that's it. Of course there are things I did not like but you see, there are more things that I liked. I enjoyed the drama, got refreshed by it and appreciated our medical staffs! :) So last words, if you are craving for a romcom, not this one, next. But, if you are in for some medical drama that is light, good, simple with some good friendships and nice feel good music, hop in and this drama might be for you!
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