Soulful & Healing
This drama is probably not for everyone. It's more than just a kdrama that's why it doesn't apply to a global audience. But it gives heart to those who can relate to having had mental health issues, to those having someone close to them suffering from it or those who're interested in the subject from a scientific point of view. More than just stories about the patients, we also get to see the healing process; even simple anger management exercises feels like they could be easily implemented by anyone else. Those scenes are rather long at times and that's why I suspect they are there for that purpose, for that second purpose which might not be applied to everyone but could possibly help someone in need.It's a beautiful series.
There has been a few dramas that broach the topic but compared to some extraordinary or rare diseases I feel like the way this drama is approaching the subject is hitting closer to home. Anxiety, delusion, anger issues, depression, eating disorders; fighting to stay clear minded despite facing challenges in a society that expects us to always be ready and on their feet is a common issue that isn't talked about enough. Compared to other dramas where mental health issue is either the main focus on the story or is a background feature of a character, something that the character can make use of or hide, here we see ordinary, working people that can't hide away from it because it shows in their daily life. We get to see how they struggle to overcome, frankly, themselves, and how hard it is to do so when society doesn't take you or your mental health seriously.
If that didn't convince you to give this drama a chance... let me ask you this then. Have you ever felt burdened by the things happening in your life? Have you ever felt it was unfair how many bad things kept happening around you? Well, this drama not only answers from the perspective of those that are lost and deeply wounded by this but also from those that keep fighting through it. And unlike the usual kdrama trope where the main leads are suffering from painful memories and keep on a straight face, here we see main characters that are suffering, who are not okay, but they keep searching for that light with all their might.
"Whatever your illness may be, don't struggle alone. If you can overcome it on your own, it's not an illness."
This drama is giving me so many emotions. I love how Han Woo Joo can see right through the ML. She just 'gets' him. It's an entertaining dynamic. They're a pair of dorks, and at their best, they just work together. It's interesting to watch them because we're not only being told that they like each other, but ultimately we can see it and judge for ourselves. They are two wounded souls, and sometimes it can be rather scary to see their vulnerable sides so out in the open but ultimately they're people that need each other and are able to help each other heal. As long as one doesn't give up, we can continue to move forward. An additional bonus is that this drama skipped on a lot (if not all) the usual, annoying, repetitive kdrama cliches regarding romance while staying true to the main storyline and keept us entertained with continuous character development.
Jung So Min is an extraordinary actress. The variety of emotions she portrays is incredible. It's both feels-inducing and also fascinating to watch, seeing how one actress can play so many raw emotions on screen. And Shin Ha Kyun...how can he be so pure and adorable? He's precious. Sophisticated but also a real dork at heart.
Before anyone says our male lead is too old let me redirect you to Ji Sung's profile page. Ji Sung might look like a baby duckling but he's still a mature man in his forties. Also our couple has 14 years gap, but that's not a new thing in a kdrama world now, is it? Furthermore...female lead being 31, she's a mature woman herself.
Other issues? There are a few. I know of a patient-doctor contraversary issue, dubious psychiatric methods used in the series...but that's just not it, not what this drama ever was supposed to be about.
What this drama truly teaches and the message it is trying to portray throughout the various stories and lessons is that - You Can Heal. And that each person is unique on their own so the healing method is also something unique for you. It might even be something only those deeply invested in you or you yourself can truly find. But that's okay. Because each of us has that answer in our hearts. We only need the will to move forward.
I can't praise this drama enough. It's a true gem. It truly met all (and more) of my expectations. It's a soul healing drama.
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This was the Soul Repairman, with you just now!
"Is there no full recovery? "Just how healing begins when you acknowledge your illness, the moment of full recovery... definitely exists.
There is a condition to full recovery. It's that you must not try to forcefully erase your wounds. You must embrace, accept and love them. Each of our wounds become a map for each of our own lives. So, rather than trying to overcome the wounds, how about trying to embrace them? Because our scars are like a GPS to our lives.
Someone told me that... every human being is a universe. today I'll close with that quote. This is the Soul Repairman.
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Soul Mechanic was a such a stellar portrayal of people who were in much pain! It had lots of heartbreaks, many thoughtful surprises and so many awe-inspiring & healing moments!
My absolute favorite moments from this drama could be the podcasts Lee Si Joon was presenting! it could as well be the crazy laughs, dance and singing moments when the main leads were acting in them! Such healing and heartwarming scenes together!
The character development is one aspect this drama excels at! from the main leads to Woo Joo's best friend, the hospital director, the head nurse, Si Joon's father, Dr. In Dong Hyuk, Cha Dong Il (the fake police officer) and 'Resident' Neu Ri. the supporting cast were just as amazing and surely will be remembered for a long time.
The OST is warm and beautiful! I adore the song "Confuse" by SURAN and I really loved the song "Lean on me" by Ha Hyunsang. It fits so perfectly with the sweet moments. The calm nature of the rest of the songs too makes them healing and soul touching!
As for re-watching, I already did once and I think I'll re-watch it yet again very soon!
Hope many of you reading this review are already convinced enough to watch this drama! It's gonna be such a shame if you decided otherwise! Since SOUL MECHANIC is such a unique experience that words alone can't ever do justice to it!
Thank you very much for reading this to the end!
Written by one of the Soul Repairman's biggest fans.
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Well thought out, and brilliantly performed
Short: We're all broken, even the ones who take responsibility for fixing us are broken too, and once we accept that then there should no longer be any stigma around that. That's the message here. Brilliantly written and well acted drama, Jung So Min's performance resonated particularly to me. Really enjoyed this, nicely paced and good ending.Detail:
So i'll start by saying that my view on this might be different to others, not sure what the wider cloud-think is on this one because I haven't looked. For me personally, this drama, and in particular Jung So Min's performance as Han Woo Joo resonated very deeply. Someone close to me has similar symptoms to Woo Joo, she isn't BPD but it's amazing how similar some of the symptoms are and while Woo Joo's were perhaps more severe I've seen and recognise so much of it, seen how much it wrecks her inside also been with her as she got treatment and medication and is now no different to you and I. So... I might be a bit biased on this one, and i'm fine with that!
Jung So Min - someone i've always enjoyed watching, but this was definitely my favourite of her work, by far.
Shin Ha Kyun takes on the role of the Doctor who befriends Woo Joo, starting by treating her and then it develops into something more. If you're squeamish about older man, younger woman (in reality they're about 15 years apart) that might be a struggle for you. Similarly, if you get hung up on the inappropriateness of doctor-patient relationships (which let's face it, are wrong for a reason) then, again, that might be a problem. BUT I did feel that this was handled better then I was expecting and it wasn't glossed over. If you can get over all that, it's all good from there.
There's a lovely heart warming message throughout all of this about how we're not alone, we're all a bit broken, and we should embrace it.
There are numerous other cases throughout, along with the ongoing storyline you have various new things happening in each episode and some of them progress through to others episodes. Kim Dong Youg (Cha Dong Il) is only credited with one episode on MDL but actually is in several and another example of how characters go from being troubled to finding their feet and becoming everything they wanted to be.
Lots of plotlines to keep you interested as the main stories develop. All the characters feel real and have flaws as well as their strengths.
I watched this one as it aired and it was one of my most looked forward to shows each week.
Definitely recommended!
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Problematic
This is the first (I think) and worst mental-illness/psychiatrists focused drama! It's common for the patient to crush over their psychiatrist and fall in love, because they are mentally unstable and vulnerable, but once the roles are flipped and the psychiatrist is the one imposing their feelings on the patient then there's a big problem at hand.The first obvious problem is for a psychiatrist to fall in love with his patient. It would probably be less of a problem for a doctor in another field but not a psychiatrist, a professional dealing with mentally vulnerable people. With all that being said, I could easily turn a blind eye to the whole ordeal if the drama was comedic/light/romance and never took the serious and professional route, of which this drama tried so hard to go for. The second big problem, there was a blatant attempt to stir the narrative in that direction while disregarding any coherency at the same time. We can clearly see an example of that right from the beginning in episode 1 with everything happened with the cop incident.
This drama had nothing to offer other than a pretty cast. Anyway, they failed miserably in handling the concept and ended up producing a very poor product. A disgrace to real professional psychiatrists!
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A good show that unfortunately felt drawn out...
PLOT: Interesting, but lost steam towards the latter half--------------------------------------------------------------
I'm writing this knowing that I'm playing the role of devil's advocate with a less glowing review than other users, but which I hope offers a different perspective to help you make a decision on whether to give this show a chance.
First of all, I want to applaud the intention of the story. With mental illness losing some of its stigmas worldwide, it's great to see dramas including said conditions as the focus of their stories, rather than just part of them. Having said that, the episodic style of the narrative (a condition/illness being dealt with in a per-episode basis) was off-putting for me. The reason why I'm not a fan of these types of "monster/case of the week" type of shows is that they can turn quite preachy and, as a result, lose the organic feeling of a story that evolves and develops with each episode.
So rather than discovering alongside the characters all the different layers and facets of the FL's condition, we get short lessons on different types of mental conditions and addictions. And because you only get one episode per condition, there's a lot of exposition done through dialogue and fewer discoveries done through scene development. As a result, things feel quite controlled and are easily and cleanly wrapped up at the expense of heart or creating something to be emotionally invested in.
The other consequence this had was the dilution of the Female Lead's arc. This means that important aspects of her arc which the narrative built up at the beginning got forgotten midway through the drama and then dealt with in a very anti-climactic way. Even her prognosis lacked impact since her story got wrapped up so neatly. In that regard, I would've traded some episodes dedicated to minor characters and cases, in favor of getting more development for the Female Lead's condition and how that affected those close to her (especially her best friend).
For this reason, the story was the weakest part of the drama for me which made me dropped the rating to a 7. To be honest, I got a little bored towards the end. This might've been stronger had they kept it at 12 episodes rather than stretch it into 16.
MAIN CHARACTERS: Simple but Likeable
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Han Woo Joo [FL played by Jung So Min] is a rising star who loses everything in the wink of an eye and must start over while learning to lover and value herself more. I've got to handed it Jung So Min, she managed to portray a very complex character excellently. She went from laughing to crying in a single scene, so smoothly, that I forgot she was acting at all! Having said that, I wished Han Woo Joo had a better heart-to-heart conversation with her best friend, as their conflict was dealt with very off-handedly. I also wished her arc had been given more time to develop and that the resolution of her conflict had been "messier" in order for it to feel more realistic.
Doctor Lee Shi Joon [ ML played by Shin Ha Kyun] is an eccentric psychiatric who's trying to get over his own trauma while using unorthodox tactics to help his patients. Dr. Joon gets introduced as a round-go-lucky guy with a hidden tragedy looming just below the surface, peeking out every now and then. For the most part, I liked his character and found Shin Ha Kyun's portrayal very charismatic. However, there were certain things regarding his story (like his trauma with his ex) which I wish had been given more weight and time to explore. As it stands, the whole thing felt a bit convenient and then quite irrelevant, as it didn't deter him from pursuing Han Woo Joo quite early in the show.
SUPPORT CHARACTERS: Colorful but Irrelevant
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Although I liked the support characters, there were way too many to properly develop and thus they ended up becoming cluttery. Don't get me wrong, there was an attempt to develop them and dedicate some air-time, but by splitting that time between so many, we ended up with filler scenes that didn't add anything relevant to the main plot. I wished there had been fewer characters and better developed.
PORTRAYAL OF ROMANCE: Healthy & Nurturing, but Disbalanced
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K-dramas seem to love the scenario of the FL falling on hard times and having this result in the meeting of our leads. In so doing, the ML gets introduced at the peak of his power (success, financial stability, fame) while the FL is at her weakest (financial insecurity, shame, uncertainty). This scenario thus introduces a disbalance of power which is hard to get rid of. And because the ML starts off as the FL's doctor, that disbalance plays a major role in the early development of their relationship.
Fortunately, the FL ends up breaking off her role of patient and, in so doing, manages to even the odds a little bit. However, I would be lying if I said it wasn't disappointing that we didn't see her climb back up towards stardom. I would've loved to see her cling to her dream and recover some of what she'd lost. Of course, you could argue that some of that is hinted by the end, but I would've preferred to see it's development. I think it would've given a great message of hope (that she can achieve and maintain her dreams) despite suffering and/or dealing with a mental illness.
OVERALL: Recommended as a one-time watch
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Despite my rating and my inclination to write about some of the show's flaws, I still think it's a good one-time watch if you're in the mood for a show that explores mental illness. Understand that this show can feel more educational than immersive.
As a result, you get a lot of information spoon-fed through exposition (character dialogue) rather than exploration (scene development). Even so, some of the cases were well-executed and heartfelt. Not to mention that for a show that deals with such a heavy subject, it somehow managed to feel lighthearted and maintain a good pace. Just keep in mind that, like with many k-dramas, the first half is stronger than the second.
It also goes without saying that Jung So Min's acting is the major pull and highlight of the show. So if you happen to be a fan of the actress, then this is a show you shouldn't miss.
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Don't miss this show
Healing can begin when you acknowledge your illness, the moment of full recovery... exists. This show has so much compassion and heartYou must embrace, accept and love yourself. Each of our wounds become a map for each of our own lives. So, rather than trying to overcome the wounds, how about trying to embrace them?
This show is well written, and well acted. Every story is significant. More than just stories about the patients, we also get to see the healing process; even simple anger management exercises feels like they could be easily implemented by anyone else. It's a lovely series. Woo Joo discovered she is a universe. Love this show
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Inspiring
One of my favorite dramas so far, and believe me, I've seen a few already. The actors performance is just wow, yes, there's an age gap, but that's not the focus here, I mean, they don't even share a single kiss the entire show! The focus is the way we, humans can help each other just by being there when someone needs the most. How sometimes to heal and repair a mind, love and care is all it takes, this is what matters, and this is the drama's main message.For me, this was way more than a great show, it was a journey through my inner self, if you could just take those 30 minutes to actually feel what the actors and writers share with us, it's a blast, seriously.
This show is just so cozy. I am absolutely loving Jung So Min performance, and their chemistry was just perfect. I loved loved loved everything about this.
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Healing and Thought-Provoking
watched this because of jung so min but I can't deny that the story is well written and deserves to be known. it tackles about mental health and the reason or root on why we are becoming the way we are. it will teach you to analyze everything that you don't understand because for sure, there is a story behind that. we can understand everyone but it doesn't mean that we will let them do what they want. there should be consequences in every act that you do. on the other hand, it will teach you how to appreciate things and people that are around you because if you consistently push them away, they might give up on you even they love you to the moon and back.the ending is nice and the music soundtracks fits so well in the story. yes, the male lead might be old but he portrays the character so good that it doesn't matter if his old enough for the role. i'm so happy that i was introduced in stage theraphy, it made me want to study it but it is so hard to find books and studies regarding that.
overall, it is so good and yep, kindness costs nothing. be attentive and love all the way!
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Jung So Min nails her character I would say it's one of her best roles.
BPD is such a complex illness, I want to thank her and the writers for the way it was represented.
I hope this show would enveil to those who aren't aware of what it means to live with mental illness and the way it affects our loves ones. No, we don't fake it, we don't do it for attention. We're in pain and carry this burden every single day even tho you can see it.
Healing is a process, it's hard to admit we need help. But it's the first step of getting better.
Our mains leads acknowledged it and both travelled together in this long but necessary process.
Mental health is unfortunately still a taboo it's still not acknowledged and took seriously.
We're still not yet and with this kind of show we're slowly getting at it.
Props to Tae In Ho, he needs a main role!
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This review may contain spoilers
One funny thing I found out almost at the end of the series was the female lead's name Woo Joo means "Universe" in Korean. Kind of unique girl name.Not really a review here. Just pieces of my perception about the drama.
Almost didn't recognize Jung So-min here. She became more mature in appearance and in acting here rather than the cute-girly-funny roles in the past. Good with long hair, ponytails so cute, too! Clothes? Few and simple but very chic!
Jung So-min acted in switching mood effortlessly and convincingly in playing an insecure, unstable, psychotic, easy to explode while still a pure warm-at-heart-craving-for-love girl. It was no easy task and she nailed it.
And also so good to see Shin Ha Kyun back to wear the doctor white coat since the 2011 medical "Brain" drama.
I saw the interview that Shin was joking that with this kind of doctor role he didn't have to remember so many medical terms like in Brain's and definitely no neuron operating at all.
Shin Ha Kyun is not your typical good looking male lead but oh boy he can act.
Long time ago Shin had a Boundary case like So-min's but his patient committed suicide by jumping to the ocean when they were on a cruise boat.
It left him a PTSD. His admirer female friend doctor (Park Ye Jin) believed he had to stand up where he fell. So she arranged for him to treat So-min as her psychologist. OK, here we go!
Shin/So-Min didn't have the hate/love as usual, just a stranger-to-like type of sort, on the fact that they both have similar scarred soul.
- So-min still resentful of her adoptive mother who adopted her at 6 then returned her to the orphanage when she was 12 and of her biological mother that gave her up to the orphanage.
- Shin has a trauma past and an Alzheimer's father as his burden.
(Does kdrama had to absolutely put in the cancer and/or amnesia/Alzheimer's factor in every series? - Come on, I've about to had it)
I think this drama definitely was not designed for younger audience crowd who searching for hot boys/girls. All the actors here was middle-aged.
Beside Shin and So-min, the other actor roles was very blurred and fainted. Park Ye Yin as Shin's admirer female friend doctor role was weak, mostly sitting and listening to everybody complains.
Tae In Ho also in support role was no better, not really a villain or Shin's rival. He was there with kind of dealing with his own love and life issues and did not distribute much to the story other than filling the empty times.
The So-min's side was better, her restaurant boss friend (Joo Min Kyung) has much less screen time but more brightly shine as supporting/enduring her mood swings and in the mean time found her cute love story.
Back to the main leads, there was so many funny cute little scenes I enjoyed immensely.
Like So-min forced Shin to sing to the flower on the reason the flower needs to hear a man's voice. That way they can "raise" the flower together...
Shin: But, but I can't sing...
So-min: Do you think the flower care about that?
(Funny? Hey, what else did you expected from a psychotic girl?)
Or where she showed off to the unnoticed doctors the bracelet Shin gave her the other night, she blurted out when still no body paid any attention: "You doctors really are clueless", everybody looked at her and her restaurant boss friend had to pull her off the seat towards the kitchen.
How about when she declared an abruptly end of their love story in a amicable way, sorry-I-was-mistaken-my-feeling Now-I-realized-that-I-am-not-really-love-you-thank-you-about-everything. She tapped lightly on his shoulder then left.
You can see that Shin like took a punch right on his face. He petrified for 10 seconds and suddenly dash off his office to chase her to only find out that she stood there right smiling at the door when he opened it.
Bam! She finally got her revenge right there - After he rejected her feelings multiple times. Mr doctor, you know the felling now?
(Well, some more spoilers?) Then they went to the park, and when Shin accidentally confessed his love to her there, So-min acted surprised then suddenly kissed him on the cheek and immediately defensed herself: "It wasn't me! It was my lips! They suddenly did it. You know I was not in my right mind"
Shin cannot doing anything else rather than nodding to accept her defense, then she punched him repeatedly (lightly) to the chest: "Why you are nodding? Omg, You're too much" then she ran away... Oh, girl!
While Shim served her instant noodle, So-min was blabbing in listing the reasons she loved him: "Also, you're a great cook" - Shin: "Well, it wasn't that hard, just throw it to the boil water". By the look of her face, Shin learned his lesson: "Don't argue with a lunatic girl while she listing the reasons why she loving you".
On a side note:
I absolutely find no trouble at all on the so-called doctor/patient relationship that several peoples screaming here.
Define me a doctor/patient relationship. If you go to a doctor for a regular common cold, then you are now a patient, means you cannot date that doctor?
How about Foot doctor? Eyes doctor? Dentist? The nurse that care for you when you stay in hostpital beds?
Where you are going to draw the line? Or pick and chose this case was OK and that case was not?
If you are no longer a patient then how long the statue expired before you can see him/her for a date?
Pick a similar one - Teacher/student relationship...
You cannot date your math teacher in your college? How about you went to a dance class after work then date the teacher there? What was the different?
Still a teacher/student relationship? Where are you drawing the line?
Boss/employee? Employee/customer? Old male/young female?
Old female/young male?
To me all this ethical was nonsense BS, DS - As long as they are over 18 years old and not violating any laws, they can date the hell anyone they see fit.
Sorry - End ranting.
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Chicken Noodle Soup For The Mind & Soul
"Because our scars are like a GPS to our lives."This was mindful, healing, and found a place close to my heart as someone who struggles with mental health. It was a beautiful drama that tackled mental illnesses and the preexisting negative views that society has towards mental health.
The story wasn't really anything special or new, but the execution was pulled off flawlessly. While the storyline does follow Han Woo Joo mainly, it also shines the spotlight on the doctors, nurses, and various patients as well. Not only do we see the way they approach improving other patients lives, they humanize the doctors. They really portray the fact that everybody is dealing with something underneath very well. It was refreshing to watch. There was no perfect solution to everybody's problems, but it was more of a road to traverse with different checkpoints for the people dealing with mental illness. They tackled so many stereotypes in this, but it never felt rushed nor boring. There was a pace set, and they kept to it.
The acting really carried Soul Mechanic. There was not one actor in here who delivered a less than stellar performance, but special kudos to Jung So Min. Her portrayal of her character's illness was emotionally evoking and spot on. There were a few times when I really didn't like her character, but I understood her. While some may say her ending was rushed, I had no issues with it since everybody's path is different. True to it's name, there were so many moments that really spoke to my soul in Soul Mechanic.
The OST is beautiful for this, but was sparsely used. If you're looking for heavy romance, this is not it. The main focus is on the relationships within, and how we can help those around us. There is VERY light on the romance, with a couple side couples, but they are by no means the main focus of this drama. I didn't have a problem with it because I felt it would take away from the bigger picture, but if that's what you're looking for, this may not be for you. There is also a bit of an age gap between the ML's that throw some watchers off. They were so sweet together, that it wasn't a problem for me.
All in all, I would highly recommend if you're looking for a content and relationship positive drama with loads of character development. This was a lovely and meaningful watch.
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The main line of mutual healing and overcoming the past is very well-done in this drama, as it is in Korean dramas in general. Everyone's recovery journey is reasonable and believable, and the writers really got us rooting for even the ones who might seem like bad guys at first.
However, there is one major flaw in the story line, and it is the main couple. I get that transference is a common treatment step in borderline personality disorder, but the chemistry is just not there??? So that really lowered the enjoyment level for me. I also couldn't see any other significance of the Gongbap little sister's role other than messing it up for everyone with the things she does -rolls eyes-
The acting is super on point though. Especially Jung So-min's role as a BPD patient. I've never seen her play a role like this before, and I think it greatly expanded her repertoire of potential characters. Despite her annoying character setting, she really made her character come alive and win the audience's hearts. All the older actors were amazing too -- no matter good or bad guy.
I don't think I would watch this again. But if I did, I would rewatch it for Dr. Noh. He cute.
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