Night Doctor (2021)

Realistic night time hospital experience

A very good story. At times, one wonders where this drama is leading to . In its gentle pace manner, it has everything that a night time emergency doctor has to face and deal with. Haru was excellent in leading this bunch of young doctors, each with their own issue. There was no single dull episode. Apart from caring for their emergency patients received during the night shift, they had to defend their reputations as a team of highly trained professionals dedicated to their chosen career. The pain was laid bare when they had to take abuses from their daytime colleagues as their efforts were often taken as granted. The team spirit between them was tremendous and was infectious. One must watch it to the end to appreciate what the whole story is all about. Veteran senior doctor Sawamura was excellent as the team director with a hidden agenda. I like his drama a lot. The original soundtrack is very good and memorable. I will rewatch it again in the future.

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Saving Lives and Breaking Norms with a Dose of Quirk!

"Night Doctor" isn't your typical medical drama – it's a heartwarming journey through the chaos of a hospital's night shift, with a team of quirky and lovable doctors leading the charge. Haru takes the reins as Asakura Mitsuki, steering this band of medical misfits through the highs and lows of emergency medicine.

At first glance, you might think it's all about the crazy medical cases that keep popping up. And sure, there's plenty of that, but "Night Doctor" is more like a rollercoaster ride of emotions. The slow pacing might throw you off initially, but that's just the drama's way of saying, "Hey, let's get to know these characters before we dive into the wild medical stuff."

Fukazawa Arata, played by Kei Tanaka, steals the show with his journey of self-discovery. The drama dives into the nitty-gritty of mental health in the medical world, saying, "Hey, doctors are human too, and it's okay to struggle." The cast, including the mysterious senior doc Sawamura (Ikki Sawamura) and the steadfast nurse (Sae Okazaki), forms a crew that's like family – dysfunctional but endearing.

Team dynamics? Oh, it's a mix of chaos and camaraderie. Daytime colleagues judging the night doctors? Cue the eye rolls.

But what really sets "Night Doctor" apart is its mission to shake up the idea of 'normal.' It's like a rebel yell against society's rules. The drama screams, "You don't have to fit in! Embrace your weirdness!" And honestly, it's refreshing. There's a lot of emotion packed into each episode, but it won't hit you over the head. It's more like a gentle tug at your heartstrings.

And oh, the soundtrack? It's like the icing on an already delicious cake. The songs hit just the right notes, making the emotional moments even more impactful.

In a nutshell, "Night Doctor" isn't just about saving lives in a hospital. It's about embracing the messy, imperfect, and wonderfully unique side of life. So, if you're up for a mix of medical drama, personal growth, and a sprinkle of rebellion, grab your popcorn and join the night shift party!

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At first Night Doctor started with the focus on the emergency cases and you might think that this is an action filled case-by-case type medical drama. But as the story progresses, you will be taken to another side of the night doctors which has their own personal struggles and also faced with the unpleasant judgements from others. As we dive into each of the main leads' problems, we are gently being reminded that doctors are also humans which are not perfect and also have things to do outside the hospital.

The stories are well prepared and you can see the growth of each of the Night Doctors as an individual (especially Fukazawa). Unfortunately, for me it did not manage to capture the emotions to the level that I expected. I don't really feel like it is super touching or any strong emotions in most of them. I felt the same thing when watching Unsung Cinderella, where they have many personal stories but they were just 'Good' and that's it.

Regarding the acting, you don't really have anything to doubt from the star studded casts. Haru, Kei Tanaka, and Ikki Sawamura are solid as usual. Sae Okazaki might be the one who is overlooked in this drama, but she did very well here. Kishi in here is just Kishi with medical knowledge (side-effect of watching him too much in varieties I suppose), but hey his facial expressions are the main highlight here. Takumi Kitamura also nailed his role as a man who seems to be happy and always positive but actually have many secrets. Also shout out to Zen Kajihara as the 'main antagonist' in the hospital.

They have many insert songs here and I liked all of them. Might end up in my playlist soon.

So to sum it up, if you wanted to watch a medical drama which focuses on the character story or personal growth, then this is the right one for you.

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Medical Misfits Turned Heroes?

The stories that took place during this show were nail bitting, gut wrenching, realistically terrifying, and completely had me on the edge of my seat fascinated! I truly never knew what was going to happen next.


At the beginning I was unsure of the cast (like "should so-and-so really be in this story or he/she/they may be better), however as each episode began and the story, as a hole, progressed, I could see how each and every cast member (from the main to the supporting cast) fell in to their own pace and the cast, as a whole, created a rapport with each other so well that it was as if they were truly nurses and doctors. Each case went from calm to terrifying and back to calm dramatically, however that doesn't mean that out of the hospital was a "smooth ride down easy street" either. The balance between work and personal lives was so realistic that I could truly sympathize and empathize with both doctors, nurses, firemen, emt's/paramedics, patients, and the friends and family of each.


The music really helped to fuel a lot of the roller coaster like ups and downs in this show. I really never expected a lot of what occurred throughout each episode; including extreme dislike for two of the characters.


I wish the ending was a little different and the show was a little longer. Japan honestly knows how to create an epic medical drama/movie without it all becoming too cheesy or unrealistic or completely fake. (America not so much...)


I truly enjoyed learning throughout the stories too. Each patients medical care was excellent! Honestly I thought I was watching a documentary or reality show. I like how they showed just enough "gore" to explain/show how traumatic the case was without going overboard; though there were a few cases were I was curious if something like what happened to a patient was writer made or truth.


I believe the cast makes this story excel, though the writing and filming is also extraordinary!

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Médecins de nuit (facile)

Habituée des comédies romantiques, pour son jolie petit nez et son grain de beauté légendaire, peut-être, Haru soulève à bout de bras son rôle de médecin urgentiste et tente de réanimer le genre plus qu'usé qu'est le drama médical et pas seulement au Japon. Va-t-elle y parvenir avant la relève de cette satanée équipe de jour ?

Depuis Urgence (1994) mais surement déjà avant, avec Médecin de nuit en France (1978) par exemple, les héros, médecins et torturés, faisant passer leur travail avant tout, au détriment d'une vie social et familiale sont légion à la télévision. Mais les dramas japonais ont ce pouvoir d'attraction, qui, par une idée plus ou moins originale ou une spécialisation, tentent à chaque fois de renouveler le genre. Oncologue, radiologue, médecin de ville, de campagne, d'ile, de montagne et même de bateau de croisière. On attend à chaque fois le petit plus qui va donner un regain d'intérêt à un genre sous perfusion. Autant dire que la mise en avant à outrance du statut "médecin de nuit, héros invisible" ne me dit rien qui vaille. Car en plus d'être déjà vu, les nuits japonaises sont certainement bien moins criblés de balles qu'aux USA et les accidents de la route (pourquoi tant de collisions avec les konbinis, d'ailleurs ?) ou AVC vont vite nous faire tourner en rond.

On peut compter sur les Japonais pour nous mettre en avant cette équipe de choc avec musique grandiloquente vu plongeante sur la salle des urgences, etc. Mais les poussifs scénaristiques sont là et dérangent. Nouvelle recrue en la personne de Kishi Yuta, très maladroit et tétanisé par la pression, ne se sentant pas fait pour ce métier et prêt à démissionner, mais bien sûr change complètement d'avis à la fin du 1er épisode. Heureusement dès l'épisode suivant la série prend de l'ampleur et très vite on s'attache à chaque personnage avec une empathie non feinte. Les voir évoluer dans le même immeuble, la journée alors qu'ils se supportent (dans les deux sens) déjà la nuit donne de la consistance aux relations et de l'humanité à ses personnages de fictions. Du statut de super héros sans failles, ils passent à des personnages très humains auxquels on peut tout à fait s'identifier. Chacun à sa petite histoire parallèle, ses raisons pour lesquelles ils sont devenus urgentistes et par un excellent jeu d'acteur vous toucherons.

Les excellents acteurs sont bien sûr la grande force de cette série, mais peut être une faiblesse aussi selon votre passif dramastique. Certains reprennent, à la virgule près, les rôles, les tics et parfois même le mystère qui entour son personnage déjà vu dans d'autres séries. Comme Tanaka Kei, que j'adore pourtant, mais qui nous fait un bis repetita de Unsung Cinderella ou Kitamura Takumi qui reprend les traits du maladroit infirmier de Nijiro Karute. Haru n'a plus à démontrer ses talents en médecine et quel bonheur de la voir sans masque, mais Okazaki Sae mériterait tellement mieux qu'un faire valoir d'Haru. À quand un premier rôle ? Heureusement (ou pas) celle-ci perd de l'importance jusqu'au milieu de la série permettant à chaque personnage d'avoir son épisode consacré.

Mais c'est évidemment pour les Johnny's, que certain(nes) se précipiteront au portillon pour faire signer les autographes. Car on a droit à un coup double en la présence de Kishi Yuta des King&Prince et Kitamura Takumi des DISH// . Pour ma génération (les vieux, donc) des acteurs confirmés comme Sawamura Ikki ou Maya Miki seront les bien venus, mais très en retrait, vous vous en doutez et pourtant les relations entre chaque protagoniste vont prendre rapidement une tournure inattendue redonnant dès le 3e épisode un regain d'intérêt pour une série médicale qui semblait bien banale au premier abord. Des liens dans le passé, des interconnexions, des secrets, des relations peut-être futures, avec des histoires pour chacun bien amené ce qui relègue malheureusement vu le nombre de personnages et donc d'histoires, certains au 3e rang. Kishi Yuta par exemple a vraiment du mal à s'imposer même après ce premier épisode ou il semblait être le presonnage principal. Avoir placé tous les protagonistes dans le même immeuble se révèle être finalement une très bonne idée. Même si avoir tant d'hommes autour d'elle, pour Haru, donne des allures de harem manga à certains moments.

Comme pour d'autres séries, souvent médical d'ailleurs, ce passant à Yokohama, la ville et en particulier le port sont mis en avant par une image d'un esthétisme proche de l'office du tourisme japonais. Il est impossible de ne pas avoir envie de voir Minato Mirai de ces propres yeux après ça.

Une série, donc, qui regroupe un casting, une image, et même des histoires qui ont bien plus d'intérêt qu'aux premiers abords (non, mais ce titre, il faut arrêter) Une série donc à regarder d'une traite, durant votre service de nuit dans cet hôpital dont les urgences ressemblent bien plus aux notres que celle des USA.

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