Hospital Playlist (2020)

When the drama was first announced I was so excited because a) Yoo Yeon Seok, Jo Kyung Ho, Jo Jeong Seok are three of my favourite people in KDramaland, b) This was coming from the creators of the Reply series. I was like, "Sign me up"!!

But several episodes into the drama, I almost dropped it. I'm not saying that I did not enjoy the drama, because I did. But it was just at the moment of watching an episode. After watching one, I had to find the motivation to watch the next week's episode. Why would I force myself to watch it if I don't like it? I usually would not have. But I really did like all the characters, Junwan was my favourite followed by Seokhyung, and I wanted to know what happened to them, to all the couples I shipped (Please don't hate me, but WinterGarden was not one of them). And when the final episode aired I was so relieved that it was over.

I tried to keep my rating as objective as possible because despite everything it really was a good drama, and I just happened to not like it as much as everyone else did.

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A MASTERPIECE!

A rare medical drama that goes beyond the wall of hospital. This is a story of friendship and slice of life of 5 ordinary yet extra ordinary doctors. This drama will teach you a value of family, how to treat and be patient with other people, teach you to be more understanding, take a pause and be brave at the same time.

Kudos to the director, screenwriter, staff and the actors for a well executed drama that even the anticlimactic scene becomes exciting and enjoyable to watch.

The supporting actors and their characters are also outstanding that I even gets excited to get a glimpse of their story too. Never a dull moment in Yulje Hospital.

Music: 11/10 that's how good it is. Every week you will not just be waiting for the next story but anticipating for the next song.

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This drama is legit a masterpiece and the story was simply amazing. This is the type of drama you can binge, but its also a drama that you can watch once in a while because it stays with you. Yes, this was a hospital drama, but it was way more than that. You get to see the everyday lives and hobbies of these doctors. Each and every episode was heartwarming, the friendship between the leads, the patients they interact with, and all the residents and interns they mentor and lead. This drama is the best hospital drama and one of the best dramas ever because the cast and their stories were memorable. I have a lot of favorite scenes in this drama, but I really love it when they had their band practice. Definitely, excited for season 2!

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An Interesting Medical Drama With a Bit of Everything

This is not a fresh from the oven review, I finished the drama eons ago and never felt like writing a review on it. However, I need to practice reveiwing for my book blog so here I am rambling, while trying hard not to get distracted. I'm failing it, I know.

[[[[ REVIEW WARNING ]]]]

1. I'm not a professional reviewer, so most of the time I couldn't care less bout the characteristics that a proper review must have.
2. I have no idea what I'm talking about. For example, I can't even tell the different between a bass and an electric guitar - and this will show through the entire review.
3. English is not my main language, so yeah, don't wonder too long over my weird wordings and stuff, because it is more likely that I myself also have no idea what I'm trying to say in the first place.

[[[[ THE STORY ]]]]

The drama was a medical drama featuring five friends who have been friends since their undergraduate days. They went to the same medical school and then worked at the same hospital (as for at the moment, previously? I have no idea..). And oh, they also formed a band for fun.

[[[[ THE CHARACTERS ]]]]

First, there was Lee Ik Jun, the single father family guy.
Secondly, there was Ahn Jung Won, the rich paediatrician who wanted to be a priest.
Thirdly, there was Kim Jun Wan, a friendly reformed playboy(?) who was secretly dating Lee Ik Jun's sister.
Fourthly, there was Yang Suk Hyung, a softie divorcee who was scarred by his failed marriage.
Lastly, there was Chae Song Hwa, the only girl in the group, a sweetheart everyone in the group swarmed to.

[[[[ THE DRAMA ]]]]

The drama featured:

1. Friendship. Everyone were friends and the drama brilliantly showed how they started and then how they grew as friends through the many years they were together. Each character was different but somehow they complimented each other. They loved each other and were always there to support and protect each other.

2. Romance. It was a slow burn romance and as with the writer's other amazing works, we were constantly left guessing as to where and how the romance will go. It is complicated, but amazing as well.

3. Medical Stuff. They were doctors and the drama portrayed their daily lives and interactions with their patients. It was never over the top like so many other medical dramas, it was more towards the realistic kind (not that it is really realistic (come on, it is a drama after all), just not absurd like other dramas). Every treatment was showed nicely, without making the doctors act like sought after doctors that were super brilliant and can magically heal everyone sent to them.

4. Music. I don't remember much of the music but I do admit that it wasn't grating on my nerve so it wasn't so bad. The actors sang the songs themselves, and many said that they were good at it. However, since I'm tone deaf and music deaf, I simply base my opinion on my taste alone. With that being said, I didn't like the music or the band thingy, it was boring to me.

[[[[ MY THOUGHTS ]]]]

Just like the writer's other works (they were all my favourites dramas), I loved this drama. It wasn't overly focused on romance and we were treated with heavy doses of friendship, humors and angsts as well. And the producers and writers were amazing good at what they do, portraying everything in a way that you enjoy every moments of it. And they don't only focus on the main characters only, they also paid attention to the side ones as well. I loved not only the main characters, but the side characters as well.

However, I won't go as far as saying this drama is my favorite drama ever (it is still Reply 1988) because I still find flaws that I couldn't accept. Nah, everything was amazing so these so called flaws were just my preferences actually. What didn't work for me (hence the not perfect rating) were:

1. The cliffhanger. Duh, life is short, I don't need that.
2. The characters' choices. Yeah, I know it's their choices but I choose to dislike them nonetheless lol
3. The episodes. Why so few, I need moreeeeeeeeee TT.TT

[[[[ THE CONCLUSION ]]]]

Hospital Playlist is an amazing drama, watch it. Or don't watch it. Just do whatever you feel like doing ;)

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Wish I had friends like this, now I want to join a band.

First review! Hospital Playlist is about a group of 5 friends who happen to be doctors. A few of them were friends before they all met at medical school, and they come together when hiding in supply closet to avoid the usual "talent competition" section of their medical school Orientation. They form a band, and have been friends since.

It takes a while to learn about the separate personalities and each character's story, but I have to say it was easy to fall in love with all of them as they are all compelling in different ways. So the story and characters are awesome.
* Song Hwa, the only girl, is a superwoman. She has it all and does it all uh ... except singing well, in that area she's slightly challenged. She's smart, cute, efficient, gets things done and is also empathetic and kind to everyone. If I were a man I would absolutely be trying my best to put a ring on it.
* Lee Ik Sun is the genius in the group, gets the best grades without studying, is kind, funny AND a good father. The interactions between him and his cute, chubby cheeked son had me going awww numerous times, too adorable.
* Jun Wan the heart surgeon seems like a jerk at the start, but he's the most driven of them all, and is blunt when needed.
* Suk Hyung, the chubby obstetrician with the terrible haircut, has had the most DRAMA in his life, I'm sure not all of it is revealed but suffice to say his dad is a real piece of shit and has damaged the son to the extent the son doesn't want to be in any relationships ever.
* Andrea (Jung Won) is the sensitive, new age, super Catholic guy. He wears all his emotions on the surface and of all the characters I wanted to cuddle him the most, just to protect him from being hurt.

Then, there's the band/music aspect. One is a terrible singer, but Ik Jun is really good. I had the warm fuzzies during most of their band / karaoke sessions, LOVED Aloha by Cool (Light of my life), Canon Rock, many of the songs in this were fitting with the story. I don't know if these are pop songs or released for the show, but the soundtrack elevates this from a great drama to a 10.

Watching this I realized when I moved countries I lost my Karaoke friends and we used to drink way too much and sing a lot either in public or even in private rooms. I miss that a lot, it's been over 20 years since I've had a fun karaoke time like these guys had. I wouldn't even mind joining a band, except I have no idea how to find people to do this in the age of COVID.

Loved the drama. Please, give me season 2 as soon as possible. I need more.

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100% recommended

I'm pretty much mentally attached to this drama, its one of the best dramas of 2020. everything in this drama is so perfect, can't wait until the second season comes. it made me cry , laugh and have a emotional breakdown in some episode. i don't have enough words in my vocabulary to describe how good this drama is. each episode is 100/10 .
I'm gonna miss those five doctors so badly:((


just give it a try and you will love this drama, especially if you liked reply series you will surely love this show as well.
it's one of the best medical dramas i have watched and will be my fav drama from now on for a very long time.

hope season 2 comes soon!!

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"The Epitome of Korean Drama Perfection"

I've just done watching its last episode. Hospital Playlist S1 is a total package. The plot, characters, main events, virtually the entirety of the series has been portrayed in detail and with love. OSTs are the best! It is no surprising that the word "Playlist" included in the title has been justified. All featured songs have serenaded me throughout the 12 episodes. I can't help but search them on YouTube after listening to them in some scenes. The scenario of the professional world of Doctors are so realistic that the actors made me think they were doing the actual operations. Finally, the legacy it had left on me is the realization that the role of Doctors and front liners they played in times of uncertainty has been given emphasis. Thus, not only does the series merit good reviews and international attention, but it also becomes worthy and timely during the health crisis the 21st-century people are facing today.

Highly Recommended!

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I was so excited when Hospital playlist first came out - the drama was written by the same author as the Reply series, and directed by the same director that shot the Reply series. It definitely lived up to and exceeded my expectations and I liked the series as much as, and if not more than Reply 1988, which has been high up on my list for years.

Story:
The story highlights the friendship between 5 college friends after they start working at the same hospital. It's a slice of life drama where you follow the daily lives of the main characters rather than a straight, focused storyline. But every medical case and patient story is realistic and heartwarming. The main characters always have each others backs, and their on screen chemistry as best friends is very natural. Its always fun to see them bicker and roast each other and makes me wish that I'll still have such a tight group of friends when I turn 40 too. There are so many funny scenes esp the Aloha karaoke scene LOL
Ok here's a warning the first 15 mins of the first episode starts off pretty slow, but honestly once you get past that 15 min mark you're good to go.

Music:
Covers: The main characters form a band and they cover a lot of old songs throughout the drama. It was surprising to see that all of them were actually really good at playing their instruments!! Apparently they met up weekly and spent a lot of time practicing for their covers, which were pretty good with Jo Jung Suk (former musical actor + husband of ballad queen Gummy) as the lead vocal. I was going to wait until the series finished airing before I started watching it, but after listening to Aloha I gave in and starting binging lol.
OST: As for the actual OST, overall I liked around half of them, but the songs went along well with the drama.

Acting/Cast:
Tbh I initially watched this series mainly for Jo Jung Suk. But after a few episodes, I found myself liking the entire cast - each of them was a perfect fit for their character and I wouldn't have cast it any other way. The main cast's acting was an easy 10/10.
As always, Jo Jung Suk did a great job acting out his character. As Ik Jun, the funny, easygoing friend/clown of the group who's literally friends with everyone, he always livened up the atmosphere and honestly the dude just knows how to crack the audience up. Chae Song Hwa is actually the first lead role for rookie actress Jeon Mi Do, but she did great job portraying the calm and dignified demeanor of a competent neurosurgeon who is dependable to her patients and also reliable to her friends. Jung Kyung Ho also did a good job acting as the confident and slightly arrogant cardiac-surgeon. He seems to be coldblooded with his prickly temper, but you end up seeing how much he really cares about his patients, which is really sweet. Yoo Yeon Seok did a full 180 from acting as the super evil guy from Mr. Sunshine to being an absolute softie here. I was so shocked like how is this the same guy LOL that's some good acting. His adoration for kids as a Pediatrician, his subtle pettiness, and his sympathetic and warm hearted personality was well delivered. Kim Dae Myung also did a good job making his character awkward and antisocial af and I also really liked the actress that played Ik Sun, Ik Jun's younger sister.
Keep an eye out for lots of big shot cameos lol they make the series all the better.

Overall:
This series lowkey made me want to become a doctor lmao. It's too late to change my major smh but man it was such a good drama. It doesn't matter what genre u normally go for just try it out and you won't regret it. If you like medical dramas though, great because this tops all of the medical dramas that's out there so far. (I think that its the best medical drama)
Also season 2 is coming out next year with the same cast so ALL IS GOOD :-)

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Hospital Playlist reimagined medical dramas by viewing it through a different lens--and it's great!

Hospital Playlist is a captivating medical slice-of-life piece that devoids itself from the usual medical drama tropes. Lesser blood, lesser operation scenes, and no politics, yet I can confidently say that this is one of the greatest dramas of its kind with how it maximized its setting to create a profound drama that explores matters that revolves around the hospital and its people-- doctors, nurses, as well as the patients.

One of the common worries by viewers of this drama as it started is its seemingly "plotless" nature. However, I think this is the genius of the writers and the director that is working. They introduce these characters to the viewers and they focus on their unraveled stories and their improvements are given focused, being loyal to its slice-of-life nature. To further it, they tell various stories of the patients that the medical staff characters tend to. These characters add another layer which enrich the characters as well as reveal more to who they are and their personalities. From this point, the plot is getting developed. However, one of the greatest plot devices that this drama used is music. The well curated music that is showed every week is a way to make the viewers understand the motif and themes that are present in each episode. It also is a way to show and tell more about the characters in the drama as the lyrics of the songs can be related to the experiences that they encounter.

As a sucker to slice-of-life dramas, I love how the team made this drama very human and relatable. Every character in the drama explore varying facets of humanity by exploring human experiences, emotions, and relationships. At some point, viewers can see themselves with the material that they are consuming-- and that is a feat. I also loved how this drama humanizes doctors and medical practitioners. This layer is very important especially during these times when we are facing a pandemic. It gives us a huge room in order to understand and celebrate these frontliners who always aim to try their best with whatever case they are facing.

This story wouldn't be magnificent without the great characters and its actors. From the main characters played by Jo Jung Seok, Yoo Yeon Seok, Jeon Mido, Jung Kyungho, and Kim Daemyung (WHAT A STELLAR CAST), to the actors that played every supporting characters and the patients, everyone played a role to make this drama magnificent.

Can I just say how great the OST this drama has? It is a perfectly curated list of great Korean classics that are reinterpreted magnificently (my personal favorite being Confession is Not Flashy because yES WINTER-GARDEN).

The drama has only 12 episodes for this season. I give it a high rewatch value as I see this drama as a possible refuge whenever we are lost. This drama has a lot of lessons in life that we can take note for ourselves.

Overall, Hospital Playlist is a great drama that will take you into a wild ride of emotions. It will make you cry, laugh, and empathize with the characters. It's a healing drama not only for its humor but also with its capacity to enable its viewers to relate to it.

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This is my first time to watch medical-related drama (because usually I don't get any interests to watch that kind of drama) but I have to watch this since it's Shin PD's drama lol. Aaaaand of course, I don't regret it. The story is just so beautiful. I love the story line, the characters, the details, it was amazing. I love their friendship. I love the way they handle their patients. I love how this drama taught us about humanity.

And don't forget the soundtracks are also amazing. The band thing was awesome! It was great because they can even play it live. How they also put some reply scenes related was hilarious, that was so creative!

I can’t even choose my favorite character out of the 5 people. I love all of them. I fell in love with Jeongwon’s kindness and his big heart. I admired Seonghwa’s time management. I found Ikjun’s cheerful character is so sweet. I liked how Junwan always say something directly and he really meant it. I adored how patient and kind Seokhyeong is.

Definitely can't wait to watch the second season!

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It's been a long time since I have seen such an engaging show! It was a great pleasure for me to follow the main characters, appreciating the originality of the idea - to create an amateur (?) music band by a group of surgeons who arouse the viewer's sympathy.

I liked the emotional balance - there were funny and emotional scenes. I must admit that at times I kept my fingers crossed for residents. There are some common patterns in this drama, like the presence of a cardiac surgeon or neurosurgeon (can any series exist without these doctors?) or embarrassing romantic themes. I always feel bad when I look at people who confess their love to a person who feels nothing for that person. I liked the theme of Jang Gyeo Wool who was falls in love with a pediatrician. I kept my fingers crossed for her.

What matters most to me in this drama is this emotional balance. In such dramas there are often too many strong emotions, which makes watching the series difficult. I'm glad that the perspective of the characters themselves - their private dramas, arguments with their families or boys - wasn't stressed too often. I think it's too much. It already was!

I really liked the music in this drama. I love George Winston "Canon". By the way, I heard this song in a different version, this time in the Japanese drama "The Forest of Love". I recommend the violin version, it's really beautiful.

I have so many responsibilities, but this drama made me unable to stop watching it. It's really worth recommending. The frames are beautiful, I really liked the way the show was framed. The cast is excellent, no artificiality, just naturalness.

I can't wait for the next season!

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