This is what all kdramas should aspire to be

My biggest issue with Kdramas is that they tend to get complicated for the sake of being complicated and there's a lot of them that are like that. This one, is not one of them.

Is the story original? No. Does it have to be? No. You get what you expect when you read the synopsis and everything stays in its lane which is very, VERY rare for a Kdrama. You expect a medical, bromance drama with a touch of supernatural and that's exactly what you get. There's a bit of romance but it only adds a bit of flare to the characters and story and it stays in its lane and does not take over which I find that WAY to many does, which is why I tend to stay away from anything that hints about romance in the synopsis.

The story ties itself up nicely and there's pretty much only one thing that I felt was a bit left out, a character that leaves in the early, middle-ish part of the story. I felt like he should've been there to tie some things up but never shows up again. Though it is possible that the character added some character development to the main characters that wouldn't have happened otherwise that I never realised. This is only a minor detail though.

Now the acting was great as usual. Rain and Kim Bum did great as the main characters and their chemistry with each other made the show. I've seen a lot of people complain about Uee and saying that they don't like her acting. I haven't seen her in anything else so I can't speak of her other stuff but here I thought she was fine, so I'm just gonna put that complaining to the usual hate I see pretty much every female lead/actress get because they are the female lead and the male lead is "so hot" and can't do anything wrong.

I also saw some stuff about Son Na Euns character. Not really anything about her acting but rather that her character didn't feel like main, which I kind of agree with. Amongst the "mains" she had the least impact on the show but she definitely was an important support character and I don't agree with the comments that the character is useless and doesn't do anything.
Of course we can't forget about the veterans such as Sung Dong Il and Tae In Ho which you'll see in like every other drama, doing what they do best as usual.

The music is not bad, just that the last couple of dramas I've seen has had amazing soundtrack and these ones didn't really hit me in the same way.

All in all, It's been awhile since I've followed a Kdrama from start to finish without any breaks which in my opinion speaks for itself. This is a great watch, that all I can say.

Citeste mai mult

This was such a great season, great characters development and I feel like this season is the one that stands out the most.

We finally get to see the impact Daimon has done on the other doctors, both old and new.  And even though Daimon still faces the same power struggle she has on the other seasons I feel that everyone finally sees and respect Daimon for what she is, which is something I've been waiting for.

The final episode gave me chills down my spine, it was probably the best episode of the show in my opinion. What a ride.

I highly doubt that there will be a 6th season but I will welcome it with all my heart.

Like Daimons catchphrase the shows never fails even though every episode follows pretty much the same formula and that is a hard feat. Especially when it's been going for so long that it has. And the fact that it is on it's 5th season is a good enough reason to watch this if you haven't since it quite rare for a Jdrama to get more than 2 seasons.

So I'm going to end this by saying if you haven't watch this yet, you are missing out. So do it now!!

Citeste mai mult

The second season starts with a bang and it only goes upwards from there.
Jang Tae Jun with more power than before starts his plans to change the world of today's politics by getting rid of the corruption in the house.
This, of course, proves quickly to be very hard and he and the people he trusts have to struggle. Every victory quickly becomes a loss. One step forward, two steps back.

A season that is even more heavy than the first but also has way more satisfying moments.

Is the ending worth the suffering you might endure watching this and the previous season? Yes definitely.

The acting is still as good, as well as the music.

Ps, this show has really made me think about how much of this is true to what happens behind politics in real life, quite a scary thought...

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It is no doubt that this drama is a masterpiece but it isn't for everyone.

If you expect a full on medical drama or if you don't like heavy toned dramas with themes like Power struggle, then this isn't for you.

The story isn't very original but it is solid. It is slow, yes, but slow doesn't necessary mean bad. They do not rush through the story and they know when to give it progress and some 'action' to not bore the audience.
It's very dialogue heavy drama and not very light it does have it light moment, so that you're able to breathe or have a little laugh.
There isn't really any romance in this show, some people like that, others don't. I myself aren't really a big fan of romance in dramas because I feel that they always go the through the same route. I don't mind some subtle romance or hints of it. Or even actual romance, if they do it really well. This show go for the subtle romance and it fits this story really well, so I'm happy they didn't go full out with it.

One of the best thing in this show was the acting, everyone did a great job and almost every character was in the grey zone and not one-dimensional. No one of the main characters or 'the good guys' were perfect or 'pure' and that gave a very realistic tone the show which is very important in these kind of shows. Every action the characters made, did make sense.
Some characters do work better than others but it isn't the acting that's the problem but rather the characters themselves and it didn't really bother me to much, but can be worth mentioning at least.

Like some of the other reviews has said, the worst thing in the show is probably the music. And it isn't even bad, just that nothing really stands out, the intro music is probably the soundtrack that stands out the most. This doesn't have to a bad thing as well. It just means that the music does what it supposed to, but it might not be something you would listen to on it's own outside of the show.

As for rewatch value, it always go down a bit after you seen a show since nothing it new anymore, but you could certainly watch this again and enjoy it to it's full potential since it isn't a mystery you have to solve. You know the characters motives and there isn't any big plot twist that would ruin the fun in rewatching the show.

Citeste mai mult

Worst season yet

I'm not gonna lie, I wasn't a huge fan of this season. I even stopped watching and just finished it cause of season 4.

Now this is a continuation of the second season which I did like, so why was this one not as good? Well, it's cause the second part of the second season and this whole season unfortunately got the so called "Male lead takes over" syndrome. Which is what it sounds like, the male lead get so much screen time that the female lead, which in this case actually is the MAIN character, pretty much becomes a support character, and what made the first season so extremely good disappeared for me.

The story itself isn't bad. The case is just as dark as the first season and the acting is fine. But the fact that the male lead got way to much focus was nagging me too much in the end. I did like the male lead and the actor is great but when there are two leads, then they should have about the same focus. But enough about that. The only thing otherwise that bothered me, was the lack of understanding of what a psychopath is and how you treat mental illnesses.

Like I mentioned, the acting is fine. The first season was one of my first K-dramas so I didn't get the dislike the female lead actor got for being bad at acting (in comments). Now finishing season 3 while adding a lot of K-dramas to my completed list, I can see that her acting isn't the best, but of course not bad enough to get the dislike I've seen her get. (Also not really about the drama, but the amount of hate I've seen the character get on comments and stuff makes no sense. She is the main character, the title is Voice cause she could hear the killer's voice in the first season. Taking her away would just make it to another police drama, not Voice) Other than that the acting has been great.

The music is killer as usual. The heavier sounds of the voice soundtrack in this season is amazing. My favourite is still the second season version, but this is a close second ^^

As of this review the fourth season has already begin so I'm exited to check that one out. Even though I think this season is the worst yet, I wouldn't say it's not worth checking out. If you liked the first season and the second then you should of course continue with this one ^^

Citeste mai mult

Another great season from a great show.
Do I think this season is better than season 1?? No, but this is till a season worth watching.

One of the things I loved about the first season was that the romance was quite minimal and didn't overtake what the show is about, which I feel that alot of romance in dramas do. Which is why I tend to stay away from shows that has romance in its genre. This season has the romance even more put to the side, which for me is a huge plus but might be a minus for others. But that's probably the only point in which I like this season more than the first.

The new leads is basically the old leads with the same problems and views in the hospital scene. The female has issues that causes her to get banned in the OR and the male lead is all about the money for personal reasons. Also their issues is better handled/spread out in the first season. Here it gets resovled quite fast and it almost seemed unneccessary to have them there in the first place.

The villains are also, in a way, a repeat from season 1. The main villain in season 1 is in this season as well, but you could take him away and much wouldn't change. I did really like Dr. Shim. Even though she was against the Doldam staff in a lot of thing, there was something there that told me that she was a good person from the start. Dr. Park was more of a pain, but I did end up liking him as well. Dr. Yang was just a pain in my ass though.

Master Kim was great as always. He was his old stubborn self and it was a ride to see him make the new leads great doctors. I did miss his relationship (non romantic) with Dr. Yoon from season 1 though.

Otherwise this season is solid. The cases are many and very different. Some cases hurt more than others but this was truly a joy to watch. Here's hoping for a season 3 with maybe the cast from seaon 1 and 2 ^^

Citeste mai mult

Could've been great

I love law dramas. Law dramas with dark cases even better. Yet, this one couldn't really grasp me the way I was hoping.
There were a lot of horrible cases yes, but they tried to make us feel for the prosecuted and that's were it fell flat. Yes most of the kids wouldn't have committed the crimes they did if they weren't abandoned, abused or worse. When they don't feel remorse until after they get sentenced it's hard to feel for them. There were a few kids that I did feel for, like Seo Yu Ri, but I think that was because the crime she committed versus the things she was exposed to causing the crime was not as bad. But it wasn't really until the traffic accident case (ep7-8) were I really felt it and that is way to late for a show that is 10 episodes.

But I'll admit that it was an interesting take to watch a law show where all the crimes where committed by kids. It's interesting to see how horrible of crimes kids can commit and what leads them to make such decisions.

Now there wasn't really any bad acting but I was finding myself not caring for most of the characters, even the leads. The female lead is a character that hates juvenile offenders and we never find out why until the last 2 episodes. There is maybe 1 or 2 hints before then that hints why but that is not enough, causing us to have a lead that is harsh towards everyone for seemingly no reason making it hard to like her. She does show some sort of kindness towards some of the kids which is in my opinion her only redeeming aspect of her character.

Now the male main lead doesn't really do much, he is just there and is kind to everything and everyone. He sees the best in all of the kids and maybe that's what we need in this show. If he also would've been harsh to all of the kids, it would probably be even harder to like this show. I do think that he was one of reasons though why I felt the Traffic accident case so much. I'm not saying I didn't like his character but rather that I don't think he did very much for being a main character.

My favourite character was probably Kang Won Joong, the character that would have been the villain in any other Kdrama. The first couple of episodes he even falls into the cliché path of his type of character that causes them to be the villain. The difference is that he deep down is a good person and even though he does some wrong choices later on, he does in the end the right thing and never truly becomes the so called villain.

Na Geun Hee that doesn't show up until the last 4 episodes is not a likable character at all. She does show some redemption in the end but still too late in the show and not enough time to be able to like her character.

The music is really good, not a whole lot of soundtrack with lyrics but that is not a bad thing, I'm just used to have Kdrama have like 5-7 song with lyrics in its soundtrack.

Now because I don't find most of the characters that likable I don't see myself rewatching this one in the future. I would probably still recommend this one for people that like law dramas though.

Citeste mai mult

This drama is about what happens behind the scenes of politics. The good, the bad and a really good dose of the ugly.
How far will people go to get the way they want? This drama deals with backstabbing, corruption and everything bad you can think of in a world of politics.

The main characters are trying their best to help the people but to help the people they have to do stuff that is not always a good thing. Don't expect this drama to be a walk in the park or a drama you can watch to catch a break from real life. This is heavy but it has it satisfying moment.

The acting is really great. Lee Jung Jae as Jang Tae Jun is amazing. He's playing the good guy but still make you question if he goes to far and if he himself, is gonna go to the point of no return.

Shin Min Ah is playing a female lead that is strong and even during pressure and criticism fails to crumble, which I find very rare in Kdrama.

The other leads are also amazing and Kim Gab Soo is doing an amazing job as the villain.

The music is really good, lots of good songs and even some of the instrumental OST stands out.

Citeste mai mult

A crime solving drama with a twist

This drama is about a bunch of lawyers in the crisis management department where they help clients, who are facing some sort of scandal, and their problems with the least amount of damage, such as reputation and stuff.

It is a typical case solving drama, with an underlining story involving the main character that becomes the main part of the climax of the drama. And even though the headline says 'with a twist', the twist isn't huge or revolutionary by any means, it does give the drama a bit of freshness IMO ^^

The acting is great, but I might be a bit biased, because I'm in a totally 'I love Takeuchi Yuko' cloud at the moment ^^ But also because her acting is REALLY good, as well as the rest of the cast. They have a nice chemistry with each other and all the characters has their own unique personality which makes the drama stand out even more.

I really like the opening or whatever you wanna call it but the rest of the soundtrack doesn't really stand out. It's not bad by any means, it just doesn't make a lasting impression on me.

All dramas, movies or tv-series, even games, loses a bit of rewatch value (or replay in some cases ^^) since you already know what happens. In this case, knowing what happens is not a deal breaker, so if you like it, you could definitely enjoy watching it again ^^

I really enjoyed this drama, the acting and all the little moments that made the drama ^^ If it gets a second season, I will definitely watch it.

If you haven't seen it yet, I would highly recommend that you check this one out.

Citeste mai mult

Dr DMAT is a story about a team of medical staff members called the 'Disaster Medical Assistant Team' or DMAT for short.
They, as you can guess by the name, go out to disaster/accident sites and save as many lives as they can. They are always short on supplies and have to improvise a lot in a chaotic and stressful environment.

Quite similar to Code Blue in that sense, comparing to other medical dramas where the setting is mostly at the hospital.

Story:
I really liked the story. The cases are always different and it's realistic in a sense that not all patients survive. Some scenes can be a bit slow but when they arrive at the site you have barely time to blink.

I also like that it's not predictable on what's going to happen. Is the person going to survive?? What choices will the characters make?? You will just have to watch and see.

The thing I would have wanted more of would be more accident per episode, especially at the end. Not that it was boring at the end but they had build it up really well and I would of liked to see a bit more before they went to the last site at the last episode, but other than that, it was great.

Acting/Cast:
The acting is really good and really believable. The cast know exactly what their doing to make their character justice.

Yakumo Hibiki, the main character, has a really smooth character development from being a newbie and only being in the way of DMAT to being the one controlling everything.

Music:
The music is great, even though there isn't one that really stood out, it really helped to enhance the scenes to the max.

Re-watch:
A series will always lose a bit of it's shine after the first watch in my opinion, but since this one is a, that I like to call, one case/episode drama (Which most police/medical dramas are), it has a higher
re-watch value rather than a story that build every episode before coming to the conclusion drama where the magic is in not knowing until the end.

Overall:
It's one of the better Jdramas that I've seen and I could definitely see myself watch this again in the future.

Citeste mai mult

The perfect duo is back!

The storyline in this season is a bit more slow and more political focused than the first. If you prefer a proper crime solving show than maybe this season is might not be to your liking. This is still a great second season though.

The police and the prosecutors are fighting against each other for the investigation right which causes the two leads we love to watch be on the opposite side, but they don't really care about that, but it makes their teamwork a bit harder with both of their bosses trying to make them use each other and create doubt. This seasons go through a couple of cases which some might seem to not be necessary at first but I think they managed to tie everything together really well in the end. That being said I do think that there is one storyline that feel kind of unfinished or at least handled a bit sloppy at the end, but since that isn't the main storyline it doesn't take away to much of the story.

The dream sequence in the last episode is so powerful and emotional and it hit me straight in the gut with the feels.

Like I mentioned in the beginning, this season is a bit slower than the first but the last few episodes are really great and if you feel that it's to slow for your liking, try to hold on cause it will be worth it.

The acting is just as the first season really really good, and so is the music. This is a great watch if you have the time and you should definitely check this one out if you liked the first season ^^

Citeste mai mult

For me, this is a contender for the best drama of 2020.

If you think this drama is a normal mystery crime drama then you are mistaken. While the story is not super original by any means but the way the characters interact with each other and how they feel about each other is what makes this drama so good. To see all the character grow and becoming better people is truly an enjoyment to watch. All the characters you dislike in the beginning changes for the better as the story progress. The chemistry between Cha Young Jin and Ko Eun Ho is amazing, every scene with the two fills a warmth in your stomach. The bad guy is one of the most interesting villains I've come across in dramas. He feels very authentic and real.

The acting is amazing. The actors becomes the characters and are able to deliver an incredible performance. Even the youngsters that hasn't a lot of acting experience from what I can see are delivering a stellar performance. Kim Seo Hyung what a great choice for the main role. It's really nice seeing a woman kicking serious butt in dramas. Normally, even though they are tough or strong, they always turn into some sort of damsel in distress and that can annoy me quite a bit but not here. Here she's a proper badass that can crack a serious punch if needed and that's a breath of fresh air. ^^

Even though I've said the story thrives with it characters rather than the mystery crime aspect, the story itself is really good. It isn't obvious who has done what and even when you are sure about some thing, there is still a little bit of doubt. It makes you stay on you toes and that is what makes a crime drama great.

The OST in this drama is one of the best I've ever heard. They enhance every scene and I'm gonna listen on them for a long time.

Even though the mystery in this drama is gone after you'ce watched it, it's not what makes this drama good. It's the characters and the way they interact. That't why this drama has a higher rewatch value then what I would give other mystery dramas.

Do you like crime dramas? Watch this. You don't like crime dramas? I would say give this a try, it might surprise you ^^

Citeste mai mult

How to get away with murder meets Chief of Staff

You could divide this drama into two main parts. One part that is a murder mystery in the style of How to get away with murder, and one part that is taking down a politician that is corrupted to the core, which is more of a typical K-drama. The murder mystery part kind of gets more irrelevant as the show goes on as the second part gets more relevant.
The drama also has other plots that are told, though some that are more important and fits more to the main story (Jeon Ye Seul, Seo Ji Ho) and some that feels more like fillers even though it has some relevance (Yoo Seung Jae, Kang Sol B)
So if you are interested in a murder, mystery drama then this is probably not one for you.

I did find some episodes a bit to slow and almost went down to the boring category but it picked itself up straight away and when the show goes for a satisfying moment, it succeeds really well. Not to mention the last scene of the show is so smooth. Great camerawork and everything.

The acting was fine, it does not have bad acting or anything like that in it, but I did have some trouble with Professor Yang in the first episodes, once again the acting is not bad, but there was something about the character I didn't like but that disappeared after a few episodes. I did like that a lot of the support cast (the students) got a lot of screen time and not just there for filling the spots up so to speak but actually got as much shine as the main cast. And THANK GOD for no romance. I'll admit the scenes between Kang Sol A and Han Joon Hwi was pretty cute and I did like their chemistry but I'm happy it didn't got blown into a full romance cause knowing from other K-dramas I've seen, that plot point would've taken over their (at least the female lead) screen time and not the main plot.

Now the music was simply great. I know I'm not the only one that went nuts every time the 'It's pulling me undeeeer, It's driving me craaaaazy' part came on. The whole soundtrack was great and had a lot of choir/church vibes but still fit really well.

So did I like it? Yes, it wasn't great as in one of the best things I've watched, but I've seen a lot worse. Like I said some plot point where better than others but it is an satisfying watch and worth checking out.

Citeste mai mult

A touching story that doesn't leave a single eye dry.

This is probably the most Jdrama-ish Kdrama I've seen and I'm saying that with only positivity in my mind.

An emotional tale that will make you cry in about every episode.

When you die, do you think that you will disappear?
This drama will tell you the answer. That even if you are gone, pieces of you are left behind with the people that cared about you. Your belongings will tell about your life, your last time on this earth. It will show your struggles, your hopes and dream. And no matter how alone you think you are, when you are gone, there will be someone that misses you and grieves for you. Even when you are not here, you will never truly be gone.

The main cast is an interesting bunch as well. A dad that is the greatest dad in the world, a son that is special but because of that, he can see things no one else can. An uncle that is broken, but is beginning to heal. And the next door neighbour that is pretty much family.
All of these are part of what makes this drama great. Their story, their grief and their hopes and dream as well as their work as trauma cleaners.

10 episodes filled with lots of emotions and a different view on life. Here's to another season with more stories, both sad and happy.

Citeste mai mult

First of all, you have to watch the SP before watching this one. I almost didn't and I would've been so confused since the case in the SP has a big part in this season.


The story in this one is different from the first, whereas in the first season it's about cold cases and this season is about live cases and the art of going undercover as a part of the investigation.

At first I was really afraid that the big difference of the cases itself would ruin this season but fortunetly it didn't. Though what I thought was a little sad about this change is that you don't really focus on the feelings of the victims and the people around them that we saw in the first season.
Instead it did turn out a bit more about the cases itself. Also unlike the first season, pretty much all of the cases in this season has a connection to each other even if it doesn't appears to be at first. Once again we see Sakuragi evolve smoothly from an amateur in the art of being undercover to being a profesional.


The acting was great, as was the first season but the stiffnes I felt with some of the guest characters had in the first season was all gone in this one, which is a plus. If it's beacuse of the actors or if the scrips was better I don't know, but that doesn't really matter.
The new characters was introduced well and they quickly felt part of the group that we loved in the first season.

The music was nice, it fit well with scenes but I couldn't find one that really stood out for me.

As for rewatch value it always goes down after you've watch it the first time, but you could certaintly watch this again without feeling bored.

Citeste mai mult