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.
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Why romance when we have bromance !!!
Am a big fan of medical dramas and love seeing all the surgeries and doctor-patient interactions. But this drama is just shot in the hospital premise and has a little medical aspect, it's more of the ghost world. with ghost and doctor helping each other to fulfill their needs to survive the cruelty of the world proving the title GHOST DOCTOR so apt.●PLOT VIEW
Having seen a lot of K-drama, I had known that the secrets are meant to be known by villains, benevolent, and some family members. Wherein some try to use this secret and some protect you, the same happens in this drama too. The secret of ghosts in the body getting exposed in layers is done geniously. This drama while maintaining its ghost essence manages to cover today's society of greed. But it highly disappoints in the romance section, because it seemed very unnecessary in this drama. The Ghost Cha Young Min who is an ace cardiothoracic surgeon goes into a coma. And he somehow enters the new resident Ko Seung Tak who is not skilled. CYM is rude but seeing KST struggle, he needs to enter his body to save the patients. CYM's body gets better when they both do good, so KST helps him to wake up soon.
Also, I didn’t like the senior doctors who want to transfer the patient just because they don’t have one genius doctor. Why are they even there if they cant treat the patients properly? I mean the interns are shown running around every time for emergency and surgery both. And seniors don’t even give the basic treatment to the emergency patient.
●ACTING/CAST
I loved the entire main cast of this drama, but KIM BUM's character is so amazing. He is a man of exception. His witty nature and Ghost impolite character were done exceptionally well. I have been a big fan of him and seeing his various character it's hard, to not be one.
RAIN was good, I never get impressed by him but he is good. His angst and rudeness are pretty good to watch. His struggles of being a ghost are hilarious.
UEE is such a good actress but this role didn’t utilize her. She didn’t have a big part in the story and just felt like a supporting character.
SON NA EUN was a friend and keeper. I wanted to see more of her chemistry with KIM BUM.
The three ghosts and their head Tess had also made a good part of the story.
●MUSIC
The music was mediocre. “I can Fly Away” is the only OST that gives the vibe of ghost doctors which I enjoyed.
●REWATCH
Overall I liked this drama a lot. As I can acknowledge the flaws It's not going to make my favorites list, but it's certainly one of the good dramas I've seen in a while.
●RECOMMENDATION
It's a good watch, The story was pretty decent but got a bit draggy near the end, tho it was tolerable because of the bromance storyline. The chemistry between the male leads is undeniable.
●FAV SCENE
When the three ghosts show CYM how to be a better ghost.
●QUOTES
A doctor can wait for the patient, but the patient can't wait for the doctor - Ko Seung Tak
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Dont get me wrong, this show is not bad at all and definitely watchable. The problem is watching the first episodes set my expectations high.
Kim Bum and Rain are both fantastic as Ko Seung Tak and Cha Young Min. I loved their small nuances when they are acting as one. The way they showed them during surgeries are also effective. However as lovable their characters are, they’re actions are also confusing. For example, Seung Tak was initially portrayed as a book genius and although he may buckle during actual surgeries we were led to believe he was still supposed to know whats going on, but there were scences when he was just waiting to be told what the medical conditions are and what to do with them. Also, I cant tell if Seung Tak is afraid of ghosts (more on this with spoiler alert, later).
Another thing lacking is a good antagonist. Han Seung Wong and Jang Min Ho are like your high school bullies, all talk no real bite. I cant even tell what is the real motive behind Seung Wong's action. Making him morr despicable would have been more effective, or just remove that angle completely and focus on the medical and supernatural side of the drama.
I may also be expecting a lot more from the female leads. Uee, as always, is amazing although Jang Se Jin's relationship with Seung Tak is borderline creepy. Son Na Eun, on the other hand, was completely wasted and Ooh Soo Jung's exposure was almost non existent.
I also have to say that their take on ghost lore, feels a little bit off. **MINOR SPOILER ALERT** All the ghosts in the series EXCEPT ONE are comatosed patients, and, they implied that these spirits banish once the host body is completely dead. So were they really ghosts or some form of astral projections? In connection to that, i dont understand why Seung Tak is scared and cant do surgeries, not even during his time in school, because for one, he has an understanding that the spirits he sees belong to people who are alive (or at least about to die) in real world. And as they implied that the ghosts banishes when they're dead, that means he cant be seeing ghosts during the cadaver surgery practicum.
Also what is so special about Young Min that he is the only comatosed patient that can actually posses someone? Again, should we call them ghosts? By definition, ghosts are apparitions of dead people, so technically the professor and the other guys are in fact not yet ghosts. Or, maybe, they could have made Young Min the only comatosed "ghost" and let the others be ghosts from dead people to set him apart and make him a bit unique, thus the ability to posses Seung Tak. I think they should have explored and solidified that supernatural concept a little bit more and explained the mythology better to make it believable.
With that said, im still giving the show a fantastic 8.5 out of 10 stars. Will i rewatch? I dont think so.
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This review may contain spoilers
It ended cleanly and pretty obviously, but I love it
Two men working together. First they don't get along, and as the story goes they find out more about each other, end up relying on each other and work together. Yup, definitely one of my favorite tropes. Finding out that this drama would be in this trope intrigued me, and seeing Rain and Kim Bum intrigued me even more. I have never seen any of Rain's acting projects, so I was curious, and it turns out I really like his acting (lmao as if I know anything about acting,,,,, (i dont)). While for Kim Bum, I saw him in Tale of The Nine Tailed first (which I haven't finished, but I like his character a lot,,,, well after a few months of putting the drama on hold I actually watched quite a lot of clips of just him in that drama and I liked him a lot) and I also watched Law School which I think he also did really well in. Though I liked him there and that drama, he didn't quite stand out to me as much as he did in this drama, making me see him in a new light.This drama put me in quite a few emotional roller coaster. Every time Youngmin almost disappeared, I got scared, suddenly forgetting that he's the main character (but i mean,,, I guess because there are always main characters that actually really d word that made me pretty terrified). And Seungtak who is a bright character, every time he panics gets scared, or sad, it really made me feel down too. Though I'm not a doctor and I don't plan to be, I can't see ghosts and I really don't want to, and I'm not the grandchild of a rich guy that owns a hospital, I could relate to him a lot. He's young, and though he always comes off as confident and happy, it was all to mask all his greatest fears, and it even turns out he has the softest heart. He just seems like his heart is as innocent as a child, just stuck like that as he grows bigger and taller. And I know that he would, but when he finally, actually faced his fears and improved to become a doctor who can treat his patients well, I felt really proud as if he was my own son when I'm acctually younger than his character.
And well, after they talked about how everyone wouldn't remember their time as a coma ghost when they wake up, I did have a little fear that Youngmin would be the same, waking up not remembering anything. But, going for the ending where Youngmin is different, and he remembers every single moment as a coma ghost when he wakes up is the obvious happy ending, and I'm glad they went with that route (after scaring me and actually making me cry because they made it seem like he didn't remember at first) It put a nice, warm, happy ending after all they went through to work together, invading each others privacies and understand each other, making them fond for each other and have a special bond. It's really nice to see.
For the visual effects I think they did very well too. Sometimes for fantasy genre I get a bit nervous to see the vfx because it can either be so gorgeous, or trash. And I think they did very well and very fitting for the drama. The OST didn't stand out to me as much, except for CNU's Fly Away. It's a very nice and beautiful uplifting song which I think also fits the drama very well. And also, I knew Kim Jaeyong from HALO and watched him in Love With Flaws, and I was a bit surprised seeing him here, but he did really well, and I think the role fits him very well, I always liked his rather cool appearance which really shows here. And also, I didn't know that the actor who played Hoongil is an idol member. I felt like I saw him in another acting project but it turns out this is his debut project. Maybe I just saw someone similar to him, who knows? But for his acting debut, I think his role really suits him, and he did well portraying Hoongil. Is this what they mean when people say "___ has actor vibes"? Cause I really think that saying fits him well. And though he will of course promote with his group, I hope he can also maintain his career as an actor well, and improve so that he can be yet another amazing idol-actor.
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This review may contain spoilers
Ghost Doctor is a supernatural medical drama that introduced a new concept of coma ghost. We have heard of ghosts haunting the Earth after death. But, this is the first time I have heard of a coma ghost, the soul of a person who is in coma, wandering in the Earth. I was interested in this concept and almost enjoyed the drama.The most of the plot is set in a hospital. The story begins introducing the invincible first-rated heart surgeon Cha Young Min (Rain). Despite his skills, he is arrogant and short tempered with a cold personality. While, Ko Seung Tak (Kim Bum) is genius student, who is the grandson of the hospital's founder and had to study medicine because of his family despite not being interested in it. Although he is a genius, he has no field experiences because of his ability to see ghosts. Yet, he cares about the well-being of his patient due to an accident which happened when he was a child, because of which he got the ability to see ghosts, and does not wish to see it again. Ko Seung Tak and Cha Young Min loathe eachother, especially Dr. Cha, at the very beginning of the drama.
The current situation changes as Dr. Cha is involved in an accident But, after being a ghost, he finds himself possessing the body of KST, despite not being able to touch anyone else. Eventhough he performs surgery on and saves himself, he slips into coma and his soul becomes a coma ghost. This becomes the turning point of his life to becoming a doctor who is less short tempered and cares more about his patients. When CYM finds that KST can see ghosts, they helps eachother to find the truths about the foul acts taking place in the hospital and is thus forced to share a body.
I actually started this drama due to it's interesting plot. But, after watching the drama, I was disappointed because of its bad development. Everything was too easily revealed. They were not interesting enough to keep me engaging. Of couse the beginning is interesting. But, as the story progresses, everything becomes draggy.
Another thing that became draggy was the romance plot. We could see that there are two MLs. So, the presence two romance plots was obvious enough. Actually there are two more main leads apart from Kim Bum and Rain: Uee, who plays Jang Se Jin, CYM's ex-girlfriend and Son Na Eun, KST's crush. But, after watching the drama, I doubt if they could be called main leads. They were more like two support roles to keep the romance plot moving. Actually, there was no need of the romance itself. The bromance between the MLs were interesting enough. So, the romance was dragged until the very end. Also, the romance with body sharing was unacceptable.
There are many side-characters in this drama, humans as well as ghosts, and many sub stories. My fav support character is Tess, a good ghost who had died years ago in the hospital and the cleaning lady on whom he enters.
When we come to the cast, I'm satisfied with their performance. Rain, Kim Bum and their bromance was awsome. But, I am really sad that the two FLs were ignored, especially Son Na Eun. They didn't have enough screentime to make them feel like the main leads. Could have made their part more interesting other that the romance one by giving them more medical activities. All the supporting characters too did a commentable job.
I didn't really care about the OSTs of the drama. There were some musics but not very memorable
An overall summary for lazy readers:-
WHAT I LIKED:
*The concept of coma ghost
*Good medial plot
* Awsome performance of the cast
* Supporting characters and their stories
*The bromance
WHAT I DISLIKED:
* The draggy plot
* Romace plot
* Really obvious and unsurprising
* Less focus on main characters except the 2 MLs
* Poor writing
Warning for future viewers:
There are many operation scenes as this is a medical drama and the leads are surgeons. So, fast forward if you can't handle blood.
Also there are many medical terms used in this drama, half of which I didn't understand. But, this importance given to the medical part of the drama makes it fairly interesting
Overall, this is a fair watch, if not a good one. It is mildly enjoyable because of the comedy element as well as the performance of the cast. This is a good watch for Rain's and Kim Bum's fans but, those who come for the plot, you will be undoubtably disappointed.
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I wish I could meet Rain in person, he is one of the best Korean actors I know. Everyone deserves both local and international awards! I salute every cast in this series especially the creators, directors and the whole staff.
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Super Duper Ghost
Ghost Doctor❤️❤️??Super Duper Ghosts ️????
I am Waiting for the drama when they announced, because its Return drama for Rain his last appearance is 2019 drama 'Welcome 2 life'.
Also I am exited for Kim Bum is share the screen space with rain.
When I saw the poster, I really remembered that the Ratatouille movie, looke like that some one who control other one. When the drama released I realy hope it's was going to be a fun entertainment for sure.
Cha Young Min is a well-known genius doctor at EMC, a leading hospital.Young min has bad temper and terrible personality but he good at his work, he is the number one surgeon in the hospital.
The new internship doctor
Ko Seung tak came the hospital... He not well with cha young min always they fight for or arguments.
Mean While Dr. Cha has an accident and he goes into a coma. But his soul separated to the body.
The doctor's soul wanders from the body to the hospital not knowing what to do.
Unexpectedly, Cha's soul enters Tak's body and things get more complicated. Find out what happened next...
Drama is an out-and-out fun entertainment.
It combines various elements like medical, romance, emotional and supernatural and these things makes the drama a great experience.
Although the drama allows very first Eps we are well connect to the main characters and story
We see the growing relationship between our 2 male leads Young Min and Seung Tak. These two are the comedy duo and why I kept watching this drama. You also see the character development within each character.
The biggest plus of the drama is the acting performance of Rain and Kim
The two were one of the best combo we've seen in recent times.
As a duo, the two together don’t mesh well. One is a roulette wheel of extreme personalities and the other’s real personality is the true apparition on the show
Their combination scenes and the chemistry on the screen were well connected to laugh and emotional at same time.
Drama mix of intensity that comes with being a medical drama, on the other hand, the supernatural element, as well as the comedy romance. It all combines so well in the drama.Slice of life elements portrayed through the ghosts and doctors plus nurses of the hospital was likable.Every single episode just filled me with thrill and excitement and I do not think I have ever been this happy watching something before. I laughed, got angry, cried a lot and loved every bit of it..
The romantic track in the drama was super,but that is major drawback. second half of the drama(9-14) the writer fully focused on the romantic track so completely forget about the fun elements and villains.
So that part of the drama feels little bit of dragging.but somehow drama end with high note??
Main male leads both of them, overshadowing others with their performances. However
UEE's Characters was a great performance on other hand and some occasional Na Eun seemed to have improved his role.
I loved the whole cast. They out shined their roles to the fullest. Even though I wanted to see more of the three ghosts stories I guess they had to work with what they worked with.specialy The Ghosts characters they have done brilliant job there side story's are beautifully portrait and well acted as well, grest performance by everyone??
The technical side of the drama is super specialy cinematography give feel the quality making and eye catchy experience scenes??
The special effects were as good well apt at the moments. ??
OST, 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❤️
Doctor Ghost is arguably one of the best dramas out there this year.
And experience some Impressive bromance from the leading cast.
People who love medical dramas, rom com, fantasy and supernatural, try to see....
There is no doubt that One of the Best Drama. Those who do not see must try to see
Don't miss???
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Will ‘ Ghost Doctor’ Truly Haunt You?
Rain is back. This time in a melodramatic medical-supernatural drama which whilst casting its net far and wide towards a wider audience demographic , isn’t without its flaws either.
The plot is set mainly around a working hospital. Previously mentioned Superstar singer-actor Rain stars as Cha Young Min; a first-rate doctor who is renowned in the hospital for his prodigal skills. However despite his impressive clinical acumen, Young Min is notorious for his cold personality and acerbic tongue directed towards colleagues and patients alike.
Nevertheless, everything changes for Young Min when he’s involved in a fatal accident. Whilst his physical body is rendered in a comatose state, Young Min discovers that he is now stuck as a living ghost anchored to the grounds of the hospital.
Perhaps by a whim of fate, Young Min stumbles upon a shocking revelation: he can possess the body of amateur resident doctor Ko Seung Tak ( Kim Bum). The grandson of the hospital’s founder,
Seung-Tak is nearly Young-Min’s polar opposite. He’s laidback, disengaged with his duties as a doctor but secretly cares deeply for the well-being of his patients and wards.
As Young-Min and Seung Tak are forced to share the same body, they begin to help one another grow as well as unravel suspected foul-play in their midst…
Screenwriter Kim Eun Hee is likely most known for her previous works ‘ Winter Sonata’ (2002), ‘ My Fair Lady’ (2009) and ‘ Live Up To Your Name’ ( 2017).
Similar to her previous repertoire of melodramas and cliche-ridden narratives, ‘ Ghost Doctor’ isn’t inescapable from its shoehorned storylines or some character archetypes. The villainous motives and goals of the antagonists could feel somewhat monotonous, whilst the attempts to influx subplots with romantic chemistry between the main leads and their potential love interests could feel vapid also.
Of course this isn’t to entirety critique Eun Hee’s screenplay. Whilst there were noteworthy niche moments , there were some refreshing takes upon niche character tropes; Seung-Tak ( as the “ affluent heir”) standing out in particular.
In addition to this under the directing reigns of Boo Sung Chul ( ‘ My Girlfriend Is A Gumiho’, ‘ The Heirs’ and ‘ Your Honor’), ‘ Ghost Doctor’ is able to maintain a crisp narrative with enough bromance, arbitrary medical knowledge terms and vocabulary and comic relief thrown-in order to keep viewers entertained.
Whilst there are notably moments where the series could darken quickly under the weight of the established supernatural and medical subtext, the series rarely delved deeper beyond a basic plot-level into these issues. Naturally this allowed more opportunities in order to offer lighthearted respite, but did provide fewer narrative moments in order to truly diverge further away from niche setups or tropes also.
Then of course there’s the discussion surrounding cast choices. Indeed, the casting choices of a-listers Rain ( ‘ Full House’, ‘ I’m A Cyborg, But That’s Okay’ and ‘ Please Come Back, Mister’ ) and Kim Bum ( ‘ Boys Over Flowers’, ‘ Mrs Cop.2, and ‘ Tail Of The Nine Tailed’ ) as the main leads will likely remain one of the major attractions of the drama.
Kim Bum and Rain offered fairly solid performances throughout. Whilst overblown script moments and dialogue was admittedly apparent at times in ‘ Ghost Doctor’, the duo’s onscreen bromance was one of the surprising highlights of the series.
Costarring alongside Bum and Rain was singer-actress Uee ( ‘You’re Beautiful’, ‘ Ho Goo’s Love’ and ‘ Marriage Contract’) as main female lead and Young Min’s old flame from the past, Dr.Jang Se Jin.
Whilst Uee’s performance was decent, her character’s development was admittedly greatly restricted by plot. Angst-ridden opportunities in order to explore the seemingly egocentric Young Jin’s backstory, gave way to notable inconsistencies between wasted character development moment for Se-Jin, as well as notably lukewarm chemistry between Uee and Rain onscreen.
Alongside Uee, there is also idol-actress Son Na Eun ( ‘ Twenty Again’ , ‘ Cinderella and the Four Knights’ and ‘ Dinner Mate’) as Seung Tak’s potential love interest Oh Soo-jeong. Na Eun’s onscreen chemistry with Bum was admittedly sweet in parts, but slightly inconsistent; lacking screen time in order to explore Soo-Jeong as a sentient character, as we as delving deeper into their potential relationship.
However, a shoutout must be given to supporting cast members playing the meddlesome “ ghosts” Im Bo Mi ( Yoon So Hee- ‘ Sword And Flower’, ‘ Witch’s Love’), Choi Hoon Kil ( CIIPHER’s Choi Seok Won- ‘ Phantom School’ ) and Hwang Kook Chan ( Han Seung Hyun- ‘Haechi’), with actor Sung Dong-il( ‘ Miss Hammurabi’, ‘ The Cursed’ and ‘ Pawn’) particularly standing out as mysterious ghost at the hospital, Tess. Yet similar to other characters in the series, the subplots and backstories surrounding the ghosts were only brought up when necessary; compacted and intriguing side stories, but nevertheless restricted within the compacted narrative.
‘ Ghost Doctor’ notably differs greatly between its first-part and second-half. The first-half spent time tried to build up dilemmas and characters, whilst the second-half attempted to heighten and intensify the obstacles set out for the main leads.
Naturally this did emerge as a double-edged sword for the execution of the narrative. It allowed some time for viewers to get to know characters and setups, but it could often feel as though by the halfway point , the intense and climatic buildup were somewhat fizzled out and disengaging for audiences .
Conniving Vice President Han Seung-won ( Tae In Ho) served as one of main antagonistic forces of the storyline. Whilst his limitations to fulfil his
role as one of the main plot obstacles are explained, Seung-Won was the epitome of “villainy for the sake of it”; heinous and manipulative, but rarely possessing an edge of fleshed-out characters, or decisive motives along the way.
As a consequence the latter-half of the series admittedly felt somewhat rushed and disorientated in parts. The attempts to drag out certain plot points and scenarios often led to the second-half feeling stretched too thin. The antagonistic and potential climatic buildup felt bedraggled in later episodes by an attempt to quickly wrap up events also.
Under the directing reigns of Boo Sung Chul, ‘ Ghost Doctor’ notably possessed a glossy tone. It did become apparent at times that the editing for the series was somewhat amateurish in parts. During certain episodes of ‘ Ghost Doctor’, a seemingly professional and slick sequence could be suddenly be debased by the presence of unsystematic editing in-between scenes and sequences.
Of course this isn’t to say that the cinematography was unwatchable or entirely mediocre. The filming quality was still professional, if a little uninspiring at times with limited camera angles and tones rarely standing out.
The accompanied OST offered viewers with an array of dulcet soundtracks . Whilst some of these tracks could admittedly feel a little generic, there were a small number of impressive compositions placed during key moments and scenes, such as CNU ( of B1A4)’s vocal and instrumental version of ‘ Fly Away’.
‘ Ghost Doctor’ is highly reminiscent of the offbeat series of supernatural and fantasy K-dramas which arose in popularity during the 2010s. Naturally anticlimactic and limited writing opportunities did serve as one of the drama’s prominent letdowns . However, whilst the ending certainly delivered a sweeter tone for viewers, lacklustre romance and certain writing moments may be disappointing viewers also. Certainly a decent binge-watch.
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This review may contain spoilers
Best friendship/Bromance Medical drama got draggy in the middle but fun watch
I loved this drama so much ,, the Main leads are amazing ,, they have chemistry together more than the female lead with RainRain and Kim Beom did an amazing job playing their roles ,, every time they show up I smile instantly
not just because of their charm but their characters were like real brothers
I'm not saying it's BL ,, Not at all but there was Brotherly love ,,, pure friendship love for one another and it showed a lot
It's Brotherhood of the best kind ,,they depended on each other in everything literally
And it's not just them ,,, the other ghosts were amazing ,,each one had his own story and his own struggle ,, I wished the writer spent more time exploring the other ghosts lives than wasting time on draggy romance
The start of the drama was really powerful but in the middle the romance became so slow and annoying
they waited for too long to reach the point of mentoring KST ,,, he was used as a vessel most of the time
It got ridiculous when it became all about romance and they forgot the Villain ,, he did nothing but few threats here and there
the plot was too week but had so much potential
it was ruined by romance
but the comedy was good ,, I laughed a lot
it was light not dark
had amazing emotions between the ghosts and their stories
the medical stuff was fun not boring
I recommend it so much because it's enjoyable watch
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Kdrama coma ghost ft. Medical.
"Ghost Doctor" is a typical fantasy Kdrama with a coma ghost, i. e. The soul of a person wandering around while they're in deep sleep bcs of coma. The story revolves around unveiling the mystery behind their situation, accompanied by numerous other subplots involving many characters. So what's new? All these happen in the premise of a hospital and. Now go back to and read my title again; makes sense?Produced by Bon Factory & Studio Dragon, created by Plan Production and broadcasted on tvN, "Ghost Doctor" is written and directed by acclaimed and experienced drama makers: Kim Eun Hee & Bo Sung Chul, respectively. With a great production value and star-studded cast, the drama couldn't create any impression but it could be counted as a simple no-brainer watch, if you have plenty of time in your pocket.
Cha Min Young (Rain) is an excellent Cardio-thoracic surgeon at Eun Sang Medical Center who's excellent at his job yet selfish, narcissist, self-centered and arrogant. He chooses his patients himself and performs near impossible surgeries. and Ko Seung Tak (Kim Bum) is a genius student who despite of not being interested in studying for medicines, has to go to a med school on his family's directions. However, he loses confidence in OT and mostly runs away from his duties. Dr. Cha is a Professor in CS Dept. whereas Dr. Ko is a first year resident in the same. One day, Young Min runs into an accident ending up in coma, following which his wandering ghost possesses Seung Tak during critical surgeries.
Jang Se Jin (Uee) is a Neurosurgeon working abroad who is visiting Korea for personal reasons and has to work at the hospital for a while. Oh Soo Jung (Son Na Eun) is an intern in the ER. Tess (Sung Dong Il) is a long wandering ghost in the hospital Jang Min Ho (Lee Tae Sung) is Se Jin's brother. Han Seung Won (Tae In Ho) is the Dep. Director of the hospital and Ban Tae Sik (Park Chul Min) is the CS Chief.
The delivery from this main and supporting characters were decent tho their characters and the dynamics were not deserving of their acting skills (I truly mean this). In fact, Uee and Son Na Eun who were supposed to be main characters didn't get enough screen share, the latter being ignored the most. I was excited bcs of Uee's comeback but such a waste of talent. Also, I have come seen Na Eun evolving through dramas and have come to like her, so the fact that she's been completely disregarded was a turn off for me.
Plot development is very average and not upto what was expected out of it. The first 2 episodes and were surely fascinating bcs of the cast, performance and too much of rush scenes definitely burst the adrenaline, which in fact, lasted for further few days episodes but I guess that was it. With the progress in the story, so many truths were unfolding abd that could have been engaging and entertaining, if only I the content were not rushed in a couple of 'go"-es. Simply, everything was revealed so easily and so soon, it wasn't interesting any longer. Then, they ran out of contexts and contents bcs all that was left is to give a colosure but the desperation to fill the 16 episode quota grabbed so tight, the makers ended up with forcing a romance plot into the story.
Okay, it was obvious from the beginning that there will be 2 couples and thus, 2 romance lines so what went wrong? Exaggeration, over-stretching and dragging a single thing to the end. I am okay with whatever amount of an element (even romance) is offered to me, but the story solely relying on it just to keep up with the broadcasting, after forgetting the initial as well as central motive, annoys me to the core. The conspiracy plot as a qualitative entertaining interest, had nothing much to offer, so that makes me doubt whether the story had any potential to begin with. The ending sequence wasn't likable at all and after losing interest from 10th episode, I honestly fast-forwarded the rest at 1.5x and finished it since I can't drop anything.
Bo Sung Chul PD-nim is the director of many popular and well received pieces over a decade and half, and frankly, few of them are close to my heart. But given his experience plus skills, this wasn't a match. Well, I believe, not everything one does has to be perfect; though as something meant for entertainment, it should at least have been
a decent watch. The pacing wasn't inconsistent but I wish the progression was faster. The screen editing didn't contribute any appropriate relevance to the story.
Na Eun Hee jakkanim is in fact one of my writers who has created many good scripts during 2000-10 but I somehow couldn't like this in overall. The trends, tastes and projections have changed and very few have been able to adapt abd sustain but it's visible how jakkanim's work's fades (even her previous work). The story as a whole doesn't really have the wow factor and adding to that, the premise couldn't achieve the newness she wanted to bring forward. The dialogues were average and development was inconsistent yet manageable. Some of the character arcs didn't impress at all and the others faded away with the episodes. Despite a number of drawbacks, I can't bring myself to utter that it was bad. In fact, it was an very average watch, that could be skipped too unless you wish to give it a try.
While I couldn't like the drama much, I must say I am in love with the set of OSTs. To my knowledge, there are a total off 4 songs only, which I think could have been more (bcs I crave more). Composed by Kim Jun Suk & Jung Se Rin, the tracks are fresh, lovely and emotional, ornamented with beautiful lyrics. "Fly Away" by Shinwoo (B1A4) is a desire of liberation and conceiving high ambitions. "All I have is my heart" is a romantically emotional and gladdening ode to love, and K. Will's vocals is like adding feather to the cap. "Romance" by Sondia is a soulful piece of reminiscences. TO1 members Dong Geon & Jae Yun have sung the track "You Better Not" which is a jolly and tantalizing song, perfectly fitting the bromance scenes.
What i liked...
# The Bromance between Kim Bum and Rain was the best thing about the drama.
# Despite a typically average plot, the performance and delivery was good.
# Slice of life elements portrayed through the ghosts and doctors plus nurses of the hospital was likable.
# Entertainment value was somewhat up to par; neither good nor bad.
What I didn't like...
# Illogical situations created during the emergency surgery scenes (iykwim).
# It was predictable for most of its parts.
# Forced romance was the biggest drawback, adding to the dragging.
# Less exposure to characters, especially the 2 female leads disappointed me.
# No effort from the writer to transform the plot and it's value.
# Poor execution despite scopes of improvement with the concept of coma ghost in a medical premise.
Final remarks... Overally, tvN "Ghost Doctor" is a decent yet not so good watch. Despite having a decent plotline and scopes for improvement, this show incorporated way more flaws than that can be ignored, and which could have been easily taken care of. I might recommend recommend it for eye candies as a fan of both Rain & Kim Bum, but qualitatively the, it was just okay and may be you should save your time for something else. But again, if you're already on it or wish to watch bcs of the cast, I don't see a problem, except that your schedule should be flexible enough to spend time on it.
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K-ghost meets K-medical with great side characters...
K-ghost meets K-medical with all that it entails... like a mix of Oh my ghost and Dr. Romantic, with good acting, predictable story but not really enough to keep you on your toes or truly make your heart flutter... There is nothing wrong with it, but not much truly amazing either. Actually the side ghosts and their story kind of stole the show, and left me wanting a lot more or them, something that is truly rare for me since many side characters are often written in an annoying way.-Good stuff:
So side characters, great, sweet, fun, interesting!
Not a single truly annoying character!
Amazing acting from the main villain, hats off, I secretly found myself hoping he will jump out of a window...
The female leads, to little screen time but they rocked.
-Mediocre stuff:
The romance, the characters on their own were great but non of the romances felt fully developed and as the romance buff I am it felt meeh... This was probably caused by lack of screen time together.
Bingeabilaty, it did not keep me interested enough to long for the next episode.
-The stuff that made me go, oh come on...
Eternal cringey monologs, and recaps... that just did not seem to end...
Showing the ghost when inside of the person instead of the person... felt cringe in a way...
So what can I say, it was not bad, not great... if you are new to K-drama land you may actually love it! If you have seen these types of stories, you will probably think this is a well made, well casted lighter version of the stuff you have seen before...
But again the ghosts and their friendships stole the show! If they do make a rom-com spin off for the actor and the scholar I'm in!
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Charades with ghosts and doctors
'Ghost Doctor' is the first kdrama of 2022 that I've religiously been keeping up with every week. What attracted me to it was the premise of ghosts and comedy within a hospital setup with Rain and Kim Bum as the leading stars. While this drama just screamed funny to me looking at the poster, I admit I enjoyed it much more than I anticipated while not having much expectations from it. The combination of Rain and Kim Bum didn't strike me as interesting upon first preview but the bromance is what hard carried the show.PLOT:
The plot was pretty straightforward and predictable in the sense that I could sniff Cha Young Min's redemption journey from the very first episode. It's basically an opposites meet premise only that here there's a rude professor "haunting" his kind student Seung Tak - both while alive and unconscious. The first half of the show was pretty funny and I would just keep laughing out loud for majority of the times. Here the ghosts in the hospital are used as a comic relief rather than as a horror angle. There was also a deeper side to things that showed that even dead or half-dead people are ultimately humans and all of us struggling in ways others might not know of. I did like the emphasis it placed on compassion and friendship for people we even choose to dislike. While the drama maintains its light tone throughout, the supernatural angle itself was very inconsistent. The drama lost a lot of direction in the later half which left much more to be desired. The ending wasn't the worst but it was very dragged and the mystery of Cha Young Min ever waking up stopped mattering to me by ep 13 or so.
CHARACTERIZATION:
One of the weak points of the drama is the writing itself and while it set up the first half wonderfully, a lot of subplots started going stale and forced very quickly following ep 10. There were a lot of repetitive scenes and some of the potential character development just didn't happen. Go Seung Tak's development was IMO one of the key aspects of the story but it was done very half-assedly. Cha Young Min's plot was mostly fine but the strong bro vibe I felt between him and Seung Tak was quite weak in the later half. Other than that the female characters served little to no purpose sadly. The supporting cast of ghosts was quite okay but they got more screentime than I thought they deserved. There were few brief episodic cases which I found to be fine. The baddies in the plot seemed unnecessary and very unconvincing to me most of the times.
CAST:
I thought Rain and Kim Bum were well-casted and I also enjoyed Sung Dong Il's performance in the drama. I really think comedy is Rain's strenghts when he acts. While neither of the main male leads are strong as actors, they were fine enough for me to continue watching. Uee and Son Na Eun's characters didn't have much impact on the drama but I thought they did alright. Na Eun has improved a lot from her previous roles. I liked the supporting cast who played the ghosts and their emotions were very much believable to me.
OST:
It was alright. Not many memorable tracks for me from this drama.
OVERALL:
I recommend to watch this drama without much expectation because the comedy is really well done. While the plot itself makes no sense most of the times, it was still a light-hearted drama to watch in one's free time. It had the potential to be much better but alas it missed its marks in many areas. I don't regret watching this and did enjoy some moments from even the worst episodes.
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