Captivating Medical Fantasy Drama Fails to Maintain Momentum
This heartwarming medical fantasy drama weaves a captivating plot with a unique twist: a talented star surgeon falls into a coma after a traffic accident, finding his soul trapped in the hospital. He connects with a first-year resident who excels in medical theory but struggles with surgery. Together, they save lives, build a strong friendship, and embark on a journey of self-discovery.The cast is fantastic, with Rain and Kim Bum convincingly portraying doctors. However, the story loses momentum early on and struggles to sustain interest over 16 episodes. The villains lack menace, the romance is minimal, and even the bromance feels subdued. Despite its potential, the drama doesn't fully engage viewers.
Overall, while the cast delivers great performances, the drama falls short in maintaining momentum and fails to capitalize on its initial promise, leaving viewers craving more plot development and emotional depth.
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16 episodes of Rain and not one scene with him shirtless. A travesty.
This was quite possibly the only medical drama I've ever enjoyed. Add in the mixture of great comedy, bromance and the supernatural concept, this made for great TV. I usually tend to zone out when watching medical shows because the jargon usually just goes over my head and makes me lose interest, but not with this.This story was interesting, Rain and Kim Bum did a great job in their roles. Their budding bromance was the best thing about this drama. The romance was a little unnecessary, but it was used to drive the plot with Rain's character.
The side characters were well done. All of their story arcs will have you laughing and crying. Their heartwarming moments will hit you right in the feels.
Sadly no shirtless Rain. I've seen that man in a crop top, I need more. :D Kim Bum was adorable as ever. It's like whenever I see him, he keeps looking younger and is such a cutie.
The villains in here had bark but no bite. So you don't have to worry too much about them. I'm taking off a star because I felt as if I didn't get the proper closure I wanted with the coma ghosts. I was hoping we got to see all of them meeting and becoming friends again.
In conclusion, solid drama that will keep you laughing, tearing up and entertained.
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Too many episodes
This was good, but the last episodes that tried to close out the story got tedious. They could have cut about 5-7 episodes in the middle, where they saved people to get to the end and told the history of what brought them to where they were.I liked the storyline but got bored of it towards the end, and I ended up fast-forwarding because I really didn't care about the tiny, insignificant details that led up to what they were trying to get to.
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KIM BUM AND BI = YES YES YES
LOVED the acting from bubbly Kim Bum and charismatic Bi!!!!This drama definitely went a different direction than I had anticipated - a DEF recommend!
If you're looking for romance - this isn't the focus but there IS some romance (really sweet touches + cuteness to the lovey parts).
The relationship between the actors and chemistry were all just perfect! Really focuses on the importance and value of human life, huge character developments (especially in overcoming trauma and valuing other admirable traits people SHOULD have - empathy etc).
All the side stories of the side characters were extremely interesting and really very well connected all around!!
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bromance
not gonna wrote a long ass review, so...there's a lot to talk about to be honest, but since this review is short, i'm gonna talk some.
watched this drama not only from knowing the casts but recognized the last project this writer do which is " Live Up to Your Name " that is why i'm super excited to watch this, however...
things i don't like : - the story in general. first half of the drama... so many filler for me, especially chairman Jang story, for me even without that our bromance still can shine bright, but the writer choose to develop the story around chairman Jang in the first half and for me doesn't do well.
- Uee acting in the first 10 episodes. i watched a lot of her drama before and she can really act good, but the first 10 episodes of this drama makes me thinking, i still think she act like that cause the writer wrote her character that way, so... don't make me talk bout the english she tryna do cause that's a no no to me considering in the story she lived in the US for 10+ years, but after the story heavily revolved around her she acted good till the end.
- villain. are they even considered as a villain, like... no threat at all, weird how Jang Min Ho already dissapeared when the father gone and then suddenly comeback to the hospital talking like " i'm not doing anything to my father, i'm not even touch the bed " like... then Han Seung Won scared after hearing that, like wtf.
- Crystal. where's her screentime, that's it.
things i like: - bromance. loved loved loved the bromance in this drama.
- ghosts. even tho the rule are weird i totally watched this drama cause the ghosts side story and our main lead bromance ofc.
ending for our main lead bromance was very good and i'm satisfied, for the others... so so.
Ghost Doctor is a very good bromance drama with a light story that makes you can enjoy watched this drama without even thinking about a single theory.
bromance sometimes are even better than romance.
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Engaging story, great acting
I'm not a big fan of supernatural themes but at least this one sets some ground rules and sticks to them. The main storyline is very engaging, I was totally hooked and couldn't wait for the next episode. I'd give this a 10 if it were edited down to a 2-hour movie but at 16 episodes there's plenty of padding and way too many comic relief characters. The tone is a bit uneven, shifting abruptly from serious melodrama to satire. The main character, Professor Cha Young Min, spends most of the drama in a "ghost coma" and, given all the padding, it would have been more interesting to resolve his coma a few episodes earlier, expanding the secondary story of Intern Seung Tak to see him evolve as a surgeon in his own right. I think other viewers would agree that we were rooting for him to succeed but the conclusion of this storyline doesn't quite deliver. And given all the padding I think the audience would have enjoyed seeing the bad guys face the jury and hear the prison door slam behind them as they were being placed in their cells. After 16 hours all we got was a routine arrest. We don't even know if they got their "just desserts." Overall, highly enjoyable with. a great cast and high production values. The special effects were nicely done.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
I like this fantasy medical drama because the story and the cast are good. bromance moment between Ko Seung Tak and Prof. Cha Young Min is so cute. Through various conflicts they learn from each other. From this series, I learned not to judge people by the cover. Prof. Cha Young Min initially looks like a cold-blooded doctor and doesn't really care about patients. Turns out he has an amazing work ethic. Even when he was dying he still wanted to save the patient. Ko seung tak was also able to develop into a doctor who is not only smart in theory but also an expert in operating practice. I love the character development. The romance part is also not too complicated. Such a good drama. Was this review helpful to you?
I beg to disagree!
Different from the reviews I’ve read which are all posted here, I believe Ghost Doctor is still the unrivaled kdrama release in 2022.The story and the approach is very unique. I was excited for this drama because the sense of humor and sense of eeriness were both effectively used. Not too much of one element that it became overpowering. I also have never seen a medical Kdrama that has a similar plot as this so that’s a plus.
People are saying that the drama is poorly written? That the ‘supernatural’ concept wasn’t very much explained?
Well, those were my initial thoughts. At first, I was also curious as to WHY they were the ones allowed to go back and forth, yada yada. Then again, supernatural dramas are supernatural for a reason. There’s no need for a too scientific and logical explanation as to why and how. That’s why it’s supernatural. Not science, not nature can explain it.
Plot wise, it was nice to see how seemingly light the plot is, very straightforward way of story telling but they were able to make it entertaining and worth the watch (and the wait, since I watched it while it was ongoing).
Not gonna lie, it kinda did feel draggy during eps 3-5 but I think that’s because I had to wait a few weeks before I got to watch the next eps— affected by the New Years and all that.
The actors were AMAZING. And obviously, the main characters are Kim Beom and Rain. Not because Rain was paired with Uee, she’ll automatically be the main lead together with Rain and Kim Beom and Naeun the second leads— I think this has become a misunderstanding for some who are expecting more from the other “main characters.” I think the screen time distribution was justified.
Overall, I would SURELY recommend this one and rewatch it! I’m just giving it a little more time because it’s still very fresh in my mind— it’s that good, I can’t forget.
Do yourself a favor and give it a try! I know there are some negative reviews saying it’s mediocre and all but we all have our preferences! I definitely recommend this one!!! Go watch it <3
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Watched it because of Kim Bum.
Boring аss kdrama.Watched it after searching off what dramas have Kim Bum played and found this.
First few were alright. Then it got tooo long and dull last 3 episodes were just BLAND. Skipped like 80% of the episodes.
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It's definitely a Rain/Kim Bum fix, not much more
It was sweet, simple and satisfactory. Nothing to write home about honestly, Kim Bum was precious and pure perfection as he is in everything, the villains were basic and nonintimidating, I didn't care about the main romance at all and the side romance was just a few lines from being nonexistent. The story line undoubtedly could've been summed up in 12 episodes, the backstories were straightforward, with very little plot twists and the side characters were fine. Also the main ghosty guy was cool but I honestly have no idea why he had to stick around for like 15 years. I wish Rain and Bum had better chemistry but I just didn't feel it as strongly as I wanted to. The ending wrapped up with little to no conflict and complete resolution. It was a lighthearted, easy ride. Kind of like a GAC movie, nothing over the top or super deep.Was this review helpful to you?
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Did not really have a high expectation for this drama but it ended up pretty nice for me. Firstly, I love the chemistry of the actors here. From leads to supporting actors to extras, they really got along well. Love the bromance of the two leads. In fact, I love the bromance of the 2 more than the romance of the ML and FL hehehehe. Not sure if it's because I ship Rain with his wife IRL hard but can't seem to really like his FLs 100%. I think aside from Kim Tae Hee, I can only ship him with Song Hye Kyo lol. But does not mean Uee did not do a good job. In fact, her acting keeps on improving. I like her.
I also like the plot. It had a good amount of thrill and mystery that made me stick to watching. I think what somewhat off for me was the ways the ghost were living. Like how come no one notices the doors closing and opening? How come people do not pass thru them? There were several scenes were the actors were just avoiding each other so that they won't bump with the ghosts. It was just weird.
But aside from that I did enjoy watching the drama. Now...unto the next one.
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Exciting cases, great bromance, and romances, great character development and complexity
10/10 is my rating. This is a 2022 South Korean paranormal mystery medical drama with 16, 60 minute episodes.Cha Young-min (Rain) is a highly skilled cardiothoracic surgeon who suffers no idiots. He is a professor at the teaching hospital and is mentoring a cadre of residents when an unexpected accident leaves him in a coma and wandering the hospital as a coma ghost. One of his mentees, Go Seung-tak (Kim -Bum) was a dislike at first site situation. Seung-tak is the heir to the hospital and is pursuing medicine at the direction of his grandfather who wants his grandson to know the business from the ground up. The thing is Seung-tak is book brilliant but adverse to doing anything hands on and his plan was to coast through on his brains without doing any hands on practice. When Young-min becomes a coma ghost he is able to take over Seung-tak but no one else. Since he was the only doctor of his skill at that hospital and many complex cases come in he finds that he needs Seung-tak's body to be able to save patients with the need for complex surgery. As things go along it seems that Young-min's injury may not have been an accident. Someone wants both him and Seung-tak out of the picture. These two who are so at odds with each other find they must work together to save patients and also to figure out who is trying to eliminate both doctors.
This was really the perfect drama that avoided all the tired tropes that are somewhat annoying. It had heart warming relationships, all major aspects were well finished, interesting cases, great chemistry between the leads and among all the cast. I loved the bromance. The friendship and interaction between the two male leads was super cute. Spoilers* I wasn't sure how they were going to carry off the whole "ghost doctor" angle but it made sense within believing that comatose patients are a special type of ghost. They did such an excellent job of showing not only how and why Young-min became the hard, seemingly uncaring, doctor that he was but his evolution into a doctor that not only cared deeply about the patients he knew he could save but all of the patients. Young-min and Seung-tak took the best qualities of each other and blended them together in a mentorship/friendship that was durable and made them both better people. I liked how both men had love interests and that was an important part of both of the worlds yet the central relationship was theirs. All of the ghosts in the story were interesting and complex and went through their own evolution. I liked how, while they were able to solve some of the cases of the comatose patients, there was that one they were not able to solve as that it made it more realistic. The only thing I thought was odd is you had a whole cardiac specialty section but none of the other doctors seemed capable of performing any but the most simplistic surgeries. Talk about putting all your eggs in one basket. That seemed a bit of a stretch to me but it wasn't a story killer. They let us know, for all the main characters, why this one or that was able to see, hear and/or interact with ghosts. The parents were not overbearing and the "children" held their ground and made it clear that while they respected their elders, they planned to live their own lives their way. So there was no bullying parent trope and there also wasn't a long separation trope. I mean Young-min and his girlfriend did have a long separation but that happened before we were introduced to the story so we didn't have to "live it" so that was a better way of doing the whole separation thing (which I still don't understand as being a necessary element but those who write these dramas seem to think it is). They also did not break up during the active story line (again that happened before the story started) another trope I am not a huge fan of. I fully expected him to wake and not remember anything that happened while he was in a coma but they found a way around that overused amnesia trope by making it so he left a film for himself and also that the heavens or gods or whomever allowed him to cheat the odds and actually remember (perhaps as a reward for saving so many lives). I worried that they would rush some of the romances but they didn't. They gave just enough detail to know what direction things were headed in then just left it there. Sometimes that can be frustrating but, in this case, it was actually perfect. I highly recommend this drama, would watch it again, and it is one of my new top favorites. It's a great medical drama, has the romance but it is not the only driving force, and has some complexity to the plot and some surprises as well.
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