Dr. Romantic S1 – Lessons, Love & a Legendary Lead
OMG, this is the first time I’ve fallen for a 60-year-old man in a drama! 😍 His style, arrogance, and body language had me hooked completely. Honestly, I was more drawn to him than the actual romance. The lead couple did a great job too, and of course, my man Yeon Seok nailed his role as always.What really stood out was how detailed the medical knowledge was—it almost felt like watching a real study session in video form. The drama had that perfect mix of intensity, heart, and lessons. Now I can’t wait to dive into Season 2. Definitely binging this one until I finish it!
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Scalpels , sutures , ROSC and Romance
"Dr. Romantic" is hands down one of the best medical dramas out there, and after watching it for the second time, I’m sure I’ll be revisiting it again in the future. The talented cast, including the brilliant Han Seok Kyu, Yoo Yeon Seok, and Seo Hyun Jin, delivers standout performances. Even the supporting actors were incredible, giving the show a real family-like atmosphere in the hospital setting. It’s heartwarming to see such a close-knit group working together, making the hospital feel more than just a place of work.What sets it apart is the accuracy and care in portraying medical cases. I mean unlike many other medical dramas that lean on fictionalized or sensationalized content, the writers here did an amazing research. The procedures and medication names are realistic, adding an informative touch that doesn’t feel forced at all . Right ??
The chemistry between the lead characters ??? Oh my god !!! it literally goes beyond just the romance. Their dynamic as colleagues, friends, and mentor-mentee is so good plus the mutual understanding and unwavering support they show each other, both professionally and personally, felt so damn genuine.
the portrayal of the teacher-student relationship with teacher kom and pupils is spot on. Rather than taking a traditional approach, the drama shows a mentor who truly understands and nurtures his students, even the more rebellious ones., a completely unique take on mentorship.
I know a lot of people don't even pay attention to this details but this show has an exceptional cinematography. With a large cast and numerous chaotic hospital scenes, it would be easy for the camera work to slip up, but it’s flawless. It immerses you in the action, making you feel like you're right there in the ER, witnessing it all firsthand. My god I don't know if I was the only one to feel this.
So, you can say this drama was emotionally gripping, and realistic drama that leaves a lasting impression. So what else can you ask for ...really ???
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I expected too much for this show..
Dropped this show a long time ago. Then, I saw some clips on YouTube and decided to give it another go.In my honest opinion, I think the West/U.S TV drama produced better medical shows. Anyway with Asian drama, I think I like Doctor John better.
Skipped a lot specially at the first few episodes. Then it was like, one step at a time or in this case, one episode at a time. I got interested with the controversial ML doctor. The youngsters of the team just annoys me.
Would I rewatch this one? Maybe not..
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Scalpel, Soul, and Spine: The Anatomy of Integrity at Doldam
Some dramas race your heart. Others break it. But Dr. Romantic? It does surgery on it — precise, unflinching, and strangely comforting. What looks like a standard medical drama on the surface quietly unpacks into something far richer: a meditation on conviction, healing, and how much it costs to keep your conscience intact in a system designed to wear it down.Let’s start with Han Suk-kyu — because everything starts with Han Suk-kyu. Teacher Kim is the kind of character that other shows would flatten into trope: the eccentric genius, the grumpy mentor, the man with a mysterious past. But here, he’s alive in all his contradictions. He’s not interested in small talk or systems. He’s interested in truth. He’s surgical, not just with his hands, but with his values — always cutting through the noise. And yet, you feel the bruises he hides. The ones no scalpel can fix. He’s not just compelling to watch. He’s the moral axis of the entire show.
And then there’s Kang Dong-joo and Yoon Seo-jung — played by Yoo Yeon-seok and Seo Hyun-jin — two young doctors stumbling through ambition, guilt, and the desperate need to prove themselves. Their growth under Teacher Kim isn’t just a professional arc; it’s emotional excavation. Dong-joo’s anger, Seo-jung’s fear, their desire to be seen — all of it gets laid bare in the operating room, where ego and emotion have no place, but always find a way in.
What Dr. Romantic gets right — and so few dramas do — is that every patient story isn’t filler. Each one refracts something back onto the doctors, exposing cracks or forcing choices. A terminal diagnosis becomes a catalyst for forgiveness. A minor injury reveals decades of trauma. It’s never just blood and sutures — it’s people, at their rawest.
And the Doldam crew? That scrappy, overworked, underfunded team? I’d follow them into any ER. From Nurse Oh’s steady grace to Manager Jang’s tireless juggling act, even the smallest roles are given dignity. This place may be small and perpetually on the brink of disaster, but it feels like home — not just to the characters, but to us.
Of course, the hospital politics are infuriatingly real. The corruption, the hierarchy, the constant tension between doing what’s right and doing what’s safe. But that’s the point. This is a drama about standing firm in a world that keeps trying to make you compromise. And it never preaches. It just shows you a man who won’t bend, and asks: could you do the same?
The pacing? Tight. The dialogue? Razor-sharp. The emotion? Earned, never forced. There are no melodramatic swells for the sake of tears — the drama trusts the characters to carry the weight. And they do, every time.
By the end, I didn’t just care. I believed. In Teacher Kim. In his ragtag crew. In the idea that you can be brilliant without cruelty, and principled without arrogance. Dr. Romantic isn’t just gripping television. It’s a story about how you hold on to your humanity in a profession — and a world — that constantly tries to strip it away.
If all dramas were written with this kind of clarity, compassion, and craft, I’d never sleep again. Easily a 10/10 — and not just because it’s excellent. Because it matters.
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I enjoyed the small side stories more, and I wish the "extra" ep actually happened in the middle so they could've used that to shake things up instead of the ceo's story.
I really hated the back story for Yoon Seo Jung. the drama started off with her as a confident strong sunbae, but they just had to add a trauma to make her weak and "interesting/open to development".. I also loved Yoon Seo Jung and Kang Dong Joo as a couple I think they were closest to a "mature" couple as dramas could get, but again that 1 random traumatic event kept them away for so long ;/
I also think their overall "big plots" were really weak. like the heart ceo's story and big fight around him was boring, and Do Yoon Wan's character existed just so they had "conflict".
my rewatch values are a 1 or 10 so ;)
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Dr. Romantic – A Timeless Masterpiece
Dr. Romantic is more than just a K-drama to me—it’s my ultimate comfort show. I’ve rewatched it three times, and each time it manages to tug at my heartstrings all over again. The story, centered around the enigmatic Dr. Kim and the passionate medical staff at Doldam Hospital, is a perfect blend of emotional depth, gripping medical cases, and inspiring character growth.What truly sets Dr. Romantic apart is how it balances intense hospital drama with meaningful life lessons. The characters feel real, their struggles relatable, and their victories deeply satisfying. Dr. Kim’s wisdom, dedication, and unconventional ways never fail to move me, and the chemistry between the cast members is phenomenal.
This show has everything I love—heart, humanity, and hope. It’s not just a drama, it’s an experience. I will forever have this as my number one K-drama, and I’ll probably rewatch it many more times. If you’re looking for a series that resonates emotionally and leaves a lasting impact, Dr. Romantic is the one.
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Hands down one of the best medical dramas out there! I was completely captivated with with what seems a quite regular storyline about everyday life of doctors. Just like many stories, this one left us hanging as it presented dilemmas of life and death, rich and poor etc. The richness of the story was built up slowly, as every character in the hospital got their own screen time and a way to showcase it. I loved the main couple in the drama as well, not to mention that they had their steamy first kiss right at episode 1! I just wish there was more of them, but I guess it is not completely a romance show after all. Master Kim's character was out of this world: badass with style, kindhearted and mean at the same time, which I loved. Loved that the 20 episodes presented various sicknesses of all levels, teaching the viewers about health as well. The soundtrack seemed very fitting as well, and blended into the whole vibe of the drama really well. Overall, this is a masterpiece of a medical Kdrama, so if you are into these type of shows, please give this a go. Now, it is time to watch the continuation story of this drama, hopefully it is just as good as this! Was this review helpful to you?
Even though it was twenty episodes long, the pace was great adn it didn't get boring or tiring to watch. They handled the main story nicely and the small cases in every episode were interesting.
The romance, moreover, was subtle and sweet, progressing on a nice pace. However, they never dealed with the leading lady's mental problems. They only talked about it in the first episodes and then they just "cured" her? So, that was not well handled. On the other hand, the performances were pretty great.
So, overall, eight out of ten.
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This was a painful watch for me
I'll be honest, this was on my To Watch list for the longest time. I started the first episode multiple times, didn't like it, and gave up. I picked it up again because I'm hoping for better from seasons 2 & 3.SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS!
My issues with this drama were many:
1) A lot of overacting for the sake of "drama". I like Han Seok Kyu (though he tends to play this type of character a lot) and Yoo Yeon Seok was fabulous in the Hospital Playlist dramas, but even they over-acted at times. Tons of yelling by everyone.
2) For the most part, pretty unlikeable characters. It starts in episode 1 when Dong Joo says he wants to sleep with Seo Jung and that he likes her. Why? Dr. Kim is pretty insufferable throughout the whole show, constantly yelling and demeaning the staff. Dong Joo - self-serving person with a chip on his shoulder the size of the Grand Canyon.
3) Romance was half-baked and unnecessary. I'm usually into shows for the romance, but I didn't buy the leads as a couple from the very beginning, and I never had any reason to change my opinion. I had no idea why they liked each other, I felt that she was playing him a lot of the times, and I actually got mad during the bonus episode when she was saying that she was "letting him go", thinking that he was going to the US. She was very immature.
4)The storyline was fragmented. Seo Jung has hallucinations and tries to kill herself. She had no business being in the hospital environment until she had gone through extensive therapy. Master Kim demotes her to intern, but she's allowed into surgery. The small hospital was associated with the big main hospital (the staff came from the main hospital to the small hospital) yet no one knew Dr. Kim was there? I mean, you can change your name, but background checks still need to be done.
5) I felt that the medical aspect of the drama fell very short of the mark. There was no getting to know the patients (I refer to Hospital Playlist that shows how to do it right). The patients were just moved through to show the medical team in one crisis after another. Almost EVERY patient needed CPR. I was tempted to make a drinking game of it (and I don't even drink!) - every time someone does chest compressions on someone, take a drink! This show was from 2016 - was the timeline in the show supposed to be different? Because the AIDS storyline was ridiculous for 2016. So much more had been discovered about AIDS and caring for patients. This might be different in Korea, but in the US public hospitals can't refuse to treat people. Then there's the fact that Dr. Kim had a pretty severe wrist injury (which there was no scar from), he could hardly move his hand, but he was insisting on doing surgery. Granted he backed down, but it never would have even come to that. There is a case in an early episode about not treating patients if you don't have privileges there, but this rule is thrown out the window in the last couple of episodes. Then, there was cross-contamination going on in the operating room by handing instruments over open wounds, crossing arms in front of themselves to get instruments, etc. Granted, maybe it only bothered me because I'm in the medical field and it wouldn't have bothered others.
6) The bad guy. and his henchmen. I felt like he was evil for the sake of being evil, I didn't get the motivation. I was also bothered by the fact that he had people in the small hospital as spies for him, and no one seemed to notice.
7) Kim Min Jae as Park Eun Tak was criminally underused. Hopefully that will be rectified in Season 2, if I can manage to get through it.
I realize that I am a minority of one with my feelings on this show, but it's been quite a while since I've watched something that has made me say "that's time I'm never getting back".
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Realmente me surpreendi positivamente com este drama.
Realmente me surpreendi positivamente com este drama. Eu queria assistir a terceira temporada que está sendo lançada este ano e resolvi assistir a primeira temporada para me ambientar com os personagens. Incialmente sem nenhuma expectativa, mas conforme os episódios passavam ficava mais envolvida com a história e as personagens. O começo é um pouco estranho, provavelmente por ser um drama mais antigo, mas depois tudo melhora.Não posso deixar de mencionar a cena icônica do Dr. Kang chegando ao hospital Doldam com aquela fachada decadente, uma cena de abertura de filme de terror, e depois entrando na emergência e encontrando aquela agitação... até eu achei que fossem fantasmas kkkkkk. Além disso o arco dos pacientes com suspeita de MERS foi muito desesperador depois de termos passado por uma pandemia.
São 21 episódios contando com o especial e não percebi que eram tantos porque estava muito investida na história. Amei cada episódio. Porém achei que o final foi meio abrupto. Talvez porque eles pensassem em fazer outras temporadas (o que só aconteceria em 2020) e foram plantando alguns subenredos, por exemplo, a relação entre o Do In Bum, a Woo Yeon Hwa e o Park Eun Tak, mas que ficaram em aberto visto que com exceção do Park Eun Tak, os outros não retornam como personagens fixos na segunda temporada. Como a segunda temporada é com outro elenco foi algo que realmente ficou em aberto, mas apesar disso gostei bastante.
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Dr. Romantic
Em Dr. Romantic cada personagem tem uma história pessoal e esse é o ponto alto dele. Confesso que não me cativei tanto por alguns personagens, então existia uma ausência de interesse nas questões pessoais destes. Os outros que me cativaram mais foram os que me motivaram a assistir e a terminar. Quando ao desenvolvimento da história, é muito bom e te prende. A construção de cada episódio funciona e a história nos faz refletir sobre o que é a medicina e a profissional do médico de verdade. Dr. Romantic, no geral, não é simples. É um K-drama que exige atenção e presença. São muitas coisas acontecendo e crescendo no enredo. Nem sempre me senti presa, mas quando conseguia me conectar com a história, eu gostava muito dela. Valeu a pena!Was this review helpful to you?
É legal acompanhar a rotina deles nos hospitais
Eu simplesmente fiquei muito presa nesse dorama desde o começo, até chegar nos três últimos episódios. É um dorama bom, mas que poderia ter sido aproveitado muito melhor.O Mestre Kim foi, sem dúvidas, o meu personagem favorito. Eu amei o papel dele! O jeito sarcástico, firme e ao mesmo tempo humano, além de sua competência como médico, tornaram ele marcante. Don Jung também me chamou atenção. Apesar de, às vezes, me dar raiva com algumas atitudes, ele tem uma presença incrível em doramas hospitalares — já vi ele em três produções desse gênero (incluindo Hospital Playlist), e realmente é a cara dele.
Seo Jung foi outra personagem que me conquistou: uma verdadeira diva, linda e com uma atuação maravilhosa. Achei muito interessante terem trazido o fato dela sofrer com uma doença mental, o que deu mais profundidade para a personagem. Porém, depois de um tempo, isso acabou sendo deixado de lado, assim como algumas cenas vagas da trama. Mesmo assim, a atriz brilhou: a cena em que ela tem um gatilho emocional foi simplesmente uauuu, intensa e muito bem interpretada.
O casal Don Jung e Seo Jung foi cativante e eu me apeguei bastante a eles, mas o romance acabou sendo pouco desenvolvido. Achei chato o fato deles não assumirem o relacionamento para as pessoas e, em alguns momentos, as cenas entre eles eram meio soltas, sem continuidade.
Amei a enfermeira Oh — uma rainha —, gostei bastante do enfermeiro mais novo e também do presidente do hospital Doldam. Já o presidente do hospital grande me deu um ranço enorme; não aguentava mais ver a cara dele. O dorama acabou girando em torno dele tentando ferrar o Mestre Kim, o que às vezes cansava.
O maior problema para mim foi o final. Ele decepcionou bastante: muitas cenas aleatórias que não acrescentavam nada, além do mistério em torno do passado do Mestre Kim, que acabou ficando sem conclusão. Parecia que ele ia se vingar ou mostrar sua inocência, mas nada aconteceu. Ele ainda perdeu a carreira, e isso não foi resolvido. Outro detalhe foi a cena em que ele cai, machuca a mão, fica enfaixado, giram diálogos sobre isso, mas logo somem com o assunto e nunca mais volta.
O casal Don Jung e Seo Jung também merecia um desfecho melhor. Esperava vê-los assumindo a relação, mas até cenas importantes, como quando Seo Jung fala com a mãe dele, foram jogadas e depois esquecidas. Além disso, a personagem que gostava de Don Jung ficou perdida na trama: passou mal, trabalhou no hospital, ajudou um paciente, fugiu, depois voltou como estagiária… tudo muito sem nexo.
No geral, Doutor Romântico é um bom dorama, com atuações impecáveis, mas o roteiro deixou muito a desejar. O final acabou estragando um pouco a experiência, passando a sensação de que deixaram tudo em aberto para a segunda temporada — que, inclusive, mudou de personagens principais e deixou ainda mais coisas sem fechamento.
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