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Steady decline with heartfelt feeling
While this drama tackles the topic of dying and death carefully and gently, the overall plot seemed all over the place. I would appreciate more focus on the stories of the patients. However, as the drama progressed, the focus shifted to the main cast and that is when it (in my opinion) went downhill.There were multiple couples and side characters, whose storylines were introduced but felt incomplete at the end of the show. I personally did not feel much chemistry between the FL and ML.
The script was also weak and it did not allow actors to shine properly. The acting was great, the actors did not disappoint but neither showed anything out of the ordinary.
It is a nice watch but nothing revolutionary or with many plots and twists that would keep the viewer entertained. It is rather a typical slice-of-life drama without much plot going on overall.
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It's very dark & misleading somehow
When I started watching the show, it's very touching. While it's sad, it's touching with what Team Genie is doing. And then it went dark real quick. More than half of the show turned out to become a crimeshow thriller with recurring theme around suicide, abuse, etc. It suddenly became a really dark story about the casts.I just felt misled since that's not how the 1st few episodes are. I wouldn't have watched it if I know it's this dark. I am very disappointed. Although the acting is really top notch, I must say!
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This review may contain spoilers
What a beautiful surprise
I went into this show blindly. I mainly picked it because of JCW. I didn't know anything about the story.After first episode I knew I wil love it and also that every episode will be pretty emotional journey. I enjoyed the plot so much. I like that it's story about people who has their struggles, but they gather to help grant wishes of dying patients. It was so touching.
What I love the most about this show is the journey of main character Yoon Kyeo Re. From not trusting anyone, because everyone in his life let him down, to embracing his true self and his new found family! I'm sucker for found family trope and this show served it so amazingly.
I loved how the story is wrapped exactly how it begins. The circle of new beginning are repeating.
What I didn't like was how was handled the fixation of Ha Joon Kyung on Yoon Kyeo Re. It wasn't satisfying at all.
Overall very well done show which made you cry, but the acting and story is so good, so it's totally fine. I just wish the show to be longer, because I didn't want to say goodbye to the characters! They grew on me so much.
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how it could be...
this series is something for the heart, and for following the thought of how it could be in a world where most people care, are considerate and willing to be selfless for others.It has a serious undertone as the topic of death or imminent death is the main subject of the show, but with the idea of fulfilling last wishes of dying patients it manages to produce many heartwarming and touching scenes with final goodbyes.
As I said in the headline, it's a version of the world where people would really care with all their heart to guide dying patients until the very end, to fulfill their last wishes, to give them the most positive farewell possible in that situation.
It's what most of us would wish for and mos of us know in hopsitals and even hospices the reality is a different one (most of the time at least)
Here you can watch how wonderful it could be in a different version of reality - I really enjoyed that!
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CAST - GREAT // OVERALL PLOT - Lack luster (Too over the top)
I know I am the minatory on this one, but here's what I thought about the drama.I picked up this drama because it had raving reviews. I will admit, I'm not the biggest Ji Chang Wook fan, but he's a GREAT actor, so I can see why everyone loves Healer and all his other works.
The first half of the series was pretty light and good. There were mini-side stories and really added warmth and character development between the cast members. I REALLY enjoyed the side stories a lot, especially the girl who wanted to be in a musical.
The second half of the series pretty much killed my love for the drama. This is where it became a very angsty MELOdrama and I couldn't stand for this.
If you had to create the MOST annoying character on the planet, then yes, it's created and thrown into the drama for dramatic effect. You are talking about people who are 100% shameless and are so Over-the-top, You know the character is written to add shock value.
I couldn't stand the overall main-plot and storyline of the drama, which was basically why the ML was the way he was. His backstory was very hard to watch and not in a pleasant way.
There's a lot of moments you want to throw something at the screen and say, "hey, it's common sense to do ABC, but why are you not doing it?" oh it's because this is the driving plot of the story. Or, "I have a secret" and everyone knows it EXCEPT for the person that needed to know it.
I do LOVE the Casting. FL was spot on and the I'm a mega fan of Sung Dong II, so if you like the cast, it's there.
Anyhow, this drama was not for me and I'm glad everyone else liked it, but like I said, I couldn't get past the second half.
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Not a show for the faint-hearted
I'm a nurse and have worked in palliative care so this hits differently. I had to take a break after 10 episodes because i was copping too many feels. Im pretty sure i ugly cried in every single episode (especially the episode with Son's last moments) . I had watched Ji Chang Wook in other shows before but he really came through this time. My heart raced and I tensed up during the conflict scenes. Won Ji An also did a great job, I had never watched her in anything but i couldn't help hating her character. Ill have to watch til the end to give a review on the plot but for now i just wanted to say watch this if you want to watch something deep and meaningful. Skip this if you are looking for something light.PS: Also wanted to add that its not very realistic that Nurse Seo always looks so free/relaxed/energetic during work and had loads of time to workout/volunteer lol.
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The show didn’t deserve the quality of its actors
I write my reviews as I watch a show and often most of it is written by episode 8 and I tweak it where necessary as I finish watching. So I wrote something for this show, then found that I was watching a totally different drama in the second half.The start of the show is a touchy-feel of romance, a pinch of mystery, a spoonful of trauma, a litre of tears and absolutely no spice. Mix all ingredients in the bowl and bake for 8 long hours to create a MacDonalds style bun - bland and inflated with not a lot of substance and awash with OTT sentimentality.
Then, about two thirds of the way through it changes completely. I could see the plot twist coming from four episodes previously and was thinking, please don’t go down that route, that’s just way too obvious and cliché. But it ignored my advice and blundered on with a totally predictable and off the wall plot involving a complete psycho with murder, mayhem, memory loss and every other cliche in the book.
Then in the last couple of episodes it found a balance and ended on its best effort.
But somehow through all of that it was watchable and what made it so was the acting. This show really does not deserve its leads. Ji Chang Wook and Choi Soo Young put in really good performances that were way better than the sentimental script and ridiculous plot deserved. They have very believable chemistry, but Ji Chang Wook always manages to have good chemistry and being such a likeable person in RL I’m sure he makes it very easy for actresses to be relaxed around him.
Not only them but the raft of experienced supporting actors really kept it afloat when it was in danger of going under. Especially Nam Tae Hoon (Jang Seok Joon) who put in a sensitive, believable and moving performance. According to his bio on MDL he has only had very small parts in the past, let’s hope this launches his career and he gets better parts in the future.
I criticise thrillers for not doing the psychology right, so now I’m going to do it here because this one really bugged me.
Censorship and taste are strange bedfellows. You can have as much gory, vicious, annihilating, sick and twisted violence as you like, but whatever you do, don’t show the real impact of the trauma which violence begets. And in the first half of this show we had another sanitised version. The sentimentalisation can be just as sick as the gory violence. It pretends that a sickly smile and a nicey-nicey attitude can paper over all woes, and healing from them just needs someone “nice” to smile at you so you can learn how to behave “nicely” in public. I really wish it was that easy…
OK rant over.
So this one is a mixed bag and I’m finding it difficult to know how to remember it and rate it. I think I’m just going to have to give the credit to the actors for pulling it off.
What my rating means: 7+ A watchable drama, but nothing exceptional. Good enough to qualify for the race, but finished with the pack. The sort of thing that promises more than it delivers.
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There wasn't a single episode where I didn't cry
This is the most heart breaking yet heart warming drama I've ever seen 😭. There wasn't a single episode where I didn't cry. It was so beautifully done! It has it's flaws like any other drama but the theme of this drama is very unique and beautiful and was well executed! I really really really really really really really really really really really really enjoyed this!!!!!!!!!Was this review helpful to you?
i love the way the serie portrays the growth in gyeo-ryeo. also the life lesson that this serie has is beautiful .
Even if it feels impossible, people can change. You can heal. Life gets better even if it takes time.
my favorite charachter is gyeo-ryeo . i dind't like him in the beginning to be honest. but how further i got in to the serie , the more i started to understand and like him. my favorite qoute from him is
'aren't you scared? (what?) of death. you know... to be honest, i was afraid. but you see, life scares me even more. what should i do?'
overal i would recommend this serie. be preperd with some tissues, cause there is a huge chance you will cry. If you deciced to watch the serie . i hope you enjoy this serie,
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Stared of strong but dropped off towards the end...
At first, the idea of seeing the stories of different patients and how team genie grants their last wish was really appealing. And the new stories every 1-2 episodes was a joy to watch. The drama really peaked with the episode about the musical and then the one about the dog. I think it's because those episodes were so good that the rest felt very bland in comparison.Towards the end that 'new story every episode' formay was lost and it focused more on Gyeo Rae's dad, which is fine but it was very slow. Maybe this drama is another example of 'could've been 12 episodes'.
I also found that the FL and the ML's chemistry was really good to start with and then after they get together it suddenly dies and they don't really seem like a couple that much.
On the whole it's definitely worth a watch because it has very heartwarming storylines and excellent side characters that add so much to it. However, it's not perfect and might loose your attention in parts.
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Not everything I love, but there's so much goodness in it.
Yoon Gyeo Rye (Ji Chang Wook) is a brusque ex-convict on the run from gang members. He almost end his life, if not for an encounter with Kang Tae Shik (Sung Dong Il), who leads Team Genie, a committed, enthusiastic team that ensures that the final wishes of their terminally ill patients come to fruition. Due to an incident, Gyeo Re ends up joining Team Genie and that's when a new and better life begins for Gyeo Re."If You Wish Upon Me” is inspired by an actual hospice center in the Netherlands. Realizing about its’ existence is heartwarming and I'm grateful to know it through this drama. The drama itself is emotional, heart-wrenching, full of humanity and faith. Due to the subject matter, it might not be for everyone; it deals with deaths, illnesses, child abuse, violence, also, Gyeo Re’s dog is dying since ep 1. Those all sound depressing, but this drama brings a lot of comfort. As Tae Shik tells one hospice patient, “We started this to bring comfort in one’s last moments, when people need each other most.”
The OST is beautiful, the setting is beautiful, and the acting never let's us down. Ji Chang Wook shows once again how versatile and talented he is. Gyeo Re has an awful start to life and from all this unhappiness he evolves into a gentle, caring man. Then, the incredibly talented Sung Dong Il steals the show as Kang Tae Shik. Gyeo Re and Tae Shik brought out the best from each other. Sonny has my heart throughout and I love how he's being treated by everyone and that his story gives a meaningful character growth to Gyeo Re. Choi Soo Young is just delightful as a committed nurse, though the romance was not memorable to me. Also, the overly dramatic mystery subplot, I think it was unnecessary. Having said that, I think it's a wonderful drama that should be on your list!
June 2024
Find me on Instagram: @kdramajudge
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