First of all I am pretty late with this review given the fact when this drama got released whoops, but I don't really care since I need to get this off my chest. Anyone who is interested can read it.
This KDrama was my first medical drama hooray and a very good one I have to say! The medical stuff definitely won't disappoint you in this drama! It was good, everything was so well explained and I had hope with every surgery, feared about the patient's life and of course was sad when something unexpected happened. SO if you love medical dramas this is a must and if you haven't watched any other medical drama before -just like me - it's actually also a must watch because wow. (side note: there was way more blood then I thought there would be though)
The main story was amazing. Just wow. My favorite episodes: 1&2! I kept watching this drama and always had to think about the first episodes. That's when the story started that's when you thought: Wow, how can they even make this end well? I can't state if they did end it well even though I've just watched the last episode I'm really unsure what to think about it. I read many reviews saying this drama had a good start but failed in the middle and I have to say I agree. The first episodes were just wow. And as the story continues I was curious all the time because holy shit there were so many plot twists. That's what made this drama extremely good but sadly... some of those went to the wrong direction and the last episode for example was nothing like the first. It's a sad turn indeed but in my opinion not reason enough not to watch this drama.
As the storyline continues we get to know the characters better or not better? With every decision that was made by the characters I began questioning if I judged them right in the first place. And also, I don't know if I'm just pretty stupid but sometimes it was hard to tell who were the 'good' guys because like I said the characters actions always ended up differently and they had such a depth which was amazing. I'm only talking about the 4 main actors now but actually every single character lived through such a development it's amazing. Just for the character depth I am going to say: watch this drama.
Actually I feel like I am praising this drama WAY too much but here's the point: The cast did such a freaking good job. No wonder there was such a depth. I'm amazed cause sometimes I just couldn't understand why any person would act the way they did and it made me furious but happy at the same time. How was it even possible to act such deep characters? I don't know, but it happened.
Next point, the OSTs. Well damn the situations were already critical enough no need for background music but obviously it did a very good job with making me even more nervous or even more sad which I thought wasn't possible anymore.
Now my negative points: even though the start was very good and the plot twists were exciting too... it got unrealistic towards the end. Very unrealistic. This made me so sad because I enjoyed how it started but the end was nothing like the start.
And let me say something to the romance freaks as well: first of all I AM ONE myself that's why I think I can kinda judge this aspect. It was... twisting. Honestly you would know the main pairings in the beginning... or not? Maybe he isn't going to end up with his first love? No way, of course he will, that's what all kdramas do... wait he really isn't going to end up with her but with the other girl, isn't he? Those were my questions through the whole show and to be very honest until the last episode I had hope for my pairing but sadly I kind of was the second female lead. I obviously won't tell you with whom I hoped 'Doctor Stranger' will end up but it was really interesting to watch how the tables were turned over and over again.
All in all: I'd really recommend this drama IF you love medical and romance but be aware this won't end up as you wish. I think I can speak for pretty many people that the ending was just disappointing. But all other aspects were reason enough to keep going and my biggest motivation to watch this drama was 1. the patients and 2. I wanted to know who the main pairings were because damn I lost some hair because of the romance in the drama. The story started so good and alone the start is reason enough to watch this drama. That's just my opinion though.
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This review may contain spoilers
This is the first kdrama I've watched after 10 years. LOL!!??? So why this above all the dramas? Well, since I didn't know which is which, I started depending on facebook posts, you see, some people post short clip (usually the best clips) of a certain drama, so I have seen a clip of this drama, and I got hooked to watch it.If I had watch this without watching their best (or one of their bests), I might have dropped watching it after the 1st episode. The first episode was a bit dragging. But things turned out well after it.
I really love their scene where Lee Jong Suk saved the father of the girl. The scene is very dramatic, and it was acted out really great. Lee Jong Suk is very appealing and gorgeous. I liked his hairstyle, it suited him more. His role as a doctor looked natural to him. Also, he is so charming and breath-taking whenever he got close to Kang So Ra (Dr. Oh).
Medical cases are very insightful. I loved all the cases they had, and I was really amused on how they handled it.
The plot is very great. Though looked dragging at first, it is really worth watching. I love how things ended for everyone, though I had wished Lee Jong Suk would end up with Dr. OH??. I really liked Dr. Oh. She's very beautiful, and I liked her acting.
Hope to see more of Lee Jong Suk's drama. I've watched almost all of them, and they were all great.
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From this drama we come to know, First love Never dies. Concept of Desperation of finding your love couldn't be better than This <3
The thing that no other drama has, is the theme of patriotism along with medical theme. Some people in the drama are actually so horrible that watching them scares us to death how far they can go for patriotic feelings.
This drama is the best portrayal of what a person gets if he's honest with his profession. Sometimes all he gets are flowers. Sometimes only thorns. How Park hoon suffered and what he became will blow your mind. This is what makes us his fan <3 The character of Park Hoon (Lee Jong Suk) who was the Sole of the drama. If it would be other than Lee Jong Suk, I don't think it would be suitable. His acting was superb. The pain of not being able to be a good doctor couldn't be expressed like the way Lee Jong Suk did. The concept of patience, forgiveness, responsibility and First love is well Portrayed.
Secondly, the Display of MEDICAL SURGERIES couldn't be better in any drama but this. The beating of heart after the surgeries, the stitching processes, the visualisation was Extraordinarily Surprising during the surgeries. It actually created interest in audience.
Thirdly, the competition between the doctors was something that Didn't let the audience blink an eye during the drama.
Fourthly, "What will happen next?" was the question that didn't let me lose interest. Throughout the drama this factor was there.
Fifthly, the love story was a bit disappointing, because it's confusing. Dr. Oh So HYUN kept us confusing and wasn't sure whether she is going to be with Dr. Han Jae Joon or Dr. Park Hoon. Thankfully the end wasn't disappointing. Still, The romance wasn't there, the whole time, which could make this drama SUPER HIT and PERFECT. The comedy factor is also Good.
Lastly, the music is very unique. I enjoyed a lot.
If you're a Medical kdrama fan, GO FOR IT!!!
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A hot mess.
I'm all for having preferences and respecting other's opinions but the fact this has a 7.9 just baffles me. And the fans are STILL insisting it deserves a higher rating and the only reason why some people rated it low is bc their endgame didn't happen smh.Regardless of whom ended up with whom, it was a mess. I remember watching it when it was airing on cable but decided to rewatch it after seeing the high rating. . Trust me, the writing was so bad that by episode 12, I could care less about any one of them and this had my boy Park Haejin in it. So it isn't about rating it low bc my endgame didn't happen like some people are saying.
It is genuinely a hot mess of a story that never decided what it wanted to be. An action-thriller? A serious medical drama? A melodrama? A romcom? I rooted for Kang Sora's heiress and Park Haejin's shady genius to be together anyway so I'm pretty unbiased when it comes to the "who is the female lead?" debacle. I could care less about that.
Logic and reason do not apply to Doctor Stranger which works in some romcoms but again, this was trying so hard to be a serious action/medical drama that the inconsistencies eventually tore away at anything good it had going on. It honestly deserves a lower rating but some people enjoyed the eye candy, I guess.
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The story started pretty much perfect. It was exciting and had an original plot. I got sucked into it and felt their pain and joy. But then it all started to turn bad. The story had so much potential, but the writers, plainly put, fuc*ed it up. Things started to go in circles and we were stuck in limbo. I won't say anything about the ending. Not satisfied, for one.
The acting was pretty split up. The hero actor did a good job. I can't say great, cause I don't think this drama was the best to show it, but then again, the beginning was great, so we can conclude with that his acting was at the best in the beginning.
Then comes the main heroine. It looked like she was in constant pain, and this was the only expression she had on her face. Sometimes she did smile and stuff, but again, that was at the beginning of the drama for the most part, so nuff said. I got bored of her.
And while I'm at it, there's another actor who should win a prize in having only one expression, although I'm not sure if that was how the character was written, or if he really just has that one look. I hope not. I found him as the rival way too stoic.
But the quack was great, so that's good. Can't really say anything bad about her. Good job!
The side stories weren't really necessary, and did little for the story itself, but I guess it did offer some respite at times. But they didn't go anywhere, so what was the point?
I enjoyed the music, but I wished they had added just one more song! Then it would have been perfect. I caught myself getting tired of hearing the same melodies over and over, even though the songs are good.
Will probably not watch this again. So disappointed with how it developed, because I really did enjoy the beginning!
When I first rated the drama I gave it a seven, but I have a tendency to be lenient with my ratings, so after a second thought I ended up with a six. Probably still a little kind, but that might be because I wished it had been so much more!
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This drama could have been salvaged if the story had been condensed to say, maybe 12 episodes and been thoroughly enjoyable.
Also, some of the characters stupidity and what they decided was rational and logical scheming was just plain dumb. My eyes rolled so much they almost stayed up in my head permanently. That's not to say that the actors playing these dumb characters lacked in skill. They did the best they could with the script they were given. Except as I said earlier Jin Se Yeon. She could have been replaced by a robot and the robot would probably have done a better job.
Anyway, I didn't hate it as a whole, and really enjoyed many of the performances. It had enough tearful moments, intriguing moments, and laugh out loud performances that I basically gave it a C+. It passed, but just barely thanks solely to the strength of it's cast.
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And although it was great, the storyline etc etc like most of the other people who have watched this drama, the female lead was.. a little upsetting to say the least. It did stay true to fate and destiny and true love and that did make the whole drama much more romantic when you really think about it... But with the flow of the drama it didn't exactly go the way everyone expected it to BUT I still refuse to say that it was disappointing!
Their acting was amazing, the storyline was great, there was action and love and it was thrilling and suspenseful and I would list it as one of my favorite dramas. Would I watch Dr. Stranger again? Yes! It was an amazingly structured drama and maybe I didn't agree with the ending, but who cares! This is one of the few dramas that the ending did not take away the general value of the whole drama!
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Acting: I mean the acting was pretty good except Jin Se Yeon. I had no idea what her character was supposed to be doing or was feeling at all. She was just so stiff, cold, and emotionless. Is that what her character was supposed to be??
Music: its ok
Rewatch value: no
Overall: overall, this drama was not awful because it did start off pretty strong but it died off. Another great example of this is My Lovely Girl. So, that being said, I don't really recommend this drama...
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This review may contain spoilers
Brilliant!
Doctor Stranger is a beautiful Kdrama! It includes many brilliant elements like music, script, directing, casting, acting, plot, ideas, and story, cinematography, and production.The directing of scenes could not be better, especially the medical scenes. Jin Hyuk and Hong Jong-chan chose good settings and places for shooting and had good presentations of characters and dialogue. Their effort is shown in the casting and the performance of each actor. There was not a single shot I would consider a misfit. It was so well that one finds himself engaged with the whole plotline rather than just the romantic elements, which is so rare in most K-dramas.
One could see the investment put forward by the production team in the cinematography, the places chosen to film in, the costumes, the visuals, and even the graphics.
The script brilliantly conveyed the plot and the storyline, presented an in-depth reflection of each character, and maintained a consistent level of engagement throughout all the episodes.
Kim Jang Woo did a good job composing the music. It is the best K-drama music I have heard until now. The instruments used in each piece match the gist of each scene it was played in its background.
The drama discusses important themes like loyalty, love, integrity, virtue, humanity, commitment, childhood, environment, and aspects of politics, psychology, history, sociology, medicine, enonomics and etc. By the end of the show, you would find yourself responding to the work by simply remembering it as you go out into the world and live life.
Doctor Stranger is not just a good piece of entertainment but also a source for character and mindset building; it helps shape the person you become if you invest the time to watch and interpret it carefully and critically. Well done and thank you to all those who participanted in bringing this work to life and to the big screen. I am grateful!
Personal Rating:
Story: 10
Acting & Cast: 10
Music: 10
Cinematography: 9.5
Overall: 100/100
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