Recycled content alert: I am going to repost a thread about K-dramas that I originally made in December 2024.
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So, I'm 15 series in to my kdrama journey, and I've settled in to the predictable nature of the romances. Honestly I enjoy familiar plot devices, tropes, and character types. Like many folks I watch tv to unwind and feel comforted in some way. At the same time, it's important to feel that the writers are putting some creativity into the product. I don't want to watch the same show again and again - give me some surprises and unexpected character arcs to change things up.
72/Ncw: spoilers
"Doctor Slump" is in many ways a formulaic romance, but I found it heartwarming and extremely compelling. ML Yeo Jeong-woo (Park Hyung-sik) is a dashing young plastic surgeon at the top of his game. His "NeoTube" channel has millions of subscribers, and he has opened up clinics across Korea. Jeong-woo has boyish good looks, and a cute - if conceited - personality. I thought 'he's probably a k-pop idol', and indeed he was a member of boy band ZE:A.
73/N
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cw: spoilers
"Doctor Slump" is in many ways a formulaic romance, but I found it heartwarming and extremely compelling. ML Yeo Jeong-woo (Park Hyung-sik) is a dashing young plastic surgeon at the top of his game. His "NeoTube" channel has millions of subscribers, and he has opened up clinics across Korea. Jeong-woo has boyish good looks, and a cute - if conceited - personality. I thought 'he's probably a k-pop idol', and indeed he was a member of boy band ZE:A.
73/NFL Nam Ha-neul (Park Shin-hye) is an anaesthesiologist at a big hospital, on track to be a professor - if she can please her superiors. Ha-neul is dedicated and skilled at work, but not at playing the game of organizational politics. Her male seniors have been taking credit for her research, and blaming their mistakes on her. The combination of burnout and the hospital director being a total dick to her drives her to walk out of her job.
74/N -
FL Nam Ha-neul (Park Shin-hye) is an anaesthesiologist at a big hospital, on track to be a professor - if she can please her superiors. Ha-neul is dedicated and skilled at work, but not at playing the game of organizational politics. Her male seniors have been taking credit for her research, and blaming their mistakes on her. The combination of burnout and the hospital director being a total dick to her drives her to walk out of her job.
74/NMeanwhile Jeong-woo is involved with a horrific medical accident, which we will re-experience through flashbacks of throughout the series. Jeong-woo is doing routing cosmetic surgery on a Macau casino heiress, when she suddenly starts to lose blood at inexplicable rate and suddenly dies. The blame falls on Jeong-woo. It is clear that he's been set up. A vial of anticoagulant is found with his prints in the OR.
75/N -
Meanwhile Jeong-woo is involved with a horrific medical accident, which we will re-experience through flashbacks of throughout the series. Jeong-woo is doing routing cosmetic surgery on a Macau casino heiress, when she suddenly starts to lose blood at inexplicable rate and suddenly dies. The blame falls on Jeong-woo. It is clear that he's been set up. A vial of anticoagulant is found with his prints in the OR.
75/NSuddendly his life comes crashing down, he's forced to sell his clinics, there is a trial against him, and he owes billions of won to his creditors. Jeong-woo has to leave his fancy apartment, and rents a rooftop apartment in a humble Seoul neighborhood. Do you want to guess who's family it belongs to??? That's right, none other than our Ha-neul, who comes back from quitting her job to find Jeong-woo brooding on her rooftop.
76/N -
Suddendly his life comes crashing down, he's forced to sell his clinics, there is a trial against him, and he owes billions of won to his creditors. Jeong-woo has to leave his fancy apartment, and rents a rooftop apartment in a humble Seoul neighborhood. Do you want to guess who's family it belongs to??? That's right, none other than our Ha-neul, who comes back from quitting her job to find Jeong-woo brooding on her rooftop.
76/NAnd to layer on even more tropes, we have learned that Jeong-woo and Ha-neul attended the same high school, where they were the top two students and fierce rivals. I think you can fill in the rest of blanks from here, but we have an extremely charming rivals to lovers story. Where Jeong-woo is playful and outgoing, Ha-neul has been intensely focused on her studies and her career, to the exclusion of all else.
77/N -
And to layer on even more tropes, we have learned that Jeong-woo and Ha-neul attended the same high school, where they were the top two students and fierce rivals. I think you can fill in the rest of blanks from here, but we have an extremely charming rivals to lovers story. Where Jeong-woo is playful and outgoing, Ha-neul has been intensely focused on her studies and her career, to the exclusion of all else.
77/NWe get lots of flashbacks to how they were in high school, Jeong-woo the popular kid, good at sports and academics, while Ha-neul methodically eliminates anything that distracts from her studies (to a completely comic degree). Whereas he is very much a pretty boy, Ha-neul's beauty is a more understated, wholesome type.
78/N -
We get lots of flashbacks to how they were in high school, Jeong-woo the popular kid, good at sports and academics, while Ha-neul methodically eliminates anything that distracts from her studies (to a completely comic degree). Whereas he is very much a pretty boy, Ha-neul's beauty is a more understated, wholesome type.
78/NThe examination of the medical world that both characters inhabit give the story more weight than many romances. Whether through scenes in the OR, or other high stakes interactions between doctors, medical staff, patients and their families, there are a lot of highly charged interactions. And there is a lot of intrigue with Jeong-woo's trial, as new evidence comes to light and an expanding web of conspiracy that involves more and more of the characters.
79/N -
The examination of the medical world that both characters inhabit give the story more weight than many romances. Whether through scenes in the OR, or other high stakes interactions between doctors, medical staff, patients and their families, there are a lot of highly charged interactions. And there is a lot of intrigue with Jeong-woo's trial, as new evidence comes to light and an expanding web of conspiracy that involves more and more of the characters.
79/NAnother theme that I appreciated was the exploration of mental illness, and the normalization of seeking professional care for depression. We see the fiercely independent Ha-neul reach the point where she is willing to seek psychiatric care and take medications to help her through her challenges.
80/N -
Another theme that I appreciated was the exploration of mental illness, and the normalization of seeking professional care for depression. We see the fiercely independent Ha-neul reach the point where she is willing to seek psychiatric care and take medications to help her through her challenges.
80/NLike dramas previously reviewed in this thread that highlighted autism spectrum disorder or mysophobia, I think this was a nice public service to show Ha-neul seek help when she needs it to get back on her feet. Overall I was fully entertained by Doctor Slump, and was enthusiastically rooting for our two leads. Needless to say the supporting characters are well done, and the 2TP between the main characters' two best friends is adorable. Recommended 5/5.
81/N -
Like dramas previously reviewed in this thread that highlighted autism spectrum disorder or mysophobia, I think this was a nice public service to show Ha-neul seek help when she needs it to get back on her feet. Overall I was fully entertained by Doctor Slump, and was enthusiastically rooting for our two leads. Needless to say the supporting characters are well done, and the 2TP between the main characters' two best friends is adorable. Recommended 5/5.
81/Ncw: Spoilers
The next drama my wife and I watched was When the Weather is Fine, a 2020 romance starring Park Min-young and Seo Kang-joon. This is partially thanks to someone on this site commenting how much they love Park Min-young. I have so many thoughts about this drama and I'm finding it hard to boil them down into 500 character chunks. If you like slow-moving and visually satisfying dramas you will probably enjoy When the Weather is Fine.
82/N
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cw: Spoilers
The next drama my wife and I watched was When the Weather is Fine, a 2020 romance starring Park Min-young and Seo Kang-joon. This is partially thanks to someone on this site commenting how much they love Park Min-young. I have so many thoughts about this drama and I'm finding it hard to boil them down into 500 character chunks. If you like slow-moving and visually satisfying dramas you will probably enjoy When the Weather is Fine.
82/NHowever there is a lot more going on here, and I can't decide whether I think it's a bold, artistic masterpiece or a confused mish mosh of ideas. This drama is on the one hand a very dreamy tale set in the fictional village of Hyecheon over the course of one winter. The cinematography is stunning, and there is a very art-house feel to this drama. The camera pans slowly across the stark, wintry fields and bare trees.
83/N -
However there is a lot more going on here, and I can't decide whether I think it's a bold, artistic masterpiece or a confused mish mosh of ideas. This drama is on the one hand a very dreamy tale set in the fictional village of Hyecheon over the course of one winter. The cinematography is stunning, and there is a very art-house feel to this drama. The camera pans slowly across the stark, wintry fields and bare trees.
83/NOur two main characters are achingly beautiful. The dialog is very spare, and we get long shots of Eun-seop and Hae-won gazing at each other wistfully, questioningly and ultimately, of course, lovingly as they cradle steaming cups of coffee in their gloved hands. Many of the interior scenes occur in Eun-seop's improbable bookstore, the Goodnight Bookstore.
84/N -
Our two main characters are achingly beautiful. The dialog is very spare, and we get long shots of Eun-seop and Hae-won gazing at each other wistfully, questioningly and ultimately, of course, lovingly as they cradle steaming cups of coffee in their gloved hands. Many of the interior scenes occur in Eun-seop's improbable bookstore, the Goodnight Bookstore.
84/NWe don't get an explanation for how this bookstore exists in a town of what appears to be a few hundred residents, where our main characters spend hours preparing and drinking coffee, exchanging deep glances, and occasionally arranging some books. (Okay Eun-seop at one moment says 'I do a lot of online business'). The drama essentially begins when Hae-won takes a job in the open, airy and well-lit bookstore after returning from Seoul to spend the winter.
85/N -
We don't get an explanation for how this bookstore exists in a town of what appears to be a few hundred residents, where our main characters spend hours preparing and drinking coffee, exchanging deep glances, and occasionally arranging some books. (Okay Eun-seop at one moment says 'I do a lot of online business'). The drama essentially begins when Hae-won takes a job in the open, airy and well-lit bookstore after returning from Seoul to spend the winter.
85/NThe central theme of the drama is the ever-so-slowly blossoming love between people who have suffered deep trauma. Through flashbacks we learn that Hae-won's mother has been in jail for the murder of her father. The father was physically abusive to the Mom, though he was always loving to Hae-won. The teenage Hae-won is sent to live with her aunt in Hyecheon, where the other high-schoolers don't know the dark family secret.
86/N -
The central theme of the drama is the ever-so-slowly blossoming love between people who have suffered deep trauma. Through flashbacks we learn that Hae-won's mother has been in jail for the murder of her father. The father was physically abusive to the Mom, though he was always loving to Hae-won. The teenage Hae-won is sent to live with her aunt in Hyecheon, where the other high-schoolers don't know the dark family secret.
86/NEun-seop was raised by a hermetic father in a cabin on the mountain above Hyecheon. The father dies, and Eun-seop is taken in by a couple in the town who raise him as their own (more or less). As a kid in school he's very much a loner, and the other kids all know that he's kind of a 'wild child'. When Hae-won transfers to his class, it seems that Eun-seop falls for her at first sight - though nothing romantic happens during high school.
87/N -
Eun-seop was raised by a hermetic father in a cabin on the mountain above Hyecheon. The father dies, and Eun-seop is taken in by a couple in the town who raise him as their own (more or less). As a kid in school he's very much a loner, and the other kids all know that he's kind of a 'wild child'. When Hae-won transfers to his class, it seems that Eun-seop falls for her at first sight - though nothing romantic happens during high school.
87/NWhen they meet again in the present day we get the typical trope of the guy who cannot tell the girl that he likes her. Of course he shows it in a hundred tiny gestures - escorting her home on a dark night, buying her insulated boots and so on - but then goes out his way to deny that he has feelings for her which of course confuses Hae-won. I think ultimately there is some event - she gets lost in the woods - and they finally embrace when he rescues her.
88/N -
When they meet again in the present day we get the typical trope of the guy who cannot tell the girl that he likes her. Of course he shows it in a hundred tiny gestures - escorting her home on a dark night, buying her insulated boots and so on - but then goes out his way to deny that he has feelings for her which of course confuses Hae-won. I think ultimately there is some event - she gets lost in the woods - and they finally embrace when he rescues her.
88/NWhen you boil it down it's your basic 'kindergarten kismet' where he's always loved her, and finally they are thrown together long enough for something to catch fire. I will not deny that they have good screen chemistry, and that I was 100% rooting for them, but their relationship is pretty much all vibes. Around this central love story, we have a wealth of other story lines and many compelling supporting characters.
89/N -
When you boil it down it's your basic 'kindergarten kismet' where he's always loved her, and finally they are thrown together long enough for something to catch fire. I will not deny that they have good screen chemistry, and that I was 100% rooting for them, but their relationship is pretty much all vibes. Around this central love story, we have a wealth of other story lines and many compelling supporting characters.
89/NWe learn that Hae-won's aunt Myeong-yeo with whom she stays is an acclaimed novelist, but has not written anything for years. Myeong-yeo is fabulously gloomy, wears sunglasses indoors and is generally caustic and depressed. Hae-won's mother Myeong-joo is another tragic and compelling character. Like her sister, she drips with a world-weary resignation.
90/N -
We learn that Hae-won's aunt Myeong-yeo with whom she stays is an acclaimed novelist, but has not written anything for years. Myeong-yeo is fabulously gloomy, wears sunglasses indoors and is generally caustic and depressed. Hae-won's mother Myeong-joo is another tragic and compelling character. Like her sister, she drips with a world-weary resignation.
90/NOne of Hae-won's traumas is that her mother treats her coldly - she refused to met Hae-won when she was in prison, and sends back all her letters. Now Hae-won's mother has served her 7-year term and it's hard not to feel sympathy for her, despite freezing out her daughter. Myeong-joo has suffered her own trauma of broken dreams and an abusive husband. Her emotionless aspect is really kind of a defense mechanism.
91/N
#kdrama -
One of Hae-won's traumas is that her mother treats her coldly - she refused to met Hae-won when she was in prison, and sends back all her letters. Now Hae-won's mother has served her 7-year term and it's hard not to feel sympathy for her, despite freezing out her daughter. Myeong-joo has suffered her own trauma of broken dreams and an abusive husband. Her emotionless aspect is really kind of a defense mechanism.
91/N
#kdramaI'm only scratching the surface here, as we have any number of additional characters and plotlines revolving around the inhabitants of this small town, and Hae-won and Eun-seop's other classmates. I do have to mention Eun-seop's adoptive little sister Im-hwi (played by Kim Hwan-hee), truly one of the most adorable characters brought to screen. She's boisterous and mischevous and yet surprisingly deep. I loved every minute that she was on screen.
92/N
