Romantic Doctor, Teacher Kim (2016)

A great medical drama with a bonus romance

This series was well worth the time to watch all 21 (20+bonus) episodes. I had a hard time pulling myself away from the screen. I didn’t realize that I liked hospital dramas until I watched this one. I like shows that set the tempo early. In episode 1, we knew who the bad guy would be, Director Do. In episode 1, we knew where the romance would be, Dr. Kang and Dr. Yoon. Another one of Seo Hyun Jin’s epic kisses.

Each episode was a different story that captured the lives and careers of this unique hospital staff. There were so many problems in each episode that it kept the whole series interesting. No filler, no repeating of useless scenes, just non-stop drama. The operating scenes were full of suspense and looked realistic. I’m not a doctor, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express.

I watched this because of Seo Hyun Jin. She can display on-screen chemistry like no one I’ve ever seen. She must be a director’s dream. She kisses with her soul. At least that’s the way it looks on screen. Seo Hyun Jin has an on-screen presence that pulls you into the scene. Her portrayal of Dr. Yoon Seo Jung showed that her acting ability is second to none. Yoo Yeon Seok also did a great job with his portrayal of Dr. Kang Dong Joo. As he struggled with his identity, you struggled with him. His on-screen chemistry with Dr. Yoon was fun to watch and very heartfelt. At times you couldn’t wait for their next kiss. I liked his upfront approach to the woman he loved. It left no doubt in your mind. The way Dr. Yoon handled him was priceless.

The characters in the story all had their differences. Dr. Kang was probably the most unbalanced and easy to influence. Even though I think the story intended otherwise, it took him a long time to develop an ethical decision that should have been easy. A simple certified letter has him completely flustered. He gets angry and portrays a total lack of composure at times. But still, something makes you pull for him.

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If you want a brain mixer try it

I don’t know how come this drama got this much rating because I felt this drama is totally waste.
There is no family type or love story at all. From first to last episodes some medical emergencies is keep on appearing and solving only. When he realized that she also has feelings they both become too childish and the ML turned into sadistic. He couldn’t tolerate when someone stares at her or some male characters talks to her. Both the FL and ML are so annoying and their chemistry is soo bad, and there is no proper explanation for so many plots why they did or what is going on. In most of the episodes the ML is totally a jerk. Beyond this There is nothing criticise or to praise about this drama because there is nothing in this drama at all.

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All the RUMOURS are TRUE!

I've watched S1 after S2 and I would always hear that S1 was the best. So I gave it a try. Skeptical because I didn't have much faith in a KDrama from 2016 and I thought I couldn't love the cast more than the one in S2.
I watched S1 two times. In a 1,5 month interval.

First time, I was a little shocked. A kiss scene so early wasn't my style. I was used to the build up in relationships and a kiss scene in ep8. So it took me a bit to recover. :))) Dong Joo's character was also quite odd to me and tbh little annoying.... In the end I finished the drama. It was quite nice but not my style.

I then rewatched S2... and S1 in this order.

And boy, I could clearly see the difference, understand better and look in all the details. S2 was good, really good, but boy S1 came to me as the BEST OF ALL. I loved it so much. Now, WHY?

- There was a LOT OF ACTION... VARIETY in all action plans. We had trauma, unique medical cases, HUGE character development and MANY LESSONS.

- The cast was amazing. Kim Sabu is one of the WISEST characters you will find in a drama. Dong Joo is that stubborn kid that hides a beautiful heart, is ashamed of his mistakes and chooses to be so cold because of them. However, Kim Sabu sees through them all and for him Dong Joo is like an open book. Seojung is a strong woman that despite all the trauma that still haunts her to this day, chooses every day to show up at the hospital and become a better doctor. A truly inspiring character - imo ONE of the BEST FEMALE LEADs ever written in KDRAMA LAND.

-The bond forming between the hospital staff was beautiful to watch. The way they all came together in the end, the family they formed, the way they were always there for each other... The drama has that COMFORT FEELING. It easily has the potential to become one of your comfort dramas.

-Each medical case in the drama taught both the character and the viewer something.

So yes, Dr. Romantic 1 might become one of your favourite dramas. If not after the first watch. definitely after the second one!

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IF YOU ARE THINKING WHETHER YOU SHOULD OR NOT WATCH THIS DRAMA, READ THIS FIRST!

well, i really liked this kdrama, i think this was my first doctor type of drama(i've watched descandants of the sun but thats not really a doctor type of drama i think). i really liked the story itself and the moral of this drama, now i really want to be a doctor lol. i learned some interesting doctor stuff too hehe. omg i cant review xD. basically this is a worth watching kdrama and i think everyone should watch it :)) i really liked too that they didn't focus much of the romance, seo jung and dong joo were so cute, i was craving for them to be together since day one, deserved endgame! omg doctor kim was so amazing and his smile omg, SO charming istg. the acting was really good too and i enjoyed a lot watching this drama ! well now im gonna watch season 2 (it has sung kyung, im so excited, im a bit sad that the main couple isn't in the season 2 tho :"/) perhaps i will do a review to season 2 too , nobody cares lmao. ahah sorry&ty if you read this far and send me a message if you want to talk abt dramas or something ;)

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Summary Bit - Brilliant, Enjoyed, great characters, fantastic story with great medical action, the story keeps moving along quickly and I absolutely cannot wait for Season 2 and to see more from the staff of Doldam Hospital!

Waffly bit
This is a medical drama first and foremost, there is romance in it but it's relatively light - certainly not the focus, but enough to keep the Romance-enthusiast happy for sure. What I particularly liked about this one as opposed to other medical dramas was there was a lot more focus on the other unspoken aspects of being a Doctor such as dealing with the consequences of when things go wrong - I don't mean necessarily legal, but the personal emotional consequences, it doesn't matter how many times you can be told "you did everything you could", you're still going to have to handle how you feel about that and get through it.

A common theme is about the choices Doctor's must make, and the choices they must NOT make. You have two patients, the one that arrived first has a lower chance of dying in the next hour than the one that arrived later - which goes into surgery first? What if the one who has a more immediate chance of dying is a violent criminal?

Teacher Kim is the subject of the story, though it spends a lot of time also looking at the other characters, particularly Seo-Jung, Im-Beum, and Dong-Ju. To a large extent the characters are helping to explore different aspects of Teacher Kim's life and history from the viewers perspective as well as showing how he can influence them and develop them as people (as well as Doctors). Seo-Jung is inspired to follow him and learn everything she can, Im-Beum starts out a short sighted character led by his father with material goals but develops into a great Doctor, Dong-Ju is affected by the decisions a Doctor must make at a very young age and it's only when he needs to make those decisions himself he truly understands what a Doctor must do.

Doldam Hospital is a provincial hospital in the middle of nowhere in particular, but is near to a number of highways as well as a large casino - which means that it's far busier than anyone outside the hospital really appreciates but is understaffed and underfunded.

There are a good number of different incidents occurring during the drama including major traffic accidents, gunshot injuries, hostage situations and quarantine situations. The story moves along well. If all you like to see is the medical stuff, there's plenty to keep you interested with various types of surgeries taking place in different situations.

All the characters were great, though whenever President Do or the Chief of Surgery were on the screen I wanted to reach in and throttle them, a sign of good characters well written and acted I guess :) No issues with any of the acting at all.

Production-wise - the echo narration didn't sit well with me at all, I don't think the echo was needed, it rarely is, ever :) Otherwise it was great, nothing outstanding to call out but then nothing felt wrong either.

General - This is down as a 20 episode story, but it really isn't. It's a 21 episode story. If you watch to the end of Episode 20 only, it ends in a really bonkers place - they introduce a new character of some apparent importance and that's it, credits! Thankfully they produced a 21st episode as a special which completes the story about that character - and adds additional dimensions to the "what it means to be a Doctor" discussion, bringing in "Doctors without borders" and AIDS patients. They also then took a little time to talk about how the team in the hospital got together with some nice little anecdotes that just rounded everything off nicely. I'll say it once more - that extra episode is NOT optional, it's a key conclusion to the story IMHO.

Music was good, I need to listen to the OST but it sounded good and I'm looking forward to doing so.

There is a season 2 starting shortly with MOSTLY the same cast. Looks like Seo-Jung and Dong-Ju have moved on and now Teacher Kim finds two new team members - but the majority of the rest of the cast looks the same, so there's a nice bit of continuation from the looks of it. SUPER excited for it.

Absolutely worth the watch, definitely on my re-watch list, and can't wait for Season 2 to start imminently :)

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I would like to start by saying that I definitely enjoyed watching this drama, especially because I am kind of a medical drama fan, but also because it had a bunch of interesting characters, strong acting performances, intriguing plot-lines, great on-screen chemistry, and a witty dialogue.

The story had it's strong and original points, and it also had its normal and not-so original parts.
But all in all, as a medical drama script, this one balanced all the aspects nicely, in a way that saved it from going through the muddy waters that is hospital business wars and all that unrelated areas that many good medical K-Dramas delve too deep into, and end up boring us most of the time (I am looking at you Good Doctor)

As I mentioned the general feel of the dialogue was witty and sharp, a bit quick during the medical scenes, but just within the norm. But the best part was the bickering and fight scenes between the main characters.

The medical part was certainly above average, and although it mainly concerned one branch of medicine ie. surgery, it still showed a wide array of cases and although I am no medical student and my knowledge in the field is null, I could sense that the depiction of the medical proceedings were mostly accurate and delivered in a very professional manner.

The only grope I had with the story, was how the main female lead's PTSD was depicted. At the beginning they sure played it in a way that made it seem quite serious, but then it just kind of magically gets cured with no much as a mention or a proper closure. You are left to satisfy yourself with the explanation that her love overcame her trauma, I guess?

The main OTP as I mentioned had great chemistry and the romance was very well done, it was not the main story line but that's exactly how I prefer it.

As for the characters, I won't be discussing all in detail, I will rather focus on the character that was the first to give me a WOW factor.
One of the first thoughts I had watching the first episode, was "WOW! I love this guy's boldness!!". I won't be going into details lest I reveal any spoilers (it is the first episode but still) but watching the main male lead interact with the female lead right from the beginning, was quite unique and bold, to me it felt like a fresh breeze among all the common self-denials and bashfulness in accepting and acting upon one's emotions that plagues most of K-Drama leads. You don't just give credit to the guy's guts, but you just fall in love with him right then.

The characters other than the main trio (Teacher Kim and the OTP) sometimes felt 2 dimensional, but I couldn't say that that was necessarily a bad thing, because some other dramas try to create separate plot-lines for the side characters, but end up either slowing up the overall pace of the drama, or boring the viewers out with mediocre characters/stories.....or come to think of it in some rare cases, a side-character's plot-line end up being more interesting than the main OTP's and you are secretly kind of watching just to see how it will work ouy, which let's be honest is not a good sign at all! (I am looking at you One more happy ending)

My least favorite character and the thing that felt like one of the weakest points of this drama, was the villain.
At first, when you learn the background story of his animosity with teacher Kim and how their rivalry started, you are convinced of where he's coming from and that there is a long history of clashing between them. But then the more the story develops and the more the villain sharpens his claws and acts out all his villain-y antiques, you start to question the whole character and its motives. Like is it a conflict of interests, is it sheer hatred, is it jealousy, is it pure evil?? You just don't know and kind of don't care any longer.

Another frustration I had with this drama (the direction in particular) was that at many times the details of a certain medical case at hand could be very interesting, and I could be at the edge of my seat waiting to see how the emergency will work out, but then what hinders the whole thing from feeling believable and genuine, is none other than the human/doctors interactions during the procedure, which was at many times packed with overly dramatic acting.
to elaborate more, there is a part where the doctors are arranging for a major operation, and they are struggling to reduce the time required for the said operation as much as possible, like trading even minutes in order to shorten the time the patient is put under anesthesia. But during the actual OP, they find time to waste on looong expressions ranging from staring, glaring, smiling ,clapping and many others.
When you're a viewer of a drama, and you're like distracted from enjoying the thrill in a scene by the characters' facial expressions, then I think it is a sign that the DP/actor should have kept it a notch down.

To sum up, this drama like any other drama is far from flawless but was still a very fun and interesting watch, that I would totally recommend especially to medical drama fans like myself.

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Honestly I was looking out for a hospital drama after watching "doctors" and found this on mydramalist. Since I have already watched Seo Hyun Jin in other shows I decided to watch this with an open mind.

The first best feature of this show is the story and then the casting. The actors who have played the part have actually lived the character. The pace is convenient to watch and there is time for the characters to grow.

It really gave a good perspective about doctors and surgeons. The story was very believable. Han Seok Kyu has done an amazing role. Each and everyone one of the actors have carried the show on their shoulders, balancing it very well.

The comedy track of the show was seamless and not forced. Finally when you watch the show ending you will feel like you have witnessed a good journey. Why should people watch this show ? Well for the story and the acting. Very Original.

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I had many speculations before watching "Romantic Doctor", firstly because I wasn't impressed in the past with the korean medical dramas that I've watched, and secondly because I've been in a slump for a while now. I was expecting the same old pattern of 'good vs bad', young actors portraying some talented but one dimensional characters, and maybe a group of self-righteous old doctors that work for a defective system and try to get between the main cast and their goal.

What can I say? I was right and wrong at the same time. The first thing that "Romantic Doctor" gives you is a solid screenplay! I can sincerely say that the story was amazing. You have the main conflict that takes place for the most of the drama, but at the same time it doesn't drag on because there are smaller conflicts that happen along the way that are put under the spotlight. I loved the pacing of the show and how things were resolved in a very authentic manner, which brings me to the next point of this review.

I loved the characters and how each and every actor portrayed them. I came to this drama without being a fan of none of them, but oh man, were they amazing?! One of the things I love the most are multi-dimensional characters, because humans aren't perfect or only bad, we have layers. I don't think I've seen any other drama (apart from Queen Seon Duk) where this fact was exemplified as good as here.
Master Kim and Kang Dong Joo were a late christmas present in my case. Those characters were a delight to watch on the screen, to see them make mistakes and learn from them and sometimes battling with emotions that each of us have like greed, envy and fear.

"Romantic Doctor" is a great example of making a production where everyone is on the same page, from the staff and actors to the writers and director. I really recommend this drama for those of you who are looking for a great medical or workplace drama, or for those of you loving plot driven and interesting characters!

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Actually this drama was on my list-to-watch before but I am having second thoughts if I should start it or not, until the season 2 just started this year I got interested with the plot so I decided to watch the season 1 and I was amazed because this drama is SUPERB. For me, its the best Korean Medical drama that I watched. I love the story, the cast and I look forward to the surgery scenes hehehe... I wanted to be part of Doldam Squad. Theres a little kilig din and lots of funny moments too. You will never get bored because it is super fun to watch esp if you are interested in medical drama and you will learn so much from it.

Advice: Don't you ever eat during the surgery scene hehehe...

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I think I need to confess that I TOTALLY IN LOVE WITH THIS DRAMA!
Anything and everything in this drama I totally love all of it, the story line I must say it is incredible and even all the casts play their roles very very well as all of them left me strong impressions in every single episode. I've watched many medical Korean dramas such as Good Doctor, Yong-Pal, The Doctors, Hospital Ship, etc, and in my opinion, Romantic Doctor, Teacher Kim season 1 is the best out of them. I'm currently watching the season 2 and for me even the new season still can't beat the first season of Romantic Doctor, Teacher Kim. ^0^

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I loved watching this drama especially because every single episode captures my attention. There's never a break, it always leaves you on the edge of your seat. The characters all have incredibly strong personalities. The main male lead is prideful yet a little immature. The female lead has weaknesses and is scarred by past trauma. Master Kim is wise and experienced enough to give credible advice to the doctors working under him. Overall, the amount of character development within each character; side or main, is stunning. The romance scenes are so mushy and cute I cringe all the time however it's one of the best dualities I've ever watched. That being said, Romantic Doctor Teacher Kim is a masterpiece definitely worth watching.

(also yoo yeonseok you have my whole heart)

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