Doctor Brain (2021)

Apple+ hit the trend with best intentions.

The reasons I had anticipations for this mini drama were:
1. It's Apple+
2. The amazing cast
3. The storyline

The fears I had:
1. It's a debut for Apple+
2. The drama is only 6 episodes
3. The director's debut in drama

And overcoming all my expectations as well as doubts, Dr. Brain has been able to present itself as a series of quality and it's an absolute treat, I want to aasure y'all that.

Dr. Brain (브레인) is adapted from the webtoon with the same title writhen by Artist Hong Jac Ga (홍자가).

Dr. Brain is basically a sci-fi plus investigative mystery thriller keeping Koh Se Won (Lee Sun Kyun) at the center of the story. He's a brain scientist who has been working on syncing two brains for a long to establish communication through memories. Born with peculiar brain characteristics he has had a horrible past yet manages to make family and do excellently well in his career. One day his world breaks apart as his family falls victim to terrific accidents in a short span of time, but being an emotional man, he rather invests even more time in his research. And oweing to his inventions he now start accessing memories of his wife as well as the people around her to get to the root of everything. He puts the best of his efforts to combine the fragmented memories together in order to draw a complete figure. And while doing all these, he gets to unveil the conspiracies and the biggest culprits who have made him miserable.

I must say, the plot development is absolutely wow in here. For a 6 episode mini-drama, it is very important that each and every part should impress the audience, which was successfully achieved by the drama. I personally wasn't much intrigued by the 1st episode (except the neuroscience research stuffs, since I am a post-grad guy in zoology) but the 2nd one got me awestruck, ngl. The suspense buildup throughout the series is indeed marvelous and the progression is well executed. The way everything unfolds bit by bit using the pieces memories from various different persons is really very intriguing as the story progresses. The revelations have been made at appropriate timings and the pacing of the entire show couldn't be more perfect.

I can't help but praise so much about the acting area of the drama. Not just that the drama has several master actors, also we saw their acting graphs rising to some other level than before. Ahhhhhhhh! The feelings of witnessing their plays is something unexplainable. Apart from Lee Sun Kyun at the top, we also have here: Park Hee Soon (Lee Kang Mu) as a private investigator, Lee Yoo Young (Jung Jae Yi) as Sewon's wife, Lee Jae Won (Hong Nam Il) as Sewon's colleague and Seo Ji Hye as Lieutenant Cho.

We also have amazing actors like Uhm Tae Goo and Kim Joo Hun as guest actors. Among other seemingly minor yet important characters are: Moon Seung Keun as Dr. Myung and Jo Bok Rae as Sergeant Park. I am particularly held back by Seung Keun ahjussi's acting in last 2 episodes. His pronunciations and dialogue delivery made my eyes to bawl out.

Kim Jee Woon PDnim is a very familiar face when it comes to Korean movies and he's proved his worth long back. However, Dr. Brain is his directorial debut in Kdramas and this is the fact that made me doubt about the results. But to my surprise and utter satisfaction, he has done so so so well that I can't help but applaud for him. If you see the storyline is almost like a movie's but still 6 hours is too long for making a movie. And he's successfully proved his experience despite that.

Cinematography is an aspect that's been taken care of very well. The camera movements as well as capture angles perfectly showcase the scenarios involving the puzzles put forth by the entanglement of various sets of memories inside Koh Se Won's brain, his interaction with multiple consciousnesses and his visions. The CGI is also very nice for the hallucinations, imaginations and dreams that Sewon was having as side effects. The sound production too is perfectly done to suit the moods and vibes of the drama.

Scripts involving brain and neuroscience is nothing new for Kdramas and moreover this is fiction. The theories of brain sync, put forth here doesn't make sense at all, at least for the year 2021 but the execution is so very good that it almost feels real, even to biologists like me, haha. I guess that's the magic of science fictions. Who knows these theories might become possible after a century or two.

Despite the mixed feelings, I honestly wanted the drama to do well. And for a matter of fact, my biggest fear was how the entire world is now immensely interested in investing in Kdramas. It's some sort of insecurity that I have developed recently which make me afraid about the originality of Kdramas, which is slowly becoming diluted by mediocre Netflix series. But Dr. Brain has come to my rescue as a beam of hope and I wish it continues to prosper and burn even brighter in the future.

Overally, Dr. Brain is thrilling, enraging, captivating and intriguing at the same time and in my opinion, it is a must watch. Please please please don't pass it down thinking it's apple+ debut in Korea. It's an amazing show as it is.

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Distorted Reality

Dr. Brain is a character-driven story about one man’s quest to unravel a profound mystery through highly experimental science that delves deep into the far reaches of the human subconscious and beyond the boundaries of reality. Simply put, the main character boldly goes where no one has ever gone before, in a metaphysical sense. Watching this drama feels akin to consuming magic mushrooms because I find my entire cerebral cortex utterly immersed into the warped and psychedelic nature of the storytelling.

Co-produced by Kakao Entertainment, the company that owns popular streaming platform Kakao TV, Dr. Brain is promoted as an Apple original series. It is the first Korean-language series to debut on the American platform, where the global premiere on 4 November 2021 coincides with the launch of Apple TV+ in South Korea. Principal photography took place at Daejeon while Daejeon University was used as the setting for the Brain Science Research Centre.

The drama is an adaptation of the Kakao-Daum webtoon Dr. Brain by Hong Seong-hyeok, which was serialized in 2016 (Season 1) and this year (Season 2). The source material is a sci-fi thriller based on the premise that the brain is able to live on for 37 hours after death.The titular character harnesses this knowledge by tapping into the brains of the dead to seek clues or answers for solving mysteries. I haven’t read the webtoon but I can attest that the narrative stays true to the basis of this pseudoscience. I get similar vibes of Flatliners (both versions of the US film) where things quickly escalate out of hand when folks volunteer as test subjects for their own experiments. I find the plot immensely intriguing, complex and suspenseful. The first episode is extremely slow burn where the backstory of the ML is painstakingly established but once the overarching mystery begins to take shape and the mind-blowing action sequences kick off, particularly from the second episode onwards, there’s no turning back after that.

The quality of this drama is top tier, in terms of the production values, technical execution and the reputable production team as well as the critically acclaimed main cast. Kim Jee Woon, the multiple award winning filmmaker and celebrated auteur, serves as director and screenwriter. The influence of his unique stylistic approach extends over the masterfully executed cinematography, which presents some of the most gorgeous visuals seen this year in K-dramaland. I love the cinematic grading, neo noir outlook of the night scenes, and beautiful application of colours, especially in the “mind warped” segments. In terms of the direction and tempo, the director deftly balances the transitions between the quieter introspective and emotional moments with the intensely frenetic parts. Despite the short format of 6 episodes, the storytelling does not feel constrained while the tension as well as plot points are allowed to breathe without giving the impression of being rushed.

The original score is composed by Lee Sung Hyun aka Mowg, another stellar name attached to the production who comes with a long list of achievements and prestigious awards. The music is a blend of suspenseful, evocative and deeply emotional instrumentals that encapsulates the essence of the drama and connects very well to the varied scenes. Elements of contemporary electronic music and orchestral renditions are incorporated into the soundtrack as part of the eclectic BGM.

The cast is headlined by Lee Sun Kyun, fresh from his appearance in Parasite, for which he garnered major acting honours and critical acclaim. He plays the titular character in a performance which he delivers with consummate conviction where he showcases such impressive range that matches the depth of characterization. He not only has to portray an extremely intelligent scientist but also an emotionally dysfunctional man who literally goes through hell and back in both the real world and the surreal state of the human psyche. Add to that his affinity with a particular feline, a truly surprisingly absurd yet incredibly entertaining aspect of the drama.

Park Hee Soon is an actor who won the hearts of many through his compelling performance in the recent Netflix drama, My Name. Here in a supporting role as the side character, Lee Kang Moo, he is much more understated and has limited screen time. Seo Ji Hye, recently seen in Crash Landing on You and Dinner Mate, portrays police detective Lieutenant Cho. She has slightly more screen time than the rest of the supporting cast and gets involved in a number of high octane action sequences. She certainly looks the part and provides a decent account of the rather limited characterization. I would have liked to know more about her character but the focus is very much on the ML, hence the lack of significant character development for the people around him. The same applies to the character of Jung Jae Yi, his wife, played by Lee Yoo Young who almost spends the entire time being comatose, were it not for the numerous “flashback” scenes.

All things considered, along with the well written and executed ending, I would consider Dr. Brain a hugely satisfying entry to the K-drama psychological thriller genre. Kept on the edge of my seat once I was hooked, I simply could not stop watching and anticipating the conclusion to the ML’s search for the truth. My only qualm - I wished it was longer. This is truly one of those productions where I’m hoping for a second season.

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Unbelievably slick production & incredible cast let down by poor narrative elements

"Dr. Brain" has lots of indicators of a new player with dumptrucks of money ready to throw around in the genre. When it comes to readily available cash, no one other than a central government bank has as much as Apple. How does it work out? Well...

Imagine a teenager that has just hit the lottery and he walks in a car dealer with a suitcase of large bills. Are they going to buy the practical vehicle with lots of seats and cupholders and storage or the exotic exterior with the fat tires and giant engine? Right, not the first one. And that's "Dr. Brain" in a nutshell.

When it comes to visuals, this show is off the charts. Although there's some scenes where the production design isn't elaborate, most of it is exquisite. The sets and props are tops. The lighting and color palette are stunning. It is a gorgeously shot show.

And the cast is just as phenomenal. Lee Sun Kyun, as Se Won, a brilliant but emotionally stunted neurologist, is excellent. Seo Ji Hye flaunts some serious detective cred. Park Hee Soon is wildly entertaining as an unconventional private detective. Lee Jae Won, Lee El, Kim Jeo Heon, Uhm Tae Goo and Moon Sung Geun comprise an ensemble of supporting characters that are as good as almost any show. The best performance, albeit unfortunately brief, is by Lee Yoo Young playing Se Won's wife who is convinced that their dead son is not, in fact, dead.

To watch almost any single scene in isolation would render an opinion that "Dr. Brain" is exquisite. But unfortunately the scenes must thread themselves together and this is where things don't add up to equal the sum of its parts. The overall plot is a mish mash of sci-fi/horror where Se Won has discovered how to link his brain to others, the catch being that they must be close to their death. As he links to others, when are his thoughts and memories his or and when are they those of someone that he's linked to? Is he himself anymore? It's an intriguing device and, at times, it works well, especially in the first couple of episodes.

But the show mostly limps through the second half as it unravels the facade that Se Won's life had been. Partly, it's because once the final confrontation happens, it feels like a step down in production value from the high bar it had set for most of the series. Also contributing is that there is a high frequency of rotation of characters opposite Se Won. Had either Seo Ji Hye's Lieutenant Cho or Park Hee Soon's Lee Kang Moo or Lee Jae Won's Hong Nam Il established themselves as The One Sidekick to Se Won, it would have resulted in a far better balance of personality with Se Won's natural introversion. Chiefly, however, the balance between the narrative in present day and the slow reveals of backstory through Se Won's brain links just ends up teasing far, far too long to get to the juicy, emotional parts. By the time the viewer gets ready to be emotionally engaged with cheering on the good guys and wanting real bad things for the bad guys, the final fx fireworks are about to go off (again in a sort of anticlimactic manner) and the show's over.

All the pretty camera work and stellar acting can't save a wonky storyboard basically.

Oh and the AppleTV app is wretched. For a bazillion dollar company with a reputation of creating user friendly interfaces, this is some of their absolute worst work.

Recommended? Meh. It's ok and it's only six episodes.

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Good Enough

Korean Drama "Dr. Brain" is a masterful sci-fi thriller that provides a solid mystery.

What Dr. Brain offers is a suspenseful plot that keeps the audience hooked till the very last minute. With intense performances to boot, a mystery that is slowly being unfolded, an interesting sci-fi element, and engaging characters, the drama creates the right atmosphere, with dark shades that come close to the horror element at times.

However, the CGI were bad and almost ruined the mood at times. The horror, flashy scenes were also a bit overused and nearly shifted the focus from the character based mystery to a psychological thriller.

Still, the ending was brilliant, leaving it to the viewer to interpret what actually happened.

So, overall, 8 out of 10.

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Top 1 sci-fi all the time, Top 3 drama this year, Top 3 thriller this year (my-ranking)

Don't miss it if you're a sci-fi fan!
It's exciting for Thriller fans; it made me hold my pee to end the episode!

Love the story!
The story moves at the perfect pace, not too fast or too slow, introducing you to the characters, technology, and world of this drama. It all started in ML's lab, where he was transferring memory from one mouse to another. The experiment then abruptly shifted to a human trial brain copy paste process. From there, the story progresses to include more characters, more plot, a criminal investigation, and finally, his own family mystery. It's a perfect package for the thriller genre.

Love the idea!
In terms of science fiction, it is a far-fetched technology concept at the moment. It is possible, but not likely in the near future. However, the show introduces technology in a believable slow burn mode. Begin with a mouse trial, then move on to a human trial, where only a sliver of memory was transferred.

Love the casting!
I've had mixed feelings about veteran actor Lee Sun Kyun, but I like his performance in this role; in all dramas, he plays the same flat character, but for this role, he's perfect! Lee Yoo Yung is an excellent choice for the role of Mom, and some of the scarier scenes are convincing. Kudos to all of the supporting actors. The female cop is the most inexperienced actor in the cast, but she is still bearable.

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Good premise, rushed execution

As a rule, I prefer shorter dramas. My number 1 gripe with most K-Dramas is that they are just too long and bloated and eventually drag, especially in the middle. The recent trend towards 10 and 12 episode series is highly welcome as it makes for tighter stories overall. Unfortunately, Dr Brain is a case of the other extreme - what happens when K-Dramas are too short.

The premise of this drama was highly exciting for someone who likes science fiction and Lee Sun Kyun. However, this drama was just very rushed. They didn't explain a lot of things, and this really hampered the emotional impact of the storyline, especially the end. The relationships between the characters also changed abruptly without explanation. There were also, frankly, one too many illogical things that happened that make it hard to suspend your disbelief. I get that it's SF and I'm prepared to accept a few loose ends here and there, but some of the stuff that happened was just nonsensical.

Ultimately, it was still a good attempt at the SF genre. Great acting all around (except for the female cop, sorry), great production (you can tell this show had that Apple money behind it), and really good sound design. It's always nice to see K-dramas branch out, and I always prefer to see K-Dramas attempt something ambitious and fall short rather than play it safe and succeed at being boring. Give this a watch if you like slickly made dramas. As it's only 6 episodes, it makes for a good day's binge.

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Visually stunning

Apple's debut kdrama has come in strong. Cinematography, special effects and directing are excellent. This is the type of CGI that Jirisan should emulate. Acting is top notch as well. My only gripe was the plot, which was teetering on the edge of insanity. It establishes itself as sci-fi right off the bat, but becomes more and more outlandish as the episodes go on. The last episode was like watching a mashup between Inception and X-men. I would have appreciated more restraint in introducing more outlandish elements into the story. It's only 6 episodes so the pacing was tight, no time for filler episodes/scenes which is good. This drama ends with a cliffhanger, with a possibility of a season 2. I wished the story ended more conclusively but at least the main plot is more or less wrapped up. I'm iffy about season 2 honestly, because it seems like it would just become more crazy.

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Dr. Brain is for someone who love complicated story

Dr. Brain has a good story where the main character is emotionless that doesn't have empathy. But the story becomes more interesting after he found out who is behind all of these. It has to be 2nd season to finish the story since the ending is not quite well. I love how the acting and music that were used for Dr. Brain have not used too many effects and are more focused on the story. There are several jump scares that you will get when watching Dr. Brain like a ghost movie. Hopefully in the 2nd season that the story can be finished and happy ending.

Recommended to those who love sci-fi and complicated things!

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Talk about a Great Start with a Great Story, Great Suspense and Truly Great Cinematography.

Initial review: Great start, it's been a while where I've been this hooked to the storyline and presentation in a show. The way the story progressed through this 2 episodes, is simply, marvelous. The suspense buildup, has been, just WOW, that's how you build suspense in a show.
Also, and this is important, I would really like to thank the cinematographer for his/her masterful work. The cinematography goes so, so Crazy Freaking Well with the storyline, the characters portrayed and also the overall vibe of the show. The music is just perfect for a story like this, very well done. This is the direction which Kdrama should move towards for suspense stories, as far as I'm concerned. So far so good, let's see where it goes. After I've finished the series completely, hopefully will be able to write a detailed review.
When it comes to the cast, with Lee Sun Kyun (My Mister, Parasite), Park Hee Sun (My Name, Missing Noir), Seo Ji Hye (Dinner Mate, Crash Landing on You) and Lee Yoo Young (Tunnel, Your Honor), the cast couldn't have been any better. For now, I would suggest everyone to give this one a go. So far, it's really really good.

Final Review: It's been a very good experience for me watching this drama. Although there were moments where scientifically a few things didn't make sense. But since it's not as much of a science-fiction but rather more of a fiction, I will give those a pass. Overall, good show, and quite a unique one.
Now, I can say confidently that it's not a drama for everyone. Many elements that makes a K-drama popular in the generic K-drama fanbase were absent in it. So, if you don't feel like it's your cup of tea, then maybe this genre simply isn't for you.

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