Doctor Slump (2024)

A Healing Journey

I loved the main point that this drama sends to its viewers...

It’s okay to fall down, it’s okay to take time and heal, it’s okay not to be okay, but it’s also important to know when it’s time to start again and to accept that starting again means starting slow and starting from within.

The romance was a great added bonus to the storyline, especially because the leads have great chemistry. But even without the added romance, they were able to portray and send the message properly- it was still a win.

I would say that everything about this drama was well executed. The support system of fmc is just top notch. I think that the mother and uncles role in this drama should also be given a proper salute. The way they tried is enough to help a person. It’s enough to let the fmc know she’s not alone and she has her family to help her through.

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Take a step back, breathe and come back strong as a log.

This theme is well suited to many of us. Everyone of us could use a little break from our hectic life and this drama delivers such a refreshing take on mental illness; its taboo and aftermath. I love the premise of it although some may find it as another cliche.

Story
It’s a simple story but it is told to invite us in to love all the characters and how the story will takes us. The setup was done way back from school years to adulthood. The dynamic is pretty consistent throughout the first two episodes. I didn't even notice how fluid it is as time passed by and now I can't wait for the upcoming episode.

In a nutshell, it's about two rival ex-schoolmates, Ha neul and Jeong-woo, who are momentarily in the 'slump' of their life somehow destined to be entangled in a web of affection. I'm eagerly anticipating how their relationship will unfold as the setup is pretty solid. This duo has incredible chemistry in my opinion. From rival to ally which would blossomed into love. Such a classic trope but well executed.

Cast
Park Hyung-sik as Jeong-woo is such a class act. His fall from grace and how he copes with it were handled effortlessly. His carefree persona resonates well as to adapt with the difficult situation he's in. As for his childlike behaviour is such a charmed pleaser. And when Ha neul starts to awaken his dormant competitiveness, I naturally shift on to his side and began to root for him all the way (no offence to Ha neul, I still think you're amazing).

Park Shin-hye as Ha neul is amazing in this. For the first time she is not acting as a ‘damsel in distress’ in a romance drama. The moment when she stood up for herself on her own terms was pretty satisfying. I was never really fond of her works in this genre before but now I'm her new fan. She is killing this character. Her antics and comic expressions really convince me as this 'manic' Ha neul. She really is the weirdly-ignorant-study-holic gal who will stop at nothing to reach her goal.

The rest of the cast are great as well; Ha neul's family is on crack. Her best-friend is pretty good and I can't wait for her story to unfold with Jeong-woo's ‘frenemy’. This second lead couple looks promising as well.

Edited (After finish the series)
Dr Slump sums up in a slow and great ending. It kinda loses some gas and angst towards the end, but the gist of the story is what really shines here. How the characters overcome their mishaps or tragedy in life. I really like the message.

" Life is not about being happy all the time. It's about how we might fall; how we care for the wounds; and continue to live on and be ready for another fall,"

Music
It's pretty good.

Will I watch this again?
Yes, definitely.

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Good beginning but then...

I wonder if there had been another female protagonist if the series would have been different and better.
I don't particularly like the actress Park Shin Hye because in every series I've seen (for example The Heirs or Memories of Alhambra), in which she stars, she weighs down the story. Monothematic in her sadness, with this idiotic look with his mouth ajar, in the long run she makes me nervous.
On the other hand, I liked Park Hyung Sik. Always elegant and gentleman, I especially like to remember the scene in which he looks in the mirror.
While the scenes in which they pretend to be drunk I found them not very credible.
But I was a super fan of the couple of their friends. So cute.

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Doctor Slump is giving me many butterflies while watching it

It's a very normal story about two people who share pain and disappointment about their life and the unexpected path it took.

After long years of hard work to be a doctor Ha Neul (Park Shin Hye) requit her job after knowing that she is depressed to take a break to think and take care of herself. In the other hand we have Yeo Jeong Woo (Park Hyung Sik) who is a very popular Plastic surgeon, but loses everything after a terrible surgery. So he moves on the roof in the house of Neul.
Then we got to know that were classmates in the high school, not a normal classmates but a very competitive ones, so we got to see many and many funny moments between them and also flashbacks when they were just students and believe me they competit about everything like : "let's find out who has the worst life !?" Hehe .

And i loved how they support each other when they're at their worst, and how she believed he was innocent from the first moment.
i loved the chemistry between Shin Hye & Hyung Sik ( something i wanted to watch since the Heirs).
And how warm and cozy is the dialogue in the drama! I cried in many scenes with them ㅠㅠ
I loved many supporting characters too like Nam Ba Da ( God, the sister brother interactions are so natural and funny),
And i liked Dae Young ( a true friend trusts in you even when everyone claims you are guilty).
I never wrote a review before watching the whole drama BUT this one is special!!! Can't wait to see more :)

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Cringey romance. ….. and nothing else

This drama - is it the Netflix USA watered down version for the American audience?
It is tepid'
, tasteless, cringey, pointless. Like old dramas made in the 70s.
Over the top mother and jobless son are supposed to be the comic relief when in reality they make you want to cry.
The mean and absurd doctors who steal dissertations - yikes'
The whole criminality behind the Macau murder - was it meant as a child’s play?
And finally the romance- seriously if you are married and uncomfortable kissing other men in your chosen career then do the audience a favor and stop accepting romantic roles.
The FL has the expression of Atlas carrying the burden of the earth - sad, sorrowful- and this has nothing to do with her depression.
The ML struggles thhhrough the romantic scenes. His antics in other scenes bring some oxygen to this claustrophobia.

I really wish they would display the meds which the psychiatrist prescribed for the FL because by the end of the 7th episode I’ll be needing the same.

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interesting plotline, bad execution

When I saw this on Netflix I was elated. I mean, two academic rivals meeting each other again at the lowest point of their lives resulting in them finding solace in each other? AND falling in love in the process? That's literally my cup of tea. Unfortunately, I ended up being disappointed.

First and foremost, I disliked the romance. I barely felt anything between the leads. Their chemistry was nonexistent. I could tell they were going for a slow-burn romance. But where were the subtleties that makes a slow-burn a GOOD slow-burn? Instead we have Jeong Woo ignoring his own feelings towards Ha Neul, knowing deep down he likes her. Girl, the whole world knows you like her. I'm tired of those clichés.

The theme surrounding mental health was well explained. However, the comedic aspect ruined it all; it felt off-putting. Though, maybe that's just a preference considering I love mature dramas without comedy more than whatever-this-is.

Ending my review as I've only watched 5 out of 16 episodes

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Simply not good

I think the whole idea of this drama was better on the creator's head. Good idea to bring some awareness about mental health issues and many other factors that a doctor might have to go through their career.
Sadly, very bad executed.

I really love fun and cheesy dramas, don't get me wrong. This one was just cringey and sometimes fun (barely). The acting was not good, many scenes felt forced and rushed, the romance evolved in a way that doesn't catch you kicking your feet because of how cheesy it is.

Watching it felt like they were going in one direction and then suddenly make this rough change when you are starting to "connect" with what's going on, if it was more organized, maybe I could have been better, but it was really messy and hard to watch. I was forcing myself to watch it just because I wanted to know more about how was he sabotaged in his surgery, but it is not worth watching the whole thing.
Boring, pretty female lead, male lead feels like a cheap copy of the male lead of our beloved summer back to school, good OST.
Simply, not good.

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"If there’s sadness, there will always be happiness as well."

The emotional attachment I felt for this drama and characters is beyond comprehension. I cried when they held hands for the first time...i CRIED because they HELD HANDS
At first, I was hesitant to start 'doctor slump', there were so many low and average reviews, people saying it got tiring half through the season or that the characters weren't enjoyable to follow. It's safe to say I disagree with most (if not all) of it. 

For the first time, I felt what those characters were feeling, I was happy when they were happy and sad when they were sad. I cared for them the same way I care for a friend. Watching 'doctor slump' was like living through these people's lives with them, suffering but also fighting for happiness with them. My knowledge of english is not enough to express how I feel about this story. I've never felt so strongly about something in my life lol 

Even though I gave it a 10 and it is definitely my favorite kdrama I've watched so far, it did have a single con, but it was easy to overlook since what I loved about it was way stronger than anything else. My only complaint is the childlike attitude these characters in there 30s have towards a relationship, which happens quite often in kdramas, but it felt exaggerated in this one (they kissed like 2 times and got shy about it even after months of dating, like bffr).  With this out of the way, everything else was everything I needed it to be. I liked every single character, bad or good, they had a purpose to be there, and I didn't feel the need to skip a single second of it. I enjoyed every scene with Haneul's family and with 2FL and 2ML, and as someone who tends to find side stories too boring, i was surprised and satisfied. 

The ending was also satisfying. I'm always scared to start a new kdrama and be disappointed by the last episode (business proposal, im looking at you).

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Rays of sunshine on a rainy day kind of drama. Little cliffhanger, but keeps one emotionally engaged

Very nice story with mostly realistic depiction of mental struggles. Quite relatable if one has been in a depression or cared for someone in a depression before. The story mostly makes sense and while the characters don't always behave rational, they do behave in ways that are relatable and human, giving the circumstances.

The overall tone of the drama is still uplifting and a ray of light in the gray fog type of thing. It never gets full on tragic and bleak or sad moments are always followed by specks of hope following them. This way the story writers prevent the "phase (/feeling) of totall hopelessness and everything is bad" that often is done in such dramas as a stark contrast before a happy end, even though it is a drama about two ppl at the lowest point in their live.

I must also say that I'm a sucker for relationships that help both ppl becoming better versions of themselves and giving strength, even though new romantic relationships are a very risky thing in these types of moments in reality (the mental instability types).

Ignore the music rating. I did not really pay attantion to that, so i just put (8/10) there as a number was required.

This might end up being my new comfort drama for when i need an escape from daily life.
Definetly recommended.

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