A political drama in disguise, The Great White Tower explores the machinations and dealings of the inner circles of Japanese medical universities. But on the other hand just like any typical medical drama, it also explores the moral dilemma of doctors, specifically when their personal interest clashes with the needs of patients. In retrospect, It is certainly not a terrible drama, however I think that it is also undeserving of its score and acclaim.

The plots tells of the protagonist, Zaizen, and his ascension to professorship in a famous medical university, and his ultimate downfall. The drama connects Zaizen's rise to power to a larger plotline concerning the exorbitant usage of bribery and blatant corruption. It is a typical depiction of "absolute power corrupts absolutely" and is probably an allegory for the large amount of corruption that exists in the modern Japanese medical society. It criticizes a system that only enables those with money and/or connections to advance in a society. It paints Zaizen as an ambitious villain who only cares about himself and puts up a facade around others while the other protagonist, Satomi, as a worthy doctor who cares about his patients and is willing to give up personal benefit for the sake of others. This type of blatant vilification to the audience is the primary issue I have with this drama, and in general, most other dramas.

In the drama, Zaizen and Satomi are depicted as polar opposites of each other. Zaizen is portrayed as a pragmatic, utilitarian man who only cares about his person agenda, while Satomi is portrayed as a selfless caring man who is willing to give up personal benefits for the sake of others. To audience, Satomi, as a morally correct character, is much easier to relate to than Zaizen, even though in reality, the two characters are fundamentally the same, as they are both principled men who are driven by their personal desires (and yes I do believe that altruism, at the end of the day, is just a different form of personal fulfillment). To the audience, Satomi is a better doctor, because of his character traits, than Zaizen is, even though Zaizen possesses incredible surgical skills and is more than qualified himself. In the early episodes regarding the female character who later died of cancer, Satomi tries everything he can to prolong her life while Zaizen just dismisses her as a lost cause, and he makes the argument that it is better to focus his attention on others instead. This is the classic trolley dilemma, and there is no right answer to this. But because Zaizen is painted as the "villain" in the series, to the audience, his inhumane viewpoint must be incorrect and Satomi's viewpoint on the other hand, is the correct approach. This type of railroading to the audience is something I've grown to hate, and it is annoying to see it throughout this entire series.

Moving on to the music. I must tell you that I was so tired of hearing Amazing Grace by the end of this show. The over usage of this just makes me sick. Incredibly unimaginative.

Some other nitpicks include the dialogue in the one supposedly "deep" episode with Zaizen visiting Auschwitz. I mean, seriously? It's almost as the Japanese army never committed any atrocities of their own during WW2.

Overall not a terrible drama. You get what you expected with the rise and fall of an ambitious character. But I don't believe at all that it is as good as others make it to be.