Reviews

A Deep & Real Look Into the Heart of Cardiology Doctors

First things first, I have to say that I had my doubts when I first heard about this medical drama but that all went away the moment I watched the first episode. I thought it would be another rom-com disguised as a medical drama but it truly is a real medical drama focused on the doctors' and patients' stories and personal growth, while also focusing on the journey of healing. The romance is not a large part of the drama and doesn't overshadow the important story about all the medical staff and patients. It really is what the drama promotes itself as and I really love that. It is no wonder why this drama has such a high rating on China's Douban drama rating site but it is a shame that not more international audiences are watching. It is really a hidden gem!

More detail on why this drama is such a great watch:

First, the story! The script was thoroughly written and you can tell that the writers put effort into making sure all the medical procedures and terminology are correctly portrayed. I also saw online and in interviews that the writers spent 2 years working on this script and the main cast spent a month learning relevant cardiology information at a real hospital. The writers also regularly consulted real cardiologists to write the different scenarios with the patients so that they are medically correct and not some plot device. The patient's stories are dramatic but feels like it could happen in real life. As you watch all the surgery and hospital scenes (which is almost 90% of the drama), you can immediately tell that a lot of time was spent on getting everything accurate, whether it is the actors or the set. It is very obvious in every scene in the hospital that there was a good effort put into everything, and that is why the story is even more engaging and real. Even without knowing all that, the patients' stories themselves were heartwarming and touching as well. They manage to make you connect with each patient and get you emotionally attached to them so you can't help but feel anxious, worried, and engaged in each episode. That is how I ended up binging almost 10 episodes in a day because I just couldn't help myself. Not only that, but be prepared to shed tears (lots of tears) as medical dramas always involve talking about life and death :(( I cried multiple times throughout the drama and it still hurts to think about it. Get tissues ready and be prepared to love these patients! However, also be ready to enjoy a good dose of humor at just the right moments! The writers did not forget to add some sunshine in the middle of the heavier topics. Moreover, the story also includes the hospital politics between doctors and also makes you ask questions about a doctor's motivations. The drama really covers all topics related to the doctors and patients in a very fluid and

Next, the actors! I haven't watched Mark Chao since Ten Miles or Mao Xiao Tong since Princess WeiYoung but I know their acting skills so I knew that they would be pretty good. But Jin Shi Jia was a pleasant surprise to see. All three had amazing chemistry together and I really enjoyed all the scenes they had together. I really love the Xiao Feng x Xiao Ran x Lin Yi combo. I could not get enough of their scenes. Whether it is bromance or romance, they pulled it off incredibly! Xiao Feng and Xiao Ran are very cute siblings while Xiao Ran and Lin Yi are adorable bickering. All three actors were convincing in their roles and performed above and beyond in conveying the complex emotions of being a doctor and their character's struggles and backgrounds. I really felt for each of their personal stories, particularly Xiao Feng and Lin Yi. The writers did amazing and fleshing out each character so that you can relate to their decisions and dilemmas. You will find yourself loving each character. The love lines were also nicely done! The coupling between Xiao Ran and Lin Yi felt natural and they are just too shippable. I wish they could have had more sweet scenes. However, I didn't enjoy Xiao Feng and Chen Yue love line as much but it wasn't too bad. I just loved seeing the personal growth of Xiao Feng, Xiao Ran, and Lin Yi in the episodes and I miss them already. The supporting roles all did great as well. They are not well-known actors but they really brought their characters to life, whether they had a lot of screen time or not.

Another thing is the OST, filmography, and sets. The bgm and OST were written beautifully and with deep and relatable lyrics. My heart hurts each time I listen to it yet I can't stop playing it on repeat. The bgm was also nicely composed and played at all the right moments to pull on your heartstrings and make you bawl. It hurts.. :( The director also did great in building the sets and filming the surgeries and hospital. I saw a behind the scene and some of the drama was filmed at a real hospital to make it look more real. I really appreciate the crew's hard work in making every little detail as real as possible. It really made everything feel more real and pull you into the story.

Overall, this drama is a great way to learn more about the cardiology department and about doctors' struggles. For example, I had no idea there were two different departments within cardiology- cardiac and cardiology. So, it was an eye-opening experience to learn about how those two departments work together. The drama does an excellent job at talking about the relationship between doctors and patients, and doctors with doctors themselves. It touches on doctors' career prospects on top of all this as well. Basically, this drama covers so many different aspects in a very real and grounded way. It really makes you ask your heart, or wen xin like the Chinese title says. Please give it a try if you like medical dramas!

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The lives of people living in Jeju

It's the stories of people's lives. Mostly their struggles in life.

It's about connections between people and growing up poor and struggling to make a living and relationships and families. There's a lot of sadness and illnesses and mental health issues. Things we all face.

But there's hope as well.

It's not a depressing show or anything like that. It's not one of those shows where it wallows in misery, pain, and depression. It shows people finding strength to overcome or live with such pain and move on with their lives. There's a realism to many of these stories and I definitely can relate to many of these stories myself.

The music reminds me of Il Postino.

The character that I most align with is Dong Seok. I can feel his anger and pain and what a terrible life he has lived. But with each story, there is hope and strength.

It's not a show that will have you crying every episode. Far from that. It shows many facets of human lives that each of us can relate to and shows what it is to be human.

I skipped several of the latter episodes centering on the kid.

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Emotionale Story wunderschön erzählt

Die Charakteren sind allesamt super interessant und auch die Nebenrollen besitzen Tiefe.

Die Story ist schön und zart erzählt. Mit den Gefühlen der Zuschauer*innen wird gespielt, aber auf eine gute Art und Weise. Ich dachte, ich bin schon abgehärtet, aber bei dieser Serie musste ich weinen. Das zeigt aber auch, wie authentisch die Schauspieler*innen alles rübergebracht haben und wie gut die Arbeit auch hinter der Kamera ist.

Ich kann es nicht richtig beschreiben, aber diese Serie hat einen sehr internationalen Stil. Die verschiedenen Stilmittel und Kameraführungen machen sie sehr künstlerisch.

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If there's a typical SOAP OPERA style Kdrama, this is one of them.

This show is way too long for no reason, and the finale was irritating as hell. I hate when they're doing another totally unnecessary drama in the finale. The basic of the story was great, it had its potential, and even tho the acting was great, the writer should be ashamed of herself, honestly. Laziest writing every, probably. If this wouldn't be a show with Sejeong, I would've stopped watching it after episode 10 or so. Or even sooner.

I won't even bother to write more about it because it's frustrating and if the writer were lazy, why should I do more than her? All I can say: If you love Kim Sejeong, watch the show, she's great, but if you're not a fan of her, just skip it.

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A Reincarnation Saga with Fantasy Element

Adapted from the webtoon “The Moon that Rises in the Day” (낮에 뜨는 달) by Hye Yoom (헤윰), ENA’s new drama “Moon in the Day” is a heartbreaking, remorseful romance that transcends over centuries. Starring Pyo Ye Jin and Kim Young Dae in lead roles, the storyline depicts the story of a vengeful spirit seeking retribution for his wrongful death. The main actors portray two different characters, from variant timelines. It has been an eventful week with quite a few new premieres like “Castaway Diva”, “Perfect Revenge Marriage” and “The Matchmakers”. Certainly, the show has a tall order to compete with when compared to those recent releases. What works in its favor is the rustic chemistry between the main actors. The script is slightly odd paced, but that doesn’t take away the fact that the characters are intriguing and their backstory is equally riveting. We are given glimpses of their past lives as the first two episodes concentrate on the character’s present lives. As unlike as they are, Kang Young Hwa and Han Jun Oh aren’t peas in the same pod. Let’s dive into this narrative and learn more about them!

Read the complete article here-

https://kcdramamusings.wordpress.com/2023/11/03/moon-in-the-day-first-impressions/

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Slowing down admist all the hustle and bustle [of dramaland]

Meet Yourself is likely the type of show where you’d either love it to the moon or feel meh about.

To some, 40 episodes of a healing drama is too long; to a few others, the show probably inspire them to take intentional steps, as required, so they’d be able to appreciate the things that matter to them, before it’s too late.

For me, I quite like Meet Yourself for its lovely characters, awesome cinematography, mature romance, and nuggets of wise conversations…but it has to catch me at the right mood. Even this review has been a long time coming, which ironically fits into the show’s iconic slow pacing.

First things first, on the story premise, we follow Xu Hong Dou journey of healing in Yunmiao Village after feeling burnt out from the grief she felt of her best friend’s death. As she settled in and eventually got “coaxed” to take up an advisory position to assist the local cafe, she started to get more involved in the affairs of people at Yunmiao Village. And then, slowly but surely, Xu Hong Dou felt pockets of fresh air from this place and people, which gave her the energy to connect with herself and begin again.

While there may seem that the stories were unfolding in its own timing and there are many moments in the show that seems more like local tourism MV promotion, I’d say that’s how life kinda is. After all, we don’t necessarily stop to hear or remember the stories of people we deal with in our day to day life. Only when the interactions increase and we start to care about these stories of people who were once strangers to us would we then feel the impact in our hearts. It’s not a process that we can and should rush. And this is the timing that Meet Yourself follows - through Xu Hong Dou’s lens and timing.

Each character’s arcs and stories make Yunmiao Village a warm place. And the greatest anchor is Xie Zi Yao, a promising young lad who had the capability, heart and determination to work on his vision - a vision that Xu Hong Dou seems to understand and support. Neither of them were looking for romance. Yet, they found life is better with each other in it.

In the world of hustle bustle, in real life or drama land, Meet Yourself firmly cement itself as the place that everyone wants to rest and relax in, but unsure if they want it for that long. Still, I’d recommend everyone to give it a shot - perhaps at some point of your life, Meet Yourself may be what you need to reconnect with what you want to work towards to and what matters to you.

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The Cast is Better than the Storyline

I think the scores are so high because of the MLs’ enormous popularity as well as a really fine cast. On this level, I did enjoy myself watching the actors have a great time with their parts. The problem for me is the writing is uneven, with too much repetition, some frankly boring scenes esp at the beginning that stretched, and way too many episodes. This series would have been stronger if much shorter and better focused. I had an okay time watching it, but—though I love both the leads—I would never watch it again, and that’s my personal test case for a great film or series.

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Expectations Vs Reality.

Before i say anything else, I'll let y'all know that for me(someone who's watched countless dramas prior to this) this was most probably the hardest drama I have ever had to rate.
Honestly, i could've given this a 10/10, but at the same time i could've given it a 1/10.
Why? Reason being the ending.
And I'll j leave it at that.

Getting into the review, this is basically a reality check of a drama trying to tell us how irl even the "MCs" or protagonists don't get the ending they want always. cuz irl there rly aren't any protagonists to begin with. everyone gets treated alike in this life and there're no "chosen ones". One sad and tragic but real story. Leaves you pondering.

P.S. A friendly advice. Prepare some tissues if you chose to watch the entire show. All the best!

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So So Painful , So So Stressful Yet one of the Greatest Drama I know

Let me just say that I was too late that I have just finished it now ! I did not know that this drama is so good. like everything that I am looking for is in this drama, I know it is not perfect and there are many things about it that other people doesn't find good, but for me it is so good that even now whenever I hear the OST my eyes becomes teary and whenever I see the lead actors with their smiles , I feel sad .. This drama has left something in my heart that I believe I will always remember wherever I go.
The story is somehow predictable for me because long way before I watched this, I have watched so many Historical dramas that has a close plot like at first the leads are not in love at each other and then later on they will be attached and be together, also the main male lead will face so so many struggles and trials before he is to be a King at the end - thing but what makes this drama different is the sadness , the stress ! , Like I've watched the red sleeves and it was sad but this was sadder , and I watched love in the moonlight where so many rebel happening but there but here it was not just one but two ! I watched empress Ki where there was a fight on who will be the next empress , but here it was so sad that Hae Soo did not became the empress .. and the thing that broke my heart is that everyone is dying ! The Damiwon that once filled with laughter of the princes becomes place of hiding and sadness.
Due to many dramas that I have watched , the enemies of the main leads here did not affected me that much coz I know that at the later part they will be destroyed .. i just waited for the main lead how will they destroy all of their enemies.
My favorite part here was when the 4th Prince Wang So did the ritual for the rain to come .. I got so so excited when it actually rained and then the Emperor acknowledged him finally ! coz I felt bad for him at first that he was being abandoned and pushed away by his parents.
It is just funny that almost all of the princes are into Hae Soo, when she came to that part where she was being blamed for everything that is happening, it is exactly true as I come to think of it, like she has a part on everything. The Love story was good for me but just like on the red sleeves it was the female lead that makes everything hard for the King .. like Hae Soo could've just had wished Emperor GwangJong to marry her right away so that she no longer have to get married to Prince Jung, also she could've had just held on to the emperor and waited , at least that's what I am going to do if I were Hae soo, and I hated the part where Hae Soo had a scar on her wrist that she can never marry the King .. that was so annoying and stressful .. but all in all IU did great job here , it was really promising and she is so pretty, the love story was just too sad, specially when Hae Soo died . When The Emperor encountered his daughter to Hae Soo, I still cry even right now writing this remembering that scene ..
When the former head of Damiwon lady Oh died, it was also one of the saddest thing happened .. she is like a mother to Hae soo come to think of it 2 motherly woman close to Hae Soo died so so sad I cried a lot here one the 1st wife of 8th prince Lady Hae.. her heart mus be so broken knowing that her husband did not loved her and seeing that her husband is into another woman , smiling to another woman, when she died and her husband was crying saying everything he did for her was love I wanna slap his face for real !
Speaking about 8th Prince Wook .. his only fault is being too slow to move for Hae Soo and being coward for her .. it is just too sad that he ended up being like that but if I am to label who is good and who is bad .. Wook is indeed the good man here .. and everything will be better I guess if Hae soo ended up with him
The friendship of 10th prince and Hae soo here made the drama lighter and colorful, but I also felt sad when the 10th prince died when he is growing fond of his wife the daughter of the general. I just hoped that there was a chance for the 10th prince and his wife to have a highlight story , also Chae Ryung and the 9th prince.
Come to think of it everyone in this drama became so sad and had a very sad ending only Hae soo and the Astronomer Ahjussi went out of the story and got back to the present, what is it? is it like they have just walked into the lives of the past persons or something ? This drama is somehow mysterious and the ending makes me think that a part 2 is good if given a chance but even without it is okay , the ending is just as expected and is just right and I am satisfied
Also I want to add one of my favorite part here is when Emperor Gwangjong was on his mother The Queen 's side when she was about to die , saying that he the abandoned prince was in the end the only one her mother the Queen's side on her last breath and that it was the Emperor's revenge, I cried a lot on that scene .. specially when he told his mother that he will spread that he is the only favored son of his mother and the he is loved dearly by the queen until he became the emperor .. that scene was .. OMG mixed emotions .. no I don't know how will I ever be able to move on on this drama..
and yeah I guess that's all I have say for this , just so sad drama , so stressing , specially when Wang So became Emperor , its so stressful .. yeah ..
all in all another sad drama yet a memorable one .. if you are to watch this late like me pls. be prepared ♥

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An Open Ended Mess of a Story that Disappoints

I was looking forward to watching this drama from all the trailers and teasers I had seen plus it also staring Suzy who is one of my all time favorite idols so I was instantly drawn into it. The drama started off so strong with excellent character introductions and development, the characters felt real and relatable with each conversation and scene feeling natural. The development between the relationships felt perfectly timed and with roadblocks being resolved quickly. All of this was up until Episode 7, that was when the writing and the characters became a complete mess. Each decision the leads made felt like a slap to the face in everything that was established in the first six episodes. Everything the writers were building up to that point they just tossed into the garbage and forgot about it from there. In some instances, the characters felt completely different from the ones the drama started off with initially.

Open Ended endings when done correctly are a fantastic however this one was not done correctly, it was done so poor that it requires the viewer to go back and watch the drama or look up on the internet about what actually happened. Having invested time into these characters and their story only for it to end on the most flat open ended endings I have ever seen out of any media I have ever watched or played. To put it plainly, it was like buying a scratch off lottery ticket and instead of it saying "You Win or You Lose" it instead told you "You maybe won or You maybe lost". This drama's story required a defined and resolute ending to its story, this was not a science fiction drama that could have questions left unanswered nor some cop drama which left an investigation's potential culprit a mystery. I could have overlooked all of the mistakes and mess that was made during Episodes 7, 8, and 9 if the ending was not some vague nonsensical mess that required a re-watch of previous scenes or a web search to have it be resolved.

One of the best thing about the drama is the cast it had. Suzy knocked it out of the park with her performance as the titular character Doona. she played the role of the fallen out of grace idol that was a complete mess perfectly. Yang Se Jong as Won Jun was great as well, his problems of having to help Doona put the pieces of herself back together throughout their relationship and having to bare the burden of giving up everything for her felt very relatable. Ha Young as Jin Ju was a great secondary love interest that in my honest opinion, was the much better choice for Won Jun in all honestly. The rest of the supporting cast was great as well, they really did a great job in contributing to the story. One minor disappointing thing was that the drama never revealed the relationship of Doona and Won Jun to Won Jun's bestfriend Su Jin who was Doona's biggest fan. It was a missed opportunity, which the drama had several of those unfortunately.

The soundtrack itself was solid with it being an all around great OST, there isn't really any stand out tracks other than Ordinary Days which itself was performed by Suzy and Daylight by BIG Naughty. The cinematography was perfect, everything about the drama's production was high quality. Also excellent job in being able to show the emotions of the characters through camera shot styles, its rare seeing a drama being able to do that.

All around, I wish this drama didn't throw away all the great work in started with in the first six episodes. Had they continued with that pace, this drama had the potentials to be one of the greatest drama's of all time but unfortunately the drama self sabotaged itself leaving myself and many more viewers disappointed and unfulfilled.

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Realistic & touching

I hardly write reviews but I feel this drama is too underrated and doesn't do it justice. The stories that happened in the hospital and the characters are realistic and often touching and the acting of the 3 leads are fantastic. It reminds me of ER somewhat but it focuses on cardiology and 3 people, their growth, their change, their bond in the hospital. Story moves along much better than a lot of costume or profession cdramas or and it is perfectly cast. I dropped a lot before about firefighters, pilots, lawyers, businessmen because they are just not up to par or at all interesting but this one I think it's very well made and written.

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Miracle ... a miracle of wasted chances

Luice, Lee So Rin and Min Shi Woo form a Love triangle ... which ends in the Nowhereland. Luice was smitten, but did nothing to get into a relation with Lee So Rin. While Min Shi Woo´s "position as the besti from schooldays is in love with Lee So Rin, but too afraid to confess out of anxioness to lose the friendship they have ... Understandable. Dut even he made no advances only childish or boyish testosterone games with Luice. This storyline could have been worth the 14 episodes. But there was no development, despite being hinted with "slaps".

When the cooperation between Luice and Min Shi Woo started, another storyline could work for 14 episodes ... it was handled like a nuisance sidestory. The cooperation caused too envy with Do Woon of N&S, the idol group Min Shi Woo is part of. But that storyline was touched and left in ? what really happend. The accid attack on Lee So Rin which got Luice injured. came quite out of the blue not really reasoned.
And Do Woon, the actor Moon Ji Yong can do fae better, made as for the storyline anattempt of jealousie but it stayed as attempt when talking with the injured girl idol ro be.

Luice´s managers created a tax scandal and left him with nothing. This storyline could be okay for 14 episodes too ... but it was dealt like something on the sideline like orddering water for a meal.

The problems within N&S could have been better written and staged ... but the end ? Like the acid attack out of envy went into smoke and All is Good ending.
The friction within the group could have been worth for more and a general look into the idol/K Pop industry. But nothing. This storyline could do for an own show of 14 episodes. Despite the shown pressure and physical stress for the idols and trainees. And how they can become broken personalities. But such is not easy to "wash away" and the offered solution is just a joke. As the storyline.

And with all the Good ending the love triangle ended open and unsolved/undealt with on a stage ... but in nowhereland.

Given the shitt storyline the direkting was okay and the actors played their roles in the given frames like templates, but good enough that it wasn´t too obvious.

Rewatch value? If you have to kill time and nothing better to do.

Even days after watching and writing the review srill I am searching the miracle the show was named after ... evtl. I have overlooked it and someone else may have seen it ... ? ...

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