PERFECT
Everything is so perfect for me! Thank you to all the cast and crew for working so hard to make this beautiful drama!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️I pray that this drama will receive many awards in the future! For screenwriters and directors, stay healthy so you can produce more good drama. Can't wait for season 2!! ......................................................................................................................................................
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Nothing to say about the band music tbh. Really excellent concept of finding all the catchy past hits and bringing them back to life. I also liked how the screenplay adapted with the flashback scenes giving us some Reply series feels.
Overall, really good series that you can enjoy comfortably. Looking forward to the cast's chemistry again in Season 2!
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A gem of a show. There's nothing like it.
I've rewatched it FOUR times, thats how much I love it. The story is simple but captivating. The acting is superb. The characters are endearing. It leaves you pining for the past but hoping for the future. And the music!!! Where else can you see a drama where the actors are really singing and playing musical instruments, and actually being great at it?!I am touched the most by IKJun and SongHwa's story. I cant wait for Season 2!
Please do yourself a favor and watch it. 😊❤️
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Outstanding, but infuriatingly unfinished
It's a brilliant, incredible yada yada show. The perfect casting meets with with the best creative talents the kdrama genre has to offer. There are plenty of 10/10 reviews very accurately depicting the awesomeness of the show, so I'll keep it short.The reason why it's not 10/10 for me is because I have gotten into kdramas specifically due to the fact that kdramas tell a somewhat coherent story in 16-20 episodes & usually they are light on the filler and the good ones give the audience closure. This show has been written with a second season in mind & it ends with a cliffhanger. The cliffhanger itself is not that offensive, but two of the three most important storylines are hanging in the air, unfinished. So yeah, the last episode was quite the maddening experience.
I really wish Netflix stopped trying to influence how kdramas are made..
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eh
I mean it was ok i guess, just not what i wanted , for me it was boring as hell and i dragged myself to end see 5 episodes.Boring , i cant understand how people can watch this and be like " my comfort drama, its so underrated' actually its so OVERRATED and for nothing......................................This is shit.................................... idk what to type so imma just use ............................................................if you like action kdramas or tension,like me , i dont recommend you this boring shit
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Overrated - Not worth the hype, time
Still wondering why both seasons of Hospital Playlist are so highly rated. I tried so hard to understand the hype, and eventually dropped Season 1 after 4 episodes, 9 months later. Heard from others that Season 2 was worse, so Season 2 is a no go for me.I have enjoyed medical dramas, and was looking earnestly to this much hyped Hospital Playlist. Alas, it was such a let down from get go at episode 1 with repairing the flickering light in someone's house (p/s: 4 episodes on, i still don't register who appeared at the start of episode 1), and it didn't get much better from episode to episode, that i simply have to drop it.
This drama is both a drag and a struggle - at a 90min run per episode, there is zero plot, and perhaps just 1-2 sprinkles of slice of life moments per episode.
For endearing slice of life moments, watch Move to Heaven and Racket Boys - there are plenty of slice of moments in much compact, compelling run.
For good chemistry among the cast, the coaches and racket teams in Racket Boys sizzle with good camaraderie and positive vibes. The cdrama The Untamed (陈情令) is also a standout with a bunch of passionate cast and crew bringing each and every character to life, and the viewers on an emotional roller coaster ride.
For medical genre, watch HK drama The Last Breakthrough (天涯侠医) from 2004 on doctors without borders, or the more recent 2019 Big White Duel (白色强人) peppered with life at the emergency dept and medical politics.
Even Singapore medical dramas The Oath (行医) on western medicine and TCM, and You Can Be an Angel Too (你也可以是天使) and The Caregivers (Missy 先生) on nurses are much more watchable and enjoyable. (p/s: why aren't Singapore dramas included in MDL?)
The only takeaway from me is the two OSTs: Aloha and Canon. Yet, i had actually singled those two OSTs just from sampling (read: listening only about a minute per song) the OST album a friend bought, even before i started on the drama.
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This review may contain spoilers
I'm absolutely hooked on this drama. I'm only on episode 6 right now, and not all the episodes are aired yet, but this has been such a strong drama from the start. There are no villains, and the story mainly focuses on the characters and their journey through life together. One of the strongest points that I absolutely am in love with is that our group is all in a band, and the songs that they practice with are all OSTs. The show brings us, the viewer, through the characters' medical school lives in the 2000s, thus bringing up all the memories associated with that era. Although I was barely alive during that time, the way the director portrayed their friendship and the oldie songs just made me nostalgic for memories I never had!! This drama might resonate better with the older crowd and those who have childhood memories of life in Asia.
The only gripe I have with Hospital Playlist is the large amount of character introductions and world-building in the first one or two episodes, but that simply can't be helped with a story of this scale. Otherwise, this is on the top of my list of favourite dramas for now. The OST, the characters, everything brings a silly smile to my face.
I strongly recommend this as a light-hearted piece, though it may be a little hard to follow with the large amount of characters. However, once you're invested in them, you'd want to watch it again to catch the little details you missed the first time around. I never rewatch dramas, but I will definitely be rewatching this one, especially if season 2 comes out.
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I typically enjoyed the scenes were all five main characters hang out together and you can see how strong their relationship is.
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This review may contain spoilers
A Warm & Easy-to- Watch Slice-of-Life Medical Drama
** Review for seasons 1 & 2!! **I know there are mixed reviews & feelings (as is the case with every drama ever made) but I personally enjoyed every minute of both seasons. The writers & cast did an amazing job drawing me in & making me feel so much with each scene.
The drama gives a beautiful glimpse into the lives of the doctors & their medical staff who sacrifice so much of themselves out of their genuine desire to help each patient.
The five main protagonists have the kind of bond that makes people think, “squad goals”. They don’t compete against one another, they aren’t jealous of each other’s accomplishments, nor do they ever allow one of their own to face hard stuff alone. They’re one another’s biggest fans & sources of comfort/support, always.
The love story of each squad member is wonderful as well. They’re not huge drama fests & I rooted for each couple the whole way. Some get together in the first season, others not until the end of the second season but that slow burn doesn’t at all detract from the chemistry. The romances aren’t the main focus, but rather a delightful bonus that I was totally there for.
The supporting cast is a pure delight as well. They’re all going through stuff & have their own histories & experiences they bring with them which adds to the story rather than detracting from it. From all the secondary medical staff to all the doctors’ families to the patients in each case - they each did a great job in their roles.
I also love that there are no evil villains or hospital takeover drama. No warring of the higher ups who value profit over life - no backstabbing or attacks to further personal agendas.
This is both heartwarming & hilarious - I swooned over the romance & friendships, while I also cracked up laughing so many times! Oh, & the doctor’s son is a total scene stealer & their father/son dynamic is absolutely precious!
PS - they have a band & we get to see them practice a ton, those scenes really help highlight the emotions of each episode. A great aspect to their group that adds so much to the show.
Enough of my ramblings. If you haven’t watched it yet, stop hesitating & push play! :)
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Masterfully produced drama with the odd chinks in the armour
I deliberately waited for the hype to die down before I watched this but seeing season 2 is in the pipeline I thought I'd better get a move on. By the way, when I wrote this, there is already 12 pages of reviews so I don't expect mine to stand out but seeing that I binged the show in 2.5 days, I thought I should at least leave a few words for prosperity. :)No doubt many of the reviews have highlighted the skilful story telling, the direction. the stellar cast, friendship, the feels, etc, etc. I totally agree with the bulk of the sentiments and it was an ode to the doctors, nurses and allied health professionals (standing ovation). However, I did find a few chinks in their shiny armour.
First of all, the show started very confusingly. The size of the cast and the physical setting was just too big. This drama had five central characters plus each had his/her staff and then you have administrators, other doctors (both senior and junior) and nurses in at least five departments (not counting ER). The hospital was also huge physically. You just don't feel like you know how the place worked. You were bounced from people to people, location to location. This did get better after a few episodes when you start to recognise faces and group them into cliques (this is from a non-Korean point of view).
Some reviewers have commented on this show being realistic. I am not going to argue every case but I found a lot of the time, surgeries were carried out on patients who literally had a consult the day before. That level of availability would be the envy of the whole world.
Finally, I wished the drama would deep dive into some of the issue de jour. From migrant worker health care to child abuse to injury/death by overworking (and more) were touched upon but almost all of them came and gone within a few scenes and not always with a resolution.
Otherwise, the show was designed to hit you with the feels and they definitely delivered. You would expect no less from the team that brought us so many top notch hit dramas.
BTW, it begs the question, was it a medical drama with a strong romance undertone or a rom-com set in a hospital?
Acting - fantastic.
Production value - excellent.
OST - loved it! You gotta laugh at the joke they played on the FL.
Rewatch - absolutely (maybe not every episodes)
One final thought, the last episode was extra long and I appreciated that they gave all the characters time and space to tidy up their own story arcs but while some questions were answered, more were left hanging so please bring on season 2! Ppalli ppalli!
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This review may contain spoilers
Best show in the long list of masterpieces written by Lee Woo-jung
Such a blend of slice-of-life, medical drama, music band, romance and friendship story doesn't seem like something that could work. But yet again Writer Lee makes everything possible together with a stellar cast and amazing director.The main strength of the drama is acting from main leads to supporting cast to all the patients that were there for an episode or two. Which is also thanks to the amazing script and carefully written stories. All of this makes it possible to emotionally connect with all the characters. That is often hard to achieve in medical dramas, since it often involves very serious moments which can get exhausting to the viewers after so many episodes. But the production team and actors managed to perfectly mix lightheartedness with serious emotional moments. The comedic timing here is impeccable both in every single conversation and episode as a whole.
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A gentle, funny and thoughtful drama with a big heart...
Hospital Playlist is a gentle, funny and thoughtful drama with a big heart. The casting is perfect, being both age appropriate and believable as doctors and friends of over twenty years. I enjoyed how the writer gradually reveals the character and back-stories of the five leads across the twelve episodes.The friendship between the five leads is well written and authentic. In real life, most of us have friends dating back to our student days despite not knowing every detail of each other’s lives or what they’re thinking. The writer has captured this, showing how the five of them accept each other without question. The one-to-one exchanges between the lead characters are quiet and thoughtful; and the eating, goofing around and band practice scenes with the five leads together are fun. I love the songs the band play each episode and applaud actress Jeon Mi Do’s (Song Hwa) singing - it can’t be easy for an accomplished singer to sing off-key without over-doing it.
Lee Ik Jun (Jo Jung Suk) is my favourite character; he's caring, selfless and the glue of the group. He also cares about his co-workers, his patients and their families, to the extent that he learnt sign language so he could communicate to his patient's young son. Time and again we see him putting other's needs before his own, first as a father, and as a friend and doctor. I love the scenes between Ik Jun and his son Woo Ju (Kim Jun). Woo Ju is totally adorable and the exchanges between father and son reveal another side of Ik Jun.
I also like the two mothers Rosa and Young Hye. In K-dramas the mothers of that generation are often portrayed as totally helpless with viewers left pondering the disconnect between their mothers' flaky characters and those of their children. But Rosa and Young Hye are both strong, smart and funny and would be the sort of mothers to have raised Jung Won (Yoo Yeon Seok) and Suk Hyung (Kim Dae Myung).
I dislike Jang Gyeo Wool and Ahn Chi Hong. The writer tried too hard to make Gyeo Wool special, for example, making her the only resident in a department of 8+ general surgeons – this is totally preposterous for a hospital the size and prestige of YULJE. There’s also zero chemistry between Gyeo Wool and Jung Won and the actress playing Gyeo Wool can’t act to save her life! Chi Hong is wet and his behaviour after Song Hwa turns him down is creepy and stalker-ish. Yuck!!
I enjoyed Hospital Playlist and seeing how and why Ik Jun, Jun Won and Suk Hyung became who they are. Since the characters Jun Wan (Jung Kyung Ho), despite his romance with Ik Jun’s sister and Song Hwa are still a mystery to me, I hope Hospital Playlist 2 will reveal more.
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