Soul Mechanic (2020)

Complete lack of chemistry between the leads spoils this one.

I took a chance on Soul Mechanic (“Fix You” on Viki) solely because it had Jung So Min in the lead and although I was ultimately disappointed with the drama, it wasn’t because of her. Jung So Min can play beautiful, shy and vulnerable with the best of them, but in this part she was also asked to express the anger and rage of someone in need of serious clinical help. It was shocking to watch in places, but she inhabited the character so completely that it was utterly believable (at least until the final few episodes, during which the script had Woo Joo somehow heal herself and get her life back together). Jung So min was lovely as usual. Her long wavy auburn locks were mesmerizing, and her quirky wardrobe with its long billowy dresses fit her personality wonderfully (although it was a tad hard to swallow that a struggling artist could afford those clothes and that apartment).

So what was the source of my disappointment with Soul Mechanic/Fix You? Well, for starters there was absolutely no chemistry between the lead characters Han Woo Joo (Jung So Min) and Lee Shi Joon (Shin Ha Kyun), which for a romantic comedy pretty much kills it. As I watched I couldn’t tell if the problem was with the actors, their characters, or the script. It just wasn’t there. Part of it could have been the cringey doctor patient relationship that the script tried to lamely explain away toward at one point. Part of it could have been that—even by kdrama standards—the romance between Woo Joo and Dr. Lee was incredibly tame (lame?), almost entirely platonic in nature. And part of it could have been the age difference between the actors Shin Ha Kyun and Jung So Min (15 years). They just didn’t look natural together. Speaking of age gap, I found it hard to swallow that Dr. Lee’s Dad was actually old enough to be his Dad. The two actors differ in age by 17 years, but they looked more like brothers. It was jarring and really affected the credibility of the story.

This is a weird show. It’s good in places, but ultimately unsatisfying. Fans of Jung So Min will see something they haven’t seen before, but some of it is not pretty to watch. Others will want to skip this one altogether.

Read More

A Good Insight On Mental Health

This is a good story with some great, simple messages regarding mental health. It's okay to admit you need health, there is nothing wrong with having issues, acknowledgement is the first step to recovery. And we learn that thanks to our great leads. Han Woo Joo is our POV of someone with severe mental health problems that need fixing but she is still basically a normal person, just like any other. Lee Shi Joon is our voice on how to recover and overcome these problems. He is an extremely friendly Dr who is a bit eccentric but a genius in terms of medicine. And the hook is that he, too, is suffering from Mental Health problems (PTSD). So we have perfectly normal, well adjusted human beings that aren't exactly well themselves. That's a great message to present. Hell, even our main antagonist is just a normal human being that just needs someone to talk to. The rest of the story is really great with the side characters, cases that Shi Joon has to deal with. The romance between the two leads is less love-lovey and more theraputic and helpful, adding to the story rather than it being more for lip service to the industry tropes. The story touches on some sentivie subjects such as suicide in many different ways, family abandoning each other because of mental health, etc. It's all played out with respect and conluded in interesting ways. Sometimes good, sometimes sad.

The acting was strong, Shin Ha Kyun in particular. There is a bit of an age difference, but similar to the themes of the drama, it's done in a respectful way, showing age is just a number if you're good for each other. Jung So Min was good in her role. Whether it was her relationship with Ha Kyun's character or her friend, she was very relatable in any role that was asked of her. Her "episodes" for a lack of a better word captured the vibe of the series as well as you could. It was upsetting at times, fustrating in others but it was always exactly what was required.

Would watch again.

Read More

Almost dropped this halfway but I'm glad I didn't

This series gave me a really unique experience. I love and hate it at the same time but more of the former. It started really slow to the point I've been putting it off as much as I could and almost dropped it but then at a certain point I just started loving it. I'll let you know what to expect on this series (without spoilers)

The things that I didn't like that much about the series are:
- The doctor-patient relationship. It kind of make me a bit uncomfortable. Their relationship seems a bit too far-fetched and to me they look more like patient-patient relationship however since the story shifted more about the patients' story, it became bearable. (Although I personally think there's no chemistry between them at all.)
- The first few episode have a vague storyline. I also didn't feel like the stories are not given depth but as I mentioned it gets better towards the end.


The things that I loved the most:
- Interesting concept of a medical drama set on Department of Psychiatry. It was definitely new to me and I immediately find it interesting.
- There were lots of touching moments. It is relatable and it makes you understand about human's emotions and thought process.
- The idea that treatment comes from oneself more than from the doctors themselves.
- The fact that the story also includes friendship, family and colleagues.

Overall, although I felt like it's a slowburn, there are still a lot of good reasons to see this series. I find it hard to finish it but I did and I love how the story turned out. It gave me a self healing and let me understand human emotions more and about mental health (It made me want to visit my psychiatrist again)

Read More

dissapointment

What I liked about this drama:

- the idea that the patient himself/herself is the best doctor and the best medicine - that you need to treat yourself well in order to live well (it seems simple, but in real life it's really not so obvious)

- the importance of finding a not so obvious passion and that passion serves other people (FL thought she is destined to be a musical star, but she finds joy of life in using her talent in psychodrama and thus helping sick people get better)

What I didn't like:

- some patient - doctor relations are at least disturbing

- the idea of romance between a psychiatrist and his patient is highly wrong and unethical, despite the fact the we - the viewers - believe in purity of ML (that also makes the script artificial - nobody in the right mind could approve such a thing... if it wasn't a tv fairy-tale... It's pretty weird to watch thou, how the rest of the doctors in the hospital are fine with such a relationship)

- the romance between two main protagonists is SOOO unbelievable that even script writers have problems to pull it off and thus we only have some talking bout love, but NO real dates, etc. - It kinda feels like the "romance" is here, cause they were too scaried to make a drama without it, even if it's completely unnecessary or even unethical due to the doctor-patient issues.

- for the whole show I felt that FL is far more annyoing/irritating than actually sick and her story is too watered down and has no good tempo

- other unnecessary romances (including a love triangle of 3 psyhiatrists in which every one of them doesn't confess his/her feelings... just beacause) - all pretty boring and giving no real depth to characters, their past, etc.

- the issue of using a patient "as a medicine" to help a ML get over his trauma for his patient suicide. Very sick and disturbing idea.

Overall, I was pretty dissapointed with the end result.

Read More

Good enough

" Soul Mechanic " was a pretty sweet drama.

It revolved around human relationships and the root of the psychological problems that the patients faced. And, they actually added many medical cases to support the main story, making it even more heartwarming and emotional. The main story itself was good, but the big hospital drama was just predictable and boring. The final ending had everything too easily resolved. Still, the romance was slow paced, which made it more realistic, and the couple had chemistry. But this drama didn't focus on the love story. Rather, it was more about family, friendship and hope. The cast, finally, did a great job with their performances.

So, overall, seven out of ten.

Read More

You don't always have to be bleeding for it to be an emergency.

A story about healing each other made kind of messy, but still works. I liked this drama since the 1st ep. aired and I will continue to do so forever. I, as a BPD patient myself, have felt this drama in a really personal way, so let me tell you what I think about it (honestly).

''Soul Mechanic'' is true to its name. It is such a heartwarming drama and it shows people the reality of mental illnesses.: they're no joke, they're real and no less than any other illness. In reality, people suffer and stuggle lot and they make sure to portray it perfectly through every different patient. Different illnesses, different obstacles, different healing. That's what I loved the most about this drama, it not only focuses on the leads but on every other supporting characters too.

The romance plays a little part of the story; I wouldn't say it's the main theme. Still, it's worth mentioning. I didn't see that many chemistry between leads, but it's enough to make it work. Their relationship is heartwarming and, at first, toxic, but they managed to make it work and I'm so happy it did. It's always nice to see that kind of development in a drama couple after seeing so many toxic ones.

The acting on this drama is amazing. The main male lead, Shin Ha Kyun, has such a friendly face and is perfect for the role he's playing, and the main female lead, Jung So Min, portrays a BPD patient really well and truthfully. It's not an easy one, keep that in mind, and what you'll see on this drama aren't ''exaggerations'' as many people may say. I'm telling you as a bpd patient myself, as I said before; bpd isn't an easy disorder. I've lost more than I've won. The anger issues are true and the attention seeking is too. So keep in mind, if you're gonna watch this, it's not too much. Is a struggle and this drama shows it rawly.

To end this review, as I don't want it to be endless, I'd like to say this drama isn't perfect. I've only stated the good parts of it because they make this drama pretty worthy of watching and I wouldn't want anyone to miss it, but it's true that some aspects of it (ex. Si Joon's way of treating his patients) may be controversial.
I also would like to encourage anyone with a mental illnes, whatever it is, to watch this drama. The message it gives it really encouraging and it made me feel a lot less alone in this world.

Read More

pretty sweet drama

●HOW I CAME TO IT
Well, this drama had been on my PTW, as being a medical background I automatically get trailed to the medical shows.

●STORY
It's basically a healing show where an FL is having a psychiatric issue, which ultimately leads to our ML, a well-known psychiatrist, and thus the story follows of healing and healed.

●PLOT VIEW
This is yet another drama about mental health issues, I was completely taken aback by the treatment approach of Dr. Lee, who always does cognitive therapy rather than medicinal treatment. Well, one part was good as this was the first drama where a doctor goes to extreme lengths in cognitive behavioral therapy but on the other hand excluding the medicinal approach of treatment is worse. As medicos learn the science and chemistry of each medicine and the human body, we understand its effects and side-effects, it's necessary to keep patients calm. We as medicos know better than the patients. If Dr. Lee had considered a bit of this, then his patient wouldn’t have ruined someone's life on award function.
Also, mental illness can be found in anybody, it can be found in those who are healing you too. The modern-day lifestyle has affected the medical staff. we hear a lot of them taking up their lives for various reasons, bullying, work stress, demotion, but we need to just take a step and get a SOUL MECHANIC, who understands and treats you.

●ACTING/CAST
All the characters were chosen very wisely and I loved all the characters. all the patients and the medical staff of the hospital did an excellent job.
Dr. Lee Shi Joon (Shin Ha Kyun) portrayed the doctor as a doctor with himself having a mental health problem amazingly well. when his face shined with a smile he looks like an angel to the patients.
Woo Joo (Jung so min) had an upbeat character with favorable facial expressions. I loved the scenes where she showed her Intermittent Explosive Disorder
Despite the age gap I still enjoyed their chemistry, it was natural, and their relationship blossoms into a kind of platonic romantic one which had an oozing friendship feel.

●MUSIC
It was found and well blended with scenes. keeping the atmosphere of the scene pretty well.

●REWATCH
Yes, this one deserves a rewatch, coz it's a medical drama. No other reasons for me.

●APPRECIATION
All the short stories are very interesting, maintains the balance of slow and steady stories from falling apart. The stage therapy was compelling to me and maybe I try it someday in the future too. It was inspiring to me as I too want to further my studies in psychology.
show's understated style and emphasis on the themes of healing and friendship rather than overdramatic romance, it was more about family, friendship, and hope.
And I admire the female lead, BFF who can stand being her friend given her toxic behavior. We often avoid toxic people, but what if they actually need our help

●CRITICISM
It would have been better if there was a clear concept of the diseases of the patients. Although most of them were imaginary, their elements could have been more perfectly blended if they had some medical expert advice. I wish the writer did more research and written it more beautifully.

●FAV SCENE
Woo Joo dance on the drum music to relieve the stress.

●QUOTES
A person who notices someone who is sick is someone who is even sicker - Woo Joo
There is a condition to full recovery, it that you must not try to forcefully erase your wounds, you must embrace, accept and love them - Dr. Lee Si Joon

●RECOMMENDATION
I recommend this to everyone who loves medical dramas. It might feel slow but it keeps its pace of healing excellently

●AFTERTHOUGHT
There are a lot of phobias, addictions, or mental health issues, which we don’t know but we have them. If any of these you have kindly consult a Psychiatrist, instead of fighting with it alone, seek help, and have a comrade in the form of a doctor.

Read More

those who give this above 5 must do not have any morals in there life

When our ML become 20 year old adult
jung So min was 5 year old baby
Gross pedophile vibe,
Every time ML smile he look like a prevert rapist, no even gross then that
with his not ugly but Dirtiest face he is getting Leads roles only because he is good at giving BJ to PDs well

Korean director favourite script include
INCEST, pedophiles, and relationship those give incest or pedophile vibes.

Psychology manipulation for getting sexual favours from clints
Hypnosis woman into your bed, thats call professional
Hospital was full of corruption, and cocksuckers for ML
Why ? because He ML and director order all cast to suck him dry whenever he ask for it
he start treating patient so he can make himself better and it Right thing
there isn't any Ethics in this show no medical services act


Doctor forcing his lust on female patients
Some Serious disrespect to medical professionals

Read More

a heads up for the first couple of eps.

SPOILERS FOR FIRST COUPLE OF EPS*
i started this drama for jung somin, but ended up dropping it because i saw how the story was going to play out and i didn’t like that. i hate how they’re going to end up together in the end…. i just don’t like dramas where teacher ends up with former student or doctor/therapist dates a patient… it just seems wrong?? and the way the two leads meet is one of the most irritating situations ever i feel like the writers just threw that in there just because. also don’t like how the male lead ends up treating her as a way to get over one of his own patients that committed suicide just to make him feel better ?? like this patient isn’t here to make you feel better you have to make THEM get better. yeah i just don’t fw the storyline so i had to drop it

Read More

Desde que soube sobre este dorama tive grandes expectativas, elas não foram frustradas. Sempre estou aberta a ver dorama sobre a mente humana, amo aprender, como o psicodrama por exemplo.

De cara vi a forma sensível e sutil de falar das doenças mentais e achei interessante o fato de sempre mostrar que todos podem ser pacientes até os médicos, isso humaniza o trabalho do psiquiatra. Também foi bom que em muitos momento também deixou claro que até eles as vezes precisam de ajuda.

Woo Joo que personagem complexa e difícil, Jung So Min fez com tanta maestria que por vezes pensei em como outra atriz não teria o mesmo resultado.

Shi Joon excêntrico com seu método pouco ortodoxo, me lembrava muito o filme Patch Adams que foi baseado na vida de um médico com mesmo nome. Sinceramente acho que o mundo precisa de médicos como ele. Uma curiosidade é que não reconheci o ator Shin Ha Kyun ele está tão diferente de seu personagem sério de Less Than Evil.

Poderia citar tantos ponto inspiradores e emocionantes para destacar, mas com certeza o episódio 12 foi o que me atingiu fundo, como mulher foi dolorido e as cenas de Shi Joon e o pai sempre me emocionaram

O romance me incomodou por ela ser sua paciente, não pela diferença de idade, já quem é bem inocente até, mais mesmo pela perspectiva médica e moral e sem contar que a relutância de a transferir a outro médico reforçou isso.

Sorri e me emocionei com o final, a mensagem sobre abraçar nossas cicatrizes foi linda. Espero que venha mais dorama sobre saúde mental na Coreia, quem sabe assim diminua o preconceito.

Read More

Sujet sensible (mais bien traité) et un casting d'enfer

Un drama différent, osant aborder le thème difficile de la santé mentale.
C'est bien écrit, pertinent, sensible, ... et mis en vie par des acteurs GENIAUX ! (notamment le ML = Shin Ha Kyun -remarquable comme toujours- et la FL =Jung So Min). Le ton se veut optimiste, positif et tous les cas abordés sont évoqués avec beaucoup d'humanité, de finesse.

On sent en arrière-plan une critique de la société coréenne, ultra compétitive dès l'école, tournée vers la culpabilisation à outrance, le tout induisant un stress extrême et une pression sociale et familiale intense. D'où le taux de suicides !

Dans tous les cas, je vous conseille fortement ce drama génial.

Read More