Kids' Lives Matter (2021)

Review Kids Lives Matter - MUST WATCH

dear viewers,

this is the 1st time I am writing a review, I heard from a friend that Kids Lives Matter's reviews are not very good.

I am so surprised. This is such a good drama, acting is perfect and it has its funny moments, funny, quirky and so heartwarming. Linda Chung is as good as ever, she is a wonderful actress, I literally cried and laughed with her and with all of the doctors as well.

definitely a MUST watch. good storyline very very humane and it has good mix of patients' lives and illnesses that can happen to any of us or our children for that matter.

I follow every episode so eagerly . Cant wait for the final 2 episodes/

Kudos to Kenneth Ma his acting gets better every day, so calm and focused. Like his character so much.

Kevin cheng is so cute in this drama, very unassuming.

Catherine Chau is very very good as well. her straight face look yet with so much substance.

Him Law is doing well, his role is different from his norm and I like it

All in all i give this drama a 10/10.

Please watch. you will like it.

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While not perfect, it is a quality production that deserves more attention and likes

This may not be the perfect medical drama, but it is a quality production that deserves more attention and likes than just the 370 watchers it currently has.

What are good:
1. The story is multifaceted on various heartbreaking cases of kids needing surgery at an established hospital, and layered with the reality of healthcare affordability and accessibility for the privileged and the less privileged, and politics in the hospital administration and procurement.
2. The drama is not all dark and gloomy throughout, with two very fun loving and responsible doctors played by Kevin Cheng and Linda Chung, who not only brighten up and bring laughter to the kids awaiting surgery at the hospital, but also bring and give them hope of recovery.
3. Stellar cast and performance by the four main leads. Ex-TVB anchor leads Kevin and Linda returned to a TVB drama after leaving TVB for at least 5 years or more and effortlessly charm the sick kids in the drama and viewers with their goofy, fun, kind, loving hearts and sizzling chemistry and budding romance between them. Linda’s loss was heartwrecking. Kenneth Ma and Catherine Chau, exude professionalism of senior doctors juggling between hospital politics and giving the patients the best treatment.
4. See Kenneth in his 14th doctor role, and how he has matured from his inaugural doc role as a junior pediatric doc in rural Guangxi in The Last Breakthrough (also a TVB anniversary drama in 2004, and my fave medical drama (read more in my separate detailed review)) to a senior pediatric surgeon at an established hospital in this drama.
5. Very detailed surgery scenes, showing the professional details and production quality of this drama.
6. It currently has a douban rating of 8.8, with a high of 9.1.

What are not so good:
It takes a lot of courage to finish watching this drama:
1. The very detailed surgery scenes can be disturbing for some viewers – try to avoid watching during meal times.
2. Too many surgery cases, almost one surgery per episode, with the mechanical opening surgery scene of a surgical knife slitting on the skin, with blood oozing out.
3. The many realistic stories of kids needing surgeries, the helplessness of the parents, and inability for the less privileged to access treatment can be too heartbreaking for some viewers to continue the drama.

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i really like the plot and how the director present it. It is a standard and expected flow but is precisely this standard and expected flow which makes the drama easy to follow and yet at the same time leave room for thinking, so it is not boring. There are some clinche theme yet also inserted some twists in which caught me off guard. Not those 180 degrees twist that leave lasting impression but are those small ones dropped here n there that touches my heart deeply and I feel with the characters. They make use of writing technique 前呼后应 n 起乘转合 which makes it easier to appreciate the drama from a literature aspect. Of course their ending is also short but at least is sweet. Although again is a very clinche and standard expected ending, but at least is a proper one. First time aft so long, I hope a drama can have a part 2.

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Satisfying Watch

TVB did themselves gold again, this show is definitely a good comeback!

I stopped watching TVB dramas for awhile because the standards dropped, both in storyline and cast. But this time, they had the tenured cast, Linda and Kevin back, and everything is a literal win. Together with Kenneth, who's always a strong cast, this drama had me waiting and chasing for daily episodes.

There is a good balance between the medical (hospital) scenes and budding romances. Each character had their own personality and quirks, and it was really relatable and comfortable to watch. There's also a good mix of main and supporting role so there really isn't overpowering emphasis on anyone. Although I'd have preferred if we could have a continuation storyline to see how relationship would develop for each couple, everything else was just right!

Keeping the review short, this is definitely a good watch.
(Also, Linda's performance here is beautiful.)

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A Well-Rounded Medical/Slice-of-Life Drama

8.25 rating

Having grown up watching Hong Kong TVB dramas, I haven’t watched any in 20 years. I finally decided to pick up “Kids Lives Matter” after reading some good reviews and comments. With dramas so accessible these days, I am glad I don’t have to rent or subscribe to my local Chinese TV station. I watched this on YouTube (USA region).

I would say “Kids’ Lives Matter” is part medical drama and part slice-of-life drama. For better or for worse, it is a well-rounded one. The drama not only touches on medical cases and patients, but also focuses on friendships, family relationships, slight romance and hospital politics. If you want a little of everything, this is a good drama for you. But if you want to watch exciting action and in-depth discussion of mysterious and complicated medical cases, then you might not be satisfied.

I found the whole drama to be very calm. Compared to other Asian and Western medical dramas I’ve watched, I don’t feel a sense of urgency in the cases (even the supposedly urgent ones). The hospitals look brightly lit and clean, everyone has big offices with sweeping views. This PUBLIC teaching hospital looks like a fancy hotel or office in a skyscraper. Even if the drama focuses on pediatric surgeons with cute wallpapers and stickers in the pediatric ward, everything is just too squeaky clean.

Though it’s lacking in intensity, I do find a lot of heart in this drama. The cases might not be heart-pumpingly exciting, but the patient stories and their relationships with the doctors are great. There are a couple cases that I especially like, e.g. a mother wishes her daughter’s tumor is bigger so that she can qualify for government subsidy, or the double liver transplant of the two boys who became friends. I also like seeing how the surgeries are performed on a smaller screen and can still see the actors' faces during the surgery. Having the name of the surgery displayed in English and Chinese is also great.

There’s quite a lot of hospital vs. med school vs. doctors politics in this drama. From start to finish, politics is behind everything. When the Hard Team is created, I thought I would see more exciting ‘hard’ cases but I am sorely disappointed. And who names a team “Hard Team”? What an unoriginal and crappy name for a team of elite doctors. The purpose of Hard Team seems to be all about power struggles, and not so much the hard cases.

I do enjoy the friendship of the trio. This trio of best friends has very different personalities and dynamics. But scenes with them are the most fun, no matter if they are against each other, or supporting each other. Romance is not the focus of this drama. There are subtle romances which could be sweet, or dissatisfying to the watcher. I think with the three romance storylines, I like the one between Max and Can the most, even though they are not the main leads.

I do enjoy the final episode when everything comes back in full circle. Most of the loose ends are tied, except for a couple very minor plots of side characters.

Overall, I would recommend this if you want a well-rounded light medical drama. But beware that the medical cases are all about children, so if you don’t want to see sick children suffering, please do not watch this drama. Rounding this to a 8.5 rating to give it a little boost so more people will watch this.

Completed: 12/3/2022

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