2
4
the_sapio_nerd
Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India
Kdrama coma ghost ft. Medical.
"Ghost Doctor" is a typical fantasy Kdrama with a coma ghost, i. e. The soul of a person wandering around while they're in deep sleep bcs of coma. The story revolves around unveiling the mystery behind their situation, accompanied by numerous other subplots involving many characters. So what's new? All these happen in the premise of a hospital and. Now go back to and read my title again; makes sense?
Produced by Bon Factory & Studio Dragon, created by Plan Production and broadcasted on tvN, "Ghost Doctor" is written and directed by acclaimed and experienced drama makers: Kim Eun Hee & Bo Sung Chul, respectively. With a great production value and star-studded cast, the drama couldn't create any impression but it could be counted as a simple no-brainer watch, if you have plenty of time in your pocket.
Cha Min Young (Rain) is an excellent Cardio-thoracic surgeon at Eun Sang Medical Center who's excellent at his job yet selfish, narcissist, self-centered and arrogant. He chooses his patients himself and performs near impossible surgeries. and Ko Seung Tak (Kim Bum) is a genius student who despite of not being interested in studying for medicines, has to go to a med school on his family's directions. However, he loses confidence in OT and mostly runs away from his duties. Dr. Cha is a Professor in CS Dept. whereas Dr. Ko is a first year resident in the same. One day, Young Min runs into an accident ending up in coma, following which his wandering ghost possesses Seung Tak during critical surgeries.
Jang Se Jin (Uee) is a Neurosurgeon working abroad who is visiting Korea for personal reasons and has to work at the hospital for a while. Oh Soo Jung (Son Na Eun) is an intern in the ER. Tess (Sung Dong Il) is a long wandering ghost in the hospital Jang Min Ho (Lee Tae Sung) is Se Jin's brother. Han Seung Won (Tae In Ho) is the Dep. Director of the hospital and Ban Tae Sik (Park Chul Min) is the CS Chief.
The delivery from this main and supporting characters were decent tho their characters and the dynamics were not deserving of their acting skills (I truly mean this). In fact, Uee and Son Na Eun who were supposed to be main characters didn't get enough screen share, the latter being ignored the most. I was excited bcs of Uee's comeback but such a waste of talent. Also, I have come seen Na Eun evolving through dramas and have come to like her, so the fact that she's been completely disregarded was a turn off for me.
Plot development is very average and not upto what was expected out of it. The first 2 episodes and were surely fascinating bcs of the cast, performance and too much of rush scenes definitely burst the adrenaline, which in fact, lasted for further few days episodes but I guess that was it. With the progress in the story, so many truths were unfolding abd that could have been engaging and entertaining, if only I the content were not rushed in a couple of 'go"-es. Simply, everything was revealed so easily and so soon, it wasn't interesting any longer. Then, they ran out of contexts and contents bcs all that was left is to give a colosure but the desperation to fill the 16 episode quota grabbed so tight, the makers ended up with forcing a romance plot into the story.
Okay, it was obvious from the beginning that there will be 2 couples and thus, 2 romance lines so what went wrong? Exaggeration, over-stretching and dragging a single thing to the end. I am okay with whatever amount of an element (even romance) is offered to me, but the story solely relying on it just to keep up with the broadcasting, after forgetting the initial as well as central motive, annoys me to the core. The conspiracy plot as a qualitative entertaining interest, had nothing much to offer, so that makes me doubt whether the story had any potential to begin with. The ending sequence wasn't likable at all and after losing interest from 10th episode, I honestly fast-forwarded the rest at 1.5x and finished it since I can't drop anything.
Bo Sung Chul PD-nim is the director of many popular and well received pieces over a decade and half, and frankly, few of them are close to my heart. But given his experience plus skills, this wasn't a match. Well, I believe, not everything one does has to be perfect; though as something meant for entertainment, it should at least have been
a decent watch. The pacing wasn't inconsistent but I wish the progression was faster. The screen editing didn't contribute any appropriate relevance to the story.
Na Eun Hee jakkanim is in fact one of my writers who has created many good scripts during 2000-10 but I somehow couldn't like this in overall. The trends, tastes and projections have changed and very few have been able to adapt abd sustain but it's visible how jakkanim's work's fades (even her previous work). The story as a whole doesn't really have the wow factor and adding to that, the premise couldn't achieve the newness she wanted to bring forward. The dialogues were average and development was inconsistent yet manageable. Some of the character arcs didn't impress at all and the others faded away with the episodes. Despite a number of drawbacks, I can't bring myself to utter that it was bad. In fact, it was an very average watch, that could be skipped too unless you wish to give it a try.
While I couldn't like the drama much, I must say I am in love with the set of OSTs. To my knowledge, there are a total off 4 songs only, which I think could have been more (bcs I crave more). Composed by Kim Jun Suk & Jung Se Rin, the tracks are fresh, lovely and emotional, ornamented with beautiful lyrics. "Fly Away" by Shinwoo (B1A4) is a desire of liberation and conceiving high ambitions. "All I have is my heart" is a romantically emotional and gladdening ode to love, and K. Will's vocals is like adding feather to the cap. "Romance" by Sondia is a soulful piece of reminiscences. TO1 members Dong Geon & Jae Yun have sung the track "You Better Not" which is a jolly and tantalizing song, perfectly fitting the bromance scenes.
What i liked...
# The Bromance between Kim Bum and Rain was the best thing about the drama.
# Despite a typically average plot, the performance and delivery was good.
# Slice of life elements portrayed through the ghosts and doctors plus nurses of the hospital was likable.
# Entertainment value was somewhat up to par; neither good nor bad.
What I didn't like...
# Illogical situations created during the emergency surgery scenes (iykwim).
# It was predictable for most of its parts.
# Forced romance was the biggest drawback, adding to the dragging.
# Less exposure to characters, especially the 2 female leads disappointed me.
# No effort from the writer to transform the plot and it's value.
# Poor execution despite scopes of improvement with the concept of coma ghost in a medical premise.
Final remarks... Overally, tvN "Ghost Doctor" is a decent yet not so good watch. Despite having a decent plotline and scopes for improvement, this show incorporated way more flaws than that can be ignored, and which could have been easily taken care of. I might recommend recommend it for eye candies as a fan of both Rain & Kim Bum, but qualitatively the, it was just okay and may be you should save your time for something else. But again, if you're already on it or wish to watch bcs of the cast, I don't see a problem, except that your schedule should be flexible enough to spend time on it.
Produced by Bon Factory & Studio Dragon, created by Plan Production and broadcasted on tvN, "Ghost Doctor" is written and directed by acclaimed and experienced drama makers: Kim Eun Hee & Bo Sung Chul, respectively. With a great production value and star-studded cast, the drama couldn't create any impression but it could be counted as a simple no-brainer watch, if you have plenty of time in your pocket.
Cha Min Young (Rain) is an excellent Cardio-thoracic surgeon at Eun Sang Medical Center who's excellent at his job yet selfish, narcissist, self-centered and arrogant. He chooses his patients himself and performs near impossible surgeries. and Ko Seung Tak (Kim Bum) is a genius student who despite of not being interested in studying for medicines, has to go to a med school on his family's directions. However, he loses confidence in OT and mostly runs away from his duties. Dr. Cha is a Professor in CS Dept. whereas Dr. Ko is a first year resident in the same. One day, Young Min runs into an accident ending up in coma, following which his wandering ghost possesses Seung Tak during critical surgeries.
Jang Se Jin (Uee) is a Neurosurgeon working abroad who is visiting Korea for personal reasons and has to work at the hospital for a while. Oh Soo Jung (Son Na Eun) is an intern in the ER. Tess (Sung Dong Il) is a long wandering ghost in the hospital Jang Min Ho (Lee Tae Sung) is Se Jin's brother. Han Seung Won (Tae In Ho) is the Dep. Director of the hospital and Ban Tae Sik (Park Chul Min) is the CS Chief.
The delivery from this main and supporting characters were decent tho their characters and the dynamics were not deserving of their acting skills (I truly mean this). In fact, Uee and Son Na Eun who were supposed to be main characters didn't get enough screen share, the latter being ignored the most. I was excited bcs of Uee's comeback but such a waste of talent. Also, I have come seen Na Eun evolving through dramas and have come to like her, so the fact that she's been completely disregarded was a turn off for me.
Plot development is very average and not upto what was expected out of it. The first 2 episodes and were surely fascinating bcs of the cast, performance and too much of rush scenes definitely burst the adrenaline, which in fact, lasted for further few days episodes but I guess that was it. With the progress in the story, so many truths were unfolding abd that could have been engaging and entertaining, if only I the content were not rushed in a couple of 'go"-es. Simply, everything was revealed so easily and so soon, it wasn't interesting any longer. Then, they ran out of contexts and contents bcs all that was left is to give a colosure but the desperation to fill the 16 episode quota grabbed so tight, the makers ended up with forcing a romance plot into the story.
Okay, it was obvious from the beginning that there will be 2 couples and thus, 2 romance lines so what went wrong? Exaggeration, over-stretching and dragging a single thing to the end. I am okay with whatever amount of an element (even romance) is offered to me, but the story solely relying on it just to keep up with the broadcasting, after forgetting the initial as well as central motive, annoys me to the core. The conspiracy plot as a qualitative entertaining interest, had nothing much to offer, so that makes me doubt whether the story had any potential to begin with. The ending sequence wasn't likable at all and after losing interest from 10th episode, I honestly fast-forwarded the rest at 1.5x and finished it since I can't drop anything.
Bo Sung Chul PD-nim is the director of many popular and well received pieces over a decade and half, and frankly, few of them are close to my heart. But given his experience plus skills, this wasn't a match. Well, I believe, not everything one does has to be perfect; though as something meant for entertainment, it should at least have been
a decent watch. The pacing wasn't inconsistent but I wish the progression was faster. The screen editing didn't contribute any appropriate relevance to the story.
Na Eun Hee jakkanim is in fact one of my writers who has created many good scripts during 2000-10 but I somehow couldn't like this in overall. The trends, tastes and projections have changed and very few have been able to adapt abd sustain but it's visible how jakkanim's work's fades (even her previous work). The story as a whole doesn't really have the wow factor and adding to that, the premise couldn't achieve the newness she wanted to bring forward. The dialogues were average and development was inconsistent yet manageable. Some of the character arcs didn't impress at all and the others faded away with the episodes. Despite a number of drawbacks, I can't bring myself to utter that it was bad. In fact, it was an very average watch, that could be skipped too unless you wish to give it a try.
While I couldn't like the drama much, I must say I am in love with the set of OSTs. To my knowledge, there are a total off 4 songs only, which I think could have been more (bcs I crave more). Composed by Kim Jun Suk & Jung Se Rin, the tracks are fresh, lovely and emotional, ornamented with beautiful lyrics. "Fly Away" by Shinwoo (B1A4) is a desire of liberation and conceiving high ambitions. "All I have is my heart" is a romantically emotional and gladdening ode to love, and K. Will's vocals is like adding feather to the cap. "Romance" by Sondia is a soulful piece of reminiscences. TO1 members Dong Geon & Jae Yun have sung the track "You Better Not" which is a jolly and tantalizing song, perfectly fitting the bromance scenes.
What i liked...
# The Bromance between Kim Bum and Rain was the best thing about the drama.
# Despite a typically average plot, the performance and delivery was good.
# Slice of life elements portrayed through the ghosts and doctors plus nurses of the hospital was likable.
# Entertainment value was somewhat up to par; neither good nor bad.
What I didn't like...
# Illogical situations created during the emergency surgery scenes (iykwim).
# It was predictable for most of its parts.
# Forced romance was the biggest drawback, adding to the dragging.
# Less exposure to characters, especially the 2 female leads disappointed me.
# No effort from the writer to transform the plot and it's value.
# Poor execution despite scopes of improvement with the concept of coma ghost in a medical premise.
Final remarks... Overally, tvN "Ghost Doctor" is a decent yet not so good watch. Despite having a decent plotline and scopes for improvement, this show incorporated way more flaws than that can be ignored, and which could have been easily taken care of. I might recommend recommend it for eye candies as a fan of both Rain & Kim Bum, but qualitatively the, it was just okay and may be you should save your time for something else. But again, if you're already on it or wish to watch bcs of the cast, I don't see a problem, except that your schedule should be flexible enough to spend time on it.
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