Aryael
Twenty steps away from the toilet and just around the corner from the stairs.
This is the drama that I'd intended to watch since last year but never had the chance to do so. Now that I have the time for a drama marathon, I am glad I finished watching it after all the episodes were out because I seriously cannot imagine how anyone could withstand the suspense of waiting for the next episodes to come out while it was airing! This is how good this hidden gem is! Here's my review:
Story: This is a time-travelling, medical romance drama. The drama started with a cheerful but jaded doctor in the Joseon era - Heo Im - who's job was to serve the people by day and the nobles by night. He wore two masks - one of a benevolent and kind doctor to the poor, and another a doctor who's only interested in fame and fortune. Which is the true Heo Im?
Heo Im was an exceptional and talented acupuncturist. After many years of treating the sick and needy, his efforts were finally recognised. In a once in a lifetime opportunity, he was summoned into the palace to treat the king. However, as he was about to treat the king, his hand shook and he lost his concentration. As a result, the king ordered for Heo Im to be imprisoned. Heo Im escaped and while he was being pursued by palatial guards, he was shoot by arrows and fell into the river. When he woke next, he's in 21st century Seoul. Hence starts his time-travelling adventure.
The female lead (Yeon Kyung) is a cardio-thoracic doctor who was skeptical of oriental medicines at first but after her many interactions with Heo Im, became impressed with his skills. The drama is very character-based. It's about the journey of self-discovery for Heo Im and Yeon Kyung as they learn about themselves, deal with their dark pasts and make peace with their current selves in their journey towards becoming the best doctors in their own fields.
I love the character Heo Im played by Kim Nam Gil. He's quirky, funny, wise, serious, ambitious, evil and nice all wrapped up in one yummy package of a talented acupuncturist. Heo Im is a bag of contradictions and Kim Nam Gil was born for this role. You'll find yourself laughing, smiling, nodding and crying with Heo Im. You will be emotionally and mentally invested in his character as well as his counterpart - Yeon Kyung.
Unlike Heo Im's hot and cold character, Yeon Kyung's a pretty straightforward character. From the get go, you'll know that she's someone who had had a painful past and that had caused her to be indifferent and cold towards her grandfather, skeptical towards oriental medicine and passionate about saving lives. From the moment they met, she and Heo Im influenced each other in a positive manner. Eventually, they fell in love with each other. Their chemistry is perfect. If I am to describe their relationship chemistry in two words, those words will be 'playful' and 'passionate'.
The time-travelling in this drama is not one-way. In other words, both Heo Im and Yeon Kyung travelled back and forth between Joseon and modern Seoul a few times. It wasn't until the third time that it happened that they finally figured out what triggered the time-travel and why they were the ones affected. After that, the time-travelling became a tool they use intentionally to help others.
The overall story is perfect but if I were to be nitpicking on the little things that the drama could improve on, it would be on the logical progression of the story at certain parts of the drama. For example: In one scene, Yeon Kyung and Heo Im were trying to fight off gangsters in Seoul and were cornered. Heo Im was injured while protecting Yeon Kyung. They time-travelled. Then, they met with Japanese soldiers. Yeon Kyung whipped out a taser and pepper spray and defeated the Japanese soldiers. One would wonder, why didn't she use the taser and pepper spray on the gangsters to start with? That would have saved Heo Im and they wouldn't have to time-travel right into the hands of Japanese soldiers! This is just one example of illogical story progression in the drama. Another would be the placements of things, like Yeon Kyung's medical bag, when she or they were running or when moving from one scene to another. If you keep an eye out on where she placed her medical bag when she fell and where it was after a while, you'll realise that in one scene, it wasn't with her and in the next scene, it's strapped over her shoulder! However, these are minor bloopers and didn't significantly distracted my enjoyment of the drama. You'd have to enjoy the drama as it is and not critically pick it apart as how professional reviewers do. As a whole, the drama focused heavily on the characters and not necessarily on little details such as those I mentioned.
Another part of the drama I loved was the interesting facts on acupuncture such as acupuncture points and what they do. I find that very educational. It made me want to read up on acupuncture and traditional oriental medicines.
Acting/Cast: Perfect acting and cast. Kudos to Kim Nam Gil and Kim Ah-Joong. There's also a significant number of elderly veteran actors and actresses in this drama. Three cheers for their excellent acting!
Music: Beautiful OSTs. I thoroughly enjoyed them!
Rewatch value: This is one drama that's enjoyable at every episode. I am saving it for re-watch. Perfect material for drama marathon when the mood strikes.
Overall: I am giving this drama 9/10. Overall story and character development's perfect. It is in the little nitty gritty detail that cost it a minus 1 point. If the director and writer polish up some scenes here and there, this drama will be a perfect 10/10. Absolutely a hidden gem!
Story: This is a time-travelling, medical romance drama. The drama started with a cheerful but jaded doctor in the Joseon era - Heo Im - who's job was to serve the people by day and the nobles by night. He wore two masks - one of a benevolent and kind doctor to the poor, and another a doctor who's only interested in fame and fortune. Which is the true Heo Im?
Heo Im was an exceptional and talented acupuncturist. After many years of treating the sick and needy, his efforts were finally recognised. In a once in a lifetime opportunity, he was summoned into the palace to treat the king. However, as he was about to treat the king, his hand shook and he lost his concentration. As a result, the king ordered for Heo Im to be imprisoned. Heo Im escaped and while he was being pursued by palatial guards, he was shoot by arrows and fell into the river. When he woke next, he's in 21st century Seoul. Hence starts his time-travelling adventure.
The female lead (Yeon Kyung) is a cardio-thoracic doctor who was skeptical of oriental medicines at first but after her many interactions with Heo Im, became impressed with his skills. The drama is very character-based. It's about the journey of self-discovery for Heo Im and Yeon Kyung as they learn about themselves, deal with their dark pasts and make peace with their current selves in their journey towards becoming the best doctors in their own fields.
I love the character Heo Im played by Kim Nam Gil. He's quirky, funny, wise, serious, ambitious, evil and nice all wrapped up in one yummy package of a talented acupuncturist. Heo Im is a bag of contradictions and Kim Nam Gil was born for this role. You'll find yourself laughing, smiling, nodding and crying with Heo Im. You will be emotionally and mentally invested in his character as well as his counterpart - Yeon Kyung.
Unlike Heo Im's hot and cold character, Yeon Kyung's a pretty straightforward character. From the get go, you'll know that she's someone who had had a painful past and that had caused her to be indifferent and cold towards her grandfather, skeptical towards oriental medicine and passionate about saving lives. From the moment they met, she and Heo Im influenced each other in a positive manner. Eventually, they fell in love with each other. Their chemistry is perfect. If I am to describe their relationship chemistry in two words, those words will be 'playful' and 'passionate'.
The time-travelling in this drama is not one-way. In other words, both Heo Im and Yeon Kyung travelled back and forth between Joseon and modern Seoul a few times. It wasn't until the third time that it happened that they finally figured out what triggered the time-travel and why they were the ones affected. After that, the time-travelling became a tool they use intentionally to help others.
The overall story is perfect but if I were to be nitpicking on the little things that the drama could improve on, it would be on the logical progression of the story at certain parts of the drama. For example: In one scene, Yeon Kyung and Heo Im were trying to fight off gangsters in Seoul and were cornered. Heo Im was injured while protecting Yeon Kyung. They time-travelled. Then, they met with Japanese soldiers. Yeon Kyung whipped out a taser and pepper spray and defeated the Japanese soldiers. One would wonder, why didn't she use the taser and pepper spray on the gangsters to start with? That would have saved Heo Im and they wouldn't have to time-travel right into the hands of Japanese soldiers! This is just one example of illogical story progression in the drama. Another would be the placements of things, like Yeon Kyung's medical bag, when she or they were running or when moving from one scene to another. If you keep an eye out on where she placed her medical bag when she fell and where it was after a while, you'll realise that in one scene, it wasn't with her and in the next scene, it's strapped over her shoulder! However, these are minor bloopers and didn't significantly distracted my enjoyment of the drama. You'd have to enjoy the drama as it is and not critically pick it apart as how professional reviewers do. As a whole, the drama focused heavily on the characters and not necessarily on little details such as those I mentioned.
Another part of the drama I loved was the interesting facts on acupuncture such as acupuncture points and what they do. I find that very educational. It made me want to read up on acupuncture and traditional oriental medicines.
Acting/Cast: Perfect acting and cast. Kudos to Kim Nam Gil and Kim Ah-Joong. There's also a significant number of elderly veteran actors and actresses in this drama. Three cheers for their excellent acting!
Music: Beautiful OSTs. I thoroughly enjoyed them!
Rewatch value: This is one drama that's enjoyable at every episode. I am saving it for re-watch. Perfect material for drama marathon when the mood strikes.
Overall: I am giving this drama 9/10. Overall story and character development's perfect. It is in the little nitty gritty detail that cost it a minus 1 point. If the director and writer polish up some scenes here and there, this drama will be a perfect 10/10. Absolutely a hidden gem!
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