REVIEW: Medical Top Team Korean Drama

photo source: asianwiki.com

Medical Top Team is about a group of doctors at Kwanghae University Hospital coming together to form the best team of doctors and surgeons in the country. Their plan is to operate on complex surgeries and research rare illnesses, but all that idealism gets muddied by harsh hospital politics between the illegitimate son and the first daughter-in-law of the hospital's president.

It wasn't the best show or even the best medical show I've ever seen, but it wasn't the worst either. A lot of comments said that it was boring, but not every show can be a fantasy romance between a rich guy and a poor girl. It was a very realistic show in a lot of instances and that made it a little less entertaining but it had some enjoyable elements.

What I Liked:
1. The cast. The cast was full of great actors and great up-and-comers. It's lead? Kwon Sang Woo, who plays the kind hearted but straight forward Dr. Tae Shin Park. The second male lead, Dr. Seung Jae Han was played by Ju Ji Hoon, and the second female lead is Choi Ah Jin played by Oh Yeon Seo. The other cast members worth recognizing is the maknae (youngest member) of the group, Kim Sung Woo played by Choi Minho,  Shin Hye Soo played by Kim Young Ae, Jang Yong Sup played by Anh Nae Sang, and a whole bunch of other people. You can view the full cast list HERE. Anyway, the cast was pretty great and they're all really great actors that I would like to see in more things.

2. The couples. When I think of this show, I think about is all the adorable couples and the long amount of time that it took to establish them. I have no problem with a show being devoid of romance, but if there is the promise of romance then there needs to be romance! We kept getting close and then they kept pulling back. Talk about frustrating. Eventually, we did get some romances and thankfully it was the couples that I wanted to see.

What I Didn't Like:
Though I don't regret watching, not many people found the show to be worth the 20 hours. Here are some of my ideas why.

1. Lack of romance. As I said above there is nothing wrong with a show lacking romance but if you're going to constantly suggest it then make it happen already. It took almost the whole show for the couples to form. It was painful to watch them give each other those longing looks and then do nothing about it.

2. Heavy on Medical jargon. This show was definitely a medical show, there's no doubting that. It seemed as though half the script was made up of medical terms which makes sense but it dragged down the dialogue a bit.

3. No accomplishments, at least not really. There was a lot of fighting and battling going on but I don't think either side really came out on top. In the end, all of Dr. Han's clawing came out to the Medical Top Team disbanding and there being a battle within the team. Thankfully everyone made up in the end but the team had to start all over again making all the previous battling kind of pointless.

Though I was unsatisfied with the lack of romantic situations, it wasn't a bad show. It was a pretty standard show, not bad but not great. I don't regret watching it but I don't think I'd suggest it to other people or watch it again.

My Favorite Dramas of 2013

There was so much to watch in 2013! Just when I thought I was caught up, a whole new crop of dramas came my way. Needless to say I missed a few shows, but I also managed to watch some pretty great shows from this year.

This is the entire list of Dramas that I completed from 2013 (Alphabetically):
1. A Clinic on the Sea
2. Answer Me 1994
3. Dating Agency: Cyrano
4. Flower Boy Next Door
5. Good Doctor
6. Heirs
7. Her Legend
8. I Hear Your Voice
9. Infinite Power
10. Marry Him if You Dare
11. Monstar
12. Nail Shop Paris
13. Two Weeks
14. Unemployed Romance
15. Who are You
16. You're the Best Lee Soon Shin

Out of those 16 there are 5 that I will recommend to anyone who hasn't already seen them.

5. Who Are You: This show was about a detective who could see the dead and solved crimes through and for the dead she saw. I was so excited to watch this show because of Taec Yeon. I've adopted him and really wanted to follow his acting career as much as possible (which is why I watch Cinderella's Sister). The concept for the show wasn't new, but it didn't matter because the cast and acting were pretty great. I like the overall theme of the show and although I could see some things coming, for the most part I was kept on my toes and I appreciate that.

4. I Hear Your Voice: One of the most raved about dramas from this year. It's about a teenage boy who could read people's minds. Unfortunately this talent gets him trapped inside an epic battle between he, the man who murdered his father, and his first love. It featured a strong female lead, Oska as Attorney Cha (Yoon Sang-hyun), and one of Korea's many heartthrobs (Lee Jung Suk). One of my favorite things about the show was definitely the female lead of Jang Hye Sung played by Lee Bo Young. She was a tough, take-no-prisoners kind of gal; someone I could actually tolerate watching even after half the show was over. 

3. Good Doctor: This was an amazing drama. It is about a young doctor with autism who becomes a resident at one of the best hospitals in Korea. Though he was able to overcome many traumas and obstacles he still has to fight his way to acceptance.  Joo Won's acting was so great, I totally believed him the entire time. The show did a great job of showing how people with disabilities can do great things and achieve more then people imagine for them. However, they didn't hold back on the prejudices he encountered which made the show seem more realistic. The best part, for me, was that nothing seemed forced. All of the relationships came about organically and people didn't just change because Dr. Park was proving them wrong. The dad stayed bitter and nasty the entire time, which sucked, but also spoke about human nature.

2. Two Weeks: If you're looking for action to check out from this year then this is one to check out. It is about a man who finds out that he has a daughter that has cancer. In order to save his daughter he must donate his bone marrow, but before that can happen he is framed for murder. One of the things that I liked about this show is the lack of romance. I notice that in dramas once you give the audience a little hint at romance that's all they focus on. However, that wasn't the point of this drama and I liked that though it was integrated into the plot at times it wasn't as much of a focal point. The lack of romance made you focus on the main character and his fight for the survival of him and his child. Also, the little girl who played Soo Jin melted my heart every single time.

1. Answer Me 1994: The much anticipated prequel to Answer Me 1997! Like Answer Me 1997 it's about a group of kids (college kids) living life in the 90's. It was fun playing the "Who's the Husband" game with the other viewers. I was strictly #TeamChilbong, but toward the end I was just hoping that Na Jung would end up happy. Thankfully the writers managed to give us that. I also appreciated the other characters and couples of the show. I have to say that the Sung Kyun-Yoon Jin pairing was amazingly adorable and every moment they were on screen, after becoming a couple, was gold. I definitely enjoyed watching the show from beginning to end.

I hope I didn't spoil any of the shows for those who haven't watched them yet.

Overall it was a pretty great year filled with great shows. I can only hope that 2014 is half as entertaining. 

Happy New Year and Happy Birthday!

My KPOP Playlist of 2013

I haven't been a K-Pop fan long. I think it's been a little over a year since I heard my first Korean Pop song, but I have already developed a taste. I'm not one for latching on to the most popular idols, instead I choose who to like and what to like purely based on the songs. If I like a song then I will venture to hear more, and if I don't like a song I venture to hear more. I never count anyone out. Anyway, here are 10 of my favorite songs from 2013.

10. Who You? by G Dragon
I wasn't initially a G Dragon fan. I know he's a big deal, but I didn't really like the few songs I heard from him. Then I heard this song. I'm a sucker for a good melody and this song definitely has it. I also like the lyrics because it's a simple song about trying to get over someone and not really being able to.There are many other songs with the same message but the upbeat delivery is what sold me.

9. Rum Pum Pum by f(x)
I didn't like this song the first time I heard it. I'm not a big fan of girl groups so when I heard the chorus in that high pitch I gave up. However, a friend convinced me to give it another try so I did. And shockingly I fell in love with the song. I still can't explain my change of heart, but I'm pretty happy that I did. It's a great party song.

8. Gotta Talk to You by Seungri
I fell for this song the moment it started. It's slow and smooth but it still has a great beat that makes you want to move. Also, the fact the he says he's "hustlin" in English during the chorus really trips me out.

7. Ringa Linga by Taeyang
I don't usually go for rap songs, and Korean Rap songs confuse me more than English ones, but this song is really cool. A great beat, and the instrumental is a good mix between actual instruments and synthesizers so I appreciate it. Also, the way Taeyang raps is hypnotizing.

6. Gentleman by Psy
Had to throw one in there. I don't know why I like this song but I do. I like the way it sounds and the video is hilarious. Psy is one of the few Korean artists that is known to mainstream America so it's pretty obvious that I would know who he is, but I don't like the song because of his popularity. I like it because it's fun to sing and dance along to. Is that so wrong?

5. Gloomy Clock by IU ft. Jonghyun
I notice that a lot of K-Pop is upbeat and fast, even the sad songs sometimes trick you. However, this song is not like that at all: it's soft and slow to fit the lyrics of the song. When you want to listen to some really pretty voices, this song is the one to go to. IU has an amazing voice and it was nice to hear Jonghyun (SHINee) sing softly.

4. Falling in Love by 2NE1
I love the reggae tone to this song. It's awesome!

3. A.D.T.O.Y. by 2PM

They are most certainly grown now and this song makes it known to everyone. It's not a ballad, but it's not not a ballad--if that makes sense. Either way, the R&B vibe in this song fits perfectly with the lyrics and their voices.

2. Growl by E.X.O.
I LOVE THIS SONG!!!! This was my first exposure to E.X.O. and it was purely accidental but magical. I fell for them as soon as I heard the opening. Now I can't get enough of the kids. They sing well, look good, and their songs are a great mix of different sounds. This particular song's groove is what got me. It almost doesn't get any smoother than this song.

1. Close the Door by SHINee
Ballad! This song honestly makes me melt. Even if I didn't know what they were talking about, their voices and the instrumental alone would be enough. However, I love the lyrics too.

Do any of you have a favorite song from this year? Let me know in the comments. 

Thanks for reading!