Di Dei

This is my second kdrama, like Mr Sunshine, that i feel the drama is like a movie. Must be hugely invested, the scene of earthquake, the destroy of the city, are all so real.

Male lead, the reckless doctor, is a bit too tall for the female lead. Natural disaster and medical scene dominates the drama. I wish there were more scenes on development of romance with the lead couple.

The drama is underrated. It does not earn attention that it should have got.

The story is spread out too much among the actors. There should be no more than 5 main characters to move the story through them. The relationship between the hero and heroine is too little. Even though it's a medical series But viewers also want to relieve stress with a beautiful love line. The story of some doctors being selfish and unwilling to change should be cut out. And situations should become more difficult. There are more issues to resolve. Such as repeated earthquakes I like the chemistry of the main actors. And medical knowledge told in the story This is a good and clear part for a medical series like this.

Korean drama series, or K-drama's as they are more often called, are becoming more and more popular. One of the big advantages of these shows is the fact that they are series that usually run for just one season. As so many shows these days get cancelled on cliffhangers, you don't run any risk of that happening with a K-drama.

The series i am about to review, D-Day, is one of those shows you just have to binge watch. Yes, it really is that good. In D-Day the capital city of Seoul gets hit by a violent earthquake. It then focuses on the brave men and women of the rescue-services and a hospital that are left behind to deal with the effects of the aftermath.

Let's first talk about the special effects on this show. Usually effects on TV shows are mediocre at best, simply because of budget restraints. However that was definitely not noticeable on D-day, because when the earthquake strikes, it can stand up to the effects used in big Hollywood blockbuster movies. Even more striking are the effects that are used more subtly throughout the show, like small cracks on roads and buildings. All these help to make you believe that there really has been an earthquake that destroyed most of Seoul.

However it is not the effects that makes this show so great. No that right is reserved for the wonderful cast of characters and the actors that portray them. Every single character, from the main characters to the lowest sub characters, has it's role to play in the unfolding drama. The lead character is doctor Lee Hae-Sung, a doctor who is known to be reckless in his pursuit of saving human lives. The natural charisma of him (a credit to actor Young- wang Kim) makes you rooting for everything he does all throughout the show. He is soon joined in the series by the young female doctor Jung Ddol-mi, another character you will fall in love with as the series progresses. She provides most of the comic relief, a thing that is well needed in what would otherwise be a pretty bleak and depressing show. The list of characters is very big and to name them all is just not something i am going to be doing here. However my review would not be complete to not at least mention the hospital director Park Gun. I don't think i have ever seen a person that i hated more in a TV series than this loathsome man. Trust me when i say that you will come to hate him as well. But oh wow, is he played well by actor Kyeong-yeong Lee.

The series will take you on a roller-coaster trip throughout a total of 20 episodes. It will make you laugh, cry and sit on the edge of your seat, and once you start it will be hard to stop watching it. Is the show perfect? No of course not. Yes there are some moments in the show that feel forced, or in which there are some overacted scenes of emotions. I also read some reviews that did not like the ending of the series. That of course is, as it is with most things, a matter of opinion. I for one loved the ending, which i am not going to be spoiling here.

Overall though i loved this show and give it a 9 out of 10 score.

Doctors working during a disastrous scenario is an interesting take on the medical genre and it worked, at least for the 1st half. Resources were limited, the tension was intense and the stakes were high. It created a good mix for a thriller. However, things began to turn back into a regular medical drama in the 2nd half, it even brought with it the typical issues and conflicts with a hospital management. It slowly began to lose its attraction at that point. The brief romance was strange, it didn't work because it happened over a very short period of time. You may justify it as a little trauma bonding experience. The cast were mostly fine, however, the characters often went for over-dramatization over professionalism which took away from some of the serious moments. The drama could've worked better if it were a mini series of something like 8 episodes with good direction.

Around the end, they brought a little girl to translate sign language of the ML's brother final moments before death. Nobody thought how that might be traumatizing for a child to watch a recording of someone drowning and dying in a distressful situation until he become a floating corpse deep underwater!! There were a lot of other examples were the characters went for over-dramatization over professionalism.

This well made and often gripping series shows in realistic detail an earthquake and it's aftermath in Seoul from the point of view of doctors in a hospital and the EMTs. The first part has well done disaster sequences in the first quarter. Then the deprivation of utilities and the difficulties of medical procedures is quite gripping. Some of the surgical procedures are quite exciting. I usually don't like the overly technical medical dramas but this one isn't boring since it's a blend of disaster and medical drama. They even manage to have some romance weaved into the story.

The cast is quite sympathetic and there is time to build up the characters and their relationships. Ki Young Kwang does a great job as the hero surgeon willing to take risks to save lives. Jung So Min is quite likeable as the sweet doctor from Busan. Ha Seok Jin is convincing as the more conservative doctor. His nurse love interest is played by the pretty and intelligent looking Yon Joo Hee.

The faults of this series don't spoil the whole. If this series had been shortened by a few hours it would have been much better. There are some repetitive scenes that should have been left out mostly about the evil doings of Director Park head of the hospital. He is just too insanely obsessed with getting our hero. Same thing over and over. The ending is satisfying.

Worth a watch.