[RATING + REVIEW] Dr. Jin Episode 1

[Dr. Jin Ep.01 Ratings]

AGB Nielsen 12.2% nationwide & 14.1% Seoul | TNmS 10.7% nationwide & 13.5% Seoul

[TRANS] 120526 Power blogger’s review of Dr. Jin’s first episode
T/N: This review was written by a popular Korean entertainment writer who goes by the pen name “Lucifer”. He runs a popular blog entitled “Lucifer’s Entertainment World” in which he writes reviews on dramas and movies as well as commentaries on popular celebrities.
Aired on the 26th, “Dr. Jin” became a drama that grabbed the viewers’ attention from the first episode. The popular theme of time travel was rife through this drama, though with the shows that have been coming out recently, the very high potential for this theme to be overused is a large concern. However, when the first episode of Dr. Jin aired, the amount of positive reaction that poured in was more than expected. The competitor, the drama “Gentleman’s Dignity” starring Jang Dong Gun, is a show that had all the makings of being a jackpot. But it turns out that most of the reactions coming in for “Gentleman’s Dignity” state that the drama is boring in comparison to “Dr. Jin”, which showed the signs of a good drama by creating an air of excitement from only its first episode.

To be honest, looking at the cast of “Dr. Jin”, it is not as flashy as the cast of “A Gentleman’s Dignity”. Of course “Dr. Jin” has Hallyu stars Song Sueng Hun and Kim Jaejoong, however Jang Dong Gun and Kim HanEul are still considered to be two of the most treasured actors/actresses. And ever since Kim SooRo was added to the cast of “A Gentleman’s Dignity”, it seemed as though “Dr. Jin” had much making up to do in terms of cast. However, even with Jang Dong Gun, Kim Hanuel, and Kim SooRo, a cast can only take you so far and cannot compensate for problematic production or plot.
The plot of “Dr. Jin” can be seen as one that would get lost among the other successful time traveling dramas such as “Rooftop Prince” or “Queen Inhyun’s Man”. However, this drama is a remake of a Japanese drama, and so it has a plot that is distinct from others. Though, I did not find many parts of the original Japanese drama in this remake.

In the drama “Dr. Jin”, Song Seung Hun plays a doctor that is taken back in time to the Joseon Dynasty through a strange series of events. In the present age, Song Seung Hun is taken through an assortment of question raising events. First he performs surgery on a strange man in order to take a fetus-shaped tumor out of his head; then shortly after he sees his lover, Park MinYoung, get into a car accident and slip into a coma. Then, he finds the man that had the surgery on his head trying to escape from the rooftop with the tumor in tow. Song Seung Hun confronts the man and ends up falling off of the building in an effort to grab the tumor and finds himself whisked back into the Joseon Dynasty.

Finding himself in the Joseon Dynasty, Song Seung Hun must learn to keep his head above water while being pursued by the high ranking police officer played by Kim Jaejoong. The most surprising part was how thoroughly Kim Jaejoong prepared his acting for this drama. Compared to his character Cha Muwon from “Protect the Boss”, this character was a complete 180 degree turn in terms of different styles. Jaejoong’s portrayal of Kim Kyung Tak, especially with the realistic speech, showed a strong and stable acting ability that cannot just be found anywhere. Kim Jaejoong’s marvelous transformation in this drama set the worries in my heart about his acting abilities at ease and caused me to look forward to seeing more of him.

Kim Jaejoong’s Kim Kyung Tak is in charge of the important role of the person who will be in direct competition with Song Seung Hun. Before, I always thought that Kim Jaejoong was not worthy of all the praise given to him by critics, but I had a complete change of heart seeing the hard work and amount of preparation that he puts into his roles. Kim Jaejoong, of course, already has much popularity in South East Asia and other places overseas, and the stability of his acting abilities should bring him another explosion of popularity with “Dr. Jin”.
To add to the competitiveness between Kim Jaejoong and Song Seung Hun is the added twist that Kyung Tak’s betrothed—Park Min Young’s Hong YoungRae—is the exact image of Song Seung Hun’s lover—Yoo Mi Na, also played by Park Min Young—whom Seung Hun saw fall into unconsciousness just before he was brought to the Joseon Dynasty.

However, before Song Seung Hun can get over his confusion or decide if Hong YoungRae is the same or different person from his lover, he is forced to save the life of her brother Hong YoungHwi, and is tied to the family in that way. The conflict between Song Seung Hun and Kim Jaejoong will most likely become more intense due to this inevitable fate of being forced to be around one another, and I’m sure it will lead to many unpredictable events in the future.
“Dr. Jin” and “A Gentleman’s Dignity” are in a fierce competition, however the excitement of “Dr. Jin” has caught the audience’s attention and there is much word of mouth praise about the drama that I have been seeing ever since the first episode broadcasted. Though there was so much excitement for “A Gentleman’d Dignity”, many felt disappointment at the plot and level of production. Additonally, adding to the draw of “Dr. Jin” is Kim Jaejoong’s brilliant and charismatic transformation as Kim Kyung Tak, a character that intrigues the audience and makes them want to see more of him.
Yet, only the first episode has aired so far and we need to see more to make any decisions about the merit of the two shows. For now, my favor is tilting in the direction of Dr. Jin.

Source: http://v.daum.net/link/29708334?&CT=H_A_POP
Translation by: Yule @ PrinceJJ | Shared by: PrinceJJ
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