So I picked up this drama FINALLY after hearing and reading many good things about it. Romantic Doctor Kim took me through a roller coaster ride of emotions; some characters I hated up until about episode 15, other characters I truly cared for, and it was THOSE characters that kept me watching this drama. The main reason why I probably continued watching this drama even though the beginning of it was so rough for me was because I have an extremely soft spot for medical dramas. They're my closet passion, so I think deep down I wanted to see what happened all the way to the end.

What made this drama so rough in the first half for me personally was the fact that I found Master Kim to be insufferable for more than the first half of this drama. It wasn't that I disagreed with his reasons for giving such severe "tough love" to the other characters, I just didn't agree with how severe and cut throat he addressed the desired character changes of the younger doctors he was trying to inspire to change. I think there were other ways for Master Kim's character to have been written that would not have made such an extreme impression. The fact that his character was written in such a rough and sharp fashion left me feeling bitter and angry on behalf of the other characters - which some people might say is a "good" thing because the writers got me emotionally involved, but to me, his character was enough to make me want to drop the drama. What actually kept me hooked was the young doctors aspiring to learn and specialize as well as the sick patients that came into the hospital requiring treatment. Which leads me to the acting in this drama.

The acting in RDK was phenomenal. All the actors, ranging from the main cast and supporting cast all the way to the guest roles who only played in one episode were absolutely moving in their roles. I truly cried nearly every episode which I simply attribute to the expertly chosen cast paired with the swelling soundtrack. The main actors did an exceptional job demonstrating raw emotions and character growth, which I found so incredibly awesome.

Honestly, I don't think I'll rewatch this drama. It wasn't that it was bad or that I disliked it as a whole, I just struggled getting through the first half that I'm not sure I can get through it all over again. I *did* enjoy the humorous moments scattered throughout the drama, but I wouldn't call this drama a romantic comedy at all. The drama touches on very serious and emotionally charged topics in every episode that truly break your heart. The first half of this drama is really what brings down the rating of this drama for me with the second half of this drama bringing up the rating significantly.

I think the people who will enjoy this drama are those people who have a severe hankering for medical dramas with melodrama. I would not recommend this drama for someone who wants a light, fluffy, romantic comedy medical drama.
Another drama with similar tones and motifs would be Pinocchio, which I think was much more successful in portraying the moral issues and dilemmas tackled in RDK.


*****UPDATE after completing Romantic Doctor Kim Season 2*****
Season 2 was a huge improvement from season 1 - Dr. Kim was so much more balanced and well-written and the new characters were great! So glad I took a chance on watching season 2 after such a rocky experience with season 1! Definitely has me contemplating whether I should rewatch season 1 and season 2 altogether to see if my overall outlook is changed.