One of this blog's most popular posts has nothing to do with movies; it's about Japanese Medical Dramas. I haven't caught up as much in the past seven years, but here are more medical dramas of note:
Iryu Team Medical Dragon Season 4
Starring: Kenji Sakaguchi, Teppei Koike, Ittoku Kishibe
Episodes: 11
Synopsis: After the events of season 3, our resident super ultra hunky genius surgeon Asada (Sakaguchi) goes back to the hospital of his mentor, Sakurai, to help create a hospital geared towards patients and not money. Meanwhile, diabolical Noguchi is at it again, and this time he's out to break apart the team for the sake of globalization and the creation of his own profit oriented hospital.
Synopsis: After the events of season 3, our resident super ultra hunky genius surgeon Asada (Sakaguchi) goes back to the hospital of his mentor, Sakurai, to help create a hospital geared towards patients and not money. Meanwhile, diabolical Noguchi is at it again, and this time he's out to break apart the team for the sake of globalization and the creation of his own profit oriented hospital.
Bad Guy: at first, it seems like Noguchi is up to his nefarious money grubbing deeds. But this time the real culprit lurks behind the shadows.
Notes: After the relatively disappointing season 3 of Iryu, which dealt with cardiac catheterization replacing normal surgery, Season 4 returns to top form, though the cases are not as over the top as the legendary season 2. Noguchi is so hammy in this season, it's downright amazing. We found ourselves exclaiming "SUPER MEDICAL ZONE" repeatedly after this season was over.
Notes: After the relatively disappointing season 3 of Iryu, which dealt with cardiac catheterization replacing normal surgery, Season 4 returns to top form, though the cases are not as over the top as the legendary season 2. Noguchi is so hammy in this season, it's downright amazing. We found ourselves exclaiming "SUPER MEDICAL ZONE" repeatedly after this season was over.
Medical Accuracy: 3/5. A bit more plausible this time, if you take into consideration the fact that Asada has godlike surgical skills.
Overall: 8/10. Overall, the second best season of Iryu, after season 2.
Overall: 8/10. Overall, the second best season of Iryu, after season 2.
Additional Notes: Watch out for a pretty sweet cameo at the end of the last episode, hinting at a possible season 5, if it ever happens.
Doctor-X: Gekai Daimon Michiko
Starring: Ryoko Yonekura, Yuki Uchida, Ittoku Kishibe
Episodes: Four seasons to date of 8-11 episodes each; one special and one spinoff special, Doctor-Y
Synopsis: Michiko Daimon (Yonekura) is a genius mercenary surgeon with a shady past who works freelance at different hospitals. She comes off as a greedy asshole to many, but she genuinely cares for the welfare of her patients.
Bad Guy: Changes from season to season, but mostly they are the corrupt hospital administrators that try to use Daimon for their own needs.
Notes: A pretty fun drama that reads a bit like a female version of Blackjack, but is much more than that. Half the entertainment comes from how Daimon acts like an asshole towards everyone else. The cast changes frequently, with the most drastic cast change happening from season 1 to season 2. The season 2 cast pretty much stays the same until season 4, with some supporting roles changing. My favorite character in the series is probably Jonouchi (played by former Idol Yuki Uchida), a skilled anesthesiologist/single mom.
Medical Accuracy: 2.5/5. The surgical procedures are sound on paper, but the drama seems to imply that cancer surgery is curative for a vast majority of cases, whereas the truth is, adjuvant therapies are usually employed along with surgery, and surgery is mostly curative for diseases that are of lower stage.
Overall: 7.5/10. Very Enjoyable, aside from Yonekura's wide-eyed look when she's doing surgery. She looks like she's activating a Sharingan or something, ffs.
Additional Notes: Kishibe Ittoku has a prominent supporting role as Kanbara Akira, Daimon's mentor/agent. He played Noguchi in Iryu Team Medical Dragon. The special has Takeshi Kitano in a guest role as a hospital administrator.
Episodes: Four seasons to date of 8-11 episodes each; one special and one spinoff special, Doctor-Y
Synopsis: Michiko Daimon (Yonekura) is a genius mercenary surgeon with a shady past who works freelance at different hospitals. She comes off as a greedy asshole to many, but she genuinely cares for the welfare of her patients.
Bad Guy: Changes from season to season, but mostly they are the corrupt hospital administrators that try to use Daimon for their own needs.
Notes: A pretty fun drama that reads a bit like a female version of Blackjack, but is much more than that. Half the entertainment comes from how Daimon acts like an asshole towards everyone else. The cast changes frequently, with the most drastic cast change happening from season 1 to season 2. The season 2 cast pretty much stays the same until season 4, with some supporting roles changing. My favorite character in the series is probably Jonouchi (played by former Idol Yuki Uchida), a skilled anesthesiologist/single mom.
Medical Accuracy: 2.5/5. The surgical procedures are sound on paper, but the drama seems to imply that cancer surgery is curative for a vast majority of cases, whereas the truth is, adjuvant therapies are usually employed along with surgery, and surgery is mostly curative for diseases that are of lower stage.
Overall: 7.5/10. Very Enjoyable, aside from Yonekura's wide-eyed look when she's doing surgery. She looks like she's activating a Sharingan or something, ffs.
Additional Notes: Kishibe Ittoku has a prominent supporting role as Kanbara Akira, Daimon's mentor/agent. He played Noguchi in Iryu Team Medical Dragon. The special has Takeshi Kitano in a guest role as a hospital administrator.
DOCTORS ~Saikyou no Meii~
Starring: Ikki Sawamura, Masanobu Takashima, Manami Higa
Episodes: Three seasons to date of 8-9 episodes each, and a special
Synopsis: Sagara (Sawamura) is a surgeon of immense skill working in a hospital filled with corrupt politics. While humble most of the time, he can sometimes resort to shady (even illegal) behaviors for the sake of educating corrupt medical practitioners.
Bad Guy: At first Sagara is at odds with cowardly (but relatively skilled) surgeon Moriyama (Takashima), but later they form a rivalry. The real bad guy is either the disease of the week, or corrupt hospital administrators.
Notes: Enjoyable, though Sagara can be rather harsh if he thinks that a medical staff does not think of his/her patient in the highest regard. The medical cases can be rather entertaining as well, and in this series, the inter-hospital politics and the conflicts stemming from those political maneuvers become the center of the drama at times.
Medical Accuracy: 2.5/5 pretty solid, though I have my doubts if Sagara has the license to be able to perform some of the procedures outside of his subspecialty. (No doubt about his skill, though.)
Overall: 6/10. Fun, but kinda wears thin if you aren't endeared to the characters.
Additional Notes: Masanobu Takashima looks like a Japanese Alan Rickman sometimes. Manami Higa, who plays a nurse here, also played a nurse in another popular medical drama - Code Blue - which is getting a sequel sometime this year.
Episodes: Three seasons to date of 8-9 episodes each, and a special
Synopsis: Sagara (Sawamura) is a surgeon of immense skill working in a hospital filled with corrupt politics. While humble most of the time, he can sometimes resort to shady (even illegal) behaviors for the sake of educating corrupt medical practitioners.
Bad Guy: At first Sagara is at odds with cowardly (but relatively skilled) surgeon Moriyama (Takashima), but later they form a rivalry. The real bad guy is either the disease of the week, or corrupt hospital administrators.
Notes: Enjoyable, though Sagara can be rather harsh if he thinks that a medical staff does not think of his/her patient in the highest regard. The medical cases can be rather entertaining as well, and in this series, the inter-hospital politics and the conflicts stemming from those political maneuvers become the center of the drama at times.
Medical Accuracy: 2.5/5 pretty solid, though I have my doubts if Sagara has the license to be able to perform some of the procedures outside of his subspecialty. (No doubt about his skill, though.)
Overall: 6/10. Fun, but kinda wears thin if you aren't endeared to the characters.
Additional Notes: Masanobu Takashima looks like a Japanese Alan Rickman sometimes. Manami Higa, who plays a nurse here, also played a nurse in another popular medical drama - Code Blue - which is getting a sequel sometime this year.
Bull Doctor
Starring: Makiko Esumi, Satomi Ishihara, Goro Inagaki
Episodes: 11
Synopsis: Tamami Odate (Esumi) is a forensic pathologist who takes on numerous cases. She always tries to find the truth, even when the case seems to be solved on the surface.
Bad Guy: usually the case of the week.
Notes: A mix of police procedural and medical drama, because of the subject matter. An episode of Bull Doctor often goes like this: a crime is reported by police with a certain cause of death, Tamami thinks something else caused the death of the victim, and she is eventually proven right. Like many other dramas in this list, half the entertainment is from seeing Tamami go against The Man: in this case, police investigators and other authorities involved in the investigation.
Medical Accuracy: 3/5 fairly accurate, though with the forensic slant of the drama, it's not as heavy on medical stuff as the other dramas on the list.
Overall: 7/10: a solid drama and a treat for people wanting this unique type of medical drama.
Additional Notes: Satomi Ishihara starred in another Japanese drama involving forensic pathology: Voice, which was featured in the previous drama roundup. Additionally, the theme song of Bull Doctor was sung by none other than Charice Pempengco.
Episodes: 11
Synopsis: Tamami Odate (Esumi) is a forensic pathologist who takes on numerous cases. She always tries to find the truth, even when the case seems to be solved on the surface.
Bad Guy: usually the case of the week.
Notes: A mix of police procedural and medical drama, because of the subject matter. An episode of Bull Doctor often goes like this: a crime is reported by police with a certain cause of death, Tamami thinks something else caused the death of the victim, and she is eventually proven right. Like many other dramas in this list, half the entertainment is from seeing Tamami go against The Man: in this case, police investigators and other authorities involved in the investigation.
Medical Accuracy: 3/5 fairly accurate, though with the forensic slant of the drama, it's not as heavy on medical stuff as the other dramas on the list.
Overall: 7/10: a solid drama and a treat for people wanting this unique type of medical drama.
Additional Notes: Satomi Ishihara starred in another Japanese drama involving forensic pathology: Voice, which was featured in the previous drama roundup. Additionally, the theme song of Bull Doctor was sung by none other than Charice Pempengco.
Fragile
Starring: Tomoya Nagase, Emi Takei
Episodes: 10
Synopsis: Based on the manga of the same name, Keiichitaro Kishi (Nagase) is a renegade hotshot genius pathologist who diagnoses cases with 100% accuracy. He is often at odds with clinicians who doubt his diagnoses,but are often proven wrong. Miyazaki (Takei), a trainee doctor, is drawn to Kishi and begins an apprenticeship/residency with him in the Pathology department.
Bad Guy: The hospital administration. A corrupt drug company is the main antagonist during the drama's last third.
Notes: I'm biased, as my subspecialty is pathology, and pathology isn't exactly the most exciting of medical specialties. but Fragile somehow makes things interesting and exciting, and the chemistry between Nagase and Aragaki really carries the show forward. The show also tackles issues of medical (especially preanalytical!) errors, accountability for patients and the ethical issues surrounding experimental therapies. I hope they go forward and make a season 2, because there's still so much to discuss.
Medical Accuracy: 3.5/5. Although the treatment and prognosis for some diseases are a bit too optimistic, the show does a very good job showing what a pathologist actually does (albeit a bit exaggerated for dramatic effect.)
Overall: 8/10. I'm biased. But still a treat for fans of Nagase and of medical dramas. This one is solid and unique with regards to its subject matter. We don't get a lot of exposure in medical dramas (forensic pathologists being the one glaring exception) so this is really a welcome development.
Additional Notes: Nagase actually starred in another medical drama, Handoku (Half Doctor) where he was a gang member turned kenshuuin, or trainee doctor. The drama also has former AKB48 member/spicy food connoisseur Rena Matsui playing a med rep with a shady past. Kinya Kitaoji, who plays Kishi's mentor Nakaguma, appeared in some seasons of Doctor-X.
Episodes: 10
Synopsis: Based on the manga of the same name, Keiichitaro Kishi (Nagase) is a renegade hotshot genius pathologist who diagnoses cases with 100% accuracy. He is often at odds with clinicians who doubt his diagnoses,but are often proven wrong. Miyazaki (Takei), a trainee doctor, is drawn to Kishi and begins an apprenticeship/residency with him in the Pathology department.
Bad Guy: The hospital administration. A corrupt drug company is the main antagonist during the drama's last third.
Notes: I'm biased, as my subspecialty is pathology, and pathology isn't exactly the most exciting of medical specialties. but Fragile somehow makes things interesting and exciting, and the chemistry between Nagase and Aragaki really carries the show forward. The show also tackles issues of medical (especially preanalytical!) errors, accountability for patients and the ethical issues surrounding experimental therapies. I hope they go forward and make a season 2, because there's still so much to discuss.
Medical Accuracy: 3.5/5. Although the treatment and prognosis for some diseases are a bit too optimistic, the show does a very good job showing what a pathologist actually does (albeit a bit exaggerated for dramatic effect.)
Overall: 8/10. I'm biased. But still a treat for fans of Nagase and of medical dramas. This one is solid and unique with regards to its subject matter. We don't get a lot of exposure in medical dramas (forensic pathologists being the one glaring exception) so this is really a welcome development.
Additional Notes: Nagase actually starred in another medical drama, Handoku (Half Doctor) where he was a gang member turned kenshuuin, or trainee doctor. The drama also has former AKB48 member/spicy food connoisseur Rena Matsui playing a med rep with a shady past. Kinya Kitaoji, who plays Kishi's mentor Nakaguma, appeared in some seasons of Doctor-X.
That's it for this edition of the Medical Drama roundup. If you have any suggestions for interesting Japanese medical dramas that you would like me to cover in a future post, leave a comment below. Till next time!
Edit: made an error regarding the casting for Fragile; it's been corrected. Apologies for the error!
Edit: made an error regarding the casting for Fragile; it's been corrected. Apologies for the error!
No comments:
Post a Comment