At the beginning of the series, Lee Kang Hoon, the main character, is presented as a typical male lead. Cold and cruel, I was expecting that with the influence of Ji Hye, the female lead, his coldness would 'melt' as he fell in love. This usual formula for k-drama that I've grown so accustomed to turned out not to be the case in Brain. Rather than a romance of any description, the way I see this drama is that it's more of a character study of Kang Hoon, a deeply troubled and, quite bluntly, deeply unpleasant man than anything else. He's portrayed to absolute perfection by Shin Ha Kyun, who executes the many layers to his character flawlessly, yet I wouldn't say at any point his character becomes likeable. There are elements of pity and sympathy evoked by his character, but on the whole his character works to be so memorable and defining in this drama by how unswervingly calculating, vindictive and petty he is. This is actually one of the things I most admired overall. It's a bold move to have a lead character who simply isn't a 'good', kind person that's easy for an audience to root for. It sets Brain apart from a more typical series to have it lead by the kind of character who would be cast as an antagonist in most dramas.
With such a strong lead character as Kang Hoon, there's not a lot of room left for a convincing romance to be built up. As I've said, I was expecting this drama to orbit around the romance between Kang Hoon and Ji Hye, but this really wasn't the case at all. Their romance felt much more like an after dinner chocolate at the end of a meal than anything substantial. I'd have perhaps liked it to have had more resonance in the series as a whole (I'm so used to k-dramas being love and nothing else that I was disorientated...) especially in shaping Kang Hoon's character. The synopsis hints at this but it never really happened to any marked degree in my eyes.
I would say the driving plot behind this drama is the politics of the hospital and the battling of egos amongst the surgeons. This is part way facilitated by how Kang Hoon's unchanging motivation is to be recognized as the best neurosurgeon, regardless of who he has to step on to get there. While I found this whole theme fairly interesting from a character development point of view, it did get tiresome when other plot threads were overlooked in favour of yet another scene of arguments over who was going to get to do the next complex (and therefore prestigious) operation.
As I've hinted at, there are a large number of sub-plots to this drama, many of which had the potential to take this drama from being just good to really excellent. Unfortunately, I felt a lot of them weren't really filled out as far as they could have been. Some, for example the whole role of Seo Joon Suk in the dynamics of the drama, felt like they just fizzled out and I was left wondering why they'd even been introduced at all. It was as if the writers realized they'd added in too much for a span of only twenty episodes only after they'd piled the drama too high with potential plot threads. I wouldn't say this was a major hindrance, as the main plot remained strong as it was and didn't need a lot of back-up, but I still came away feeling a little disappointed that other elements hadn't really received much of a resolution.
With this drama, I think almost inarguably its strength lay in the quality of the cast. Superb performances all-round. This isn't just the main cast, but also the secondary characters who played an important role in giving colour and a sense of warmth to the hospital setting. I especially enjoyed the little romances hinted at and forming in the background throughout the whole drama, which were not a focus but were adorable nonetheless.
Overall, I was addicted to Brain while I was watching it, and got through it back-to-back over three days. Although it wasn't everything I hoped and thought it would be, it definitely had that je ne sais quoi that kept me watching fanatically, compelled to know what happens next. I'd definitely recommend people give it a try. If you're trying to find something a bit different from the usual formulaic Korean rom-com, this might be just what you're looking for.
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*When it comes to acting I really don't know what to say...it's Shin Ha Kyun the most talented actor ever...the short guy who's not so good looking but yet his smile makes me fly of happiness & his tears destroy me...his acting is real for me...once I watch him on screen I feel like I'm there with him in his world...
I thought at 1st that this drama will be showing us how wrong Dr. Lee Kang Hun was in his methods & in seeking success...It's the thing I hate most in K-drama the perfect humans they portray (Like in King Of Baking) but this drama is not about that...it shows an imperfect man who's cold, arrogant and selfish...someone wasted the time he had with his mother and followed a stupid revenge - that was eventually against himself...yet this drama glorifies his unlimited ambitions...that's what i love about this drama...that at the end they didn't let him sacrifice his Ego but respected and protected him.
*The OST was really good and fitting with the drama...the song Solitude makes me cry while listening to it even without understanding the lyrics...really good I also read that Kim Hyun Joong recommended the song Closer.
*The reason I enjoyed this drama a lot was the characters and the acting...so I'll definitely re-watch it.
*There's only a few kisses in this drama but they are good & the romantic scenes were touching...also the weakness of most Korean actors is crying scenes but it's a strong part of this drama...the way Shin Ha Kyun cries was destroying me...it was so good and so real that I wanted to hug Dr. Lee. :')
*Hope this review was helpful...I'm really grateful I watched this drama...it's not that popular...but it was one of the best I've ever seen...just give it a shot...you might get hooked from the 1st ep like me ^.^
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While watching this drama, I really feel dynamic emotion. On around episode 7/8, I really hate all the characters and even think about stop watching.. But actually I hold myself and keep watching, hoping that it will get better on the next episodes. And it actually is! On the later episodes, I really feel this excitement of waiting for the next episodes. I think it's when the love line between Kang Hoon & Ji Hye starts to grow. Back then, on the later episodes, I actually can understand the reasons behind all of the character's irritating and annoying behavior. And eventually I start to like the characters as they got better.
The story: there's not much Korean drama that have this kind of story. To be truthful, I am kinda interested in semi-documentary drama like Brain. I used to watch Surgeon Bong Dal Hee which is also a medical drama. Maybe that's why I watch Brain in the first place. But the romance in it also hold me to keep watching this. Overall, it has a great story.
The casts: for the casts, I think there's no one can play the role of Lee Kang Hoon better than Shin Ha Kyun. Arrogance, selfishness, obsession, everything that was the part of Kang Hoon's character, was expressed very well by Shin Ha Kyun.
On the other side, I think Ji Hye's character is a bit weak. Choi Jung Won's acting doesn't really caught my eyes. Even though, she managed to have a good chemistry with Shin Ha Kyun.
As for Lee Sung Min (played the role Go Jae Hak), I have to praise his acting that successfully made me hate Go Jae Hak so much.
The soundtrack: for me, no particular song that stands out. Sorry to say, but in my opinion, the soundtrack is just average. It did helps to bring the mood on the drama. But besides it, it's just average.
The rewatch value: I can't say that this drama is bad (if it's bad, I would've stopped watching it in the middle). But for rewatching it, maybe I wouldn't.
Overall, this drama is good for whoever wants to be a doctor. By watching this drama, you can learn about responsibility towards a patient, and even a commoner like me can learn a lot about neurosurgery. One suggestion, don't watch this drama if you're afraid of blood (just like me on the first episode).
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Story- Really different! The first half of eps dealt with different patients and kept the story fresh. Then the second half of eps dealt more with the main Dr.’s personal life in addition to another Dr who had a major arc that took up the rest of the show. There is romance whoever it is only briefly touched upon. I thought this part was its weakness because the main Dr. and the main female Dr. had such a good chemistry, so I was kind of disappointed with the way they wrote it. The last episode was so cute in one sense but also angsty and kind of opened ended in some respects.
Acting/Cast- The two actors that stood out were Shin Ha Kyun (Dr. Lee Kang Hoon) and Jung Jin Young (Dr. Kim Sang Chul). They really did a phenomenal job of portraying their complex characters. I do have to mention that Dr. Lee was so scary for about most of the drama. His character was just too intense and I’ll just say it…psychotic for my liking. I was hoping for better character development but it didn’t happen. I actually loved the side characters and wish we got to see more of them because I feel like this drama was too centered on Dr. Lee. Unfortunately Choi Jung Won (who was brilliant in Stars Falling from the Sky) didn’t contribute anything to the show. Her character to me felt like she was just there to be Dr. Lee’s rag doll. This is evident even in the last few minutes of the ending.
Music- I really like the score it added to the intensity of certain scenes. The songs for the OST were memorable but nothing I’d listen to outside of the show.
Rewatch- Although I don’t regret watching this at all, I just didn’t get any enjoyment out of watching. Therefore I can’t say Id rewatch this.
Overall Brain is very very interesting but I just wasn’t in love with it. I do recommend watching it though. Its my first medical drama I’ve been able to finish so that’s worth something=)
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GOOD DRAMA TO WATCH
It was a really good drama, I love how the relationships among them grow. Although the character of Dr. Lee Kang Hoon was full of ego and a bit cold somehow I could feel that he was quite a funny guy and full of confidence. I love the other actors and actresses as well. Their emotions, their relationships.... Especially for Dr. Kim Sang Chul’s acting, it was so flawless. The romance part was quite okay, al though we need more on that.The relationship between Dr. Kim Sang Chul and Dr. Lee Kang Hoon was so touching and very meaningful. I thing we could learn something from here.
After all, this drama was great and I recommend you guys to watch it.
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