The Heart (2023)

Realistic & touching

I hardly write reviews but I feel this drama is too underrated and doesn't do it justice. The stories that happened in the hospital and the characters are realistic and often touching and the acting of the 3 leads are fantastic. It reminds me of ER somewhat but it focuses on cardiology and 3 people, their growth, their change, their bond in the hospital. Story moves along much better than a lot of costume or profession cdramas or and it is perfectly cast. I dropped a lot before about firefighters, pilots, lawyers, businessmen because they are just not up to par or at all interesting but this one I think it's very well made and written.

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A Deep & Real Look Into the Heart of Cardiology Doctors

First things first, I have to say that I had my doubts when I first heard about this medical drama but that all went away the moment I watched the first episode. I thought it would be another rom-com disguised as a medical drama but it truly is a real medical drama focused on the doctors' and patients' stories and personal growth, while also focusing on the journey of healing. The romance is not a large part of the drama and doesn't overshadow the important story about all the medical staff and patients. It really is what the drama promotes itself as and I really love that. It is no wonder why this drama has such a high rating on China's Douban drama rating site but it is a shame that not more international audiences are watching. It is really a hidden gem!

More detail on why this drama is such a great watch:

First, the story! The script was thoroughly written and you can tell that the writers put effort into making sure all the medical procedures and terminology are correctly portrayed. I also saw online and in interviews that the writers spent 2 years working on this script and the main cast spent a month learning relevant cardiology information at a real hospital. The writers also regularly consulted real cardiologists to write the different scenarios with the patients so that they are medically correct and not some plot device. The patient's stories are dramatic but feels like it could happen in real life. As you watch all the surgery and hospital scenes (which is almost 90% of the drama), you can immediately tell that a lot of time was spent on getting everything accurate, whether it is the actors or the set. It is very obvious in every scene in the hospital that there was a good effort put into everything, and that is why the story is even more engaging and real. Even without knowing all that, the patients' stories themselves were heartwarming and touching as well. They manage to make you connect with each patient and get you emotionally attached to them so you can't help but feel anxious, worried, and engaged in each episode. That is how I ended up binging almost 10 episodes in a day because I just couldn't help myself. Not only that, but be prepared to shed tears (lots of tears) as medical dramas always involve talking about life and death :(( I cried multiple times throughout the drama and it still hurts to think about it. Get tissues ready and be prepared to love these patients! However, also be ready to enjoy a good dose of humor at just the right moments! The writers did not forget to add some sunshine in the middle of the heavier topics. Moreover, the story also includes the hospital politics between doctors and also makes you ask questions about a doctor's motivations. The drama really covers all topics related to the doctors and patients in a very fluid and

Next, the actors! I haven't watched Mark Chao since Ten Miles or Mao Xiao Tong since Princess WeiYoung but I know their acting skills so I knew that they would be pretty good. But Jin Shi Jia was a pleasant surprise to see. All three had amazing chemistry together and I really enjoyed all the scenes they had together. I really love the Xiao Feng x Xiao Ran x Lin Yi combo. I could not get enough of their scenes. Whether it is bromance or romance, they pulled it off incredibly! Xiao Feng and Xiao Ran are very cute siblings while Xiao Ran and Lin Yi are adorable bickering. All three actors were convincing in their roles and performed above and beyond in conveying the complex emotions of being a doctor and their character's struggles and backgrounds. I really felt for each of their personal stories, particularly Xiao Feng and Lin Yi. The writers did amazing and fleshing out each character so that you can relate to their decisions and dilemmas. You will find yourself loving each character. The love lines were also nicely done! The coupling between Xiao Ran and Lin Yi felt natural and they are just too shippable. I wish they could have had more sweet scenes. However, I didn't enjoy Xiao Feng and Chen Yue love line as much but it wasn't too bad. I just loved seeing the personal growth of Xiao Feng, Xiao Ran, and Lin Yi in the episodes and I miss them already. The supporting roles all did great as well. They are not well-known actors but they really brought their characters to life, whether they had a lot of screen time or not.

Another thing is the OST, filmography, and sets. The bgm and OST were written beautifully and with deep and relatable lyrics. My heart hurts each time I listen to it yet I can't stop playing it on repeat. The bgm was also nicely composed and played at all the right moments to pull on your heartstrings and make you bawl. It hurts.. :( The director also did great in building the sets and filming the surgeries and hospital. I saw a behind the scene and some of the drama was filmed at a real hospital to make it look more real. I really appreciate the crew's hard work in making every little detail as real as possible. It really made everything feel more real and pull you into the story.

Overall, this drama is a great way to learn more about the cardiology department and about doctors' struggles. For example, I had no idea there were two different departments within cardiology- cardiac and cardiology. So, it was an eye-opening experience to learn about how those two departments work together. The drama does an excellent job at talking about the relationship between doctors and patients, and doctors with doctors themselves. It touches on doctors' career prospects on top of all this as well. Basically, this drama covers so many different aspects in a very real and grounded way. It really makes you ask your heart, or wen xin like the Chinese title says. Please give it a try if you like medical dramas!

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