Premiere Watch: Soul Repairer
by stroopwafel
Time slot: Wednesday & Thursday
Broadcaster: KBS
Genre: Medical, human
Episode count: 32 (35 minute episodes)
Reasons to watch: In the latest addition to the medical drama genre, Soul Repairer focuses on mental health and happiness for people trying to navigate their way through a chaotic world. Shin Ha-kyun, Park Ye-jin, and Tae In-ho play three close friends and colleagues at a private hospital who work in the psychiatry department. Shin is happy to deal with living in a “crazy” world by being his eccentric self and leaning on humor to reach out to patients. It’s in part to his unorthodox approach that he ends up being assigned a problem patient: Jung So-min, a rising star in the musical theater world with terrible anger management issues. She’s skeptical that anyone can actually help her, but Shin Ha-kyun’s determination may be enough to convince her to give treatment a chance. With Shin Ha-kyun and Jung So-min as leads, there is a lot of potential for funny, wacky moments and touching emotional beats (but please don’t let there be a doctor-patient/age gap loveline).
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Tags: Premiere Watch, Soul Repairer
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1 Flightey Gazelles
May 6, 2020 at 7:59 AM
Well, a refreshing change, mental health is the focus. I know they'll do it justice, dramaland has come so far...*knock on wood*...
I watched Kim Ok Bin's Villaines very recently so I'm not feeling so generous towards Shin Ha Kyun. He's smiling so brightly with a different haircut that I can't recognize him. The premise sounds quite interesting, I'll be sure to follow up.
PS: correct me if it wasn't Shin Ha Kyun in Villainess please.
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marina
May 6, 2020 at 8:11 AM
It was him in The Villainess and I freaking loved him in it! One of my fav movies and characters! Just like Luc Besson’s Nikita!
It feels weird to see him smile like that! Some actors are so much better when they look serious (Eric Moon is another example imo).
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PYC
May 6, 2020 at 8:49 AM
That is one cool movie, like the k-version of Kill Bill. And SKH is such a wonderful and versatile actor, but especially impressive as some neurotic character.
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Flightey Gazelles
May 11, 2020 at 7:40 PM
That's the description! Korean version of Kill Bill is apt.
Was it Kim Ok Bin in Athena movie with Jung Woo Sung? She looked so different with long, flowing hair and was giving sooooo much Le Yo Won vibes. I loved her in the movie. Life really did her dirty from childhood to adulthood and I hate what het gangster lover/husband did to her. That adorable baby...*sob*...
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PYC
May 12, 2020 at 5:50 AM
It wasn't Kim Ok Bin in Athena - that was Su Ae. If you like KOB, please try the drama Yoona Street which she headlined as a pickpocket leader - a superb and heartwarming drama about people living in the margin. It is a JTBC drama and quite long at 50 episodes.
2 Kafiyah Bello
May 6, 2020 at 7:59 AM
Ha at the last sentence, but I am with you!!
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3 Lurker
May 6, 2020 at 8:03 AM
" (but please don’t let there be a doctor-patient/age gap loveline). "
Well you can expect it for sure since the trailer definitely looked like they were going to go that way...
I'm not a fan of big age gaps but if it's carefully handled I usually don't mind that much. Shin Ha-kyun does look his age though and Jung So Min looks like a baby next to him so bleh... But well they're old enough and professional... It's just that on a very shallow note, when I watch a tv show, I'd rather have actors whose age difference aren't that apparent unless it's the theme of the drama itself.
In I Can Hear Your Voice, Lee Jeong Suk and Lee Bo Young are 10 years apart, but Lee Bo Young is so stunning though you know she's older you hardly think about it watching the drama same with Park Bo Gum in Encounter with Song Hye Gyo or with Kim Yoo Jung in Love in the Moonlight ( though the age gap was smaller in that case, You Jung was still a minor when it was filmed).
Even in Witch's Romance, which whole theme revolved around the age-gap, worked for me because although both actors were 19 years apart (the age gap was actually smaller in the story than in reality), Uhm Jung Hwa was still stunning enough that I could buy that even a young guy would find her attractive.
So I guess age gaps are ok for me as long as I can forget that both actors are not too far apart in age ( When My Love Blooms is great in that regard when the actress playing Ji Soo's younger self is actually 4 years older than the other playing Jae Hyun... And she's supposed to be younger than he in the story and it just works because she looks youthful).
Anyway, I love both actors though I wish they'd chosen either an older actress or a younger actor so I'll be waiting for recaps/weecaps/open thread before giving it a go.
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4 Kurama
May 6, 2020 at 8:06 AM
"anger management issues" does it mean she's a diva? I hope they won't make too strong her crazy side in the first episodes to make a point... They sometimes do that for some women characters and loose viewers in the same time because the FL looks stupid and crazy.
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5 neener ~ Inside the Magic Shop ~
May 6, 2020 at 8:13 AM
Please dramaland, be good!
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6 yuja
May 6, 2020 at 10:12 AM
yikes....... i’m all for de-stigmatizing mental illness but this is not the way to do it.
i don’t understand why the doctor/patient romance keeps coming up in kdramas... putting the age gap aside, the inherent power imbalance in that relationship makes me feel so uncomfortable.
i like both of the actors, but i really hope that this doesn’t end up being a romance like all the promo suggests.
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7 javinne
May 6, 2020 at 10:41 AM
Jung So min, nothing else!
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8 Eazal
May 6, 2020 at 11:37 AM
I will wait to beanies comments.
I'd love to watch a drama in which mental health is addressed properly and treatments are normalized, but the mere thought of a loveline give me the chills (in the worst way possible).
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9 frabbycrabsis loves KBS Drama Specials
May 6, 2020 at 2:42 PM
Please be good please be good please be good please be good-
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10 Bunny Bean loves Uppa
May 6, 2020 at 9:37 PM
I'm so much looking forward to this drama because of Jung So-min. She is very beautiful and her smile is very charming. And I have checked the teaser, and in this drama, it will be a real taste if her acting abilities.!!!!
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OldLawyer
May 8, 2020 at 8:10 AM
I just saw the first episode and if I had a complaint it was not enough Jung So-min.
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Bunny Bean loves Uppa
May 8, 2020 at 8:18 AM
That's definitely going to break my heart💜❤
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11 Kairoskat 💐
May 6, 2020 at 10:39 PM
Omo! The poster is very pretty~
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12 Kairoskat 💐
May 6, 2020 at 11:11 PM
I truly believe the drama is about a doctor wanting to treat his patients. And I don't think there will be any romance between doctor and patient
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amruta1009
May 6, 2020 at 11:16 PM
I'll wait for it to end and if there isn't then I'll watch.
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13 Beverly
May 7, 2020 at 1:12 AM
Just finished the first hour. Jung So-min was so good. She definitely stole the show for me.
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14 k1000a
May 8, 2020 at 7:40 AM
This sounds interesting but, at the same time, I am very wary. Am not a big fan (read: I utterly dislike) the kdramas (and kmovies) depiction of mental health and, apparently, this is gonna be another problematic doctor-patient romance (and with an age gap too, but hey! at least her character isn't psychotic) so.... I have very low expectations about this. Still, I'll see how it goes since I like both leads, just hope that her condition improve due to treatment and not just the power of (unethical) love. Also, please, please, please show, make the cause of her condition be something more than a childhood trauma (fingers crossed).
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15 OldLawyer
May 8, 2020 at 6:30 PM
So I have now seen the first two (half length) episode and we get a lot more of Jung So-min's character. We also get more of a sense of where the story could involve more than just a 'medical' line.
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16 Rumi~
May 10, 2020 at 1:21 AM
THIS 👆🏼
I want kdramas to have their non personal psychologist x patient moments. That you can respect & care for their well being without being personally involved with them. I don't know why anybody would think anger issues are unmanageable in this day & age, but kdramas... *sigh*
I think I've seen only film thing where the point was made that your psychiatrist or your psychologist is not your friend ; that they are your doctor and that it's not ok to have expectations of a personal relationship with them.
__I don't think I should expect anything of this sort from the sound of the synopsis... But I wish....alas...
I initially thought this drama was a Chinese one when I saw it on another site for some reason. It looked like a family drama poster lol.
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17 Bob
May 14, 2020 at 7:00 PM
Its on Viki under the (very different) name 'Fix You'.
I was very enthused to find a new Jung So-min series. Then I watched a couple episodes. The writing is not very good, unfortunately. Maybe it'll improve as it goes on but it has problems with the show's base premise. A psychiatrist doesn't heal his patients by tricking them into admitting they're acting crazy.
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