This drama is a trope-twisting, campy take on a K-drama rom-com. If you like over-the-top, often amusingly physical, comedy with a side of heart and feels, then Dr. Slump is for you.

If, on the other hand, you're a cynical so-and-so (ahem, like me) who would like some meat on the bones of your rom-com...this drama may not for you. Park Hyung-Sik sure does look good in light yellow, though.

Doctor Slump promised a rom-com - and it delivered.
In my K-drama-watching journey, I have learned that there is no perfect drama, and that's all right. (Hey, Hollywood gave Oscars to Titanic and Gravity, so there...) This achieved what it set out to do—provide a healing touch to viewers who might be struggling themselves.
What I loved:
The consistent focus on mental health: The show did not veer away from its basic premise even once. It first showed that it's all right to seek help, and then it showed that it's not a one-fold, medication-popping, narrow journey to 'cure'.
The theme of positive reinforcement: This can be magical, and I absolutely loved it in this show. Whether from Ha-nuel to Jeong Woo, Mom to Ha-nuel, Uncle to his niece, Dr Bin to Jeong Woo, or Jeong Woo to Ha-nuel, it's fantastic. I wish more people would adopt this uplifting language.
Mental health is not about getting a quick fix at a pit stop. It's about enduring. Ha-nuel's Mom, Uncle, brother, and Jeong Woo have it in abundance—the resilience to wake up in the morning with a smile no matter what life throws at them. In the end, Ha-nuel made that journey to reach that space, and I, as a viewer, lived it with her.
What I loved most about this drama is how they made it about having an ordinary life at the end. Regular life is filled with minor, often useless problems and does not always need out-of-the-world drama to be exciting. And it's so perfect when the thrill of a sunrise over a shimmering body of water washes over you because the world is, indeed, new every day.
Performance:
Park Shin Hye: I went in not expecting too much of her as I have never liked her. But boy, she delivered, and at times, she outshone PHS (you have no idea what this costs me to say, haha! But what's fair is fair). She aces the comedy (that bathroom scene will be forever gold) and makes you reach out for tissues when she hurts. And she looks beautiful in those lovely dresses (so glad she is not dressed in jute bags in the series). She is already signed up for another rom-com, so let's see how that goes.
Park Hyung Sik: The internet is littered with praises over his 'ayego', with interviewers falling over each other and asking him how he does it, which makes me nervous. He is comedy king without the extra, and hopefully, he does not box himself in there and finds directors who won't take that shortcut with him. Having said that, his range of emotions in this series is unbelievable, and while I would not peg this as his best work, he delivers at all crucial places (with episodes 10, 13, and 14 being the highlights of his capabilities). Some of his adlibs are uber-fab.
Both had sizzling chemistry, and the kiss scenes were, in one word - spicy (I would not be surprised if those gave Choi Tae Joon a few moments of worry lol!)
Jang Hye Jin: Oh, this woman! She is officially my favourite Mom ever. She called Bada a rainbow—positive reinforcement at its best. Go, Mom!
This...

Although the drama deals with depression, burn out, PTSD etc., it doesn't focus on the logical aspect of treating it, but rather spends time on exploring the feelings of the one diagnosed with it and the misunderstandings/support of the people surrounding such persons. So, I would say the drama justified the use of "healing" genre tag. The FL had a great character arc and a well planned navigation compared to the ML, but both were considerate and lovely individuals. Overall, the drama had its up and downs with some astounding meta and some terrible writing of happenstances, similar to the journey in life, but most of the plot was as light as cotton candy that many turned away (dropped it) in fear of getting cavity.

Park Shin Hye's acting is to be highly appreciated and she became a rediscovered talent in this drama and Park Hyung Shik lives up to his "cuteness, silliness and handsomeness". Don't expect too much from Yoon Park's character because he mostly is an extended cameo.

My ratings 8/10 (because I forgave all the misses). If you want a kdrama that gives you the experience of eating an ice cream on a hot summer day, a cold winter evening, during a heavy downpour or basically at any point of time to satiate your sweet tooth, then this one is for you.

I'm about to start this drama.

Can anyone confirm that this rom-com does not have a serial killer plotline in it?

Hello fellow beanies. If it is alright with you, I would appreciate it if you spare some time to check my article on Doctor Slump finale recap and review.
Thanks in advance.
https://kdramadiary.com/kdrama-review/doctor-slump-jtbc/

Warning of whom I don't think should watch this show-
- People who dislike seeing cutesie couples acting all lovey dovey. Maybe if you really dislike adult couples going to Lotte World and wearing silly animal headbands or couples that buy matching clothes you should not press start.
-People who really hate watching people get drunk and act silly.

Who will likely enjoy the show and may want to watch-
- People who may be struggling in life/feeling burnt out and need a comfort watch with an uplifting message that you too can gain the strength to love/protect yourself and find a way to endure through the hardships because another beautiful sunrise is coming. When you feel abandoned and alone, having just one person who believes in you and has your back is really all you need and sometimes that's not your family or friends but an old rival who just understand you.
-People who adored Min Min from SWDBS including all his silly moments.

What you should do before pressing play-
Accept that for these characters and apparently Korean culture (per a Korean on Reddit), drinking heavily especially when you are depressed/burnt out/upset is going to happen and not perseverate about it.
Accept that overhearing conversations is one way for people to learn about things and it is going to be used a lot especially by one character to move things along.
Accept that the director said he wanted to create a healing drama and tackle the heavy topic of burn out/depression/slump with a light touch which mostly meant humor. Although the topic can seem dark and depressing, they were able to balance it with a lot of heartstrings tugging and comedy. The comedy was at times physical/aegyo/silly but there was always a bit of warmth in there too.
Accept that this show isn't going to rush through the healing process and spends quite a lot of time in the down and out parts and then later a lot of time giving the audience the closure of where the characters are going and how they will be doing in the future.

Do not worry there is no messy love triangle, unrequited love, stalker, or bad family trying to tear the OTP apart.

Overall, I had a blast watching the adorable puppy and mischievous squirrel grow from high school rivals (the rivalry did bring out their childish antics as their teacher noted) to grownups with troubled issues that find solace in each other but learn to heal themselves and grow together into better/stronger people. HN's family, especially her mom, was the heart of the show and although they made a few early missteps, they quickly figured out how to be there for both of them.