Hello
to all my K-Drama fans out there!
I watched
“Live Up to Your Name”, a series is on Netflix, but it is NOT
a Netflix Original. So you might be able to find it at other
streaming sites.
Medical
dramas seems to be gaining popularity. Time-travel dramas have
already become popular. Romantic comedy has always been popular.
This TV series is a romantic comedy time-travel medical drama. It's
clear that the purpose is to show both Eastern and Western medical
practices are good, but combining techniques used in Eastern and
Western medicine could be even better. Well! That's my takeaway.
Although … I'm still scared of needles. So if someone were to
perform acupuncture on me, I would have to be totally passed out or
in such a state where my body was paralyzed and I couldn't move.
There's no way I would see a needle coming towards me and stay still.
To this day, when I have to get shots, I always close my eyes.
OK.
Back to the show! The two main characters are Heo Im (played by Kim
Nam-Gil) and Choi Yeon-Kyung (played by Kim A-Joong). Even though
this series is historical fiction, Heo Im is a real life historical
figure. Heo Im is an acupuncturist from Joseon who fell off of a
bridge into the water, and when he comes up from the water to
breathe, he finds himself in modern day Seoul, South Korea. The
first person he crosses paths with is a female doctor who is a
skilled surgeon and her speciality is heart surgery. Both medical
practictioners are “the best” in their fields. Although when
they first meet, Choi Yeon-Kyung thinks Heo Im is a crazy quack
pretending to be a doctor of oriental medicine, and Heo Im is shocked
to learn that females can actually become doctors.
What
makes this series different from other shows that I have watched is
that they cross the time barriers several times. First, Heo Im comes
to the modern-day Republic of Korea. Then Heo Im and Choi
Yeon-Kyung pass through the time portal and they both end up in
Joseon. Then they pass through again and end back up in Seoul. This
happens a number of times.
During
the course of their time-travel adventures together, they fall in
love. However, because they are from different time periods, the
questions that must be answered are:
~
Are these lovers destined to be together OR must they choose to live
separate lives because they are from different time periods?
~
If they choose to be together, will they live in Joseon, 400 years in
the past OR in modern-day Seoul South Korea?
The
main characters and the supporting cast worked well together and
created a very believable unbelievable story.
Additionally,
I learned an interesting tidbit about the history of Korea. Usually
when I watch historical period dramas, I latch on to an interesting
person or place and do a little research to find out more. “More”
meaning “did this person really exist” or “is this place for
real”? In a few of the episodes, a character was introduced name
Sayaka.
For
contrast: nobody disputed that Heo Im is a real historical figure.
However, regard the man named Sayaka, some say that there is no
historical proof that such a man ever existed. There is a story or
maybe you would call it a “legend” or “tradition” or “myth”
that during the Japanese invasions of Joseon that occurred from 1592
to 1598, there was a Japanese general named Sayaka who defected and
served in the Joseon army. It is said that he helped defeat the
Japanese forces and was given the name Kim Chung-seon. He continued
his miltary service and even fought against the Qing troops during
the Manchu invasion of Korea.
One
of the reasons given as to why there is a dispute over the existence
of this general because they claim there is no name for such a
commander in the Japanese historical materials.
To
me, there is an easy explanation for that. The Japanese got pissed,
considered him a traitor, and erased him from their records. Please!
Erasing records happens a lot in various countries. There is no
record in Egyptian history that a Jewish man named Joseph served as
second in command to Pharoah either! Just sayin'.
As
far as Korean historical records, if I were a Korean historian, and I
was going to create a hero of the people who fought against foreign
invaders, why would I make up a story about the country's military
victories and give the credit to one of the foreigners who betrayed
his own countrymen and helped us defeat the enemy invaders? If I
were going to create mythical hero, I wouldn't write the “history”
that way. I'm just thinking, this dude must be real! Why make that
story up? That's all I'm sayin'.
Anyway!
I give Live Up to Your Name (2017), 5 out of 5 stars.
Star
1: All the characters played their parts well.
Star
2: Heo Im (played by Kim Nam-Gil) and Choi Yeon-Kyung (played by Kim
A-Joong) made a perfect couple.
Star
3: The scenery in both Joseon and Seoul was beautiful.
Star
4: Watching acupuncture being performed was very educational.
Star
5: If that guy named Sayaka was not real, you sure wanted him to be!
Here
are a couple of related links to reviews by others of this TV series:
**
K-Drama Review: 'Live Up to Your Name' A Medical Melodrama Combine
with Romantic Presence by Kim Nam-gil | Channel-K
**
K-Drama Review: Live Up To Your Name, Dr. Heo (2017) by Kim Eun-hee
Original Source: Medium.com
