Dr. Koto - More than just a JDrama!
As you probably know I haven't watched any jdrama in a long time.
People who have been following my LJ for many years know that I used to watch a LOT and also wrote reviews, shared screencaps and whatnot - even after moving to Japan.
However, in the past few years I have basically watched no dramas. I think the only one was "Rich Man, Poor Woman".
After coming back from my summer vacation in Okinawa where I've also visited Yonaguni - a drama location, I really couldn't resist.
Yonaguni is a very small, remote island. It is actually closer to Taiwan than to the rest of Japan.
It's location for many movies, but also for a popular jdrama called "Dr. Koto".
I've only heard about it shortly before my departure and had no time to watch it, so I visited all the shooting locations without knowing ANYTHING about the drama.
While on the island I had a chance to read the first volume of the manga. The islanders are very proud that their small island was chosen as a shooting location, so you'll find posters everywhere and my small hotel had all the manga volumes as well.
After coming back, I REALLY missed Okinawa and especially Yonaguni where I stayed the longest (4 days).
Luckily I was able to find the drama and started watching it.
And I fell in love with the island even more! Right from the start it was so great to see all the places that I've been to just a few days before!
At first I only watched because I felt nostalgic and wanted to see the island, but in no time I got TOTALLY addicted to this drama!
So far there are two seasons with 11 episodes each and two specials. They're all connected story-wise, so you need to watch it in the right order:
Season 1 (2003), Special 1 + 2 (2004), Season 2 (2006)
I could go on and write a book about the whole drama, but instead I try to make it as short as possible:
Dr. Koto (Dr.コトー診療所)
The drama (and also the manga) starts with a fishing boat in the ocean. On board are four people - all of them will play an important role throughout the entire drama series!
The most important one is Goto Kensuke (Yoshioka Hidetaka), a young doctor who came from a huge hospital in Tokyo, but is now heading to a small island.
In the manga it's a small island outside of Kyushu, in the drama it's a small island in Okinawa (just like Yonaguni is in reality).
It takes about 6 hours by boat to get from the small island to the "mainland" (in that case Naha).
The doctor gets seasick easily and the first thing we see is him throwing up several times after being told that it'll take another 4h to the island.
He doesn't make a trustworthy impression at first sight.
Once he arrives on the island the first thing he has to do is sign a death certificate. There's a dead elderly person and he needs to confirm the death before they can bury him.
Not a very good start, huh?
They bring the doctor to his "clinic" - which is right next to a beautiful beach and extremely small.
There are only 2 staff members:
The nurse Ayaka (Shibasaki Kou) and Wada-san (see photo above).
Ayaka has seen many doctors come and go already and is very skeptic. All the previous doctors weren't very trustworthy and left the island again after only a short time.
When Dr. Koto asks her about the non-existent equipment in the clinic, she snaps and says that nobody would come to the clinic anyways.
He asks what happens in case of an emergency when there's not enough time to transfer the patient to the mainland. She tells him that they just have to give up in that case.
As it's a small island rumors spread quickly, for example that the new doctor has thrown up several times and that he doesn't have a "license".
Which is true, but it's a DRIVER'S license that he doesn't have (which is why he moves around on a bicycle).
Nobody is coming to the clinic.
This is Takehiro. The son of Taketoshi, a fisherman of the island. They both were on the boat that brought the doctor to the island.
The boy suddenly gets very sick in the first episode. Dr. Koto suggests immediate surgery, but the father does not agree.
He wants to bring his son to the mainland.
Dr. Koto knows that the boy wouldn't last long enough, so he jumps on the fishing boat that's about to leave and gets the nurse Ayaka and his employee Wada to jump on the boat as well, saying that they will accompany them to the mainland just to be safe.
Takehiro's condition worsens while on the boat and with a trick they steal the key of the boat from the father and throw it into the ocean. Dr. Koto wants to perform an emergency operation on the boat, but the father doesn't want him to do so.
He admits that a previous island doctor killed his wife because of a big mistake, so he just can't trust any island doctor anymore.
After some punches and a little fight he gives in and they operate on the little boy.
In the end it's a success and Takehiro is saved.
The father still can't trust the doctor, though. And from then on the next rumor spreads among the islanders - namely that the doctor will just cut your belly open.
Again, nobody comes to the clinic.
Shige-san is the head of the fishermen association and he spreads the worst rumors all the time, but he's actually a good soul. He just likes to spread rumors and has a big mouth. He likes to pick up fights with everybody.
Takehiro, the little boy, however, admires Dr. Koto. They become good friends.
In the end, Takehiro decides that he wants to become a doctor as well. His father, Taketoshi who is a fisherman and wants his son to follow into his footsteps, is not happy at first.
The doctor is really clumsy and seems to have a weak personality. He's also not really handsome.
Taketoshi, Takehiro's father is a tall, strong and rather handsome guy and is the perfect counterpart.
It's so great to see how they slowly become friends. Something you would have never imagined in the beginning!
Nobody has ever performed any surgery on the island. Dr. Koto is the first and so he's able to rescue islanders who would have died otherwise.
Little by little the islanders start to trust him and the clinic gets fuller and fuller.
With the clumsy doctor and the nurse who gets pissed easily, but also with the other islanders there are always a lot of funny moments.
However, there ARE some really, really sad moments as well and GOD I cried so much while watching this drama, so better be prepared!!
For me the saddest part was in the scene above, the last episode of season 2 and ESPECIALLY the two specials.
But you NEED to get yourself through the specials no matter what in order to fully understand season 2.
I'm not going to write as much about this drama is it would deserve, because I don't want to spoil.
If you're interested, then watch it!
Contact me if you want to know where you can get it.
Season 2: (no spoilers, not really!)
What I like THE MOST about this drama is that we got to know so many great characters in season 1 and they're ALL THERE in season 2 as well! The kids, especially Takehiro who wants to become a doctor, have all grown up. There are 3 years between season 1 and 2.
He has grown tall, his voice is deeper. He's a junior high school student now. Personally I LOVE STORIES LIKE THAT where you see people growing up! ^____^
And the actors (even all the kids) are the same!
Above you see the nurse Ayaka (now with shorter hair) and Takehiro who are now both in Tokyo - not on the island anymore. Takehiro is there because he needs to study hard in order to become a doctor.
As for Ayaka ... I can't tell you without spoiling.
Season Two is not so different from the first one. There are a few new characters, but all the people from season 1 are there, too.
After watching season 1 I though that this needs to go on. I had the feeling that there was still so much potential, so I was happy to see there were two specials and a second season!
There are still a lot of funny moments, but the doctor certainly smiles less and looks depressed a lot in season 2.
And after watching it - maybe even after the first episode of season 2, you'll understand why.
I can't tell you much and I can't show you much, but let me tell you that the scene above (last episode of season 2) was one of the MOST ROMANTIC I've ever seen, yet completely subtle. It got me red all over my face, but maybe that's just me!
Something that kept me busy for days was Dr. Koto's behavior in the last episode. He was just very different from his usual self and up to now I still don't exactly understand what was going on.
I'm sure that was intended! (Or I'm just too stupid to get it ...)
One more thing I want to mention on a personal note:
I'm usually not into guys like Dr. Koto at all. He's clumsy, he's weak .... and he's just the complete opposite of the type of guy I'd imagine for myself. That's why I did kind of fall for Takehiro's father, the strong fisherman.
There's also not the SLIGHTEST sign of him being interested in anybody although there are quite a few women throughout the series who (for some strange reason) are interested in him.
And yet HE COMPLETELY GOT ME towards the end of the series with that ONE scene I mentioned earlier.
What I want to say is that I didn't know this actor before at all! He hasn't been in so many dramas yet anyways.
They couldn't have found a BETTER actor for this role. HE'S SO DAMN PERFECT!!!
On the other hand - and that shocked me quite a bit after watching the second season - Ayaka is a lot like me. She's not trusting anybody she has just met and is generally very negative towards new people. She can't show her true feelings and gets pissed easily. She rather fights out everything by herself than bothering others. That is a fatal mistake and I think you'll notice what I'm talking about after watching season 2. It got me to think about myself and my current life as well ...
After all it's quite possible that there will be a season 3!
The facility (Dr. Koto's clinic) on Yonaguni is being kept clean and in order. Fuji TV even seems to pay the islanders to keep it like that.
I REALLY hope there's another season, possibly with Takehiro as young adult (and the same actor again) who is studying at university now to become a doctor - and with Dr. Koto and all the others still being on the island.
THAT WOULD BE SO AWESOME!!
Manga vs. Drama:
I researched and the manga seems to be quite different from the drama. There are different characters introduced. The nurse Ayaka is not one of the islanders, but also came from Tokyo etc.
However, there are over 50 volumes of the manga, so it goes way beyond the end of season 2 of the drama! Just reading it won't satisfy me, I suppose. I want to see the drama continued! ;___; ....
It seems that the mangaka is sick at the moment (how ironic) and can't work on the manga anymore.
He originally started the manga to point out some faults in Japan's medical system, the lack of doctors on small islands etc.
The Real Dr. Koto:
But the best thing about this all is that Dr. Koto REALLY exists!!! His story is slightly different, but here you can read about the real Dr. Koto.
While watching the drama I kept wondering if an island like that really exists in Japan. Even Yonaguni (the drama location) is only 4h by ferry and 30 mins by plane from Ishigaki where you can find a big hospital.
Apart from the Ogasawara Islands, I can't imagine that there's still an island somewhere that's 6h by ferry without a big hospital around.
But then I remembered that I went to Mikurajima which is 9h outside of Tokyo by ferry - without an airport. And the story about the real Dr. Koto also shows us that there are islands like that.
WHY THIS DRAMA IS SO AWESOME:
If you consider that it's based on a true story, that it was shot on a small, beautiful island (that you need to visit if you ever get the chance, you'll feel much more connected to the drama and the islanders!) - and the fact that the actors all grow up while shooting the drama, it's just ONE OF THE BEST THINGS I'VE EVER SEEN! And I'm currently watching it a second time - which apart from HanaDan I've never done, I think.
I'm biased, though. I've been on Yonaguni Island ... and just like Dr. Koto I was on a small boat there and threw up. I really feel the connection. *g*
I also visited all the shooting locations (which is pretty much the whole island anyways) and the clinic.
I'm kind of glad I watched the drama AFTER visiting the island. I guess otherwise I would have stayed there forever. ;)
Here are the photos I took while on Yonaguni:
Dr. Koto's clinic. Very small, isn't it? And it's right next to a beautiful beach!
On the roof of the clinic. A lot of conversations take place here. You can also see the flag that Takehiro and his best friend made for Dr. Koto (who tries to complain that his name is actually Goto but nobody seems to care. *g*)
Left: The hallway where many islanders waited until surgery on their loved ones was done.
Right: The room where many people had to undergo surgery and were saved.
Left: Wada's office.
Right: Patient's room (with a beautiful ocean view).
Left: Dr. Koto's bicycle that he rode in the drama.
Right: The reception inside the clinic.
The waiting room - just as empty as most of the time in the beginning of the drama.
Those of you who have watched it, please tell me how you liked it!
Those of you who have read the manga AND watched the drama, please let me know if it's worth reading the manga.
Those of you who want to watch the drama now, go ahead!
People who have been following my LJ for many years know that I used to watch a LOT and also wrote reviews, shared screencaps and whatnot - even after moving to Japan.
However, in the past few years I have basically watched no dramas. I think the only one was "Rich Man, Poor Woman".
After coming back from my summer vacation in Okinawa where I've also visited Yonaguni - a drama location, I really couldn't resist.
Yonaguni is a very small, remote island. It is actually closer to Taiwan than to the rest of Japan.
It's location for many movies, but also for a popular jdrama called "Dr. Koto".
I've only heard about it shortly before my departure and had no time to watch it, so I visited all the shooting locations without knowing ANYTHING about the drama.
While on the island I had a chance to read the first volume of the manga. The islanders are very proud that their small island was chosen as a shooting location, so you'll find posters everywhere and my small hotel had all the manga volumes as well.
After coming back, I REALLY missed Okinawa and especially Yonaguni where I stayed the longest (4 days).
Luckily I was able to find the drama and started watching it.
And I fell in love with the island even more! Right from the start it was so great to see all the places that I've been to just a few days before!
At first I only watched because I felt nostalgic and wanted to see the island, but in no time I got TOTALLY addicted to this drama!
So far there are two seasons with 11 episodes each and two specials. They're all connected story-wise, so you need to watch it in the right order:
Season 1 (2003), Special 1 + 2 (2004), Season 2 (2006)
I could go on and write a book about the whole drama, but instead I try to make it as short as possible:
Dr. Koto (Dr.コトー診療所)
The drama (and also the manga) starts with a fishing boat in the ocean. On board are four people - all of them will play an important role throughout the entire drama series!
The most important one is Goto Kensuke (Yoshioka Hidetaka), a young doctor who came from a huge hospital in Tokyo, but is now heading to a small island.
In the manga it's a small island outside of Kyushu, in the drama it's a small island in Okinawa (just like Yonaguni is in reality).
It takes about 6 hours by boat to get from the small island to the "mainland" (in that case Naha).
The doctor gets seasick easily and the first thing we see is him throwing up several times after being told that it'll take another 4h to the island.
He doesn't make a trustworthy impression at first sight.
Once he arrives on the island the first thing he has to do is sign a death certificate. There's a dead elderly person and he needs to confirm the death before they can bury him.
Not a very good start, huh?
They bring the doctor to his "clinic" - which is right next to a beautiful beach and extremely small.
There are only 2 staff members:
The nurse Ayaka (Shibasaki Kou) and Wada-san (see photo above).
Ayaka has seen many doctors come and go already and is very skeptic. All the previous doctors weren't very trustworthy and left the island again after only a short time.
When Dr. Koto asks her about the non-existent equipment in the clinic, she snaps and says that nobody would come to the clinic anyways.
He asks what happens in case of an emergency when there's not enough time to transfer the patient to the mainland. She tells him that they just have to give up in that case.
As it's a small island rumors spread quickly, for example that the new doctor has thrown up several times and that he doesn't have a "license".
Which is true, but it's a DRIVER'S license that he doesn't have (which is why he moves around on a bicycle).
Nobody is coming to the clinic.
This is Takehiro. The son of Taketoshi, a fisherman of the island. They both were on the boat that brought the doctor to the island.
The boy suddenly gets very sick in the first episode. Dr. Koto suggests immediate surgery, but the father does not agree.
He wants to bring his son to the mainland.
Dr. Koto knows that the boy wouldn't last long enough, so he jumps on the fishing boat that's about to leave and gets the nurse Ayaka and his employee Wada to jump on the boat as well, saying that they will accompany them to the mainland just to be safe.
Takehiro's condition worsens while on the boat and with a trick they steal the key of the boat from the father and throw it into the ocean. Dr. Koto wants to perform an emergency operation on the boat, but the father doesn't want him to do so.
He admits that a previous island doctor killed his wife because of a big mistake, so he just can't trust any island doctor anymore.
After some punches and a little fight he gives in and they operate on the little boy.
In the end it's a success and Takehiro is saved.
The father still can't trust the doctor, though. And from then on the next rumor spreads among the islanders - namely that the doctor will just cut your belly open.
Again, nobody comes to the clinic.
Shige-san is the head of the fishermen association and he spreads the worst rumors all the time, but he's actually a good soul. He just likes to spread rumors and has a big mouth. He likes to pick up fights with everybody.
Takehiro, the little boy, however, admires Dr. Koto. They become good friends.
In the end, Takehiro decides that he wants to become a doctor as well. His father, Taketoshi who is a fisherman and wants his son to follow into his footsteps, is not happy at first.
The doctor is really clumsy and seems to have a weak personality. He's also not really handsome.
Taketoshi, Takehiro's father is a tall, strong and rather handsome guy and is the perfect counterpart.
It's so great to see how they slowly become friends. Something you would have never imagined in the beginning!
Nobody has ever performed any surgery on the island. Dr. Koto is the first and so he's able to rescue islanders who would have died otherwise.
Little by little the islanders start to trust him and the clinic gets fuller and fuller.
With the clumsy doctor and the nurse who gets pissed easily, but also with the other islanders there are always a lot of funny moments.
However, there ARE some really, really sad moments as well and GOD I cried so much while watching this drama, so better be prepared!!
For me the saddest part was in the scene above, the last episode of season 2 and ESPECIALLY the two specials.
But you NEED to get yourself through the specials no matter what in order to fully understand season 2.
I'm not going to write as much about this drama is it would deserve, because I don't want to spoil.
If you're interested, then watch it!
Contact me if you want to know where you can get it.
Season 2: (no spoilers, not really!)
What I like THE MOST about this drama is that we got to know so many great characters in season 1 and they're ALL THERE in season 2 as well! The kids, especially Takehiro who wants to become a doctor, have all grown up. There are 3 years between season 1 and 2.
He has grown tall, his voice is deeper. He's a junior high school student now. Personally I LOVE STORIES LIKE THAT where you see people growing up! ^____^
And the actors (even all the kids) are the same!
Above you see the nurse Ayaka (now with shorter hair) and Takehiro who are now both in Tokyo - not on the island anymore. Takehiro is there because he needs to study hard in order to become a doctor.
As for Ayaka ... I can't tell you without spoiling.
Season Two is not so different from the first one. There are a few new characters, but all the people from season 1 are there, too.
After watching season 1 I though that this needs to go on. I had the feeling that there was still so much potential, so I was happy to see there were two specials and a second season!
There are still a lot of funny moments, but the doctor certainly smiles less and looks depressed a lot in season 2.
And after watching it - maybe even after the first episode of season 2, you'll understand why.
I can't tell you much and I can't show you much, but let me tell you that the scene above (last episode of season 2) was one of the MOST ROMANTIC I've ever seen, yet completely subtle. It got me red all over my face, but maybe that's just me!
Something that kept me busy for days was Dr. Koto's behavior in the last episode. He was just very different from his usual self and up to now I still don't exactly understand what was going on.
I'm sure that was intended! (Or I'm just too stupid to get it ...)
One more thing I want to mention on a personal note:
I'm usually not into guys like Dr. Koto at all. He's clumsy, he's weak .... and he's just the complete opposite of the type of guy I'd imagine for myself. That's why I did kind of fall for Takehiro's father, the strong fisherman.
There's also not the SLIGHTEST sign of him being interested in anybody although there are quite a few women throughout the series who (for some strange reason) are interested in him.
And yet HE COMPLETELY GOT ME towards the end of the series with that ONE scene I mentioned earlier.
What I want to say is that I didn't know this actor before at all! He hasn't been in so many dramas yet anyways.
They couldn't have found a BETTER actor for this role. HE'S SO DAMN PERFECT!!!
On the other hand - and that shocked me quite a bit after watching the second season - Ayaka is a lot like me. She's not trusting anybody she has just met and is generally very negative towards new people. She can't show her true feelings and gets pissed easily. She rather fights out everything by herself than bothering others. That is a fatal mistake and I think you'll notice what I'm talking about after watching season 2. It got me to think about myself and my current life as well ...
After all it's quite possible that there will be a season 3!
The facility (Dr. Koto's clinic) on Yonaguni is being kept clean and in order. Fuji TV even seems to pay the islanders to keep it like that.
I REALLY hope there's another season, possibly with Takehiro as young adult (and the same actor again) who is studying at university now to become a doctor - and with Dr. Koto and all the others still being on the island.
THAT WOULD BE SO AWESOME!!
Manga vs. Drama:
I researched and the manga seems to be quite different from the drama. There are different characters introduced. The nurse Ayaka is not one of the islanders, but also came from Tokyo etc.
However, there are over 50 volumes of the manga, so it goes way beyond the end of season 2 of the drama! Just reading it won't satisfy me, I suppose. I want to see the drama continued! ;___; ....
It seems that the mangaka is sick at the moment (how ironic) and can't work on the manga anymore.
He originally started the manga to point out some faults in Japan's medical system, the lack of doctors on small islands etc.
The Real Dr. Koto:
But the best thing about this all is that Dr. Koto REALLY exists!!! His story is slightly different, but here you can read about the real Dr. Koto.
While watching the drama I kept wondering if an island like that really exists in Japan. Even Yonaguni (the drama location) is only 4h by ferry and 30 mins by plane from Ishigaki where you can find a big hospital.
Apart from the Ogasawara Islands, I can't imagine that there's still an island somewhere that's 6h by ferry without a big hospital around.
But then I remembered that I went to Mikurajima which is 9h outside of Tokyo by ferry - without an airport. And the story about the real Dr. Koto also shows us that there are islands like that.
WHY THIS DRAMA IS SO AWESOME:
If you consider that it's based on a true story, that it was shot on a small, beautiful island (that you need to visit if you ever get the chance, you'll feel much more connected to the drama and the islanders!) - and the fact that the actors all grow up while shooting the drama, it's just ONE OF THE BEST THINGS I'VE EVER SEEN! And I'm currently watching it a second time - which apart from HanaDan I've never done, I think.
I'm biased, though. I've been on Yonaguni Island ... and just like Dr. Koto I was on a small boat there and threw up. I really feel the connection. *g*
I also visited all the shooting locations (which is pretty much the whole island anyways) and the clinic.
I'm kind of glad I watched the drama AFTER visiting the island. I guess otherwise I would have stayed there forever. ;)
Here are the photos I took while on Yonaguni:
Dr. Koto's clinic. Very small, isn't it? And it's right next to a beautiful beach!
On the roof of the clinic. A lot of conversations take place here. You can also see the flag that Takehiro and his best friend made for Dr. Koto (who tries to complain that his name is actually Goto but nobody seems to care. *g*)
Left: The hallway where many islanders waited until surgery on their loved ones was done.
Right: The room where many people had to undergo surgery and were saved.
Left: Wada's office.
Right: Patient's room (with a beautiful ocean view).
Left: Dr. Koto's bicycle that he rode in the drama.
Right: The reception inside the clinic.
The waiting room - just as empty as most of the time in the beginning of the drama.
Those of you who have watched it, please tell me how you liked it!
Those of you who have read the manga AND watched the drama, please let me know if it's worth reading the manga.
Those of you who want to watch the drama now, go ahead!