Iryu (Team Medical Dragon)

Season 1

• Episodes: 11
• Viewership ratings: 14.75%
• Broadcast period: 2006-Apr-13 to 2006-Jun-29
• Air time:Thursday 22:00
• Theme song:Believe by AI

Synopsis

Asada Ryutaro, a renegade but brilliant surgeon, was being framed for a misdiagnosis and let go by the North Japanese Hospital. He went into exile and lived in a seaside shack when he was visited by Kato Akira, assistant professor of the Faculty of Cardiac Surgery at Meishin University Medical Hospital.

Despite being a female doctor, Akira managed to become an assistant professor. She was ambitious and set her goal to be promoted to full professor by succeeding in a surgery using the Batista technique — an extremely difficult type of heart surgery — and to write a paper on it. A year ago, Akira witnessed Ryutaro’s skills when he was an NGO doctor and was impressed enough to seek his assistance in the Batista technique.

Other characters include Satohara Miki, an extremely brilliant nurse who looks up to Ryutaro and has more medical knowledge than the average doctor; Ijyuuin Noboru an intern that first opposes Ryutaro but is gradually influenced by him; Arase Monji a problem anesthesiologist and Professor Kito who is looking for the opportunity to recruit Ryutaro away to the Emergency Room.

This drama exposed the difficulties encountered in the rigid Japanese medical professions in treating patients whereby decisions made were based more on protecting the hospitals than the patients.

Cast

• Sakaguchi Kenji as Asada Ryutaro
• Inamori Izumi as Katou Akira
• Mizukawa Asami as Satohara Miki
• Koike Teppei as Ijyuuin Noboru
• Natsuki Mari as Kitou Shoko
• Kitamura Kazuki as Kirima Gunji
• Abe Sadao as Arase Monji
• Sasaki Kuranosuke as Fujiyoshi Keishi
• Kishibe Ittoku as Noguchi Keno

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Season 2

• Episodes: 11
• Viewership ratings: 16.8
• Broadcast period: 2007-Oct-11 to 2007-Dec-20
• Air time:Thursday 22:00
• Theme song:ONE by AI

Synopsis

In Iryu 2, Asada Ryutaro wages a new battle against the realities of Japan’s medical care system. The government has drafted legislation to tackle the recent inflation of medical fees; hospitals have entered an era in which they will go bankrupt if they aren’t independently run. At the same time, hospital mergers and takeovers are also taking place. Additionally, the obstetrics and pediatrics departments are being closed in succession, and there are inadequate doctors in the region – issues that are closely related to these hospital management problems. Now, hospitals, like the average corporation, face collapse if they are not profitable.

Cast

• Sakaguchi Kenji as Asada Ryutaro
• Uchida Yuki as Kataoka Kazumi
• Koike Teppei as Ijyuuin Noboru
• Otsuka Nene as Kodaka Nanami
• Kitamura Kazuki as Kirishima Gunji
• Abe Sadao as Arase Monji
• Mizukawa Asami as Satohara Miki
• Sasaki Kuranosuke as Fujiyoshi Keisuke
• Natsuki Mari as Kito Shoko
• Kishibe Ittoku as Noguchi Takeo
• Ikeda Tetsuhiro as Kihara Takehiko
• Sato Jiro as Matsudaira Kotaro
• Shiga Kotaro as Zenda Hideki
• Takahashi Issei as Toyama Seiji
• Nakamura Yasuhi as Nomura Hirohito

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Season 3

• TV Show: Iryu: Team Medical Dragon 3
• Romaji: Iryu 3
• Japanese: 医龍 3
• Director: Naruhide Mizuta (ep.1,3,7,10), Hiroki Hayama (ep.2,4,6,9), Hiroyuki Sawano
• Writer: Hiroshi Hayashi
• Producer: Detsu Watanabe
• Network: Fuji TV
• Episodes: 10
• Release Date: October 14 - December 16, 2010
• Runtime: Thursday 22:00
• TV Ratings: 13.6%

Synopsis

Asada Ryutaro rallies Team Medical Dragon again in order to resuscitate a faltering Meishin University Hospital. Hospital management is being rationalised in addition to the shortage of surgeons in the Japanese medical community and because of the advancements in medical devices which have made robotic surgery possible, the significance of surgeons are being called into question. Other than that, the doctor also faces with the legal suit from the patience over the false statement. Meanwhile, Japan’s medical industry advances into overseas markets to make wealthy individuals such as the Chinese come to Japan as patients for medical tourism

Cast 

• Sakaguchi Kenji as Asada Ryutaro
• Inamori Izumi as Kato Akira
• Koike Teppei as Ijyuuin Noboru
• Abe Sadao as Arase Monji
• Tanimura Mitsuki as Magara Fuyumi
• Endo Kenichi as Kuroki Keijiro
• Sasaki Kuranosuke as Fujiyoshi Keisuke
• Ikeda Tetsuhiro as Kihara Takehiko
• Natsuki Mari as Kito Shoko
• Kishibe Ittoku as Noguchi Keno
• Takahashi Issei as Toyama Seiji
• Nakamura Yasuhi as Nomura Hirohito

Correlation Chart

Review

This is the best J-Drama ever that I had been watch. Even though the story line are differ from the manga but still the story are splendid and superb in all seasons. In Season 1 its more focusing in establishing of the Team Medical Dragon, the Batista Operation and the dark site of their rival, Kirishima Gunji, while in Season 2 the development become more interesting as the team has been disbanded due the 3 of the team members had been shifted to the Hokuyou Hospital, the nearly bankrupt hospital with all the disqualified and problematic Meshin’s doctor and ME and the establishment of Ryutaro’s new team member. In Season 2 also its not only reveal the Batista Operation but also the other Cardiac Surgery and the heart transplant. While in Season 3, its reveal more obstacle to the Team to obtain and survive in Meshin as per Noguchi's tactics to perish the Team. For me, Season 3 is the best series of Iryu. Different with the 2 seasons before, in  this series I cant predict at all what will become in the next episodes also many shocks come in this series. And please, I want Iryu 4.. 

Each cast in the Drama plays their role in their splendid way and the story line of the story are extraordinary. Each episode reveal the obstacle and challenge they have to face and indeed Ryutaro managed to solved it in his own way. With the others cast that have a different personality, its really makes the story become more interesting as we not only watch what the obstacle there are facing with but also the development of each character. Frankly, the character I like the most are Ijyuuin Sensei, a hardworking, timid, full of question and argument but still a very kind hearted person and through this character I know who Koike Teppei is and become his fan.. ^_^

watch Iryu here


watch Iryu 2 here

watch Iryu 3 here