The movie that is making waves on social media platforms right now is the movie The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call. The plot is based on an online novel released as a webtoon, with a humanistic meaning about the medical profession and interwoven with many humorous elements.
Review The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call
A medical drama that combines action and medicine, Trauma Code: Heroes on Call quickly took the top spot on Netflix worldwide for non-English language dramas. The film’s male lead, Ju Ji-hoon – a familiar face who made a strong impression with Kingdom (also released by Netflix) – takes on the role of Dr. Baek Kang-hyuk, head of the trauma department at Hanuk Hospital. With a daring way of working, sometimes going beyond the usual rules, he and his team rush into dangerous emergency cases, even risking their lives to save patients.
Not only are they heroes in white coats at the hospital, but Baek Kang-hyuk and his colleagues – including a surgeon, a nurse, and an anesthesiologist – also engage in breathtaking situations: from driving a truck carrying medical supplies through bombs and bullets to performing surgery on a cliff. It is the drama and eye-catching action moments that create a special attraction for the film.
The Journey from Web Novels to the Small Screen
Trauma Code: Heroes on Call is adapted from the web novel Trauma Code: Heroes on Call by Lee Nak-jun (pen name Hansanleega), a former otolaryngologist, writer, and YouTube content creator. Sharing about the process of writing the novel, Hansanleega said that he was at a crossroads in his career after his first work was not well received. However, with a passion for the medical profession and stories surrounding this job, he decided to put all his heart into Trauma Code: Heroes on Call – a story that reflects his own ambitions and worries about the medical profession.
Hansanleega once dreamed of becoming a surgeon but gave up after witnessing a death on the operating table. It was this memory that inspired him to write the story of Dr. Baek Kang-hyuk, a character who represents the ideals he has not been able to fulfill. “In a way, this novel helps me face my regrets and unfulfilled desires,” he shared.
The webtoon adaptation of Trauma Code: Heroes on Call quickly became a phenomenon with 410,000 global views, attracting the attention of Studio N – a subsidiary of Webtoon Entertainment Inc. specializing in producing films from popular webtoons and web novels such as True Beauty, Ghost World, The 8 Show, and Jeong-nyeon: Rising Star.
The Key to a Successful Medical Action Drama
Studio N CEO Michelle Kwon explains that medical dramas have always attracted audiences because they easily evoke empathy through stories about life and death in a hospital environment. However, what differentiates Trauma Code: Heroes on Call from other dramas of the same genre is the way the main character is built as a superhero.
“While traditional medical dramas focus on emotional conversations between doctors and patients, our character Baek Kang-hyuk is different. He is uncompromising when it comes to medical ethics and is willing to do anything to save the patient’s life,” Kwon explained. The combination of realistic medical elements and a heroic protagonist is what makes the drama so appealing to audiences.
The process of adapting a webtoon to a drama also poses many challenges. According to Kwon, unlike traditional dramas that often start with the writer’s idea, a drama adaptation requires finding the right writer to interpret the original work most effectively. Studio N not only works closely with the writers but also studies feedback from webtoon readers, identifying the most popular plot points to incorporate into the script.
With Trauma Code: Heroes on Call, thanks to Hansanleega’s background as a doctor, the production team didn’t have to make too many changes to make it plausible. Instead, they focused on portraying Baek Kang-hyuk in a realistic way, so that he wasn’t just a fictional character but could also be a real-life role model. “We wanted the drama to maintain the solemnity of the medical genre while still delivering the thrill and drama of an action film,” Kwon said.
From the author’s dream to far-reaching ambition
For Hansanleega, seeing his work come to life on screen has been a magical experience. “I thought it was impossible, but step by step, Trauma Code: Heroes on Call went from a web novel to a webtoon, and then to a Netflix series. It was a huge honor for me,” he said.
He even dreams of the film becoming a global hit, winning an Emmy, or inspiring a theme park. “I used to imagine an action scene starring Baek Kang-hyuk appearing on a billboard in Times Square. If that were to happen, I would be extremely happy,” he said excitedly.
Given the current popularity, it is no surprise that the production team has already begun discussing plans for seasons two and three of the show. If it continues to maintain its momentum, Trauma Care Center could very well become one of the most popular medical action series on the streaming platform.
Read more: Upstream movie review
Trauma Care Center Movie Cast
The male lead of the drama Trauma Code: Heroes on Call is Joo Ji Hoon. He is currently 44 years old (born in 1982). He entered the entertainment industry as a model thanks to his height of 187 cm. Joo Ji Hoon started his acting career, playing the role of Crown Prince Lee Shin in the drama Palace in 2006. This was also the first work that made him famous throughout Asia.
The actor was suspected of drug use and possession, his career suffered and he was boycotted by the public in 2009. He was sentenced to 6 months in prison, 1 year of probation, 120 hours of community service, and a fine of 360,000 won. Immediately after his release from prison, he registered for military service.
Works that the actor has participated in include: Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds, Kingdom, The Mystery of Mount Jiri, Hyena, Blood Free…
In his personal life, actor Joo Ji Hoon dated singer Gain from 2014 to 2017. He was suspected of having relationships with many female stars such as Song Ji Hyo, Jung Yumi, and Jin Se Yeon.
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