(Dorama) PICU: Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (2022)

 Original title: PICU: Shoni Shuchu Chiryo Shitsu

PICU 小児集中治療室

11 episodes released in October - December 2022

Plot

Takeshiro Shikota is a 27-year-old pediatrician in Hokkaido, Japan. He was born and raised in Hokkaido. One day, Takeshiro is transferred to the newly established PICU (Pediatric Intensive Care Unit). The unit is for children under the age of 15 who require advance and intensive treatment. There, he meets Dr. Hajime Ueno. Hajime is a pioneer in his field and hopes to establish PICU all over Japan. His goal is to bring sick children to PICU as quickly as possible and accept them under any circumstances. Meeting with Hajime, changes Takeshiro life as a pediatrician. (mydramalist)

If you want to have a drama that can make you cry your heart out, this one is for you. From the title, you can guess this is all about. In my town, every big hospital has PICU and NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care unit). But, I don't know if it is available in small towns. Mostly, the children would be recommended to a bigger hospital in the nearest town.

And this is how the story starts. Odama hospital, where Takeshiro is equipped with modern facilities. The local governor even promised to provide Doctor Jet to carry patients who need immediate treatment. Unfortunately, the unit where Takeshiro works doesn't have sufficient crew, not to mention Takeshiro's lack of experience in handling emergency. Most of the time, he feels that he has no use in the unit. In return, he studies some cases, has a nice talk with young patients, and ready to help his seniors anytime. With his good looks (I swear, I could stare at him in any scenes: happy, down, cry, desperate, hopeful, etc) and friendly personality, he could change children's hearts. Not only girls, but also boys who are eager to be a doctor in the future so that they could be a doctor like him. Sweet 😗

The drama doesn't only revolve around patients with their serious cases, but there is a political issue in the hospital. The doctor jet, a means of transportation that is supposed to be used to carry far patients to the hospital gets some barriers. The transportation is expected to save time so that the patients would get immediate treatment from PICU. One of the problems is, of course, budget.

The drama is about medical with some serious cases. But it doesn't really show how the doctors handle how to treat them. (It suits me since I can't stand looking at blood or surgery scenes). After they receive a patient, they would discuss how serious the case is, what treatments they would give next.  If you want to see details about how to handle patients, including surgery scenes, you can try watching A Life: A Love, a 10 episode drama with Takuya Kimura and Matsuyama Kenichi as the main leads. Well, I don't watch many medical dramas, so my recommendation is not that much.

The drama shows the development the characters as human being. Takeshiro, at first didn't really show that he cared much about the patients. But after being transferred to PICU, eventually he grows up as a dedicated doctor. Even though it is not that much, the drama also tells about malpractice and bullying towards junior. Oh, it happened,  too, in Japan, and so I thought. The relationship between Takeshiro and his mother is a bitter sweet one, as well as Takeshiro and his best friends (how lucky he is to have best friends as his colleagues in the same hospital).

The patients who come and go to PICU have their stories, too. Keigo, suffers from heart failure, has been in the hospital for sometime that all doctors, nurses and even the audience (that's me) are familiar with him and his family. I wonder and hope that he would end up alive (I'm watching the drama up to episode 10, and his treatment is in episode 11). Hina chan, who is attracted to Takeshiro seem to have a deep crush to Shiko chan sensei (the way she calls him). When Takeshiro tells her mother that he likes Hina chan, her mother warns him not to tell her since she doesn't have many male friends (she's worried that she expects more from Shiko chan sensei). This part is really heartbreaking.

Overall, this medical drama is recommended for anyone who loves heartwarming relationship among the characters, with a few information about some diseases if you are not familiar with medical matters (like me). However, don't expect to get serious treatments in PICU room. Provide some tissues for some touching stories from the characters. The casts did excellent jobs, including child actors. The casts are likable, even the antagonist seems to be likable at the end. The cinematography is effective with some realistic atmosphere that I feel like I was there. The development of the characters clearly improves as the episodes go. 

Another bonus, you'll see Ryo's different expressions from time to time. And actually, that all matters to me. LOL.

My rating:

Story: 9,5/10

Casts/ actors: 9/10

Music: 7,5/10

Re-watch value: 8/10

The casts

The trailer

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