There's no doubt that "Mr.Sunshine" is focused on everything visual.
- Beautiful natural landscapes/background and scenery.
- Amazing and epic cinematography.
- Good color work, light and shadow.
- Classic and cultural clothing.
- Great graphics and effects.
- And even a great sound work.
It is beautiful.
The drama is very descriptive, detailed and symbolic.
The drama has a deep love story, which is something I usually don't like, but surprisingly, this drama hits my favourites and was quite funny. The comedy is so subtle and well tailored into the scenes.
Lee Byung-Hun is one of the best korean actors and the most popular internationally and Kim Tae-Ri has so much talent. A she proves that in one of the best movies, "The Handmaiden", so these two actors accepted these roles because, they knew this drama would be different and epic.
Amazing support characters.
Even though 3 leads love the same woman, their love is pure and everyone of them is willing to sacrifice. I really like the fact that there is no jealous relationship that turned people into evil beings.
The drama also shows girl power with such badass and awesome female characters, which I completely loved!
You can wait for 10/10 from all actors.. Acting, characters, excellent.
Mr.Sunshine is a truly piece of art.
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A beautiful story
This story takes a while to get into. The first episode is a bit confusing but after a few episodes I began throughly enjoying the story and the characters.Best Parts:
The characters are so beautifully written and complex. Many of the characters are neither good or bad but are somewhere in the gray area.
The cinematography is gorgeous. This show looks beautiful and it is obvious that the production team put their best effort to make this show look great.
Weaker Parts:
I would say my only complaint is some of the characters I wish we spent more on screen time with them.
A bit of warning: This show can get a bit violent/ bloody.
Overall: This is become one of my favorite dramas and I think the drama with the best production value I have ever seen. I recommend the watch.
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Others might feel it's too slow but for me, I appreciate the build up, episode by episode, I get to pay more attention to the character's circumstances and what makes them who they are as opposed to the typical in your face descriptions. Cinematography definitely is key in this build up, it extremely inviting and captivating, I couldn't take my eyes off my screen in fear that I might miss something.
If you're looking for a historically accurate account, this isnt for you.
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Excellent series
This series is amazing. All of the actors/actresses give outstanding performances. The editing, casting, set, camerawork, and clothing are all very high television quality. If it was not high budget it seemed to be.The story for the most part is excellent. It is based on real historical events but has fictional aspects which has brought some criticism in korea. I think this issue is the only real flaw worth mentioning among most viewers. There are a few things i would have preferred to see within this story. This is mostly personal preferance on a few of the character's choices and the ending. That doesn't change the fact i binged this whole series and really enjoyed it. Honestly, i wish it had taken many more episodes to get to the ending :)
I highly recommend this series to anyone that likes period pieces. It is easily among the best of them.
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This series isn't even finish yet but I am currently rewatching it again for the 3rd time!
I love the cinematography in this TV Series. The staff/crew of the show really made an effort in making this historical drama.
It's amazing how the writer created this epic and unpredictable drama.
The love story is incredibly cute and makes me think of Eugene Choi and Ae-sin once in awhile(because it's that good!).
The actors are all superb; they all did a spectacular performance and delivered the lines pretty well.
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Outstanding show with a plot like a rudderless boat
This is the sort of show that you have to watch and be forgiving of its weaknesses because the performances, the direction, the development of the relationships, the cinematography, the sets and the costumes are so outstandingly good.It’s main weaknesses comprise two things: the plot, which is like a rudderless, leaking boat meandering on the current, constantly threatening to capsize whilst being patched together with coincidence and miracles; and the English speaking script and actors, which are, as usual, pretty abysmal.
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This review may contain spoilers
Truly beautifully written masterpiece
Let me start off by saying I do not watch historical dramas. This is a rare occurrence but I became curious due to the ratings and reviews. I am currently on episode 20 and can confirm this is worth every waking moment. This is a beautifully written story with several twists and turns that cover everything from romance, unrequited love, the struggle between the rich and the poor, the righteous vs the corrupt, power and war. The drama intensely takes you through the impact that war, betrayal, social status, love and corruption had on the lives of all the main characters. There is an excruciating amount of pain throughout each episode; at times overwhelming and heartbreaking. Yet, there are also those perfect moments in the plot that are just breathtakingly beautiful, humorous and heartwarming.The acting and character development is phenomenal. From the two main female leads, though beautiful and poised also mysterious in their own way. Their strength is not just in their beauty. They have learned to survive in a world where their freedom is dictated by men and/or their country. The fearless yet hopeless romantics that play the male leads, Dong Mae, Hui Sung and Eugene Choi and even those within the Righteous Army each have a story that plays out. Right off episode one you dive into bits and pieces of everyone's lives. Discovering the closer you get to the end that they are all interconnected in one way or another.
What is there not to love about the three male leads? Aside from the fact you could slice the tension between them with a knife. One scene I can still recall is when Eugene addressed Hui Sung , who was still unaware of the impact his family had in Eugene's life. "When there is a man in front of you whose heart has been torn out. You shouldn't say you're hurt.....That would be shameful." While I watched this, though a minor part. I felt the pain piercing through Eugene's stare as he addressed the son of the family that killed his parents. Also, the chemistry between Eugene and Lady Ae-Sin is spot on. One of my favorite scenes is when she drops out of nowhere and directs him to a meeting spot after she waited days for him to reply to her letter. In that space, she ends up getting the upper hand by grabbing his gun and while pointing it directly at his face proceeds to question him. Romantic huh? But, regardless of what they were doing their romance is captivating even without having to exchange words.
Everything so far has come together seamlessly. Yet, as beautiful as this drama truly is there is also a significant amount of loss. But, I do hope the writer pulls through towards the end and that they can save us (the viewers) from a sad ending.
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masterpiece
This show is immaculate. It will make you laugh, it will make you cry. It is hopeful and it is devastating.this show was a beautiful yet sorrowful journey. Anyone wanting to feel a story deeply should give this show a watch.
The story is so well crafted and brought to life by amazing cinematography and unbelievably great acting. Every character is dynamic and complex. You will fall in love with each character of the main cast. And those playing villains my god did they act in a way to make your blood boil.
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Very memorable, very touching
This was one of my first historic K-dramas, and my-oh-my, did it leave an impression!It must be at least a year and a half (probably more) since I watched it, and I have watched endless hours of K- and C-dramas since, but this still has a special place in my memory.
First of all: The acting was top-notch. They brought their characters to life in such convincing ways, displaying their inner and out emotions so you can’t not connect. That goes for both the main leads, and several of the supporting.
And then: The script. How it weaved the love story into the depiction of this difficult time in history. It made me interested in finding out more about this part of South Korea’s history, as not really something we learn about here where I live (or it’s just that I’m too old so don’t remember from my school days 🤭).
The cinematography and music was also good as far as I can remember.
This is one of a handful of dramas I highly recommend to my friends, and one I can see myself watching over again.
Warning: You will probably cry.
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Tragic and impactful, MUST WATCH
Let's start with my favourite quote from the show:"Noble woman always resorted to living vibrant, like a flower"
"I'm no different, I also live vibrant.
The only difference is that I want to be like a flame"
Breathtaking, heartbreaking and unpredictable are three adjectives I'd used to describe this drama.
Every scene, every dialogue and every glance makes you feel all types of emotions. This show is filled with such beautiful written characters who all have thier own stories. All the characters are shown as extremely capable and passionate individuals who are ready to fight for thier rights and protect thier loved ones, come what may. Especially the women really stand out,none of them are weak and clueless, be it swords,words or guns they're always ready for anything. This aspect really sets it apart compared to every other drama,the depth of the character and thier development just makes you fall for every character by the end of the show.
This show is tragic, in every way possible and that makes it beautiful. A failing country, a love that will obviously have a sad ending and unrequited love that has gone on for decades. Sacrifices one makes for its country and loved ones,Patriotism, fighting for equality in the unfair world and how powerful a country can be when they all come together, is so beautiful displayed.
The symbolic meaning of every scene gives you goosebumps. Its incredible the impact this show has on its viewers,especially knowing that this is based on historic events.
The writer has mixed up 3 languages Korean, Japanese and English without making it seem funny or awkward,which is extremely hard.
What made me a little dissapointed is that they took this unrequited love aspect to another level. It was extremely unrealistic how a man's heart never changes, especially if the other person isnt interested in him. I felt like some of the love aspects could have been tuned down a little. But I do understand that love played a very important role in the story and was essential. I must say the mid portion of the show was a little slow and frustrating, nothing much happened. They really put in alot in the last 3 episodes though,maybe could have extended and slowed down the the story from 20th episode as alot was happening.
But nevertheless, this show really leaves you broken and then healed, extremely amazing. I cried so hard that tears stopped coming.
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If you ask me what I consider amazing in this drama for you to watch it, I'd say everything is amazing. Have you ever wondered what a drama would look like without flaws? Mr. Sunshine is a flawless drama; from its cast, its storyline, how everything was directed, and everything in between.
I know that a lot of people tend to avoid historical genre dramas, but hear me out. While I believe that a lot of other historical dramas are good and have their own charm, Mr. Sunshine is in another class of its own. It wouldn't be boring as you might expect it to be, because this drama was set during the time Japan was conquering Korea and right before World War 1 (1914), so industrialization was already taking place; guns, trains, electricity, and whatnot were already being used. While certain elements of the story were fictitious, a lot of the story was still based on the true history of Korea; so you could learn a lot about their history and culture. Dramas like this tend to be slow, while Mr. Sunshine isn't necessarily a fast-paced drama, it isn't really a slow one either despite having 24 episodes. When you're watching, you won't feel the drama being draggy, and after watching all episodes you'll realize that not one episode passed by without having something meaningful happen.
Now let's talk about some of the notable things that made this drama so perfect:
1) The cast: The cast was perfectly handpicked. Every single one of them played their role perfectly. You could actually feel their emotions being displayed in full throttle as if they were actually living in this drama itself. I believe that all the cast in Mr. Sunshine deserves an award for their acting, and some of them did. Lee Byung Hun won the best actor award, and Yoo Yeon Seok won the best supporting actor award respectively, beating out other amazing actors from other amazing dramas that also have one of the highest ratings in My Mister, Mother, and Prison Playbook. Unfortunately, Kim Tae Ri didn't win the best new actress award, but she still deserves the praise and nomination nonetheless.
2) The plot: The story was so rich! The writers did an amazing job crafting such an amazing story, and I can't stress this enough. What's more amazing is how they managed to direct such an amazing story to make it even better. The whole drama was so smooth and I didn't feel like there was part of the drama that should've been removed. The cinematography was great and the production of the film itself deserves an Oscar. You don't really have to worry about non-essential episodes wasting your time because Mr. Sunshine did not have any filler episodes; every single episode was meaningful and contributed to the build-up of the whole storyline.
3) The music: Well, not much can be said about this but I just wanted to put it out there. The OSTs of Mr. Sunshine perfectly fit the theme, and highlights/magnifies the emotion felt of every scene perfectly.
Overall, as I said, Mr. Sunshine is the best. I've never been this attached to a drama ever, and I think I'll be forever scarred by it as well. Prepare yourself fully before watching this, as you'll have your emotional sensitivity automatically set-up on high during most of the drama. In certain scenes, I was trying to hold my heart in my chest as it literally felt like my heart would explode from all the crying. I kid you not, prepare yourself for one emotionally unstable roller coaster. Please do consider watching this masterpiece of a drama, I'm sure you won't regret it.
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Guns. Glory. Sad Ending.
I wish that I could go back in time and watch this show for the 1st time, that’s how good it is.It’s heartbreaking. it will rip you to shreds, but you can’t help but surrender. The love portrayed here can be felt to the core, no fluff. There are no kisses, but the love is so real you can almost touch it.
This show holds a very special place in my heart, right next to CLOY. I love it so very much. I gave the show a 9.5 because I didn’t like how it ended, but after careful review and gave it a solid 10 because it deserves nothing less — this masterpiece.
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