Mr. Sunshine

Mr. Sunshine was the first kdrama that I ever watched and oh boy, did it set a high bar. From the costumes to the music, the production quality is really high. The story is compelling and while the romance(s) are very central to the show, there's enough going on outside of them that you never feel that things are being neglected in favour of romance.

I've watched it through all of the way twice and loved it just as much the second time.

Spoilers beyond this point!
I am not, and will never be, over the ending. I just cried through the last few episodes. Full sobs as pretty much everyone died.

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More gorgeous and heart-wrenching I ever thought a political drama could get

This was without a doubt the most stunning drama I have ever seen. From the gorgeous wide shots of the landscape, to beautiful indoor scene, to intimate moments between characters, the cinematography isn’t simply aesthetic, but incredibly evocative, and helps the relationships between characters bloom and the story progress. You could lend on any still of this drama and analyze the meaning of every single element within the story.
The music was also definitely noteworthy here. Sure, we get the typical drama OST ballads, but they’re mostly well-executed, and the original score is absolutely gorgeous and once again, always serves the story wonderfully. It’s also one of the best uses of music in a kdrama in my opinion. That said, Mr. Sunshine also uses silences perfectly to build up the tension or emotions of a scene.
These two elements alone are already enough for me to recommend this drama, but that’s not where it’s qualities end, far from it.
The characters were truly great, all of them full of nuance and complexity. No one is easy to understand, all of them leave you frustrated or confused at some of their actions, pushing you to try harder to understand who they are, what their motivations, and keeping you guessing. Yet, it all does feel natural and organic for them. Once again, one of the best mastery of character writing I’ve ever seen in a kdrama. The relationships between characters are just as complex and captivating. Sometimes they don’t take the paths you want them to take, but it all makes sense and it’s heart-wrenching. This is one of the most impressive character writing I’ve ever seen in a kdrama. The comic relief never feels over the top, they’re welcome moments to break up the tension, but they’re also full of emotions and softness, and make you all the more engrossed. The actors are all at the top of their game and offer incredible performances, full, once again, of subtlety and heart.
The plot, finally, is where I think most people seem to have an issue, as small as it might be. I understand why; once you’re done, the first two thirds or so seem weak compared to the last one, but I think it’s simply because as the conflict progresses, the tension is rising more and more. Thus, the comparatively calm beginning seems to pale in comparison, but that’s simply the drama doing its job right. When you’re in it, it feels intense and so compelling. At least it did for me, I can’t say I was ever bored with it. I do think the drama could have shaved off a few episodes and compressed the story a bit and it would have worked well; however I must say I really appreciate the slower pace here. Since this is the slow mounting tension of a major political conflict, it feels very appropriate that things are progressing slowly, it makes you feel like you’re living it in real time along with the characters. And like I said, the drama uses silences masterfully, and I would say the same about slowness. It feels so intense, but not because it’s nonstop action scenes; it manages to make you feel breathless and on edge while going slow, and I think that’s what’s so impressive. It’s not going to adapt to the usual drama pace, it’s going to make YOU adapt to its pace and be engrossed in it.
The plot was sometimes a little bit hard to follow, at times going a little too far in its search of subtlety and reaching a point where it’s actually just not enough information and you’re left confused, but if you just let it go, there’s nothing that’s either essential or that you won’t get a little later.
What’s most impressive is how carefully everything seems the have been thought-out. Every element serves the narrative, everything has a meaning, a reason, nothing is wasted. Comic relief can feel cheap or not match the tone, but here, it’s an element that adds value to the drama. Same goes for the silences, they always serve a purpose, same with every single element of this masterfully executed drama. Please, do yourself a favor, and watch it!

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A SAD PATRIOTIC DRAMA

Where is Mr. Sunshine? Because we don't see him in the drama, all men were serious deep sober men, but I love this drama so much. Background story was about invasion of Americans and Japanese into Jeseon Empire and how this Eugene Choi who born into slavery, run away to America and graduated as US Marine Corps officer, he returned to Korea as Consulate officer and investigate the murders and missing rifles. This drama has the elements of dramatic suspense, a noble lady who's expert with guns and amazing sniper without anyone knew about it, she met Eugene Choi while they're both on the mission. If you're talking about man with uniform, Eugene Choi (Lee Byung-hun) is the man, with calm steady confident demeanor he's the type of person that you won't mess around while an aristocrat's grand-daughter, Go Ae-shin (Kim Tae-ri), who is part of the Righteous Army, kept herself dignify by defending her beloved country. They both fallen in love but they both born from different class not to mention Ae-Shin has Kim Hee-sung (Byun Yo-han), a nobleman who has been Ae-shin's betrothed since childhood. 3 men loved her deeply; Eugene Choi, Kim Hee-Sung, Goo Dong-Mae and none of these guys stay alive at the end.

I love the character of Kudo Hina, she's an amazing woman - Glory Hotel owner who's using her beauty and charms to move around the elites and helping the cause, with her smile and soft spoken she killed people with her gun and sword. She's braver and more dangerous than any men because she's doing it without a flinch of eye and strong determination. Blow up her own hotel to kill Japanese that resulting her own demise, the ending was so sad, everyone died and unhappy ending. The best thing about this drama is the production did not fake of anything, the actors spoke English, France, Japanese as good as their Korean without sound like gringos. This is a great drama with beautiful background setting, top notch acting and casts, beautiful flowing story line, it's simply the best serious Korean drama so far.

From this drama, I learn something about the history of Americans in Korea and in what involvements, or whether there's truth in this story line. Become a family discussion to compare notes...meticulously Americans been in Korea way before Korean War like what's in the history book told us at school. Very interesting indeed..looking inside of Korean history as well as American history in Korea.

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For those who have not seen this series and have a question for them

For those who have not seen this series and have a question for them, it is really worth their time
First of all, I have to say that this series is about the era of Japanese colonization of Korea, and naturally, it has a very political theme, so if you are one of those people who do not have patience while watching the series, you will not like it.
But if you are someone who really cares about the quality and value of a series, start watching it now
This series may be slow until episode 5 or so, but after that, you will connect with each character as if they were members of your family (even the minor characters). The final episodes, unlike the first episodes, are full of sadness and pain and tears Beautiful and valuable
This is a story of lovers, but a romance where you learn another concept of love. A concept that I have never seen in any movie before

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I can't go back to how I viewed life before.

wow. just wow.
I've hardly watched movies/shows that make me wail and cry out loud for more than 10 minutes (I was screaming and crying for almost 40 minutes on the last episode alone).
holy fuck what the hell did I subject myself to.
WHAT a storyline, romantic subplot acting, quite literally almost everything. I don't think I've ever seen a purer form of love in mature movies/shows.
I remember looking up whether Go Ae Shin and Eugene Choi ever had a kissing scene, because, you know, that's kind of the pinnacle of romantic kdramas, but Mr. Sunshine truly didn't need any. The love between the two of them was so raw and sweet I think I have toothaches. The chemistry between lee byung hun and kim tae ri is truly astronomical. Their facial acting, especially in their eyes and smiles, truly made my heart melt.
Aside from the romance, the storyline was so true and genuine it really makes you bitter and almost hate the directors for making it feel so real. Personally, I felt like some of the people didn't deserve to die; however, that is essentially the essence of this show. Because, when you dedicate your lives for the longevity of your community and country, people will get hurt. people WILL die. and to me, this show really showed you the double sided coin of loyalty. because loyalty can make people do crazy things.
as I am writing down my thoughts, I'm sitting at my desk in a daze. my (previously sore) throat is very raw from all the wailing I did. this show will make you feel like you truly know these characters. I certainly feel like I watched friends die, which is kind of weird in an objective sense.
to those reading this sorry excuse of a review, would I recommend this show? absofuckinglutely. I think this show reminded me that love does exist, no matter the origin or ending. would I rewatch the show? probably not, unless I somehow forgot the entire thing, which I suspect that I won't for a WHILE. honestly, rewatching the show will feel like suicide.
as for the characters, I LOVE gu dong mae, kim hui seong, and kudo hina's character development. I was really cautious and unsure of them at first (ESPECIALLY kim hui seong), but this show really showed me that even the most unexpected people can change given the circumstances. pressure makes diamonds, as they say. I don't think kim hui seong should have died at all, I find it a little unnecessary but at the end of the day, it contributes to the point I made earlier about the harsh realities of patriotism in times of war.
I think my favorite side characters were domi, gwan su, and kyle. anytime they came on screen I was filled with joy because they just provide relief to their viewers. I'm glad that they came out okay for the most part.
all in all, it was almost a perfect show. I rated a "perfect" show a 9/10 only because I accidentally spoiled myself with finding out that Eugene dies sacrificing himself for his wife and a cause he didn't originally support, so for the last 5-6 episodes, everything felt like it was jinxing his death. It is also a 9/10 because I heard that while the ending sucked, some good came of it, but to me it didn't really think so. the Righteous Army was still in Manchuria I believe and Ae Shin Choi (they actually got married don't break my delusions) is achieving her goals, but to me it felt very hollow and that all the sacrifices everyone made were kind of in vain. However, that's not fully the case because the Righteous Army's new generation is rising and learning from their ancestors, and the shot of the ring on Ae Shin's finger saddened me so much because if she was painfully dreaming of her husband while he was in jail overseas for 3 years, I can only IMAGINE how much pain she felt the first year or two of him dead. I would only wish that kind of pain on my worst enemies.
anyways, sorry for the long ass tangent of a review, but I kind of wanted to leave my 2 cents because I have no one to talk to about this; I have no one to tell about how I'm grieving people and relationships that don't actually exist.
hope y'all have a tissue box nearby when watching this show . Read More

This is one of the most unique shows when it comes to cinematography. I think Kdramas overall has its own style of camera work and mood setting. However, Mr. Sunshine really made me feel as if I was watching a movie. When I think of it in my mind, it felt like one continuous 24-hour long movie. In other dramas, there are cuts in each scene and conflict whereas here, every transition either from scene to scene or the changing of conflict is smooth. I really comment both the director and also the story for this.

Speaking of the story, I really love the concept. Anything that has to do with a revolution or an overthrow of an oppressive system excites me. I do think it is very well done. There is a build-up to every significant event and each character's motivations and choices are deliberate and truthful. I loved that every character stayed in character or when there was development, the writer took the time to flesh out for the most part. In my opinion, the most lackluster part of the entire drama is the romance between the main leads. Maybe it was because I didn't love Eugene's character or maybe I didn't like the actor, but it just didn't click or made me feel for them.

Aside from Eugene, I truly believe that the characters make this show. Because the writer does such an amazing job at character development, I fell in love with every character despite the flaws that they have. The characters were so complex, especially Kudo Hina and Gu Dongmae. However, my favorite character is perhaps the simplest of them all, Kim Huiseong. His character started off as the arrogant, cowardly rich boy hiding behind his family, but as the show progresses, you see him grow to have such a kind and pure heart. He went from hiding behind his family to baring the sins his ancestry committed and taking the blame as well as atoning for both his and his relative's mistakes. There's also so much more to his character. I feel like that shows how much the writer does with everyone. None of the characters that matter are ignored.

The things I don't like about this show and why I didn't rate it higher are pretty small, but to me, they really make or break a drama. For example, the music they used at certain scenes felt off. I feel like since this was on Netflix, the soundtrack had more English lyrics that just felt off in moments where there was so much Korean pride in the drama. Even in the Korean tracks, none of the songs stood out to me except for maybe the Suhyun song. They were nowhere near as memorable as Goblin or Descendants of the Sun. I also felt that the acting by the Americans and specifically Minister Hiyashi were stiff majority of the time. There were a lot of crucial moments that were suppose to make the audience feel something and in my opinion, it fell short because of the over the top line delivery. The actor who played Kyle Moore was the best actor out of all the Koreans but even his line delivery felt forced. Minister Hiyashi and other Japanese actors such as the bald soldier felt less like a person and more like a cartoon. The Japanese were treated like 2D character but those two were the worst.

Mr. Sunshine could have been a near-perfect drama but the very things that make a Kdrama memorable weren't executed as well.

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Was it the actors... or the script?

The synopsis is jam packed with potential. International conflict, romeo and juliet romance, the visible shift of societal roles right before the turn of the century... and yet... there were times when the show was lacking.
Lacking what?
Well, depended on the scene. Many times it was a lack of chemistry. Other times it was a lack of logic. Sometimes it was a lack of humor. At times there was a lack of sympathy.

I really enjoyed learning about this time in Korea's history. America apparently played a part, but we don't cover our 19th century relationship with Korea in public highschool. So this was all new information. And it was captivating. I had questions. I looked for answers. This show was 1/2 entertainment, 1/2 history lesson.

The part that was meant to be all entertainment was the sludge. The script expected us to celebrate and praise the characters who actually did the least. I, and the audience, had to watch our male and female lead in slow motion glamour shots, each monologuing about their struggle to balance emotion and... (shrugs) something else, then dramatically part ways to accomplish nothing beneficial to plot in the interim. Why did the writers waste my time with them?

Side characters were the value of this show. Let me be clear, this cast was huge. There's a lot of side characters. I'm not praising all of them. There's a handful. Their presence made the story interesting. Watch it for them.

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i cried

This kdrama is hands down one of the best ones i have seen so far. I typically dont watch historical dramas, but this one omg. The story was so good! it got kind of slow at times, but it was still ineteresting and everything was relevant to the story. The actor were also sooo amazing! i typically hate when there are random white people in kdramas, because their acting is always trash, but not in this one! every single actor was amazing. The only thing i hate is goo Dong-mae and Kudo Hina's ending. I shipped them more than the main couple and i am so upset over their ending. Im gonna watch youtube videoes of them for days.

Overall i highly recommend this drama.

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Guns, glory and gore

Plot: A slave boy who escaped the cruelty of low life and became an American soldier. Back to his origin, he met different types of people including the love of his life and that’s where their stories intertwined. Although the plot had some flaws, it was still acceptable.

Acting: Im Kwan Soo (Jo Woo Jin) always leave a good impression on me with every drama that he was in. Apart from him, Kudo Hina did amazing as well. She was the perfect graceful and classy spy woman for me. Other side characters(including the foreigners) made a great contribution in bringing their characters alive with their convincing acting. However, I was quite disappointed with Kim Tae Ri’s acting. I believe that she wasn’t the right actress for the character as her acting was lackluster and flat most of the time. Whether she was devastated, shocked or in love, her facial expressions were not on point or quite inadequate.

Music: Most of the songs matched the scenes and intensified the aura of the drama.

Rewatch Value: It’s not something that I can rewatch but it’s definitely something that you can’t miss. It’s somehow an eye-opener not just about wars, patriotism and loyalty but it’s also about second chances and living your best life as if it was your last day.

Overall: 8 to 8.5 because of the beautiful cinematography, background music, details and acting of almost everyone. I love the bromance between Eugene Choi and Kyle, I also love the friendship threesome of Yoo-jin, Dong Mae and Hui Song. The drama had a few laugh out loud scenes on the first few episodes which made it less boring despite the non-existent chemistry and dragging love story of Eugene and Lady Aesin. They couldn’t even flirt with their eyes or their smiles. Although they had some good dialogues, I just couldn’t see and feel that they were attracted to each other, I’m sure Lee Byung Hyun tried his best but their chemistry wasn’t there. I think, Kim Tae Ri failed to create chemistry with each character that’s why I wasn’t emotionally invested with her story. I never rooted for her as she’s always reckless and clueless. Best scenes for me were when Gunner Jang lit the fire to save the royal training soldiers and when Joseon people stood on their ground to protect the noblewoman. I wasn’t attached to their stories but because of the directing of flashbacks, close ups and dialogues of those scenes, I just couldn’t help but feel something. Death of each character has it’s own meaning, it was quite questionable on how sudden it was but the symbolism was still there. 🚨 Eugene Choi had a hostage just like what his mom did, Hui Seong who got beaten to death just as the same of what happened on the day he was born and Dong Mae who got butchered by his own ‘family’ just like how his mom did. The ending was I was expected but the idea behind it was just amazing. Honestly, the suspense only started on Episode 20, the series could have been shorter if they cut out the unconvincing flirtation of Eugene and Aesin. This drama also made me hate Japanese cruelty to people during the war(in real life as well) and I can’t stop myself from thinking, ‘If I were alive at that time, will I survive?’. Apart from that, as soon as I finished the series, I decided to read the history of Korea and learned from it. Which made me think that the three men may symbolized the three kingdoms back in the day and Aesin was ‘Korea’.

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It's Jane Austen meets K-Drama meets any moving story about rebels!

I'm going to admit that it took me a while to really get into it. The beginning moves like a slow history romance with no real direction. This is why it received a 9 from me. Those first twelve episodes while intriguing were nothing groundbreaking. But, If you're looking for a sappy history romance where the king falls in love with a commoner, then I suggest you move on. This drama is for strong willed rebels who are willing to be inspired to action!
The last twelve episodes however were the most gripping, tragic, moving and impactful i've ever seen a K-Drama.
The acting was also note worthy, when they cried, I cried. During the good times, I laughed. They drew me into their story and made me root for a country i've never even set foot in. Yes, the real main character of this was Joseon and really made me think about the history of current day South-Korea.

The story, acting, music, cinematography, editing, bromance, sis-mance? Are all top notch in my opinion. This story ramps up pretty quickly without leaving you bored at any step of the way. The villains didn't quite get the torture I thought they deserved but also, sometimes, the bad guys win in the end.

Despite it's flaws this is hands down the best K-drama I've watched in recent times. Only watch if you've got the heart to steel back tears, Impressive control for your anger and the open-mind to feel compassion for what others have gone through.

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