This review may contain spoilers
A heavily toxic dark romance
The best way to experience this drama is to read the book alongside watching the episodes. The source material is only 243 pages, and most of the important context is in the first half of the book, which helps fill in the narrative gaps left behind by the live-action adaptation.
Overall, the show is a solid 8/10 if you factor in the novel, but a 7/10 as a standalone.
The book details the slow-burn tension between Sun and Rafah much better, but the live-action still tries to convey a "right person, wrong time" dynamic through flashbacks. These flashbacks reveal their mutual attraction and an unspoken, quiet longing that lasted for over seven years leading up to the present. On screen, Rafah's actions can seem controlling and out of the blue. However, her possessiveness and gradual obsession have always been core parts of her character. The root cause is her inability to act on her true feelings for so long, which eventually aggravates them into the outbursts we see on screen. Her obsession lessens once they get together showing some positive character growth but possessiveness is ultimately part of her essence.
As for the controversial scene, it is crucial to read the source material. The book includes deep internal monologues detailing Sun's coping mechanisms and Rafah's psychological breakdown. Unfortunately, the screen adaptation skips this nuance and falls into old-school drama tropes, making the scene feel purely aggressive and reducing Rafah to a controlling antagonist.
On a positive note, the show does a great job showcasing the deep friendship between Sun and Fey, with Fey acting as Sun's biggest advocate for happiness and not being afraid to step up to her sister about her actions hurting sun. It was also refreshing to see Fey and Peach's relationship blossom as an enemies-to-lovers romance, providing a nice contrast to the dark tones of the main couple.
Ultimately, Rafah is the perfect toxic "red flag" character that you still try to convince everyone is green. She is exclusively possessive of Sun and no one else the literal personification of the "I will burn the world to save you, but also ensure you only have me" trope. With added television subplots that keep the pacing fresh, My Only Sunshine is a unique, high drama addition to any GL watch list.
Overall, the show is a solid 8/10 if you factor in the novel, but a 7/10 as a standalone.
The book details the slow-burn tension between Sun and Rafah much better, but the live-action still tries to convey a "right person, wrong time" dynamic through flashbacks. These flashbacks reveal their mutual attraction and an unspoken, quiet longing that lasted for over seven years leading up to the present. On screen, Rafah's actions can seem controlling and out of the blue. However, her possessiveness and gradual obsession have always been core parts of her character. The root cause is her inability to act on her true feelings for so long, which eventually aggravates them into the outbursts we see on screen. Her obsession lessens once they get together showing some positive character growth but possessiveness is ultimately part of her essence.
As for the controversial scene, it is crucial to read the source material. The book includes deep internal monologues detailing Sun's coping mechanisms and Rafah's psychological breakdown. Unfortunately, the screen adaptation skips this nuance and falls into old-school drama tropes, making the scene feel purely aggressive and reducing Rafah to a controlling antagonist.
On a positive note, the show does a great job showcasing the deep friendship between Sun and Fey, with Fey acting as Sun's biggest advocate for happiness and not being afraid to step up to her sister about her actions hurting sun. It was also refreshing to see Fey and Peach's relationship blossom as an enemies-to-lovers romance, providing a nice contrast to the dark tones of the main couple.
Ultimately, Rafah is the perfect toxic "red flag" character that you still try to convince everyone is green. She is exclusively possessive of Sun and no one else the literal personification of the "I will burn the world to save you, but also ensure you only have me" trope. With added television subplots that keep the pacing fresh, My Only Sunshine is a unique, high drama addition to any GL watch list.
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