Descendants of the Sun (2016)

Mixed emotions on this one. Watched it because it's so highly rated and raved about but I was skeptical (high ratings are sometimes a warning sign that it just features a popular actor/actress and isn't necessarily a good show).

I liked:
No distracting love triangles. Just straight "I like you and only you"
The emotional story of the Onew as Lee Chi-hoon (so good!!!)
Chemistry between all the couples
Beautiful scenery
Bromance between male leads
It was well acted and well directed (mostly)
"Happy" ending (I hope that's not a spoiler)

However, I felt the story was actually a little weak creatively, a bit repetitive, and forced. I am not sure if I actually liked it or just enjoyed it. It wasn't a knockout or particularly memorable but wasn't a total waste of time either.

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Descendants of the Sun is one of those shows that are difficult to forget. If there is a canon of Korean dramas that everyone should watch, than DoTS belongs there. However, I can't give it a 10 due to several reasons.

The story is very unique, but messy. It deals with different type of setting and conflicts than usual in kdramas. There are no love triangles and rich chaebols. Usual signs of being successful, such as money and a position, are somewhat meaningless in this story. It does deal with very popular high brow topics like honor, duty, death, love, friendship and connections, though. It is also very non-linear in the sense that it could be divided into several different episodes pulled together by the same characters.

The Korean actors gave a flawless performance. I can't even express how in love I was with Son Joon Ki's acting. However, I was deeply disappointed by the usage of the non-professional actors in this show. The Korean actors plus Argus were spectacular, but I couldn't help but cringe when I saw and heard the non-Korean characters in this show. I tried to get over it, but it honestly ruined a bunch of scenes for me. This show takes the cake for the worst acting by the non-Korean individuals up to date.

Some people say that the story was cheesy. I could agree with that; however, it was cheesy in the way that it makes you swoon, not in a way that makes you cringe. I honestly liked that about this show.

Best things about the show:
+ non-typical story
+ amazing male leads
+ good supporting role stories
+ no love triangle in the typical sense
+ great acting
+ very romantic moments
+ good mix of comedy, drama and romance
+ choices that are difficult to make
+ very limited usage of Kdrama cliches
+ another great bromance
+ eye candy

Weak spots:
- amateur actors (foreigners apart from the main bad guy)
- messy story
- stereotypical hero
- kind of old-fashioned idea of honor and duty

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I have always admired kdramas but have stopped watching new kdrama for a long time. DOTS awaken the interest in me to see new Kdramas again. I find it hard watching a new kdrama esp if I have not seen the actors before, I gave DOTS a try because of Song Hye Kyo, but it was bec of Song Joong Ki that made me love this drama so bad, well their chemistry has a lot to do with it as well. This is a well thought drama, the scenes, lines, characters all make sense. I got hooked after watching the first 10 minutes of the 1st episode and I cant get enough of the ending scene. People in their late 20s or early 30s would appreciate this kind of love story more. It takes a lot of focus, talent,discipline, maturity ,courage and true love, to enter and maintain a Doctor-Soldier Relationship. The main leads were honest, vocal and open to each other, it feels good to see these character being shown in a drama played by beautiful actors. Just awesome! I watched this 3 times and I can watch it again still :))

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Rhyming review of DOTS!
Hi guys wanted to do something different and special for this extra special show!

Here goes...

I clicked on a new show called Descendants of the Sun,
What I got was lots of action, lots of romance and lots of fun.

It took the world by storm, with ratings that were so high,
If you haven’t watched it stop reading this and go and give it a try.

Because no matter how high your expectations are it will still blow you away,
And once you start you won’t be able too stop and finish it in a day.

It shows us an epic love story that’ll really touch your heart,
You’ll feel the joy, you’ll feel the fear, you’ll feel the pain when they’re apart.

Our sexy sexy soldier will definitely be your new crush,
Whether he’s shirtless or in his uniform he’ll surely make you blush.

Our leading lady Kang Mo Yeon is really sassy and smart,
But she’s also dorky on the inside and really good at heart.

You’ll be very jealous when you see their chemistry,
Many times you’ll be left wondering where’s a Yoo Si Jin for me?

Their journey isn’t easy, at first they try to deny their love,
But its tough to escape from something written in the stars above.

The road isn’t at all easy, many obstacles come in their way,
No matter how tough the situation is, in the end its always okay.

The writing is well paced, keeps you on the edge of your seat,
But in between the action there are many moments that are sweet.

The side love story of Myung Joo and Dae young if filled with longing and desire,
We witness a pure love which also sizzles like burning fire.

The bromance is real and makes you go awww.
They have their backs when it comes relationships, missions and war.

We learn many lessons and our respect for soldiers grows,
The sacrifice they make for our countries this drama really shows.

The doctors aren’t much less and are inspiring in their own way,
They also live a difficult life saving people everyday.

All in all i’d give a 10/10 rating there really was nothing missing,
Just sit back enjoy the action, the drama the love and all the kissing.


Hope you enjoyed it

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soapy melodrama that doesn't reinvent any wheels. if you like this genre, you'll like this drama.

TLDR: mixed feelings all around. It's soapy. It's cheesy. Nothing new. If you're going into it as a fan of this specific subgenre (military/medical patriotic drama w/melodrama romance), you'll be fine. It was too cheese and unrealistic for me.

- The music is tonally heavy-handed, which I guess is expected for this genre (military/medical melodrama). The main OST for our CP: You Are My Everything - by Gummy is unbearably corny and overbearing. I hate it with a fiery passion. It cheapens every scene our CP is in and comes in loud and over the top every time. I like the song that plays between Dae Young and Myung Joo. It's uber pretty and reflects the yearning they feel for each other. That song is called "Once Again" - by Mad Clown & Kim Na Young.

- Chemistry between Shi-jin and Dae Young is more fun to watch than that between Shin Jin with Mo Yeon.

- I was invested in the relationship between Dae Young and Myung Joo from the very first moment. Talk about sizzling chemistry, yearning, and a n g s t.

- Foreign dramas constantly hiring non-American/poor English speaking actors to play "dumb Americans" always gives me the b i g g e s t eye roll. Beyond cringe. More cringe points for hiring awful F-list foreign actors for all of the American and Arab English-speaking parts. It's hard to watch; thank god for fast-forward.

- Despite the cringe English speaking portions and the Superhero music whenever Song Joon Ki blinks, I've been warming up to the drama more and more. Her dumping him (she had a valid reason that neither I nor Joon-Ki's character could fault her for) and the time skip helped greatly.

- Ep 6 note: Why TF would a doctor travel to a solar plant site collapse post-Earthquake in heels? Only to make a dramatic show of smacking those heels on a metal structure, so they fall off. D R A m A. *eye roll*
How many goodbyes and slow-walking away scenes will we need to watch? For the umpteenth time. Loses its effect.

-Ep 14: Hi, when you're shot MULTIPLE times and just suffered cardiac arrest, you're not strong enough to SIT UP and WALK moments later. Come on.

TLDR: People who like this genre will likely eat it up. I think I had higher hopes for it because of the high rating and because I'm a Song Joon Ki fan, but it was too sappy and unrealistic to appreciate. I liked the secondary couple storyline and the camaraderie between the soldiers more than the CP, by a long shot. There's nothing special about this drama; I feel my time could have been better spent elsewhere.

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Well it was definitely not what I anticipated

Honestly saying I was excited to watch this drama,because I've heard so many people praising it previously, and I also liked the cast,but I got really disappointed. Basically the premise of the drama is that there's a soldier and a doctor who love each other, but I didn't think that will be all there is to see. But funnily Enough, I didn't enjoy the romance at all, the lead couple fell in love in the first episode without context and I just really wasn't into that, I didn't feel any connection between the 2 at all. But still, I think the worst thing about this drama was that the plot was that there was no plot. Literally the only point of the drama was that something tragic happened, they fixed it and momentary happiness came, then it started all over again, and I got bored of it after like the 4th episode. But ironically, I think the show was a bit self aware, because the last episode ended with another upcoming tragedy lol, so it was really an endless loop. Also this break up get back together shit was boring too. And like damn, okay they got back together in the end, but because the 2 guys stayed in the army I think their relationship won't last long again lmao. The only reason I still finished it was really only because of the cast and the cinematography, but I would definitely never watch it again, and I consider it to be one of the worst dramas I've seen.

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Honestly I was scared to watch it at first because a lot of people said it was way too overrated. But I don't think so, I thin Descendants of the Sun was one of the best drama's of 2016 (and all time tbh) As you can see from the rating I gave I'm absolutely in love.
Acting/Cast
I don't think I have to say anything about this. Song Joong Ki is not only a good looking guy but also very talented (everyone who watched his previous work should now that).
This was the first time I saw Song Hye Kyo in a drama and I really liked her as well, she's a very good actress imo

Music
I absolutely loved the OST's for this drama and even downloaded some of them.

Story
The story is the only part were it lacked a bit, mainly because the whole drama wasn't as connected as it could've been. A few episodes were always tied together but then it felt like the whole things before never happened and a new chapter began. Nevertheless it was a good mixture of a hospital, military/action and romance drama.

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When this show came out, it became immediately super popular, for several reasons: the cast (especially for Song Joon Ki and Song Hye Kyo), the setting, the pre-production. Basically, you couldn't even dare to try to find a flaw without risking to be virtually crucified.
In my opinion, it has many good points. Song Joon Ki and Song Hye Kyo have lots of chemistry (no wonder they became a real-life couple afterwards) and are simply perfect. They're also supported by an amazing cast. The setting (aka mostly the Greek island of Zante) is obviously beautiful and cinematography is quite good. All the characters are very much enjoyable. The bromance is adorable.
My biggest complaint, though, is the plot. The show drags itself out quite a lot, sometimes it's even openly boring. If you remove the special effects and all the aforementioned reasons, I agree that what you get is a lame story which, acted and directed by someone else, probably would have never get the same attention.
Overall, a good though overrated show. Nothing that will make you write home about.

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Now I have joined that half of humanity that watched the drama “Descendants of the Sun”. I'm not joking, about 3 billion people saw this drama. I can’t even imagine this number. And can it really be a bad show if such a huge number of people like it?

The drama “Descendants of the Sun” opened for me the world of Korean cinema, and with it the culture of the Korean people. And now I listen to the replay soundtrack and eagerly read blogs about life in Korea. The first two episodes stunned me. I suddenly saw unusual behavior of people: nods as a gesture of greeting. A stretched O, expressing surprise or irony. The increased physical distance between people in a communication situation compared to the distance accepted in our culture. Rare touches of lovers. But gradually I ceased to notice all these differences, and they became natural for me, as if in a different way it does not happen.

In contrast to the often caustic western cinema, the Korean drama creates a romantic-vanilla mood. Koreans are not bored to take off and watch about how a man tying shoelaces for his woman, making a cup of coffee for her, putting her hair in her tail. I understand that this is a drama, that in life they are far from always the case. But the drama serves as a good guide for people - this is what we should strive for. Western cinema shows a lot of dirt, people watch and begin to consider it the norm. And Korean cinema glorifies the right values.

I admire the shown ideal of relations between people, at the heart of all relations is mutual respect. “Descendants of the Sun” provide an example of what should be the relationship between a man and a woman, between a boss and a subordinate, older in age and younger, between a man and his profession, what friendship should be.

Despite the fact that the drama has a lot of romance and humor, there is a place for realism in it. I'm not talking about the amazing combination of circumstances that the characters face. What only heroes have not passed! And an earthquake, and a fall from a cliff by car, and a walk through a minefield, and much more. I’m talking about such aspects of public relations as blooming corruption and dragging their “protégés” to good positions, unreasonable orders of stupid bosses, ugly hysterical behavior of some people.

As for the relationship of lovers, the lack of bed scenes caught my eye. Romantic relationships are platonic. Korean couples walk by the arms, hug and kiss each other, maximum on the forehead. Maybe this is an illusion created in the cinema, or maybe, indeed, Korean society is more chaste? In any case, thanks to this, the relationship between Yu Si Jin and Ka Mo Yong, like So Do Yoon and Yu Men Jin, became even more sublime and emotional. You begin to appreciate every touch, every gentle look.

In the end, I really wanted to see the marriage proposal after all that the heroes had to go through. The wedding would be, as they say, "a cherry on the cake." What did not happen in the drama followed in real life. It is insanely pleasant that the on-screen love of Song Joon Ki and Song Hye Kyo has grown into a real relationship and marriage. They are just perfect for each other and very very beautiful.

Other viewers wrote wonderful reviews of the drama, examined the advantages and disadvantages of the plot, far and wide, so I will not repeat it. I will say one thing, watch this movie. It will bring you many benefits and bright feelings.

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