Mr. Sunshine (2018)

One of the Kind Drama

This is one hell of a damn good drama that will shatter your heart to a million pieces. It is a lush, breathtaking, and stunning epic historical drama set during the Joseon period of tumultuous change with foreign influences each having their own agendas on what they want to get out of Korea.

The areas the drama really excelled in:

- Impressive Immersive Storyline, very well written, good pacing, and tight plotting.
- Well thought out character back stories and narrative storylines, the viewer feels emotionally invested in the main characters. It is one of the best portrayals of strong female characters, Go Ae Shin and Kudo Hina top my list of favorite female characters.
- Excellent Acting, each of the main and support actors played their parts so well. They really captured the nuances and grey areas of their characters.
- Stunning Cinematography and Production, so many scenes where the cinematography just captures your attention. It is done exceptionally well with deliberation and it is simply breath taking.
- Great Chemistry between the leads and love interests
- Amazing OST, some of the songs are ethereal, sad, and whimsical at the same time.
- While it deviates from actual history and inserts fictional aspects to it along with some controversy, it still highlights a fascinating and absolutely tragic time. It explores the greed of corrupt internal traitors, sacrifices and the courage some make for a better future, meddling foreign countries with their selfish self interest, and Joseon caste system politics that leads to devastating childhood loss and trauma and makes their love forbidden.

It will be considered one of my top dramas for a while.

Absolutely stunning watch.

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It feels like a movie. There's too much to take, given that it is only a drama series. I cried for the least expected scene I could think of, I cried for the last scenes when the patriotism of the characters was shown, it really striked my heart, and I was just surprised when I felt the tears in my face. I never thought I'll have that strong feeling for something that's way past behind my generation, especially not even in my own country, I never thought that flashbacks from my learnings about our own country's history would appear and I would reflect again that much. And with that I really want to thank the producers, directors, the whole team of this drama for showing it to the world, inferior countries like us( I'm from the Philippines which was conquered by Americans that time ) do have this kind of story that must be told again and again for generations to see. The only reason I didn't give it a perfect 10 is because I longed for the romantic scenes for the main characters and was disappointed until the end, I felt the love, yes, but not having even a single kiss scene, even in the cheeks makes me really sad.

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Amazing and Powerful show with a great way of delivering history

Have always wanted to know about the history of japan's invasion of korea, and this show gave me a glimpse and a bit of knowledge on that history.
Just makes me reflect on how our ancestors fought for our countries.
Loved the way the story was told, soo powerful!
Definitely one of my favorites and also very close to my heart! Hats off to the cast and crew for making such a great show possible and delivering it to us! Really grateful.
It's just great to see the history through a show, really shows us how it was back then.
Highly recommend it if you haven't watched it yet!

P.s: First review..lol..so sorry if I didn't do it right

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I just watched a masterpiece . The drama excels in every aspect from OSTs to Cinematography , this is one of the best, Definitely in my top 10. This is when we realise that responsible creators are most important in the industry. They didn't try to make a fool out of the viewers like most of the others do. They valued our time and work hard to bring the best out. It's all evident in this drama from start to end. The casts were amazing. I was amazed by the FL from Little forest and Handmaiden. She is subtle yet strong in the way of representing the character. LBH as always was superb and mostly, cool and stylish . Yoon Seok was admirable as well playing a bit of both good and bad shade. The actors done the role brilliantly and maturely without the regular dose of cliches that K-actors produce. Must watch!!!!!

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Deserving of its praise.

Mr Sunshine Review:
This review is from my perspective as an international viewer.

=== Production Value: ===
The production value is SUPERB. The Joseon set designs were really good that I was able to immerse myself in their period. The set looks new for something in their time.

Though, I have some criticisms for the New York scenes. Especially those on the bridge. While I understand that they did not put extras for the sake of dramatic effects, it took me out of the drama since it feels like New York is a desolate city.

=== Plot: ===
The plot was really slow at first (This is a personal problem and preference because I really have a short attention span) though, as I though over it a few times that I kinda prefer it for the characters, especially with the looming war in the horizon. How I wish for them that time could just pass by slowly so that we don’t have to see them suffer.

There were some elements of visual storytelling that I saw and seeing those small tidbits being set up before the war part coming together in the final act. Especially the EMOTIONAL SCENES. *Chef’s kiss*

I liked the creative liberties that they took in putting some internal conflict in the form of political intrigue in the drama.

== Characters: ===
I can see that diluting Ae-sin’s character to highlight others characters in the story was done deliberately. She’s not entirely a flatly written as her headstrong personality and a sense of duty of her country was what drew these three men to her and made them care for a country that abandoned them. (I’m not so sure for Dong Mae’s motivations but I am sure with Eugene’s and Huiseong’s though).

Eugene is a character who was already stable when the story started. He has a past then, he returned to Joseon after he became a soldier. He just goes with what America dictates to him before Ae-sin came into his life. After he met Ae-sin, his character was given depth as he was torn between his identity as a Joseon man serving as an American soldier. Even if the conclusion to his character arc was a sad one but it was satisfying. The dam of emotions I felt for this drama finally broke when his Lieutenant friend was reading what happened to him.

Dong Mae belongs to the character tropes that I really hate the most. He’s your average bad boy type who has a past and decided to join the Japanese gang, Black Dragon Society. He became a mercenary. He began to soften when he and Ae-sin interacted more. His interactions with Hina Kudo were also memorable to watch because their relationship seemed more of genuine and platonic friendship rather than lovers. (Heck, this was one of those platonic friendships done really well that I’ve seen in a drama.)

Huiseong also belongs to the type of men that I hate the most, PLAYBOYS. He’s one of those characters who bears the guilt of the sins of his clan and seems aimless with no motivations until he met Ae-sin and the other two men. With his character development, HE BECAME ONE OF MY FAVORITE CHARACTERS. While the other characters preferred to fight using bloodshed (guns and swords), he prefers to fight using intellect, his camera and pen. I also like that when he was taking photos of the atrocities committed by Imperial Japan, they used gunshots as if the camera shots dealt some kind of impact. The sad part of his character arc was despite him finding a purpose, no one would remember his name as he fought for Joseon. He died in prison alone with no one to mourn for him. Despite being tortured, the smiling mask that he wears never seems to come off of him.

Kudo Hina/ Lee Yang Hwa is my favorite characters in this drama as someone who exemplifies true feminism. I admire how strong her character is. Her father just sees her as a pawn to expand his influence but still, she managed to make herself independent. With her cunning wit and charisma, she’s able to use her position as someone who allows different forms of life to enter her hotel to help Joseon. She also knows when to be feminine while being a badass who holds the sword elegantly at the same time.

This was also one of the few dramas where the side characters had more impact to the stakes of the situation they were in. They do not feel like props but as characters who also had to struggle during that time. There are too many to mention so rather not.

=== Dialogue ===
The dialogue had more purpose aside from serving as padding for this very long drama. They serve as extra setups for the grand event that was going to come and the callbacks to those little scenes and dialogues made me cry a lot.

=== More than just romance ===
I went into this drama expecting a romance. Though, I wasn’t disappointed that it was purely romance since I like the other elements in this story.

=== OST/Music ===
As for the instrumentals in the background, they didn’t bother me that much but for once, I am glad that they used classical pieces in the Glory Hotel scenes to accentuate the time period it was in.
The OSTs in this drama is not so overpowering compared to other dramas. When they’re played in the credits, I don’t feel tired hearing them again and again and had some impact on how I perceive the events that transpired in each episode.
One of those OSTs that I kept replaying is The Day by Park Hyo Shin.

Extra thoughts:

Playing The Day at the end of the drama with the flag of Joseon waving made me more emotional and a bit patriotic (not for Korea but for my country whose citizens seems to idolize politicians more to the point of them not being able to take criticisms directed towards them).

The deaths really shocked me and I finally cried upon seeing the objects that represents the characters being sold in the pawnshop.

If I have the time, I am surely going to re-watch this drama 100% despite it being tragic.

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Just watched the last episode, and, goodness!!...I feel as if I have been put through the wringer! This gorgeous 24 episode series is full of wonderful acting, beautiful cinematography and heartfelt music. It is a historical fiction of a young man who is forced to flee Korea because his life is in danger. He comes back years later as an American soldier and ready to take revenge on those who hurt his family. The drama that surrounds him sets the course in the path he takes, whether it ends in happiness or tragedy.

I love films that make me care for the characters, even the not-so-good ones because the writers have taken the time to flesh them out and not make them one dimensional villains. The female characters are very strong. No Mary Janes here. The acting is out of this world, pleased that they were able to cast a very talented ensemble. This is a show that doesn't not leave you. The historical situations were fascinating. It has been a real pleasure waiting for new episodes to come out weekly. Watch this. You will not be disappointed

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Wow, after watching 24 episodes of Mr sunshine, I do not know how to feel exactly. At first, I found the show to be extremely slow-paced and boring but something about it kept me going. I felt it was too slow-paced especially with respect to the relationship between the two main leads, I would have thought that the lure in the forbidden affair between the yu jin the slave and Aeshin the noble would be capitalized but all we got were long stares and heartfelt goodbyes. I actually felt more chemistry between dong mae and aeshin even though it was a bit on the obsessive side on his part. However, the historical part of the drama held it together as it gave its audience a glimpse of what Joseon went through at that time. I loved the acting, I felt the cast really got into their roles and delivered their best, I loved that it did not end up with the typical revenge troupe, I thought the story would just be about Yujin coming back for revenge, but I liked how the drama pointed out that at the end of the day, there is a choice not to go down that path. I also loved how in the end there were no fixed heroes or villains, this can be illustrated by Hina and Hui seng who refused to follow their father's footsteps and chose to fight for their country.
The tragic, yet hopeful feel the drama gave off at the end was beautiful but I would have loved it if they did not kill off the whole cast leaving just Aeshin

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I NEVER watched any HISTORICAL drama but this one made me binge-watch it on NETFLIX!!
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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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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