Magnificent!
I'd like my heart back please!What an incredible drama - let alone a kdrama! Each episode is shot like a blockbuster movie, the cast are superb and the story captivates you from start to finish. That it's based on historical events, makes it all the more painful sometimes.
The the five main characters are superb and you love them throughout and become so invested in their stories. Each of them go on a journey and you fall in love with all of them. The supporting cast are equally great. One of the villains does his job so well that I wanted to smack him in his face - great actor!
At 24 episodes this is a lot longer than the usual kdrama and sometimes the pace may seem a little slower than what we're used to in the West - however, the investment of your time pays off in spades.
I'm not going to mention anything about the plot as I strongly urge you to watch this. This is an utterly beautiful love story - love for each other and love for country - whatever the cost!
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❗❗❗???? BEST DRAMA
I m 23 ! I started watching dramas in 2018 ... i mean i watch 3 or more dramas every week ! But let me tell you ... i just finished this drama one hour ago and i tell you guys just this ...: WATCH IT ❗❗❗ is first time when i give a review but for this drama i was feeling that i have to because i doubted if i have to watch it or not . Just go for it ! ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️❗❗❗❗❗❗❗❗❗❗❗❗❗❗❗❗❗❗❗❗❗❗❗❗❗❗❗❗❗❗❗❗❗❗❗❗❗❗Was this review helpful to you?
One of the Best Shows I Have Ever Seen!
I have been watching movies and shows for over forty years. And, yes, this show is THAT good! After watching "Descendants of the Sun" only a couple of years ago, I was wondering how long it would be before another grand series came about; a series that resonates with the heart and soul; a series with a crisp story and fantastic performances by the actors. And along came "Mr. Sunshine."I can only think of a couple of series that are on par with "Mr. Sunshine." "Band of Brothers" is one and "Descendants of the Sun" is another.
What is truly sad is that much of the world is quite ignorant when it comes to Korean history, I'm sure. It's a country that always seems to be at odds with Japan, and sometimes China and Russia as well. Its turbulent history has too often been plagued by invasions or other countries attempting to gain control of the small peninsula.
"Mr. Sunshine" tells of the time when Korea was, once again, fighting against Japanese occupation in the beginning of the 20th century. With virtually no real army to speak of and a king with little power on the throne, Korea or "Joseon" found itself relying on rebel guerilla tactics to try and prevent the Japanese from a complete takeover.
Several characters find themselves unknowingly intertwined with each other at the outset of the series. One boy finds himself quickly orphaned and making his way to America to begin a new life. He returns to Joseon years later as a U.S. Marine Captain. Little does he know how the turn of events would pull him into the conflict between his previous homeland and Japan.
The story's focal point is on three men who all happen to have feelings for the same woman, Go Ae-shin; a woman with a background as terrible and wrought with horror as the marine captain's. And yet, she is the heart and soul of the rebel forces. It is admirable and captivating to see this woman spearhead the rebellion, as well as her willingness to do whatever it takes to help her country. Tae-Ri Kim is perfectly cast, giving Ae-shin tremendous depth and complexity to her character.
The cast is simply magnificent from top to bottom. Every role, no matter how large or small, is handled with immaculate precision and depth. However, there is, to my mind, one who stands out just a hair above the rest. And that is Byung-Hun Lee as Eugene Choi, the marine captain. The man has a regal distinction that very few actors in history have been able to pull off with such ease. He may appear to be emotionless in many of his scenes, but to make such an assumption would be wholly inaccurate. I've said many times: an actor/actress who can say more with their eyes than with words, is a true master at their craft. Byung-Hun Lee is such a performer. I cannot imagine anyone else playing this part with the integrity and depth that he brings to Eugene Choi.
This is quite literally a "Do not miss!" series. With 24 episodes, each at about 75 minutes each, you are in for a wonderful treat. This is a show to savor. One might be wishing to quickly move on to the next episode, but I found myself stepping back and letting each episode soak within me instead. Like a perfect French dessert, you relish taking your time and savoring each bite. This is such a series.
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Amazing.
Great cinematography, extraordinary acting, everything is perfect.
I'm quite stingy with scores but then i give this one a perfect score.
Everything is perfect.
This one keeps me glued to the screen, preventing me from skipping parts which i used to do with other shows, makes me scream like a high school girl, bawl my eyes out, laugh like a maniac, also tears my head off of frustration.
Give this shows a try for those who haven't seen this.
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This review may contain spoilers
This Review is full with SPOILERS so please be aware.Well, i've been thinking the whole day in this drama, i didn't understand my feelings.
1. Acting/cast: The casting was so on point and all the characters are so well constructed (even the bad ones), the only bad thing that i got to say is that you can tell that the scenes with David McInnis weren't filmmed at the same time, because you can see that in reality he was never in the scenes where there were other characters different than the translator, the child or Eugene, probably he was never with Ae Shin (ypu can see him in a take but that's probably fixed), sometimes it happens in the dramas but this time it was very noticeable. However 10/10
2. Story: Really a beautiful story with a sad ending. I loved how they tried to represent a very difficult time. In the middle of the drama it was a bit boring, but in general the first 8 episodes and the last 6 were excellent. 9/10
3. Music: I wasn't a big fan of this OST, some songs were really great, and some others were ok. 8/10
4. Rewatch value: Not for me, because it mistreats my emotions, i'm sorry but i won't rewatch it, my heart can't handle this. 8/10
5. Others:
The cinematography and photography was so beautiful, 10/10
The bromance between the male leads and female leads 10/10
The ending, well yes i got a problem with this ending, i didn't like the way Goo Dong Mae was killed i though that he was going to die for sure but i didn't like the way he did it. Also the way Eugene dies it reminds me a little to Titanic, couldn't he jump back? 8/10
Also loved the large number of scenes between the two leads, I loved how they focused on romanticism rather than romance. I would have loved a kiss, but that does not take away the beauty of its story. 10/10
Anyway i totally recommend you to watch this drama if you love Politic and Drama and Tragedy, it is very well written and well developed. Overall 9/10
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This review may contain spoilers
A MASTERPIECE
Now I know why they called this drama a masterpiece for a reason. I wasn’t intend to watch this drama because I know that this series end with sad ending so I tend to avoid it. But they say, masterpiece need to see at least once so, here we go and I regret not watching this drama earlier :(I don’t know about the real history of Korea and whether this drama portrays the right history or not. But I think they did a good job in producing this kind of history drama. I was reluctant to watch the lead’s chemistry because of their age gap in real life but Byung-hun and Tae-ri truly outdone themselves and I’m in love with them. I was sad watching main cast (read: characters) died one by one because they have been a supporting foundation to this drama but good characters must come to an end.
I think it’s kind of sad that Eugene has to become a foreigner for a whole life. He needs to be an American or Joseon whenever they need one. I felt pity for him the most and that was until he meets Ae-shin. These two although fights for the different cause but they protect each other and that’s what I admired the most. Although their love story is not a happy ending, I do enjoy their story.
For Dong-mae, i wish he didn’t cling to Ae-shin for his whole life but if that’s the reason he live, I accept it. It’s sad to see the backstory of Dong-mae and Eugene and how Hui-seong tangled up with them. But they make a good combo and I’m rooting for them. And I love how Hina at first just want to be a watcher but then helped Ae-shin with her cause. These characters will remain a long time in my heart.
This drama may turn you off if you’re not up to historical timeline but I assure you that this historical drama is a well-built plot with amazing casts ever. Please watch it at least once in your lifetime.
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One word to describe how this drama plays out would be bittersweet. And given the context of the story, it would be almost impossible to have it otherwise.
Essentially the story dates back to the Japanese imperialism period. It strives to portray the life of the Joeson's protestors against the Japanese colonization. The historical/political aspects of this drama are in play throughout the entire drama but are mostly emphasized in the second half. There are a lot of ups and downs, a touch of humor which really kept things lively (s/o to the drinking buddies squad).
The five main characters and their dynamics were really amusing to watch. Some of the relationship developments got me by surprise. I think anyone who decides to watch this drama will connect with at least one of them. Personally, Hina Kudo's character really resonated with me.
The OSTs are beyond what words can describe, got me emotional at all the right moments. My personal favorites are:
OST Part 7: Becoming the Wind - Hyunsang Ha
OST Part 6: My Home - Savina & Drones
OST Part 4: Sori - Lee Suhyun
I think it is a personal preference, but I would suggest if you decide to watch this drama forget what you've seen of the main cast and let them paint a new canvas for you. What I mean to say, is that each cast member really makes the character their own, and I don't think I've ever seen a more suitable cast. Not only the main actors/actresses but also all the supporting cast were just.... daebak!
Mr.sunshine, it was an unforgettable 24 episode ride, you will forever leave a lasting impression. <3 <3 <3 <3
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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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The drama hits you hard in every pay possible..
This is hands down the best k-drama I have seen till date.Everything from storyline, acting and OSTs are splendid. Although it has a sad ending but the actions of each character seems justified & leaves an impact in the final outcome.
Cast:
Every character has aced their role to near perfection. Conversation between all the main characters, their respective actions and following repurcussions pace the show in a very balanced way.
Eugene Choi and Go ae shin's relationship and the way of embracing each other is represented in a very beautiful manner.
OSTs:
Each of the songs hits very deep. All the songs are so beautifully composed.
Glad that I watched this masterpiece and it will have a lasting presence in my memory.
Hope to watch it again sometime...
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This review may contain spoilers
It wouldv'e been a diservice if I didn't write a review for this amazing Drama. 'Mr Sunshine' is a literal one of a kind drama in which I dont think we will see a drama like this one for a long time. I'm from england so I couldn't fully sympathize with hoe bad Koreans were treated because the drama shines light on historical events, but even I got annoyed at the Japanese soldiers for the tyranny they spread throughout Joseon.This show did something ambitious and it was to make it multi-lingual to where they have multiple languages present in the show, they were; Korean, Japanese, English and French. I can only imagine how hard it was to get a cast for this show because they needed to be multilingual. Eugene's role especially because he spoke Korean, Japanese and English fluently in this show. Also, even though I disliked the Japanese characters I have to admit their acting was very good and just made the show better.
Within this show there was a clear 5 main characters and I loved each and every one of them. I loved the dynamics between Eugene, Dong Mae and Hui Sung. They all had the same women in thier heart but they just couldn't hate eachother in which Is why I loves the relationship they had. Normally in dramas thier are obnoxious characters who fight for love but neither Dong Mae and Hui Sung were bad, Dong Mae especially.
Eugene is a very complex character because he fled to America from Joseon and then comes back with America. It's quite sad for him because Koreans call him American while Americans call him Joseon so he got forced into a middle ground. Throughout the show he insisted that his motherland was America and acted on that belief throughout the whole show saying that. He even wouldn't ditch America for his love Ae Sin which shows how loyal he is to America. His relationship with Ae Sin was complicated in the fact that she was from an Aristrocrat family which means she's high up in terms of status so just the emotion of loving her was dangerous for him. You could say he got swayed by her but not fully. Even though Joseon ditched him, he still helped Joseon in some ways and I think purely that some of his actions were done for Ae Sin so she could survive. I knew that he wasn't going to live to the end of the show, it was foreshadowed alot to us with the whole 'Sad Ending' saying. So when he finally used his last bullet to save Ae Sin I coulnd't help but support his actions as it was for her safety.
Ae Sin is a very interesting character because since birth she was very interested in foreign affairs to the point she became a gunner to fight for Joseon to get thier independence back. She was also in a sticky position loving Eugene because she was engaged and also her family didn't think nicely of her having an American lover. It was my first drama that I watched from Kim Tae Ri and I was positevly suprised and I will watch out for more of her works. Her relationship with Eugene was so fun to watch because she was able to cool down and be happy when she was with him and one thing I loved was her smile and her laugh, they were just so adorable. When she said 'Mister Sunshine' that was also a powerful scene because she's basically saying that Eugene was her light and someone that lit her up. I loved how she wasn't just some weak character but she was strong and relied on herself to the point where it made Eugene look smaller than her but when Eugene stood up to the plate and sacrificed his life for her, that was the biggest act of love anyone can give to someone.
With both Eugene and Ae Sin, their relationship was amazing to watch as they had great chemisry, they wasn't the kind of couple in which kissed and showed their affection that way, all they wanted was to be with eachother and the way their relationship grew into something big was very fun to watch.
Now in my opinion, the dark horse character in this was Gu Dong Mae, I loved everysing part of his character. He portrayed a samurai amazinly and everytime he was on the screen it wasn't boring to watch. The way he was ruthless to everyone and didn't hesitate was a personality trait which defies him because of his harsh past. His relationship with Eugene was a wierd one because they both loved Ae Sin but they couldn't hate eachother as they grew fond of eachother. With Ae Sin, he was just fine seeing her and that was all it took to satify his love for her, with the whole debt thing in which Ae Sin met him every month on the 15th, that was just to see her. Personally he was my favourite character in the show and it was painful to see how pitiful he was as he faced death doors multiple times and couldn't get his love recipricated.
With Hui Sung, he was an MVP in this show as he was the one in which recorded all the events in history for people in the future to recognise the efforts and pain that Joseon went through. The sacrifices he made for Ae Sin and Eugene were very thoughtful and I truly believe that he is sincerly sorry to Eugene about what happened to his parents.
Hina was also a very good character due to how she did things and also her indescreet love for Dong Mae in which she probably realised too late before she died. I liked how independent she was and she could fend her own.
The relationship of Eugen, Dong Mae and Hui Song was very sad because Hina kept saying which out of the three would face sorrow but in the end they all died but in my opinion they did not feel sorrow because they all died for the cause of Ae Sin being alive and well and thats just what they wanted.
Even though the show does not have a 'Happy' ending per say, since the events on this drama are portraying what happened in the 1900s between Japan and Korea we know that eventually Joseon get thier indepence and become the Republic of Korea so Ae Sin acheived her goal of protecting Joseon even though we didn't see it we know it happens and we saw the hope at the very end of the show with her standing tall next to a Korean flag.
The OST in this show was very good as it created the mood and atmosphere for the show. Noticeable OST were from Sejeong, Ben and Kim Yuna which were all honestly amazing now that I'm listening to an OST right now and it makes me quite sad that I can't watch this anymore.
Overally if your looking for a very different kind of drama in which shows politics and love at the forefront then watch this show. This show also opes your eyes to some of the things that Korea had to endure against Japan.
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This review may contain spoilers
"split personality" review
in reality, i hate to rain on somebody's parade, and since a lot of people truly love this drama, i apologize, but what must be said must be said.i can not relate to this drama but from a truly split personality perspective, since it has the "good, the bad, the ugly" and more. all that the other viewers write about it is mostly true - mind-bogglingly beautiful scenery (the scene where ae-shin is walking with eugine on the icy lake takes your breath away and will stay with you forever etched in your visual and emotional library, whether it's in your brain or in your heart, and the entire story is kind of symbolic of walking on thin ice at all times), in general the choice of sites in the drama can be used for tourism in korea - guaranteed to work even today, the cinematography is up there with the most outstanding dramas and/or movies from all times, the characters especially the main 3 males and the female hotel owner hina are extremely multidimensional, like it is in real life and their continuous development is very satisfying, the acting of all actors is as good as it gets, especially lee byung-hun as eugene choi (i first saw this actor in "all in" while i was chasing after ji sung, and discovered lee byung-hun, and the rest was history... his charisma, his manly charm, his superb acting, his ability to go from extreme toughness to extreme softness - he was raised to my top best korean actors from that moment on) and he does not disappoint in "mr. sunshine", he stays true to himself as an artist, as always gives it his all, and shines with unmistakable inner beauty. one more thing that i noticed, when he gazes at ae-shin or even other people, he slowly blinks just one time, and the blink is like a cat that blinks to his/hers owner expressing love, it's really special, if you know cats. the other actress that i enjoyed very much is of course the adorable, mysterious, badass kim min-jung as kudo hina, she truly kept me on my toes, with her non-ending french designers dresses, hats, jewelry, her quirky intelligence and female intuition, her courage, her undeniable charm. these two characters or i should say actors kept me wanting to see more and more of them, even when i wanted to just leave this show many times throughout, the slow paste of it drove me crazy, the lengthy looking in each others eyes for minutes at a time without any movement or action - i wanted to scream enough already, we get the idea, we are not dumb... the heart breaking good byes between ae-shin and eugen, too many, not justified and always coming back together just to say good bye again - really? some other things that annoyed me to no end i will mention later here... the other two characters that is worth mentioning is yoo yeon-seok as goo dong-mae, perfectly cast in this role, so strong, gorgeous looking, evil, always with endless pain bubbling to the surface, always staying a step ahead of death, and byun yo-han as kim hee- sung, the typical spoiled rich brat, always gambling, loosing and drinking on the account of others. both of these characters, one was born in the lowest class of that society, the other was a son of the richest aristocrats in this area. dong-mae like a ticking bomb on the verge of exploding and taking down all around him no matter how, who or what. kim hee-sung, the aristocrat, who loves all things beautiful, easy going, trying to charm everybody no matter who, making a joke out of any situation. frankly, i did not like these two all the way till the last third of the drama, and then they kind of woke up, tapped into their own morals, grew on me and developed into characters that slowly charmed my heart and i got deeply invested in them all, only to be devastated at the brutal end. the question for me, was it worth spending so many annoying hours of this drama, to finally get to the last third part and especially the last 5 episodes, to finally get so emotionally attached to this characters only to be completely heart broken at the end? i truly did not answer that question yet. and now the most baffling part of this drama - the main female character, ae-shin. i think her character was completely screwed up by the writers, she was the only one one- dimensional as it can be. yes, they wanted to show her burning patriotism for her country and cause, but they deprived her of humanity. wasn't she a physical body like all of us? didn't she have emotions that a woman would express through some kind of affection to the love or her life? the one who gave up ALL that he had in this world for her, his adopted country that he was so proud of, his military career that he loved, his best friend, and finally his own life in exchange of hers. (by the way, eugene choi succeeded somehow to express his love without touching her ever, but it felt like he was stopped by her inner desire to avoid any physicalness) and at all times, there was not a single hug, kiss or any other form of expressing love. how on earth can that be? even when they got married, no hug, no kiss - nothing. and i understand the writers or directors idea of showing extreme patriotism above all, but show at least something... something that would move us and make us believe that she really loves. that was my greatest disappointment and the biggest flaw of this drama. and last but not least i wanted to mention the politics in this drama, that was supposed to be kind of the background to anything else, but took over and became the major part of it. although interesting in terms of korean history (and made me truly hate the japanese cruelty), it was too much of it and became simply boring many times. now that you know "the good, the bad and the ugly" you decide if this drama is for you, if you can tough out to the third part of the drama.
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Eugene Choi's character is so dreamy. I love men like him. He is decisive, knows what's wrong and right and looks so good!
And Kim Tae Ri is so amazing. I love her rebellious character.
I love how the drama is not overly tragic despite the ending where I bawled my eyes out. It has it's cute moments where you yourself can sense the romance brewing between Eugene Choi and Go Ae Shin. There are also funny bromance moments all of which balance the drama so well, it's amazing. The cinematography is so beautiful too.
The love story, I would say is hauntingly beautiful. You know the futility of their situation and can understand that a future where both of them are together is next to impossible. But even then you can't help but cheer and root for them.
I even loved the characters of Kudo Hina, Go Dong Mae and basically everyone else that there was in the drama.
This drama is just all kinds of amazing
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