Mr. Sunshine (2018)

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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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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"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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I am not a big fan of historical dramas but this one was a beauty. Anyone who watches this drama and doesn't love this needs to rewatch the drama.
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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Filho de escravos e depois de ter presenciado seu pai ser espancado até a morte e sua mãe ter se suicidado depois de se jogar em um poço, por um pedido fútil de um nobre para com sua mãe (o nobre queria que a mãe do Choi visse dele) Eugene Choi, com a ajuda da sua mãe depois de ter feito uma nobre grávida refém, consegue ajudar seu filho a escapa do destino que seu pai teve e contando com mais uma ajuda, um estrangeiro americano e missionário, Eugene Choi chega aos EUA, depois de muito sofrimento e aprendizado, ele volta onde nasceu depois de 30 anos, mas não com um escravo e sim como um alto comandante da Marinha e um cidadão americano, tudo isso para se vingar dos nobres que mataram seus pais e o fizeram ter anos sombrios, porém enquanto ele está atrás de sua vingança ele conhece no meio do caminho uma nobre chamada, Go Ae Sin e se apaixona por ela, a partir desse encontro e amor impossível, várias verdades vem a torna.

O começo do drama é meio lento e demora a engrenar de verdade, ele só vai jogando casos na cara do espectador sem da solução, mas tudo tem um motivo, tudo para o telespectador ter afeição aos personagens apresentados, para os atos que estarão por vim.

Outro ponto genial e a interação dos personagens, todos os personagens principais, os 5 principais, assim podemos dizer, tem momentos sensacionais juntos, outra coisa que também não posso deixar de citar, são que os não só os principais, mas todos os personagens tem momentos fundamentais no drama, nenhum está ali só por está.

E o que dizer da fotografia, do cenário apresentado, da coreografia nas cenas de luta de espadas, parecia tudo mágico, sinceramente não seria audacioso da minha parte citar que isso foi o ponto alto do drama.

A trilha sonora, foi okay, mesmo que em raros momentos ela arrepiava até a alma principalmente no episódio 23, o que foi aquilo, mas no geral foi bem normal, nada espetacular.

Nem deveria dizer sobre o romance, pois o foco principal nem foi esse, foi sobre vingança e sobre a traição de alguns coreanos em vender/dar sua pátria aos japoneses, assim fazendo o exército dos justos se levantarem contra a tal traição, porém obviamente tudo que os três principais fizeram foi por isso, um amor impossível e era isso que movia a história de um jeito ou de outro, porém eu achei que eles se doaram demais a esse amor e não foram recompensados da mesma forma, sim eu sei que não deveríamos esperar algo amando uma pessoa, mas mesmo assim...

Alguns pontos negativos do drama pra mim foram os longos momentos de tela do sofrimento dos personagens, alguns duravam minutos, como por exemplo do começo do drama com o Eugene quando criança olhando pra longe de caixa de músicas e chorando, aquilo parecia interminável, entre outros momentos, os momentos que os personagens se encaravam também duravam muito e por fim os conflitos que o drama me trouxe não concluíram. No mais é um ótimo drama.

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Working together for the third time, Writer Kim Eun-sook and Director Lee Eung-bok forged yet again another drama into a landmark. Masterfully melded with realism and romanticism, Mr. Sunshine offers an indelible image of the waning age of the Korean Empire. By far the most ambitious K-drama ever mounted, it's a legendary saga of romance and war told in an unforgettably cinematic style.

Every episode is like a mini-movie offering hardened yet vibrant characters, panoramic views, and emotionally-gripping action, climaxes, and plot twists. Further enhanced by heart-rousing OSTs, it's one of those black pearl-rare dramas that keep the viewer entranced right from the episode's very beginning and wired up to its last scene only to re-watch the whole episode again to fully savour and comprehend its magnificent scale and dramatic mystique.

Aforesaid praises aside, this drama is worth watching for the intelligent and memorable characterisations by a constellation of the brightest acting talents ever assembled. Protagonist or foe, adult or child, in main, supporting, or cameo roles - we've grown to either hate them or adore. It stars Lee Byung-hun as the righteous, enigmatic, and romantic USMC Capt. Eugene Choi; Kim Tae-ri as the sharp-shootin' spunky noblelady Go Ae-sin; Yoo Yeon-seok as the hapless romantic gang boss Gu Dong-mae; Kim Min-jung as the enchanting hotelier/fencing femme fatale Kudo Hina; Byun Yo-han as the noble-hearted dashing nobleman Kim Hui-seong; Choi Moo-sung as the hardy yet hearty gunner Jang Seung-gu; Kim Kap-soo as the famed potter/RA's revered leader Hwang Eung-san; Kim Eui-sung as the uber-wicked Lee Wan-ik; Lee Ho-jae as the venerable Lord Go; and many more.

In watching Mr. Sunshine, we've witnessed how noble, self-abnegating love works; how character is built; how unlikely friendships are formed; how loyalty is won; how cultural stereotypy of femininity is 'lunged' at and/or 'sniped'; how grace and equanimity can be maintained under surmounting pressure; and above all, how to make a difference esp. in a period of constant change and great tumult.

Two and a half hand-spans and back, we circumspectly yet excitedly nagivated the intricate terrains of Eugene's and Ae-sin's hearts as we concurrently entered into a world of history. At the end of our long journey, some of us have been left intrigued and wondering thus warranting a peer-back with critical eyes through the fog of time to re-examine important world events at the dawn of the 20th century. It is without a doubt that Mr. Sunshine not only left us overwhelmingly entertained but also edified.

Kudos to Kim Eun-sook for her astute and dynamic story-telling; to Lee Eung-bok for his meticulous and gorgeous camera work; to all the actors for their topnotch performances; to the crew for their diligent and painstaking efforts; and last but certainly not least, to fellow fans of Mr. Sunshine for helping make the drama an immensely enjoyable watch down to the last minute through your percipient comments, clever reviews, and delightful artworks.

Until next time.

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Maybe not your typical kdrama

To quote a line I heard somewhere before: This is not a love story, this is a story about love. There are no kissing scenes, there is no PDA, very little flirting. But there is more meaning in the way the characters talk to each other, look at each other, act for each other.

One of the reasons I really like this show is the character interactions. You don't just care for the 5 main characters, you learn to love everyone around them as well. The first few episodes are focused mainly on the development of the character backgrounds and understanding the role of each character (because there are SO MANY). Many people got bored around the middle part which I agree I felt too. But stick to the story and it won't disappoint. Or maybe it will? Hehehe. Starting episode 14, the story really kicks off and the plot moves a lot quicker.

Maybe not everyone will like how it ends but I think it's what makes it so meaningful for me. (I still don't think I'm over this story)

If you're looking for a story with a good plot, loveable characters and great cinematography, I suggest you give this a try. You will both love and hate this drama.

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Un drama plein d'émotions

Et bien, il y a 3 ans, c'était mon premier drama... Et celui qui m'a fait devenir accroc au Kdrama, entre autre.
Il faut dire, il est magnifique ! Historique, les costumes et les paysages sont sublimes. Les acteurs sont magnifiques, et les rôles secondaires sont tout aussi captivant que le duo principal.
Les émotions sont fortes, sans jamais échanger un seul baiser dans tout le drama, les deux acteurs principaux arrivent à nous faire vivre une des plus belles histoires d'amour de tout les temps.
Par contre préparez la boite de mouchoir, c'est aussi un des dramas les plus tristes que j'ai eu à voir.
Enfin, la touche finale de cette série, et pas des moindres : Les musiques. Elles sont juste magnifiques, et on ne se lasse pas de réécouter toute la bande son en boucle, même une fois le drama fini.
Bref, un bijou à découvrir.

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Great cast, great acting, failed to remain interesting

I'm not someone who drops stuff left and right, it pains me to do so most of the time. But my time is valuable and I've been dragging this show for a few years, never being able to summon the interest to finish it. After watching a few more episode and being mostly bored out of my mind, I decided it was time to pull the plug on it.

The acting is good, the cast is all stars, the first few episodes are very nice. I usually like political intrigues and romance and stuff. But my good the pacing... Again, I'm a former cinema student, I've seen worse and the pacing isn't something that will affect my watching experience most of the time. Except when it's starting to drag THAT much that early on. Except when the funny ha-ha jokes to brighten the mood get far and fewer between. Except when I cannot even really hold on to the romance to keep some kind of motivation to know how it's going to end up.

I made it up to more than halfway, about 60%+ in fact, and I don't care what happens anymore. It becoming so complicated and my lack of interest in the plot might not help me to understand what's going on, but like... the stakes are soooo high all the time that it weirdly feels like they don't matter anymore. The only few people I still care about are Goo Dong Mae and Kudo Hina. But there are not the main, so I won't stick around to find out how they end up.

I think it can still be a good show though, if you binge it. Is it bingeable? Really not sure. But don't spend too much time between each episode, because in my experience, you'll get lost and you will start to not care slowly but surely, and drop it as well . Or finish it, but by fighting against your better judgement.

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Maybe a Masterpiece for the regional audience¿¿..??

Historical dramas could be a lot more meaningful to regional audiences who may have lived through it. However for a global audience looking for pure entertainment this may not have such a deep impact.

Everything was okay for me and I would've given it a 7 or 8, but there was a jarring situation.
Taking the risk of being cursed by the star -obsessed fans of the region, I must say that the lead couple was JARRING.
They were mismatched and uncomfortable with each other, there was no chemistry, in fact there was a certain distance or coolness to the relationship that went against the storyline.

The FL - as brilliant as I've seen her in other dramas- had one singular expression throughout. She looked like a 12 year old obstinate child. That's it. It didn't waver.
All the 3 male leads falling in love with her was a bit ridiculous to watch.

The romantic thread between these 2 totally mismatched and chemistry-less leads just messed up the drama for me.

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You will not regret

Not many people have seen this drama, I still don't understand why.
But if you are hesitating watch it now or leave it unwatched. I can tell you that you are missing a story that will hook you from the beginning to the end.

Do you like Japan? Do you like korea? Do you like United States?
Well, this is your drama, a drama in which three different cultures mix, where you feel every moment, you laugh, you cry, you worry, you can't stop watching it.

And most importantly, it is not a simple story about duty or love, it is more than that.
It is how each of your actions leads you to the right place, to a fight in which you should not be part of but you are in the middle.

What would you do?
Sit back or join the fight?

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