It was something that stayed on my watchlist because I wasn't sure if I wanted to potentially waste my time on a too-serious historical drama, but... it took my by surprise.
It was like a gift had fallen into my hands. :)
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Mr Sunshine kdrama as your Gun, Glory, and Sad Ending
If you are a kdrama addict, you would know what kdrama the title is all about or maybe, it’s a familiar phrase you heard to someone. The title itself basically summarizes the entire concept of a hit South Korean Drama of 2018 – Mr. Sunshine.I am writing this article after finishing the series, the feeling of pain, and how I cried a bucket of tears – emotions rushes throughout my body. I’ll tell you that Mr. Sunshine is the most heart wrenching and satisfying ending for me out of all kdramas I’ve watched. This is a kdrama that you shouldn’t miss.
This is not the first time I cried watching kdramas but this is the first time I felt that it needs to be broadcasted (posted here) – kdramas may be fictional, but you can’t deny the fact that it influences you mentally. How you view things may differ from one another but it teaches you to understand them in any way you can.
So before it goes south in what I am supposed to talk about (lol), let me introduce to you the main casts, what I love about them, their characters and how it makes me realize many things. I’ll try my best not to make a slight mistake. ( NO SPOILER)
• Eugene Choi‘s character in the story is a commendable, serious, and courageous man. He is the epitome of a great and noble man who was born in Joseon, left in Joseon with a broken heart, then returned to his homeland to fight for what is supposedly for Joseon. He is a man with a heart, action, and dedication to save his homeland that was once abandoned. This man made me realize that at the end of the day, we go through different routes but one thing remains, the affection we feel towards someone or something. It’s just there, always there, it may not be so blooming, and bright right now, but it will, someday.
• Go Ae Shin‘s character is so impactful that it made me think about the situation of women during the war of every nation. To wield a sword is a hard task, and a woman. However, she debunks that culture in the story. Who would’ve thought that a noble woman can kill an enemy, and can change the future of Joseon? She protects the people of Joseon, especially those people who can’t voice their opinions, as she thought that no one in her homeland can protect them against Japanese and Americans but only their fellow citizens. Her character and her story is a reminder for us that women can also lead, women can also be the future of something a country should be proud of, women can also do what men can do. Women can be dangerous too, always remember that.
• Gu Dong Mae is a powerful, skillful, and fearless one. He doesn’t want anyone to go on his way. He doesn’t hesitate to kill – either a Joseon man, or a Japanese man, a soldier or a highborn man as long as they did something wrong. I didn’t know that I would fall in love with Gu Dong Mae’s charisma. A coldhearted beast yet a protective man to people he loves. He doesn’t usually show his emotions, but once you’ll see it, it will strike you directly to your heart – happiness, distress, and sufferings. He realized that no matter how evil a person is, there was once a ‘good’ heart there. It is just buried deep through time, and it also takes time to burst it out in the chest.
• Hina Kudo‘s character is an independent woman and a remarkable one. She suffered a lot but she stood without the help of anyone and that’s what makes her great. She was born in Japan, but both of her parents are Joseon people. She used her amazing skills in calculating, deducting clues, and even one of the people who are the most trusted by the king. At first sight, she seems coldhearted but never judges her just because of that – in the back of that name, fancy clothes and accessories, there’s ‘her’ that can be a huge help for a great cause. She made me realize that don’t allow everyone to spit you in the ground, stand, know your track, and get back on them if the opportunity allows you.
• Kim Hui Seong‘s character development in the story is a really good one. From a man who always has flowers in his hand, to a pen, turned into a gun. From a noble family and yet he chose to live independently far from his parents. He suffers from what happened in the past and yet he also shows his killer smile to everyone. He’s a happy-go-lucky man but he knows where and when to be serious. What I realized from his character is that you may have everything physically but there’s always that emptiness mentally. Do what makes you happy and influence others to be filled with happiness also.
Mr. Sunshine has a lot of characters from American Legation, Japanese Legation, the people of Joseon, the Righteous Armies, and their families. Each one of the characters aren’t there just to give exposure to the main characters, they are designed to achieve a greater cause in the future of Joseon.
Each character has a story to tell and it makes Mr. Sunshine exquisite and a classic kdrama you should not miss.
Gun, Glory, and Sad Ending is not just a word, not just a phrase, not just about a kdrama. This whole thing is all about the freedom they want to achieve in their homeland. These three are the weapon, the fulfillment, and mostly the ending of every nation that were colonized. (Joseon in Mr. Sunshine)
Guns as weapons to fight for what is yours. A great fight for the future. A weapon that could be the death of your enemy or your death.
Glory as a sense of fulfillment. The fact that you are fighting for your country’s liberation means you are a hero. Fulfillment is not about indulging yourself for something, alone. It’s all about the great camaraderie you have with people.
Sad Ending as an ending we ought to be in that kind of story. In a war, there’s always the one who wins, and the one who loses. The sad part is hundredths or thousandths of lives are at stake every time. Either you will die fighting for your own people or you will die in the hands of your enemy without even using the GUN as a weapon and the sense of GLORY you’d bring in the future for your country.
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Overall, this is definitely a gem and one of the best-produced Korean dramas out there. If you enjoy beautiful shots, historical shows and good quality dramas in general, please pick this one up and watch it. It will forever be remembered and quoted by me anyways!
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A beautiful romance that always find its way home in tragedy and sadness. Mr. Sunshine shows how far one can go to protect the thing you love, your country, your people, and the one you truly love. It depicts love that forgets its social status, work position and birth right, but every choice they made to pursue such love reminds them of all the things they tried to neglect.
Mr. Sunshine achieved its high caliber quality through its great cinematography, good story and right casting. I can never wished for more to its casting especially the five main leads. All those artist except Yoo Yeon Seok, are not familiar with me. I’ve seen Lee Byung Hun but never got a chance to watch his dramas, but because of Mr. Sunshine I will. I think his comeback on the small screen, really means that he really trusted this project. At first look, I really don’t find any chemistry with the main couple, or to any main leads. But after I watched it, I can never wished for anyone who will act for those main lead characters. The support characters are worth mentioning for they take the whole drama to next level. I really love Gunner Jang.
The drama runs on 24 episodes for 70-80 minutes long. It is longer compares to other drama. I think it can have less scenes to lessen the number of episodes but it will spoil the sincerity of each scenes. The background view, the stare, the silence, the flashbacks and every second of this drama is truly breathtaking.
One of the most tragic ending for all the characters but a happy ending for Joseon. As much as how heartbreaking main leads’ fate have been, it still such a great finale.
P.S. And I of Nuest, one of drama’s OST brought me here.. And I will be forever thankful for that. Every OST in this drama is such a good tracks.
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read my full review here: https://drammmajjigae.com/2018/11/23/mr-sunshine/
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This review may contain spoilers
CANNOT begin to describe how beautiful this show was. Extraordinary is an ordinary word for this show. A masterpiece, so unique and so so beautiful in each and every aspect of the willingness of this show to be beyond its imaginary reach.This drama has so much potential and great cast. I watched the lead's movie sometime back, "I saw the Devil" and instantly liked him. In this show, he looks much more mature and is paired up with a fairly young actress, but they make a striking pair. I was rooting for them all along.
The story is a massive hit. Other characters play their parts almost brilliantly, there is nothing I dislike about this show.
Must watch, it is beautiful!
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Utterly Glorious, Must-Watch Brilliant Masterpiece full of Historical Importance - PURE GOLD
"The first English words she learned were gun, glory, and sad endings."I'm not even sure where to start talking. EVERYTHING about this drama is excellent. It's got it all: Beautiful cinematography (the COLORS, the SETTINGS, the COSTUMES - ALL stunning), a perfect cast, intricate and complex plot/s (absolutely zero fillers - the intensity and suspense is Off The Charts), diverse characters with amazing dynamics, all the while immersing you in the historical setting and times of (the end of) Joseon Korea.
It's a time of shifting allegiances and complex politics and the inevitable shift from the ancient, dynastic/aristocratic society to the brave new modern world of electricity, trains, and guns. Not to mention the shift of power from the Joseon royals to colonialist, imperialistic Japan.
Love the fact that there are so many various nations and languages presented here in their original languages and cultures. The cultural crossroads being presented is flawlessly done. Not to mention the fact that characters from essentially all walks of life/all classes/backgrounds you can imagine are represented in their own right. All of which make for some extremely interesting and fantastic relations on-screen.
Probably the most beautiful and rewatchable historical kdrama ever. I love it so much that I want to imprint it in my mind and relive ALL the moments (actually I had rewatched many episodes twice already). Absolutely wrecked me with how solid it is. I love each and every one of the main characters: all very relatable and all very heartbreakingly REAL and ICONIC in their respective ways. There's family, friendship, bromance, companionship, brotherhood, (slow-burn and honestly THE MOST romantic) romance/s, and heartwarming and funny banter to balance out the seriousness of it all: it doesn't pull any punches in its intensity and realism.
Some may complain a bit about the pacing: I actually like it for what it is because the slower, more drawn-out scenes allow me to reflect back on previous, more fast-paced scenes and information. And also I think it's a great opportunity to ponder about what the characters are thinking (but which they're not saying aloud). No minute feels wasted here.
I've seen the other two Kim Eun Sook and Lee Eung Bok team-ups - GOBLIN as well as DESCENDANTS OF THE SUN - and those are great. Yet this is a Whole New Level in yet another completely different genre.
The more I think and reflect on this show the more I love it and appreciate its brilliancy and exceptionalism. I feel honored to be able to journey alongside these beautiful people.
Definitely the gold standard for historical dramas. I will never get over it.
"The steps we took resembled who we are.
The article one wrote instead of a will. Opium that burned through one's broken body in the amount of the life he had left. The Korean flag that was given to a man who was forever a foreigner.
Will our final destination be somewhere between glory and a sad ending?
Maybe we just didn't know how to stop. Or perhaps, we had no reason to stop. Maybe it was love of our own country."
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This series cinematography and visuals was what got me hooked. It felt like I was watching a high budget Hollywood production, each episode felt like a movie in itself. Casting was on-point maybe except for Ae-sin who I think have very soft features to be a gun slinging sniper. At times she looks like a teenager who seems out of place in that chaotic Joseon era. The main characters deep and tragic history and development was superb. However, the main fault for me was that having the 3 male leads with such powerful characters go after Ae-sin.
I mean, I get their deep history with her but I feel like a more interesting storylines could have been explored if the plot did not stick to this "love quadrangle" until the very end.
Ae-sin's passiveness and poker face acting just didnt do it for me. There was Hina who was a unique lovable character but Dong-Mae failed to even realize her love for him because he just had to get Ae-sin. I cried so hard when Hina died in Dong-Mae's back while confessing her feelings to him. They were not even given a single day to spend together after she waited for him for 3 years 😭.
The finale made up of the last 2 episodes were just dang good! I mean I have never been satisfied with a kdrama ending like this for a loonggg time. As expected in a war death came and a piece of my heart died with each characters passing. Each death may seem rushed at the end but it was artistic and meaningful and heart wrenching to the core. Ae-sin as the last man standing was as it should be. All in all this is a series definitely worth watching! ❤
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Beautiful but ultimately hollow symbolism
I have finished watching MR SUNSHINE, and there was so much that I loved about this prestige kdrama. The writing of the heroine was SO good in how it discussed and defied some of the worse kdrama-heroine tropes. There was amazingly trenchant and deeply nuanced social criticism, gorgeous cinematography, lots of fascinating history, the warmest and most positive depiction of Christianity I've ever seen in a kdrama, men who drink respect women juice, the beautiful and angsty Gu Dong-Mae, FABULOUS period clothing, and rivals in love learning to put aside their differences in favour of shooting imperialists.But the show has a major flaw - a flaw that was particularly interesting to me, because it's the precise sort of flaw that I would be most prone to. The screenwriter, who does such brilliant work in so many other ways, is clearly most fascinated by the themes and symbolism she keeps bubbling away in the story's subtext. The problem is that these themes and symbolism - which delightfully clever - are not actually supported by the storytelling, and particularly by the characterisation.
And it's a really fun, rich, resonant bit of symbolism: Ae-Sin is not just a character in the story, she's the living embodiment of Joseon Korea. She's beautiful, desirable, noble, privileged, gradually awakening to a life of hardship and struggle and resistance. Each of the three male leads in the story has a different complicated relationship with her. Eugene has run away from Korea, but returning as an adult cannot help falling in love with the land and the people in defiance of the nobility who mistreated him as a boy. Gu Dong-mae was horribly oppressed by his homeland but cannot help loving it anyway; the Korea which oppressed both men also saved their lives through small acts of kindness. And finally, Hee-Sung, Korea's richest son, is her approved betrothed, but past injustices committed by his family against the people Ae-Sin cares about stand between them. The three men fall in love, not with Ae-Sin, but with their homeland. They express their love for the woman by sacrificing themselves for the homeland; in dedicating themselves to her, they cannot help dedicating themselves to the fight for freedom.
This is why the story had to have a sad ending. None of these men can espouse the whole country; they can only die for her, while Ae-Sin - Korea itself - lives on, alone and victorious, even in exile.
This symbolism is itself delightfully rich, deftly painted, and rewarding to think back upon once you see it. There's only one problem: it doesn't. make. sense.
From the very start of the show, I felt a little impatient with the writing because the relationships between the heroine and her three suitors are so poorly developed. The feelings come out of nowhere. Take Gu Dong-Mae, for instance: he last met this woman when she saved his life as children. Now, it just takes a brush of her dress across his fingers to get him pining madly for her. Hee-Sung, after avoiding her for the best part of a decade, gets one glimpse of Ae-Sin at the washing-line and just like that conceives an undying passion for her. The central relationship, between Ae-Sin and Eugene, doesn't fare much better. The problem is that the story demands each of the male leads to sacrifice himself for Ae-Sin by the end of the show, and I simply couldn't understand why they should. They all have multiple other women pining for them, and Ae-Sin doesn't give two of them the slightest encouragement to hope. I wanted them so badly to find happiness with one of the other women, and they never did.
What MR SUNSHINE needed was not primarily rich and complex symbolism - it was believable characterisation and relationship development. As it was, the lack of substance to the relationships cheapened the grand historical tragedy which was being told. When at the climactic moment the last of the three leads sacrifices himself for the heroine, it felt cheesy and unintentionally funny, rather than tragic.
I loved so much about this story, but the heart of it never clicked for me, and it's a crying shame that with all that budget and talent, it wasn't better written. And that, for me, will be the central tragedy of MR SUNSHINE.
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I've heard a lot about this drama and that's one of the main reason why I watched it and wow oh wow! It took me by surprise!I knew this drama is good based from what I've heard but I never really thought it would be THIS good. It exceeded my expections by 1000%. I'm really not the biggest fan of dramas about war or was set during that period but somehow I just found myself wanting to watch the episodes consecutively. I just can't seem to stop. And I really don't know what is the reason for this. I thought to myself, I wasn't a huge fan of anyone here, not really a huge fan of the main couple BUT something about this drama just makes me keep wanting to watch more.
would 100% recommend this drama to every one. The sexual tension between the FL and the three MLs are no joke, really did not know whom to ship her with since all the three guys are amazing in their own ways. During the initial episodes you can already tell that the three MLs are genuine. Really love their brotherhood. But what kept me from enjoying their mischievous acts in the beginning might be because I already foresaw that their ending won't be a happy one.
The last episode made me cry a lot. This drama might be a fiction but watching these types of films makes you realize what type of life our ancestors had. What sacrifices were made for us to live a life that we are living now. It gives you a deeper appreciation on the things that we have now. The last episode also made me realize that choices we make now, big or small, will somehow have an effect on us which is why always choose to be kind no matter what. This was shown in the beginning of the last episode. I literally had goosebumps when the people tried to protect Ae Shin. It was such a touching moment.
I really felt sad for the three male leads but I feel more for Kim Hui Seong and Go Dong Mae because I think they weren't given the recognition that they deserved.
This is me just rambling on because it has just been 10 minutes since I finished this drama and my thoughts are all over but bottomline is THIS IS A MASTERPIECE. IF YOU HAVEN't WATCHED IT YET PLEASE DO.
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A complicated poem saved by the bell
Choi Yu Jin fled to America after his slave parents were murdered. Due to the harsh treatment which he endured for being a slave in the Joseon period, Eugene feels no love or kinship towards Joseon. In America, he is known as Eugene Choi and has climbed his way up to be a distinguished figure by joining the American military. Several years later, he is stationed in Joseon during an American expedition. There he meets a noblewoman Ae Shin who by day seems to be a quiet lady but by night she's running across rooftops with her sniper rifle, secretly fighting for Joseon's independence. He falls for her but he isn't alone as she is also loved by her joyful quirky fiancee Hee Sung and a yakuza Dong Mae whose heart is a black box. Neither of them is really sure if the other is a friend or foe. This makes three relationships that look like they can never be: Ae Shin and Eugene, Ae Shin and Dong Mae, Ae Shin, and Hee Sung. This is not a love square but a love pentagram because there is also a mysterious hotel owner Kudo Hina who is also a fencing master. So there is lots of love but no one's really happy, yes it's very sad.A few things that draw me into this drama are first, I know this is a show of quality and I'm gonna enjoy it. There is an artistic flavor to how every scene is set up and shots from the color grading to the music to the overall backdrop are very breathtaking. However, it's not glamorizing life, for every gorgeous breathtaking sunset there's a brutal portrayal of war and violence and death and these scenes are visually engrossing. Second, it was deeply rooted in real important history and also it is set in the early 1900s which doesn't feel that long ago, there was real political scheming in this drama that still left an impact on today's society.
The five leads came from multiple cultures but don’t really belong anywhere, their stories are so full of heart and their arcs are so noble. I think a lot of diaspora like me can relate to Eugene as a character who doesn't belong to either Joseon or America, he's in this gray area. He is a very nuanced character and he holds the whole drama together. Even though he's happy being accepted by the American, as the show progresses he becomes more and more interested in the Korean culture and he wants to find his roots. I just love that his one bullet was used with such wisdom and just such grand effect. Ae Shin is a very compelling character, I love Kim Tae Ri played this role with such unbelievable complexity and nuance that I want to watch her and everything that she does: she gets a lot across with simple looks and she also has an extremely royal noble way about her presence. Kudo Hina, the hotel owner is truly one of the best most complicated female characters and the script took her exactly where I wanted it to.
I absolutely loved the iconic Dong Mae with the double swords at his hip and his sweaty hair, open chest, and half ponytail. Simply Yoo Yeon Seok acting was amazing as the dark and tragic Dong Mae. Hee Sung is such a man with tremendous growth, he goes from this total privilege boy to a guy running an underground newspaper to spurn on the resistance and I was so proud of him at the end. I really loved when he realizes his fiancee is not going to be with him and he respects it, he still loves her but he is respectful. His character was so well written and played so amazingly by Byun Yo Han.
However, I didn't enjoy a significant chunk of my watching experience as the story goes on because this show is very heavy with political maneuvering. It's really taking 20 episodes' time to set up and I got bored but I keep watching for the main characters. Also, there are a lot of different languages being spoken there's Korean, Japanese and then there's American English with a very weird accent. I'm very sensitive to dislike English-spoken very weirdly in Korean dramas. It feels like they're trying to over-pronounce things correctly. These elements dominate the screen time and are really too dry to watch. It is so unfortunate because there are a lot of actions with gunfights and fist fights within each episode and when they do action, these scenes are so well-choreograph almost perfection! I wish there had been a bit more action and bromance moments.
This drama has a fantastic and unlikely bromance between Eugene, Dong Mae, and Hee Sung at its core. Whenever they were on screen together, they made me so happy because they blurted out humor and heart to the drama. I was not expecting these three weird trio were going to be so beloved and it was definitely the highlight of the drama for me. Without giving any spoilers, the finale is an absolute masterpiece, which is really impactful! I dropped my heart because it just gave such cathartic blows. It feels like I was being rewarded for all the time I sit through and overcome the frustrations I had in the first 20 episodes. Thus, my overall impression is actually really positive as time goes by. I'm glad I watched it and the way it impacted me when it's done makes me feel like I came out a better person. If I can divide my enjoyment value, I would give up 1-20 a 7 and ep 21 - 24 a 10.
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