So, yes. This drama was hyped alot and now that it's finished, opinion is deeply divided on this issue. I think the only problem is that the more you label something as perfect, the more you'll get disappointed when it doesn't reach your expectations in the end. You know the saying 'Don't count your chickens before they're hatched.' That perfectly describes what went wrong here. So yes, everyone said it was perfect in the beginning. As it went further, the excitement and hype expanded and many people said it was flawless, so it HAD to be flawless. Not letting in even one mistake.
Maybe it's overrated as some people say. But that doesn't mean it was a bad drama. It was still great and many people enjoyed the ride. Because there WERE great parts in it. Parts that filled us with excitement, with joy, with happiness and with sadness, frustration and anger.
So, what was so great here?
The bromance. Two totally different guys being the best buddies you've ever seen.
The romance. Refreshingly no love triangles, instead you can ship not only one but two couples wholeheartedly and not be afraid of some twists within their relationships as those we have already experienced in other dramas. You can enjoy the sincere feelings, the genuine caring and worrying and loving. There's chemistry between all of them and you can feel that the actors also felt proud to be part of something so special like this. The whole team is complementing each other.
The comedy. You have to admit, you laughed your butts off. Hilarious scenes all over the place.
The side characters (the good guys): It's not the first drama but there aren't THAT many dramas out there, where you actually sympathize with every character that appears in one show. Regarding that, it never gets boring.
The scenery: Not the usual korean areas around here but something new and refreshing. Beautiful landscapes and impressions.
As to where we took a hit: In my opinion it was the story. It wasn't bad. And until reaching a certain point it was quite entertaining. I would have liked it more if there had been one big story running like a golden thread through the whole drama. Not those many smaller stories following one after another - as interesting as they were in their own. But what really created some headaches (at least for me) where some issues that didn't add up to a logical process. And that was what made me kinda disappointed because those flaws were obvious. It seemed like all the effort they built in the beginning subsided towards the end and made some scenes seem ridiculous.
As for the bad guys... Well, that's an issue per se. They weren't that bad. They did a decent job and gave off thrilling moods, although sometimes it seemed a bit overdramatized. Maybe because most of them were foreign villains. And as we all know, foreigners in a korean drama just seem weird most times. Plus the foreign languages. Well, I wasn't really bothered by it. We are happy when they can actually pull that off better than what we'd expect. But we're also not disappointed because that's just the korean 'style'.
The OST was great because it created a unique feeling and beautiful atmosphere for the drama. Definitely on my mp3 list, soon.
So, nevertheless of all the critiques... Descendants of the Sun is by far not the most perfect drama out there. But it still manages to entertain us in many, many ways and often throws us in some big thrilling turmoil, what shouldn't be disregarded. And of course at some point it made us all hooked up.
Although I had some disappointed moments myself, I still enjoyed the drama. I will definitely rewatch this one as I want to re-feel all the emotions I run through during the first watch, but this time without having to wait until next week.
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I don't get it? So, the plot is that dating a soldier is really hard because they could die? Maybe the writer wanted it to be a kind of slice of life thing. I'm not saying there aren't a lot of cute and romantic moments and not just with the lead couples. There are some nice supporting characters and I usually don't enjoy tons of extra characters. This drama is the exception. Without the extra dynamics of ridiculously good looking guys running shirtless, star cameos of Lee Jong Hyuk, Yoo Ah In, and Lee Kwang Soo, Song Sang Hyeon chasing Ha Ja Ae, the adorable kids they helped, and the earthquake emergency, etc., then this drama wouldn't have a story. I did like the story line of the "far away friend" the best. I'm not saying this drama is horrible or anything. I actually enjoyed watching it for the most part. I would have rated it higher if episode 15 had been cut from the drama.
Of course the acting is good. Everyone did a great job. My only complaint is David McInnis. Is he not like from the US? Why does he talk like a robot that can't speak English? He has got to be one of the worst actors. Hell, Song Hye Kyo did a better job of speaking English naturally than he did. I think she did great speaking with Ri Ye Hwa in English. I will stop my rant here.
The music is really good. I almost gave it a higher score for that alone.
I will never rewatch this.
If you want to watch a drama with no rhyme or reason, then this is perfect.
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The story itself combined in such a neat way that even though it consists of several genres, it still turns out well. Although some might say that the plot is shallow, I think the main focus about the struggle of having a relationship is pleasant to watch. Most dramas tend to have a draggy episodes throughout the middle, but this drama is so fast paced and action packed that not even a single second you'll feel bored. Also the scenery is one of the things that I can't get over with-I mean like seriously the wrecked ship beach is damn beautiful. I gave the story 8.5 because towards the end of the show things kinda get messy although it still wrapped up in a beautiful way.
The cast did a really great job. The male lead character, Yoo Si Jin, is the kind of guy that can steal your heart away within minutes. I mean he got the looks (those killer smiles) and he loves to throw random jokes and cheesy pick up lines which are a +++ for me! The lead couple has a really strong chemistry and many cute moments. Although they have opposite personality, they actually managed to let the relationship flows. And I kind of surprised myself that I'm actually rooting for the second lead couple also. Their story is really touching that you can't help but anticipating when will it get easier for them to be together. Not to forget, the bromance between Yoo Si Jin and Seo Dae Young makes me in awe like seriously can I get more scenes of them please.
And don't even mention the OST. Like whoa DotS is one of those dramas with perfect OST (literally everything) and they suit the scenes really well.
Am I going to rewatch this? YES YES DEFINITELY. Those times when the natural disaster occurred will be my favourite part of this drama.
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This show hit all the spots. It was an extremely good and unusual story with relatable characters and situations. It felt like the characters were real life people experiencing these things that do happen in real life. The acting was excellent as well, but our leads and every body else. There was common sense in this show displayed by the writers, the characters, the actors, the production team - everyone associated with the show. That is rare in kdrama world, which makes this extra special. There's also an overload of cuteness which I adored. 10 for everything. Would give it 100 if I could.First, the romance may sound typical between a Special Forces Army guy and a Doctor (every other romance novel, right?) but in the framework of an Asian drama, it's not. Military heroes are not a thing in Korea that's why Yoo Shi Jin was a ground breaking hero. The romance as well wasn't one where the couple spent time longing for each other and doing nothing about it. They were both always straightforward about their feelings, talked to each other about it, and acted on their feelings like two mature people who knew what they wanted. That's rare in a kdrama. When you get shows like that, it's golden. They spent time with each other, thought of each other, behaved like real people starting a real relationship in the real world. 10 stars.
===SPOILER PARAGRAPH===
Some people didn't like Dr. Kang Mo Yeon's character because she was a little hesitant. At first I thought she was brash and rude, but I warmed up to her the first time she smiled at our military man. I loved her for taking the time to think the repercussions of the relationship through and not let her feelings lead her blindly. That's what a normal woman in real life would do and that makes her relate-able. She had to decide absolutely if she's strong enough to deal with a military man and his secretes and tragedies if it ever happens. She had to make sure she would't end up resenting him and his job. No one can fault her for taking the time to figure it out, no matter how handsome and sweet he is or that the audience wanted him to have everything he wanted. 2 people make a relationship and both have to want to make it work.
===SPOILER PARAGRAPH===
The villain... omg, he was hot. But I hated him. He represented a real, present evil in our world. He's not just makjang or there for the story to have a story. He exists in reality and it's so much worse than this drama could portray. I liked that they got rid of him fast and the rest of the drama was fan service. He was a heavy villain... like looking into the mirror of the world.
To fans who complained about fan-service.... there are millions of people who loved the fan service. We watch dramas for fan service. If they didn't cater to what their fans wanted, why watch dramas? Dramas do excellently money-wise when there's plenty of fan service. The last 4 episodes was so much fan service that I squealed every few minutes lol. Plus I watched the reruns on KBSWorld. Couldn't resist. It was so sweet. Didn't mind the product placement in the show either because it's a show I'm getting to watch free of charge, but somebody had to pay for it. It had great cinematic quality and production, don't be cheap and complain when investors are advertising their products. They paid for you to see this show, you didn't. Stop complaining.
The secondary couple was extra sweet as well. I adored them. I loved the bromance, and the girl-bonding. Loved everything about the whole show. I even loved the mean old apa. This was wonderful, wonderful, wonderful to watch.
Now... the show is full of English, more than in any Korean drama ever. But the English was very good. I had no problems understanding anything and it was music to my ears lol. If you want to complain... remember... they probably speak English better than you speak Korean.
And this show was cheesy. I love cheese. The action was cool and excellently executed, so it was nice to see our badass hero turn into a complete sweet pincushion with the cheesy lines. Some of it was too much cheese, and some had me going... "Ew, did you really need to say that? And in that manner?" ... because sometimes the cheese was delivered with an over dramatic atmosphere. Overall though, 10 for the cheese.
The medical aspect of the show was intriguing as well. Loved to watch that. It was like a mellow dash of Grey's Anatomy, watching a slice of personal and professional lived of doctors. There was just enough.
If you're not an avid romance fan, this drama may seem silly to you. It's barely got any military or war stuff. The military aspect is that the characters are in the military and work around a military aspect. There were a few 'missions' but nothing with gritty meat to catch die hard action fans. This was primarily cheesy romance with a side of military, medical, action.
Kim Eun-sook and Kim Won-seok, please, write another like Descendants of the Sun.
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In my opinion some of the reasons it was hugely popular was because, first of all, it was mostly viewed by middle aged women/ajumma (who often have some extra time on their hands) and girlfriends who have their boyfriend enlisted in the army (especially here in Korea). Secondly, because there are many hopeless romantics out there who all have fallen for the charismatic and ideal boyfriend Yoo Shi-Jin. ;) I wonder if a lot of straight men have watched this?! Convinced my bf to watch it with us, but he said the male leads stare too much straight into the camera which make it all too cheesy. He called quits after one episode... ;)
Pros: beautiful filming locations, handsome main leads, great OSTs
Cons: lack of interesting plot, Song Hyae-Kyo's unconvincing acting skills, awkward English, overacting, too much...really wayyyy too much product placements, too much advertisement after the drama... so sick of seeing the actors faces everywhere in the streets and on TV here!
An overall score of 6.5, for the effort and entertainment value. ;)
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Lets start with the story. This is a story that's filled with disaster and tragedy, and whether or not he saves her life, or she saves his life, she gets to yell at him afterwards, and he gets to crack jokes. Why these two like each other is beyond me, the writers didn't give me a chance to get to know either character in a normal situation. Every time they finally got some time together, they were separated for his work or her work or her mother and then the next time they saw each other was an emergency. I had no time with them, i don't know who they are and so I can't care about them.
After 13 episodes I felt like I had disaster exhaustion and I wasn't sure if I had the stamina to complete a dramatic story with characters I didn't care about. I should have stopped. Without spoiling the ending I have never before felt like the writers thought I was an idiot and the whole production team was laughing at me for following them to the end. If you do decide to watch Descendants of the Sun, just stop watching after episode 14.
Song Joong Ki and Kim Ji Won were excellent. I believed their characters and their reactions to the world around them. Well done to both of them. Onew - this was the second worst case of overacting I've ever seen. he should never be allowed to act again.
If Lee Seung Jun hadn't been as funny as he was I might have stopped watching this drama after they returned to Seoul from their volunteering trip. So, a personal message to Lee Seung Jun: I will hate you forever for contribution to my watching this nonsense to the end.
The music was terrible.
Rewatch value, 0. I'm furious to have been treated like this by a writer and producers. I will never again watch anything for which they're responsible.
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Been waiting for this drama every since I heard that Song Joong Ki came back from the military last year and was accepted to do this drama. In August - September 2015 I didn't have much expectation for this drama since they just announced that its gonna be film soon. So the info about the plot was vague and unclear back then. So my expectation for it wasn't big. But in 2016 when the drama started to air in February and throughout March. Hearing that the rating was super high and the drama was a huge hit makes me happy cuz after all Song Joong Ki and Song Hye Kyo is starting in the drama. Then I watch the trailer for it and it was super good.
I don't know if it's just me or maybe others out there are the same but I hate watching Korean Drama right after it come out cuz u have to wait every single week for new episodes and it's a pain. So for every single drama that I watch I always wait for all the episode to come out and finish the whole drama in like 2-3 days.
So it's the same for this drama too. The only different is that since that drama was so huge every since its was air it's hard to keep my expectation on the same level for 2 months. So it keep rising and rising.
One thing for sure is that this drama is not overrate. Since I think everyone have such high expectations for this drama and since the bar is too high. For me is the same, my expectation for this drama is SUPER high unlike others drama so when Descendants of The Sun meet my expectation I was super happy and this drama was amazing but I kinna loss the surprising element since I already expected to be good. Because in my opinion when people have low expectation for something and it turn out good they get surprise and like it. But since the super huge expectation for this drama is already there, most people enjoy it but doesn't not get surprise. And I think losing that surprise element make some people think that this drama was overrated. The bar was raise so high for this drama Worlwide and since it definitely meet and went over the bar people think it's overrated.
Over all the casting was SUPER. And the actors did an amazing jobs bring all the emotion of their character out. I really like their natural gesture forward one another. I like to watch drama that doesn't seem like the actors r trying too hard to act. And this one does a wonderful job!!! Song Joong Ki fighting!! Can't wait to see u in a new drama.
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Story: The story was amazing. If you're a fan of romance, especailly cheesy romance, this is the perfect drama for you. This drama is military love. If you like to see Song Joong Ki be the cheesy lover, you will fall for him immediately.
Acting: Oh my goodness, the acting in this drama is amazing. Song Joong Ki presented the character so well and made me fall in love with his character instantly. Song Hye Kyo was also amazing, like usual. I watched her in That the Winter Blows and honestly I wasn't a fan of her in that drama, but in this drama she is amazing. She played the character so well and became that worried military girlfriend which made me fall in love with the drama so much because it felt like I was actually there and feeling the emotions she felt too.
Song: The OST in this drama is so lit. Every kiss scene or sad scene, the music matched it to so well.
Overall, the drama was so well done and I highly recommend it to those who are a big fan of romance.
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I'll start off with the positives first: the reason why I stayed throughout all the series was because of the unique concept with its marvelous props and costumes by the characters, the beautiful setting, the cgi. Other than that, I enjoyed the osts, the humor of the story and the realistic romance of the second couple.
Now this is where the main problem comes. This is where I'll write the negatives and why I didn't enjoy this show.
1) Lead couple - I never felt their love for each other. I can't point the issue out for now, but what I can say is that all I saw between the SongSong couple was flirting. Both of the characters felt so cliched to me as they were too perfect in a sense that they didn't have any weaknesses or flaws. Thus, they were the kinds of characters that didn't have much character development. Obviously, I just couldn't relate to them and their perfect love story.
2) Unrealistic - Okay, I know you'd say, "Well, it's just a drama, it's supposed to be unrealistic." I agree, but that's definitely not my point. My point is, it was interesting to watch the disasters here and there, but how they solved the conflicts were extremely unrealistic. It was too predictable for me who would die, who would get saved, how they would escape the situation, etc. They get solved so easily that throwing random death threatening disasters were getting pretty much useless. I mean if they were to add something big, they could have ended the situation in a way that we didn't see coming.
My last thoughts about this drama: Well, it could've been better. This drama had so much potential. Not saying it was wasted or what, but it just lacked things. You know what I mean? Yeah, it was not a masterpiece to me, sorry.
Anyway, recommended for those who isn't obsessed with character developments and plot structures and just want to see SJK all throughout the way.
Well, if you're actually obsessed with those stuff, the storyline will be too predictable for you. I first watched this drama in KBS (2nd ep.), and I knew I would never like it. Still, I got the full copy of this series (because the people I know who don't really poke their noses into asian drama stuff suddenly started watching DOTS), I just had to hope that I would experience a rollercoaster ride. Guess what? It never got better.
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Their acting is good tho. It's just that, all their English were off. What I mean is, I cant appreciate their words . No emotions at all.
The musics are great. A nine for that...
Definitely, should not watch it again.
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This drama had a little Iris, a little City Hunter and a little ER all in one. Really good chemistry between the main couple. But the secondary couple also had a wonderful story line as well as great chemistry. Some really moving moments between both couples and some really funny light hearted moments as well. The supporting casts were also really awesome. Great acting from everyone.
Awesome OST, read that it hit the music charts hard in several Asian countries.
As much as I enjoyed the romance of this drama, it also made me think of the danger and sacrifice that our own real life service men and women face for our countries. I also appreciate the many doctors that volunteer all the time for Doctor's Without Borders.
A very well done drama, worthy of the buzz and the high ratings it received. I loved Song Joong Ki so much, I looking into more of his dramas. INNOCENT MAN is looking really good.
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