Mr. Sunshine: Um Raio de Sol (2018)

Guns, glory and gore

Plot: A slave boy who escaped the cruelty of low life and became an American soldier. Back to his origin, he met different types of people including the love of his life and that’s where their stories intertwined. Although the plot had some flaws, it was still acceptable.

Acting: Im Kwan Soo (Jo Woo Jin) always leave a good impression on me with every drama that he was in. Apart from him, Kudo Hina did amazing as well. She was the perfect graceful and classy spy woman for me. Other side characters(including the foreigners) made a great contribution in bringing their characters alive with their convincing acting. However, I was quite disappointed with Kim Tae Ri’s acting. I believe that she wasn’t the right actress for the character as her acting was lackluster and flat most of the time. Whether she was devastated, shocked or in love, her facial expressions were not on point or quite inadequate.

Music: Most of the songs matched the scenes and intensified the aura of the drama.

Rewatch Value: It’s not something that I can rewatch but it’s definitely something that you can’t miss. It’s somehow an eye-opener not just about wars, patriotism and loyalty but it’s also about second chances and living your best life as if it was your last day.

Overall: 8 to 8.5 because of the beautiful cinematography, background music, details and acting of almost everyone. I love the bromance between Eugene Choi and Kyle, I also love the friendship threesome of Yoo-jin, Dong Mae and Hui Song. The drama had a few laugh out loud scenes on the first few episodes which made it less boring despite the non-existent chemistry and dragging love story of Eugene and Lady Aesin. They couldn’t even flirt with their eyes or their smiles. Although they had some good dialogues, I just couldn’t see and feel that they were attracted to each other, I’m sure Lee Byung Hyun tried his best but their chemistry wasn’t there. I think, Kim Tae Ri failed to create chemistry with each character that’s why I wasn’t emotionally invested with her story. I never rooted for her as she’s always reckless and clueless. Best scenes for me were when Gunner Jang lit the fire to save the royal training soldiers and when Joseon people stood on their ground to protect the noblewoman. I wasn’t attached to their stories but because of the directing of flashbacks, close ups and dialogues of those scenes, I just couldn’t help but feel something. Death of each character has it’s own meaning, it was quite questionable on how sudden it was but the symbolism was still there. 🚨 Eugene Choi had a hostage just like what his mom did, Hui Seong who got beaten to death just as the same of what happened on the day he was born and Dong Mae who got butchered by his own ‘family’ just like how his mom did. The ending was I was expected but the idea behind it was just amazing. Honestly, the suspense only started on Episode 20, the series could have been shorter if they cut out the unconvincing flirtation of Eugene and Aesin. This drama also made me hate Japanese cruelty to people during the war(in real life as well) and I can’t stop myself from thinking, ‘If I were alive at that time, will I survive?’. Apart from that, as soon as I finished the series, I decided to read the history of Korea and learned from it. Which made me think that the three men may symbolized the three kingdoms back in the day and Aesin was ‘Korea’.

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I am starting the review with this because some of the cinematography just took my breath away. Playing with the lights, slight hints about what is to come that you may not even catch... The fact that this was filmed in such beautiful places and all of the mountain views by themselves sometimes made my eyes tear up and wish I was there. Thankfully the angles that make it look like you are also a person living in the early 1900s Joseon and are secretly spying on the characters help to stop oneself from buying a plane ticket to see the views in person.

The story was beautiful. I might be a little biased since my country also has a history of independence fighters and a lot of losses against oppressors and so I buy this kind of stories very quickly. Nevertheless it was well-told and I am happy with it.
I loved the cute little friendship between the three main male leads. Even if they stayed in denial about it.

The acting was great. I remember the first time I saw AeShin cry I was really surprised because usually during dramas when people cry you can see that they are sad and you can see the tears coming out of their eyes. But with her there was sadness, self control, helplessness... You could actually see from the way that she cried that she was a noble girl who grew up with everything but wants to be more than just a pretty decoration for her husband, so she becomes strong. And thus when something bad happens she tries to keep her composure and yet that darn lower lip just keeps twitching and doesn't listen to her!
All of the other actors did a great job as well. I think the acting was superb for the most part(except for maybe a couple of scenes where dead people's eyes were moving a little but I guess it's really hard to stop them so I'll let it slide). You could see each characters whole life story written on their faces.
I loved it that the characters changed a little throughout the drama but they didn't change their key character details, it was very well done.
Also I just want to mention the casting. The characters really looked A LOT like their parents and the younger versions looked like the older ones. I don't see it done that often and I was really happy to see it. Even the adult gunner Jang looked so much like his father, even though as a kid he didn't look that much like him. That's what happens in the real world as well.

The music was really good but maybe because I recently watched a drama with soundtrack that is still echoing in my heart I can't bring myself to give this one a ten.

I would gladly rewatch it sometime because I fell in love with a lot of characters as well as the wonderful directing.

Overall a great drama. A must watch.

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Left my heart torn apart

Super high stakes, unpredictable, outstanding cinematography, beautiful OST, amazing directing and screenplay, incredible acting performances - a masterpiece!

I was hesitant to watch this since I’m usually not a fan of historical dramas but I was blown away.
I just finished the show and after bawling my eyes out for hours, this has left a permanent void in my heart that I’ll never forget.
The beginning and first half was sometimes a little slow paced for me to be honest but it builds up for the later half so that at that point you’re so attached to the characters it’ll crush you.
There’s a lot of like political stuff you might not understand unless you really pay attention to what’s going on all the time and every little scene is important. Even when it was slower it still had me glued to the screen and kept me interested which really surprised me.
And the second half I literally couldn’t take my eyes off.
(Not that I could see a lot through my waterfall of tears lmao)
The only thing that bothered me a little sometimes was the acting skills of the foreign actors on the show. As an actor myself I just wish they could find some foreigners that are actually actors. The Korean actors though just WOW! Incredible. Especially the 3 second leads too I am in love with their characters.
Also it got me really interested into researching more about the actual history of that era.

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Heart Stirring Journey

I never thought I would write a drama review but Mr Sunshine changed all that.

If you are the type who can easily figure out the punchline to a story based on a few words, please only read this after you have finished this drama. Assuming of course, you prefer to get immersed in the story without knowing where the story will lead.

“This is my history” “This is my love story” launched me into more tears the second time I re-watched this scene the day after I finished the whole drama. Although the drama ended with hope, I was unable to shake my feelings of sorrow for the tragic end for so many of the characters.

Lee Byung-hun was phenomenal as Eugene Choi, displaying a range of emotions from commanding to charming to endearing where he said, “... the beginning of revenge or the end of jealousy”. Certain scenes where the lighting showed his age made me appreciate him as an actor even more after finding out he was older than me and that he had also starred in Squid Game.

I loved how the relationship between Eugene Choi, Gu Dong Mae and Kim Hui Song developed into one of trust and brotherly love. I found Kim Hui Song annoying at first but was moved to tears when he burned the marriage letter. Gu Dong Mae was the cool bad guy which had some of the wittiest remarks when the 3 of them had drinks together.

Kuno Hida was the alluring hotel owner that was cool, calm and collected with a fabulous wardrobe of western dresses. She was a multi-faceted character that was a Japanese widow-hotel owner to most, a Korean daughter of a villain to few and an undercover supporter to the King that no one knew about. I particularly liked her role in getting Lady Ae Shin back to Joseon from Japan and her letter to the King after blowing up her hotel.

The attention to detail for the costumes and settings were on point. The wars and fighting sequences were very graphic and realistic. The scenes with the battleships were so real that I found myself wondering how much cgi was used. So it was a surprise to be able to spot 2 scenes which looked like it used blue screen.

This story was one of the best I’ve seen. But above all, the story telling was very real, without the usual unrealistic back stabbing and plotting that most historical dramas portray. Brilliant!!

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História emocionante. Fotografia linda. Músicas que te prendem. Emoção em todo lugar.

Entrou para a minha lista de favoritos com toda a certeza! Comecei a assistir com nenhuma pretensão, mas logo fui captada pelo o enredo, história e personagens. Amei o fato de eles darem forma não somente aos personagens principais, mas também aos secundários que roubavam a cena em qualquer momento que apareciam!

Cada cena e simbolismo foram trabalhados tão excepcionalmente no decorrer da história, que mesmo os telespectadores que não são coreanos (como eu), podem identificar e sentir o sentimento de revolução. Admito que chorei de soluçar no último episódio, mas o meu coração tem a vontade de assistir de novo e de novo. Eu gostaria de esquecer todas as cenas para poder revê-las e poder sentir todas as emoções como se fossem novas novamente.

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I’m finally done with this amazing drama. Hell, the cast was gold, the setting was unique, and the plot was simple but then they made it more than just that.

The drama has no KISSING scenes but oh my gosh they got to pull off the chemistry of the leads and the side couples so good. Loudly crying face I heard that Kim Eun Sook had help in writing this drama and I truly applaud for the Mr. Sunshine crew and cast.

The OST was also amazing and it was so unique. I also liked how the drama didn’t just revolve around a love story but it also incorporated patriotism and nationalism. So many characters were beautifully flawed that’ll make you love them even more.

I’m so glad that they made this drama somehow empowering for women. I felt like any time, I could practice fencing or even holding a gun. They gave off such strong female characters that you’ll love and admire so much.

LET ME ALSO INCLUDE THE CINEMATOGRAPHY. Yes, it’s so beautiful. It’s like an overlapping scenery between the modern and the old age of Korea and it’s just so unique to my eyes.

The drama had flaws (since I don’t believe there’s a what you call a PERFECT drama since there’s always room for improvement) like it’s a slow pace, but I’m glad it improved as through the episodes.

This drama was so beautiful, once again. The ratings are well deserved. Watch this drama my dear moots, it’s beautifully painful but worth it.

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One of the best kdramas out there

This is my first review here and I just gotta say, this drama is amazing. I know that not everyone will enjoy this but I can assure that it's worth watching for many people. It's also a very sad drama so if you hate that then this probably isn't for you. In the first episode I actually dropped it cause it was very boring but after giving it another chance, it ended up becoming my top fav kdramas. There's not much to say about this drama except that it's great and I suggest you shouldn't have too much expectations to it. You also have to be very patient because this drama is slow at first, but it gets better and better each episode. Overall, I love this drama and I can pretty much recommend it to anyone!!

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dont judge a drama by its actors

Okay, first of all I’m like “omg the male lead is like way older than the female lead”

BUT I suddenly decided to watch this drama after reading the reviews here. Ngl, everyone like this drama so much. (now i know why huhuhu)

The first episode kinda slow but then things got more and more interesting with every episodes. Istg, I cried thru out watching this whole drama.

AND I LOVEEEEE THE WAY THE LEADS ARE POTRAYING THEIR LOVE FOR EACH OTHER ><

THE SCRIPT WAS AMAZINGGG AND THE CINEMATOGRAPHY GOT ME HOOKED SERIOUSLY. Every scene was shot at a very nice angle was
B E A U T I F U L

I also like how every characters have a detailed story of their own like this drama shows every character’s struggles T_T

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one of the ultimate kdrama's

going into this drama I did not know what to expect, but the moment I started i could not stop myself. this drama is so so so so so so so good. every element was beautifully thought off and executed, each character was amazingly casted and 'acted as well. i'm not a fan of historical dramas but this drama holds a special place in my heart. the romance in this drama is not one that you would expect, the chemistry is amazing, very explosive. cinematography was another huge part which made this drama all the more better. it is a MUCH WATCH. there was not a second that was boring. you will express all sorts of emotions watching this drama but that's the best part, you will feel for certain characters and i just found myself being completely immersed in this drama. you will not regret watching this!

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It's Jane Austen meets K-Drama meets any moving story about rebels!

I'm going to admit that it took me a while to really get into it. The beginning moves like a slow history romance with no real direction. This is why it received a 9 from me. Those first twelve episodes while intriguing were nothing groundbreaking. But, If you're looking for a sappy history romance where the king falls in love with a commoner, then I suggest you move on. This drama is for strong willed rebels who are willing to be inspired to action!
The last twelve episodes however were the most gripping, tragic, moving and impactful i've ever seen a K-Drama.
The acting was also note worthy, when they cried, I cried. During the good times, I laughed. They drew me into their story and made me root for a country i've never even set foot in. Yes, the real main character of this was Joseon and really made me think about the history of current day South-Korea.

The story, acting, music, cinematography, editing, bromance, sis-mance? Are all top notch in my opinion. This story ramps up pretty quickly without leaving you bored at any step of the way. The villains didn't quite get the torture I thought they deserved but also, sometimes, the bad guys win in the end.

Despite it's flaws this is hands down the best K-drama I've watched in recent times. Only watch if you've got the heart to steel back tears, Impressive control for your anger and the open-mind to feel compassion for what others have gone through.

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Utterly destroyed

I actually died with them. Yes, I did. I am utterly destroyed and can only feel agony, my head hurts. This was absolutely amazing. I liked how this show gave us different angles on how each character questions their own identity and nationality, where they belong to or not. I loved how Ae Sin represented Korea, and how Hui Seong, Eugene and Dong Mae stood for the different relationships they have with their country. The cinematography, OST, acting – it was all so splendid and rich, an absolute delight to watch this show. The simple, quiet things between Eugene and Ae Sin, how their actions spoke louder than words. Their relationship was always at its best when it was just the two, enjoying mundane things. Sometimes, the show could be a little slow, and I also didn’t quite understand Kudo Hina as a character to be honest. But overall, this was amazing. But I still have a headache…

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