Mr. Sunshine: Um Raio de Sol (2018)

If you haven’t seen Mr. Sunshine, then you have missed a beautiful and heartbreaking drama at once. Everything in this show is flawless, and I am absolutely loving and praising it.

What makes this show perfect?

The historical significance and symbolic.
The dialogues and the keenness of details. The balance of fast and slow pacing.
Stunning and talented cast. Even the minor roles are significant.
The epic cinematography.
A classic beautiful romance.
Classy and intellectual comedic.
The production quality is no joke.
Patriotism. Comradely. Friendship.

Mr.Sunshine is a true piece of art. It would always be in my heart. HAIL to all of those who fought and died for freedom!

Leia Mais

For the first 10 episodes or so, I was a little lukewarm toward the series, mainly because I found the pacing to be a bit slow, and I wasn't on board with the main ship yet. However, my decision to persist was the best decision yet. I grew to love not only Gu Dong Mae (I'm obsessed!), but also Kim Hui-Seong, Eugene Choi, Lady Ae-Sin, Kudo Hina, and all those side characters as well. This drama is so heavy, and at times so light and uplifting. It has left me with so many feelings with my heart. I'm overwhelmed and utterly impressed by this experience.
Others have said so much about this drama, but I just have to say this:

Humor is 10/10, and this is coming from a person who is very skeptical of humor in k-dramas. But this was so well-done, everything from Interpreter Im and Do-Mi, to the bromance between Eugene, Dong Mae and Hui Seong, to Ae-Sin's struggle to learn English. I'm left wanting a special episode for each of the main characters that I wanted to learn more about; namely Gu Dong Mae and Kudo Hina. I really, really wanted to learn how Kudo Hina came to be who she is when the drama begins. If you're looking for complex characters, this is the series to watch.

Acting 10/10: All characters, main or secondary, completely owned their roles and became them.
Cinematography 10/10 ... need I say more? Every shot was breathtaking.
Plot 10/10 I freaking love historical narratives.
Romance 9/10 I didn't buy Hui Seong's love for Ae Sin (that was too abrupt and I don't believe in love at first sight), but the Ae Sin - Dong Mae interactions were full of tension, and the Ae Sin Eugene interactions always made me smile. It was adorable and heartbreaking.
Pacing 8/10 If you're like me, you'll get impatient with the drawn out scenes where a character just stares into the distant with a pretty background and a melodic OST blaring in all its glory. I just zoomed past those, but there were too many of such scenes and I hungered for more action ... which I got after episode 12 (so hang on!).

I really liked how the drama portrays class conflict between characters entangled with political/military conflict and nationality. Eugene Choi is a Korean-born American captain who seems to struggle with how he should approach his feelings toward Joseon, a country that failed to protect him and his family. Ae-Sin is a noblewoman who is deeply loyal to her country, but is stuck between the patriarchal restraints on women, the need to pick up a weapon and fight, and a complex relationship with lower class like Gu Dong Mae. "The hierarchical system is destroyed, but we can't change our roots. Once a slave, always a slave." The series doesn't merely portray the unfailing courage of Joseon in the face of Japanese imperialism, it also highlights some key problems of the Joseon society. In Joseon there are the lower class butchers and slaves who are so oppressed they can't even protect their own children, there are traitors who are keen to sell Joseon to Japan, there are those who turn against their own parents and choose to be loyal to their country, and there are those who leave their country to survive, only to come back and take revenge against those who oppressed them.

This drama truly deserves the high ratings and accolades it's gotten.

Leia Mais

Gun, glory and sad endings

I have a lot to say about this show so bear with me...
First of all, this is not a love story, it's a story about the sacrifices one must make in order to protect what they love, whether that’s a person or a country, as happens with the two main leads.
This is an incredible show and I really don’t understand why it doesn’t get more recognition. Even if you forget the real inspiration behind the show and the fact that it’s based on a historical period, the cinematography, the acting and the ost, all together will make you travel back in time and be a part of this epic story. You’ll totally forget that you’re watching a drama, because everything will seem so real. You will connect to every single character and wish you were a part of this rebellion. Just like Eugene, by the end you’ll feel un urge to fight along side with them. Not because it’s your country that’s on the line but because you love the characters so much that you want to stay by their side and protect them at all costs.
I think I’ve never seen a show with so many outstanding characters. One of the aspects that makes this show shine so much (pun intended) is for sure the relationships and dynamics between all the characters. And I’m not just talking about romantic ones, but comradeship, devotion, mentoring and friendship. This show has more bromances than I can count and all the characters are so beautifully written that you can't help but root for every single one of them. I must refer to one of, if not the best triangle I’ve seen portrayed on a drama: the sword, the gun and the flower. Dong-mae, Eugene and Kim Hee-sung had such a great chemistry and I can’t even put into words how exciting and pleasing their scenes together were. These drinking buddies made me shed a lot of tears but also won over my heart and made smile the brightest.
Although I love the main couple and fall for Kim Tae-ri in every single role she plays (Ae-shin was no exception, she did a brilliant job), I must admit the 3 second leads stole my heart. I think they gave the show so much depth by portraying these complex and conflicting characters in an outstanding way, making the show far more interesting.
I wish Hee-sung had someone with him on his final moments, someone to cherish him and cry for him. For someone who always seemed to smile and bring a lightness to the scenes, I always found him a bit lonely. I wish I could say goodbye to him in a prettier place, somewhere where he could look up at the world with his hopeful, charming and secretive eyes that hid so much pain, but always seemed to look for the beautiful things in sight. He had a wonderful soul and I think the writers did a wonderful job with him giving him one of the best character developments of the show.
Hina Kudo and Dong-mae… I was mesmerized by these two. Their beauty and strength in a world that never treated them well, the fact that they overcame it and did what they had to do to survive. I think they saw and understood each other on a deeper level and there was true love between them but sadly like much on this show, love isn’t always enough and life gets in the way, specially in times of war. The scenes in the beach really broke me but they were one of my favourites of the whole show. They will stay with me for a really long time and I will miss them a lot.
I must say that I had some problems adjusting with the change of pace in the final episodes of the show. I think they spend a lot of time setting the mood and the context of a very fragile state of peace until BANG the plot explodes and hell breaks loose. However, I think maybe that was necessary for showing how wars begin in the first place and countries lose their independence.
This is not the kind of show you binge watch, mostly because sometimes it's just too painful. You have to stop, recharge and keep going. Emotionally it's very challenging but it's completely worth it.
Unlike Ae-Shin, we always knew what “sad ending” meant, we knew where we were going but still a part of us always hoped for a better outcome. But as they often reminded us along the season, a sad ending was always in the horizon. That said maybe it wasn't such a good idea to watch this right after I finished Scarlet Heart (yeah I did that). I’ve seen a lot of people comparing both dramas, and I can see why. However, I think there’s a big difference between the two: Sad endings vs. tragic endings.
In Mr.Sunshine, I feel like the deaths always had a higher purpose, they’re not just used to make us suffer. They represent the character’s choices and are always aligned with their personalities and with what we know matters the most to them. I feel like every person here died for a cause, they died fighting for what they believed in, to protect who they loved and that makes it easier to cope with I think, making it more sad and less tragic. It brings the bittersweet meaning to a whole new level though.
I saw in a comment somewhere that Ae-shin represented Korea. She was the precious thing everyone protected at all costs, the thing that a lot of people risked their lives for. As heartbreaking as it is, I think the fact they all loved her and sacrificed their lives for her, it’s because she was the future. This show really does an incredible job with symbolisms and this is the major one. You can see it clearly in the final scene, where she’s holding the flag: she outlived them all because she’s the future, and she carries with her every single person who died for her, they’re all a part of her, she has in her all their spirits representing the Korean people at its finest hour and carrying them to a brighter day. This a true love letter to the Korean people, a tribute to their spirit, strength and courage.
This show made me learn a lot about korean history and I came to admire the korean people even more. I think the strength they all had to have to not give up their nation and fight for it until their very last breath was really touching and to me moved me more than any romance plot.
That said, I think this is a remarkable story, told in the most breathtaking and meaningful way, a real masterpiece. I'm very thankful for all the work they put on this show and to all the actors who brought this complex and mesmerizing characters to life that I will keep in my heart for a really long time.
It was a long journey that made me cry my eyes out, but also made me laugh, hate, hope, fear and love along with them! <3
Goodbye and see you again…

Leia Mais

First of all, I would like to say, "BRAVOOOO!!!!" I just completed watching this drama and had been re-watched twice. There's is no such words that can describe my feelings right now. This drama is so much awesome!

Secondly, I would like to thank the writer and director for being so damn good in casting these characters. I could not imagine if any other celebrities to act well as these casting did! I fall in love with all these main roles. Kim Tae Ri did so much super damn good in portraying her character. Fall in love with her the moment saw her on the roof with the black spy attire. I love Eugene Choi! He is such a manly character, matured and his voice is so much cool. Lee Byung Hun and Kim Tae Ri succeed in portraying their chemistry as the main lead characters. Dong Mae, Kudo Hina and Hui Seong did such an awesome art work... They really did best in this drama. This drama won't be this damn good without them.

Heartbreaking love story, but I do really fond this drama. After watching this drama for thrice, I still could not move on to the other drama yet. This drama successfully attached me and somehow I did saw them in my dream. Hahahahaha... Being so much dramatic now, but I do recommend you guys to watch this drama sooner.

Leia Mais

WOW!!
APPLAUSE!!!
I started watching this drama without knowing what to expect. I've never watched anything for Lee Byung Hun before so I was a bit discouraged.
BUT MY GOSH!!
I absolutely loved this!! The cast, the acting, the music, the directing, the outfits, the dialogue, not a single plot hole!
Every single actor played their character effortlessly and perfectly conveying the emotions beautifully! I was so immersed in the drama for 2 whole months.
The plot of the drama is not what I expected at all. I expected mainly a war/revenge focused plot, but it wasn't like that at all. It had friendship, romance, revenge, bromance, and war all executed perfectly.
I haven't enjoyed watching a drama this much in so long bravo!!

P.S. I watched the drama while it was airing two episodes every week on netflix and in my opinion that's one of the reasons I was able to enjoy it so much. It's a long drama with long episodes and so many things going on each episode. So for some people, it might be boring or too much.

Leia Mais

there are few dramas I rewatch, and even fewer dramas, but this is a beautiful story that gets better with every rewatch. I could watch 1 ep per day, 1 ep a week, or just watch this drama all day long, it's just so beautiful..

if I had to choose 3 dramas that can kinda reflect on my drama preferences, then this drama would be num1. it has everything I look enjoy in any type of show;
1- strong independent smart yet soft and awkward female lead
2- clean cut cold dark traumatized male lead that is naive and clueless
3- a beautiful elegant smart fashionable business woman
4- a brutal messy killer with a sad life/story
5- a ragged disheveled playboy that loves "beauty" and hates hard work
and many many more layered and interesting side characters all intertwined in a beautiful story about protecting a country.
if I were to describe the guys' reaction to Ae Sin's life choices I'd say;
Hui Seong wanted to be a shadow Ae Sin could hide in
Dong Mae wanted to tie her down/stop her from doing anything that put her in harms way
and Eugene wanted to walk by her side.


I'm currently rewatching it so I'll fix this review later ;p

Leia Mais

I can't put in words how much I loved this drama. From the very first minute I knew I would be doomed and this didn't change throughout the whole 24 episodes. It took me on a captivating journey and let me dive into another world every day.

I knew that this drama would come with lots of heart wrecking moments. Moments that moved me so often because the story did an excellent groundwork of its characters. There were so many facettes of each of them, you unknowingly start to root for everyone, even though some of them might have started out with your disliking. Although... No, actually not. I never really disliked anyone who didn't deserve it. It's exciting to see everyone's story develop, to see where their decisions lead them. They are like branches, pointed towards different paths, and yet grew from the same tree. And in the end the wind blows them in the same direction.

I never felt that the story would move forward too slow because each scene was important to me. Like enjoying a good wine. Every tiny moment sucks you in and doesn't let go. And with all the historical background it was exciting and refreshing to hear at least 3 (sometimes even 4) different languages throughout the whole drama. Though I can't judge the Japanese parts, the English ones sounded pretty good to me.

This is not a drama that blends you with a stunning cinematography, pretty costumes and a nice setting, just to cover up a lacking story. This drama does have all these things AND a convincing and fullfilling plot which makes it a gem in this massive pool of dramas.

It's a story about friendship, loyalty, bravery, love and sacrifice. And it would be a shame to miss out on it.

Leia Mais

A veritable masterpiece

What an epic, sweeping masterpiece. This story is full of heart, han, and jeong. It is deeply patriotic to Korea. I am almost envious of that level of national pride. Where I'm from, we are all hyphenated identities; an amalgamation of immigrants living our lives in the same physical location. I don't know all my East-Asian history, but it's almost overwhelming to think about how a tiny nation could be so powerful (or so vulnerable) and how quick we are to forgive and/or forget things in the not-so-distant past.

I appreciate the moments of levity, love, and friendship too. This show depicts ALL the emotions and facets of life. Kim Eun-sook is known as the master of quippy one-liners — and for good reason! Somehow, all the characters endear themselves to us. My heart is full and aches at the same time.

Guns, glory, and sad endings indeed.

Leia Mais

Gun. Glory. Sad Ending.

"My romance lies in the muzzle of a German rifle. Who knows? How you saw me that night could have been romance in and of itself."

I watched this drama without any knowledge of Korean history which is why I was a bit confused in the first two episodes. I almost dropped it, but I'm glad that I didn't (because I'll surely regret it in the future) and decided to continue watching it. And after the third episode, I realized that this is the best kdrama that I've ever watched.

Everything about this drama is almost perfect, if not perfect. The storyline, character development, cinematography (which is top-notch), OSTs (whose lyrics were all beautifully written) and most importantly, the emotions that it evoked from the viewers. All the characters are memorable: from the main characters, to the minor ones, and even the cameos. The actors portrayed their roles flawlessly but the writer should also be commended with the way she wrote each of the characters who are perfectly imperfect in their own ways.

What I love the most in this drama are the dialogues of the characters which are so impactful and meaningful. I feel like I'm watching a movie and reading a book at the same time. It's amazing how "Protecting you", "Maybe it's the end of jealousy", and "I don't even know my way around Joseon, and yet I'm walking toward somewhere far away" can be a love confession, and how "I will pray for you and console you" and "You should keep moving forward, I am taking a step back" can show how much you care for someone.

When I finished watching this for the first time, what remained in my mind are the emotions that I felt throughout the story. But when I rewatched it, I appreciated the story even more and I find it more exquisite than the first time I watched it. I came to notice the little details and the symbolisms used which I didn't notice before. It may be hard to rewatch this because of the number of episodes and the pain that it'll bring, but I do think that it is worthwhile.

I don't know if I'll ever come across another drama as great as Mr. Sunshine, but even so, this drama will surely have a special place in my heart.

Leia Mais

Not for folks who prefer the typical fast-paced super obvious romance. This drama will make you pay attention to the little details, you have to be able to read in between the lines and catch the metaphors being used to describe "love", the little smiles and gestures ...words not spoken. Everything about the drama screams subtlety, from the lead actor's awkwardly cute stiff strong personality to the actress' subtle steps to self realization and of course falling in love.

Others might feel it's too slow but for me, I appreciate the build up, episode by episode, I get to pay more attention to the character's circumstances and what makes them who they are as opposed to the typical in your face descriptions. Cinematography definitely is key in this build up, it extremely inviting and captivating, I couldn't take my eyes off my screen in fear that I might miss something.

If you're looking for a historically accurate account, this isnt for you.

Leia Mais

Tvn keep being strong!
There's no doubt that "Mr.Sunshine" is focused on everything visual.
- Beautiful natural landscapes/background and scenery.
- Amazing and epic cinematography.
- Good color work, light and shadow.
- Classic and cultural clothing.
- Great graphics and effects.
- And even a great sound work.
It is beautiful.
The drama is very descriptive, detailed and symbolic.

The drama has a deep love story, which is something I usually don't like, but surprisingly, this drama hits my favourites and was quite funny. The comedy is so subtle and well tailored into the scenes.

Lee Byung-Hun is one of the best korean actors and the most popular internationally and Kim Tae-Ri has so much talent. A she proves that in one of the best movies, "The Handmaiden", so these two actors accepted these roles because, they knew this drama would be different and epic.
Amazing support characters.
Even though 3 leads love the same woman, their love is pure and everyone of them is willing to sacrifice. I really like the fact that there is no jealous relationship that turned people into evil beings.
The drama also shows girl power with such badass and awesome female characters, which I completely loved!
You can wait for 10/10 from all actors.. Acting, characters, excellent.

Mr.Sunshine is a truly piece of art.

Leia Mais