If there’s three words that would sum up this Mr Sunshine review, it would be Guns, Glory, Sad Ending, although you might want to re-check Glory.
I almost didn’t continue watching Mr. Sunshine after the first episode because I thought the drama seemed to have too many characters, with too many background stories, that in turn made everything seemed so huge and confusing.
However, episode two of this 24 episode drama started getting me hooked to the extend I finished the whole drama in three days. That said, this is my Mr Sunshine review.
Why Mr Sunshine is interesting?
Here’s some key reason why I thought this drama was a good watch.
The cast
To be honest with you, one of the biggest pull for me to watch any KDrama is the female lead, which to me must have the looks.
Here, Lady Ko Ae-Shin (played by Kim Tae-Ri) was just that. However, looks alone will not be enough to the drama great, and hence why I think the whole cast of Mr Sunshine did a remarkable job in making the drama worth a watch.
Like Crash Landing on You, everyone in the cast, including the supporting characters, played a huge role in making the drama succeed, hence my favourable Mr Sunshine review.
The romance
As I said, the first episode was pretty confusing. There were so many characters the episode had to introduce, so I guess that made it very confusing. However, it all gets sorted out in episode two, so if you are like me, carry on to episode two.
While the drama does focus more on the romance between Eugene Choi (Lee Byung Hyun) and Ko Ae-Shin, it also doesn’t leave out a significant part of the drama which revolves around the invasion of Joseon, hence making it a story of romance about the characters, and also Joseon.
Also, there’s bromance between three men fighting for Ae-Shin’s heart which is very hard not to love. For me, the romance in the drama meant I was constantly rooting for happiness for them, and hence why I didn’t exactly favour the ending.
The fast forward
KDrama’s tend to have ‘fast forwards’ in their drama. This is done to show progress in the characters.
Most of the time, thes ‘fast forward’ moments feels awkward and it does leave a sense that the drama was ‘rushed’. However, in Mr Sunshine, it’s well blended, which is something I liked.
The cinematography
The cinematography is worth mentioning here. There was a lot of very impressive shots in the drama which made me want to go to Korea.
Key moments
Like every good drama which leaves a mark, there are key moments in which I thought were brilliant.
One of my favourite key moments was when Eugene Choi ‘proposed’ to Ae-Shin. While it lacks romance, it was the message from LOVE to LIVE that made it impportant.
The second moment that got me was when Eugene decided to sacrifice himself for the Ae-Shin. To be honest, I didn’t see this coming, so just knowing that it happened, broke my heart.
And then there’s the bromance between Eugene Choi, Goo Dong Mae and Kim Hee Sung which was just fun to watch especially when they sat down talking to each other in the bar. It kind of reminded me of another Kdrama, Goblin.
My Mr Sunshine review conclusion
I hate the fact that no one ended happy in the ending. Episode 24 was just heartbreaking to say the least.
However, this is also exactly the why Mr. Sunshine is worth watching. It’s not the typical chiche you get in a Kdrama, and it is sort of refreshing to me.
I’d prefer a happy ending to all the struggles, but then again, knowing how I rooted so much for all of their happiness until the end meant this was a drama which managed to play with my emotions well.
Thanks to that, this drama gets one of the highest ratings in my KDrama review list.
