[Drama 2016] Descendants of the Sun 태양의 후예

[rumasa79]

Well. I am watching DoTS marathon on KBSworld ritenow. It's gonna be a whole day!woohoo :))

 I'm just gonna lay around on my couch like a spoiled veggie 

After watching the BTS, i have more and more love to all casts and crew of DoTS. 258 days of shooting, preparations, rehearsals, sleepless nights, skipped meals, prolly some lost weekends and holidays, injuries, wrecked nerves, for what? for this amazing, amazing drama.

Of course there's no such thing as perfection. So is DoTS. But, just i said in my previous post on eps 16, i choose to remember all the joy DoTS has brought into my life. I was hooked from the first 15 minutes of watching it, with no expectation at all. 16 hours of DoTS bring me various emotions, not many dramas can do that so far.

DoTS has raised the bar pretty high. It has shown me that affection can be shown in subtlety and silence , but would leave greater impact on us as viewers.

Chemistry between leads are off the charts. They make us question our own observation. The gazes, the little smiles, the intense hugs, and the kisses! Even the small talks on mundane things done in such natural manners that make me more giddy and touched.

The side characters are also presented to add nuances and furthermore give richness to the whole story. I say, there's no dull moments in DoTS!

I can talk and talk for pages about DoTS. For now, i can confidently declare it's on top of my lists. It pushes all the right buttons, ticks all the small boxes, and i'm still struggling to move on.

Thank you once again to everyone in this thread. 1000 pages and going strong! :)))

This forum has been a much needed support system when i could not talk about my obsession of DoTS. We're amazing troopers, aren't we?

Sending loves to all of you, i hope we can meet in another thread 

*virtual fistbump*

 

Looking back all those episodes of DoTS be like..

 

Reminiscing all the sweet kisses in DoTS be like...

 

 

[Chellsee]

1 hour ago, rumasa79 said:

Thank you once again to everyone in this thread. 1000 pages and going strong! :)))

This forum has been a much needed support system when i could not talk about my obsession of DoTS. We're amazing troopers, aren't we?

Sending loves to all of you, i hope we can meet in another thread 

*virtual fistbump*

Looking back all those episodes of DoTS be like..

Reminiscing all the sweet kisses in DoTS be like...

 

Nadu! Expressing my sincerest "THANK YOU" to all the DOTS Troopers! So glad I've joined and been part of this thread!

EVERYONE and EVERYTHING here is just sooooooo lovely!

Gonna miss Big Boss/Capt. Yoo terribly!!!

[SkyKid]

haha, I love everything about the epilogue (despite their definition of epilogue totally differ from mine )

I will miss be trolled by them ep by ep, 

cast and crew had so much fun filming this drama, with too much LOL and ROFL moment, DOTS to me either drama or reality (BTS) are precious. This is actually the first time I watch BTS of a drama live, then watch again with Sub  then go further discussing about it in forum  

I can go on, re-watching 16 eps + 3 special eps of DOTS because even if I have re-watched many times, everytime I discover sth new, too busy to swoon over Big Boss and Beauty sometimes I missed a cute scene of other characters 

and Onew, hahaha, in the drama you never get to know Blackey's real name and in reality you never have chance to meet your "mom" 

about DOTS sequel, if the cast and crew are not the same, please don't make it, at least don't use the name DOTS or the story. However, I don't think it will happen, won't be trolled by KBS this time  I'm still upset that they announced the possibility of  Director cut DVD but later say no to it  super upset    

 

[utkim]

I'm not fond of the idea for the sequel

dc

[foodie27]

I've always wondered why they were laughing so hard in this picture.

 

Turns out it was because the captain was lying inside to keep the boat from moving, hahahaha 

I suppose I won't have to toilet paper your house now director-nim, producer-nim or whoever the hell you are  I'm happy we at least got to see who initiated the kiss and a few different angles close ish of this scene rather than the original extreme long shot that you needed a telescope to see with haha.

  

[kristy86]

In last night special SHK talked about Mr. Ko, how he has that big smile (during the flashback) on his face but it looks so sad, and I cried just by seeing a glimpse of his smiling face.

All about DOTS is so memorable for me, even supporting characters who only had few scenes, they did their best and became the scene stellar. 

I miss DOTS already   

 

 

 

[Chellsee]

Lifestyle: Descendants of the Sun, Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo create an army of addicts

It all started in February. Nobody had the slightest hunch that a small-budget Korean drama would leave a lasting impression on their lives. Today, ‘Descendants of the Sun’ has created an army of addicts across the world.

For the past three months, Descendants of the Sun invaded the televisions of Korean homes. The show’s adorable protagonists Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo, along with the equally charismatic Jin Goo and Kim Ji-won, slowly pierced through the borders and stole many hearts in China, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia. Today, these characters have become household names in Asia and, to an extent, in the West.

In just a month’s time, Descendants of the Sun became immensely popular among the Chinese audience that China’s Ministry of Public Security posted a warning on its official Weibo site against watching the show. This caveat, however, only heightened people’s curiosity, thus boosting the show’s viewership. In fact, preparations are in full swing to make a Chinese version of Descendants of the Sun.

When the younger tech-savvy audience in Asia started watching the military K-drama on their smartphones, it went viral. This prompted people in the US and Europe to find out more about the show. When they did, they too were hooked on to Descendants of the Sun.

To cater to the non-Korean audience, the publicity experts soon started sub-titling the episodes in English. Today, the Descendants of the Sun has become a Harry Potter-like phenomenon, and Song Joong-ki effect is sweeping across Asia.

What makes Descendants of the Sun addictive? Emma Roberts, a huge fan of Korean dramas, answers on Quora: “Descendants of the Sun has all the elements— a good story, outstanding landscapes (the K-drama was filmed in Korea and Greece), beautiful actresses and handsome actors.”

Om Bee, another K-drama addict, offers offers an interesting perspecticve. “The plot caters to both testosterone-type viewers (action) and estrogen-type (romance). It’s a perfect combination of both. The main characters are played by great actors.”

Gaitsiri Mongkolsmai Lin, who lives near Koreatown in Sunnyvale, says:
“The world loves the romance, and while it wasn’t a perfect drama, as none are, the focus was always on the love, the banter, the tension and angst, while trying to inject interesting happenings.”

Jessica Jones, another fan on Quora, says: “Descendants of the Sun is a very enjoyable drama. It has an interesting premise (developing relationships in a warzone), romance, bromance, hijinks, natural disasters, strong female characters, slight changes in world history, silliness, cool fight scenes. I love the main and second leads to bits, and the ongoing ‘car killer’ storyline is a great little nugget of continuity from the writers, and one of my favorite things about this drama right now is one of the side characters because he’s breaking my heart.”

It has been confirmed that there will be no sequel. But for the fans, the show still goes on. After the end of the three-part special series, fans are now enjoying the behind-the scene clips of Descendants of the Sun. Here are some videos that will make your DOTS journey memorable.

 

http://atimes.com/2016/04/lifestyle-descendants-of-the-sun-song-joong-ki-and-song-hye-kyo-create-an-army-of-addicts/

[jayyepeee]

Hahaha. This journey has come to an end. But I do have some thoughts. People keep attacking DOTS for its shallow plot and how they say that the story is not very realistic. However, I feel that the relationship that was portrayed was very realistic and well-written. Anyway, this was what I posted on koalasplayground and I thought I should share it here:

WHY I LOVE DOTS AND THINK THAT IT IS VERY WELL-WRITTEN AND STANDS OUT FROM OTHER KDRAMAS

What I like about DOTS is not just the unique love story between a doctor and a soldier. While some of you can comment that the storyline is somewhat shallow, what I really like about DOTS is that the show has a very very realistic and convincing and well-written relationship. Guy shows interest and asks girl out – all in episode 1! He doesn’t mope about and ask her out only in the last few episodes. Girl likes him enough to go on a date – nothing wishy washy about that as well. No playing hard to get and overthinking things. Things didn’t go so well and they part ways. Guy was respectful about her rejection and kept his distance. He wasn’t pushy, he didn’t stalk her and he took the ‘no’ as a ‘no’. They meet 8 months later in Uruk. Okay, here you get to complain about the ‘shallow’ storyline – how likely is it that 2 people can meet in such circumstances? But what is convincing is that he is still interested in her and her in him. He is in the army and he didn’t have time to meet girls in the 8 months in Uruk. She was busy as a doctor. This is not one of those implausible dramas where the leads share a moment and then chooses to remain single for 8 years as they wait for their other half (who may not even be alive). Plus he was like any other guy who went on dates (date with Shin Ji Young/SDY’s cousin) but then confesses that he wasn’t able to forget her/the main girl. They met and reconnected – but the girl doesn’t forget her rationality and gives up her life/goals to get together with the guy. She is a rational, professional lady who is also very cautious about getting in a relationship with a dangerous man. She rejects him. Not because of some insipid reason/noble idiocy, but because she had valid, strong reasons to do so. The guy accepts it. He took it well, kept his distance, was respectful towards her and yet at the same time, he was able to convey to her that he likes her. He gave her space when she asks for it, not forcing her. Then she confesses (accidentally). What I found amazing here was that the guy actually manage to help her get her dignity back without embarrassing her when he could have. He could easily have forced her to confess – all those ‘wrist-grabbing’ scenes in kdramas and the male lead giving the female lead an ultimatum – but he did not and allows her to run away and hide in her denial. In fact, he tries to look at it from her point of view, asking YMJ about how it felt to have a soldier as a boyfriend. He became hopeful then. Then the girl took the plunge and they got together. Drama doesn’t throw tiresome love triangles at us and doesn’t come up with ridiculous things to keep the couple apart. These two are professional adults who are supporting each other in their own jobs – her in fighting the disease and him in keeping the peace. They are doing well in their jobs as well!! Nothing about these two are unequal, and they matched well (unlike dramas which showed the female lead doing terribly at her job, needing people’s help, or when the female and male lead are from different social standing). Then she gets kidnapped and he saved her (again, implausible situations and many plotholes) but how these characters dealt with the situations were convincing. I believed in their emotional trajectory and it doesnt matter what the plot threw at them. So when she was considering to break up with him, I didn’t feel like throwing things at the screen telling her to not do it. Because her reasons were understandable however regretful. And when she finally accepts that she is in – yes!! And she doesn’t do it blindly also. She lays out her fears and conditions, communicating to the guy what he can do it assuage her fears. Communication between the couple in a kdrama! How refreshing is that! No misunderstandings and jealousy keeping them apart. A stable, mature relationship! I am sold!! Then we have her saving him when he was in danger and here, she helps him out in her professional capacity and you get to see that they are truly comrades. Love doesn’t have to be a liability – liking someone doesn’t make you weaker and make you need to protect them all the time. Of course when he disappears, the plot was questionable. But their relationship never was. When KMY was devastated by his ‘death’, I believed in her emotions and the rawness of that loss. And when he came back, she didn’t immediately jump into his arms. She was angry at him, she cried, she told him she can live alone, she resented him for breaking his promise and leaving her. But at the end of it, she had missed him. They did address the angst she felt and it was not brushed aside (in favour of the happy ending). She did talk about how she had lived without him in the aftermath. And it realistically portrayed how one mourns for another. She is sad, but life goes on, she still works and she got promoted. She did not mope about and let herself go. Yet there was sentimentality in that she went to volunteer at a refugee camp to remember YSJ. The storyline was fantastical – so many implausible things. But the relationship was convincing to me and at no point in time did I think that what had happened between them was a stretch. Perhaps a tiny gripe that KMY was too forgiving in ep 14. Hahaha. But if we established that YSJ wasn’t THAT injured then I guess she didn’t have much to worry about. But these were well-written characters. KMY was a refreshing straight-talking lead and she was blunt and doesn’t mince her word. Not Candy-like at all. And we have YSJ who recognizes that in her and he was also a very respectful lead. It was an amazing ride. You can say that it wasn’t well-written or shallow. But I don’t think so, not with these wonderfully drawn out characters.

[Ahpheng]

 

@bebebisous33 1 & 2 

[tiarasetiawan]

 

 

 

 

[tiarasetiawan]

 

[Chellsee]

Descendants of the Sun’s rivals suffer from its ratings and increased after the end of the hit drama

On April 21 broadcast of “Entertainer”, the viewers rating marked at 6.6 percent all over the nation, according to Nielsen Korea. With its increase of 0.4 percent from its launching episode, which was 6.2 percent but unfortunately, on its time slot, “Entertainer” is still the last in ratings as against “Goodbye Mr. Black” and “Descendants of the Sun”

. Many are speculating that this drama, might have a good chemistry between Ji Sung, who won Daesang(Grand Prize) for playing a role in MBC’s “Kill Me, Heal Me” last year, and Girl’s Day’s Hyeri from tvN’s popular drama, “Reply 1988.”

In the meantime, “Goodbye Mr. Black” showed a record of 9.4 percent in its 12th episode. From its first 10 episodes of the drama, ratings averaged only around 3-4 percent due to its rival“Descendants of the Sun,”. On its 11th episode, its ratings seems to doubled.

http://kpopfighting.com/2016/04/23/descendants-of-the-suns-rivals-suffer-from-its-ratings-and-increased-after-the-end-of-the-hit-drama/

[IrisFM]

Missing their amazing onscreen chemistry as Captain YSJ and Dr KMY. Although epilogue is different to what I had in mind, the special finale was still nice and sweet to see some casts reunited to share their thoughts. The making/bts showed me how comfortable SHK and SJK interacted with each other, even during the early days of script reading. They were so cute and happy in many of their bts that were only briefly shown that made me wish the special didn't have to end. I'm thankful that KBS provided the 3-part-special which is more than any other past dramas did for their fans, given it was also beneficial for KBS too. Their beautiful love story will live on in my memories.

 

Tower kiss wasn't long but still it was short and sweet up-close nevertheless...

 

 

Someone is struggling in this bts but said this line perfectly onscreen "Love compels us to do things for others that they can do themselves"

crto via dc

[Chellsee]

This part is really funny! Alpha Team seems having a lot of fun while shooting this drama.

  

[Chellsee]

Big Boss is the coolest and cutest!!!

[mulder9999]

7 hours ago, CatWhiskers said:

 

Oh..I like the idea. As much as I am so in love with DOTS, I am a bit cautious with a Season 2. It's gonna be tricky to pull off. They would need new conflicts. And a real good storyline.  Your idea sounds great actually. I did mentioned in my previous comment, they could actually pull off something closer to home, maybe a terrorist attack or smtg similar to the movie, London Has Fallen? It will be quite refreshing. Lol. And btw, can I say I totally LOVE ur fics. Please do continue. Your YSJ & KMY's one shots are Daebak! Love the Wrecking Lipstick fic and the Bang and Wham fic. Lol. 

 

i not in the DOTS 2 camp, the script writers would have to have a very good story to continue with the characters and to also get YSJ and KMY to reprise their roles.  

YSJ is now a squadron leader, I doubt he would be sent into active combat zones, wouldnt he be more a trainer now?

If they make DOTS  2 with a new cast, then it won't have the same magical feel that DOTS 1 has given us due to it's originality.

 

[enzek]

5 hours ago, jayyepeee said:

Hahaha. This journey has come to an end. But I do have some thoughts. People keep attacking DOTS for its shallow plot and how they say that the story is not very realistic. However, I feel that the relationship that was portrayed was very realistic and well-written. Anyway, this was what I posted on koalasplayground and I thought I should share it here:

WHY I LOVE DOTS AND THINK THAT IT IS VERY WELL-WRITTEN AND STANDS OUT FROM OTHER KDRAMAS

 

thanks for your opinions and i'm agree with you. i think majority of the people critic this drama is because they expect more about the soldier and doctor aspect while forgetting that this drama mention from the beginning it's about the love story. i'm more to romance and mystery/suspense/detective/thriller dramas genre so i ok that DOTS focus more to love story. and i agree with you with main lead relationship. it's so mature and i love mo yeon character here. she was given the chance to voice her opinions and feelings and also equal in profession and relationship with si jin. 

picture credit to owner

[IrisFM]

^ I would love to see SHK and SJK as lovers again in another drama or movie. That would be awesome if it comes true one day. I can never be bored with watching them.

 

If KBS should have another DOTS inspired drama/movie, then I hope it will be set in the Joseon Dynasty era (like Moon embracing the sun) to tell their love story of their past life time together, like how KMY said to YSJ that he must have saved the nation in his past life to meet her now. They will look so lovely in their period costumes and instead of YSJ using a gun we get to see him shooting with a bow and arrow and use a sword to perform some cool martial art stunts. They can ride on horses instead and use a raft to cross a river. KMY can be a physician somewhat like Dae Jang Geum to heal and cure people, while YSJ be a hero to protect the children, beautiful women, and the elderly in the Joseon Dynasty, without any love triangle or square in their love story.

 

 

They demonstrated how a perfect hug should be done by a loving couple.

crto via dc

[vu_hoa1983]

Watching the special episode last night, it finally hit home to me that DOTS is really over. 9 weeks with DOTS have been so precious that letting go is harder than I thought. This morning, I still woke up early to check its rating for the final time…

From the special episode, it is clear that the working atmosphere is enjoyable. People have more time to stay together and understand each other better.
SHK and SJK really have a nice working relationship.  They are obviously much closer than what they show to the public. Their roles require them to have lots of skinship and interaction with each other and both are very nice, considerable people so there is no surprise that they get on so well.  Then how come they didn’t seem to be like that at all in the Korean press conference?

There are scenes that really reflect their true personalities and the script is molded based on these. Like how the drunken scene of MY was not originally on the script. In the wine kiss scene, it is very likely that MY took the bottle with her because that is what SHK would do.

It is nice to know that SHK loves the part where MY had to sign non-disclosure paper with the military people. I didn’t really pay attention to that scene before but now I can understand how she feels about it. Also, it is interesting to know SJ’s point of view when shooting Argus to dead: you were my idol/inspirational figure but I love MY more so I have to protect her by killing you. That was a right but painful decision to make.  How SJK really cried his heart out was so sad.

It seems like everyone loves working SHK. I see numerous phrases from scriptwriter, director, her fellow actors but it is so great to witness it with my own eyes. Like when SJK filmed KMS, he told the mascot what he said was boring because everyone in Korea knows how pretty SHK is. How JG gushes about MY/SHK. How SJK felt to the ground laughing at her drunken acting or rubbed his head on her shoulder like a baby. I have never seen her this lively.

And what’s with “I have to ask permission from my mom”. SJK, you are already a grown-up and you had much more torrid kiss scene before. Must you ask your mom too if you have future bed scene, lol?

 

[katriona]

He just doesn't realize his own strength. 

 

Spoiler

"I Didn't Know My Own Strength"