[Drama 2018] Mr. Sunshine, 미스터 션샤인 - Winner of Critics’ Choice Award for Drama category

[rubie]

September 15, 2018

 

Mr. Sunshine: Korean Drama for Global Audiences

 

by Elias Kruger I SuperPosition

Romance, action, drama and political intrigue: there is something for everybody here.

 

One of the gifts of the Netflix era is the wide access to global entertainment content. You can literally follow a show made in any country from anywhere. While there are some licensing restrictions, I am amazed how I can converse with my parents, who now reside in Brazil, about shows we can share even living in different countries.

 

Recently, I started watching some East Asian shows which prompted the algorithm to fill my Netflix list with similar recommendations. That is the gift of AI uncovering entertainment options you would have never discovered otherwise. That’s how I stumbled upon Mr. Sunshine. After reviewing the preview and accepting my reliance on subtitles (just like non-English speakers must do all over the world for Anglo content), I decided to watch it. I had watched historical Korean drama years ago and greatly enjoyed it. This one seemed to hold promise.

 

The drama centers around the unlikely romance between a noble woman and a slave in the beginning of the 20th century as Korea is courted by multiple colonizing foreign powers. The twist is that slave had fled Korea as a child and now return as a member of the US Marine corp. Within this plotline, the drama explores well the ambiguities of social class, nationality and race. The noble lady is no princess as she secretly trains as a sharp-shooter for the Korean resistance. The slave turned into foreign soldier becomes the Korean-American that no one knows what to do with. He is too Korean to be American but too American to be Korean.

Aside from a compelling plotline, the story is enhanced by breathtaking cinematography and captivating scores. The dialogues are short but charged with emotion. There is so much being expressed through the actors’ eyes and facial expressions that words are only an accessory to the meaning being conveyed. With that said, the drama contains a sizeable amount of action scenes that rivals if not outperforms most Hollywood blockbusters. Romance, action, drama and political intrigue: there is something for Western and Asian audiences here. For Americans, especially, it will be interesting to get a perspective from the outside – the good and the bad. While America enables a Korean slave to transcend its class, it is also one of the countries seeking to colonize Korea at that time.

 

That is why I believe this show will be the watershed that projects K-drama into the global stage. As Netflix and other platform showcases global entertainment options, the more they gain audiences beyond their country of production. Mr. Sunshine is an example of this trend, and possibly the first of many K-dramas to get international recognition.

 

in 2 weeks' time.. 

[lilyphenix]

@2b2k Maybe you're referring to my post, but I'm not sure...  I haven't finished watching episode 22 yet (I'm forced to take a break), so when I wrote the theory about DM's boss not killing him, I didn't know yet if he had survived or not. From reading other posts I saw that he did. (I'm happy!). Not sure how he survived, but his boss probably thought he stood a chance against the ocean since he overcame not just his men, but him too, to some extent. If the cut of the blade wasn't too deep, I'm guessing that he regained consciousness while underwater, and swam to the shore. His boss showed him mercy by not asking his men to stick around to make sure he had died in the waters.

[bedifferent]

New high.^^ Intense Episode 22.

 

AGB Nielsen Ratings:

 

Episode 1   7/7/18       8.852%

Episode 2   7/8/18       9.691%

Episode 3   7/14/18    10.082%

Episode 4   7/15/18    10.567%

Episode 5   7/21/18    10.835%

Episode 6   7/22/18     11.713%

Episode 7  7/28/18      11.114%

Episode 8  7/29/18      12.330%

Episode 9  8/3/18        11.695%

Episode 10  8/4/18      13.534%

Episode 11  8/11/18    12.792%

Episode 12  8/12/18    13.399%

Episode 13  8/18/18    13.327%

Episode 14  8/19/18    15.626%

Episode 15  8/25/18     12.893%

Episode 16  8/26/18   15.023%

Episode 17  9/1/18        7.694% *

Episode 18  9/2/18     14.722%

Episode 19  9/8/18      14.114%

Episode 20  9/9/18      16.500%

Episode 21 9/15/18     14.280%

Episode 22 9/16/18     16.588%

 

Source

 

Park Jung Min appeared in episode 22 as Ahn Jung-geun who will later assassinate Prime Minister Ito Hirobumi three years later in 1910.

 

Spoiler

tVN

 

 

Not sure if these have been posted.  BTS.

 

Spoiler

 

 

Spoiler

 

Credit:  tVN

[rubie]

Park Jung Min's cameo in MR. SUNSHINE (ep.22) ~

 

 

EC introduces himself as Choi Yu Jin and not Eugene Choi. He probably had a 3-year in-depth analysis on his true identity. 

 

It's probably at this point when Ahn Chang Ho (PJM) said that he's one of the RA, that EC realized what he wanted to do all along. This encounter in America probably showed him ways to help Joseon. 

[kansas424]

Emotional review of Mr Sunshine EP21 by this wonderful gentleman.

[cynkdf]

Don't know if it's been mentioned here - in ep 21 during Dong Mae & Hina scene on the beach, there is a beautiful new (I think?) OST, and a few tweets say it's by Ben (I think so too). For me as a fan of Hwang Chi Yeul I am hoping the new OST will be the final OST and not as sad  a song as HCY's, as this would mean (a) HCY's song will be the next OST released (b) the ending won't be entirely tragic.

[saturn]

Quote

Park Jung Min appeared in episode 22 as Ahn Jung-geun who will later assassinate Prime Minister Ito Hirobumi three years later in 1910.

 

Park Jung Min's character is Ahn Changho. He was a Korean independence activist and one of the early leaders of the Korean-American immigrant community in the United States. He is also referred to as his pen name Dosan (도산; 島山 [tosʰan]). He established the Shinminhoe (New Korea Society) when he returned to Korea from the US in 1907. It was the most important organization to fight the Japanese occupation of Korea. He established the Young Korean Academy (흥사단; 興士團) in San Francisco in 1913 and was a key member in the founding of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea in Shanghai in 1919. 
More in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahn_Changho

[rubie]

Back with family

 

Source: Wowtv

[saturn]

Some more real history:

 

The young military academy student Yi Jun Young (actor Jang Dong Yoon) seems like Kim Jwa-jin in real history, an military leader & educator.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Chwa-chin

 

His character name Yi Jun Young is another real person, who was a student of royal military academy and was killed at Nam Dae Mun Battle (in ep.22), on the day the Korean army was dismissed.

 

More about Namdaemun Battle (1.Aug.1907)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namdaemun_Battle

 

More about Yi Jun Young, a righteous army soldier. (from official website of Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs)
http://www.mpva.go.kr/narasarang/gonghun_view.asp?id=6223&ipp=10

 

[q4q4]

Who else was literally in tears throughout ep 22?!?! 

 

I'm gonna need a full week to recover, I'm a wreck

[Chellsee]

"Mr. Sunshine" Lee Seung-joon Pressured to Take His Own Life

 

 

On the latest episode of the tvN drama "Mr. Sunshine", Lee Wan-yong and Song Byung-joon pressured Gojong (Lee Seung-joon) to kill himself.

 

Lee Wan-jong scolded Gojong for sending a secret convoy to Hague and Song Byung-joon told him to take responsibility for it.

Lee Wan-yong even had him at gun point and Gojong said he'd abdicate the throne, but not give them the country.

 

Meanwhile, Goo Dong-mae (Yoo Yeon-seok) saved Go Ae-sin (Kim Tae-ri) from danger and fell into the sea after being stabbed by the leader of his gang.

 

Eugene Choi (Lee Byun-hun) heard about the atrocities committed by Japan in Korea from Ahn Chang-ho (Park Jung-min).

 

https://www.hancinema.net/spoiler-mr-sunshine-lee-seung-joon-pressured-to-take-his-own-life-122306.html

[rubie]

Captures: SE Daily

 

My Boss.. My Friend.. My Honor ..

 

 

Credit: @beeeee2er

 

[bedifferent]

@saturn  thanks for the correction, I was wrong.

 

I am wondering if Hee-Sung is fictionalized for some historical newspaperman.  He received the camera gift from Eugene to record history.

 

There was a question earlier about Ae-Shin’s US identity.  Marrying Eugene doesn’t automatically give her citizenship.  Eugene has to file petition for a visa (which was the forged document) so she can enter US as a permanent resident.  She would have to wait and apply for citizenship a few years later.

 

Regarding the treason part, he shot the American Japan consulate window.  As a military man, shooting your own government building violates all kinds of codes, including the possibility of declaring war against your own country (treason).  He did give reasons for his actions which at the time, something he knew and depended on being arrested to save both of them.  

[rubie]

A great sacrifice by the business-minded HN for Joseon.. it's like the center point of MR.SUNSHINE, farewell GLORY HOTEL you've served many so well and now becomes the perfect point of retaliation.

 

It may have been blown up but we can build one of our own.. 

 

Clip: OXFORD Block

[elfvanvan]

@rubie

Major Kyle Moore..hands down The best boss ever.. 

Edited September 17, 2018 by elfvanvan

[Chellsee]

Poster for OST Part 13.

 

Source: http://hei.hankyung.com/hub01/201809172972I

 

[marfisa]

@bedifferent thank you for the explanation. Still, I think the wife of an American (put aside the forged document) should be protected even without the visa that she would get later.  As a wife I think she was entitled to some rights  anyway, and she was in clear danger. I recall Kyle said something I did not hear clearly about these people (the head of consulate and maybe the judge) when he met again Eugene. What did he say?

[lilyphenix]

Oh my!!! I almost fell off my chair and thought this day would never come! HS got a marriage proposal?! The girl is so bold, I'm dying of laughter! This is great! 

 

Edited to add: and she's offering him a flower that will never wilt. I just forgave the writer right now for all the heartbreaks she gave me! 

 

Spoiler

"This flower will never wilt."

aka "My love for you will never falter." 

 

[kansas424]

Eugene came back and the first thing he saw was his wife engulfed in fire explosion......!! 

[rubie]

September 16, 2018

 

'Mr. Sunshine’ ratings winner for Saturday night

Hit drama series “Mr. Sunshine” came out on top of Saturday night’s ratings war, with viewership averaging 14.3 percent.

 

Saturday night ratings figures from Nielsen Korea showed tvN’s Saturday-Sunday nighttime show “Mr. Sunshine,” starring Lee Byung-hun, had peak ratings of 16.1 percent, beating all other programs on air, including MBC’s “Hide and Seek” and SBS’ “Let Me Introduce Her.”

 

On Saturday’s episode, viewers watched Eugene Choi and Go Ae-shin travel to Japan together after Choi proposed to Go with a ring.

 

(tvN)

 

Go also tells Choi she has held feelings for her for a while, but the two briefly part ways in Japan before assassinating Takashi Mori, a high-ranking Japanese military official, who posed a great threat to Joseon’s independent future.

 

While the two were successful in the mission to kill Mori, they were soon discovered and found themselves on the run. 

 

The episode ends with the two arriving at the US legation in Japan and surrounded by armed US government officials, drumming up anticipation for the next episode. 

 

The 22nd episode of the show will air Sunday at 9 p.m., with the last two episodes scheduled to air a week later.

 

By Yim Hyun-su (hyunsu@heraldcorp.com)