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


Go Seung Ji

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Hello all Sunshines!

 

I have been a silent lurker on this forum and I decided to sign up for an account. 

I appreciate the wonderful conversations here. I also love it when people share

beautiful fan art and those comic strips are hilarious!

 

I waited the entire day for the last episode's English subtitles. While waiting, I

decided to rewatch ep 23, ep 1 and 2. Rewatching the earlier episodes reminded

me of why I enjoyed this show so much. It is poetic, bittersweet, beautiful,

and simply wonderful. 

 

I got to see the beauty of Chosun in that time period. I witnessed a lovely "labu"

story between two people that would not happen before Joseon Dynasty. One

was from the noble family and the other as a slave.

 

Go Ae Shin wore beautiful hanboks. She lived in a beautiful hanok. As she

slowly walked out of her comfort zone and sheltered life, she started to see

things and learned from Eugene Choi. What Chosun was she fighting for?

She was strong and vulnerable at the same time. 

 

Eugene lived between two worlds. He ran away from his homeland to live.

He was always thinking about going somewhere. He wanted to belong

somewhere. But when he comes back to his homeland, he found solace and 

joy with Go AeShin. He smiled whenever he was with Go AeShin. 

 

I love the snippets when we hear Eugene's prayers to God. He also mentions

Joseph. And so, Eugene's death reminded me of Joseph's death. 

They held onto hope and helped people. They were Mr. Sunshines

The hope passed onto Go AeShin and Righteous Army members 

to fight for freedom. 

 

The second lead roles, Gu Dong Mae and Kudo Hina simply reminded us

that we are simply humans. Gu Dong Mae was ruthless yet he had a soft heart

to protect his loved ones. Kudo Hina was mysterious yet she held raw feelings.

She looked to Gu Dong Mae even she knew he loved Go Ae Shin. It was heart

wrecking, but she lived beautifully. She wore beautiful dressed. And eventually

she bought paintings and lived as Gu Dong Mae told her to do. 

 

As many people have expressed that this drama has made us learn a lot about

Korean history, we are also reminded of what power and control does. Betrayed

Chosun people become traitors and turn back on their own country. The Japans

used hatred to take control of the Chosun people. But there are the Chosun 

people who are willing to die for their country. Teenage Gunner Jang claimed

that he would not die like his father did. He eventually did and had a heroic, 

bittersweet death. He was brave. He was righteous. 

 

This was long and so I am going to end it here. I am going to rewatch this series.

If anyone wants to rewatch and analyze the episodes again, please let me know!

Thanks for reading if you got to the end! Haha (:
 

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Hello @pamonologues Finally, your first post at soompi. It's never too late to share your thoughts here. Love reading what you have posted. MR.SUNSHINE is just different.. just not the same as most Kdramas. Whatever we feel about it.. before or after the finale, it's really a drama that we've grown to appreciate so much.

 

Please continue to post your thoughts as you re-watch the drama, I'm sure there will be fans to join in and talk about the drama. We may be feeling a bit differently (angry, wary, disheartened, upset) right now due to the ending but I think, sooner or later.. the usual feeling of love for the drama will come around.

 

I'll definitely be stalking this drama thread to read future comments and sharing from new fans. So.. see you.. see you all again..

 

watermelon_slice_by_le_noodle.gif

 

LBH and YYS did not attend the wrap-party last month but they finally got together for a meal with the others. Perhaps, last night?

 

Photo: Kim Na Woon (Lady Cho, Ae Shin's aunt)

 

YuJo, Kyle, Eugene, Lady Cho, SeungGu, DongMae #MrSunshine

 

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Thanks @rubie

Thanks because I learned how to tag you in this post!

Thanks for reading my first post (:

 

I agree that Mr. Sunshine is really different from the 

other Kdramas out there! I do not know what can top it

unless it is another KES drama! 

 

I am just glad that this drama did not focus on Korea's

hatred towards Japan. Rather the focus was on the 

patriotism, hope, love, and the future of Korea. At the

back of my mind, I had watched Chinese dramas set in

WWII and the hatred towards Japan was strongggg.

Hatred will only lead to more hatred, but

love opens up more doors and expands boundaries.

 

 

And I am so glad that the cast got to meet up again!!

It is always to see them in Instagram posts because I

imagine that the characters outside of the drama live on!

 

--Edit. Side note:

Oh! I also enjoyed that some people shared the translations of

small scenes and explained why it was funny!! I need to find those

posts and thank those contributors!! (: It made me enjoy those

small scenes even more! 

 

I think I need to learn Korean. Does anyone have suggestions? 

Edited by pamonologues
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I think KES did warn us that she is a cruel woman...she is as cruel to us viewers as AS to Eugene.  We were too blind in love to see it or knew it was coming but still in denial.  Maybe in a fantasy W-like world Eugene was able to pull a 007 move and survived that horrendous final destination on the train. I can't believe I said this because for the same reason I can no longer watch Bond (how many times can he escape deathsss plurals???) but I was really rooting for Eugene to live, poor guy never had a break since AS entered his life. I get it that this is war and sacrifice is inevitable and I am totally okay with character's death as long as it's meaningful.  However, many deaths in the last 2 episodes are just too forced and unnecessary, mainly to drain out tears from the viewers.  Overall it was a very good drama and I thoroughly enjoyed the discussion in this forum. Hope to see you all again in a more sunshiny project.

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Hello Sunshiners,

 

The last few episodes had sent us on an emotional roller coaster ride. :tears: However, I just want to mention that writer KES did a great job by including the scene where the Righteous Army was photographed and documented in history by Canadian journalist - Frederick Arthur McKenzie. 

 

iitcP0g.jpg

This photo was taken in 1907 and published in FA McKenzie's book "Tragedy in Korea".

 

ExzlVmN.jpg

Capture from Episode 24

 

Seeing the real photo makes this even more moving and surreal. Salute to the brave Right Army soldiers for fighting until the end. :heart:

 

Nonetheless, Mr. Sunshine is one of the best movie-like drama and has left an everlasting impression thanks to the writer, director, cast, and production team! :thumbsup:

 

 

 

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6 hours ago, seabysea18 said:

A few questions, hope you can enlighten me (sorry my mind went blank many times in this episode):

1- What was the scene of them eating fish and casually chatting in the end? I didn't get what it was for, like a whiplash to me. And I am just too traumatized to go back and rewatch it...

2- Why did DM die? I get that he was killed by the ronins but what was that for? He could have died when his master slashed him in Japan.  So KES revived him so that he can have the last words with the two ladies in his life, that's it? I don't get his death that's what I am trying to say. 

 

Not sure what KES is thinking but I'll try:

 

(1) Fish-eating:  Rather typical of k-dramas, especially of sad ending -- perhaps to soften the impact after a hard blow they deliver into our guts? They did that in Moonlovers Scarlet Heart ... Hae Soo & Wang So are split apart by centuries (literally-speaking), so the last scene was a flash-back of King WS having fun piggy-backing Lady HS -- which left us scratching our heads going "What Gives??!! "  :blink: 

 

Look at it this way:  I had to put my cat to sleep -- her death is devastating but I will always remember our great times together. EC caught fish for AS to eat ~ oh so romantic; my cat caught dead mouse for me ~ and freaked me out ... TWICE!  Still I miss her and it had been fun.

 

(2) DM's Death:  He is already in bad shape, probably never recovered from that injury, only used opium to suppress pain -- death is inevitable, just a question of how. I prefer to believe that the writer chose to take him out in a more glorious way -- DM has some good in him. That said, DM had been ruthless -- killing indiscriminately at times. It cannot go unpunished, so his body is dragged, which is humiliating. Why not fight for Chosun and die honorably? -- that is not the DM we know. 

 

Death ... if you are a good guy, hopefully you die with dignity or honor (go down fighting) and bestowed a nice burial; if you are an A-hole, then you die lamely (Mori, LWI) or your body is treated disrespectfully. 

 

****************************

In retrospect...

 

* We are optimistic people, we continue to believe there is hope despite all the hints:  

~  Sad Ending -- the phrase that keep appearing 

~  HN admonishes AS that because she chose to pick up the gun, she has caused harm to 3 men 

~  HS carries the burden of his ancestor's cruelty. Chinese believe that among the 3 great sins, the worst is to have no descendants (Chinese thinking has a lot of influence on the Koreans and Japanese) -- HS's death is punishment of their evil deeds

~  EC's repeatedly stated to God that he is willing to exchange his life for AS -- hence EC has willed his LOVE for AS to LIVE 

 

* I remember a comment about Star Wars Rogue One:  We knew they (the Rebels) would die, but we didn't think they would ALL die !! I guess it's the same with Mr Sunshine ~ AS (a parallel to Princess Leia perhaps) is someone of the future generation and has to be alive to lead. 

 

****************************
What more can we ask for EC? 

A son of Chosun by birth, a naturalized American by choice, an ex-soldier who died bravely and honorably, remembered by many fondly, buried in the foreigners' plot but in Chosun soil.

 

Sad ending it may be, but I grudgingly admit, it did close out appropriately. 

 

 

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I woke up this morning and I came here to read the comments. Well, the fact is that I am not recovering from this drama’s finale. I wonder when I will feel better. It happened to me for just another show, and the feeling lasted long time. I am angry because the writer got me, and the actors as well: with the story and the acting they made me fall in love for the main characters,  mostly with Eugene. And then killed them all, except the one I liked the less... uhm... good job...

 

@aurelionsol I agree with what you said. Why they took that train? It is a huge plot mistake: it is not believable that the most wanted RA fighter, whose face was on every wall, could take a train, even disguised like that (in western clothes she would attract more attention, imho). It was suicidal even if they were not ambushed as the Japanese knew they were to take it. There could be other ways to get secretely that place. And they left Eugene out. She was leaving him behind, as she didn't tell him anything. But why? Eugene as a former soldier could be a great strategist, and in fact he was. I thought he was welcomed in the RA and instead he was kept out of the decisions. It does not make sense at all. Then, he tracks her, finds out that the Japanese are setting an ambush and dies. May I swear?

 

@kansas424  yes,  that stupid scene worked only because of the outstanding acting skills of the actors, mainly because of Lee Byung Hun.  An actor who I saw for the first time here in this drama, but now I am a fan of him forever. I hope this sad drama, being watched by a wide international audience, will lead to get to him better parts in western movie, that will suit his skills, much more than the mere GI Joe blockbuster movies he did till now.

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You know.. when you can't stop crying even if you tried.. your chest hurts instead. Only seen the train snippets last night but now, after seeing the whole episode makes the tears come out harder. Never thought it would be this bad. There's no hysterics or over-dramatic acting but the most heartfelt and selfless sacrificing act of love that really made the scene so powerful.

 

I still hoped that Eugene would live but earlier on, he saw how Joseon (the people) stood together creating a barricade to protect Ae Shin on the road from the Japanese soldiers, it dawned to him that Joseon needs her more. Not just him. EC realized that he's there to make sure she lives. It's a desperate situation on the train.. really a death trap to be exact. He had to quickly decide a plan to safeguard AS, just like in Japan in front of the American Legation. This time, he has no back-up..  one bullet and his life.

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:bawling: I am still traumatised by the ending. 

 

Here is the last BTS making video that can at least cheer my poor wounded heart a little.

 

For Dong Mae and Hina shippers, there is a part where YYS pulled KMJ to the sea which will make you go awww...:wub:.....And KTR pulling LBH’s hand to hold in the train.......haha....:D

 

Link to full video

 

Part 1 of video.

 

Part 2 of video.

Part 3 of video.

 

 

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October 1, 2018

 

'Mr. Sunshine' gives new life to independence fighters

 499df47b5df14303ba3a99dee390308c.jpgThis photo taken by British war correspondent Frederick Arthur McKenzie in 1907 shows the members of the Righteous Army in Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi Province. / Photo from Frederick McKenzie's "Korea's Fight for Freedom"

 

By Park Jin-hai The Korea Times

 

The 24-part blockbuster drama "Mr. Sunshine" finished its journey Sunday, rekindling viewers' attention to the forgotten freedom fighters who had sacrificed their lives for the independence of Korea on the verge of Japan's annexation.

 

The popular TV series has left burning flames in viewers' hearts. 

 

In the last episode, ordinary people _ bakers, street vendors, pawn shop owners and many more young and old _ joined the freedom fighters called the "Righteous Army" to stand up to the repression of the Japanese military. 

 

Hiding in the mountains, the Righteous Army soldiers who have been struggling with jammed old rifles and running out of bullets tell a foreign correspondent interviewing them, "We know that all of us are bound to die if we continue this fight. But, we'd absolutely hate to live as Japanese slaves. We'd much rather die as free men."

 

The big budget drama, written by star writer Kim Eun-sook, is set in Korea in the late 1800s and early 1900s before the Japanese occupation, and tells of a wartime romance between Korean-born U.S. Marine Eugene Choi (played by veteran actor Lee Byung-hun) and Ko Ae-shin (Kim Tae-ri), a noblewoman-turned-assassin.

 

It bid goodbye to viewers in its last episode featuring hope. 

 

464e2e5f9e0040d682e020c8de5f5ee3.jpg
Kim Tae-ri plays independence fighter Ko Ae-shin in "Mr. Sunshine." / Courtesy of CJ ENM

 

After the deaths of her lover Choi and other comrades, Ko flees to Manchuria where she trains young freedom fighters. She says, "Those were glorious days. Each of us was a flame, and all of us bloomed, were burnt and wilted vehemently. And once again, we wish to ignite the embers left by our comrades… Goodbye, my comrades. See you again when our country regains its independence." 

 

The last episode garnered more than an 18 percent viewership rating, a record high for the drama. 

 

Many viewers initially cast anticipation and concern at the same time for the first long epic drama of Kim, known for her long track record of trendy romance dramas including "Lovers in Paris," "A Gentleman's Dignity," "Descendents of the Sun" and "Guardian: The Lonely and Great God." 

 

Despite some clamoring for involving historical facts in the drama, particularly because it airs globally through Netflix, the drama born under the "rom-com master" writer shows how far a Korean drama can go with its storytelling, massive scale and stunning cinematography. 

 

The drama starts from an interesting point, raising a question that has remained unanswered. 

 

Choi, who was a slave boy and returned to Joseon as an American, in telling his past that forced him to leave the country at the age of nine, asks Ko, "I was a slave. Regarding the country you're trying to save, I wonder who is it for? Is there a life for butchers? Is there a life for slaves?"

 

fde6162a36af44abb3564103f2fb20e7.jpg
Lee Byung-hun plays U.S. marine Eugene Choi in "Mr. Sunshine." / Courtesy of CJ ENM

 

While many epic dramas revolve around the era from the perspective of those in power, "Mr. Sunshine" shed detailed light on those deemed peripherals such as women and the lower classes and successfully laid out contradictions and hope in the fast-evolving Late Joseon period, when slaves were freed, and foreigners and Western culture were introduced before Japan annexed the Korean Peninsula.

 

"It has lifted the level of TV shows by a notch and fulfilled viewers' drama expectations. Let alone its cinematography and completion of work, it has shown the deep storytelling a drama can deliver," culture critic Hwang Jin-mi said. "Although it was an era of great historical importance, it has been largely left untouched. With the past shedding new light, it shows some points that today's Korea parallels with late Joseon in some aspects." 

 

Kim Kyo-suk, another culture critic, agrees. "Although it is fiction, the TV series has contributed to raising viewers' awareness of history. The drama is fun and meaningful." 

 

Also notable were the strong female characters. "Previous epic dramas used to focus on male characters who fought for the fate of the country. If the drama followed this pattern, it should be Ko's fiance, a rich man who wakes up to reality and decides to live a different life and join the freedom fighters. But in this drama, the strong female character Ko leads the story," Hwang said.

 

"It was an expanded version of Kim's drama world," Kim said. "Dealing with the less-talked-about historical era, she succeeded in telling a fresh epic story with romance added in."


jinhai@koreatimes.co.kr 

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Despite the many tragic events and deaths of all the characters that we loved, despite crying my eyes out and breaking my heart into tiny little pieces, I would say that I really love this drama. There is probably no other drama that can top it for now. It has set the bar so high that the others just pale in comparison. 

 

Towards the end, the date goes to the year 1919, I was pleasantly surprised to see a grown-up Domi at the grave of Eugene.

 

Just as AeShin herself said: "Each one of us was a flame." I am reminded of that quote: "It only takes one spark to light a fire inside you." I think it was a fitting conclusion. The fire continues to burn. Their fight goes on.

 

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