Mr. Sunshine

Very enjoyable series telling the early struggle of Korea to overcome Japanese influence and occupation. As with many Korean dramas we have lots of strong characters with fascinating back stories. All 3 male leads love a Korean noble lady who is also a freedom fighter and only one can win her heart. The series is well filmed and acted and the director wrings out the emotions very well. As it should be with all good series I was very sad to finish it.

The show is set in early 20th century Korea, few years away from being occupied by the Japanese Empire. The ruling Joseon dynasty has finally opened up their ports to Western powers and modernization is happening at an unprecedented pace for historically xenophobic Koreans.

The setting is a playground for showmakers to flaunt the beauties of multiple cultures: Korean, Japanese, and Western. And they flaunt them masterfully, coupled with the beautiful Korean geography. For every episode I was overtaken by the aesthetics of the show.

The show is also a subject of interest for history buffs. As Westerners watching the show, Korean history is probably the last thing we would be interested by. It is interesting to see how the show portrays adapting Korean people and how foreign involvements in Korea during the period played out. Also, the main character features a Korean-American Marine Corps captain. Sounds far-fetched? Surprisingly not, I have found.

And, of course, the romance. I should not say too much, but I will say that the show will make you cheer for the male and female leads.

In sum, this show offers no other show has to the greater international audience. I found Netflix to be quite dull when it comes to recent originals. But Netflix really outdid themselves this time around.

Yes, this is a romance but a wonderful non-gratuitous love story. Pact with historical themes, very interesting characters, class warfare, revenge and absolution. What I enjoyed most was the pacing of the story, it rarely gets "stuck". Also the cinematography was outstanding, capturing the highlights of the story and the beautiful set locations. I highly recommend listening to this in its native language because the rhythms of actors voices would be ruined by any "dub". Cannot say enough on how much I enjoy "waiting" for the weekends to get the next episodes of this show.

Haven't watched such a good series in years! Every episode feels like a movie. The cinematography and visuals are stunning, the score is hauntingly beautiful, the characters are full of depth and you can't help but develop an overwhelming attachment to them. Amazing actors. This has become My favourite series of all time

This is the most beautifully done series I've ever seen. Each frame of each shot was like a painting. The story is your typical historical k drama but because the cinematography is so on point it becomes like a beautiful story book. It's worth binge watching over and over again.