Mr. Sunshine

Have you all checked out the weekly drama Mr. Sunshine staring Lee Byung Hyun?

If you haven’t, you definitely should!

It stars handsome Lee Byung as Eugene Choi (Yu-jin Choi), a US Marine Corps officer deployed to Korea. He was actually born in Korea as a slave but had to escape after his mother and father died. 

The first few episodes will have your mouth dropped to the floor with it sharing the backstory of the characters to come. 

Set in early 1900’s Hanseong (former name of Seoul) when Japan and America were fighting to take control of areas in Korea; the story unearths the inner struggles of Korea fighting to capture its nation back.

Honestly, I’m angry with Netflix for giving it such a boring teaser resulting in me not wanting to watch it. But a friend came over for dinner and suggested we try it out and boy was it a great idea! Now every Saturday and Sunday at 10AM I’m sitting at the computer waiting for the next adrenaline inducing episode to release.

Another reason it really hooked me was because of the powerful roles the women play. In the first 2 episodes you have 2 mothers literally put a knife to someones throat and sacrifice themselves to protect their children. If you’re a KDrama watcher like me you’ll know strong female characters aren’t a common sight in a lot Kdramas.

Also other powerful women in the series are mysterious, gun slinging Go Ae-Sin (Kim Tae Ri), a noble woman and love interest of Eugine. And then there’s the Korean blood, Japanese bred Kido Hina aka Lee Yang Hwa (Kim Min Jung) owner of Glory Hotel that most of the characters stay at. Both female characters move the story along and unearth crucial clues to keep themselves and other characters safe and on the path to freeing Korea.

Another really amazing commodity is how the writers are able to make us care for each character and understand their perspective even if it’s for or against Korea. Goo Dong Mae (Choi Min Young) is a perfect example of a character teetering between two worlds, deciding which to be loyal to. The story allows us to see his inner thoughts as his mind churns on to save struggling Korea or be loyal to powerful Japan.  I also enjoy how each character, according to their nationality, is able to convey their message through their own language either it be English, Korean or Japanese. It allows us to follow them through their thought process and allows us to determine their righteousness.

I definitely can’t leave out the hilarious but crucial Kim Hee Sung (Byun Yo Han) who’s tied to every story in the series. He’s another characters mind we’re able to enter as he fights with the sins of his family and how he can atone for the sins of each. 

With a stellar cast and array of plot twists, Mr. Sunshine is a show to not be missed. 

Check it out on Neflix every Saturday and Sunday.

Photo Credit: TvN