tvN Period Drama Mr. Sunshine Garners Continued Directorial and Acting Praise as Ratings Break 12% in Episode 8

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• While I do understand the praises of the cinematography and the acting, I really can say that the story is moving at a very very snail mode pace.

  Acting wise, I just couldn't give praise to LBH. I know he is supposed to be a stoic man with regards to his painful past but his expression and the voice (what's with him trying to sound like a Christian Bale's Batman) really irritate me. And his Eugene is damn boring. There is no chemistry between him and KTR and he just don't bring anything to the show.

  KTR is doing as much as she could but I am not so easily fooled by the strong woman vibe that KES trying to sell through her character. Ae Shin been chasing Eugene day in and day out and just to keep consistent that she is strong, they made her doing a little shooting once in a while.

  The only ones that kept me hooked are Yoo Yeon Seok and Byun Yo Han. Despite their limited screen-time, I can already feel their complexity without trying too hard. Kim Min Jung exaggerated her performance and I thank god for her lack of screentime.

  The scene where Ae Shin returned the American's rifle really had me laughing because that was it. Just return it there and then when they were so much fiasco over it in the first place. And that useless Sgt Moore could even came out of nowhere asking Eugene what was happening and don't even give a damn when someone actually sneaking into their building. And the triangle face-off between the three male leads in the final scene of episode 7? Really? So much intensity over a girl? What the heck?

  My takes so far is that those conflict, freedom fighter movement whatever crap there is just serve as a background to bring Ae Shin and Eugene in the same frame and the only thing KES cares to tell is "What is LOVE? Let's do LOVE together! L is LOVE! E is for EUGENE". I could foresee myself dropping this show (if not for YYS and BYH) by next week.

  • I honestly don’t agree with your take on the freedom fighter movement serving as a background story for the two’s love story.

    The whole love story didn’t actually begin until 8 episodes later and the story has been much focused on the politics.

    Even with the love story I’m each episode the two have like 2 or 3 scenes together in each episodes. If anything it feels like the three guys interact with each other more than any of them interact with the female lead.

    This doesn’t seem to be a story about freedom fighters. More like a story about everyone from slave to King to foreigner. Everyone story seems to be evenly told.

  • Kim Min Jung tends to overact a lot and her face annoys me. I feel sorry for Kim Taeri that her debut drama has to be a KES drama when she is capable of playing more complex characters. Byun Yo Han seems to be the most interesting out of them all. All in all, Goblin and DOTS were garbage and Heirs was trash when it came to storytelling. The thing is KES can’t write a believable plot. She has good concepts, her characters are compelling on paper, her lines and phrases are catchy but other than that, the plot of her dramas are always predictable and messy.

  • Agree. His growl is bothersome. I am losing patient over the plot that is barely moving. I only saw progression in relationship between the characters and then, the normal cheesiness as in KES dramas which is my reason for dropping all of her previous shows. The drama is impressive on the production value but poor in storytelling.

• 40 billion won just get 13% rating it's really high for tv cable. Cinematography was beautiful but was slow and boring. I beat this will get 20% rating in the end.

• All i can say is boring and bad script writing. Waste of money and actually NO ONE to carry the drama.

• I love this drama. Very smart. Im just like those koreans who love this drama so much. Im waiting fie every single episode cuz it's worth watching. This one is literally one of the greatest beside Life On Mars. A daesang will be great for this drama. Best actors, best writernim, best pd, best cinematography.... Best of the best.

  Mr. Sunshine and life on mars fighting!!!!

  • I think life of mars is worthy of a daesang award. JKH is amazing in LOM. Actually all the characters are amazing. The script is tight and conversations engaging. The cliffhangers at the end of each episode makes me wanting more. The cinematography and lighting and also music compliments the scenes. The set and atmosphere is believably 1988. I am all praises for life in mars. Such an awesome drama, it deserves more attention.

    • LOM is based off an existing script and plot so its not as deserving of praise as Mr Sunshine which is completely original. The acting is good in LOM but only by the three main leads meanwhile the acting throughout Mr Sunshine is amazing. Even the supporting characters with very small screentime have left an impression.

    • Everything else is fine but LBH performance. He is a frozen delight. I could understand his shallow performance if he is a newbie but he is a veteran actor. At least he could bring out a better interpretation of his character but nah...his performance is so bland and boring.

      As to the overall quality, this drama is well made. The cinematography is amazing. I hope all kdramas has this level of quality. As to the storytelling, well it’s KES.. what else we can expect? The flow of the story is slow but I think Korean viewers love her style.

• I am beyond surprised this drama is boring people. It is such a touching story and someone made a comparison to Game Of Thrones, in a way that you almost wish you could live the world of Joseon through the way it is portrayed. As well as the attachment to every character including the minor ones.

  I absolutely Adore this drama and many praises to Kim Eun Suk for this gem. More than anything I have have more praises to the director of this drama because he knows when to pause on the moment perfectly.

  I’m in love with all three romantic interests!!! I wish all the episodes would be replaced at once.

• I agree with Yui...it is the best of the best. The cinematography is simply AWESOME. The costumes and wardrobe are both beautiful and stunning. Can't wait for next episode.

• YYS’s character is breaking my heart! He is just so tragic from beginning to end, I really hope for a good ending for him.
  I got nexflix on free trial just to watch this show and I don’t mind paying until it ends then cancelling. It’s completely wooooorth it!
  Aside from the scenes between the main leads I sometimes forget that this is the same writer who wrote DOS.
  I’m not even surprised it’s doing well in ratings, netizens having been praising it too. (Aside from the petition to remove it off air lol).

  • Agree with you on the drama. By the way, keep nexflix, theres alot of korean & chinese dramas coming on^.^

• Honestly reading comments that say this drama is boring baffles me!
  This is honestly one of KES best dramas in recent times and I'm so excited for the episodes to come.
  The acting in this is phenomenal and I realised if any lesser actors were given the roles they wouldn't have been able to produce the same quality.
  The story is coming together fabulously and its shaping up to be an amazing drama!

• I'm actually not surprised this drama comes off as boring for international audiences especially those whose countries don't drill the notion of patriotism and loyalty into their bloods. This is a drama made entirely for the Korean audience and their strong sense of patriotic loyalty towards the motherland which the older generation especially takes very seriously. Not only that it also addresses the questions of class, slavery, citizenship and inequality in a changing world. This is very very different from what Kim Eun Sook is used to doing so I'm actually surprised with the amount of detail she's put into this drama. This might just be the best piece of work she'll ever write.

  • There are other great patriotic dramas with out draging slow motion and slow pacing of script. Using huge money and beautiful scenery to cover up the slowness and draggyness of her script. BRIDAL mask fast pace, gritty action, awsome script a whole new level of acting talent by villain and hero. Joseon gunman an absolutely realistic story about the fall of joseon no glorified super hero to save the day but how the hero lost the oportunity to save his country due to his weakness the most real drama i have seen there are many more patriotic dramas very good ones. This one is the WORST. Lee byun hyuns performance is underwhelming with all the botox. The star power of lee byung hyun and recently rose to stardom actress from hand maiden thats it. Unless she drastically improves her script
    nothing is here.

    • Exactly. Even the late Joseon plot in Chicago Typewriter has more substance and ripped your heart out by the finale. This show simply has no heart. And this coming from me whose country was colonized by Britain and Japan.

    • Bridal mask was less politics more action. Chicago Type writer was less politics and more romance.

      This time period KES is writing about is so sensitive to everyone everyone is watching her every moves. She has less freedom than other writers to be creative because the Korean audience want to actually know facts not romanticize everything hence why the petition to take it off air is going around.

  • This is nonsense. There are many dramas and movies out there which portray important Korean history but the writers still are able to write a proper story, interesting character and have a good pacing.

    KES isn't talented in writing dramas. She should stick with movies, so she doesn't have to write over the cause of 16 to 20 episodes. Her plots never fill those hours.

    • Okay then name a historical drama that created a national controversy to the point where historians were involved and a large population petitioned it off tv.

      I’ll wait.

• LBH is old and ugly. I lost all respect for him after his allegedly scandal. I'm surprised he still gets leading role.

  • The comments here are laughable and so immature.