Mr. Sunshine | Korean Drama | Netflix Original Series
Mr.Sunshine is a Netflix original series Korean drama released in 2018. It is 24 episodes and each episode is intense and captivating.
This series is historical fiction but paints an accurate picture of relations between the Koreans, the Japanese, and the Americans during the late 1800s/early 1900s. In the first episode, there is a major battle between the United States and Joseon (Korea). This is a recreation of an actual historical event that occurred in 1871.
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Meet Mr. Sunshine
Eugene Choi / Choi Yoo-jin (played by Lee Byung-hun) is Mr. Sunshine.
If you want to know how he got that name, you will have to watch the series. When he is first introduced, he is a child slave and the only spot of sunshine in his hard-knock life is the fact that he has loving parents. However, his parents are also slaves and their master intends to separate this loving family by giving the mother away as a “gift” to one of his friends.
Their escape attempt is a failure.
The parents try to escape. As punishment, his father is beaten to death. His mother quickly reacts to this tragedy by grabbing a hairpin and using it like a dagger. She aims it at the belly of the pregnant wife of the master’s son and threatens the master. Basically, she said: “If you kill my child, I’ll kill your unborn grandchild!” She could not save her husband, but she was determined to save her son. She tells her son to run for his life.
How did Choi Yoo-Jin escape?:: Choi Yoo-jin runs away. When His mother thinks he has gotten far away, she commits suicide. The master sends slave hunters to catch the boy and bring him back. The tragic deaths of his parents put him on a completely different path. During his escape, he meets an old Korean man who has business dealings with a man from America.
The old man convinces the American to take the child with him back to America. His American “savior” changes his name from Choi Yoo-jin TO Eugene Choi. Life as a young Asian child in America was not exactly easy. But it became better when he enlisted in the military. He rises through the ranks and eventually becomes a Captain in the United States Marine Corps (USMC).
Captain Choi’s Special Assignment: As far as he is concerned, he owes no loyalty to the country that never did anything for him. He has no intention of ever going back “home”. But the top military brass in the USMC believes that because he is from Joseon, he is the perfect soldier to send as an American representative to help improve relations between the USA and Joseon. Ah well! He can’t refuse to go back It’s an order!
Captain Choi’s Unofficial Assignment: Once back in Joseon, he carries out his official duties but he also plans to carry out his unofficial duty. He intends to confront the people who caused the death of his parents. He’s no longer a slave, but a high-ranking US military official. While serving as an American representative, he also crosses paths with several other people and becomes involved in the activities of a group called The Righteous Army. His involvement with this organization is also an unofficial duty.
In Joseon, Eugene Choi meets the woman who will become his one and only love; two men who have connections with this woman; and a successful businesswoman.
- Go Ae-shin: While in Joseon, Captain Choi met and fell in love with Go Ae-shin (played by Kim Tae-ri). She is a Joseon noblewoman, a skilled sniper, and a loyal member of the Righteous Army.
- Kim Hee-sung: No K-drama is complete without a love triangle. Eugene Choi met Kim Hee-sung ( played by Byun Yo-han), an extremely wealthy Joseon nobleman, and was supposed to have him marry Go Ae-shin. Even though she fell in love with Choi, he loved her just the same. It turns out, Kim Hee-sung is also that “unborn child” who almost died the same day Captain Choi’s parents died.
- Goo Dong-mae: Yoo Yeon-seok plays the character Goo Dong-mae (his Korean name) and Ishida Sho (his Japanese name). His father fought against the Americans during the 1871 battle depicted in Episode 1. After his father’s death, he fled to Japan, joined a Japanese criminal organization, and returned to Joseon as a violent angry gangster. He felt he had a justifiable reason for being violent and angry toward the country; but not toward Go Ae-shin. Those two had a “history” with each other from when they were children.
- Lee Yang-hwa: Finally, Kim Min-jung plays Lee Yang-hwa (her Korean name) and Kudo Hina (her Japanese name).. Her father was a greedy and corrupt man who only loved himself and was only loyal to the Almighty Dollar. He forced her to marry a rich Japanese man in order to get his money. When she became a widow, she returned to Joseon to manage the “Hotel Glory”, a property that she inherited after the death of her husband. While in Joseon, Captain Choi stayed at her hotel.
Only on Netflix
Mr. Sunshine was broadcasted on the Korean channel tvN and with its final broadcast on September 30, 2018, it became the third highest-rated drama in Korean cable television history. In 2020, TIME Magazine listed Mr. Sunshine on their list of the 10 best Korean dramas to watch on Netflix. As of February 2023, this TV series is Only on Netflix.
Mr. Sunshine is entertaining, educational, and emotional.
Each of the characters above will draw the viewer into their lives. The entire cast of actors and actresses gave stellar performances. They played their parts with such realism that you felt like you were there in history with them.
Many viewers and reviewers gave Mr. Sunshine a rating of 4.9 out of 5 stars and I agree. If I were compiling a list of the Top 10 Best Korean Dramas of All Time, this series would be on my list.
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