This review may contain spoilers
When I think of Descendants of the Sun, the first thing that comes to mind is cheese! This show is extra cheesy, and honestly I love cheese! Unfortunately, I am also kinda lactose intolerant, so after eating a certain amount of cheese I am left with regrets, and a stomach ache. That's exactly how I felt after watching the last episode. *Cue the rage of a thousand fans* I think the biggest problem I had with this show is that it tried to mix in three genres without a coherent plot to bring it all together. It's part rom-com, part military drama, and part hospital sitcom. The love story is probably what makes most people excited about the show, the military scenes are a cool action bonus, and the hospital sitcom keeps things from getting too heavy and depressing. Unfortunately, because the script is so weak, I was too disconnected to keep caring about the show, and it started to become very boring. I kept watching for one reason only Song Joong Ki.
Song Joong Ki is oddly cast in a lot of ways. He has a super baby face, and boyish charm, but still managed to be a believable bad@ss soldier. I would easily rate his character/acting 10. Not only did I develop a 16 episode crush on him, but I really cared about his assignments. The show would have been a million times more enjoyable for me if they just let his story be the center, or rather, the bromance between Shi Jin, and Dae Yeong. Their relationship was my favorite part of the show. Their characters didn't have much depth individually, but their bromance was solid.
There is also great chemistry between Song Joong Ki, and Song Hye Kyo, but not much to their overall story. Every moment with them is exactly the same - they flirt, they separate, she gets mad, he's extra charming, they flirt again. Early on, I really started to dislike Dr. Kang Mo Yeon, which made it hard to sympathize with her anger at him. Eventually I started to like her a little more, but no matter how cute their flirty scenes, or how strangely amusing their brink of death dating was, their story is still repetitive, which gets old quick.
The 2nd leads also had a romance, that had a few more obstacles thrown their way (parents, distance, almost dying), but was just as repetitive - fight, confess, spontaneous affection, fight. It's like each story just filled in the same blanks for each episode. It was actually the older minor characters who had the most interesting love story. I thought Seo Jeong Yeon and Lee Seung Jun were really cute, and deserve an honorable mention.
The supporting cast was pretty good. Some were much better than others, and some were almost completely useless (the head of the hospital... that ditzy doctor... ugh). I had to bring the acting down to an 8 because of that, but the cast is really the only good thing this show has going for it.
What was the point of this drama? At first it seemed like a way to show how hard it can be to date a soldier, but because the show didn't take itself seriously, it was hard for me to take that too seriously, even with that emotionally manipulative 15th episode. The conflicts at the hospital were ridiculous, and mostly filler. The best episodes took place when the medical staff went overseas to Urk, but once that was over, the show seemed to have no clue what to do. Did they run out of travel budget, so they decided to just wing it for the last episodes? Even in Urk, the plot was super predictable, and totally unrealistic, but it was still very entertaining (yummy Cheese!!!). When they returned, my feelings about the show went downhill, and I was no longer excited about watching the next episode. Then suddenly things got very serious out of nowhere, only to end with the silliest (and worst) last episode I've ever seen in any drama (yes THE worst!). I wonder if episode 15 was the original ending, and then it was changed last minute to avoid a backlash. That's the only thing I can think of as an explanation for why it was so bad.
The music? meh. The scenery? epic. The english spoken? decent. The shirtless men running? Daebak.
Would I rewatch? Not unless someone makes an edited version of only scenes with Song Joong Ki.
Overall It's like they rolled a kdrama dice and just threw stuff in at random to get people hooked, then they just focused on all the ways they can successfully incorporate product placement. Maybe that was the real point, to see how many ads they could sneak into a drama.
Even though there were moments I really enjoyed, I can't recommend this drama, especially after sitting through that ending. I wish they cut it down to 10 episodes, removing all the unnecessary fluff, and sneaky ads (subway, hyundai, make up, coffee, snacks, hiking equipments, travel apps... umm... except for the self driving car, because that scene was actually cool ) then maybe it would be a drama worthy of all the hype.
Or maybe you can treat my review like lactaid. Now that you know what to expect, maybe you can better digest all the cheese this show has to offer.
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Disclaimer: times have changed and so has my review now, but these were my initial thoughts after
Yes, I did rate this a 10, but let me explain. If you look at my other reviews, I'm not usually this generous so I do have my reasons for giving this one such high scores in every category.The story itself actually had a nice, steady pace. From my drama watching experience (and I have watched quite a lot), the show usually gets draggy around episode 10 to 14. This was NOT the case. From the very beginning it was so action packed and fast paced I wondered how the writers were going to keep this interesting for another 15 episodes. They proved me wrong though, and every episode felt like 3. The story itself, granted they did have the advantage of a unique setting, does not use the same plot devices as other dramas. It was just a perfect mix of humor, suspense, romance, and action. Those are very different genres but they managed to do it really well. There didn't seem to be a central storyline, but instead it was quite episodic which would usually turn me off. The drama, however, had such a good flow that I didn't even notice, and although the conflicts are episodic the romance and relationships between the characters were developed consistently.
The cast did so wonderfully. Not only were the main actors amazing, every actor breathed life into the supporting characters. They were not just there to support the leads. Each one of them actually had their own distinct personalities and characters that added so much substance to the show. The chemistry between the leads and the second leads was one of the best I've seen. Because of the setting and the dire situations they're put in, you can clearly see the development of the characters. And as a side note, though some of Song Joong Ki's lines may come off as cheesy as hell, he pulled it off so well I almost didn't even notice how cheesy they really were. In fact, they just added to his character.
The music is just so so so good. Usually I only find one or maybe two good songs per OST, but right now I have the entire OST on replay on my phone. It's that good.
That said, I would definitely definitely rewatch it. Normally I would have a couple critiques on my reviews, but honestly I couldn't have asked for a better show. Sure, the show has become really mainstream and may come off as overhyped, but that doesn't mean it loses it's value. If you're hesitant about trying it, don't be. Of my 140+ dramas, it's climbed to number 3. You won't regret it!
Now I'm just going to go into my little corner of post show depression :')
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The cinematography is drop dead gorgeous! The music? Ok, no complain, I’m not in love with it, but I have no problem with it either. I love the second lead couple more than the first lead couple, could be their storyline, their acting, their chemistry, but something about the second lead couple keeps you engaged, making you love them. Their lovestory is like a mini kdrama fold in this big drama.
The first lead couple frustrated me, while I love Song Joong Ki, I just can’t root for them. While Song Joong Ki is every part charming, soulful, thoughtful and dreamy, Song Hye Kyo is every part boring, annoying and I can’t think of one good thing about that character apart from she’s pretty! And why I can’t root for them? Mainly due to the amount of nagging Song Hye Kyo’s Character does! I know Song Hye Kyo meant to be a very good actress, maybe she was too convincing at being super annoying, but by the second or third episode, I just want Song Joong Ki to kick her to the curb and find another doctor. And it felt that the reason why he stays with her at all is because she’s pretty >_> and as the story goes on, their love story is nothing but boring, even during those “love” moments with OST music adding to the mood, I didn’t feel it and still think he’s better off with someone else. Even by the end, I don’t think they made for each other, I just don’t feel she’s his anchor.
In term of storyline, all I remember is some deadly missions (that seem ridiculous but i’ll give it a pass because at least it’s more entertaining than the lead’s romance), gangster type villains for the sake of villains, there are doctors and medical procedures but I’ve seen so many hospital shows that this show does not impress me on any level for me to even remember it! Trying to touch on humanitarian works of these doctors in war fueled country, but they didn’t dare going that far! Other than that, a military man tried to court a difficult girl to date him >_> and all she did was nag lol! Really want to love Song Hye Kyo, but the last drama I watched of her was full house, and while it was funny, ultimately I dropped it because all she did was whines and cry >_> Last and not least, the support cast (the nurse couples) is funny, I like them and the few things I listed above but overall, I can totally miss this show.
Rewatch value: well I didn’t rewatch any part of this drama to this date, nor do I want to go find mv of them!
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+/- Plot:
Overall, this drama's storyline was not terrible, I wouldn't say that it was every really dragging and I was never really bored. That being said I still have several complaints. The storyline of the lead couple was repetitive with them hashing and rehashing the same argument over and over; them going stead, him going away on a mission, her questioning if she can handle their relationship, something life threatening happening to her, he saving her, and her falling for him all over. They did at some moment have some cute scenes. However, I was actually finding myself more interested in the second lead couple's romance, even though it did follow some of the conventional Korean drama's storylines. All the adversities they faced while abroad were exciting, even if they were pretty unbelievable at times.
I couldn't believe how forgiving they were of the medical portions of this drama though. Everything was wrong on so many levels. I'm not asking that it has to be completely accurate, but for it to at least be somewhat believable. The scriptwriters were pretty shameless and flagrant about the minimal research they put into it.
Overall, it felt a little like they just tried to mash three different categories of dramas together (romantic comedy, action/suspense, and medical) and I really feel like they were just reaching at some points. And don't even get me started on the amount of advertisements they tried to weave in at every moment possible. I understand that this was an expensive production, but it was pretty unbelievable at the end. I could go on about my complaints, but if there's any DOTS fans reading this I will be burned at the stake as it is.
+/- Acting/Cast:
While there were moments when I was supposed to be saddened to tears in the last couple episodes, I wasn't. This just goes to say how unattached I was to all the characters, and speaks wonders about their acting. To be honest, I just found a majority of their acting a bit cheesy, overdone, and not convincing. I consider myself a fan of Song Joong Ki, but this drama was not effective for me. I was laughing at the "intense" moments and grimacing at a portion of the romantic scenes. Which leads me into Song Hye Kyo; she's cute and I'll leave it at that. I had problems with her character; indecisive and constantly nagging. I felt that Kim Ji Won and Jin Goo's romance was 10 fold better, which is probably why I was more interested in them.
McInnis David was fine to begin with, but let's just say I understand why he's not an A list American actor.
All the other side characters were decent, I would say that some unnecessary; but my favorite side characters were Dr. Song Sang Hyeon and nurse Ha Ja Ae. They played their innocent, sweet romance really well and it was cute to see them act together.
+/- Music:
There are several songs from well known artists, several of which have sung songs for other popular dramas. They were all pretty catchy for the most part, but I would say there was really only one or two songs that stood out too me.
Rewatch value: This drama wasn't so terrible that I couldn't rewatch it, however it would never be at the top of my list for dramas that I would watch again.
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People often think that because something is popular, means that it's good. Lots of people don't understand that something being popular doesn't necessarily correlate to the quality of it! Quality is what makes something popular, not the other way around. People are often get sucked into peer-pressure from talks and gossip and buy into the fact that something bad is actually good because people keep saying that it is.
Well, Descendant of the Suns is no exception here. One of the co-writers, Kim Eun-Sook, is revered as a popular screen writer who has written a slew of popular dramas in the past, but most of her dramas are not written very well (IMO). In the early 2000's, her writing style was a hitting trend in the drama business. Writing dramas with the happy-go-lucky damsel in distress with the misfortune of having to put up with a pompous rich and handsome chaebol who has a heart of ice that can only be melted by her cheerful attitude. But these days, the trend of dramas demands a little more realism and a deeper understanding and display of human emotions, instead of superficial dramatics scenes and fleeting emotions driven by the moment. Her characters lack depth, her plots are horrendous (and that's putting it nicely) and her pacing is erratic, if not, very inconsistent. I admit, I find two of her dramas, mildly entertaining, Lovers and Secret Garden. But Descendants of the Sun was just a complete and utter mess.
I don't know what this writer wanted to do with the army and soldier part of it all, because it just seemed like an excuse to somehow squeeze in some action into it, but the relationship development between the two leads were hard to watch. It was like a child pushing a naked Barbie and Ken doll together, and see if they'd make a baby. Kim Eun-sook literally did just this with our two leads, and created no real connection with the two aside from the super cliche bump into each other, hate each other, share a memory or two and (BAM!) fall in love. The feelings that Yoo Shi-jun had for Dr. Kang Mo Yeon felt like it just suddenly appeared out of nowhere when he met her. There was no real gradually (realistic) feelings of romance, it was just WAM, hes sees her across the hall and he thinks to himself "I love this woman!" deal.
I didn't know what this drama wanted to be! A rom-com, a melo-drama, an action movie?! It is possible to combine so many kinds of genres into a drama, but it needs good timing, wit and creativeness to pull it all off. This drama tried to do that, but it all felt very rushed as if it couldn't wait to get to the next drama-filled scene.
Cliches are sometimes a guilty pleasure for South Koreans, and we love a typical love triangle and angst (myself included), and that's fine, but it would be appreciated if you at least TRIED to develop your writing more to grow your talents and maybe realize, "Writing fun dramas is fine, but I think I can do better!". Most of Kim Eun-sook's dramas are very typical, and really boring! REALLY BORING! The Heirs was like nails on a chalkboard. If you're going to ask me, then why watch them? Because of the wonderful and talented actors that are involved. T-T It makes me wonder why they chose her dramas. Because they thought it was a good drama, or because they thought the press involvement would be good for their career. To be honest, I'm hoping it's the latter. After Descendants of the Sun, Kim Eun-Sook is a drama writer that any actor/actress wants to be involved with because lately, by being a part of her dramas has helped dramatically in furthering their exposure and acting career. It's a career move, and we can't blame an actor/actress for wanting to take advantage of that. After all, actors/actresses make a living off our consistent admiration and interest in them.
To be honest, I'm really scared of what she's going to do with Goblin, because it's got some of my favorite actors/actresses in it, and I'd hate to see their talents diminished by such horrible plot writing and lack of character development. I know this review has been mostly centralized around Kim Eun-Sook's writing, but it's been frustrating to see how her dramas, that involve great and amazing actors/actresses, fall so short and end up being a very long and boring 16 or 20 episode thing. I'm willing to give Goblin a chance because of the cast, but we'll see if maybe Kim Eun-sook can bring something new to her repertoire of boring-and-typical-drama, product line.
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The plot involves good doctors and soldiers, focusing on the relationship they develop, mixing in a peace mission. We do not see much drama tension as we wanted, but comedy and lighter touch is very present in Descendants. We have scenes that gave us a series of reflections: about solidarity amid the chaos, regardless of ethnicity, religion or nationality, to overcome the difficulties in favor of someone or something you love, respect the oaths of a profession, your duties pre established patriotism.
Yoo Shi Jin is one of those characters that will be marked forever. I was just freaking out in each of his scenes. The landmark Shi Jin beyond his courage, is his way of dealing with emergency situations. Courageous, determined, intelligent and agile, always acting according to its principles, and even having to deal at times with not so acceptable orders according to their pre-trial, he found a way to deal with it and work around the situation. I admit that Mo Yeon not won me over as much as the other characters, however, this does not change anything that the girl went to the plot and how it contributed to the comedy and dramatic air of the same.
Seo Dae Young and Yoon Myeong Joo was the couple that won me over, twisted quite the couple from beginning to end, and suffered with them too. I liked the scenes between them, especially the flashbacks of how they started out. Obviously it was the particular person who started it all. I suffered to see how she struggled to stand beside him and did not seem to understand why he had to take such complicated decisions. Dae Young won me over because of his fidelity to his army, his soldier side of being and of course to his love of Myeong Joo. His face could not express their feelings, but their sentences were the best. Myeong Joo was the one that won me the most in this drama. Determined not lowered his head even to his father. She perfectly staged a woman in a military uniform that demonstrates power.
The side of this drama were very good. All very well matched. I Wish I had seen more scenes involved the Gi Bum mainly between him and Dae Young. I was also dissatisfied with the fact that Daniel and Ye Hwa who had everything to be one of the most beloved of history have not been tapped. In addition to all the cast and the amazing script, we still have a spectacular shot. Sometimes I stop the drama just to enjoy the landscapes and scenery.
Anyway, Descendants of the Sun was a masterpiece and deserves all the success and recognition he received.
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So, yes. This drama was hyped alot and now that it's finished, opinion is deeply divided on this issue. I think the only problem is that the more you label something as perfect, the more you'll get disappointed when it doesn't reach your expectations in the end. You know the saying 'Don't count your chickens before they're hatched.' That perfectly describes what went wrong here. So yes, everyone said it was perfect in the beginning. As it went further, the excitement and hype expanded and many people said it was flawless, so it HAD to be flawless. Not letting in even one mistake.
Maybe it's overrated as some people say. But that doesn't mean it was a bad drama. It was still great and many people enjoyed the ride. Because there WERE great parts in it. Parts that filled us with excitement, with joy, with happiness and with sadness, frustration and anger.
So, what was so great here?
The bromance. Two totally different guys being the best buddies you've ever seen.
The romance. Refreshingly no love triangles, instead you can ship not only one but two couples wholeheartedly and not be afraid of some twists within their relationships as those we have already experienced in other dramas. You can enjoy the sincere feelings, the genuine caring and worrying and loving. There's chemistry between all of them and you can feel that the actors also felt proud to be part of something so special like this. The whole team is complementing each other.
The comedy. You have to admit, you laughed your butts off. Hilarious scenes all over the place.
The side characters (the good guys): It's not the first drama but there aren't THAT many dramas out there, where you actually sympathize with every character that appears in one show. Regarding that, it never gets boring.
The scenery: Not the usual korean areas around here but something new and refreshing. Beautiful landscapes and impressions.
As to where we took a hit: In my opinion it was the story. It wasn't bad. And until reaching a certain point it was quite entertaining. I would have liked it more if there had been one big story running like a golden thread through the whole drama. Not those many smaller stories following one after another - as interesting as they were in their own. But what really created some headaches (at least for me) where some issues that didn't add up to a logical process. And that was what made me kinda disappointed because those flaws were obvious. It seemed like all the effort they built in the beginning subsided towards the end and made some scenes seem ridiculous.
As for the bad guys... Well, that's an issue per se. They weren't that bad. They did a decent job and gave off thrilling moods, although sometimes it seemed a bit overdramatized. Maybe because most of them were foreign villains. And as we all know, foreigners in a korean drama just seem weird most times. Plus the foreign languages. Well, I wasn't really bothered by it. We are happy when they can actually pull that off better than what we'd expect. But we're also not disappointed because that's just the korean 'style'.
The OST was great because it created a unique feeling and beautiful atmosphere for the drama. Definitely on my mp3 list, soon.
So, nevertheless of all the critiques... Descendants of the Sun is by far not the most perfect drama out there. But it still manages to entertain us in many, many ways and often throws us in some big thrilling turmoil, what shouldn't be disregarded. And of course at some point it made us all hooked up.
Although I had some disappointed moments myself, I still enjoyed the drama. I will definitely rewatch this one as I want to re-feel all the emotions I run through during the first watch, but this time without having to wait until next week.
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The story itself combined in such a neat way that even though it consists of several genres, it still turns out well. Although some might say that the plot is shallow, I think the main focus about the struggle of having a relationship is pleasant to watch. Most dramas tend to have a draggy episodes throughout the middle, but this drama is so fast paced and action packed that not even a single second you'll feel bored. Also the scenery is one of the things that I can't get over with-I mean like seriously the wrecked ship beach is damn beautiful. I gave the story 8.5 because towards the end of the show things kinda get messy although it still wrapped up in a beautiful way.
The cast did a really great job. The male lead character, Yoo Si Jin, is the kind of guy that can steal your heart away within minutes. I mean he got the looks (those killer smiles) and he loves to throw random jokes and cheesy pick up lines which are a +++ for me! The lead couple has a really strong chemistry and many cute moments. Although they have opposite personality, they actually managed to let the relationship flows. And I kind of surprised myself that I'm actually rooting for the second lead couple also. Their story is really touching that you can't help but anticipating when will it get easier for them to be together. Not to forget, the bromance between Yoo Si Jin and Seo Dae Young makes me in awe like seriously can I get more scenes of them please.
And don't even mention the OST. Like whoa DotS is one of those dramas with perfect OST (literally everything) and they suit the scenes really well.
Am I going to rewatch this? YES YES DEFINITELY. Those times when the natural disaster occurred will be my favourite part of this drama.
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I don't get it? So, the plot is that dating a soldier is really hard because they could die? Maybe the writer wanted it to be a kind of slice of life thing. I'm not saying there aren't a lot of cute and romantic moments and not just with the lead couples. There are some nice supporting characters and I usually don't enjoy tons of extra characters. This drama is the exception. Without the extra dynamics of ridiculously good looking guys running shirtless, star cameos of Lee Jong Hyuk, Yoo Ah In, and Lee Kwang Soo, Song Sang Hyeon chasing Ha Ja Ae, the adorable kids they helped, and the earthquake emergency, etc., then this drama wouldn't have a story. I did like the story line of the "far away friend" the best. I'm not saying this drama is horrible or anything. I actually enjoyed watching it for the most part. I would have rated it higher if episode 15 had been cut from the drama.
Of course the acting is good. Everyone did a great job. My only complaint is David McInnis. Is he not like from the US? Why does he talk like a robot that can't speak English? He has got to be one of the worst actors. Hell, Song Hye Kyo did a better job of speaking English naturally than he did. I think she did great speaking with Ri Ye Hwa in English. I will stop my rant here.
The music is really good. I almost gave it a higher score for that alone.
I will never rewatch this.
If you want to watch a drama with no rhyme or reason, then this is perfect.
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This review may contain spoilers
This show hit all the spots. It was an extremely good and unusual story with relatable characters and situations. It felt like the characters were real life people experiencing these things that do happen in real life. The acting was excellent as well, but our leads and every body else. There was common sense in this show displayed by the writers, the characters, the actors, the production team - everyone associated with the show. That is rare in kdrama world, which makes this extra special. There's also an overload of cuteness which I adored. 10 for everything. Would give it 100 if I could.First, the romance may sound typical between a Special Forces Army guy and a Doctor (every other romance novel, right?) but in the framework of an Asian drama, it's not. Military heroes are not a thing in Korea that's why Yoo Shi Jin was a ground breaking hero. The romance as well wasn't one where the couple spent time longing for each other and doing nothing about it. They were both always straightforward about their feelings, talked to each other about it, and acted on their feelings like two mature people who knew what they wanted. That's rare in a kdrama. When you get shows like that, it's golden. They spent time with each other, thought of each other, behaved like real people starting a real relationship in the real world. 10 stars.
===SPOILER PARAGRAPH===
Some people didn't like Dr. Kang Mo Yeon's character because she was a little hesitant. At first I thought she was brash and rude, but I warmed up to her the first time she smiled at our military man. I loved her for taking the time to think the repercussions of the relationship through and not let her feelings lead her blindly. That's what a normal woman in real life would do and that makes her relate-able. She had to decide absolutely if she's strong enough to deal with a military man and his secretes and tragedies if it ever happens. She had to make sure she would't end up resenting him and his job. No one can fault her for taking the time to figure it out, no matter how handsome and sweet he is or that the audience wanted him to have everything he wanted. 2 people make a relationship and both have to want to make it work.
===SPOILER PARAGRAPH===
The villain... omg, he was hot. But I hated him. He represented a real, present evil in our world. He's not just makjang or there for the story to have a story. He exists in reality and it's so much worse than this drama could portray. I liked that they got rid of him fast and the rest of the drama was fan service. He was a heavy villain... like looking into the mirror of the world.
To fans who complained about fan-service.... there are millions of people who loved the fan service. We watch dramas for fan service. If they didn't cater to what their fans wanted, why watch dramas? Dramas do excellently money-wise when there's plenty of fan service. The last 4 episodes was so much fan service that I squealed every few minutes lol. Plus I watched the reruns on KBSWorld. Couldn't resist. It was so sweet. Didn't mind the product placement in the show either because it's a show I'm getting to watch free of charge, but somebody had to pay for it. It had great cinematic quality and production, don't be cheap and complain when investors are advertising their products. They paid for you to see this show, you didn't. Stop complaining.
The secondary couple was extra sweet as well. I adored them. I loved the bromance, and the girl-bonding. Loved everything about the whole show. I even loved the mean old apa. This was wonderful, wonderful, wonderful to watch.
Now... the show is full of English, more than in any Korean drama ever. But the English was very good. I had no problems understanding anything and it was music to my ears lol. If you want to complain... remember... they probably speak English better than you speak Korean.
And this show was cheesy. I love cheese. The action was cool and excellently executed, so it was nice to see our badass hero turn into a complete sweet pincushion with the cheesy lines. Some of it was too much cheese, and some had me going... "Ew, did you really need to say that? And in that manner?" ... because sometimes the cheese was delivered with an over dramatic atmosphere. Overall though, 10 for the cheese.
The medical aspect of the show was intriguing as well. Loved to watch that. It was like a mellow dash of Grey's Anatomy, watching a slice of personal and professional lived of doctors. There was just enough.
If you're not an avid romance fan, this drama may seem silly to you. It's barely got any military or war stuff. The military aspect is that the characters are in the military and work around a military aspect. There were a few 'missions' but nothing with gritty meat to catch die hard action fans. This was primarily cheesy romance with a side of military, medical, action.
Kim Eun-sook and Kim Won-seok, please, write another like Descendants of the Sun.
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In my opinion some of the reasons it was hugely popular was because, first of all, it was mostly viewed by middle aged women/ajumma (who often have some extra time on their hands) and girlfriends who have their boyfriend enlisted in the army (especially here in Korea). Secondly, because there are many hopeless romantics out there who all have fallen for the charismatic and ideal boyfriend Yoo Shi-Jin. ;) I wonder if a lot of straight men have watched this?! Convinced my bf to watch it with us, but he said the male leads stare too much straight into the camera which make it all too cheesy. He called quits after one episode... ;)
Pros: beautiful filming locations, handsome main leads, great OSTs
Cons: lack of interesting plot, Song Hyae-Kyo's unconvincing acting skills, awkward English, overacting, too much...really wayyyy too much product placements, too much advertisement after the drama... so sick of seeing the actors faces everywhere in the streets and on TV here!
An overall score of 6.5, for the effort and entertainment value. ;)
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Lets start with the story. This is a story that's filled with disaster and tragedy, and whether or not he saves her life, or she saves his life, she gets to yell at him afterwards, and he gets to crack jokes. Why these two like each other is beyond me, the writers didn't give me a chance to get to know either character in a normal situation. Every time they finally got some time together, they were separated for his work or her work or her mother and then the next time they saw each other was an emergency. I had no time with them, i don't know who they are and so I can't care about them.
After 13 episodes I felt like I had disaster exhaustion and I wasn't sure if I had the stamina to complete a dramatic story with characters I didn't care about. I should have stopped. Without spoiling the ending I have never before felt like the writers thought I was an idiot and the whole production team was laughing at me for following them to the end. If you do decide to watch Descendants of the Sun, just stop watching after episode 14.
Song Joong Ki and Kim Ji Won were excellent. I believed their characters and their reactions to the world around them. Well done to both of them. Onew - this was the second worst case of overacting I've ever seen. he should never be allowed to act again.
If Lee Seung Jun hadn't been as funny as he was I might have stopped watching this drama after they returned to Seoul from their volunteering trip. So, a personal message to Lee Seung Jun: I will hate you forever for contribution to my watching this nonsense to the end.
The music was terrible.
Rewatch value, 0. I'm furious to have been treated like this by a writer and producers. I will never again watch anything for which they're responsible.
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