Its Another Series Best for “Mr. Sunshine” in Korean Drama Ratings

Mr. Sunshine Korean Drama - Lee Byung Hun and Kim Tae Ri

We are drawing near to the conclusion of Mr. Sunshine starring Lee Byung Hun and Kim Tae Ri. And it just hasn’t slowed down in terms of bringing in better and better numbers in Nielsen drama ratings. It landed at 14.3% for episode 21 on Saturday and then reached another series best of 16.6% for episode 22 on Sunday. With the big finale coming up this weekend, what kind of numbers could it bring in?

Mr. Sunshine is set during the early 1900’s and is about the romance of a soldier (Lee Byung Hun) and an aristocrat’s daughter (Kim Tae Ri). It follows the story of the soldier who got on a U.S. military expedition as a child and grew up in America. As an adult, he then returns to Korea as a soldier during the final years of the Joseon era. It comes from writer Kim Eun Sook of hits such as Goblin and Descendants of the Sun.

Mr. Sunshine airs Saturday and Sunday on tvN.

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16 responses to “Its Another Series Best for “Mr. Sunshine” in Korean Drama Ratings”

Fred

September 18, 2018

I guess it’s time to watch this then. I’ve been watching literally nothing Korean for more than a week.
This is after I dropped Scholar Who Walks The Night by episode 15 and Meteor Garden by episode 46 out of 50. By then it was obvious they were just prolonging the drama and squeeze in some ads. HAHA.

I’m also thinking about watching a few other dramas you reviewed. But I think this is the safer bet for now. I just came from 45 episodes (45 minutes each) of Meteor Garden. I feel a bit drained. I need to watch something amazing.

I see you’ve pushed back Life on Mars from your viewing priorities in order to give way to Mr. Sunshine. Hopefully we finish watching this drama at around the same time so I can also read your review. HAHA

Kay
September 18, 2018
Oooh, the completionist in many pains at the thought of you dropping those dramas so close to the end, lol. I loved Scholar but haven’t tried Meteor Garden yet.
I started Life on Mars first and am really not feeling it. I’ve put in 9 eps though, so I’ve decided to just really slow it down and am only watching an ep every couple weeks. Got pretty into My ID is Gangnam Beauty though. It was very cute and thoughtful 🙂
But yes, it is time to go for Mr. Sunshine! That is my main one right now with 8 eps down. I’m really enjoying it. I’ll be interested to see what you think. Certain aspects of it are definitely amazing like the cinematography (breathtaking), the setting, costumes, and time period. After the first couple eps, the story slowly develops, but I’m loving everything about the setting in general that I don’t mind. Plus I think it is gearing up for big things around the halfway mark. I hope to finish it shortly after the finale airs 🙂
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1. Fred
  September 19, 2018
  I just have that tendency to cut dramas so close to the ending. It happens when I feel that there is no more tension/suspense left and they are just prolonging the “cute” parts. LOL
  Oh so you’ll be finishing Mr. Sunshine before I do. I’m still on the 3rd episode. And so far, I agree with you. I LOVE the cinematography, setting, costumes, time period (history-lover here). Amazing. From what I have seen so far, it has its own style of storytelling when compared to the other projects of this director i.e. Goblin and DOTS. I love its unique style. I just have a really bad feeling that the ending will be painful; bittersweet at best. HAHAHA.
  And it is very timely since the South Korean president is currently in North Korea discussing peace and reunification. I just had to insert this since I love geopolitics LOL.
  Anyways, I am quite happy with my decision to watch this. Hope you give it at least a 9. Haha
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  1. Kay
    September 19, 2018
    Glad you’re liking what you’re seeing of Mr. Sunshine so far 🙂 I’m also a history lover which greatly adds to my enjoyment of historical dramas. And I absolutely love that we are getting to see a time period rarely portrayed with this drama.
    I agree, I have a hard time seeing the ending as being anything other than at best bittersweet. It’s not likely to end in the best place, but my hope is everyone comes out alive and is at least being an active part of the Righteous Army with the hope that they will one day regain true freedom. It’s pretty hard for a drama to get a 9 from me though. Only handed out a few above that this year. We shall see! hehe 🙂
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    1. Fred
      September 19, 2018
      I do hope they regain freedom, Kaye. Too bad we know which country Japan colonizes first in World War 2. LOL. Let’s hope history books are wrong then – so we can have a happier ending. HAHAHA.
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    2. Kay
      September 20, 2018
      Well, I more meant that they would just be hopeful that there will be freedom one day in the future. Since I know they won’t change history, we know that day would be generations in the future. So even though it would be far away there is still a certain hope and inspiration that would be felt just knowing that they were fighting for that. I think that’s the best ending we can hope for unless they actually feel like taking a big time jump into the future. Which is always possible. Remember Goblin? We had to jump like lifetime’s ahead to get that happy ending, lol
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    3. Fred
      September 28, 2018
      Oh, I didn’t notice you replied. I was checking to see if you already have a review since I am almost done. I also need to start looking for my next drama to watch. I might spend a few days choosing from your reviews HAHA. Still loving it at episode 16. Whatever happens, I’ll still love this drama. But your possible ending gives me hope that this will end well HAHA.
      As for Goblin, the ending was not completely happy (just momentary – around 300 or 400 years HAHA). She would just be with him for 3 more lives (I learned from the drama that they believe people have 4 lives; and she already lived one in the drama). After her 3 lives are over, he would be alone forever since he already forfeited his chance of dying. Wrong choice I guess. HAHA.
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    4. Kay
      September 28, 2018
      Yeah, I’m all caught up on Mr. Sunshine and waiting for the new eps. I don’t get myself in that position very often, but the Chuseok holiday postponed the last couple eps so now I wait, lol.
      The Goblin ending was definitely a mixed bag. It wasn’t happy when she died, but then they eventually reunited in another life. I read a lot of fan theories and speculation about what would happen after that. Like you said, some thought she would live out her lives with him and then he would be left forever alone. Others thought that since he had went through the punishment of being a Goblin and then wandering through the other world alone, he would now eventually be free of that. But we don’t know how long he would have to live before moving on. Others went a lot more deep on the topic than I can, but it’s another one of those cases where I just like to tell myself that is what happened and they will eventually move on to the afterlife together, lol 🙂
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September 18, 2018

I loved this show in the beginning but have not gone back to it since episode 11. I’m not emotionally invested enough anymore. I might just go back to it just to watch the cinematography.

Kay I recently finished watching Gangnam Beauty. I loved it so much and waiting for your review to see your thoughts.

Two of my recently loving shows have ended/ending and so I’m watching a Cdrama currently which I’m actually enjoying more than Mr Sunshine.

I have dropped Meteor Garden 2018. Just didn’t have enough feels as BOF did.

Kay
September 18, 2018
Sorry to hear Mr. Sunshine hasn’t completely won you over. I’m on ep 9 and am enjoying it. I would say that it hasn’t really grabbed emotionally either, but I’m so loving the setting, atmosphere, and cinematography. And the story and characters are decent. I tend to like this writer’s dramas in general, but I do usually find them a bit dry. I’m having the same experience here but am liking enough to enjoy it.
I just finished My ID is Gangnam Beauty a couple days ago, and I also thoroughly enjoyed it! Such a sweet and thoughtful drama. I should have the review out this weekend 🙂
So which cdrama are you watching? I put Meteor Garden on my list, but that episode count will probably put it off for a long while. I’ll be open to it, but I haven’t luck with the other adaptations of this story. I just loved Boys Over Flowers way too much and the couple others I’ve tried didn’t grab me at all.
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1. D
  September 19, 2018
  Can’t wait to read your Gangnam review. 😀
  I’m currently watching Ashes of Love. Not sure how long I will last though. With cdramas I find them so good in the beginning but always not enough to hold my interest till the end. There are only two cdramas I have completed and one of them is a kdrama remake. I think if they cut the episodes to half of what they are and stop dragging on so much it would be so good.
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  1. Kay
    September 19, 2018
    I have a similar problem with cdramas. The long episode count is my biggest deterrent. I love kdramas with a passion, but it takes a special one to really stay good and keep my interest once it gets over 30 eps. And I frequently lose interest in cdramas after about 4-5 eps anyways. But I think it’s also the way they tell their stories. It just doesn’t click with me as much as kdramas.
    I have completed a handful of cdramas though, and I genuinely liked them. But I feel like if I start 10 cdramas I might like one enough to complete it, and so far it’s always been shorter ones. I wish they would do more with shorter episode counts since I would definitely give more of them a try.
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    1. D
      September 19, 2018
      Yep couldn’t agree with you more but I can’t help but giving cdramas a try every month. I have the tendency to drop them anyway if they no longer hold my interest. That’s why there are more dramas I pick up than I actually complete. 😂
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    2. Kay
      September 19, 2018
      Yeah, I just can’t resist trying them out either 🙂 I’m still not as skilled as you are in the dropping department though. My drop ratio for kdramas is still pretty low, though I have gotten better at it. The sooner I drop a drama the better though because the deeper I get the less likely I am to want to drop it, lol. Although I do think my cdrama dropping ability is pretty good since like you, in that area I have started way more than I have completed, hehe 😉
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    3. D
      September 20, 2018
      Lol! Must be showing my age. I have no patience for dramas that I’m not emotionally invested in.
      Btw just finished 30 but 17. Are you watching/going to watch that one. That’s another one I loved this year.
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    4. Kay
      September 20, 2018
      I actually think you’re much more normal in being able to drop easily. I think 8 out of 10 drama watchers I come across have no problems dropping. It’s us completionists that are weird. I just hate leaving things unfinished, lol. And when the show is only one season, it really doesn’t take that long to do. But luckily, I genuinely like most kdramas so it’s not too much of a problem. And I am getting better at dropping the ones I truly don’t like. That’s why you don’t see too many rated below a 5, hehe.
      Thirty But Seventeen is next up on my list after Mr. Sunshine. I’ve been impatiently waiting for that one! It looks so cute 🙂
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