Descendants of the Sun
Descendants of the Sun (Available on Viki)
Content Warning: Language, Innuendo, and Violence
My Rating: A
Character Glossary:
Yoo Si Jin: Captain of military special forces
Kang Mo Yeon: Surgeon
Seo Dae Young: Member of military special forces
Yoon Myeong Ju: Army Surgeon
Descendants of the Sun is about a captain of a special forces team and a surgeon who meet on his day off. Due to complications with their various lifestyles they break off their budding relationship. But fate has other plans. They meet again when Kang Mo Yeon (the surgeon) gets sent to Urk on volunteer work (Sent as a punishment.) and she meets Yoo Si Jin again. As they face natural disasters, war, and betrayal the two grow closer together proving why this is one of the most popular Korean dramas worldwide.
SPOILERS AHEAD READ AT YOUR OWN RISK
OVERALL STORY: This show was..... Hauntingly beautiful. Horrifying. Hilarious. Adorable. Real.
I could keep listing words but to sum it all up it was amazing. I have never cried and laughed so much in my life. I thought that the plot developed really well to make things realistic and it also made it so it could get the point across. Yes this is a love story but more than that it is a story about the harsh realities of life and war. One of the most well done plot points in the show was when the earthquake hit Urk. There was something being built so when the earthquake hit the whole structure came crumbling down injuring, killing, and trapping the workers. This brought up a lot of harsh realities for the people.... although the biggest effects were felt by the medical volunteer team. For example one doctor had to come to grips with the fact that a worker nearly died because the doctor got afraid and ran away. Like anyone would do in that situation. But he and the worker blamed him for the longest time and seeing him struggle and overcome that was powerful. We all let fear control us at times and we let it hold us down. But when we can find a way to forgive ourselves and fight? We become better than we were before. Another point in this natural disaster was when two workers were both injured but to save one the other had to die. (there was some machinery connected to both so to move one, one way would kill the other.) The main girl had to make the choice and I didn't realize how devastating those decisions can be. How can you choose between two people? There is no right choice which is what makes it hard. But she had to make the choice and she did. There was a painful coming to grips with that. On that note I loved how this show did not gloss over any of the horrible things in war or any of the situations we ran into. It did not try to make it easier to handle but showed it how it is. For example, the main bad guy for the majority of the show was a renegade American soldier. (Yes they spoke English a lot and it sounded good which was great because sometimes the dubbed over versions are sketchy.) He (the renegade solider turned mafia boss) had been a friend of Yoo Si Jin and it was awful to see what he had become. Yoo Si Jin ended up killing him because he had gotten so dark that he was willing to kill others to get money. He did some awful things. And still when the deed was done Yoo Si Jin cried for the loss of his friend. There was nothing glossed over about the fact that he had to do something like that. There are so many other things I could talk about with this show but I'm going to end it here because I could go on forever.
Oh also the friendship between Si Jin and Dae Young is what I live for they are hilarious and just such a great element of this story. (They kind of remind me of Goblin and Grim Reaper from Guardian.)
MAIN ROMANCE: Funnily enough I wasn't fond of the romance at first. Which is surprising because usually if the romance isn't good I don't usually want to continue the show. (Because the romances are normally my favorite part.) But no worries fellow romantics! It does get super cute. The thing that made me eh about it at first was the fact that I felt like Kang Mo Yeon was being super inconsiderate about Yoo Si Jin's feelings. It was like a yo yo with her. But I did understand her position, annoying as it is. His life would be a hard one to accept. But she couldn't resist his charms or the fact that he is just an amazing guy and agreed to date him. After that they never break up. Sure there are moments they struggle just like any other couple. Like where the renegade American soldier was killed. She was there and she had to decide whether or not to stay in a relationship with Yoo Si Jin after she saw a glimpse of the life he led. But in the end his lifestyle didn't matter but who he was as a person. After that they didn't really have any problems. I loved their banter and their chemistry. I loved the support they had for each other and just the amount of love between them. Once they hit their stride it is not hard to ship them. One of my favorite moments though is when Si Jin goes to the hospital to meet up with her and he is in the elevator with the chairman of the hospital who is also interested in Kang Mo Yeon. (despite knowing that she is dating Shi Jin.) The chairman was trying to figure out who her boyfriend was from a picture with multiple members of the army and Si Jin points to himself in the picture and is like "he's her boyfriend." and then walks out just as the chairman connects the dots. Classic.
SECONDARY ROMANCE: This is between Seo Dae Young and Yoon Myeong Ju. They had a cute fake relationship thing in their past but due to the fact that her father does not approve of them they didn't stay together. But Myeong Ju is determined to win him back and it is fun to see Seo Dae Young slowly thaw against her constant pressure as well as just learning to listen to his own heart. I do want to note though that that one kiss in the car was terrifying. Like he just clicked a button so it would stay in the lane and just full on kissed her. Yes I get it you love her but traffic safety! If the guy I liked did that you better believe he would get whacked. It was still cute and all but it gave me cardiac arrest. It was nice to see them get together and I loved their ending. Super cute secondary romance that only improved the plot and helped enhance the first romance as well.
OTHER ROMANCES: There was a couple of other mini romances sprinkled about and all were great. My favorite was between one of the doctors and one of the nurses. They had an odd sort of flirting relationship that was strangely endearing. I loved their sweet moments and I wish we could have gotten to that marriage proposal they kept promising each other. We also got one married couple with a kid on the way that was cute. All of the smaller romances added to the story without being overused to compensate for lack of main romances. They were just cute little additions that fleshed out the story and the characters.
YOO SI JIN: I never thought I would see the day when I found someone who I liked more than Daoming Si. But there is just something about Si Jin…. the kind of person he is. He is incredibly loyal to his friends and his country. He will do what's right no matter what and will fight for what he believes is good and true. He does not blindly follow orders but makes sure to take into account what he believes to be right and wrong. I really did love his charming and humorous personality. He made jokes in order to keep himself sane because of the dark things he experiences. I loved how no matter how much darkness touched him he never strayed away from the light. He continued to help save people no matter the cost to himself. He fought for what he wanted and I think that is one of the most admirable traits anyone can have. I think what I loved most about him though was the fact that he could make anyone happy or lighten up any situation. Sometimes people just need some light because there is an awful lot of darkness.
KANG MO YEON: Like I mentioned a bit in the main romance section I was not particularly fond of her at first. I didn't hate her or anything but I didn't like her abrasive attitude. But she slowly grew on me. I loved how she never let people treat her like crap. She stood up for herself and never let anyone walk over her. Once she put down this wall she had up she was a really great person. She inspired others to be better and helped give them confidence. She understood the importance of life but she also understood what a soldier has to go through. She went through a lot of character change in this show especially with her experiences in Urk. It was awesome to see her grow and mature. She became a better person and a better doctor from her experiences. I really adored her character.
SEO DAE YOUNG: He was freaking hilarious and just a big sweetheart. He had this odd sort of humor about him.... like he could make jokes with a straight face. It is a talent I wish I had. But he was a really great person and I loved seeing him come to fight for the things he wants in his life. He is a great soldier and freaking legit during war time but he wasn't as great fighting for the girl he loved. But slowly he came to see what mattered to him. And he became a happier person. But he is the most hilarious military sergeant ever I mean the way he pushed his subordinates had me laughing so hard. It wasn't hard to like this guy.
YOON MYEONG JU: I wasn't sure what to think of her at first. I thought she was kind of a jerk but then I realized I just misunderstood her personality. She is stubborn and very direct. I loved her blunt personality because it really made things a lot easier for all the other characters. For example she was never shy about admitting her feelings for Seo Dae Young which helped him have the confidence to admit his own. Her being so willing to admit how she felt helped Kang Mo Yeon to come to grips with her own feelings and insecurities. She helped everyone progress and helped enrich the story. I am so grateful for her character.
FAVORITE QUOTE:
"As of now, I like Yoo Si Jin the most out of all the men that exist in this world. I drank tea with that guy a number of times, overcame an infectious disease together, and also got a bullet wound from his gunshot too. Despite all that Yoo Si Jin is the guy I like to death. It's because he is never cowardly, is honorable in every moment I see, and is handsome everytime I have seen him." - Kang Mo Yeon
"I have to be honest with you. I think about you a lot. All the time, actually. In the morning, at night, in the middle of my day. It's you. It's just always you." - Yoo Si Jin
SHIP VIDEO:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxaYmkmXLRs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHsd2tXPBs8
Content Warning: Language, Innuendo, and Violence
My Rating: A
Character Glossary:
Yoo Si Jin: Captain of military special forces
Kang Mo Yeon: SurgeonSeo Dae Young: Member of military special forces
Yoon Myeong Ju: Army Surgeon
Descendants of the Sun is about a captain of a special forces team and a surgeon who meet on his day off. Due to complications with their various lifestyles they break off their budding relationship. But fate has other plans. They meet again when Kang Mo Yeon (the surgeon) gets sent to Urk on volunteer work (Sent as a punishment.) and she meets Yoo Si Jin again. As they face natural disasters, war, and betrayal the two grow closer together proving why this is one of the most popular Korean dramas worldwide.
SPOILERS AHEAD READ AT YOUR OWN RISK
OVERALL STORY: This show was..... Hauntingly beautiful. Horrifying. Hilarious. Adorable. Real.
I could keep listing words but to sum it all up it was amazing. I have never cried and laughed so much in my life. I thought that the plot developed really well to make things realistic and it also made it so it could get the point across. Yes this is a love story but more than that it is a story about the harsh realities of life and war. One of the most well done plot points in the show was when the earthquake hit Urk. There was something being built so when the earthquake hit the whole structure came crumbling down injuring, killing, and trapping the workers. This brought up a lot of harsh realities for the people.... although the biggest effects were felt by the medical volunteer team. For example one doctor had to come to grips with the fact that a worker nearly died because the doctor got afraid and ran away. Like anyone would do in that situation. But he and the worker blamed him for the longest time and seeing him struggle and overcome that was powerful. We all let fear control us at times and we let it hold us down. But when we can find a way to forgive ourselves and fight? We become better than we were before. Another point in this natural disaster was when two workers were both injured but to save one the other had to die. (there was some machinery connected to both so to move one, one way would kill the other.) The main girl had to make the choice and I didn't realize how devastating those decisions can be. How can you choose between two people? There is no right choice which is what makes it hard. But she had to make the choice and she did. There was a painful coming to grips with that. On that note I loved how this show did not gloss over any of the horrible things in war or any of the situations we ran into. It did not try to make it easier to handle but showed it how it is. For example, the main bad guy for the majority of the show was a renegade American soldier. (Yes they spoke English a lot and it sounded good which was great because sometimes the dubbed over versions are sketchy.) He (the renegade solider turned mafia boss) had been a friend of Yoo Si Jin and it was awful to see what he had become. Yoo Si Jin ended up killing him because he had gotten so dark that he was willing to kill others to get money. He did some awful things. And still when the deed was done Yoo Si Jin cried for the loss of his friend. There was nothing glossed over about the fact that he had to do something like that. There are so many other things I could talk about with this show but I'm going to end it here because I could go on forever.
Oh also the friendship between Si Jin and Dae Young is what I live for they are hilarious and just such a great element of this story. (They kind of remind me of Goblin and Grim Reaper from Guardian.)
MAIN ROMANCE: Funnily enough I wasn't fond of the romance at first. Which is surprising because usually if the romance isn't good I don't usually want to continue the show. (Because the romances are normally my favorite part.) But no worries fellow romantics! It does get super cute. The thing that made me eh about it at first was the fact that I felt like Kang Mo Yeon was being super inconsiderate about Yoo Si Jin's feelings. It was like a yo yo with her. But I did understand her position, annoying as it is. His life would be a hard one to accept. But she couldn't resist his charms or the fact that he is just an amazing guy and agreed to date him. After that they never break up. Sure there are moments they struggle just like any other couple. Like where the renegade American soldier was killed. She was there and she had to decide whether or not to stay in a relationship with Yoo Si Jin after she saw a glimpse of the life he led. But in the end his lifestyle didn't matter but who he was as a person. After that they didn't really have any problems. I loved their banter and their chemistry. I loved the support they had for each other and just the amount of love between them. Once they hit their stride it is not hard to ship them. One of my favorite moments though is when Si Jin goes to the hospital to meet up with her and he is in the elevator with the chairman of the hospital who is also interested in Kang Mo Yeon. (despite knowing that she is dating Shi Jin.) The chairman was trying to figure out who her boyfriend was from a picture with multiple members of the army and Si Jin points to himself in the picture and is like "he's her boyfriend." and then walks out just as the chairman connects the dots. Classic.
SECONDARY ROMANCE: This is between Seo Dae Young and Yoon Myeong Ju. They had a cute fake relationship thing in their past but due to the fact that her father does not approve of them they didn't stay together. But Myeong Ju is determined to win him back and it is fun to see Seo Dae Young slowly thaw against her constant pressure as well as just learning to listen to his own heart. I do want to note though that that one kiss in the car was terrifying. Like he just clicked a button so it would stay in the lane and just full on kissed her. Yes I get it you love her but traffic safety! If the guy I liked did that you better believe he would get whacked. It was still cute and all but it gave me cardiac arrest. It was nice to see them get together and I loved their ending. Super cute secondary romance that only improved the plot and helped enhance the first romance as well.
OTHER ROMANCES: There was a couple of other mini romances sprinkled about and all were great. My favorite was between one of the doctors and one of the nurses. They had an odd sort of flirting relationship that was strangely endearing. I loved their sweet moments and I wish we could have gotten to that marriage proposal they kept promising each other. We also got one married couple with a kid on the way that was cute. All of the smaller romances added to the story without being overused to compensate for lack of main romances. They were just cute little additions that fleshed out the story and the characters.
YOO SI JIN: I never thought I would see the day when I found someone who I liked more than Daoming Si. But there is just something about Si Jin…. the kind of person he is. He is incredibly loyal to his friends and his country. He will do what's right no matter what and will fight for what he believes is good and true. He does not blindly follow orders but makes sure to take into account what he believes to be right and wrong. I really did love his charming and humorous personality. He made jokes in order to keep himself sane because of the dark things he experiences. I loved how no matter how much darkness touched him he never strayed away from the light. He continued to help save people no matter the cost to himself. He fought for what he wanted and I think that is one of the most admirable traits anyone can have. I think what I loved most about him though was the fact that he could make anyone happy or lighten up any situation. Sometimes people just need some light because there is an awful lot of darkness.
KANG MO YEON: Like I mentioned a bit in the main romance section I was not particularly fond of her at first. I didn't hate her or anything but I didn't like her abrasive attitude. But she slowly grew on me. I loved how she never let people treat her like crap. She stood up for herself and never let anyone walk over her. Once she put down this wall she had up she was a really great person. She inspired others to be better and helped give them confidence. She understood the importance of life but she also understood what a soldier has to go through. She went through a lot of character change in this show especially with her experiences in Urk. It was awesome to see her grow and mature. She became a better person and a better doctor from her experiences. I really adored her character.
SEO DAE YOUNG: He was freaking hilarious and just a big sweetheart. He had this odd sort of humor about him.... like he could make jokes with a straight face. It is a talent I wish I had. But he was a really great person and I loved seeing him come to fight for the things he wants in his life. He is a great soldier and freaking legit during war time but he wasn't as great fighting for the girl he loved. But slowly he came to see what mattered to him. And he became a happier person. But he is the most hilarious military sergeant ever I mean the way he pushed his subordinates had me laughing so hard. It wasn't hard to like this guy.
YOON MYEONG JU: I wasn't sure what to think of her at first. I thought she was kind of a jerk but then I realized I just misunderstood her personality. She is stubborn and very direct. I loved her blunt personality because it really made things a lot easier for all the other characters. For example she was never shy about admitting her feelings for Seo Dae Young which helped him have the confidence to admit his own. Her being so willing to admit how she felt helped Kang Mo Yeon to come to grips with her own feelings and insecurities. She helped everyone progress and helped enrich the story. I am so grateful for her character.
FAVORITE QUOTE:
"As of now, I like Yoo Si Jin the most out of all the men that exist in this world. I drank tea with that guy a number of times, overcame an infectious disease together, and also got a bullet wound from his gunshot too. Despite all that Yoo Si Jin is the guy I like to death. It's because he is never cowardly, is honorable in every moment I see, and is handsome everytime I have seen him." - Kang Mo Yeon
"I have to be honest with you. I think about you a lot. All the time, actually. In the morning, at night, in the middle of my day. It's you. It's just always you." - Yoo Si Jin
SHIP VIDEO:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxaYmkmXLRs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHsd2tXPBs8
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