hamlet-16 It is hard to review what is perhaps the most successful Korean Drama ever.This is a grand romance comedy drama action all rolled into one series. It became a phenomenon in Korea and across Asia and the "Kdrama" world. In the process reviving the "Hallyu" Korean wave and generating a massive wave of tourism to Korea, recruits for the Korean army and even impacting vernacular speech in Korea.So how do you review such a massive blockbusting success?It begins with a genuinely heartstopping action sequence that will become a key element in the resolution of the drama and then switches to a typical Korean romantic comedy. Boy meets girl... girl instantly hates him... but we all know how it will end.Our hero is a special forces soldier and our heroine is doctor. Fate sees them thrown into a war torn fictitious country (actually locations were in Greece in some rather stunning locales).There is, as is usual a buddy to our hero who has relationship with the general's daughter and father does not approve. You know the sort of thing.Descendants of the Sun is not that original in its plotting but it has heart on a giant scale and a cast the is exemplary.And fate threw in a bonus that no-one could foresee. The genuinely beautiful Song Hye Kyo and her co-star the handsome Song Joong Ki fell in love ultimately marrying in 2017.Despite the sometimes trite story line and the unlikely elements in the plotting at its core it is a love story. And this is what becomes more and more genuine as the series progresses.It is the key romantic scenes between the two leads (and also those of the second couple of Goo Jin and Kim Ji-won) that set the screen alight.The scriptwriters have created dialogue that rings true and the actors bring it to life brilliantly. At times funny at times deeply romantic it is this that lifts Descendants of the Sun way above the ordinary and certainly above much that Hollywood has produced recently.So sit back and let the story flow and just enjoy the romance, the comedy (which is at times really funny and I don't find Korean humour usually that funny) and the action which is pretty intense at times.Descendants of the Sun is a great ride.And the ending? Well let's just say Vancouver and volcanos take some beating!

kasunmbx The title song was what I heard first, which made me search for 'Descendants of the Sun' and read the plot which didn't have much to offer apart from a usual romance story. The person who showed me the song was speaking very highly of the drama and was even generous enough to provide the episodes. Then I started watching in gratitude mostly and to be honest, I didn't regret that for a moment - but the opposite!'Tae-yang-eui hoo-ye' belongs to the type of drama that carry a simple story but with its emotional scenes, heartwarming music and soft touches makes it remarkable and attaching to a viewer. It has powerful sub plots running alongside and the visuals including the cast as well as the venues are also an eye candy.What I liked the most in the story is not the main love story between Shi-Jin 'big boss' and Mo-Yeon - 'the lady doctor' (although it is also emotionally appealing) but the power struggle and the demanding relationship between Dae-Yong and Myeong-Joo. I beleive the actors playing those two roles have done more justice to the roles compared to the main duo. But overall the story is empowered and flows nicely with typical lover quarrels and romantic moments placed perfectly between occasional humor and action. Yes you read right, Action ! I'm not talking about the Adrenalin rush you might have felt when Myeong-Joo's recording was played on loudspeaker which was a much needed breakthrough that came with humor. But there were plenty of military scenes and rescue scenarios I was very happy to watch as a boy. One more reason to drop a star in the rating is the poor budget that the producers have got when they have such nice action scenes which are diluted with careless visual effects and props.But overall this drama is excellent as a love story because it has the perfect blend between pain-joy, hope-disappointment and expectations-reality which is true in a real world love story as well. Yes, there are some over exaggerated moments of romance or maybe action, but it is essential for us to bond with the characters, hope them to do things that we want and to take pleasure in them getting what we want( and occasionally not getting it to break 'our' hearts). It is indeed an emotional roller coaster ride for a spectator and I really liked it. Anybody with a heart , anybody who have loved before can relate to at least one small incident that happens between the couples in the drama and indulge in their own memories - which can be eventually painful - but we embrace that pain with love.The only exceptional and unnatural character developments that I saw are of the rich-kid doctor and the unearthly attractive tech-mech-doc guy. But that is tolerable ~ it's fun. It also had its emotional moments with bitter truths of life - like when the disaster struck power plant worker took a decision about his life, which is a nice touch additional to the romance, comedy and action in the story.So to sum up (+) typical but rich romantic scenes(+) humor that doesn't bore you(+) picturesque backgrounds ( I didn't know Urk was at Greece right till the end :/ )(+) last but not the least ~ Awesome music(-) can be improved action scenes(-) a bit more less filler plotsmakes 'Descendants of the Sun' a nice story to watch and a pleasant gift to share. Personally I enjoyed a lot watching the sweet romance and love struggles in a drama - which I thought I might never do again. So I would like to thank the person who shared this beautiful work of art with me for giving me the taste of a locked out world. :)

prathnat This is an excellent series. It has a great story line and good actors. The action sequences and the humour interlaced in the plot, keeps it interesting. The main characters leave a lasting impression. I'm not really fond of kdramas, but watched this one based on the amazing reviews it had. I thoroughly enjoyed this one, totally worth watching even with the subtitles.

sjim-98769 I would give it 12 out of 10 if possible. It was a shock to find a Korean TV series on Netflix. Haven't lived in Korea since 1967. Not like the people I recall, but it's easy to become attached to these characters. Plots are like the Snake River: 6" deep and a mile wide. The acting is often stilted and a major stretch, but at times the crew just bust out some great acting chops. Even though they all look like kids. It's cool hearing all the Korean and trying to catch words I understand. Too bad more scenes weren't shot in Korea to see what it looks like today. But the shots around Greece are beeeeeeutiful! Hard to keep up with acting and plot while reading text. Some characters are more like caricatures, especially the Captain. We have two Romeos and two Juliettes with a bunch of capable actors filling out the crew. Right down to the injured plant manager advising the doc to save the man with a forklift tine through his chest. Excellent cinematography, color, and site selections. They display the soldiers like the "hard ROK troops" I knew. But these have hearts and obvious feelings. Right down to the funny doc asking a nurse to delete his porn file on his laptop if he dies...which causes a middle age nurse to come unglued because files are dirty. Yes, a stretch. But the Korean mentality is unlike our American mentality in many ways. Must admit I love the Korean people (in general) today as much as I did when I lived there and served with the military. Too bad the North and South can't get along. This is one pretty series! My wife doesn't understand my attachment to the country, people, and my desire to see Korea again, but this series brings it all back. So well made. "Power in Unity!"