I don’t even know where to start. There’s just too many layers to this masterpiece.

The story and writing were beautiful. It made me google about Korean History a few times just to check fiction from fact, and to know some parts were inspired by real history just made it even more engaging. The fact that this made me curious about another country’s history... that’s a win for me.

The cinematography, oh my gosh. Your eyes will surely be in for a feast, and you’ll leave fully satisfied and in awe from almost every episode. The music also heightened the emotions.

The characters. Most dramas usually reveal their backstories mid way or towards the end as a plot twist, but the writer in this drama chose the opposite. You’d appreciate every character from the very beginning since their history is revealed as early as the first episodes. Though it got confusing for awhile, be patient and wait for all of these beautiful characters with beautiful histories meet and create an even more beautiful story for us.

Can I specially mention the bromance? They added humor in this very “heavy” drama. This is probably one of the few dramas that really had me literally laughing out loud, all thanks to the peculiar friendship of the three.

And sorry, special mention for Yoo Yeon Seok. His acting was totally out of his usual character, and damn sir, you really pulled it off. I rarely fall in love with characters, this is one of the few moments.

The heart ache. You felt for the characters, their desperation, anger and frustration for a country that was falling, and their eagerness to stand up and fight for a cause... damn, this makes you realize how lucky we are in the times we live in.

Spoiler: this one particular scene in the end made my heart ache in particular... this was when the shop that buys stuff and does favors opened again, and they started having a collection of the many things that hold too mny good memories. It gave me a familiar feeling I have about growing old- the feeling of sadness when you’re reminded of the good moments and how you’ve lost the people you’ve spent them with. This is the pain of passage of time.

Thank you, Mr. Sunshine. This was truly a treat and I’ll surely be reading articles about you for days.