The Master's Sun or How to do a Drama Right

Picture found at DarkSmurfSub.com

I just finished one of the most well done dramas I have ever seen. Considering I watched it immediately after watching one of the worst dramas ever, this is pretty fantastic, and revived my faith in the greatness of Korean dramas.

The drama is called The Master's Sun (주군의 태양) and is one of the great ones. It aired at the same time that Two Weeks did in the fall, but while I made the decision to watch Two Weeks at the time, I almost wish I had watched this one instead. Of course, it turned out better this way, because I got to watch it with subtitles, which is much better in my opinion because then I can understand everything, instead of just half of the things.

First, a description. The Master's Sun is about a woman named Tae Gongshil (태공실) who can see ghosts, and has been living a life hiding from the scary ghosts as best she can. Then she meets the owner of a large mall, named Joo Joongwon (주중원). And after accidentally touching him, she realizes that he makes the scary ghosts disappear. So, in order to try to escape the scary ghosts, she clings to him and does everything she can to get into his life so that she can use him when she is scared. A lot of hilarious things happen along the way, and in the end they fall in love and end up happily ever after.

The first thing I want to say is the pacing of this drama was spot on. Remember how I talked about how poorly done the pacing was in Nail Shop Paris? This was most definitely not the case with The Master's Sun. Everything that was revealed came out naturally and at the proper beat along the story-line. And I was paying attention to that because that's one of the things I'm trying to work on in my own storytelling right now.

Next, the characters. There was a large cast of characters with a fairly tangled web of relationships. Not nearly as many as The Heirs, but still. It was interesting to see how everyone was related and how everyone had a part to play. Now, I loved almost every single character. There was the one bad girl who was the ultimate villain in the story who I didn't like, but she made a good villain and a good counter point for the main character that it was okay. However, other than her, I loved every single other character, which doesn't happen very often. Every character had a weakness and a secret, they weren't all perfect, and they all made mistakes. But they all did the best they could with what they had, and everyone -- except the bad girl who ended up in jail -- had a happy ending. I have never seen a drama end with this many couples before.

And the two main characters, oh be still my heart. There was actual, visible character development, and it was so wonderful to watch these two progress and become better people because of meeting each other. Because that's what love is supposed to do. And that's what I love to see. It happens quite often in K-dramas; the girl meets a guy who isn't very nice or looks down on her, etc., and through her love and the thing that happen he becomes a better person. But I've never seen any drama that has really taken it to the level that this drama was.

Because sometimes the characters change in unrealistic ways, or they don't change very visibly. But Joo Joongwon changed a lot because of the girl, and he changed in a way that fit his character and seemed natural. And then there was Tae Gongshil, who also changed. And I loved seeing how she went from being a scared, lonely woman who never did anything to a bright, happy woman who was willing to go after the man she wanted. It was beautiful transformation, and one of my favorite kinds.

One of my favorite thing to do nowadays when I watch K-Dramas is to play 'can you spot the K-drama trope' and this one was a gold mine. There was just about everything from the protective mother figure who doesn't like the main girl, someone ending up in the hospital, someone getting amnesia, a funny scene involving a bathroom, to the nasty rich woman who tries to steal about the main guy. It was great.

A lot of people in my circle of friends dislike K-Dramas with a passion. From my questioning and investigation, the only reason I can come up for this dislike is they are all desensitized to violence and sex, cynical about life, and used to American TV shows. For me, however, The Master's Sun reminded me of all the reasons I love K-dramas.

I would recommend this drama to anyone who loves K-Dramas, however I'll also put up a warning: This drama is not for the faint of heart. Seriously, a lot of the ghosts are cringe-worthy and I found myself jumping in my seat just as much as the main girl. A lot of times in the beginning, the filming style was like a horror. So if you don't like scary things, I wouldn't recommend watching it.

Except I really would, because the ending is totally worth it.

This drama made me laugh more times than I can count, cry more than I have in a while, and cheer louder than I should have at 1AM. It was definitely worth the time I spent watching it, and chances are I will be watching it again.

So, dear readers, do you have a favorite drama that you go back to over and over again? Even when you know you should be watching something new? Tell me about it in the comments!

Thanks for reading!