User reviews

This drama has a little bit of everything in it: romance, action, adventure, drama, and comedy! I will definitely watch it again. Great storyline, awesome cast, beautiful soundtrack. It couldn't have been more enjoyable!!! Definitely one of my favorites and a fine example for why I love watching Korean drama! Watch it. You won't be disappointed.

It's an inspired Korean television production, with an enjoyable romantic plot, well written dialogue, good acting and adequate budget. As of April 2016 it has been streamed more than 2.3 billion times and its Asian success is so huge that China's Ministry of Public Security posted an official (and threatening) statement to warn against the growing influence of Korean Dramas on Chinese youth.

It's obviously for kids but it can be interesting for anyone willing to know how is it to live now in South Korea, what does it mean to be pretty, young and cool there.

But besides that, the story is catching and well made, with pleasant moments, nice sceneries (a great part has been shot in Greece) and good attention for details.

Interestingly, Authors felt the need to account for the age difference between the beautiful Song Hye-kyo (born 1981) and the handsome Song Joong-ki (born 1985), even though I wonder how many of us would have noticed… I'm liking it and I think that others from Western Countries will like it too.

This sixteen part Korean romance is centred on Yoo Si-jin, a captain in the Korean Special Forces, and Dr Kang Mo-yeon, an attractive woman he meets when he and his friend Master Sergeant Seo Dae-young take an injured young thief to hospital. He is immediately attracted to her but she suspects he caused the man's injuries. That misunderstanding is resolved and they start to see each other; things look to be going well then he is transferred to the fictional Balkan country of Uruk. That might be the end of their relationship but soon afterwards Dr Kang and her team are tasked with running a field hospital in Uruk. This reunites the doctor and the soldier. They end up facing several dangers together; most notably an earthquake and confrontation with a criminal gang led by a former comrade of Yoo Si-jin. There are other romances; Master Sergeant Seo Dae-young is in an off-and-on relationship with First Lieutenant Yoon Myung-ju, whose father, a general, doesn't approve her seeing an enlisted man.

I really enjoyed this series; it provides a fun central story which includes some fairly tense scenes as well as lots of laughs. In most episodes there are moments of danger although, for the most part, one won't fear too much for the ultimate safety of our protagonists. The cast is really great; Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo have a real chemistry as Captain Yoo and Dr Kang... it wasn't a huge surprise to learn the pair later marred in real life! Others are fine too; including the more minor characters. The Greek locations, filling in for the fictional Uruk, are impressively beautiful. It is fairly light hearted and requires some suspension of disbelief; I'm sure anybody with real military experience would laugh at the casual behaviour of soldiers depicted here. Over all I'd certainly recommend this to anybody who likes a solid romance story with a decent amount of action.

These comments are based on watching the series in Korean with English subtitles.

This drama is not just aesthetically gorgeous- the cinematography is seriously nothing short of a masterpiece- but also carries a message that is just as beautiful. This is one of the most critically acclaimed dramas of time, with special praise given to the the heart tugging storyline and the beautiful layered performances from the strong cast.

One of the most well written and beautifully shot Korean dramas, amazing and fresh plot and we'll built characters and satisfying ending.one of the best shows and detailed writing work I ever seen in the WORLD.

I am inlove with this serries. Simply amazing..beautiful actors, funny, charming, captivating scenery and excelent script. Oh and the soundtrack..makes my heart melt. Please make Season 2! Pleaseeee!

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 plots

makes '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. :)

I like Kdramas a lot, the thing I really dislike about them is the overly cheesy, clichéd dramatic scenes, script and cinematography, and always with the cheesy power ballads and dramatic music being played at every possible opportunity. When they realise you don't need cheesy drama for a scene to be dramatic? Less is more! Having said that, more recent dramas by the same director (Prison playbook and Hospital Playlist) have done exactly that, producing two exceptionally, high quality, bingable dramas which will be watched at least once more (both got a 10 from me).

What would otherwise have gotten a 10 rating, got a 6 because of the aforementioned cheese. The scenery was great, the witty comedy from the male leads was very sharp and well written. The second leads story, I felt, was more interesting than the first - and if the rumours are true, hopefully season 2 will follow their story.

IMHO, a good show worth watching but it could've been superb.

I have recently learned to love Korean TV, having been wowed by Mr Sunshine and Crash Landing on You. I also loved Its Okay to Not be Okay. So I came to this wanting it to be of a similar standard. But it isn't. Not for me anyway.

I did not invest in the central relationship. The characters shed plenty of tears but never made me feel that their relationship was real. The story threw lots challenges and disasters their way, but none of it made me care what happened.

Having said all that, it is a moderately diverting drama, perhaps more likely to be enjoyed if you come at it with low expectations.

A brilliant drama. War, earthquake, surgery, romance, exotic scenery.....a feast for our eyes. Nowhere to breathe. Simply excellent.

I thought it is a good idea to rewatch in 2023. But in one second, I regret. Whenever I see the main couple, I thought of their divorce. The part 2 reality show in a way ruins all the original sweetness. Life is harsh admittedly. I am not blaming anyone. Fate is the culprit. What I could do is to keep looking forward for new story, hopefully cheerful one, from writer Kim.

I fell in kove with kdrama because of this drama....i have watched it 3-4 times already!!! Worth rewatching!!!

This is a good & beautiful drama! There's lots of action, humour & beautiful love story! The last few episodes were so sad but yet hopeful. Its worth watching! Loved it!

A great drama, honestly. Apart from the fact that it has been shot in my home country, Greece, it includes an amazing plot, very skilled actors & an overall feel of nostalgia. 10/10!

I really, really want to like this show, but sadly the military aspect of it show they haven't had many advisor form the military during shooting of the show.

I almost quit during the beginning, where SF soldiers were running a covert obs in a DMS USING light on their weapons... I just though OMG,

Later on the main hero (a captain) is putting him self in danger during many different operations, where a normal officer would have had to be the commander on site and use his soldiers in those positions.

And lets not forget the actors english - it's not very good. Special the main actor, whom at one point mention he has been a student at West Point, but hardly speak understanding english - like very one else.

The main actor has so far been "dumped" or turned down four times by his love interested. And I'm just thinking: When will he get fed up about her? He is a good looking person and there are a lot of other women in the show, he could start getting interested in. Special the army doctor...

But if you look beside all this and only focus on the drama and love story, it's not too bad. But the chemistry between the actors isn't that great - I have seen others Korean romantic series with much better chemistry.

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.

I don't know why this became such a mega-hit, even bigger than You Who Came from the Stars. For me, the story did not really keep me engaged. I only watched it to see why people loved it so much. Yes, the cinematography was superb. The leads were also great and personally, I like both of them and have seen their other dramas before. At least, the woman is not the usual Cinderella character and the man is not Prince Charming CEO type. However, the story of these two leads did not capture my interest. At least with You Who Came from the Stars, the story between the lead characters and the crime/thriller subplot were gripping enough to make me continue watching, though I did not like the way they ended the drama. I was not personally invested in DOTS despite the good lead actors. I know that many loved their looks and chemistry but for me it will take more than looks and chemistry to keep me interested. Even with YWCFS, I couldn't care less about the chemistry between the two leads but the alien concept and the crime/thriller aspect of the drama made a bit more interested. The story between the two leads in DOTS could have been better. For example, the soldier had to kill someone close to the doctor because he or she was a spy but the doctor needed to save that person because not only was that person dear to her but she had to save lives as a doctor---well, something like that to make the dilemma more interesting and gripping.

Unfortunately, I made the mistake of starting this one right after Crashing Landing On You. In comparison, this was too painful to watch. The acting couldn't compare, the chemistry/likability couldn't compare; the comedy couldn't compare; the foreign characters were incredibly cheesy (especially their tough-guy English and attitudes), etc. Although I tried, I had to abandon. Just seems that a much better script, with Jin Goo's (more serious, less trying to be "Top Gun" cool) character as the lead, would have been much better. Also, the lead female character in this wasn't as appealing (not as likeable, not much character growth/transformation). It may not be a fair comparison (given they are such different shows), but CLOU is a masterpiece whereas DOTS was more like a High School production.

It's my opinion, Kdramas are mainly focusing on chemistry between actor and actress and emotions. It wasn't a great storyline but hooked up to watch their cuteness and handsomeness. Not only first lead actors but also second lead actors chemistry hits hard in this drama.

Ost, chemistry, bromance, emotions, action are worked out so well. Song Joong Ki - Song Hye Kyo are one of my favorite couple.

Anyone can watch this, if you are more into rom com you can enjoy it more.

After watching this beautifuly written show I really want to watch more Korean shows. This show is full of emotions

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!"