Good but not great

This is a good drama and I liked it more than I thought I would. I was not interested in a hospital drama since Hospital Playlist. This is not the place to compare those two dramas. Daily Dose of Sunshine does something we see not often enough in Kdramas: It's topic is mental health and mental disorders set in a psychiatry. I think this topic is really important. At the same time there is a need to not only scratch the surface. Here are my thoughts on this show:

What I liked:
- It's sweet
- It's been a while since I saw Park Bo Young, her character was relatable and likable
- I was really invested in the second couple (Sadly more than the main one)
- Covers mental health
- They should bring out a Fantasy drama :) (Those who watched the show will know why)
- From nurse to client, shows everyone can develop a mental disorder
- The pleading for more awareness

What I disliked:
- The story felt very linear and predictable, even boring at times. That's because many of the "cases" in this drama were resolved in the same way. Sometimes not deep enough and too quickly solved for my taste.
- The Work with the clients felt completly flat. At some points the message seemed like "Take your medicine and you will be happy again". I did not like this simplicity. I would have liked to see the doctors work more with the clients and the process of the long way to recovery (see with the case of panic disorder, was resolved quite quickly)
- At first I was interested in the main romance plotline, I even liked both male leads. But after a while I lost interest and the plotline seemed unnecessary. The second couple was more interesting.


Good but not great and a lots of room for improvement.

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WOW --- Now who am I?

In this review, I will include some thoughts on Part 1 as well. I honestly wasn't invested from the start. I had a really hard time following the first two episodes, because they couldn't catch me. That's why I put the drama aside and watched others first. I am so glad, that I continued watching. The show was getting better and better. Especially when we got to see Lee Jae Wook's and Lee Do Hyun's stories. By the end of episode 4 I was devestated. And shocked to see my theory, that the two bodies we were seeing were Yi Jae and an innocent person he killed with his suicide, was wrong. I still think that this theory would have made sense for Death's reasoning to punish Yi Jae. But the Drama went a different direction. After Part 1 I was excited for Part 2... and part 2 did not disappoint.

Some thoughts:
- These "reincarnations" I found especially intriguing: Cho tae Sang (Lee Jae Wook), Jang Geon Woo (Lee Do Hyun), Jung Gyu Chul (Kim Jae Wook) and Ahn Ji Hyung (Oh Jung Se)
- I personally preferred Part 2 to Part 1, which is really refreshing to see since it's often enough the other way around
- It felt like Part 2 took more time to really explore each of the characters (even though some characters fell short in Part 1 and 2, the Baby & the homeless Man for example)
- I really enjoyed the narrative of the drama... it made you wonder why and how each "reincarnation" was going to die
- The drama hooked you to see if Yi Jae finally learned... he appears to not be the brightest star in the sky (a german saying... don't know if it's actually translatable). But the way he acted as Ahn Ji Hyung (the police officer) was really satisfying to watch
- Him being as Ahn Ji Hyung was captivating and the drama led you to think this was going to end painless and guess what ... it didn't
- The drama made me think and reflect and what's actually important and what not. It moved something inside me. And a drama that can grab my attention, hold it and eventually leads to interesting topics and contemplation, is a 10/10 candidate... and here we are :)
- Do I personally loathe people that decide to take their own life like Death does in this series? Absoluteley not!!! But this drama felt more like a personal process and message to Yi Jae as a character who was unable to see and feel the love and devotion of his mother and girlfriend. It leads attention to those people who are left behind after losing a dear person. That's the way I interpret this drama.
- I mean it could be that we have to take into consideration that in this drama God exists... but I don't want to start a religious discussion and instead interpret the drama like I said in the point before, since that's the way I watched it
- The way everything and the characters were connected is amazing. It made the Story feel more cohesive and well-rounded
- At the end the story felt circular
- I loved the OST
- Made me think "Who am I?" and "At the end, what's actually important?"

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Captivating characters and plot

I would have never thought, that I would end up loving this series. I'm glad I started it, even if I wasn't totally interested in it. This drama makes so many things right and has everything I want in a drama.

What I liked:
- The Characters. They felt real and engaging. They had their own problems and were realistic. I fell in love with them. Especially the two main leads.
- The chemistry was incredibly captivating. Before watching it I was wondering how they would handle the two age gap couples. Because sometimes it can feel a bit forced in dramas. But not in this one. The age didn't matter, no need to think about it. Lee Ha Nee and Lee Jong Won suit each other and they characters were mature and on the same wave length. It was a delight to watch them on the Screen. The fight scenes between them were full of chemistry.
- The acting was phenomenal. All actors and actresses made a great performance. Especially Lee Ha Nee and Lee Jong Won. I saw Lee Jong Won in the Golden Spoon, but that drama was lacking and I barely noticed him. But in this drama... he was outstanding. I never noticed how beautiful he is. He looked ethereal in this one. Props to the costume design. Sageuk dramas suit him. And as for Lee Ha Nee, I never saw her before which is a surprise since she's been around for some time. I loved her acting, it felt experienced and secure.
-The comedy. I am very picky about comedy. But the comedy was great in this one. The timing felt right, the editing and the actors are talented at conveying the comedic scenes.
-The romance. Oh I love a slowburn. No need for a kiss if the characters have this much chemistry. It was way more exciting this way. It just felt natural and made me want to see more.
- I was even interested in the politics and the plot was really good
-The ending was really good and fitting to the characters.

What I disliked:
-I rarely say it but... nothing. Nothing at all. I would have wished for more scenes between the main leads but on the other hand I don't, because it was great the way it was.

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More a sport-managing drama than a sports drama

And another drama that is hard to rate. I just finished it and I still feel conflicted. Nevertheless, I’m going to try to organize my thoughts and feelings about this drama.

What I liked:
- A packed storyline and natural feeling plot progression
- The Baseball scenes. I knew nothing about baseball. And honestly, I still don’t really do. But this drama evoked my interest in it and I might check it out more often. Before watching this drama, I had no thoughts whatsoever about baseball. Maybe only that it’s dull. Now I don’t think like that anymore. I actually appreciate the sport more and think it’s interesting. I do like sport dramas because they show passionate characters that push themselves to be better. I do like to see some rivalry and competitiveness. Sport dramas often have determined characters who you start to root for and it’s always satisfying to see them get better. I don’t really play sports but it’s something I respect and do love to see in dramas. Be it ssireum (Like flowers in sand), fencing (twenty-five twenty-one), Love all Play (Badminton) etc… You can find this passion in Hot Stove league as well. But it’s just that they focus on the characters behind the players and not the players themselves.
- No romance. I do love romance. And I do love romance as a side plot as well. But it’s a good move that there was no romance in this specific drama. The characters had no romantic chemistry at all. More like colleague chemistry
- The actors!!! If I correctly remember Namkoong Min even won important awards for this show and it’s more than deserved. This man can act. I liked him before but after My Dearest he became one of my favorite actors. It was nice to see him in an introverted and reserved role this time. The other actors and actresses did a very good job as well. I really like Park Eun Bin. I especially liked her in Do you like Brahms? And in Age of Youth. Of course, I’ve seen her in Extraordinary attorney woo as well. She was outstanding. But after Castaway diva, a drama that wasn’t my taste --- Wait I just realized that Park Eun Bin and Chae Jong Hyeop reunited in Castaway diva after being in Hot stove league together, now it feels a bit weird --- anyway Castaway diva wasn’t my taste and could unsee Woo Young Woo in her new role. That’s why it was nice to see her in a different role again.

What I wished for:
I normally write “what I disliked” but this time it’s a bit different. This drama is good. I’m going to give it a 8/10 which is in my rating system a “Great”. Following point are crucial as to why I can’t give it a higher score. A 9/9.5/10 rating would automatically belong into the “my favorites” category. The acting, the quality and writing of this drama is the reason why I can’t give a lower score than 8 but the next points are the reasons why it’s higher:
- Not enough baseball. I expected more baseball. Now I know what a stove league is and that it’s always off-season. But in my opinion this drama would have benefitted from more baseball scenes.
- I know that they fleshed out the characters. But I still couldn’t really connect to them that much. I did like the players and would have liked to see more from them. The ML was intriguing but seemed a bit unapproachable. But that seemed intentionally. That, what we could see of his private life was very heartwarming. It’s just that I don’t really connect to any of the side characters.
- The villain and disbandment parts were not very intriguing.

I don’t feel strongly about this drama, nevertheless because of the quality of acting and writing I think it deserves and 8/10 in my rating system. And it’s refreshing to see a slower drama without romance receiving a 8.7 rating.

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Nothing new but enjoyable

Do I understand if someone rates this drama lower than me? Yes! Was it something new with amazing storylines and characters? No! Did I enjoy it anyway? YES

I was in a little kdrama slump... a bit bored by the kdramas I was watching recently and their genres. This came at the right time. It's short and I liked the airing schedule. The Idea of this drama is nothing new but still interesting and the potential to take the road of a psychological thriller mystery. But it did not. The characters are kinda stupid and some lack depth. The thing is... I still continued watching and was invested and had my own theories. Yes, you could call the ending bad. I was fine with it because I actually did not really care about how it ends. Honestly, this drama is perfect for switching your brain off and relax. I very much needed this, and this drama came at the right time.

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