Rain or Shine as a K-drama
Rain or Shine is a gem of a South Korean show. I rank it right up there with My Mister, and just a little below Mr. Sunshine. In fact, since it has a positive character who is both a loan shark and drug dealer, I might actually rank Rain or Shine above My Mister as a libertarian drama.
Rain or Shine: The Basic Plot
Years after the collapse of a mall kills 48 people and the architect of the mall commits suicide, the survivors of the collapse come together to rebuild. In the process, hidden memories surface, love blossoms, and emotional conflicts are explored and resolved.
Rain or Shine: The Characters
- Ha Moon-Soo (Won Jin-A) — A survivor of the mall collapse who builds architectural models for a living.
- Lee Gang-Doo (Lee Joon-Ho) — A survivor of the mall collapse who works in construction.
- Seo Joo-Won (Lee Ki-Woo) — The son of the architect who designed the mall that collapsed, he is now in charge of designing the new mall. He is the direct supervisor of Ha Moon-Soo.
- Jung Yoo-Jin (Kang Han-Na) — Her father was in charge of the building project of the collapsed mall. She and Joo-Won used to be romantically involved. Her brother is in charge of the new building project. Her father is married to Joo-Won’s mother. She herself is an architecturally trained business woman.
- Yoon-Ok (Yun Yoo-Sun) — Moon-Soo’s mother, who runs a bath house for women. She is racked with guilt over the death of her younger daughter, Yeon-Soo, in the collapsed mall and has become an alcoholic.
- Ha Dong-Chul (Ahn Nae-Sang) — Moon-Soo’s father who runs a noodle shop close to the site of the collapsed mall. He is separated from his wife. He is also the person whose confrontation with the architect caused Joo-Won’s father to commit suicide.
- Ha Yeon-Soo (Han Seo-Jin) –Moon-Soo’s little sister who was killed in the mall collapse.
- Jung Yoo-Taek (Tae In-Ho) — Yu-Jin’s brother, a very incompetent businessman.
- Lee Jae-Young (Kim Hye-Jun) — Gang-Doo’s sister, a doctor.
- Ma-Ri (Yoon Se-Ah) — A kind hearted madam.
- Sang-Man (Kim Gang-Hyun) — An autistic neighbor of Gang-Du.
- Loan Shark/Drug Dealer Grandmother (Na Moon-Hee)
- Joo-won’s Mother (Nam Gi-Ae)
Rain or Shine: The Moral Dilemmas
Who is responsible for the mall collapse? Was it the architect who put together the perfect blue prints? The construction company who tried to cut costs? The construction worker who was caught reselling materials from the mall construction project? Who should be blamed? Who is responsible for a little girl’s death in the collapse? Her older sister who should have been at her side? Her mother, who sent both girls unaccompanied into the mall alone? And what if none of them are responsible? What if life is just cruel? Do you blame the heartless universe or whatever god you believe in?
I explore these issues in greater depth in the video embedded below.
Rain or Shine: Libertarian Aspects
The character of the loan shark/drug dealer with the heart of gold is a very nice touch. This show demonstrates that there is a clear difference between what is immoral and what is illegal. Some of the kindest people sell medicine under the table to people the medical profession refuses to serve. Some of the best bankers are loan sharks, lending money at exorbitant rates to people who otherwise would be turned away.
Like many other shows about art and architecture from South Korea, this drama also features architectural drawings. If you are interested in the art of Rain or Shine, watch the video embedded above.
