Mr. Sunshine

Mr. Sunshine | Official Trailer [HD] | Netflix
We started watching this series a couple of nights ago and it promises to keep us occupied for many more. The first couple of episodes hold much of the back story and are a bit confusing. Who are all these people? But eventually it sorts itself out. The story takes place in Korea around 1900. Japan, Russia and the USA are all trying to carve out a place in Korea. The Americans send a fleet of five warships, including a paddle wheel steamer. It was pretty great seeing that on the screen, even if it was just a computer generated image.

The best part is the alien thought processes on display, and the conflict between the different cultures about what is normal, right and proper. It's pretty great.

The story centers on an orphaned Joseon (Korean) slave boy who escapes to America and a young Korean noble woman. The slave boy  grows up and becomes a U.S. Marine officer, who then gets sent back to Korea as part of a diplomatic mission. The young woman is a contrarian, not satisfied with a life of flower arranging that her grandfather wants. She takes up target practice, initially with a matchlock rifle and later with bolt action repeating rifles.

Wikipedia has a short piece about the movie and a longer article about  Shinmiyango, which is the starting point for the story.

On Netflix with subtitles.