Is the story unique or amazing? Nope, its not. But thats not the point, this drama is about life, its about family, relationships, friends and so on… Particularly noteworthy are the gradual changes in the characters of both our male and female leads, slowly opening up to others around them and confiding in them. But the story isnt only about those 2 leads, everyone is involved in this, all the other characters… What I take the story of this drama to be expressing is that marriage or love is not necessarily a prerequisite to creating a family. Friends, acquaintances, daily banter and happiness/sadness is what makes up a family. Or, another way of putting it: A true family isnt only constituted by its form (marriage etc), but its the substance, the things that go on within it, the people that make up a family.
But anyways enough of that serious stuff, Katori Shingo was awesome here, as usual - he portrayed his character quite well. Ueno Juri as well (I started to like her ever since Nodame… ). The relationship/quarrels between them were entertaining and addictively good. Other characters like Nishida Toshiyuki (the father) and Arakawa Yoshiyoshi (a workplace colleague) added depth and humour to the drama. Key thing was I thought everyone’s acting was pretty natural, as expected of a drama that resolves around family and life - and i think most, if not all of the cast nailed it.
(Side note: Some say this drama is similar to Kekkon Dekinai Otoko. That might be true, especially with the male lead's character, but the story is generally different, and this has more of a family/ daily life feeling to it)
Rewatch? Definitely why not, its awesome.
Anything else? Music was catchy and addicting.
Is it perfect? Of course not - but that was nonetheless a day well spent…
Was this review helpful to you?
The cast selected, amazing! Big Nicky Wu, Kevin Cheng, and Cecilia Liu fans!!! All the princes were great and acted great. The storyline was good too and kept me glued to the screen. Some episodes left me speechless! The whole time travel thing was fine too, they didn't dwell on it too much. The only thing I did not like about the drama was how they made Liu's character so helpless as the drama continued, nothing like in the beginning.
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
He had his cute moments and his serious moments. I like how he protected her and how he flirted with her, even though he has always been pretty isolated.
The rest of story, I don't know, I feel like that female lead, she was kind of boring, and looked always lost. The story line was good but some of the acting seemed a bit fake. There is a second series to this drama so I will give it a shot. Hopefully it will be better.
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
Sounds good. Until suddenly the science fiction is all over the place. Such as Do Min Joon's powers. So time moves slower on his planet and it's fast on earth. Meaning he never ages and can freeze time. Not only that he can teleport, levitate things with his mind (so telekinesis), has the abilities to electrically kill and start things, and so on. Psychically he's faster (I'm assuming do to his time abilities), stronger, better eye sight, and his hearing is so amazing he can even hear through sound proof walls and pin point someone through an entire city to long distances. Pin point one person by sound. The whole thing is based on superior aliens who can teleport not being able to duplicate their powers and create their own teleportation device. “BEAM ME UP SCOTTY!” They don't want to alert humans to them, so they have to do it stealthy. That's just touching the tip of the sci/fi and basic questions here. Yes, plot holes.
Enter the female lead who immediately rubbed me the wrong way. She's kind of clueless (read brainless), loud and obnoxious. So on. On paper You Who Came From the Stars sounds good and then as I began to watch it started to play out in a way that I would normally dislike. Cold male lead, annoying female, and silly world building to support it's sci-fi theme that is just a romance story. The first episode I could understand why the fans did liketh. Then as I kept watching my episode ratings increased. Because the writer kept doing what I have wanted many drama writers to do: grow their characters.
It didn't hurt that the humor is amazing and Jeon Ji Hyeon is truly an amazing comedic actress. As the writing and Jeon Ji Hyeon were able to take hold of Song Yi and develop her I soon went from being annoyed to feeling really fond of her. Like Do Min Joon I soon fell in love with her. Song Yi may be clueless about somethings, clearly studies were not her strong point, but she has heart. She doesn't lie to herself she realizes that she's a diva and spoiled, but that's who she is why should she hide! If you're her person, and there's few of them, she is loyal. Soon her inner depths are revealed and I appreciate it anytime that a well developed female lead graces the screen.
Do Min Joon develops out of his cold male lead stereotype. As flashbacks into the past show us some of his experiences of why he no longer feels compelled to help the common man. Despite his words he still has helped. His best friend Jang Young Mok is someone he got involved with despite his big words about staying out of the affairs of people and just wait to return to his Star. Yong Mok and Min Joon's relationship is so wonderful and I love that this show has hidden depths of emotion and relationships. Do Min Joon is pretty funny himself and I urge everyone to give this a chance. Especially wait to get a kick out of the drunken flashback . . . oh gosh! While Do Min Joon originally dislikes Song Yi and only is truly drawn to her because she was the girl . . . that looked like someone from the past, he is the one that enters the love zone first. Or starts to at least crush first. Not to mention that actor Kim Soo Hyun is simply amazing.
It showcases the fickleness of super stardom and how quickly fans will turn on you. (Maybe a commentary on the Korean news media and the so called fans.) Shows how stardom can affect the people around you; friends and family. Being a star has it's own issues.
The villain is pretty awesome and it can be argued that Lee Jae Kyung is evil for the sake of being the villain here. However, the actor, Shin Sung Rok, does it swell. If you don't watch this look up Lee Jae Kyung in the red suit. * fans self * Lee Hui Kyung is the bad guy's unsuspecting brother and of course the third wheel to the love story. He should have been soooooo annoying as this stupid guy who follows Song Yi around. She's told him no, but he will and never leaves her. Yet the writing again develops his character and you understand him and are heartbroken with him. Respect. I thought Do Min Joon was beyond stupid trying to protect Song Yi from Lee Jae Kyung, but Lee Hui Kyung not only turns around and gathers evidence, but he does the cop and Do Min Joon's jobs. It's very overlooked, and not acknowledge by the other characters, that he saves the day. Sure Do Min Joon was called in to use his powers, but if push came to shove I'm sure Lee Hui Kyung could have done it himself.
Even the girl friend turning out to be a jealous friend was handled well! (Song Yi's friend!) See solid writing can turn a hated trope into a good thing. You can understand Se Mi and where she is coming from. What I liked even more is that she eventually grows up. I really loved the actress and hope to see her in some leading roles. (Apparently Goblin???) Other actors and relationships I enjoyed would be actor Ahn Jae Hyun! Oh, I've been watching his stuff backwards, but I'm happy to see his “debut”. I loved his relationship with his sister and her fame, and shockingly Do Min Joon! His crush/hero worship of Do Min Joon is another great thing. I also enjoyed Song Yi's family as we learn how broken they are and by the end come together. Oh, and Song Yi has a real friend and I loved their relationship so much!
While I probably won't be rewatchng the whole show anytime soon I will be watching favorite scenes over and over again. The music is all right and while nothing truly pops up while watching I did sing along with the OST. Though if pressed I couldn't sing it to you now. Out of my head already. The instrumental pieces were simple and fit well, but I won't go out of my way to get the soundtrack. Visually it's stunning and I thought the affects were done well enough! It is a TV show and they budgeted well.
You Who Came From the Star pretty much has the frame work of world building and ignores some of the obvious questions about its science fiction aspects. This is a fated across time love story with aliens. All of the regular tropes tossed in and written well enough that it's not annoying (most of the time). While I'm worried about certain alien and human incompatibilities not being addressed at the end. (To which my alternate ending idea would have fixed. Someone needs to hire me. ^_-) Not to mention the explanation to the ending, I have to be honest that this worked. The writer focuses on the things that turns You Who Came From the Stars into a pretty fun show. Character development, fantastic and clever humor, a build up to love (no instalove thank you), and turning unrealistic characters to realistic/relatable ones. By episode 5 I believe viewers will fully know if this show is for them. Some might not be able to turn a blind eye to the glaring plot holes, maybe even find things slowing down as the show was slated for 16 episodes and dragged out to 21 (though I think they did a pretty good job only 2 episodes truly lagged), and might not be able to click with the female lead. However, I think if you let the writing take hold and simply enjoy it's all well worth it.
I enjoyed myself and I'm glad I did.
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
The story brings nothing new. The chacracters are put in typical kdrama situations. There is absolutely no doubt I gave a 6 score.
But... why did I give a 9 for the overall? Can a drama with ordinary plot have any chance of getting a higher score?
Yes, it can. And this is like... the second time I truly feel a drama being underrated.
There are chain events that are very well connected throughout. For an uninteresting story, they made it very well executed and I could not help but keep watching and watching until the end. The writer did a great job building plot outlines. I was kept entertained and it was honestly a success for drama to do so to me.
The shining part about this drama, however, is the characters.
There are really a lot of characters and I love it. Every person isn't the same with different names, but has their own traits amd color. That's why I didn't bother seeing so many scenes involving different people but not the main pair.
I love Yong Pal. He is playful and acts like money is everything to him (which is right sometimes), yet a very talented, kind person who always thinks of the positive and justice (and something along the lines), despte of course, his kindness becomes too angelic here and there (and that makes him even more lovable).
And also we have Yeo Jin. She is a very strong woman with great intelligence and a very clear mindset - tit or tat; you own blood, pay with blood. We can't blame her for acting just about the same as her enemies if we get to know about her childhood and her surroundings environment. At first I thought Yong Pal is going to overshadow Yeo Jin (hence the title) but actually, Yeo Jin just shines at much, especially toward the second half of the series. Her inner character complexity and the contrary between hers and Yong Pal's mindset makes their relationship feel realistic.
Both characters have their own flaws and their different persinalities blend well with one another. That's why theri love is special and very convincing as well.
This kind of characterization, I only have seen in this drama. The characters are very strong and deserve their main roles in the drama.
-------
Of course, this drama has many problems aside from its great characters. Mediorce OSTs and BGM (the intro was actually good though), choppy and forced love development, not so special storyline, unanswered questions (for example, the nurse in charge of watching Yeo Jin, there was a picture of her and Yeo Jin yet we never find out what kind of relationship they have). The ending should be longer though. There was only 57 mins for the last ep so why not make it longer for our couple? Ugh.
The chacracters is the main point that make this drama a recommended one to watch. Thats all I have to say
Was this review helpful to you?
Recent Discussions
-
BL Drama Lovers Club2 minutes ago -
** Moon BAR + Starlight KTV + Moon SPA **4 minutes ago
-
Compilation of Nuanced Exchanges and Monologues in the Drama12 minutes ago -
!! Thoughts For the Day !!28 minutes ago -
Last Drama You Completed? #21 hour ago
