I'm not sure why but Oppa and I are hesitant to watch "classics," meaning old dramas that became hits or extremely popular. And while it took us a long time to start watching this one, I'm glad that we've finally done it. It definitely lived up to the hype. And it proved why Gianna Jun/ Jun Ji Hyun and Kim Soo Hyun deserve their spots on my and Oppa's lists.
Plot
My Love from the Star tells the story of Do Min Joon (Kim Soo Hyun), an alien who first came to earth around 400 years ago. He was left behind when he saved a young girl from falling off a cliff. Fast forward to 400 years later, Min Joon finally gets the chance to go back to his planet in three months. However, things become complicated/interesting when he ends up living beside a popular actress Cheon Song Yi (Jun Ji Hyun). Min Joon suspects that Song Yi was a reincarnation of the girl he saved hundreds of years ago. As Min Joon and Song Yi support each other and end up falling in love with each other, the two face the dilemma of separating or being together with the risk of Min Joon dying. The story takes us through how Min Joon and Song Yi try to go against the odds that prevent them from living their happily ever after.
Jun Ji Hyun as Cheon Song Yi
We've seen Jun Ji Hyun in My Sassy Girl and more recently in Jirisan. And this was definitely the best version of Gianna Jun that we've seen. I'd say Song Yi was a classier and more glamorous version of The Girl. But she was still very funny especially with her facial expressions and the way she delivers her lines.
Jun Ji Hyun was absolutely great in all those silly scenes. Like when she recalled the crazy stuff she did after Min Joon rejected her - all the dancing, phone calls, messages, and barging into his house were hilarious. The great thing about Jun Ji Hyun is how she was able to pull off those crazy stuff. Any other actress might have come out corny or over the top. But not Gianna Jun.
And I really loved how Jun Ji Hyun knew when to be wail-y in dramatic scenes and when to be restrained. I liked that scene towards the end when she told Min Joon sadly that they they needed to wake up from their dream and he had to go back to where he came from so he can continue existing. That was so heartbreaking.
I hope Jun Ji Hyun gets another chance to play something similar in the future. I'm sure we all missed her funny side in Jirisan.
Kim Soo Hyun as Do Min Joon
It was refreshing/exciting to see Kim Soo Hyun in something more serious and mature. Yes, he had serious moments in Secretly Greatly, Dream High, and The Producers (along with his cameos in Crash Landing on You and Hotel Del Luna). But I loved the total package he gave us in this drama.
I loved Min Joon's brooding/contemplative look especially when he thinks of the past or the future or when he teaches his classes. And I also loved the youthful and boy-next-door vibe he exuded. You wouldn't guess he's been around for 400 years. And he was great in the funny scenes too. I was proud of him for keeping up with Jun Ji Hyun. But I would have to say that Kim Soo Hyun's strength still lies in drama. He makes good use of his eyes to convey the pain and loneliness he feels. Like in that breakdown scene where he asked why can't be allowed to just spend time with Song Yi.
That Suzy cameo with references to their Dream High characters was also cute.
I will definitely keep watching Kim Soo Hyun because he's really one of the best K drama actors out there.
Min Joon and Song Yi
Min Joon and Song Yi are good for each other. Never mind that they got off on the wrong foot. And that they're opposites - careless and carefree Song Yi and all prim and proper Min Joon. I guess they're proof that when you're meant to be, fate will find a way to bring you together the way Song Yi and Min Joon were drawn to each other gradually and naturally.
I loved all the moments Min Joon saved Song Yi especially that parking lot incident at the university with the reporters and that nerve-racking and intense car accident in the cliff. I totally felt how much Min Joon wanted to protect Song Yi. And of course, all those times when Song Yi would ask Min Joon for help when she had to do stuff that scared her like meeting her agency. Yes, she appeared confident but deep inside, she needed Min Joon's support and push to keep her brave.
Yes, I was not a fan of the lying stuff like Min Joon painfully rejecting Song Yi and telling her he just mistook her for the girl he saved 400 years ago. Or when Min Joon was sending mixed signals to Song Yi that caused the latter to call him selfish. He confused her whenever he did something to protect her but then he would push her away when she tried to confess her feelings. However, I liked how Min Joon and Song Yi were honest with each other most of the time. Like when Min Joon clarified with Song Yi that he had to leave in a month. And when Song Yi was honest with Min Joon that she already knew what could happen to him if he does not leave.
Of course I loved all of their cute and funny moments. Like when Song Yi kept pestering Min Joon about how far they can go. Or how she was so worried about aging knowing that her alien boyfriend won't probably get old.
But I also lived for their tender moments. Like when Song Yi finally had the courage to confess her feelings for Min Joon. It was amazing to see our confident girl transform into someone unsure and hesitant. And who can forget Min Joon's heartfelt proposal when he told Song Yi that he can't say everything she wants to hear but he will try his best to be part of the future that she dreams of. *sigh*
And I loved those bittersweet moments too especially when they started the painful process of saying goodbye to each other.
Min Joon's grand reveal of his identity to Song Yi was so intense. It was totally scary and I completely understood why Song Yi was freaked out. But I also get why Min Joon had to do it. It was bound to happen anyway. So might as well let everything out in the open right away, in one go. Yes, she might leave. But it was a risk he had to take. To at least give her the chance to make an informed decision of staying or leaving.
I really loved Jun Ji Hyun and Kim Soo Hyun's chemistry. The age gap never showed. And I can't help but wish for a reunion drama for them.
Yoo In Na as Yoo Se Mi
Yoo In Na (You are the Best, Guardian, and Snowdrop) was okay as Se Mi, who was supposedly Song Yi's bestfriend. Both meek and feisty roles suit Yoo In Na. I was surprised that she can actually do drama (which I found lacking in her other shows) but only when she's underacting. Intense and heavy drama scenes continue to be her weakness.
I liked how right from the start, the show already gave us hints that Se Mi was a two-faced bitch who can be very, very vile. And while I would have preferred to see her real character exposed to the public, I guess I should just be contented that she didn't really end up with anyone.
Park Hae Jin as Lee Hee Kyung
I admit that initially, I was indifferent towards Hee Kyung. He was just a persistent but annoying suitor to Song Yi. But as the show progressed, Hee Kyung grew on me. I liked how he was caring even towards Se Mi (although it was painful to see him clueless about her feelings for him). And how he was always there to comfort Song Yi even during moments that were painful for him too like when Song Yi was weeping when Min Joon rejected her and how he never left Song Yi's side after Min Joon was gone.
What cemented my love for Hee Kyung was his willingness to rat on his brother (Shin Sung Rok of Vagabond as the scary and twisted murderer Lee Jae Kyung). Hee Kyung was very instrumental in solving his brother's crimes.
Kim Chang Wan as Jang Young Mok
Apart from the main leads, my other favorite character would be Mr. Jang (Kim Chang Wan of Coffee Prince, Something in the Rain, One Spring Night, and Worlds Within), Min Joon's lawyer or sometimes his "father" and one of the few people who knew about Min Joon's real identity. I loved their relationship and how Mr. Jang's only goal is to always protect Min Joon. For him, Min Joon saving his life was probably priceless and he has never stopped paying him back since then. I loved how Mr. Jang didn't care if he hurt other people's feelings as long as he can protect Min Joon like when he was brutally frank with Song Yi that Min Joon was leaving so she should stop getting involved with and confusing him. Min Joon and Mr. Jang's goodbye scene was one of the show's most heartbreaking moments.
Execution
Yes, this show's quite old. But I loved how it didn't fall into the trap of the formulaic stuff that dramas made during this period encountered.
The opening credits itself was amazing. I loved how that intro from the rice fields evolved into modern-day Seoul perfectly captured what the drama was all about.
If you've seen Guardian and Hotel Del Luna, you'd probably say that this show seems familiar. But remember this was the first among the three. And personally, I felt that this was a lighter and funnier version, and probably a slightly better one too. I loved the good balance it had between drama and comedy. It strengthened my belief that supernatural stuff can be good for drama too as long as it's properly interposed with present day and human stuff.
The back and forth between the past and the present was laid down properly in this drama. It didn't confuse me at all. I loved how it laid the predicate with an establishing scene before the show skipped to another era so you won't get lost during the transitions. I particularly loved the history about Min Joon's property acquisitions like how the bare he fields he purchased were converted into the Jamsil Amusement Park and Apgujeong buildings, etc. It also helped that the young Cheon Song Yi (Kim Hyun Soo) really resembled Jun Ji Hyun.
I also liked how Min Joon's lectures were used to provide context/explanation about a scene that just happened or that's about to happen.
I liked how the show tried to give us a glimpse of the sad lives of superstars - where you're only as good as your last hit. And the moment you fall, everyone will abandon you. And the sad and painful truth that this very unkind industry can push people to depression or even suicide.
I was not a huge fan of the murder storyline, probably because I didn't like Jae Kyung. But I admit that it was essential in making things more interesting, coupled with the mystery behind Min Joon's secret identity.
Yes, there were some questionable stuff about the murder angle. I felt that Min Joon unnecessarily endangered Song Yi's life when he dragged on the USB issue. He should have told the the police about it right away. While he can always save himself, I don't think he should have risked Song Yi's life that way.
And I don't get why Min Joon even thought of having a deal with Jae Kyung. Was it not evident that he was twisted and could not be saved and trusted? Oppa was complaining that Jae Kyung's reaction while Min Joon was threatening to make him fall off the building after Song Yi's stunt accident was not believable. To me, however, that was proof of how unhinged he was (plus the fact that he knew Min Joon could not kill him).
I'm glad that in the end, Min Joon opted to cooperate with the police. And the police believed him. It was his safest way out. And while he risked being branded as crazy, he really had nothing to lose. And I loved how things fell into place when they helped out each other. Like how they brilliantly got Jae Kyung's wife out of the mental hospital and how they entrapped Jae Kyung.
I admit that I was not extremely happy with how Min Joon put himself out in the open when Jae Kyung provoked him. Could he not have moved a little farther so that the reporters won't see him disappear? But in a way, the explanation he gave to the prosecutor (Oh Sang Jin) made sense - the urgency of the situation and his need to protect Song Yi rattled him and he could not think straight.
The goodbyes towards the end were heartbreaking like the ones with Song Yi and Mr. Jang. Especially Song Yi's when she didn't even realize that Min Joon already disappeared.
I liked the character development of Hee Kyung's dad (Lee Jung Gil) - how he realized that Jae Kyung had to be locked up so that he won't continue enabling him to become an even worse monster.
I liked how the ending was not contrived. Se Mi was still a bitch. She was asking the production team to fire Song Yi. Yet we can see her regaining her soft spot for Song Yi when she talked to her about how long forgetting a heartbreak takes. I also liked how the show did not force Se Mi to end up with Hee Kyung, otherwise, it would have been unrealistic knowing that Hee Kyung only had eyes for Song Yi.
And of course, I liked the show's work around on how Min Joon could go back to earth. I loved the idea of a wormhole where Min Joon can recharge so he won't lose his powers and disappear and that would allow him to stay with the love of his life longer, and possibly until death separates the two of them.
I loved how the show turned out to be realistic and relatable despite having an extraordinary storyline.
I loved the songs too...
My Destiny by Lyn
Goodbye by Hyolyn
I Love You by Just
Oppa says...4.8.
Noona says...4.7.