Review: My Love From The Star

By Ashley Tay

PHOTO: youwhocamefromthestars.com

My Love From The Star (2014)

Cast: Kim Soo Hyun, Gianna Jun, Park Hae-Jin, Yoo In-Na
Written by: Park Ji-eun
Directed by: Jang Tae-yoo

Synopsis

Do Min-Joon is an alien from outer space (played by Kim Soo Hyun of Dream High and Moon Embracing The Sun) who has been stranded on earth since the Joseon Dynasty 400 years ago. Cheong Song-Yi (played by My Sassy Girl star Gianna Jun) a famous Hallyu (Korean Wave) actress suddenly becomes Min-Joon’s next-door neighbour and disrupts his once peaceful life. With only three months left before his long-awaited departure back to space, Min-Joon finds himself entangled in Song-Yi’s crazy and unpredictable situations. He slowly develops romantic feelings for her and eventually faces the tough decision to stay on earth or depart and leave Song-Yi behind.

Review

Garnering more than 2.5 billion views online and sending fans into life-endangering situations, the latest Korean television series My Love From The Star has taken the Korean Wave by storm.

Extreme cases include a pregnant woman who almost suffered a miscarriage when she followed the show’s protagonist, Song-Yi, in bingeing on excessive fried chicken and beer, and a 50-year-old woman who suffered from a heart attack after being too emotional over the show. Fans have gone wild over this series.
Here’s probably why:

My Love From The Star is a shift away from the typical Korean drama stereotype (think unrequited love and patients dying from cancer), as it successfully intertwines three compelling genres: science-fiction, mystery and romance.

At the start of the series, Song-Yi’s arrogant celebrity nature is juxtaposed with Min-Joon’s cool character and his indifference towards her fame. We are also introduced to Lee Hwi-Keong (played by Park Hae-jin), Song-Yi’s childhood friend who holds an unrequited love for her, and Yoo Se-mi (played by Yoo In-na), Song-Yi’s friend who is envious of her fame.

As the story develops, Min-Joon opens up to Song-Yi as he becomes her knight-in-shining armour on many occasions. But what is refreshing about this romantic comedy is an unexpected plot twist — the murder of Song-Yi’s rival, Han Yoo-ra (played by Yu In-Young) that she gets blamed for. The thrilling mystery that unravels throughout the series is well-crafted and complements the already complex plot of having an alien protagonist. As Min-Joon attempts to help clear Song-Yi’s name, their relationship blossoms.

Both characters learn valuable lessons along the way. For instance, Min-Joon, an indifferent alien who couldn’t wait to go back to his planet at the beginning of the series, starts to value Song-Yi’s well-being and dreams of living the rest of his life on earth with her.

Song-Yi also makes great leaps in terms of character development. She evolves from an arrogant and self-centred star to a selfless lover to Min Joon, willing to discard her fame just to be with him.

Song-Yi’s portrayal of a crass and loud protagonist is a breath of fresh air that deviates from the stereotypical demure female lead. She also proves to be a heroine in her own right, as she protects Min-Joon by guarding his big secret of being an alien till the very end.

Gianna Jun also played Song-Yi so naturally that it comes with no surprise that audiences have fallen in love with her. The attractive star tugs at audience’s heartstrings as the bubbly Song-Yi with her humorous antics — from singing into a hairdryer, talking to herself, to getting trapped in a sleeping bag.

Kim Soo Hyun, on the other hand, was less expressive in this drama as compared to his previous work in Moon Embracing The Sun and Secretly Greatly. However, audiences can expect to see a more vulnerable side to his portrayal of the stoic Min-Joon, as he injects raw emotion into the otherwise impassive alien character.

However, despite enjoying the series, there was one thing that didn’t do it for me. I was hoping that the plot would revolve more around its science-fiction theme. However, that element was overshadowed by other subplots and it got lost by the middle of the series. The entire series could have done away with the science-fiction aspect altogether and it would still have been a great drama to watch.