Friday, March 29, 2024
FILM&DRAMA

My Love from the Star (SBS 2014) Review

The very popular SBS drama My Love from the Star (별에서 온 그대) was in the news again recently when a large group of Chinese fans of the drama arrived to visit the filming locations (and have chicken and beer  since this drama has brought chimaek to the attention of international viewers). And so I decided it was time for me to watch the drama too…

And I loved it. It’s such a FUN, fantasy romance! (even if you’re not really into romance ❤️)

What’s the Plot?

This is a love story between a top actress Cheon Song-yi (Jun Ji Hyeon) and an alien Do Min-jun (Kim Soon Hyun) who is working as a university professor. (What’s weird about that?) Min-jun got stranded on Earth back in 1609 (see, there is a perfectly reasonable explanation) during the reign of Gwanghaegun. (According to the history books, a UFO really was seen in the sky at that time).

He meets famous actress Song-yi who lives in his building. And despite their completely opposite personalities, they fall in love. The idea of a love story with an alien sounds cheesy and far-fetched, but somehow it works – as long as you’re not too concerned about the scientific details and just enjoy the story!

The villain of the story is Lee Jae-kyung, the older brother of Song-yi’s childhood friend. Coming from a chaebol family he is determined to inherit his father’s company and will kill anyone who gets in his way including Song-yi who knows too much about his dodgy past. He plays with his ring (which looks like a nail) menacingly when he’s agitated. (This is a bit melodramatic and unnecessary since his greased-back hair is enough to show that he’s the BADDIE). But the mood of the drama remains upbeat and fun even under the threat of murder.

my love from the star

We also have the obligatory love triangle

Song-yi’s childhood friend Semi is in love with chaebol good guy Hwi-kung who is love with Song-yi.  It wouldn’t be a Korean drama without jealousy and chaebols now would it?

Visually, the drama is a feast for the senses. There’s over-the-top fashion, outlandishly huge and luxurious apartments, not to mention the beautiful stars. The drama reminds me of dramas based on manga like Boys Before Flowers. Noone really dresses like that or lives in such huge apartments with large balconies over the city. Still, it’s nice to dream. And the drama is filmed in some interesting locations which have become tourist attractions.

chinese tourists chimek

pictures yonghap news – My Love from the Star fans from China enjoy a drama tour in Korea

The chemistry between the quirky characters is fun to watch!

But the drama centres on the romance. This drama certainly shows how opposites attract! Min-jun is sophisticated and well-read. He’s been on earth for 400 years and he’s met major players in history. He was given a painting by Kim Hong Do, one of the most famous Joseon painters. And when he fell ill he met the famous Joseon doctor Heojun.

On the other hand, Song-yi  isn’t interested in studying and knows nothing about history. Her manager even banned her from using social network sites as she embarrasses herself with her uneducated comments on Twitter.

She can be arrogant and sure that all men find her attractive. But she has never really been in love and he brings out her vulnerability as well as her playful side. He is sullen and serious because he has had to hide who he really is. He knows from past experience that revealing his supernatural powers will only frighten people! But he has some cool skills. Such as freezing time. So when he regrets sending a text to Song-yi (we’ve all been there) he rushes to her side to delete it before she reads it.  He freezes time, takes the phone out of her hand, deletes the text, and puts the phone back before she can read the text!

my love from the star

But it seems they are both lonely.

Her inept Tweets are just clumsy attempts to connect with her fans because she’s lonely. He can let few people get close to him. The relationship between Min-jun and his coworker Lawyer Jang is adorable and the most moving. They have remained friends for 30 years but Min-jun still looks the same age as he did then, but his friend has aged.

The biggest problem for the lovers is that Min-jun gets sick if he comes into contact with human saliva or blood! And his time on earth is limited. So the important thing is to make the most of what time there is and live life to the fullest. Hear, hear. 💕

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More review on popular dramas:

Sky Castle (2019)

Descendants of the Sun (2017) 

3 thoughts on “My Love from the Star (SBS 2014) Review

  • Thanks for the review! This drama sure knew how to do humor… that was one of its strong points along with the compelling characters. I loved the bromance between Do Minjoon and Lawyer Jang, too. Those two could just bicker and talk heart-to-heart like a couple sometimes! Even though I usually don’t care for the childhood part of a drama, YFAS really did it right. The parts of the drama with Songyi as a child had some of the most touching scenes.

    It’s funny that Chinese tourists are still so into YFAS and chimaek. I guess that’s the power of a fun drama. 🙂

    Reply
    • I loved the humour in this drama too. I want to watch more dramas like this!

      Reply
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