My Love from Another Star (also known as You Who Came from the Stars) is a fantasy melodrama that tells the story of Do Min Joon (Kim Soo Hyun), a 400 year old alien with superhuman abilities who has been trapped on Earth. All he wanted to do was get back home, but that all changes when he meets a popular actress named Chun Song Yi (Jun Ji Hyun).
My Love from Another Star took the drama world by storm at the end of 2013. It’s popularity in Korea and internationally was huge, and the drama certainly has a lot going for it.
Min Joon lived a boring existence just waiting until he could return home. He had trouble maintaining friendships, and only had one close friend, an older gentleman named Young Mok (Kim Chang Won).
But his world is turned upside down by the high maintenance and demanding actress Song Yi. And what a treat she was! My Love from Another Star was Jun Ji Hyun’s first drama since 1999, as she is primarily a movie actress. She was simply made for this role.
Her comedic timing is impeccable, and she makes the simplest lines hilarious to hear. Her character was a bit goofy, but strong, and she was perfect as the opposite to Min Joon’s cold, stiff persona.
Min Joon is actually initially drawn to Song Yi because of her resemblance to a young girl named Seo Yi Hwa (Kim Hyun Soo) who helped him when he first landed on Earth during the Joseon period. My Love from Another Star is unique in that despite being a modern drama, it has quite a few scenes that take place during this period. If you’re new to historicals, this drama is a nice introduction as these scenes are quite enjoyable, and they really lay off the politics that can be somewhat heavy in most historicals.
Of course, we have a troublemaking second female lead in this drama, Yoo Se Mi (Yoo In Na), whose jealousy of Song Yi fuels her desire to cause her problems. The male second lead, Lee Hui Kyung (Park Hae Jin), is the your classic nice guy who is always there for our leading lady.
But I have to give props to who is possibly my favorite kdrama villain, Lee Jae Kyung (Shin Sung Rok). His confidence and villainous smile are perfection for the role. He will do whatever it takes to get what he wants…including murder.
Some of my favorite scenes were his showdowns with Min Joon. The intensity was fabulous, and I thoroughly enjoyed watching him go from cocky to confused by Min Joon’s abilities. If you enjoy Shin Sung Rok, be sure to check out the Korean version of Liar Game. His villainous role is very similar, and he was the highlight of the drama for me.
There’s also a cute little side story involving Song Yi’s brother, Yoon Jae (Ahn Jae Hyun). He develops quite the fascination with Min Joon, and it is quite adorable to watch.
The romance is quite nice in this drama. Despite Song Yi’s crazy antics, it has a mature feel to it, and it is wonderful to watch her and Min Joon grow closer. They both change each other’s lives for the better, and it is truly heartbreaking to watch them cope with the devastation of learning that Min Joon has to go back to his planet or he will die.
Our couple’s love only grows stronger as they cope with the challenges of him leaving. They realize how important every moment truly is.
I personally enjoyed the ending to this drama. It wasn’t picture perfect, but they really made the best of their situation. In that sense, it almost feels more real, because life isn’t always perfect.
So if you want to get swept up in a lovely romance with a nice dose of comedy and some thrills, give My Love from Another Star a chance.
My Rating: 8.5
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