Kdrama Review: My Love From The Star (Who loved a star)

June 23, 2019June 23, 2019 ~ dramaindna ~ Leave a comment

‘My Love From The Star’ or ‘You Who Came From The Star’. I looked into this drama primarily because of the hype around it.

The ‘other world mystery’ on the story contributed to my decision to watch it. When I first started with the series, I was not really into the old/backstory scenes. I wanted to know about the love story of the current time. And it isn’t a hidden fact that I take time to develop my interest in first few episodes, this wasn’t a exception. It took me a little more because in the initial episodes a lot of backstory was in the development.

The story is about an alien who is much like a human who has been stuck on earth since 400 years, because he doesn’t age he has to change his identity every few years. Now that he has a chance to go back to his planet enters a girl, an actress that gives him some hard time by landing him in troublesome situations but also a reason to not go. The plot is certainly different and is one of the reasons of popularity the drama has. Because of many elements that were patiently brought out, the drama keeps you curious until the end.

Characters from left to right: Lee Jae-Kyung, Lee Hee-Kyung, Cheon Song-Yi, Do Min-Joon, Yoo Se-mi, Cheon Yoon-Jae

Talking about the characters, Do Min-Joon (Kim Soo Hyun) was kind of poker face but I realised why he needed to be so. He was able to deliver relief in a scene even with his sincerity. Cheon Song -Yi (Jun Ji Hyun) is strong, she almost comes off as arrogant initially but slowly you realise how vulnerabilities surround her and how far her life is from being perfect. I didn’t realise before why Jun Ji Hyun is a hallayu star but her acting like crazy and expressing what she feels secretly to herself all in the apartment made me laugh off and at the same time presented her great acting skills. This kind of craziness in a female lead I did not observe in any kdramas I have watched so far.

Her acting seemed natural and effortless. I found the pairing quite unlikely in the first go. Maybe it was their personalities or the supposed age gap between characters, something was putting me off. But this obviously changed later on. Slowly I started rooting for them. But at the same time I was feeling really bad for Lee Hee-Kyung (Park Hae-Jin), he didn’t deserve what he went through. He sincerely loved Cheon Song-Yi and his brother but never was his love truly reciprocated. Mr. Jang’s friendship and this fatherly figure he was to Min Joon was really touching considering Min Joon didn’t have a family of his own.

Some of the characters weren’t really required according to me because I felt they were not doing a lot to the story. (For instance: The mother of the Lee Hee-Kyung.)

Initially they were a lot flaws I found like when he has superpowers why can’t he erase people’s memory when he has revealed himself, if he is a different species/alien why is he bleeding, where did he get his clothes from, how does he know korean? How was he born? Some of these were answered to me one by one, like that fact that he did not have a family, the people on his planet are similar to the people here (in terms of body, looks etc), he cannot erase people’s memory among other things. I was surprised and happy that some of my curiosity was answered and some wasn’t. (I realised then it is just a show and I analyse elements of drama like a scientific thesis). I really liked the concept of fillers they provided at the end of every episode. It rested the suspense and at the same time kept me curious till the end as to what filler will they provide. Some of the fillers I could predict and some I was surprised by.

Slowly I realised, Min Joon is more human then we think. He feels jealous, insecure (tiny bit), and he cries! Dammit!

This drama was different from others in the sense that I saw the guy cry more than the girl which is progressive and I wanted to cry with him and I did in the end.

When I read the synopsis for the last episode I was like hell! (Spoiler alert!) They will not have a good ending but when I saw I was a bit relieved that it was not exactly a sad ending and it gave a beautiful message.

The Ost was good. ‘My Destiny’ and ‘Welcome to the earth’ are my favorite from the album.

All in all, it was a good drama to watch, which I wanted to finish quickly because I was curious but didn’t also want it to end quickly.

Why watch it?

To not miss out on a drama that is on every kdrama fanatic’s list (there’s a reason)
To witness a fantastic effort by Jun Ji Hyun and her comic self
If you like an emotional love story along with some mystery and alien theme then this is for you
To explore the offbeat but good chemistry between Kim Soo Hyun and Jun Ji Hyun

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Kdrama Review: The Innocent Man (To love was his crime)

June 14, 2019May 18, 2020 ~ dramaindna ~ Leave a comment

This was right after DOTS, I was still hooked onto Song Joongki so I looked for more of his dramas. The title got to me. There are many shows where it’s a usual to see female being potrayed the good and innocent (especially in korean dramas). However, a man being showcased as innocent and the victim of destiny (and the women) was the attracting point.

Seo Eungi (left), Kang Maru (Centre), Han Jae-hee (right)

So the story starts off at a tragic note. It is a melodrama. There is so much sadness from the beginning so it makes it kinda hard to go on because tragedies usually strike in the middle, right? So I try my best to watch it. I kinda linger on for like first few episodes it takes an effort to watch and I almost stopped as well since it was dragging a lot. I liked the synopsis when I read, it was deep which persuaded me to watch it. It was also different from the cuteness kdramas are known for. But just when I felt like the story was getting somewhere a confusion and irritation would again cloud up. It was around 10-13th episode I became hooked and watched on. There were some happy moments but quickly spoiled by the overall tragedy of the plot. However the end has still left me puzzle. Spoiler alert! First the girl (Seo Eungi) loses memory then she tries to pick herself and then again loses memory and then gains it back. In the end, the guy loses memory and comes back to her years after and proposes with the same rings he bought earlier. Did he gain his memory back or not? I am really confused. I get he sort of prayed for a new life and finding ordinary love with the girl which he got through the memory loss but did he gain his memory back? Why propose with the same rings? Both don’t say anything they just smile and it ends. Did he get his memory back?? I want to know. He did so much for others, why did bad stuff happen to him? Will they live together with all the memories or not? Urrghhhhhh I am left with a lot of questions. The ending could have been better and clearer.

There’s some good acting. There is certain chemistry between the guy and the girl. The opening theme is also good. However, unnecessarily certain twists have been added to the plot which could have been easily sorted out had any of the leads come clean or said some truth. Instead of being made to a 20 episode, the story could have ended in 16 as well.

Image Credit: Pinterest

Another good factor of this drama is that no character amongst the three leads (The guy, the lady and the girl) is pure and goody-good. Each comes with their own shortcomings which have been put out in the open. Each of three character’s behvaiour is projection of their past. The guy (Kang Maru) is crazy in love to choose his lover over his sister because she has been with him since childhood. His lover (Han Jae-hee) is selfish enough to save herself, wanting power and a lavish lifestyle because she had a abusive and difficult past. The girl (Seo Eungi) is depicted being heartless because of her mother leaving her at a young age and having a father who is never happy by whatever she does. All the characters go all out to protect what they want. Initially the guy protects his lady love and then the girl. The lady protects her power and position. The girls tries to protect her father’s business empire.

Image Credit: Pinterest

The drama potrays how the innocent young guy whose only crime was to love deeply goes at lengths to protect his love for the lady only to realise she loved power and wealth more then anyone. Calling his love for her young and foolish would be wrong. If you watch the show you will realise it ran deep into his childhood. However, he soon realises the reality that you can grow out of your love for someone and that you don’t have to only have one love for life. Love can strike you a second time as well.

Kwang Soo’s character was a good friend, his acting seemed real. I guess his real life love for Joongki showed up (Both are best friends in real life). The love Maru’s sister and his best friend have for him, Han Jehi’s child and his affection for Eungi as a sister are the purest things you will find on this drama.

Don’t expect a lot of emotions from Song Joongki’s character as he has tried to turn himself to stone and has lost meaning in life. However his portrayal as someone who is suffering from life threatening illness is commendable. The lady’s behaviour gets on your nerves but also garners some understanding and reasoning from viewers. Turns out Jae-hee is not all bad, she manages to garner some sympathy for her actions. Moon Chae-Won’s portrayal as fierce Eungi and as meek Eungi with no memory is so stark in the same story and frame. It’s deserving of audience’s attention.

Image Credit: Pinterest

In the end, everyone is able to move from their past somehow. One thing I noticed in both Song Joongki’s dramas is presence of strong female lead. (Is that a thing? Let me know in the comments!)

Image Credit: Asian Wiki

Honestly, it was a bit of work for me (Maybe tradegies aren’t my thing), it did not have many scenes that made me hold my breath. I wouldn’t recommend this as first Kdrama for anyone. Maybe when you have experienced atleast 4-5 dramas, understood a bit of their style and portrayal, it would make more sense. I would choose Song Joongki as Captain Yoo over Song Joongki as Kang Maru anyday.

Why watch it?

If you are a Song Joongki fan and can’t get enough of him
To witness the friendship of Lee Kwang Soo and Song Joongki in reel life
If tradegy/crime/thrillers/revenge plot are your thing
If you want something different from the ‘cuteness overload’ of Kdramas

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K-Drama Review: Descendants Of The Sun (Similar battles, different battle grounds)

June 6, 2019May 18, 2020 ~ dramaindna ~ Leave a comment

The one that took over the world. If you ask any kdrama fanatic this one is bound to be not only on their viewed list but also their favourite list. Worry not if you are new to this kdrama universe as this is a great one to begin with. Descendants Of The Suns, or DOTS as it is called. The title seemed so majestic, one could believe it is mythological one. However upon researching the plot (Yes, I am that kind! The spoilers don’t bother me much. Yes, we exist!) and completing the drama I realised title has its own significance in the contemporary world.

Although it was not my first Kdrama (Boys Over Flowers was, just like for many many people out there), it did feel like a first. I don’t know why. I don’t even remember how I came across the drama, maybe because it topped all the charts? It certainly was a different experience altogether maybe because a lot of time had passed by from Boys over flowers days. For those who have already watched it, hold your breath! A sequel is in planning.

It starts of on what I would say is a different and difficult note. It’s hard to get the inital scenes in the first go and picture a (spoiler alert!) love story. Then it proceeds good a few episodes, it does get me excited at some points. The ost had caught hold of me by then. It seems to stretch a little around episodes 6-9. However the earthquake scenes had been well choreographed, they seem very realistic. The drama picks up real good in latter half. The direction is really amazing even if the episode as a whole wasn’t as entertaining as the next one. There are so many technicalities involved which you can see and there are some that you can’t. I feel it is made that way, some to see and some to understand/decipher. It’s not a 1dimensional drama where things are black and white like they are in many dramas. There are tiny tiny intricacies like after the male and female lead kiss and return back to base, a new scene opens when the light bulb comes to focus in the shape of heart. (Because the love has started to blossom!) The Song-Song couple (male and female protagonists) are married in real life, I was so happy when I found this half way between the drama it made watching the rest of it so much better for me.

Some scenes are real amaze. They get you on your feet. Adreline runs through the entire body. Like the one where Lee Chi-Hoon was bitten. It really made me scream. Other scenes made me smile and laugh and smirk and diss and cry as well (only a tiny bit). I loved the theme music and few songs as well. It’s not all serious, comedy has been carefully crafted at pin points as well. For instance, all the soldiers dancing on Red Velvet songs, the hospital scene where Captain Yoo arrives in the bed just after shootout.

Coming to the characters, I think all have done a fantastic job. Right from Captain Yoo, Doctor Kang to the cafe girl, Valentine. Each character had it’s place. The supporting actors have put an equal foot with the leads. One thing I like is the representation of female characters from Doctor Kang, Lieutenant Yoon, Senior ER nurse Ha Je-ae, Fatima and Valentine. They may be supported by the male characters however they make their own decisions and bear the consequences.

And how can one not fall in love with Yoo shi Jin’s charisma? His fun side and his intense side. Even though the drama has some fine actors as a cast, personally for me Song Joongki was the takeaway.

I like the fact that the characters draw towards realism. With a soldier who isn’t self sacrificing at all times and a doctor who has compromised due to money issues, another who is scared to save a patient because he fears for his own life. It also shows some backend reality of professions. For soldiers, it is not guns and action always many a times it is paperwork (lots of it!).

The concept was good as well, the views of two parallel yet opposite professionals on life. Doctors and Soldiers have similar battles but different battle grounds. It is very interesting to see them come together, and meet at crossroads.

Image Credit: Pinterest

The only major issue I found as an audience is that they are never able to finish the movie that lead was watching as a date.

Overall it was a very different one. It’s the one that married my emotional self to Kdramas.

Why watch it?

If you are into action coupled with some romance
To explore some good acting
The chemistry between song-song couple
A great plot with beautiful ost

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