I'm not a veteran kdrama fan and the total number of kdrama i've seen is 2, first is King 2 Heart which didn't leave much of a impression on me and YWCFTS. I found this drama through Google search on Korean TV series and the really gorgeous picture of KSH and JJH caught my eye right off the bat. With no prior knowledge of kdrama actor/actress, i was able to experience YWCFTS with a very fresh and unbiased view. Long story short, this drama blew me away and converted me into loving kdramas.
Story:
The story is probably the weakest part of this series with several discrepancies that leaves you with more questions than answers. The weakness stems from the supernatural-ness of the main character Do Min Joon being an alien who comes from another planet. Over time while watching, many questions will arise regarding DMJ (the alien's) background and how relevant it is to the story at all. In the end, the only relevancy appears to be the fact DMJ never ages and he is a living fossil of 400 years of Korean history. If you go into this show expecting Sci-fi rational you might be sorely disappointed. However questions about DMJ's past aside, the rest of the storyboard which focuses on melodrama is very solid and extremely well paced. 8.5/10
Acting/Cast:
JJH acting as Cheong Song Yi really outdid herself in this role, the amount of versatility required of her character was extremely high. She has to portray the glamorous life of a top Hallyu star with all the pride and arrogance that celebrities are known for, while showing the viewers the vulnerable person underneath all that; a girl who was forced to grow up too quick, a woman who has not yet experienced the thrills of first love, and a daughter in a broken family. In the span of this drama, she awes us all with the facets of the character Cheong Song Yi, we laugh when she is silly and drunk, cry when she is sad and heartbroken, scream when she is alone and in danger, and then laugh some more at her singing and rapping.
KSH acting as Do Min Joon the alien who lived on Earth for more than 400 years. He did a great job at expressing emotion using very little facial expression and portraying a 'old soul' aura onto his character. KSH has very natural chemistry with JJH this cannot be reputed, their very brief but scorching kiss scene in The Thieves was the highlight of the movie while I watched it. The same can be said for this drama, whenever scenes of the two occur it's a natural magnet for the eyes they stand out in a very good way. So kudos to the casting for putting KSH and JJH together in one drama, they already won half the battle in my opinion.
Props should also be given to the supporting casts especially Yoo In Na who played the jealous best friend of Cheong Song Yi who somehow managed to gain my sympathy despite the antagonism of her role. Park Hae Jin who played the foolish man who is in love with the same girl for over 15 years and still persists, what a stubborn and loyal guy. Shin Sung Rok the villain with the deadly creepy glare, he has pretty natural chemistry with KSH too, the scenes of the two standing face to face glaring at each other redefines black and white. 10/10
Music:
I was very taken with the music in this drama, both instrumental and OST songs. My favorite songs in the OST are 'Like a Star' by K.Will and 'Tears Like Today' by Huh Gak. I really enjoy the way the OST complements the natural atmosphere of the drama and enhances the heart warming aspects without sounding like background noise as it happens in some dramas. The instrumental Beethoven Revolution, Stars Comic Tension, Run Away (Ending Title), are some of the highlights in the drama that never fails to set the mood and increase the tension. 9/10
Rewatch Value:
This where this drama breaks open my door and set a new record for me in terms of loving it. How worth is it of a re-watch? I can answer this by saying, the first time i watched this drama i did it in 3 days. 5 days later i re-watched it again this time in 2 days. It only took another 9 days for me to decide to re-re-watch it again. Each time i watched I did not regret every single minute it took because i still laughed at all of Cheong Song Yi's silliness and enjoyed every bit of DMJ/CSY interaction on screen just as if it was the first time. Would i re-watch this drama even more in the future? Without a doubt yes, maybe in a year or two i will come back to it again. 10/10
Overall:
I wonder if this drama set the bar too high for me in the future of kdramas, post YWCFTS i've tried to watch a few other kdrama but none had as big of a emotional impact on me. I'm not in the habit of rating things 10/10 and in light of the flaws in the story, as well as the ending nearly disappointing me I will not give it a perfect 10, but a 9.5.
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