My Love from the Star is an out of this world love story between mega star Cheon Song-yi (Jun Ji-hyun of Legend of the Blue Sea) and Do Min-joon (It’s Okay to Not be Okay’s Kim Soo-hyun) an alien who has lived on earth for the last 400 years. Cheon Song-yi has it all as a sought-after actress when an incident turns public opinion against her and her world comes crashing down.
Next door neighbor, Do Min-joon, a university teacher, wants nothing to do with flamboyant, attention seeking Cheon Song-yi but he can’t seem to stay away from her. Not in the classroom where she is a student in his class. Not at home where she keeps barging into his apartment. Definitely not when she asks him to be her temporary manager.
The problem is, after 400 years on earth, Do Min-joon is finally set to return home in three months and a new attachment is the last things he wants. Not to mention the fact every time he uses his alien powers to save Cheon Song-yi, he risks exposing his secret. And Cheon Song-yi needs a lot of saving. She saw something she shouldn’t have and every moment, her life is in danger.
- Series Title: My Love from the Star (Korean: 별에서 온 그대)
- Starring: Jun Ji-hyun, Kim Soo-hyun, Park Hae-jin, Yoo In-na
- Written by: Park Ji-eun
- Directed by: Jang Tae-yoo, Oh Chung-hwan
- Network: SBS
- Where to watch in the US: Viki
- Premier Date: December 18, 2013
- # of episodes: 21
- KafeNook Rating: 4.6 sips
My Love from the Star — !! Spoilers Ahead!!
An interesting thing about the 2013/2014 Kdrama My Love from the Star is what it is not. It is not a drama that explores proof of extraterrestrial life. It doesn’t try to explain Do Min-joon’s planet – it’s similarities or differences with Earth. Alien tech – other than a 1950’s looking flying – saucer is limited. Little explanation is given as to why his people decide to visit Earth other (other than Earth looks beautiful from space). The government doesn’t try to take Do Min-joon captive or dissect him – thankfully! It’s certainly not Starman or The Day the Earth Stood Still. It would be a stretch to even call My Love from the Star a science fiction show. But– it is truly not meant to be. The fact that Do Min-joon is an alien is simply the vehicle to tell a beautiful story about love, life and death.
Love Without Tears is not Love
As I write this review, it is my grandson’s 1st birthday. When I spend time with him, those moments are filled with joy. My elderly mom is visiting for his birthday. She struggles with memory issues and has a hard time even remembering what we did in the morning. Its times like this that I feel caught between joy and sorrow. I find my mind going to the scenes in My Love from the Star where Kim Soo-hyun as Do Min-joon is crying – fat tears gushing over his emotion wracked face. And I think – that is how I feel inside. Watching precious days slip away. But like the theme of this drama, I remember that each day of life is a gift and life without love is not really living.
This theme is reflected beautifully in the song, Tears Like Today, sung by Huh Gak – my favorite of the show. The yearning in Huk Gak’s amazing voice is riveting and reflects Do Min-joon’s feelings in such a stirring way. And those lyrics – Wow! “How much more? I don’t know. Love without tears is not love. Now I know that farewells are love as well.” (Here is a great video of Tears Like Today from HanabiTomoLyrics OST on Youtube with an English translation).
My Love from the Star – To Watch or Not to Watch
Ten years after airing, there are parts of My Love from the Star that looked dated such as the wire work, alien spaceship and disappearing effects. This is predictable with shows that utilize special effects which can appear archaic the quickest. Then there is the melodramatic lighting and close-ups, especially in the scenes with villain Lee Jae-kyung (Shin Sung-rok) that are soap opera-ish looking. This should not prevent anyone from watching the show.
The fashions are still trendy, the architecture and furnishings in the apartments gorgeous. (I seriously want to live in Do Min-joon’s apartment with the space viewing windows and multi-story library.) My Love from the Star is also the first Korean drama to utilize Go-Pros for the time-stopping sequences – which still look amazing. What is not to be missed is the excellent acting by leads Jun Ji-hyun and Kim Soo-hyun, as well as the story that propels their characters.
Superstar Cheon Song-yi
Jun Ji-hyun as Cheon Song-yi has all the fun in the first the series where she displays a vast range of emotions, styles, and antics. The character of Cheon Song-yi is not very likeable to begin with. She is self-centered, rude, loud, annoying – all things that Do Min-joon finds troubling about her as well. He has been around a long time, however, and can see through this to her heart and hurts. It is this Cheon Song-yi that he is drawn to and wants to protect.
As Cheon Song-yi falls for Don Min-joon, she begins to shed those things she has used to cloak her true self from others and grows as a character. For the first time in her life, she cares more for someone else than herself. This culminates in her selfless declaration that as much as she wants to be with Do Min-joon, she would rather have him exist somewhere away from her than no longer exist at all.
Everyone’s favorite Alien Do Min-joon
Do Min-joon or Do Manager as Cheon Song-yi calls him (I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Min-joon sounds a bit like Manager), made the decision not to love anyone or get attached during his time on Earth. He has seen too much loss in his long lifetime and doesn’t want to go through that himself. He bids his time, waiting for his chance to go home – changing his identify every decade or so. Cheon Song-yi first appears in his life as a teenage girl who he saves from being hit by a truck. She also happens to look like the young girl he saved when he first arrived on Earth, and he wonders if there is a connection.
Through the first half of the show, Kim Soo-hyun as Do Min-joon appears smart, logical, and competent – and of course, handsome. Plus, he gets to do a few fun things like teleport and stop time. His only true connection is to his friend and lawyer, Jang Young-mok (Kim Chang-wan, the doctor in It’s Okay to Not Be Okay). Kim Soo-hyun’s acting chops really come into play in the second half of the show where he is able to express the emotion his character feels at having to leave Earth after finally finding someone he wants to stay for.
Heart of Gold Lee Hee-kyun
Lee Hee-kyun (Park Hae-jin) is perfect boy-friend material. Attentive, compassionate, caring – not to mention good looking and rich – but that is just the icing on the cake. Would Cheon Song-yi have been happy with him if Do Min-joon hadn’t stopped time and she had accepted Hee-kyun’s proposal? Maybe before she met Do Min-joon, but certainly not now. Not even after he risks his own life to save hers. Poor Guy. Granted Do Min-joon saved her a bunch of times but – it’s not a competition 😊.
Hee-kyun is a bit of a tragic character. His evil middle brother killed their oldest brother and Hee-kyun is the one who must break this news to his father. The woman he loves will never love him back the same way. He can’t find it in himself to love the woman who does love him. Even by the end of the drama, it’s clear that he still loves Cheon Song-yi despite the fact that her heart lies elsewhere. Will he ever be able to get over her and find a woman worthy of him? I hope so. His story would make a good sequel – or spin off. (Do Min-joon – do you have any female alien friends hanging around that you could introduce him to?)
Not Your Best Friend Yoo Se-mi
Yoo In-na plays delightful heroines in other Kdramas that I have watched (Touch Your Heart, True to Love) so it is fun to see her playing a character who is slightly bad. She is perfect as best friend turned not your best friend Yoo Se-mi where she is super nice one moment and then reveals her true thoughts the next.
Se-mi’s best scene comes when her crush, Hee-kyun, convinces her to have courage and call the person she likes to tell him how she feels. As he walks away, his phone rings. Hee-kyun is confused at first when caller Se-mi says nothing on the phone. Standing not too far away, she simply looks at him, phone in hand, tears streaming down her face. Shock ignites across his face at the realization that he is the one she likes. Later, he does the noble thing by not giving her any false hope so that she can move on from him. (Love Hee-kyun!)
The Suspense
The suspense of My Love from the Star kicks off when Cheon Song-yi’s actress rival, Han Yoo-ra (Yoo In-young) is found dead and public opinion turns against Cheon Song-yi. Her life is turned upside-down as sponsors and acting projects dry up. Adding to her difficulties, she witnessed a private conversation between Yoo-ra and her secret boyfriend, Jae-kyung, Hee-kyun’s brother, shortly before Yoo-ra’s death. Plus, she is unknowingly in possession of Yoo-ra’s USB drive that contains damming evidence against Jae-young.
Do Min-joon learns that Jae-young is the one behind Yoo-ra’s death and has targeted Cheon Song-yi. He uses his “superpowers”, to save Cheon Song-yi from multiple murder attempts, even though his powers are becoming increasingly sporatic as his time to leave Earth draws near. Plus, he must survive attempts on his own life. (I can’t get out of my head the shock in Do Min-joon’s eyes when he is hit by the car after his powers fail him.) In the meantime, Hee-kyung learns his older brother’s devasting secrets. He and Min-joon team up with prosecutor Yoo Seok (Oh Sang-jin), Yoo Se-mi’s brother, to put Jae-young behind bars. Cheon Song-yi is finally safe and her career on the mend. It’s her heart that is left broken.
Best Tear-jerker Moments
How to pick the best tear-jerker moments in a series that is filled with them? When level-headed, detached Do Min-joon gives his thoughts on leaving and then starts to cry (why does my heart clinch every time I see Kim Soo-hyum cry?), his emotional outbreak is completely unexpected, making it even more powerful. Later, the pain on his face as he tells Cheon Song-yi that he is leaving in a month is gut wrenching. Not to mention the disbelief and shock on hers.
Cheon Song-yi has her own emotional moments brought on by Do Min-joon. Who wouldn’t cry if the person you care most about tells you he has never thought about you as yourself? I could feel Cheon Song-yi’s heart breaking when she tells Do Min-joon on the beach that it’s time to stop pretending. And right on the heels of his beautiful, heartfelt proposal – no less.
My Love from the Star Ending
After all that that Cheon Song-yi and Do Min-joon go through together, he disappears without saying goodbye to her. I am just as devasted for her as she is. Though Cheon Song-yi knows why he’s gone, everyone around her is confused as to why he went away and where he went. She thinks she sees him a few times – in the restaurant on what would have been there 100-day anniversary as a couple – then on a set. Lawyer Jang thinks he sees Do Min-joon at least once also.
Three years pass. Cheon Song-yi is now an even bigger actress (thanks, in part to the financial and emotional support of Hee-kyun) and makes a grand entrance at a star-studded awards event. Suddenly – time stops for everyone but her. Do Min-joon appears, walks up the steps and places his coat around her. She wonders if he is really there. He proves that he is by kissing her and time starts again. The crowd is shocked to see the two of them kissing. They are even more shocked when Do Min-joon suddenly disappears.
Do Min-joon explains that he made it back to his home planet and is fully re-charged. He says something about wormholes (which gets around faster than light space travel) and how he had to keep trying to get back to Earth through them. (Is he tethered to his home-world for some reason?) Each time he seems to last a little bit longer. In Do Min-joon’s apartment, the two of them look happy as they sit side by side. Cheon Song-yi says this latest time, he has been there one year and two months. Then Do Min-joon disappears – the book he was reading dropping to the chair. Later, Do Min-joon appears next to Cheon Song-yi in bed and with a little smile on his face, says, “I’m back.”
Lingering Questions
It’s a lovely ending but I still have questions. Is Do Min-joon’s DNA compatible with ours? Can he now kiss Cheon Song-yi without getting sick? Will he grow old? Can he and Cheon Song-yi have children? (They wanted 7 after-all – and 5 dogs.) Can Cheon Song-yi become like him or can she travel to his world with him?
Since these questions will never be answered, I will imagine that they can indeed have children – and live in a house in the country with a few dogs too. Then maybe in the spirit of Neil Gaiman’s Stardust, they grow “old” and eventually, when they their time has come – leave for the stars together.
Random Things I Liked
When Song-yi is at the cliff yelling for Doo Min-joon and he doesn’t show up but – in the post credit he is really there – and is frustrated at being pulled out of his lecture for nothing!
How the ending “interviews” for each episode give insight into Cheon Song-yi and Do Min-joon. I wonder who are they talking to? What are these interviews for?
The clinical lessons by Do Min-joon on human interactions. Once he falls in love with Cheon Song-yi, how will those lessons change?
The fact that Do Min-joon gets sick every time he kisses Cheon Song-yi. Even knowing this, they each pick moments to take that risk.
My Love from the Star Soundtrack
The top song from My Love from the Star soundtrack back in 2014 was My Destiny sung by Lyn. It’s my least favorite of the singles from the series. Huh Gak’s Tears Like Today has held up much better over the years, with its beautiful melody and timeless lyrics. I also prefer the mellow sounds of Goodbye performed by Hyorin, and Sung Si Kyung’s Every Moment of You. Kim Soo Hyun brings his warm vocals to In Front of Your House and the simple, yet beautiful song Promise which he sings to Cheon Song-yi on the beach before proposing.
