Wrapping Up: You From Another Star

WAAAHHHH. You From Another Star finally came to a close. I'm just glad it ended on a happy note with hope for our OTP's future together.

From the onset, I was worried about how they were going to close a story like this one. Let's be honest, kdramas are not the best at explaining away mechanics of alternate universes or finding ways around fate in a believable and satisfying way (i.e. Rooftop Prince). So while You From Another Star left much to be desired in terms of explaining how Do Min-joon was able to travel back or if he got sick after that awesome kiss, I'm happy they had at least given us emotional closure, if not scientific or mythological closure.

This drama sure took us for a ride, in the most enjoyable way possible. The writing found the perfect balance of sweet, heart wrenching, and hilarious which resulted in well-rounded episodes. I truly appreciated how a lot of the heavier episodes were undercut by adorable and hilarious scenes that made dilemmas easier to bear. A lot of times, in kdramas, the latter third of a series would suddenly veer into melo territory because that's when all the conflicts are laid out on the table (or worse, they were given an extension they couldn't handle). I'm glad this drama was able to steer clear of this hurdle to serve us what it initially promised.

Somehow, I'm always pleasantly surprised by the dramas that sound wonky on paper but end up doing really well in execution. Just like I Hear Your Voice (courtroom drama/noona romance/supernatural powers) and Master's Sun (rom-com/horror/supernatural powers), two of my favorite dramas of 2013, You From Another Star (alien romance/noona romance/comedy/timeskip drama) sounds just as insane on paper, but squishing together three or four different genres apparently make for an amazing narrative. Ha.

As awesome as the story was, that does not take away from the fact that this drama had awesome leads. I've loved Kim Soo-hyun from the first time I saw him cry on Dream High. He is one of the best criers in kdramaland, seriously. Whenever I see him tearing up on screen, it feels like someone's digging into my chest to retrieve my heart. He is also fantastic with visual comedy, as is apparent in his last film Secretly Greatly (or Covertly Grandly, whichever title you want to call it). Both of these skills were put to great use in this drama.

 On the other hand, I did not have expectations of Jeon Ji-hyun because, to be honest, I haven't seen her in anything aside from My Sassy Girl which was over a decade ago. All I knew was that she was pretty awesome and awesomely pretty in that film. And in You From Another Star, she's proved that she is indeed both those things. I don't think the character of Cheon Song-yi would've worked quite as well with a lesser actress. It would've been too easy to play her wrong and to make her come off as irritating rather than endearing.

A happy surprise, as well, comes in the form of model-actor Ahn Jae-hyun, whose only previous credential is possibly a huge bunch of music videos. One in particular that I know him from is K.Will's "Please Don't" which he starred in alongside Seo In-guk. I have no idea what they're feeding these models nowadays, but a lot of today's up-and-coming young actors are off of Seoul's runways and fashion spreads. In the same vein as Lee Jong-suk, Sung Joon, and Kim Woo-bin, I can see Ahn Jae-hyun going the distance with his acting career. He was utterly adorable and believable in his hyung-worshiping (and E.T. fanboy) role that it took me awhile to digest the fact that he is actually older than Kim Soo-hyun.

So it's with a happy sigh that I leave this drama behind (or not quite behind, I think I will be re-watching the last two episodes all weekend long). As a last note, you know what would've made the finale even more awesome than it already was? To have been able to witness the reunions between Do Min-joon and Lawyer Jang and Yoon-jae. Can you imagine how sweet and adorable those events would've been?

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Ahn Jae-hyun just slays me!

Dropping a quick blog entry because I've been rolling on the floor laughing over the perfection of the E.T. joke on You From Another Star. I should've expected it to happen, but I didn't and thus was slapping my thighs as I obnoxiously laughed out loud at the scene. Repeatedly.

So, apparently, Elliott has found his E.T. Isn't that just the cutest?! Ahn Jae-hyun has been sooo perfect in this role so far and he's totally selling the teenage geek role despite the fact that he's older and taller than Kim Soo-hyun. And when he called him "uri Min-joon hyung," I just about died.

Looking forward to more projects from him. But in the meantime, off to watch that E.T. scene again. Ack. Min-joon, phone home!

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Currently Watching: Prime Minister and I, You From Another Star, Let's Eat

Now, more than ever, I'm feeling the addiction settle in for a long ride. A very long ride. As soon as one drama ends, two more premiere and I find myself watching more dramas than I was a month ago. While, yes, I dropped Pretty Man way before it reached the halfway point, I still find myself drowning in all these shows. So much so that I'm not quite sure if today's dramas are legitimately that awesome or I'm just that thoroughly addicted to them. So before the premiere of 2 more dramas that I've been waiting for come to pass (Emergency Couple - which debuts tonight! - and Three Days), let me recount the dramas that I'm still watching.

1. Prime Minister and I - I am so freaking in love with this drama and the central pairing. This is one of those shows that sort of caught me by surprise. To be honest, I was never a fan of Yoon-ah's acting. Also, I had no idea who Lee Beom-soo was. Needless to say, I am now more forgiving of Yoon-ah and I already have History of a Salaryman on my to-watch list. I've fallen in love with Kwon Yul and, therefore, Lee Beom-soo as well and I just need more of him. Imagine that. I get into this drama looking forward to Yoon Shi-yoon and Yoon Shi-yoon alone but it looks like I'll be parting with it (only 2 more weeks left omg!) with fondness for both its leads and the awesomeness of their fictional family.

2. You From Another Star - This is yet another drama that has been causing havoc on my nerves on a bi-weekly basis. I was so looking forward to the cute fish-out-of-water plus noona romance the plot promised to deliver, but I got all that and loads more. Not only is it cute and funny at times, but the drama has a tendency to consistently deliver some good terrors and a whole lot of feels every episode. Whether it's shrinking back every time Jae-kyung gets that horrifying look in his eyes, or whether it's wanting to reach into the screen to give Do Manager or Cheon Song-yi a well-deserved hug, it always triggers more emotions than I can bear. Which is a good thing. Also, can I just say, I've always loved Jeon Ji-hyun, but this drama just made me love her even more.

3. Let's Eat - Although I'm not all caught up with this drama, I still fully intend to continue watching it once I get back on track with my watching schedule (my phone got stolen and I have yet to get a replacement - which sucks because I used to keep up with my dramas via mobile videos, so it's not quite the same now that I need my laptop to watch anything). Doo-joon is the biggest, and happiest, surprise from this drama. I usually don't have high expectations of idol actors, so color me shocked by his onscreen charisma and actual acting chops. Also, at this point in the drama, I'm not quite sure if I want Lawyer Kim or Dae-young to end up with Soo-kyung. All I know is that Lawyer Kim is adorable and Dae-young is, indeed, jjang jjang man!

4. I Need Romance 3 - Sung Joon. Do I even need to elaborate? And, honestly, I've only watched the first episode, but that alone made me want to marathon the entire drama only to realize that that's an impossible feat since it's currently airing. But really, I tried loading the second episode into my classic iPod, you know what I mean, right? Those non-touchscreen gadgets with a click wheel thingy?? But trying to read the subtitles off of that thing made me see double, so I'mma have to wait till this weekend to marathon episodes 2-4 on my laptop. I. Can't. Wait.

5. 1 Night 2 Days - With the third season came four refreshing new members and a PD who brought back the fun of the first season. And by fun, I mean the horrible sadistic streak of first season's Na PD. Which isn't surprising because Yoo PD was a rookie producer during the show's earlier season and he's now back to put our cast members through hell and then withhold food from them afterwards. As for the new cast members: Defconn is such an eager beaver and it's hilarious, Jun-ho just slays me all the time, Joo-hyuk ahjussi is the most handsome pabo ever, and maknae Joon-young is just delightful in every way. It's also awesome that our remaining veteran cast members have such a nice rapport with the new guys and it's amazing watching Cha Tae-hyun take the rein to lead our new gang this season when he's always been the laziest and unluckiest member before.

6. Winner TV - These boys own me. They haven't even officially debuted yet (damnit YG, even JYP's debuted GOT7 already) but I'm already craving for more. It's a good thing Winner TV is keeping me (somewhat) satisfied. From what little we’ve heard on the recent episode, I’m already liking the sound they’re pursuing. Stand-outs are Taehyun’s compositions and that one track co-penned by GD and Minho. To think that these are already good enough songs as they are but YG is pushing them even harder when it comes to their songwriting - well, that just raises my expectations even more. Yang Hyun-suk may be a hard sell and has even higher expectations of the boys than we do (which is no surprise, duh) but looking at the bigger picture, that’s a good thing. Winner fighting!

7. We Got Married - Taemin and Naeun ended on such a sweet note and my heart was crushed with their departure... But with that came the awesome awkwardness of 2PM's Wooyoung and his poor wife, actress Park Se-young. The thing about Wooyoung is that he always means well, but he has some sort of foot-in-mouth disease that keeps knocking him down a peg. Which, to be honest, is hilarious. I'm looking forward to all this awkward business to be done and over with and for all the cute to arrive. Which, I know, are not mutually exclusive. Awkward can be cute. It's just that... singing a song you wrote about your ex-girlfriend to your current girl is really not the smartest move. Ha.

Emergency Couple premieres tonight, best believe I'll be downloading that drama as soon as subtitles are available. Also, my friend was in Seoul last month and she spotted Choi Jin-hyuk and Song Ji-hyo in Myeongdong shooting for the show. Back when I visited Korea, I spent almost every day in Myeongdong and I did not see a single celebrity. Life is, indeed, unfair.

Oh, also, Park Yoochun's new drama Three Days is set to premiere in late February. And if the photos from his training are anything to go by, it's going to be awesome. I luff him.

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