K-Drama Flashback: ‘My Love from the Star’

Cheon Song-yi was swept off her feet by Do Min-joon, who descended from the stars. And what did we gain? Another magnificent work of South Korean fantasy fiction replete with swoon-worthy romance and a solid tale tinged with cinematic grandeur. Its top-notch ensemble drags us right into the performances, notably the two lead characters — Do and Cheon — played by the matchless Kim Soo-hyun and Jun Ji-hyun. While Kim’s flawless acting flows with the show, Jun plays a superstar on her high horse while also typifying a woman who is hopelessly yearning for love.

My Love from the Star (2014) is one of the rare K-dramas that I, and possibly you, find cathartic, evocative, and even thought-provoking in light of its profound influences. It’s something I’ve attempted to summarize in the following snippets.

Propagated the Hallyu Wave

The SBS TV series gained eyeballs, lapping up rave reviews for its story arc and skilled technical treatment of events. The plot follows Do Min-joon, an extra-terrestrial (a human look-alike with superpowers) abandoned on Earth, who is astounded to find Hallyu star Cheon Song-yi living next door. With barely three months until his long-awaited return to his home planet, Do gets enmeshed in Cheon’s chaotic life, rescuing her multiple times. As realities surface and love blooms between the two, an extraordinary, emotional roller-coaster experience ensues.

For me, the amazing shot division and stunning computer-generated visuals, in conjunction with the impressive camera work and high-speed videography, make the whole thing stand out. Korean archives reveal that Do’s power to teleport and freeze time necessitated the application of process photography. To achieve bullet-time effects, the team employed numerous special cameras, and to film the effect of “stopped” characters, a 180-degree circuit of GoPro cameras was mounted.

The emotional representation of the scenario in the story is more complex than we can imagine. That, laced with creative storytelling, heart-fluttering romance and some splendid drama, contributed to its iconic status, which again is attributed to propagating the Hallyu wave.

Catalyzed the Notoriety of the Lead Actors

Currently regarded as the highest-paid actor in the Korean entertainment industry, Kim Soo-hyun was already a household name, thanks to his role as a musical prodigy in Dream High (2011). With My Love from the Star, however, Kim broke into international prominence, cementing his status as a Hallyu superstar and a top gun in Korean media. When I watched the series, I couldn’t take my eyes off of him the entire time. He aced the other side of Do, a personality calibrated with genuine empathy that shone through as he courted Jun Ji-hyun on-screen, a far cry from the otherwise daring, dapper, dominant alien with enhanced physical abilities.

Likewise, Jun’s indisputable star power in this drama won her the distinction of being a leading Hallyu star. Though she was already a global sensation following the resounding success of her titular character in My Sassy Girl (2001) and other archetypal roles, Cheon’s character propelled her reputation far beyond her earlier accomplishments. Her demonstrated capacity to seamlessly glide into its skin is indicative of Jun’s fluidity as an actor. How ingeniously she juggles the character traits of a pompous celebrity, a childlike naive person, a damsel in distress, and a mature person who eventually accepts Do’s departure, letting him go to ensure his existence. The actress amassed a fervent following as a result of all the admiration she received for the drama, which clearly includes me as well.

Kim and Jun’s sizzling chemistry on screen furthered their rise to prominence throughout Asia, shooting them to the top of a spate of popularity polls. According to MWave, My Love from the Star was nominated for multiple accolades at the 50th Baeksang Arts Awards, including Best Drama, Best Director and Best Screenplay. At the event, Jun received the Grand Prize for Television, and Kim took away the award for Most Popular Actor. She also collected the Grand Prize at the 22nd SBS Drama Awards, with Kim racking up the honors at the 7th Korea Drama Awards and the Best Actor in Asia Awards at the 8th International Drama Festival in Tokyo.

Became a Cultural Landmark

Among its many plaudits, My Love from the Star‘s impact as a cultural touchstone was one of its most significant achievements. A CNN Travel feature shares that the TV series in which Cheon loves “chimaek” (a fusion of “chicken” and “maekju,” the Korean beer) was the impetus behind a chimaek festival in Ningbo, China, that led to long waits at Korean fried chicken kiosks. On one hand, it affected the Korean economy by quadrupling overnight sales of the garments, jewelry and cosmetics sported by Jun, while on the other hand, it dramatically increased awareness of the Korean language. What’s more, a slew of its filming locations, like Dongdaemun Design Plaza and Park, Incheon National University, and the French-themed village of Petite France, have all become popular tourist destinations in the bargain.

To sum up, My Love from the Star, like a host of other K-dramas such as Boys Over Flowers, Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth and Descendants of the Sun, isn’t solely a piece of entertainment. It instills a setting in which we can explore Korean cultural traits while witnessing a racy, passionate, technologically advanced plot that we all find entertaining.