FINALLY! I know it’s way too early to be talking about the year-end SBS drama Man From the Stars, what with its predecessor drama Heirs or The Inheritors not even premiering yet. But the too brief initial synopsis about an alien who has lived four hundred years in Korea and falls for a top actress in modern times just isn’t enough grist for me. I like to mull over and ponder dramas with lots of potential, and this one has a relatively fresh storyboard and the repeat pairing of Kim Soo Hyun and Jeon Ji Hyun. While romance was not the central plot of Thieves, they definitely exhibited chemistry of both the sexual and noona-dongsaeng sweet variety. It worked both ways is what I’m sayin’. Now all we need an interesting and well-developed story plus some effective directing and I’d say this one is a potential keeper. The talent behind the scenes has a track record of quality, the PD directed Tree with Deep Roots and Painter of the Wind, while the screenwriter did Queen of Housewives and Queen of Reversals. The former’s works are exceptionally lovely and poetic, while the latter writes with the balance of humor and humanity. Now the unconfirmed spoilers are starting to drop and my interest keeps going up. Here’s a bit more detailed synopsis: Kim Soo Hyun plays Do Min Joon, an alien who landed in Joseon and has lived on Earth for the last 400 years and is currently a university professor, while Jeon Ji Hyun is Chun Song Yi, a top actress and grad student.
They have a fateful meeting and end up living together for whatever reason, and the drama is being billed as a sweet romantic comedy stemming from their romance growing while living together. HOMG, this is a cohabitation drama! I love those! When done right it can be soooooo awesome and funny and lighthearted. Nothing realistic, of course, but a drama that doesn’t require lots of ridiculous plot shenanigans to generate interaction between the leads. Itazura na Kiss, turned into dramas It Started with a Kiss and Playful Kiss, is a well known cohabitation drama that might have been low on the angst and substantive plot but wonderfully heartwarming with the day-to-day cuteness. For some reason I shrug at the alien bit, but the professor-student part got me concerned initially until I read that she’s 27 years old so clearly way past the first blush of adulthood and we’re not talking inappropriate conduct. He’s obviously way way older than 27 years old, and I think it’s cute the baby-faced Kim Soo Hyun will be playing a centuries old alien when he looks 16 years old. The latest spoilers also add another layer of excitement because a detailed character chart has been cobbled together by an insider and the love lines look nice and clean – the OTP love each other and there are no second leads who stand a chance to get between them. I reckon that makes the most sense, what with him being a freaking ALIEN and all. I think she’ll have more things to worry about than the simple “Do I like him?” confusion.
I’ll just translate a few highlights.
Kim Soo Hyun is Do Min Joon (age unknown), currently a university professor. Jeon Ji Hyun is Chun Song Yi (27 tears old), top star and graduate student. She’ll have a younger brother Chun Yoon Jae (18 years old) and is in high school. The second male lead is 29 years old and is Song Yi’s fiancee, he loves her but she has no feelings for him and could care less about him. The second female lead is also 27 years old and is radio broadcaster as well as a classmate of Song Yi, she likes Min Joon and is always resentful and jealous of Song Yi. Min Joon has an much older friend who is a lawyer and knows the truth about him and has been helping him manufacture his identity. There will be a 31 year old prosecutor who starts to suspect Min Joon isn’t who he says he is, and starts to investigate him. So that’s all the material characters in this drama, which starts filming in mid-October for an early December premiere. I can’t wait!
Ms Koala. I LUFF you.So much.
Finally a drama I can dig into. Been managing the viki teams for Good Doctor and the upcoming Medical Top Team.After so many months of blood and hospital politics, I am so freaking happy to get a rom com.Plus I love cohabitation dramas. Thank that’s a great way to start Dec for me.
Thank you so much.It makes me look forward to it so much now.
so Man From The Stars is yours? good to know 😉
i do not want to jinx it but i think Christmas come early this year..
Hurray! A cohabitation drama! And with these two? They had great chemistry in Thieves, so this better not be chaste kiss land, people; after all, they are in their late 20s. I am excited about this show . . .much more excited than for any of the shows that are coming up despite my love for Lee Dong Gun. And by December, the semester will be nearly over so I can watch without guilt. (scurrying away to start marking off my calendar)
Nation Drama a.k.a < 40% rating in the making..
I can't Wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Aside from the alien bit, plot sounds basic as hell.
I watched the recent Japanese drama ‘Starman’. It was a love story between a single mum and an alien who landed on earth in a borrowed body. It was really good. I hope ‘Man from the stars’ is similarly good, although I do wonder at the ending since he can live for a long time whilst she is only a mere regular earthling.
‘Starman’ didn’t have that nonsense to deal with and the alien can age at the same rate as humans. It was a humorous but at the same time heartwarming story, well worth a watch if you like Japanese dramas.
lol I watched this too. Very shallow in depth story wise but lots of cuteness and heartwarming scenes. The reason the aliens here age is because they are inhabiting a human body but have superhuman abilities, definitely not plausible.:D
I’m actually looking forward to this OTP!
The alien concept is what I’m really interested in. Could there be such thing as her being his “mate”, the one his been waiting to be with. Why did he come to earth? Is his human form, what he actually looks liked? Does he have super power? Why did they suddenly live together?
OMG I cannot wait!!!!
Wow, I guess this role really was offered to Lee Jung Jae first based on the description alone … also, I could care less that the set up is professor-student. People routinely ship jailbait/still in high school males (a far murkier setup than a grad student and professor) with grown females and it doesn’t seem to bother them all that much.
And this picture has me totally digging the OTP. Kim Soo Hyun looks very mature and Jeon Ji Hyun girlish so I guess the plot is satisfied on that score. Really looking forward to this one!
Kim Soo Hyun mature looking?????
I wonder what you’d say about men who actually are and DO look mature. Over the hill?
For my love to Jun Ji Hyun, I won’t even care if the plot turns out sucks. Just give me a beautiful picture. I could bear a “what the plot” for the sake of Jun Ji Hyun, but I will be in rage if most of the scene filmed with fake background. fake obvious setting.
Epppppp. Kim Soo Hyun…. this drama is perking up my interest a little. I’ll stay tuned.
On a side note, Koala, have you seen King’s Family yet? It’s too early to tell, but so far it’s cute, and Lee Yoon Ji is endearing. Also, the male lead is brand spanking new and adorable hehe.
May Kim Soo Hyun success in this drama ,really looking forward to this drama ,man from the stars !
Yeah im more excited for this show than Heirs.
Also because i’ve had enough of highschool romances.
I absolutely love cohabitation dramas (if done right, too) and i’m sure JB will get a bite out of this too! ha
I’m actually even more curious as to how much ratings this shows gonna get, considering the names attatched to it. Kim Soo Hyun has had that midas touch lately for shows/movies that aren’t necessarily that good. I love this guy too.
Jeon Ji Hyun is a hottie. And i’m sure they’ll both make gorgeous OTP!
Arent good? Are you talking about Secretly, Greatly? But this movie attracted 7 million viewers. Is that not good? 🙂 i loved these two in Thieves. They have good chemistry.
Often times when i say a drama’s good or bad i refer to the writing quality. Commercial success is something completely different 🙂
This sounds like a drama with lots of potential. The additional spoilers of the storyline makes me that more excited. Thanks for the info.
Hmmm… definitely a drama to look into especially with the hint of a promising synopsis.
ooooh! i LOVE this news! Can’t wait for this to air (more so than Heirs).
Eeeee! This sounds fantastic. I can’t wait.
yay! this would be great when i go back drama watching!
my fave kim soo hyun did have great chemistry with Jeon Ji Hyun
Are we confirmed that Jeon is taking the role ? There has been no news since the artile a few months back.
ang ganda yan penikula at nung dramang man from the stars