A Very Good Melo-Drama!
I am watching this drama for the 3rd time and it never fails to amaze me. This is one of the best dramas with Seo In Guk. Roles like this does not come by often and it sits well with Seo In Guk as he made "Moo Young" so believable.The love story between Moo Young and Jin Kang (played by Jung So Min) immersed well with mystery and suspense. I liked how the director placed the plot with all the twist in the right places, and yet allowed the innocence of love shine at the right time. Even then, every minute of the frustration and suspense was felt....right up till the very end.
Yes, I enjoyed this drama very much. To-date, I have yet to see Seo In Guk surpass this role in all his other endeavors, but I am still keeping an eye on him, for he is a very good actor.
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outstanding acting, classic drama story
I can imagine this drama is not to everyones liking as , for a K-drama, it is rather dark and at some points uncomfortable.Although it has some very minor flaws I find it rather outstanding all in all
+ Seo In-Guk is simply fantastic in this role. I didn't know him before and after having watched some dramas for the past two years I think this was the first male lead who completely convinced me to be that person he portrays. When I was watching this I really believed this very person would exist like this, and I could not imagine him to be any way different. There are other actors I like and they are good, but in their roles I always see the real person they are, when you watch interviews with them.
Here it was very authentic. The fact his character was difficult and at times mean and cold made it even more realistic for me, as in general, people tend to be like this. They have their personal troubles and deficites, they can be mean and sometimes, not always, they might have a good side too. But in the end, they are caught in their own ways and can't get out of their own skin and troubles. And that often leads into disaster, for themselves and if one gets close to them, for others too. That is what is shown here for me and that makes it believable. Uncomfortable, dark, but believable.
+Jung So-Min was also convincing in her role. She portrayed very well the inner struggles you might have in such situation, the insecurities you might have from hard times in your childhood, the way things went ok for her with being adopted by her 'brother', but how her past still creeps back into her life and drwas her to Kim Moo-young. This drams is also good at showing certain rules of behaviour and manners that one has to know about concerning Korea. Some criticised that Yoo Jin-Kang 'betrayed' her 'best friend' Baek Seung-Ah, but was Seung-Ah really her best friend? I don't think so. It is not explained fully how long these two women have known each other but it is clear that Jin-Kang is older than Seoung-Ah, yet, probably because of her considered poor and bad family background Jin-Kang is almost submissive in her behaviour towards Seoung-Ah - which is quite exceptional given an obvious age difference between the two. If Seoung-Ah wasn't filthy rich and Jin-Kang had a better background, it would normally be the other way around. And Seoung-Ah is using this fact in a gullibly naive way all the time. Kim Moo-young even points it out (and rightly so) when he tells Jin-Kang that not even after Seoung-Ahs mother hit Jin-Kang in public and offended her deeply (and referrs to exactly that poor seen background of hers), Seoung-Ah doesn't even apologise in her next text message but just once again wants to use Jin-Kang as her servant and messenger. Is that Jin-Kangs best friend? I wouldn't think so. It's more a realtionship of power and inferiority as a given by the strong Korean conventions. Was Seoung-Ah a victim? Yes, certainly, a victim of her greedy mother and to some extent of Moo-Young, but she was not a victim of Jin-Kang in my opinion.
I found the almost creepy but strong attraction between Jin-Kang and Moo-Young very understandable, and I could relate to it personally having had such relatioinship myself too in the past. I fully understood for many reasons why those two couldn't get away from each other and also why it was in some way doomed.
+I loved the mood and the small things in the drama. The way Kim Moo-Youngs place looked, the light, the mood. His feelings of desperation, resignation, anger and still the need to somehow connect and try to understand at least some other person. That does not justify all his behaviours of course, but I found it credible. And again, when I was younger I would have fallen exactly for this type too, I would probably even have stood in front of that door of his like Jin-Kang in the end, crying in desperation and beg him to open that door, because I didn't understand his Jekyll & Hyde actions after a steady emotional up and down. But it is exactly like certain real relationships are, and how they end unhappy in one or the other way. And how they are filling you up with an almost hysterical happiness and emotions you wouldn't have considered possible for you, and at the same time they are like energetic black holes exhausting you to an incredible level.
- if I would want to criticise anything then it would firstly be that some circumstances are rather unlikely. The idea that these two kids where from Haesan, one of them got lost somewhere and all of them live almost aroud the corner in a megacity like Seoul more than 20 years later and meet like that - it is very unlikely.
- the scene with the origin of the burn marks wasn't done in a good way. The kids were fully clothed and if that water would have hit them, they would have had some minor burns, but never such large scars for the rest of their lives.
-the whole stabbing scene and the follow-up was a little unbelievable . So Yoo Jin-Kook loses his police cool and while he later says he felt sorry for Moo-Young, he suddenly decided to stab him on a public road. Jin-Kook confesses to his boss who...does nothing actually, doesn't accept his resignation. Then his little sister just acts rather normal after shortly screaming at her brother? Not believable. Her reaction at the first moment was right, she said he must be crazy, and she was scared then and angry especially because she is very much in love with Moo-Young. The next thing would certainly have been that Jin-Kang leaves that house. Jin-Kang would have been afraid of her own brother after his rather surprising and totally crazy actions. I would have wished that whole part would have been done differently or they would have left it out. It would have made much more sense to me if Jin-Kook would have gotten into a rage and then into a fight with Moo-Young, if he had beaten him up maybe. But that stabbing with murder intentions was an unfitting twist here.
Summary: despite these flaws this drama touched me deeply, maybe really because I could relate to the main characters and this kind of relationship so personally.
I will certainly rewatch it at later as this kind of human darkness draws me in sometimes.
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Dark-cold yet heart warming and flawed at the same time.
To be clear it is not much of a review but just kind of notes on the drama.I have always liked Seo In Guk and Jung So Min because I think they give that vibe of being without malice. So this drama was on my watchlist for a long time.
After watching the drama there are many mixed feelings although on the scale, it is still on positive side.
What I liked in this drama?
1. Ending- After that scene in 15th episode, we become pretty sure, the story is going to end with either of the one lead dying. I felt Seo In Guk would be killed at the end for redeeming his arc. So it came as a surprise to watch both the leads killed off. Its been a long time after old kdrama- 'I am sorry, I love you' that I got to watch the pair dying together. I am sucker for those kind of endings. Although the end was fitting but the manner in which it was done was really hurried and irrational. It made no sense for the character of the secretary to be so cold and inhuman and be such a faithful dog nor to pop up at that time at that place.
2. The lead pair- their chemistry was instant and so good. It has been a long time since I got to watch such a genuine chemistry between the couples. I think, one can watch this drama solely for the chemistry between the couple. Seo In Guk as a empty sociopath and Jung So Min as a warmhearted counterpart were perfect and complimented each other nicely. In most of the dramas when the lead couple enter in a relationship, I end up skipping their dating scenes. But not in this one. Strangely, in this one, you could feel their pure-innocent love for each other. You could also feel the healing of Kim Moo Young. And hence I ended up watching those scenes. Rare for me!
3. Start- The start hooks you right up. Seo In Guk's mysterious persoanlity meeting innocent and cute Jing Kang; you can see the impending romance. Although its a meet-cute kind, you can feel its going to be trouble.
4. Pacing - its evenly paced, I felt it kinda of stretched at the end. The scenes of crying and thinking were stretched for too long for me.
5. Music- Music is complimentary. It enhances the mood. It makes the scenes of people crying or sighing watchable.
6. Relatively less cliches- The biggest win for the drama is, the female lead is not stupid. She is not air headed and pretending to be smart. Her warmth and caring nature feels genuine. Jung So Min is a really talented actress.
What I didn't like?
1. The writing of other characters was not on par with that of main leads. The chemistry between Park Sung Woong and Jung Young Nam was terrible. Although I liked Jung Young Nam in other projects, I kind of felt irritated by her as you are irritated when a mosquito buzzes near your ear. Her character really was useless in story telling. She is not meant for light fun kind of roles. She is better in psychotic-dark kind of roles. Kwon Soo Hyun as Uhm Cho Roon was really bad. Even Kim Ji Hyun as Kang Se Ran the self identifying psychopath was really boring and one could see the actor was not up to the task. Seo Eun Soo as Baek Seung Ah was a nice surprise. The role of clueless girl just experiencing the taste of adrenaline rush, suited her nicely.
2. Story choices- use of 'people hiding things' was used too much. It went on till the last episode. Due to this, you feel real irritation for the characters of Park Sung Woong and Jung Young Nam.
After saying all of this, it would make sense if I give it a 7-7.5 star. But why I am giving it 9? Its mostly for the main leads and genuine chemistry they had. Seeing those two people being toyed by fate and misunderstood by others- still able to smile and have such love and understanding for each other was heartbreaking. Add to that the magnetic dark aura Seo In Guk brings to the character keeps you riveted.
Also it reminded me of old school-ill fated kdramas like- I'm sorry, I love you, Stairway to Heaven, Winter Sonata, Beautiful Days etc.
All in all, it felt fulfilling to watch this.
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A few episodes in, I could see where Hundred Million Stars From the Sky was panning out to. Hidden under the guise of a murder mystery, it truly is a birth secret drama (where the lead couple is separated as kids due to a tragic incident, only to reunite as adults, fall in love and face their fears together), following largely in the footsteps of Kill Me, Heal Me. If the latter explored the multiple personalities developed due to the horrifying near-death incident, in Hundred Million Stars From the Sky, it is the reverse, as Kim Moo Young (Seo In Guk as remarkable as ever) ends up emotionally distancing himself from everyone and everything, after facing a similar tragedy.There are more similarities between the two shows, especially when considering the climax, but except for the dash of amnesia, a pinch of red herring (which I will come to later), the tone is vastly different. Kill Me Heal Me used the fun and ease of watching a rom-com, to present to us a difficult topic, while Hundred Million Stars From the Sky uses a murder, that isn’t even directly related to the three main characters, to lure us into the real mystery that has to be solved.
Writer Song Hye Jin takes this tried and tested formula and tweaks small elements, that does something so different, that the end product stands out against other dramas with a similar plotline. Till we are even introduced to the larger mystery at hand, the past is constantly teased via dialogues, especially the ones shared between Moo Young and Yoo Jin Gook (a brilliant Park Sung Woong), without ever revealing what exactly was the nature of the incident or resorting to the use of flashbacks. This heightens the suspense and tension more when you consider that Moo Young is a morally ambiguous character, who may have committed a murder or at least has instigated one.
The story too just flows with many different plotlines — involving romance, chaebols, police investigation, without ever feeling muddled, but brilliantly integrated together. This gives the show a much more established setting, that is by investing so much time in the present, it becomes as important as the past. These characters and their choices matter as much now as they did before.
This is especially important when it comes to Jin Kook, who treats his whole life as a penance for his one wrongdoing, early in his career. We meet him as a detective who works under his subordinate and is seen as a burden for the team, but as he crosses path (literally at first) with Moo Young, he almost ends up making the same mistake he is now paying for.
Seo In Guk is one actor perfect for playing grey characters. His aloofness would make you question him, but his inherent charm would disable those suspicions immediately. We aren’t privy to any of his thoughts, and his interactions with other characters are limited except for when he is with Jin Gook and Jin Kang (Jung So Min). So, you can never predict what he is going to do, what exactly is going on in his head, and basically, whose side he is on, but rather than scare you, his confidence and calmness make you relaxed, as someone who knows what he is doing.
This drama is the official remake of the 2002 Japanese drama of the same name and while the original had quite a controversial ending where it is revealed the two main leads (here that would be Moo Young and Jin Kang) are biological siblings, the Korean one releases this (false) information for an episode, to provide shock and create some damage for our characters, and then smartly eliminates every possibility of it in the next.
Though I expected this reversal, as Korean dramas generally tread safely when it comes to their leads (unless its a movie — Oldboy, anyone?), the reveal — for however short it was — made sense especially considering Jin Gook’s constant disgust for Jin Kang dating Moo Young, but the sudden swerve back to safety, (which made me personally feel better), didn’t make sense when considering Jin Gook’s extreme actions, in particular when he stabs Moo Young to keep him for dating his sister.
A similar reveal had been teased before in Kill Me Heal Me too, albeit for a short period, between Cha Do Hyun and Oh Ri Jin, and also between Oh Ri Jin and Oh Ri On, but where it is swiftly revealed that they aren’t biologically related as Ri On loves Ri Jin.
Along with this, there were some loopholes in the plot, which don’t really hamper the viewing experience but still prick your mind from time to time, like Moo Young being let go from the murder investigations even when it was made clear that he put the idea into Im Yoo Ri’s (Go Min Si) head and helped her plan it. Or the fact that Dr. Yang thought it was a good decision to let a kid with burn scars and a memory loss wander off than be continued to be treated in the hospital. That plot point was completely lost on me.
Did I mention that an OST plays for the first time, only in like the tenth episode!
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The Korean version of this drama is not the wrenching Greek tragedy that the Japanese one was and that is both bad and good to me. Bad because it was not as emotionally disturbing as the Japanese version. And good because … it was not as emotionally disturbing as the Japanese version. The Japanese version left me feeling completely drained. This one is not quite as upsetting. I like the characters in this Korean version better. Kim Moo Young is not as damaged and Yoo Jin Kook is much more sympathetic. I think all of the actors did a great job, particularly Seo In Guk. Was this review helpful to you?
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A whole lotta stupid
I give this drama an 8 for the first half and a 3 for the second because everything becomes stupid. It's pretty unbelievable that the writers are able to create such an engaging story and then turn it into a marathon of stupidity.Kim Moo Young is built up to be a cold, manipulative, incredibly intelligent sociopath with a sex appeal up the wazoo. He doesn't care about anyone's feelings and shamelessly uses poor Seung Ah as a recreational activity cuz he can. He plays her like a drum while the plot slowly develops his feelings for Jin Kang through playful banter, meaningful conversations, and flirting. His bad-boy charm, cunningness, and insanely good looks are the highlight of the show. Unfortunately, all of this intelligence goes *poof* in the second half leading to some very stupid choices.
The drama's biggest let down is the characters' motivations, actions, and incomprehensible consequences based on those motivations and actions. Everyone hates Moo Young's lack of empathy. But, Yoo Jin Kang has no problem spending time with him while he dates Seung Ah all the while preaching sanctimonious b*llshit about morals. Later on, she unapologetically lies to her brother and goes on dates with her hot boyfriend behind oppa's back while preaching more sanctimonious bs. Oppa gets a little too high on his moral high horse about Moo Young's shenanigans and stabs him in the gut without regrets. It's even more asinine that he does not get arrested for assault/attempted murder or even get questioned after making a confession. Jin Kang throws a temper tantrum about her sexy boyfriend now having a hole in his belly, but doesn't seem to care that her brother is the culprit.
The murder mystery is the most interesting and complex storyline. But, it ends early with Im Yoo Ri's character being largely unutilized while the writers decide to bore us with the childhood trauma plotline, and characters preaching morality and acting illogically. Moo Young transforms from clever and observant to gullible and reactionary. He believes Jang Se Ran's atrocious story, the same Ms. Jang who is an insane sociopath and the least likely to tell the truth, and hastily makes a life altering decision leading to very tragic consequences. Special "thanks" to the genius who decided to make a tertiary character like Ms. Jang into a central plot device. She is an attractive and calculating older woman who is the head of a conglomerate. So, it's totally believable that she would fall for someone like Moo Young, who has no special skills, talent, or money, and then make him a CEO. And that's because Moo Young's biggest asset is dat ass.
Moo Young and Jin Kang have some very spicy chemistry on screen. But, the best thing about the drama is acting. Seo In Guk was made for this role. He wasn't just playing Kim Moo Young. He was Kim Moo Young.
The ending is tragic, but who cares, because everything! is! stupid!
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It's my personal opinion so please don't come after me . Thank you!
So ... the smile has left your eyes is a beautiful drama.The plot is smooth and captivating , the suspense is in the right place and time. It keeps your eyes locked on the screen to find out what next comes.
the cast is amazing and did an awesome job. I felt every single feeling that the characters felt.
Honestly i have cried a lot so prepare yourself tissues if you're going to watch this drama.
This drama for me deserves to be watched at least once in our life.
So give it a shot!!
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This drama was a rollercoaster of feelings and emotions that the characters have achieved to portray. Each character and their personalities were wonderfully presented to the point at which I imagined what the character would do in the following episodes. The chemistry between the two main leads was indescribable and beautiful, they could understand each other's emotions and feelings perfectly. Although the romance was alluring, the plot of the story describes a suspenseful ill-fated romance with a bit of tradegy. Every episode keeps the audience engaged from the beginning to the end.
You should definitely give this a watch!!!!
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Great, deep drama
This was my first Korean drama, so it stays kinda special to me. I loved it the first time, and I still did the second time. It was quite raw and emotional ride and while there can be some little complains or slow scenes, I did love it overall. The main lead did such a great job, for me his best work to date, really convicing and strong. The female lead was also excellent, their chemistry was great. I liked the police man as well, really good, reliable actor as well, the psychiatrist also. OST was also very good and the ending.... well, it was different and definitely strong, leaving a mark. Reccomend to anyone, who does not look for a sweet, cliche or funny drama.Was this review helpful to you?
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Romeo & Juliet - if they had no family.
Story:I was reluctant to start this drama because it seemed like it would be tragic - the tragic part was correct but the drama itself was still beautifully done. The FL & ML had impeccable chemistry to the point I just wanted them to be together and didn't care much for the plot at a certain point (lol). The way they looked at each other - it felt like they were truly immersed within one another.
The story begins with a thriller/mystery where we ask what kind of person the ML is and if he is the culprit to the crime. As the mystery unveils itself we understand the ML more and his relationship with the FL starting to change him slowly. The last 6 episodes where the mystery is finished and the relationship between the ML & FL progresses was honestly a great romance portion. They both loved each other and knew they couldn't really move past one another no matter what kind of history the other had. The ending was purely tragic but also not the worse ending possible for the 2.
Acting:
The acting by the 2 main leads was AMAZING. The way they portrayed their emotion of longing and love for one another really made me hooked and invested in their relationship. The way the ML, with a single smirk, made you question what he was thinking and if he was good or bad. The FL was perfect as well when she would glance at the ML and showed the appropriate emotions through her eyes. I can't even explain how great they did with their chemistry - it was just off the charts for me.
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This review contains major spoilers
Okay let me gather my thoughts.......i am at a loss for words. I dont think i will be able to fully express my love for it but i dont mind giving it a try.So i dont usually write reviews( i just leave a comment) but this one is special.
So lets begin with our leads
Kim moo young is somewhat emotionless i would say or thats what everyone thinks he is. He is all lonely and messed up about everything until he meets JIN KANG She is an adorable human. Always bubbly and happy!!! Even though their relationship is a bit angsty at the start it grows into a beautiful one. She wants to make moo young a better person and lead a normal life with him. But their past has not been the best and it does play a big part in their lives.
Jin kang lives with her older brother jin gook who ADORES her sister. He has raised her all alone into such an amazing personality. He is a bit sensitive about her or overprotective but i personally found it cute. The way he tried to match her with cho rong was all too cute. I wished to see more of him with tak. And i must say he is an awesome actor. Loved every bit of him.
The side characters
Sueng ah wasnt my favourite. When her mom slapped jin kang and she didnt think that it was neccesary for her to apologize for it i felt it was rude and she wasnt really a good friend . I got eun byeol (penthouse drama) vibes from her. She was way too obsessed with moo young( I did felt sympathy for her when she died in that accident )
Cho rong was cute!! Somewhere in my heart i did ship him and jin kang together while knowing it wasnt possible.
My thoughts
I absolutely adored this one. It made me feel so many emotions. I got those butterfly whenever moo young and jin kang were together. I felt shocked when they were anounced as siblings and relief when found they found they were not. But most of all it made me cry. I cried a river ( still sobbing) it was way to painful to watch them die like that. They could have gotten a more peaceful ending but still the ending is one of the main things that make it one of the better dramas. I dont get why people are giving it low ratings just because of the sad ending. It is so underrated. APPRECIATE IT !!
(If i wrote a wrong detail about any of them feel free to correct me)
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The OST ,the Actor's and Actress and the Producer the Crews Teams I just wanna say Thanks for making this drama it's better from the Original ...the story and the plots was excellent the bestest ????????????????
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