To My Star Korean BL Drama Review

Drama: To My Star 1 & To My Star: Our Untold Stories (나의 별에게 & 나의 별에게: 우리의 못다한 이야기)

Screenwriter: Park Young

Director: Hwang Da-seul

Actors:- Son Woo-hyun, Kim Kang-min, Ko Jae-hyun, Jeon Jae-yeong, Kim Jin-kwon, Han Ji-won, Baek Song-ha, Jung Hee-won, Lee Ji-yun, Kim Jae-won and others.

About the show:-

To My Star:-

Kang Seo-joon, a famous South Korean actor finds his popularity and career declining after a brawl at a restaurant causes backlash. Only Kang Seo-joon and his staff are aware about the truth behind the issue but is the world ready to listen to his side of the story?

When his career takes a downfall, Kang Seo-joon’s agency and manager suggest that he take a hiatus, disguise himself and hide for a little while. When Kang Seo-joon reaches his place of hideout, he meets a budding young chef Han Ji-woo who is already renting out the apartment. While sharing the apartment and spending time together, the two realise that their difference in personalities cannot stop them from falling in love. Will the carefree and cheerful Kang Seo-joon and the shy and introverted Han Ji-woo put their inhibitions behind them and give their feelings a chance?

To My Star: Our Untold Stories:-

The answer to the previous question is Yes, they do give romance a chance, spoiler alert. Kang Seo-joon and Han Ji-woo experience a short period of love but things start to fall apart. One dreadful day, Ji-woo abruptly calls of their relationship and leaves Seo-joon and their small world and goes away. Unaware of Ji-woo’s whereabouts, Seo-joon tries his best to find his lost love. His search goes wasted and his calls go unanswered. After a long wait, Seo-joon finally finds Ji-woo in the latter's hometown where he is living a secluded life, running a small restaurant that isn’t receiving as many customers as Ji-woo would have hoped. Will the two be willing to communicate, sort out their differences and problems and try to rekindle their romance?

(*This review may contain spoilers. If you have already watched the show, please continue reading. If you haven’t watched the show yet, you can still continue reading or you can come back to the review later.)

Why I loved the show, About the Characters and the Characters:-

When BL was very new in the Korean drama industry, our favourite director Hwang Da-seul brought this beautiful show to us. The show went on to gain a lot popularity, recognition and love. The fans pushed and urged the director for a Season 2. Although it seemed impossible, 감독님 (director) made it happen and the show recently aired the complete 12 episodes of Season two.

To my star 1&2 (나의 별에게 1 & 나의 별에게: 우리의 못다한 이야기) are an amazing series. The first season introduced to us the characters (Kang Seo-joon and Han Ji-woo), their flaws, their past, how the main leads and the supporting cast meet each other, how the main leads bond and how eventually the circumstances that lead them to falling in love. Although the first season was great by itself, there was so much left untold that a second season was necessary.

We were blessed that because of the requests for a Season 2, the next chapter was brought to life.

As the title suggests, season 2 talks about their untold story. The show takes a one-year leap where Han Ji Woo breaks up and leaves Kang Seo-joon after a brief period of romance to live a lonely life as a restaurant owner in a village where he grows up.

The entire season revolves around the two trying to understand their love and need for each other, the revelations of their past, addition of new characters, developments in their life, mistakes to be realised and corrections to be made and the big questions - do they end up together at the end, do they understand their love for each other, are they ready to let their guards down, are they ready to bare their hearts out or has their small period of romance come to an end? Is it really the end of their togetherness or a new beginning?

The first season is well written with a few questions unanswered but I would gladly say that season 2 is more of a favourite to me because of how well they make use of the 12 episodes to lay everything out. I like a good romance story but I must admit this season is heartbreaking. I confess, a few episodes did make me cry.

The supporting cast in both the seasons have done an splendid job in maintaining the flow of the story. The acting and the camaraderie is very natural. Jeon Jae-young as Kim Pil-hyun and Kim Jin-kwon as Baek Ho-min are my favourite supporting actors in the show. Their roles as the CEO and manager of Kang Seo-joon are extremely believable and well executed.

Our main leads Son Woo-hyun as Kang Seo-joon and Kim Kang-min as Han Ji-woo have stolen our hearts in both the seasons. Their acting, emotions, chemistry both on and off screen and how well they got into the skin of their characters is commendable. The fans probably know that they both are opposites of their characters on screen and the way they studied and portrayed their characters to the T is beyond words. I only have praises for the two of them.

For their chemistry, I can only quote Kim Kang-min "I don't thing you can see another BL couple like us/ 이런 남/남 커풀을 또 볼 수 있을까?". This is really true since their chemistry is always on fire both on and off screen. They are very understanding and their bonding is very calming to the eyes.

The Director and the Writer:-

Hwang Da-seul and Park Young have worked together on To My Star 1 & 2 and Blueming, another Korean BL Drama. Women Directors and Writers in Korea are supremely talented in their crafts and these two young women are no different. These directors and writers are not afraid to experiment and take risks. They are ready to produce unique content with strong writing and are now also venturing into the beautiful world of BLs. Wishing and hoping for many more young women in Korea and the rest of the world to find it in themselves to chase their dreams and share their amazing talents with the world.

I hope all the actors get more success and recognition since they are all exceptionally skilled, hard working and they deserve the best. Please give them a lot of love and follow their future works as well.

아시다시피, 선우현, 김강민 그리고 황다슬 최고에요. 감독님, 배우분들 그리고 드라마에게 많이 사랑해주세요.