You From Another Star is an exhilarating drama that deftly mixes romance, comedy, thrills and fantasy into one enjoyable ride. It has a neat spiral of different characters and plots around the core of our couple and their love that goes through bickering, endearing sweetness and high stakes. The show was a hit right off the bat and maintained its well-deserved top spot throughout its run. A fast and funny drama with one of the most lovable heroines of dramaland.

The plot basically centres around the love between an alien (Min Joon) who came 400 years ago on earth and a top-actress (Song Yi). They fall in love at a crucial time when he has to return back to his star where he came from while things get complicated when a psycho killer gets involved with our protagonists.

The best thing about You From Another Star is our bubbly heroine who wears her heart on her sleeves. She has this never-to-give-up attitude and I love her bratty attitude. She is very vulnerable and innocent as well but you can see how much she loves herself. Then I loved our hero who remained indifferent to everyone and everything till he fell in love and I felt so much for him as he wants to stay on earth and wants a normal life of love and family and just imagining how lonely he must be for all these years. The way he gradually opens up and starts showing affection is very cute. I also liked our second lead Hwi Kyung who is another cutie pie who is hopelessly in love with our heroine. I liked that there was no rivalry on his part or obsession of the annoying degree.

The good thing about You From Another Star is that it is energetic and rollicking with lots of funny moments from start to finish— the one-liners, meta jokes, wacky tidbits, laugh-out-loud moments, the E.T. references. The show keeps the momentum and ensures that there is never a dull moment anywhere, be it romance or comedy or the thriller part.The couple is lovely with great chemistry and epic-ness of their story as there are stakes of inordinate proportion with universe and fate being the obstacles between them. Their interactions are brimmed with witty dialogues and some genuinely heartfelt moments.

Not only the couple, but the show has many more endearing relationships— Min Joon and lawyer Jang (whose chucklsome as well as emotional dynamics was so, so fun to watch), Min Joon and Yoon Jae (ADORABLE bromance), and Song Yi’s family as a whole. I liked the new approach of the show which chronologically depicts future events first and then we go back to see how it all turned out. The epilogues are like added bonus which again are an innovative thing in dramaland and I loved how each one of them had significance as well as fun element.

On the other hand, certain parts of the drama were over-the-top like the villain— I think the drama spent a lot of time on this arc which could have been used for showing us more about our alien’s world. I felt that the drama overlooked this important feature of the star where our hero came from and that led to somewhat rushed and unconvincing, simplistic climax. I wanted it to give insights of how the couple would struggle and come through their impediment and it required more detailing but we just got some wormhole theory. The show also left some questions (some of them originating due to the last-hour solution) unanswered. The villain and his antics were entertaining but I wish it was a side-plot instead of forming the major conflict in the story. Similarly, all the investigations were a bit shallow and convenient with a naive touch in them. But that’s understood as we are not watching a suspense thriller here. Also, being fast-paced initially, I think the drama somewhat slowed down in the last few episodes. Plus, it was quite unbelievable how everyone treated Song-yi after she was entangled with a scandal.

All said, I think the drama really did well in establishing the message that it is the present moments that count and one should live life to the fullest without worrying about the future— to cherish each moment and appreciate what we have. Also, I like that the drama maintained an upbeat tone with humour and wit even when the narrative became heavier.

Jeon Ji Hyun owns the part and gives an impeccable performance. She is the heart and soul of You From Another Star and has amazing comic timing. Kim Soo Hyun is pitch perfect with showing a great skill in being a mix of older man (as he has lived for 400 years) and being adorably cute and childlike at times. Park Hae Jin has guileless charm and I loved him here. Yoo In Na doesn’t get much chance to show her acting ability in a thankless role but she is good. Shin Sung Rok efficiently plays the creepy villain and Ahn Jae Hyun is cute. Kim Chang Wan impresses with his natural flair once again.

In a nutshell, You From Another Star is entertaining and funny with a charming couple, masterfully blending romance, fantasy and thrills.

My Rating: 9 out of 10.