You Who Came From the Stars Episode 1 Recap

It's new series time and since being sick and helping a friend move has thrown off my drama viewing, I've decided to finish the other recaps later and focus on this new series. From what I've seen, I like it.


The series starts with a flying saucer arriving on Earth. Narration from the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty 1st Year of King Gwang Hae, Recorded on September 25th. “In the skies of Gan Sung Goon, Won Joo Mok, Kang Ryung Bu, and Choon Chun Bu, there was an UFO that looked like a bowl.” The UFO whooshes across the sky, a sonic boom in its wake. “It was fast like an arrow. With a loud noise, it disappeared in flames. There were no clouds when this happened. Year 1609 August 25th in Gangneung.”

My Acting Favorites

My Top Ten Actors (in alpha order). Originally, this list was going to be five, but there are too many I like to limit it to five.

1. Choi Jin Hyuk - I liked him as the serious Woo Duk in Pasta, even before his changed his screen name. He completely won my heart (and a lot of other people's) with his performance in Gu Family Book, to where I cried for him after one episode and cried even more after his redemption. His ability to be effervescent and joyful and then self-contained and dark make him an actor I enjoy watching.
2. Gong Yoo - I first saw him in the movie, Finding Mr. Destiny, and then I watched Coffee Prince, but it wasn't until I started watching Big did Gong Yoo cement himself as one of my favorites. Not because Big was the greatest series ever, but just because it struck me just *how much* of a range this man has.
3. Hyun Bin - I think it's the glimmer of intelligence and confidence he always seems to have in his eye that makes me love him, as well as he can make being a total butthead seem like the most logical course of action. I first watched him in Secret Garden and it wasn't until I was halfway through with My Name is Kim Sam Soon did I realize it was the same man. Range.
4. Joo Won - As I watched Baker King, Kim Tak Gu, I liked his intensity, but something about his character didn't make him endearing. But after watching his performance in Good Doctor, I am definitely a fan. One thing I appreciate about him is that he seems to give everything in each of his performances, to where there's a real sense of integrity to them.
5. Lee Seung Gi - I wouldn't have initially thought that he would be in my top ten, but as I was recently watching King2Hearts it struck me that every series that I've watched him in, I've heartily enjoyed, partially *because* of him. He adds a touch of goofy as well as earnestness to his characters that I find endearing and it never takes me very long to warm up to his character. Even when he's arrogant, he's likeable from the beginning because he's a *nice* arrogant.
6. Lee Min Ho - I first met him as Gu Jun Pyo in Boys Over Flowers and since then, I have appreciated the vulnerability he has brought to his characters. Even as he's kicking butt and taking names, he's soulful and self-examined. Plus, the man has charisma oozing out his pores.

My Top Ten K-Dramas

Everyone has those dramas that they absolutely love. Here's my list of my top ten favorite k-dramas, at least as of 10 Dec 13. Making this list was not easy, and I'm sure that it will change as time goes on. (These are listed in alphabetical order, because picking my *favorite* k-drama is just too hard.)

Boys Over Flowers (2009) - I admit it, this is the first k-drama that I marathoned. I'd watched a few other dramas, but this is the one where I *had* to see what happened next and hated that I had to interrupt my watching with that pesky thing called sleep. And although other dramas have made cry since, this one sticks out as one that I cried the hardest watching, because I *cared* what happened to the characters. It seems like the last third of the show I cried. I cared that Ji Hoo was estranged from his ailing grandfather, that Jun Pyo was being forced to marry someone he didn't love because of his evil mother, that Ga Eul pined for a man who was a perpetual playboy. And because I was relatively new to k-dramas, the twists and turns and some of the cliche moments... I wasn't expecting them. I think this is about the time where I started calling k-dramas addictive, because I did get addicted. One of the things that I love most about this drama is the breakout performance of Lee Min Ho as Gu Jun Pyo. Even when he was being the biggest jerk, he still had that sweet, personable quality. Even as I wanted to punch him because he was so arrogant, I found myself liking him. I attribute this directly to Lee Min Ho. Other dramas, the hero has been Jun Pyo's kind of jerk, but I never did really grow to like them. And I think if it had been a different actor, I don't think I would have liked Jun Pyo quite as much. And who can beat Woo Bin's "Yo, yo, my bro!"?

City Hunter (2011) - Another Lee Min Ho drama that I loved. It had intrigue, drama, plenty of action, and some good angsty romance. It constantly kept you guessing as to what might happen next. Plus, the heroine wasn't a pushover. Played by Park Min Young, Kim Na Na could take care of herself and spoke her mind, but was still someone you'd want to be best friends with. And she taught judo so she could kick the hero's butt if she wanted to. Lee Min Ho wore pink pants and rocked them and his Lee Yoon Sung was just smooth and clever. And tortured. I mean, who wouldn't be tortured when your honorable father was betrayed and murdered by greedy politicians and your mother abandoned you? Except that he wasn't really abandoned by his mother, but stolen by his foster-father, so she was doubly pathetic when they're finally reunited. Plus, she's got cancer. Plus, Kim Sang Joong was amazing as Yoon Sung's twisted foster father, Jin Pyo. The man was cold-hearted. Even to the end. And I loved every minute of it. Plus, there was a fight scene that took place in a "Rocker Room," with lockers and everything. Who wouldn't love that?