BLISS RATING: ★★★★
“I saw it in your eyes: its always in your eyes.” – Quote from To My Star
This is a surprisingly poignant mini-series. It is only eight episodes of about 15 minutes each, but it is packed with very good storytelling and believable human drama. It almost covers too much territory but just makes it to the point that it did not negatively affected the storyline.
There were several tangents that, perhaps because of translation issues, did not make a whole lot of sense. But again, none of that distracted too much from the story connection of the two main characters.
Han Ji Wo (Kang Min Kim) is a pensive reflective young ‘chef’ at a local restaurant. Just before opening one day, an actor named Woo Hyun Son (Woo Hyun Son), walks in mainly to use the restroom and orders food which Han Ji prepares. But he declines the food saying he does not like eggs and Han Ji asks him to then leave. He detests wasted food.
Because of an incident involving another actor, Kang Seo is being hounded by the press and needs to hide out away from all those prying eyes. As luck would have it, he rooms with the young chef that made him breakfast that morning since the CEO of the Entertainment Company happens to owns the building (condo) where Han Ji is renting/living.
So, the two of them are forced to reside together. Both have strong personalities but with different goals. Kang Seo because he is a seasoned actor is used to getting his way and is urbane enough to know how to manipulate people and systems. He thinks, at least initially, his charm will work of Han Ji. But it does not. Han Ji is a no-nonsense individual who has worked for everything he has, with his life centering around cooking. He is pretty much a loner and very direct. With Kang Seo being a bit bubblier and more worldly, there are the inevitable clashed.
But slowly, they begin to see each other differently and in a wider perspective. Since Kang Seo is so apt, he is more easily able to express his feelings and desires while Han Ji is way more reflective, remunerative, and cautious. He does not want to be just another notch in Kang Seo’s belt as some type of conquest. Kang Seo has a hard time convincing him of his sincerity in his feeling towards him, but eventually does.
Throughout the series, Han Ji is so skittish and timid in his moving towards a relationship with Kang Seo. But in the end, he seems full-blown into it.
However, that was just too much of a mind-twist for me to believe.
The other thing that I found quite interesting about Kang Seo were his idiosyncrasies. He had several of them that were quite bizarre. They were introduced and then only briefly referenced again. Too bad, as idiosyncrasies are rarely depicted in these BL series, but I love them as it makes these characters so much more human and relatable. He has panic attacks at loud noises which I found utterly fascinating. It is shown and briefly discussed almost at the end when he states that he is in therapy concerning this matter. Too bad as that is a significant part of who he was. We want to know more. It is obvious that Han Ji is not bothered by it as he witnessed a severe one. In fact, he becomes overprotective of Kang Seo. This aspect of who he is could have been more integrative and would have made a great story line besides simply a throwaway or just a superfluous aspect of his personality.
The other oddity was that he ‘cannot stand nose hairs that stick out, messy eyebrows, and pimples’. He sees a pimple on Han Ji’s neck, and he literally attacks him wanting to squeeze it. This was amazingly bizarre and so unique. I wish they had explored this strange and bizarre fixation of his in greater detail. Han Ji has the usual reaction to this but then it is literally forgotten. Too bad. This made him so uniquely human and special.
This is a surprisingly well written and well directed series with some excellent dialogue that helps move this short series along fast and furious, but it still does not feel rushed. However, this is one series in which I do wish we had gotten to know and see more of who these main characters are. They are very interesting people and I wanted to know them on several levels. These two actors have one of the best screen chemistries of a BL series that I have seen in a long time. It is not an in-your-face kind of thing but slow moving with lots of speed bumps along the way. Honestly, it is one of the better acted BL series that I have seen in a long time as well. They play their parts with a quiet, never over the top, representation. There is no scene stealing here. It is as if they are working for the story not for themselves.
TO MY STAR (MOVIE) – 2021
This is the series but in a movie format. I watched it to see if there were any added scenes, but I do not think that there was anything ‘new’ to it. But in a sense, I am still glad I watched it as there was much I ‘missed’ when it is broken up into segments. Seeing it as a movie made the series feel frankly even more charming, poignant, and romantic. I did not realize how nicely it flowed romantically. The dialogue and bantering between Kang Seo and Han Ji became more intense and seemed more personal than when it was shown sporadically. (This I realize is a perception issues). I could more fully appreciate and understand better the reluctance and hesitation with Han Ji towards Kang Seo. He just did not want to be hurt again as he had been previously.
Who really S.T.O.L.E. the series/movie? I know this is going to seem quite weird, perhaps even unorthodox but I think who really deserves this distinction is Jae Hyun Kong as Kim Hyung Ki, the restaurant owner. For some reason even before I watched the movie version, he intrigued me, and I was planning on naming him for this distinction. Yet, I was not really sure why. It just felt like I should. Then I watched the movie where I can see him in totem. It fell into place why, at least in my mind it did. I believe he was at one point in a relationship with Han Ji. That is why they formed this partnership in the restaurant. Throughout, Han Ji said he had been in a relationship but never gave clues as to who it was. But when I watched the movie, it became clear when Kim Hyung Ki said he wanted to be near Han Ji that it finally clicked that they had at one point been lovers. The subtlety in the acting from at first being content to be with him to anxiety to jealousy was there but so subdued that it could have been easily missed. His whole action in ‘selling Kang Seo out’ and trying to extort money was not exclusively for the money but for trying to break up the relationship between Han Ji and Kang Seo and to get him back. I did not see the torture on his face in the series but watching it flow uninterrupted, I saw it clearly and distinctly. Jae Hyun Kong’s performance was so tight and unassuming that it fell into the background unnoticed. He became a figure of great scorn but in reality, he was an antagonist filled with angst and regret. He ended up a pitiful figure and even though his deed was dastardly, a part of me felt sad for his outcome. Perhaps, if that message had been louder, this part may have been seen by others in a more pivotal way. The story now made a whole lot more sense to me. But you have to take note of the subtlety of his character’s development.
This is a good solid story. The screen chemistry between the two main actors was palpable but I do wish it had been more intense. Do not be afraid to show ‘love’ more clearly when you have two guys who have such great chemistry together and a sincere connection. (Their stares are quite intense at times albeit brief). This could have been a way more sensual series because of the bond between these two actors. It all seemed so natural and at the end, they were not afraid to kiss. I also did not realize how funny some of the scenes were, particularly with the CEO Kim Pil Hyun (Jae Yeong Jeon), and Kang Seo’s manager, Baek Ho Min (Kim Jin Kwon), until I watched the movie. The timing and the delivery of the lines were spot on and Kim Jin Kwon’s feigning being upset with not feeling respected was quite funny.
Overall, this is a good story that deserved a tighter script and a bit more character development. Ironically, the character that they developed the most (Kim Hyung Ki) was the least likeable and the most misunderstood. I would recommend the movie over the series as it gives you a fuller picture of what is going on.
Enjoy either one though!
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