A Clean Romance

 

I used to raise my eyebrows at the rising popularity of Korean drama series. Who cares about the dragging stories starred in by actors and actresses who show signs of plastic surgery? But now the night hours find me glued to a much talked about drama series named ‘You who came from the stars’. I am so captivated that I view the episodes one after another, though, consolingly, I still manage to refrain from more than one per day. So what makes the drama so fascinating?

Frankly, handsome guys and pretty girls are a great attraction. Gianna Jun’s face is simply adorable, never with too heavy makeup on and often wearing the lovely, naughty expressions that would seem repulsive on someone else’s face. It’s fun watching her acting like a fastidious child, which again is exclusively her style. Kim Soo hyun, on the other hand, captures attention not with the face but with the dignity and thoroughness he carries. He wins more hearts with his coolness and aloofness rather than with his smiles, which are treasured, though, for their rarity. He also makes mouths gape when he works magic with his eyes, causing books and cups to be flying around, saving a girl from under the wheels of a running lorry. How we wish for a superman like him, and then he sure looks more attractive than the traditional Superman! Besides, their costumes are also fascinating. Being a super star, Jun, as well as the people she moves around, is usually seen in glamorous attire, giving the viewer the feeling of being at a Korean fashion show. Kim’s signature hair style and classics clothing, too, add much to his charm and are adopted by many in some Asian cities.

But there is far more the drama series can boast of apart from pretty faces. The story plot itself is appealing, with elements of humour, romance, horror, suspense and mysteries. Kim’s attachment to a lady in his memories, which he later transfers to Jun because of her resemblance to the former, is a storyline that keeps the whole drama series alive. Knitted between the lovers’ encounters and later engagement in everlasting love are details related to a cunning murder that involves several characters, holding the breath of the audience until the very last moment when the mystery is solved and the cunning criminal gets arrested. There are tear jerking moments when the murderer’s brother, kneeling and sobbing, made known to the father the cruel truth. When the two lovers are bidding each other farewell, unsure of a reunion possibility, the viewer feels heart- broken, too.

One thing I personally appreciate greatly is the absence of violence and sex. Despite the cruelty with which the murderer ended his brother’s life and later his girl friend’s, there are no upsetting scenes of bloodshed. And the intimacy between the lovers is limited to light kisses, which are made amusing with Kim falling sick with a fever afterwards. I am delighted at what I would call ‘a clean romance’ and hope this can convince people to stop considering sex and violence a guarantee for film popularity.

The drama series is very entertaining and is a welcome break from the drudgery of many of the local made TV shows.