[KOREAN TV DRAMA REVIEWS] 별은 내 가슴에 (Star In My Heart)

THE SHOW

Ahhh... 1997. Korea was entering the IMF crisis, boy bands like H.O.T., S.E.S and Shinhwa weren't infesting every single Radio and TV in town yet, the National Soccer Team still sucked, and in theaters 접속 (The Contact) and 편지 (The Letter) were leading a resurgence in the popularity of commercial Korean films. But there was someone else who set the country on fire that year: Kang Min. Or, to be precise, the man who played that character in the cult trendy drama 별은 내 가슴에 (Star in My Heart), none other than Ahn Jae-Wook. Before that year, Ahn was a mildly popular actor, with supporting roles in Dramas like 호텔 (Hotel) and the excellent 그들의 포옹 (Their Embrace) - which shows Lee Young-Ae in a role similar to the one she'd play in 친절한 금자씨 (Sympathy For Lady Vengeance), and also has a great cast including Choi Min-Shik, Jeon Gwang-Ryeol and Song Jae-Ho.

But after that Drama, everything changed for him: he became a successful singer, he lead the beginning of the 'Korean Wave' in China and Hong Kong, and his popularity reached ridiculous levels around the late 90s. Sing the hit song from the show 상처 (Pain) to any Korean girl in her mid twenties, and she'll instantly recognize where it comes from. Ask boys the same age what they remember from 1997, and a lot of them will say Ahn Jae-Wook's wild hairdo from the show. Why? Because for a while it seemed as if every teenager in town was going around with that hairstyle and fashion, and every boyband and MC Host who wanted to get some rub from Ahn's popularity chose that style as well. That day May 3 1997, when that 16th Episode aired, it hit ratings of over 49%, culminating in the most replayed scene of the year (which, of course, I'm not spoiling).

So what's so special about the show? It's not well written at all, and taken out of context today might just seem like another Cinderella story with wildly stereotypical characters. But there's another reason why people still remember 'Star in My Heart' as a classic (more in style than quality, that is), even if looking at it today it doesn't seem to have aged that well. It's that unique 'MBC' Magic which often made shows produced by the station like a window to the past. Of course KBS and SBS had their hits and flops in the 90s, but there was always a reason why MBC was considered the 'Kingdom of Dramas' back then: they hit the right notes with the people, they showed characters they could relate to, and understood trends ahead of their time. They were able to recreate a picture of Korean society of the period, with a mix of traditional and modern influences. Even though the best shows from the period were Family and Historical Dramas, even lightweight fare like 'Star in My Heart' had a certain charm which is completely absent from the majority of today's trendy Dramas.

Although they're often referred to as 'Cinderella Dramas', most of these shows follow the basic storyline of the monstrously popular 70s Japanese manga キャンディ・キャンディ (Candy Candy) - which later became a worldwide hit thanks to the Anime series. Like the manga, the story centers on a cheerful poor girl from an orphanage growing up amongst foster parents who treat her badly, but making something out of herself through sheer perseverance and spirit of sacrifice. Our heroine Yeon-Yi (Choi Jin-Shil) is brought to the big city from the orphanage she was living in, but not all her newfound family is as interested in her as the man who brought her there.

His wife is a famous fashion designer (Park Won-Sook), his daughter a spoiled and childish brat (Jo Mi-Ryung), his son a sleazy and corrupt womanizer. But Yeon-Yi finds a way to avoid their 'spell', helped by her best friend from the orphanage (Jeon Do-Yeon), and her two 'knights in shining armor' Cha In-Pyo and Ahn Jae-Wook. Spoiling more of the story would be silly. Not that it's something incredibly well written like 부활 (Rebirth), but just because these shows live and die by their plot developments. A mysterious alter ego of Yeon-Yi appears, the Korean-Italian fashion photographer Sofia (again Choi Jin-Shil); the truth about Kang Min's biological mother is revealed, and more romantic shenanigans happen in the show.

As I said, the show didn't age well. Why? Because the first time I watched it (98) I was probably feeling the same things other young Koreans watching the show felt. It's never a good idea to watch what you enjoyed as a teenager expecting the same things today. And again, analyzing the shows from an objective point of view would reveal the script is OK when it comes to the main storyline, but the rest is quite messy. It opens subplots it never really gives enough importance nor conclude in a satisfying manner (what happens to the subplot about Park Won-Sook knowing Yeon-Yi's mother? Why is Sofia looking exactly like Yeon-Yi? Twin sister, doppelganger or what? ), and the characters seem stereotypical on purpose to focus on the struggle of our heroine even more. Yet, it still has that certain charm, that MBC Magic.

There's none of that tearjerking 'romantic' tragedy found in Yoon Seok-Ho's lousy 'Season Dramas', nor the sudden diseases of embarrassing Dramas like 천국의 계단 (Stairway To Heaven). Yes, the killer minivan syndrome hits this show too, but at least it's at the beginning. Plus, it never sells it soul to appeal to Japanese okasan, Chinese housewives and teenagers all over South East Asia hungry for pretty stars, it's not one of those 'Korean Wave' Dramas, planned from the start to appeal to an overseas audience. The key of the Korean Wave's beginning was presenting your popular culture overseas, but now it has changed to adapt your Dramas to fit overseas demands, which if continued could kill the unique identity of Korean Dramas (and please, let's not read anything political into that).

And then there's the acting. Yes, the characters are incredibly stereotypical, but the cast is so good they circle around the problem, and still create something interesting. Choi Jin-Shil has certainly done better, but she's quite charming here, as the girl next door who wants to fulfill her dreams. She's not a drama queen in the vein of most of Choi Ji-Woo's roles, and even though her 'alter ego' Sofia is just a pretense to create a reason for Cha In-Pyo to fall for her, she shows good range portraying two completely different characters. Ahn Jae-Wook, ridiculous haircut et al plays one of his many 'gentle metrosexual' roles, and Cha In-Pyo predates today's 'ubersexual' roles (what Kim Ju-Hyeok is doing in 프라하의 연인 (Lovers in Prague). A mix between macho and metrosexual, so to speak) by a half decade, always displaying good command of foreign languages (English and Italian, in this case).

The rest of the cast ranges from predictably excellent (Maeng Sang-Hoon, Kang Nam-Gil, Jeon Do-Yeon), to playfully over the top (Jo Mi-Ryung, Park Cheol), and then there's Park Won-Sook. There's nobody in Korea who can act a mean bitch like she does. Sure, it might not be a very realistic portrayal, and considering the other roles she's done in her career this could even be considered a waste of time, but she's such a spectacle to see. Slapping Choi Jin-Shil left and right, with a force and rage you rarely see, acting with her entire body. A multifaceted villain she might not be, but it's quite fun to see her act sophisticated, and then lose her temper like a fool.

I'd be lying if I said I love this Drama, but it still brings up good memories. It's not incredibly poignant and realistic like some of the great Family Dramas MBC made in the 90s, not as interesting and diabolically intriguing as the many excellent Historical Dramas KBS and SBS are famous for, not as electrifying and hard hitting as shows like 'Rebirth' and 네 멋대로 해라 (Ruler of Your Own World). But it's a nice walk down memory lane, showing the kind of character tropes which would become huge cliches in the future, embed with the kind of enjoyable superficiality so often present on shows of this kind. And it's just fun to watch. For me because it personally reminds of my youth (not that I'm old, but still...), and for those who'd like to know what started all this craze of the Korean Wave, this is it. A wild haircut, some good rock ballads and a love triangle later, and they made history. Yes, those stars are still in my heart, albeit they might not be the brightest...

THE DVD

YesAsia Entertainment released this DVD a while ago, and it's a good one. I would have liked some TV Specials from the period, but I guess it's too hard to find them. But at least the show is there, with nice video, audio, and even English Subtitles - I just took a quick look at them, and they seem OK. One thing I like is that they didn't take off the opening and ending credits like Korean companies so often do, it's part of the fun. But there's two interesting extras: the first episode - English subtitled as well - of two other series in YA Ent.'s catalogue: the romantic comedy 옥탑방 고양이 (The Attic Cat) and the great 'Ruler of Your Own World.' Both excellent shows, especially the latter, and a chance to see if you like them by showing a full episode instead of a 5 minutes preview. I'm not completely sure, but I think this is common practice for all of YA Entertainment's Drama Boxsets.