w i s h . u p o n . a . s t a r

Title: Wish Upon a Star aka Pick the Stars aka Stars Falling from the Sky
Country of Origin: South Korea
Genre: Romance, Drama
Year: Winter '10
No. of Episodes: 20
Cast: Choi Jung Won, Kim Ji Hoon and Shin Dong Wook
Summary: After their parents' tragic death a young woman (Jin Pal Gang), and her five siblings, take up a housekeeping job for a cold-hearted lawyer. Who just so happens to be Pal Gang's long-time crush, Won Kang Ha.


My Rating: 6.5/10
No. of Episodes I've Watched: All
Recommend: Yes
Re-Watchability: Maybe some episodes. Depends.

My Review: Well, I wasn't too enthusiastic about this one. The plot sounded a bit boring. When it comes to a drama involving kids I am never that excited. Children in any kind of entertainment can go either way, either they can be super adorable and talented or they can come off as whiny, irritating and obviously acting. I was also wary of Kim Jin Hoon and his gangster/gangpae hair. I didn't know he was a lawyer. But really, the hair is awful and it never gets better. At least the extreme faux sideburns were nixed eventually. And Shin Dong Wook, who plays the brother to Jin Hoon's character, had some funky hair. Thankfully he got it cut. Some smart person was looking out for him. Because no matter what people say about it being shallow, image is important. Especially if you're making a television production and you're trying to portray your characters in a certain light. Gangpae hair is just not good. I think they could have given Jin Hoon a different style and still demonstrate he is a cold-hearted bastard.


Okay, the drama was fine enough the first few episodes. A little slow. After Jin Pal Gang's (played by Choi) parents die the action picks up. My favorite episode was when she decides to stop being a woman and become a mother to her adopted siblings. She actually did something for her hungry infant brother that made me a little...unsettled. But it was touching due to the lengths she showed she would go for her siblings. Even if she was going to drop them off at an orphanage at one point.

There is some love triangle bizniz going down. But it is a little less straightforward than usual, which I liked. However, that is with the female main. When it comes to the other woman it is very cliche. The other woman character seemed to a copy all of those devious, soulless fiends who would do anything to get their man, from Korean dramas in the '90s and early '00s. Jung Jae Young (Chae Young In) isn't as bad, just a little slap happy. But comparably she is much better, even though her thickheaded stubbornness drove me up a wall. She was a little better by the end of the show, where she magically become an angel (sorta).


There was an American character in this Korean drama. Tae Gyu (Lee Kyun) is Korean-American: loud, annoying and an ignorant drunk. And he throws his affections casually about and uses informal speech with his elders/betters. Isn't it lovely to see myself through others' eyes? Of course they didn't actually get an American actor to play the part. I think he can barely speak English too.


The children were fine in the show. I spotted Park Ji Bin right away. Of course he is no longer the little cutie from Hello Brother (which is a cute/sad movie and everyone should watch it!), but a growing boy. If only they could stay cute! I actually thought one of the kids, a little girl, was a boy! Oops. Out of all the kids I liked of Pa Rang the best. His relationship with lawyer Won Kang Ha is so endearing.


Won Kang Ha and Jin Pal Gang they fall for each other. Well, Pal Gang liked him all along. Or so they try telling us. I just hated their chemistry. Sure their fighting was entertaining and all. And maybe it showed a certain closeness. But whenever Kang Ha would hug Pal Gang, in any circumstance, she would stiffen up like a board. It was like she allowed him to hold her. It was a one-sided, painful thing. Even the kisses lacked spark. Dead fish come to mind.


The story itself consisted of hidden feelings (which are good, I think, at least entertaining, for me), hidden agendas ("I'm gonna kill him!" type stuff), open agendas ("I love you. I'll marry you whatever it takes!"), hidden/mysterious lineages/identities ("My son had a kid with an unknown woman" and "Haraboji/Grandpa, who are you!"), etc. I tend to want to skip over all the business stuff (opening free clinics/inheritance/etc), and there was definitely some of that. Whenever the Chairmen (the-other-woman-Jae Young's grandfather) and his son and daughter-in-law popped up I itched to skip whole scenes (and I did).


The ending was ridiculous, to put it mildly. It was rushed to say the least. It was as if they took all the action and drama that wasn't in all the previous episodes and jammed it into the last one. There were multiple kidnappings, death threats, someone actually died, someone got married, someone had a breakdown, someone got hit by a car and broke the windshield...and I am sure TONS more stuff happened that I am forgetting to mention. It was a farce. I thought it was an April Fool's joke (I finished the show on the 2nd though)! I think it could have been much better. Not that I actually believed the drama could do better it it tried. It wasn't that good from the beginning. It did contain some elements and characters I kinda sorta liked, but those elements did nothing to save the show.


I liked the drama. It is cute and sweet, and a little sad. I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it either.