FreshKicks

Only one episode in? Fasten your seat belt. You'll be ready to strangle her soon.

I think that's something both the fans and detractors can agree with you on!

Which is the incest couple? Are you referring to the two guys who were fencing?

It seems Khim's older brother Rain will be paired with the family servant's son Phayu, but then Rain's friend from the locker room might have something to say about that.

(Gosh, it seems I'm already more interested in the side couples. Well, I'll give the series more time.)

I'd say when reconciling after a year of separation where one partner treated the other horribly, an apology should visit those things and acknowledge the hurt they caused and say it won't happen again.

I'm not asking for Old Testament "eye for an eye" or restitution, just an open discussion that shows that JW has learned from what happened. Otherwise, how could SJ feel secure in the thought that something similar won't happen again?

But you see, the plot holes and unconvincing characterizations that you are willing to explain as SJ and JW being "human" is what many of us think is just poor screenwriting. We're not lacking empathy, because of course if a friend was struggling we'd be there for them -- we just expect better storytelling from this source.

I think an apology should be in proportion to the wrong that was done.

If I'm riding a bike and get sideswiped by a car, for the driver to call out "Sorry!" to me as he drives away is completely inadequate.

An apology is also about accountability, or "taking responsibility" as I hear so often in Asian dramas: "I'm sorry for this, I'm sorry for that, and I'm sorry for the other thing too, and I promise I won't do any of it ever again."

By stating what you're sorry for you acknowledge what had the negative impact on the other person -- in other words, you show that you have empathy and that you yourself learned from your transgression, and it won't be repeated.

The fact that SW did not require this kind of apology for what JW did, and that JW didn't offer it on his own, makes me think they're just setting themselves up for more problems down the road.

Did someone really complain about no cute moments?

The main complaints I've seen (and share myself) all have to do with the screenwriting. The acting and directing were great, but the story was built around a Ji Woo who didn't exist in S1.

I've seen a lot of handwaving that says JW was exactly the same in S1, like how he walked out on SJ on SJ's birthday out of fear of being in a relationship, but if you take JW at his word (as scripted), he left because he didn't want to be part of the extortion plot that his restaurant partner had just revealed to him. He even told SJ "If I stay with you I'll only get into trouble".

He was antisocial and prickly in S1 but that was mostly played for laughs, since his "grumpy old man" behavior was almost always in response to SJ's celebrity and sense of entitlement. As viewers it was fun to see that get skewered.

I don't think a S2 was planned when they produced S1, and I believe that the JW of the second season didn't come to life until S2 got the green light and the story conferences began. I think the darker theme came first and then JW's character was reshaped to fit the bill. And yes, that HW was no longer a grumpy old man -- he was an asshole.

I'm enjoying this. The storylines are all interesting and intersect believably, and even though there's a typical female meanie who hatches evil plans better than a Bond villain, for some reason it doesn't irritate me as much. At least she's not one of the FL's roommates, and, unlike many similar scenarios, the FL's friends (and the FL herself) catch on to what's going on pretty early.

I'm curious to see if Ro Sa, like many such characters, will get a last-minute redemption at the end. If this series follows the formula then she will. After the house of cards falls around her she will tearfully repent and be forgiven, then likely transfer to another school so that she's conveniently out of the way for everyone else's HEA.

About midway through the series I imagined what I'd say if a friend were to confide in me about his partner doing to him what JW did to SJ -- sudden, inexplicable breakup; year-long disappearance; shit treatment once boyfriend is finally located, etc.

If I were like most of the fans on here I would have said "Oh! I love the angst! Tell me more!"

This was pain porn dressed up for people who imagine themselves as arbiters of cinematic taste. They'll tell you that the roots for everything in S2 are in S1, but it's all a bunch of handwaving. I guarantee that S1 was not written with any concept of S2 to come, and that when S2 got the green light, that was when they had a story conference and the traumatized, lonely JW was born.

It's so cynical, and so sad that people have fallen for it.

My brother from another mother.

As soon as the wisp of a thought like "I wish they'd had a big kiss at the end" entered my mind, I remembered Togawa's thumb in Nozue's mouth in Episode 4, prying his lips apart, and I decided any series that can deliver that kind of kiss is allowed to rest on its laurels.

Plus, the hug of joy and relief from Togawa after he accepted Nozue's confession moved me to no end. I don't think I'd trade that for a kiss.

I made cupcakes. Couldn't eat them until the last scene, though. It was killing me!

The other sign of bad writing is that they insert a crisis for dramatic purposes and then have it magically disappear when its job was done. Otherwise it would require a lot more convincing storytelling to dispose of it realistically.

First is was the ultra-mature little girl getting into a huff over her mom sending someone else to pick her up at school and deciding to go missing. Dramatic purpose: provide a reason for JW and SJ to have to work together and end the episode with the Big Kiss. After she's found again the little girl reverts back to adult mode for the rest of the series. (And you can believe she wasn't punished for the trouble she caused, either.)

Then there's the villagers who shun JW because of the scandal with his parents. Toward the end, when that harsh treatment would only get in the way of the HEA, they have the big outburst at the viewing party where everybody ends up feeling ashamed of themselves. Voila -- townfolk are cool with JW.

My favorite, because they didn't even seem to care how it came off: somebody in town leaked what was going on with SJ and caused a huge problem. Had it been an adult then that, too, would have made the HEA a little awkward, so the culprit turns out to be an elementary school kid (I guess this town is teeming with child savants) whose misdeed can be excused with a few jokes.

Then, of course, it's JW suddenly realizing he loves SJ and turning up to beg forgiveness.

Sorry, but I think between the two of us you're the one retaliating against the opinions you disagree with. The rave reviews here on MDL far outnumber the dissenters like me. You should take heart in that. You are in the majority, especially when you consider the consensus of viewers on Reddit, Twitter, and elsewhere.

If anything, I wrote the review to get the anger and disappointment out of my system. As I watched Season Two unfold I realized it would be my goodbye to "To My Star". But I admit that I also hoped the review might offer a life raft to others who feel the same as I do but are hesitant to say so.

The whole idea of a traumatized Ji Woo puzzles me. What was it that traumatized him? Was it the scandal involving his parents? Well, like other problems set up by the series, that one was solved as soon as it had served its purpose -- all it took was one outburst at a viewing party.

I also think that people are retroactively interpreting the Ji Woo of Season One to fit the "trauma" theory as well as the theory about him running away from relationships because he feels he can't be loved. He moved out of the apartment in Season One after the confrontation with his friend over extorting hush money from Seo Joon. He even told Seo Joon that if he kept associating with him it would get him into trouble. And he was right -- his friend's actions might have gotten him arrested as an accomplice.

I know you'll probably say that that was what he said to Seo Joon but not what he really felt. But what makes you right and me wrong?

And while I'm at it, the "lonely in the relationship" stuff doesn't ring true either. If he was so lonely, why would he retreat to the home town where he knew he would be treated like an outcast? And that whole bit about keeping that restaurant open while nobody ate there was pretty silly.

I doubt that you doubt me. You’re just mad. Why would I lie about it? “Literally” two of my rewatches were to introduce friends to Asian drama.

I watched this movie yesterday. It's confusing in many ways.

I had to rewatch the opening and I *think* what happens there is that the two guys coincidentally meet one another before Min Ki shows up at Min Hoon's house. Since when we get to the final scenes (also set in the city) the stepbrother is presumed dead, so his presence in the opening part seems to support the idea that the opening shows Min Ki and Min Hoon's first encounter. How they met? Who knows. But the stepbrother even sits next to Min Ki on the bench and doesn't recognize him. In addition, when Min Hoon first opens the gate after Min Ki arrives at his house there seems to be a flash of recognition and confusion on his face, like maybe that spontaneous kiss back in the city is about to cost him lol.

But, even if I'm right that whole part seems unnecessary. Why not use the time to flesh out how the two men come to overcome their mutual hostility and bond?

I'm a little puzzled by the ending too. So, the stepbrother drowns himself after Min Hoon tells him he'll be right back, and meanwhile Min Hoon travels all the way to the city to pursue Min Ki. It kinda makes sense that in his search he'd eventually return to the place where they first kissed in the opening scene, but then we're suddenly back at the beach and there's Min Ki. Hadn't he gotten on the train before Min Hoon had had a chance to find him?

So, for the very last shot of the two guys facing one another I think it might be taking place weeks later. Min Ki has returned to the beach to find Min Hoon again. They each wear one of the dogtags from Min Ki's brother, so my guess is that it signifies that Min Ki's dead brother has brought the two boys together and they will end up as a couple.

After reading your first comment and giving it some thought I came back to thank you and respond, but nothing shuts down a discussion better than characterizing the people who disagree with you as ignorant or, worse, lacking aspects of humanity.

And it seems possible you even created your account just to do this. Is the series that important to you? Goodness.

At the very least I'm glad my review helped you and Mikey to find each other amidst the sea of unfortunates.

Well, while I'm not a series "rewatcher" in most cases, TMS1 is one that I did return to several times.

I think I would have liked this series a lot more if it had been created around totally new characters, so I envy you having that bad memory. :)

Me too! Save me a seat.

Agreed. Exceptions that prove the rule lol. They both expanded their main narratives instead of toying with them.