I decided to watch The Universe’s Star because I needed a light and short drama after going through a long and complex drama such as A Korean Odyssey. And after stumbling on this drama’s blurb, I decided to give it a go.

To be honest, I wasn’t too excited on this drama based on its premise. I knew I had to lower down my expectations. I mean, another Grim Reaper drama? I guess Koreans do love their Grim Reapers.

But the poster did an incredible job at luring me in completely into the drama. I mean, look at that poster. Wouldn’t you say that it’s a poster fit for a catchy drama with an adequate length?

I didn’t realize it was Exo’s Suho playing the lead, at first. I actually didn’t bother to check the cast as I know that for a short drama like this, it doesn’t have a lot of budget for a bigger production. And they actually advertised Suho as Kim Jun-myeon, which I think was the right choice. It’s a big step in separating himself from the boy group he was in.

In the first episode, we immediately saw how Byul died. Although it was hazy and unclear, we already got the gist of how she became a Grim Reaper. A few years later, we see Byul as a Grim Reaper who, let’s just say, isn’t a good one. She failed to guide the souls assigned to her as she always let them live at the last minute.

Can I just say that this drama portrayed Grim Reapers a little differently? Unlike the preceding dramas with bigger productions, Grim Reapers are usually portrayed as supernaturals who can transport anywhere, wipe out the minds of humans, and possess incredible fighting skills. In The Universe’s Star, however, Grim Reapers are portrayed as almost like ghosts who have been recruited in a “Grim Reaper Agency”. No supernatural abilities and such. They almost felt like normal people except their invisible to the living. And I think that’s what they actually did.

In all honesty, I wasn’t too thrilled with Ji-woo playing the female lead. She seemed to be too average and lacks charisma. However, I was proven wrong. She was actually perfect as Byul. Her reactions were realistic as it should be. Unlike the female lead in the webdrama, Exo Next Door (who can I just honestly say was bland and unnatural in the webseries). Ji-woo is truly an underrated actress.

And I can’t help but compare the two dramas as it almost have the same plot. Both dramas tell about the love story of a cold-hearted and emotionless famous singer and a die-hard fan who wished to be the former’s lover. And both have Exo members as their leads.

But what set The Universe’s Star apart from Exo Next Door is its originality and complexity. Unlike the latter, The Universe’s Star delivered more than just simple fan service drama. It brought us a mixture of emotions, a well-thought plot and a bittersweet ending. It truly packed a punch for a six-episode drama.

Now, as for Suho, I never imagined that he would go for the acting industry. He wasn’t my bias in the boygroup so I wasn’t too familiar with him. But seeing him in the The Universe’s Star made me like him more. He wasn’t the best actor in the drama. Let’s get that right. But he does have potential. A potential that needs a lot of training and experience. And I can actually appreciate him in this drama as you can clearly see him trying hard as an actor. I was actually surprised by his acting and wondered why wasn’t he cast in a bigger role in his group’s webdrama.

This drama made me like Suho more than I did before. And it made me realize how I, or perhaps some of us, underestimated him both as a singer and an actor. So it was actually nice seeing him explore into the acting industry as it gave him the spotlight that he needed.

The Universe’s Star actually became Suho’s platform to showcase who he is and who he can be without depending on the worldwide famous name of Exo. Also, we can actually hear him sing for himself and not get washed away by the voices of his other members.

The plot was decent. Actually more than decent even with its cliché premise. While there were cringe-y moments scattered all throughout the drama, there were also golden moments. Moments of genuine comedy, fluttering love scenes between the OTP, and heartbreaking conflicts. The backstories were actually brilliant. I was actually a bit blown away since it was supposed to be a light and comedic drama. And even if the heartbreaks were simple and uncomplicated, if you put yourself in the characters’ shoes, it is just as painful as any other heartbreaks. It brought us complexity and depth. Something I wouldn’t expect from a drama such as this.

The writers also did well in intertwining all the characters in the drama. For someone who has watched a lot of dramas before, I could’ve predicted how every character is related to one another. But I wasn’t able to. In fact, I predicted it wrong. And that’s what I liked about The Universe’s Star. It gave us loving characters that grew on us as we go along the drama. And I especially liked the friendship between Byul and the ghost Gak-shi.

It is strange for a Grim Reaper to be best friends with a ghost, considering that Byul was supposed to guide Gak-shi in the afterlife. Both of them shared the same love for the popular Woo-joo, which was so entertaining and funny to watch as even though they’re a couple of supernatural beings, she still act like normal, living, die-hard fans. I adored watching these two best buds so much that when it was time for them to have they’re goodbyes, it made my heart ache.

The OTP was also lovable. They were both cute and, at times, funny. And even if there were a few cringes in their love story, they were also been able to give us heartwarming and heartbreaking scenes. Despite their weak chemistry, the OTP surely grew on me.

Also, the soundtrack was beyond my expectations. As I have lowered my expectations on this drama, I didn’t expect to enjoy this drama as I would’ve had.

If there’s one thing this drama lacked is clarity. There were a lot going on in the drama, and even though they were able to pull it off in six 20-minute long episodes, I wished they would’ve stretched the story more in order for them to fill the plot holes that were left unfilled.

I didn’t dare nitpick the flaws of this drama as I know it would ruin the drama for me. I know that this drama has a lot of flaws, but I was willing to overlook all of them as I did enjoy the drama.

And let me just point out how clever the writers are in coming up with the title? If you haven’t noticed, The Universe’s Star, is the literal translation of Woojooui Byuli. In other terms, it can be understood as Woojoo’s Byul. Cute, isn’t it?