Would "You Who Came From The Stars" make sense if Kim Soo Hyun's character was no longer an alien?
That's how the story is being changed so that it can run on Chinese television.
In the k-drama version of "You Who Came From The Stars," Kim played Do Min Joon an alien who was stranded on earth and was just biding his time until he was rescued. He did not want to get too involved with humans because he found it could have disastrous results. But then he fell in love.
But now that the k-drama is being shown in China, Do Min Joon is not an alien. Instead he is a novelist. Now, novelists can be pretty strange, but they tend not to live 400 years or have magical powers. Novelists do tend to be solitary characters and may feel like aliens, but they can't stop time. How will the revised storyline explain this in a satisfactory way?
According to the Korean media outlet Yonhap News, the changes were made because of strict censorship. Chinese television prohibits any show that portray ghosts or aliens.
And the ending will also be altered for Chinese audiences. The original ending of the k-drama was vague, with Do Min Joon drifting in and out of the life of his girlfriend, Cheon Song Yi, played by Jun Ji Hyun. But in the Chinese version, the story will end on an up note with Do Min Joon and Cheon Song Yi living happily ever after.
When the k-drama version was first shown on Chinese video sites, it was a huge success, with nearly four million hits. The drama inspired trends such as eating fried chicken with beer, and sold out the cosmetics that Jun Ji Hyun wore in the drama.
But the drama could not be shown on Chinese television as it was because of the strict censorship rules. "You Who Came From The Stars" was also made into a film for Chinese audiences but again could not be shown due to censorship regulations.
The first episode of the revised drama ran in China on January 29. The episodes were also shortened and the number extended from 21 to 30.
What do you think about these changes? Does the plot even make sense with such dramatic alterations? Let us know what you think.
