Top Star Yoo Baek is a romantic comedy about a narcissistic popular actor (Kim Ji Suk) who makes a big mistake and is sent away to a remote island where he meets a quirky woman (Jeon So Min) who runs a supermarket.
Kim Ji Suk plays Yoo Baek who is a top actor. He is cold, blunt, and high maintenance. After causing trouble for himself, he reluctantly has to spend time on a rural island.
Jeon So Min is Oh Kang Soon who has lived on the island her entire life. She is a diver and also runs a supermarket. Her strong-willed personality quickly clashes with Yoo Baek when he comes to stay with her.
Then we have Lee Sang Yeob as Choi Ma Dol. He has been friends with Kang Soon since they were children, and he harbors longtime feelings for her.
Top Star Yoo Baek was a mostly pleasant watch. It’s fairly simple and straightforward with its plot of the popular star having to go away and spend time on a remote island with its quirky residents. There are a lot of great scenic shots on the island. It was one of those slightly odd dramas for me though in that I didn’t love it, but it was fine overall.
I didn’t have any major complaints with it, but there were a lot of things that just didn’t really hit for me. I typically really like this type of fish out of water plot and really love a good ensemble cast. But a lot of the comedy didn’t fully click with me, and that was a huge part of the show. And while the characters were fine, I didn’t really love most of them. They ranged from mildly amusing to kind of boring.
I did enjoy the main story of Yoo Baek having to go on a journey of growth through his time on the island. Of course, he’s quite miserable at first, and much of the humor comes from his interactions with the island residents. But over time, he does make connections and learn to appreciate island life. He also has to deal with issues back on the mainland. It’s definitely slow to progress, but it is an overall solid character growth story.
Kang Soon is presented as very kind and strong but a bit naive. She’s the main one at odds with Yoo Baek. It would have been nice to go a bit deeper with her character much sooner in the drama.
As for the romance, it too is more of a slow progression. They stay at odds for a very long time and then face a lot of setbacks and complications. I wish we could have seen a lot more moments of connection between them because when we do see them more as a couple, they are very endearing.
I also would have liked to have gone deeper with the island residents earlier in the show. They mostly serve as comedic relief for the bulk of it. The last few episodes does suddenly go a bit deeper, but it felt a little too late. The one with the best story arc is definitely Ma Dol who we do go fairly deep with.
Top Star Yoo Baek is a decent show. It feels a little flat and was lacking in several areas for me, but overall, it was an easy and pleasant watch that would be good as something lighter to watch between more serious shows.
My Rating: 6/10
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