[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Three Color Fantasy - The Stars in Space" Episodes 5-6
By William Schwartz | Published on
Early on we're left with the usual high concept theatrical kiss that "Three Color Fantasy - The Stars In Space" relishes- emphasis on the visceral beauty rather than the central point. But the closing episodes of "Three Color Fantasy - The Stars In Space" quickly take on a very moribund tone as backstory closes in explaining how all the characters, even the hitherto irrelevant ones are tied in to this situation together. That situation being, the closing inevitability of death.
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Looking back at "Three Color Fantasy - The Stars In Space" altogether I see now that the worldbuilding was never particularly important. "Three Color Fantasy - The Stars In Space" is a drama designed entirely around the principle of regret. Do dead people have regrets? Indubitably. And so do the living which is, oddly enough, how some of them manage to get into a semi-suicidal state. Dead people regret what they didn't do. Living people regret what they can't undo.
That's all speculation, of course, but "Three Color Fantasy - The Stars In Space" renders a fairly compelling argument for why Byeol-i's dreams of being together with Woo Joo, silly as they may have been, weren't really silly at all. At the end of all these fantasies was this sincerely deep yearning for true love. Byeol-i died young enough that she lacked powerful enough flaws to keep her from believing in that fantasy. This essentially youthful optimism was enough to inspire those around her.
Because they needed it. Whether a person be a Grim Reaper, a doctor, or just a random bystander at a horrible accident, the vision of death changes people. It extinguishes the hope they have, just a little bit. And yes, of course in these final two episodes, Byeol-i comes to tears too, appreciating the enormity of the pain these other people have gone through. All the same, Byeol-i clings to those dreams because in the face of death, they're all she has.
The thematic power in "Three Color Fantasy - The Stars In Space" really came together in a way I wasn't expecting. So it's especially fortunate that the production values have remained powerful throughout. The music in particular is exceptional- I have to give writer/director Kim Ji-hyeon-III that much, she has exceptional taste when it comes to soundtrack and wardrobes. I may not have been all that well sold on "Splash Splash Love" or "Drama Festival - The Diary of a Resentful Woman", but her work, once you get it, really is something quite profound.
Review by William Schwartz
"Three Color Fantasy - The Stars In Space" is directed and written by Kim Ji-hyeon-III and features "Suho", Ji Woo, Shin Hyun-soo, Han Da-ra, Ko Kyu-pil, and Lee Si-eon.
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Staff writer. Has been writing articles for HanCinema since 2012, having lived in South Korea from 2011 to 2021. He is currently located in the Southern Illinois. William Schwartz can be contacted via william@hancinema.net, and is open to requests for content in future articles.