While Season 2 of To My Star left me feeling conflicted in some ways, I ultimately found it to be a more satisfying story that Season 1. As much as I did enjoy the first season, I also found it to be a bit shallow, lacking background and explanations. I appreciated that this second season delved more into the characters past and answered some of those questions. And while a breakup was predictable, I did find many elements of the story and the characters actions to be realistic, if a bit heavy handed at times. On the other hand, the lack of any of kind of real resolution between the lead characters was disappointing as were the demands they made of each other which were unrealistic and unreasonable. Still, at the end of the day, the positives outweighed the negatives for me.

I felt the story here was stronger than that of the first season, again, because we got to delve into the lives of the characters more. Another strength was that the story wasn't linear. This can be hit or miss, but I felt it was done well here. It doesn't start at the time of the breakup, but rather after it and the circumstances of the breakup are revealed bit by bit. However, this was also a bit of a downfall because at least initially, the focus was on Seo Joon and his reaction to the breakup. The problem stems from the fact that the explanation for why Ji Woo broke up with him doesn't come until much later after he's been a complete and total ass toward Seo Joon. That lack of explanation makes it hard to understand him or have any sympathy for him. It's something that would have been important to include earlier on.

I know a lot of people think that the reasoning behind the breakup was crap, but personally I found it realistic. My understanding is that it didn't boil down to just one reason, but it was multiple reasons from feeling lonely and isolated since his social circle consisted of only Seo Joon to fearing that Seo Joon would eventually leave him. Better to leave first than be left. He was an introvert in a relationship with an extrovert. As an introvert myself, I can completely understand where he was coming from. I don't think people fully realize that the fact that Seo Joon made Ji Woo the center of his universe put a lot of pressure on Ji Woo. Self-induced pressure to be sure, but it was there. And despite some people's comments that he didn't really have any trauma affecting him, I would disagree. He had the trauma of his parent's death, the scandal from his parent's friend that led to apparently the entire village ostracizing him, and the trauma of his long term girlfriend abruptly leaving him and with a cruel text message to boot. All of that combined made it easy for him to build walls and hard for him to trust people. Even after a year of dating, it's not like that trauma would have gone away. And sometimes when the loneliness and isolation and fear reach a boiling point, it's easier to run away than face it.

His treatment of Seo Joon, however, after Seo Joon hunts him down was unnecessary. To an extent, I can understand him. He ran as far away as he did to get away from Seo Joon, to get over him, and here comes Seo Joon refusing to take no for an answer and stirring up those feelings again. I get why he would be pissed. But I think he could have gotten his point across without the gaslighting and cruelty.

For Seo Joon, if memory serves, Ji Woo asks him he's a dog at one point and in many ways he does act like a dog, he certainly has the loyalty of one. His inability to get over Ji Woo even after a year, his determination for them to work things out, and finally his attempt to shut Ji Woo out, were all so relatable. I think there's the temptation to call him desperate or pathetic, but I didn't find him to be either of those. I think when you find that one, you're not willing to give them up easily. I know I've seen comments from people saying they don't understand why he even loved Ji Woo, but you have to keep in mind that love isn't logical and there isn't always a concrete reason for it. The need for closure, to understand why Ji Woo left him, was also important. Especially after a year, when it seems like they didn't really have any major fights or arguments during that time, that would be important for him to know. Despite the fact that I do find his actions relatable and understandable, I also don't condone them as they were pretty obviously emotionally and mentally unhealthy. Then again, we don't always do the smartest things when we're in love, do we?

The side characters were a mixed bunch for me. While I liked Sung Yoon as a character, I was not a fan of her role as the ex-girlfriend presented to create tension and drama. I hate when women are used like that, it's such a disservice. I was glad that wasn't her sole purpose even if it was her primary one. She still came across as a strong woman which I appreciated and I liked her friendship with Da Kyung. Da Kyung was entertaining as a single mom and Ji Woo's friend. At first I was afraid they were going to try to put them together and I was very glad when they didn't. Although it wasn't showcased much, I liked what little of their friendship was shown. And I just liked her in general. To me she came across as a strong, badass woman which I loved. Pil Hyun was great to have back. I liked him in the first season and I liked him here again. My only qualm is that I think he should have dumped his girlfriend because he deserved someone better. The only two characters I took issue with, and even then only minorly, were Ho Min and Yoo Ha. With Ho Min, his suddenly leaving to become an idol came out of nowhere. It was a completely unnecessary and underdeveloped plot point that served no point. Yoo Ha, cute as she was, some of her dialogue was a bit too adult. It just wasn't believable that a child her age would say some of the things she said, at least not in my opinion.

The acting was good all around. Kang Min, who I felt was a bit weak at times in the first season, definitely upped his game this season. He was more consistent, his expressions were better and more nuanced and he seemed more comfortable. He still seems to struggle with some of the more emotional scenes, but, again, overall a great improvement. Woo Hyun was fantastic. This was the first drama I've seen him, but I plan on watching others at this point. He's so expressive, I just really enjoyed his performance.

The production value was a clear improvement over the first season which wasn't bad in the slightest, but there is a difference. My one issue is that some of the editing wasn't as clear as it could be. There were a few times where it took a moment to figure out if a scene was from the past or the present. The cinematography was fantastic. As a foodie and someone who likes to cook, I loved the cooking and food shots. The OST was perfection. It just so flawlessly suited the drama in every way. I think my favorite song is the one our two leads sing. Beautifully sung and it really conveyed the mood and emotions.

Now for the aspects that I found less than desirable. Things between Ji Woo and Seo Joon were wrapped a little too neatly for my taste. Yes, there's a brief conversation as they make up, but these two needed to sit down and have a long conversation. Now I suppose we can assume they did that off screen at some point, but since that's not alluded to at any point, I'm not willing to make that assumption. The problem I see here is that without having a proper discussion about what led to Ji Woo running away, it leaves open the possibility of it happening again. On the one hand, that seems less likely to happen since Ji Woo has more of a support system than just Seo Joon there at the end, but it is something that needs to be addressed. I also don't feel like Ji Woo ever properly apologizes for his treatment of Seo Joon earlier on which he absolutely should have. Regardless of his struggles and conflicting emotions, he owed him a massive apology. Another concern is their demands of each other, that Ji Woo not pick out his clothes ahead of time, I think it was, because his ex does that, and that Seo Joon not smile at others or talk on the phone so much, if memory serves. Ji Woo had thrown out some other issues earlier in the drama as well. All of these are ridiculous and, frankly, unreasonable. It is setting each other up for failure, not to mention a level of possessiveness of each other that could also be problematic.

So would I recommend this drama? Provided you're not looking for a fluff piece, yes. The material here is much heavier than in the first season and though we do get our happily ever after, it's a longer and tougher journey to get there. Personally though, I would say that journey is worth it and I found this second season to be superior to the first.