When I first heard the name, "Monstar", I wasn't really sure to applaud the pun or to bang my head against the wall because it was one of the worst plays on the English language I had ever heard. That being said, I would have watched "Monstar" simply so I could make fun of the name. But then I heard about the premise and got a lot more interested. Story: I'll admit, I don't have any specific love towards high school dramas. Maybe because I haven't seen that many, but I feel like high school dramas walk a thin line between coming off as whiny with too much angst or being well done and capturing the feelings of that age. The surprising thing about "Monstar", though, is that it does enough of the latter to merit it a *good* drama, but not enough so that it'll be a *great* drama. If you're a casual viewer, like me, then you really wouldn't care much for "Monstar". On the surface level it's full of fabulous cinematography and interesting characters, but it's plot seems slow. Now if you were the type of viewer who prefers deep and nuanced dramas- the type of drama where every single action means something- then you'll probably adore "Monstar". The quieter moments in this drama made it shine, making it seem very real and natural. But the thing is most people don't watch dramas because they want to see something realistic. The first half of this drama was everything you wanted from a high school drama, but the latter half dragged a bit. Acting: I'm blown away by all the actors here. Ha Yeon Soo was perfect to play Se Yi, because she conveyed Se Yi's internal struggles and emotions with enough grounded-ness to make the character come to life. I adored Da Hee and Kang Ui Sik, and wish them all the best as their careers go on, because their characters were so nuanced and layered and they managed to make them real. All the other actors were good too, but the real star of the show was this drama's "Monstar", Jun Hyung. He's an idol who has a promising career ahead of him, whether it be singing, producing music or even acting if he chooses. Seol Chan's "I'm a star!" line takes the cake as best comeback of 2013. Plus Seol Chan was the main character. Even though he and co-star Ha Yeon Soo had the same amount of screen time, Seol Chan always felt like the main character. He was the character we got to see change the most, and he was the one I was rooting for the whole time. Music: Music in dramas are hit-or-miss for me, and even though I adore music dramas, "Monstar" was more of a miss. The songs were good enough, but I just couldn't bring myself to love it. It just wasn't my type of music. It was, however, well used and great for conveying the emotions of the show. Rewatch Value: Looking back, "Monstar" really did hit the highs and lows of being young. The thing is, the *big* moments like that were few and far between and the smaller moments like that were easy to glance over. Maybe if I feel like thoroughly analyzing a drama? Probably not. Overall: "Monstar" started out with great potential. It wasn't that "Monstar" lost it's potential, but rather changed its direction. What could have been a great, loud and energetic high school drama petered off into a soft, understated story that just didn't appeal to me like the former would have.