The title of the drama says pretty much everything that needs to be said about this drama before you start it and perhaps the mood this story carries with it. But then you read the description and it just gets even weirder. And the experience of watching it truly is out of this world. It’s mindless fun. It’s bonkers. It’s like some kind of fanfiction written by some kpop fan about their favorite kpop idol, but in a good way. I’m very glad I got to experience this.

I’ve been going through a bit of a long dry spell when it comes to kdramas for the last year or so, and I don’t exactly want to say that The Heavenly Idol cured it, but even as stupid and silly as this drama was I was always excited to watch the next episode. I looked forward to Wednesdays and Thursdays, because that meant the next episodes of The Heavenly Idol were about to come out, and I was going to have a lot of fun with it. And I have to give the drama some points for that. That’s how tv should be, in a way.

The Heavenly Idol doesn’t shy away from its ridiculous premise. In fact, it seems to just drive straight into the ridiculousness at full speed. It’s so silly and it knows it. And more importantly the drama seems to enjoy it, and I enjoyed that, even if it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense sometimes. But it will make you laugh and smile and feel for the characters. And that’s something.

There’s a certain simplicity and softness and gentleness to the male lead that we don’t get to see in a lot of kdramas, which I found refreshing and really charming. There seems to be a genuine friendship between some of the characters throughout this bumbling, odd plot that is just full of plot-holes and it’s almost like this story has just no sense of time. Things just happen, there is a different variety shows that the main character is on every other episode and things are not explained well enough, and you just have to take it as it is. It doesn’t really have a pacing issue, just a direction issue almost.

But then there is also this sincere attempt at theme with it’s critique of the kpop idol industry as a certain idol worship of these idols by fans with like gifts and such that the main character gains his powers from these odd tributes to him and other idols around him. It’s all a bit hastily done and I would have love to see it go deeper, but still does the job that it’s meant to do.

I do always appreciate sincerity in stories, and I love stories that even if they are not the best they feel like they, or the people behind them, are aware that they’re not that good but there is just a lot of heart put into it to bring people entertainment. I actually find it very charming, but I also love the silly but sincere stories. They are fun, if done right.

This drama is small, it’s low-key and doesn’t feel like it has a lot of money behind it. It’s not trying to be anything other than it is; a fanfiction on steroids. The characters are fun and sincere, but also so incredibly exaggerated. The plot makes no sense; things just happen that way because things have to work out somehow for whatever plot reasons there is. It just takes you on a mindless spectacle every week, which is just good entertainment if you are in the mood for that.

There’s a lot going on in this little drama, and I’m not so sure it managed to really do all the random narratives it threw at us justice, or built up the romance that wasn’t needed in this drama, but also why it feels like a self-insert fanfiction. But this was still something that was just pure entertainment. It was serving fun. At least in my livingroom. And sometimes that’s just enough. Sometimes that’s all you need. Something brainless and fun.