“Lost in Starlight” Stands Out Thanks to Kim Tae-ri and Hong Kyung’s Voice Acting
Even if the story doesn’t really push boundaries, Lost in Starlight, a Netflix original animation, is still worth checking out—mainly because of Kim Tae-ri and Hong Kyung’s voice work. Kim Tae-ri, especially, nails the emotional layers of her character.
The plot’s pretty stable and doesn’t stray from what you’d expect, which might leave you wanting more. Because of that, I found myself tuning in more to their voices than the actual story. Luckily, their breathing, tone, and delivery are all so carefully crafted that you get totally drawn into the emotional flow of the characters.
Nan-young (voiced by Kim Tae-ri) wants to be an astronaut like her mom, who died during a Mars mission. While she’s fighting with NASA over her qualifications, her dad still believes her mom’s alive on Mars and keeps sending daily signals.
The animation is filled with soft songs and music from Kim Tae-ri and Hong Kyung, which was a nice surprise. The soundtrack slowly grows into a big part of what drives the emotion in the film. And honestly, the color design is more vibrant than you’d expect.
Back in Seoul, drained and disheartened, Nan-young meets Jay (Hong Kyung), a former musician who quit after something tragic happened. Now he’s doing odd jobs around Sewoon Sangga. The two start to heal together, and their slow-burn romance has this quiet, warm vibe.
“Lost in Starlight” dropped on Netflix on the 30th, and while the vision of Seoul in 2050 looks okay, it doesn’t really spark much imagination—kind of like the story itself. Despite the emotional tone and solid voice acting, the overall narrative still feels a bit hollow.
But that said, Kim Tae-ri and Hong Kyung really mesh well with their roles, and they carry the animation with ease. The voices, visuals, and music work together beautifully—even if the plot doesn’t do anything groundbreaking.
