Warm
A very heart-warming story, with lots of side characters that ended up really growing on me. The story is deeper and more concrete than a lot of Thai BLs I've watched, and that made me really connect to the characters a lot more. There's romance here, but also a very warm feeling of found family and friendship.There ARE a few things that were a little frustrating, particularly in the last few episodes, where the drama goes for conflict instead of communication. It meant the ending and final episode is a little rushed, but ultimately I'm satisfied with the character arcs.
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I don’t get the rave reviews
Saying that watching this series was such a massive waste of time is such an understatement. If you are considering watching the series and you read this comment I seriously implore you to NOT WATCH this. This is officially the worst bl series I have ever watched. And I have watched a lot. If you are looking for a romantic series that the relationship progresses this is definitely not it. But if you are looking for a series that they stare at each other stupidly like that’s supposed to be hot. It was cute and all the first few episodes but it just became stupid and silly with no progression. Then also one of the main lead tian cries every episode sometimes for silly reasons, if you still want to proceed and watch then by all means go ahead, have at it.The character Tian had one resting crying face throughout the series and the other one Phu had one smirk/smug resting face too. You are mad at your parents for saving your life and telling you what to do but you are so in love with Phu who also tells you what to do.
Yeah right.
To say I’m so mad that I watched this series in its entirety is once again an understatement.
I fast forwarded 75% of the time from episode 7. That’s how I managed to get through this.
I highly DO NOT RECOMMEND
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This review may contain spoilers
Interesting premise, bad execution.
I honestly do not understand all of the 10 star reviews this show got! I mean sure, it was pretty good, but the plot line and characters fell flat and undeveloped.It felt like the "rich vs poor" trope was used in a shallow, plot-convenient way. Like why do we never actually get into the
awfulness of Torfun's death? We just glossed over the fact that the dad bought his kid's way to the top of the heart transplant list? There was a truly half-hearted effort on Tian's part of trying to get justice for Torfun. At no point in the plot does Tian even consider trying to change how rich people can pay their way to just about anything in Thailand. He never even contacts the friend that killed Torfun with his car. It was mentioned like once that his parents paid his friend out of jail. He makes no real effort to even face the injustice head-on. He barely acknowledges these facts and yet we are supposed to support the "redemption arc" of this guy? He (sort of) kills this woman, steals her literal heart, steals her job, steals her home, steals her journal, and most of all steals her (sort of) boyfriend?? How is this justice? At what point does he redeem himself? Sure, I liked Tian's character, he was likable, but he did not even attempt any sort of real justice. I believed his heart was in the right place, but that just isn't enough for a redemption.
So, we established this show isn't here to get justice. Sure, whatever, not everything has to be so deep and hard-hitting. So how was the romance? nonexistent. It was barely a bromance until like the last 20 minutes of the last episode. I didn't get any sort of attraction between the to main characters! Honestly, I really thought that Phupha was straight for the entire series. I'm still not convinced he even likes boys. I at least thought that Tian's character was pretty good and multidimensional enough, but Phupha was maybe the FLATTEST and least interesting main character I have ever seen! We learn almost nothing of his backstory, nothing about his feelings, nothing about his supposed grief for Torfun. He felt like a completely fictional character. He embodied all of the stereotypical stoic big man ideals so perfectly that they actually forgot to give him a personality! While I didn't find Earth's acting to be particularly bad, he never really delivered the idea that his character actually liked Tian for the entirety of the show. No chemistry whatsoever. I think Earth did what he could, but bad writing just can't be overcome.
They also made the choice to set this in some sort of fantasy world that never mentions the word "gay" or coming out or experiencing homophobia. This in itself isn't always bad, but this is really not the story where this works. It was trying to be hard-hitting and meaningful, yet fantastical and idealistic. They invented this fantasy world that takes place in an impoverished village in northern Thailand? The whole show is about struggling yet they don't want to talk about the struggles that gay people face.
Final thoughts: All of the suffering that the villagers go through is easily solved to further the plot and romance. Even still, the plot and romance managed to be bad. The acting wasn't horrible, the kids were actually really good. There was also wayyy too much product placement. There weren't any clear subplots or side romances. I don't recommend this show to anyone.
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Just Once and Never Again
The ONLY thing I loved about this whole drama was the OST. Other than that, it did the truly exceptional job of boring me to tears. All that hype I fell for is something I regret.The acting was average. I would even say Mix's acting was lacking. He had such a limited range of facial expressions that I couldn't even buy into whatever mood Tian was supposed to be expressing because it just didn't come through. And the pacing could give a snail a run for its money.
Anything I may have found interesting was utterly erased by the sheer boredom it put me in. I've had a lot of hype about EarthMix, but thanks to this, I can't bring myself to watch anything they're in anymore. For this, once is way more than enough.
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I loved it BUT
(Additional Spoiler review at the end but you can read this part without worries!)I know my rating seems rather "bad" compared to the other reviews but I have to explain...
First, the story was good. It's a trope most us knows about but I think they executed it perfect. Now what bothered me? Well everything started to really ANNOY me with episode 9&10. Suddenly, there was a gigantic shift with another Dramatic change of a story line to spice things up which I genuinely did not understand???
I will talk about this part later.
The casting. I liked the casting but what I did not like was how monotone our main Tian was. Most of the time when he talks it felt really emotionless. I LOVE Tian though. His character growth was even more interesting than the romance part.
Music. I honestly don't understand how people could give this 10 stars. It's not bad or something but not 10 stars.
I think like modt of these cases people tend to rate everything 10 stars after watching the last episode.
Btw, I find the ending great, because who doesn't like happy endings? It was just executed very poorly imo. But as you can see many people loved it so maybe thats just me.
If you want to watch a Drama about a boy trying to define what his purpose is in life and additionally a "teacher" x Bodyguard Trope - then this is for you.
Spoiler part:
I didn't understand the logic of Phupha in the end. He told Tian to go away because he needs to live his life, to find himself- but at the same damn time Tian says his place is there wtf??? Phupha low-key sounded like Tian's mother and I really hated his mother I swear to god.
For a character who's Goal was to find himself, to be free, they ended this Drama really weird with him not even having to decide about his life.
Also, the last scene, I still don't get what he's doing there. Did he just leave USA without telling his parents - and now thats okay or what???
Oh, and his Mother saying studying education in the USA is better- this woman has no idea why does she keep deciding for him and the Father doesn't care.
Sorry, I love this Drama but seeing people only raring overall 10 stars when there were obviously some conflicts confused the hell out of me.
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There are certain small scenes that this show just gets right without over dramatising it. When tian realises his feelings for the chief and confesses it to his close friend over a casual conversation, his nonchalant reaction to tian’s confession also shows that the programme tries to normalise love towards the same sex as a preference rather than a gender specific emotion.
The sceneries used for this drama are vivid and the scenes shot under the flickering light of a candle are beautiful. Finally found a show that ticks all the correct boxes.
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*No Chemistry (Or Kissing) Between The Main Characters!*
If you want a smart BL drama with true connection, an interesting storyline and decent acting, this is not it.I wasn't planning on writing a review, but seeing as this tv show is so popular, I must ward off all of you who look for quality content because if you watch A Tale Of A Thousand Stars, you'll get super disappointed.
This is what's wrong with it:
1. The storyline had a good premise, but bad execution. The whole story was written badly, nonsensically, with minimal effort.
2. The script was awkward, empty, shallow, and cheap. No emotional depth, no feeling, no honesty or truth. It read like fanfic written by a 15-year-old.
3. There is no chemistry between the two MCs. This is my biggest problem. The character named The Chief was A. a bad actor, and B. seemed like he wanted to get as far away from Tian as possible. There were no intimate moments, no touches that felt honest, no yearning that rang genuinely, and NOTHING between the two MCs that I could appreciate.
(4. This is subjective, but The Chief was truly dislikeable and he reminded me of my ex.)
In any case, I am baffled at the support this tv show is getting. I would not categorize it as a BL at all. And if it's not a BL, then what is it? A waste of time!
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This review may contain spoilers
I Hate Tian with My Whole Heart<3
I liked that the romance was restrained. Not overly cringy. The extremely natural and inherent chemisty between the leads really saved the show.I've witnessed many annoying BL boys but Tian takes the first place in my heart. I understand that the mc needs character development and what not but he's such a dumbass. The whole villagers NEEDING Tian's help was exhausting. They dumbed down a whole community to make Tian the hero. Like they don't a rich brat with a weak ass heart to save them from those people trying to exploit them. Just direspectful.
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The most beautiful drama I have ever seen
I never thought I will like this drama as much as I do but it is definitely worth more than 10 star. I want everyone to watch it with a fresh mind leaving the thought of BL or a romance drama behind. This drama needs to be absorbed for the storyline of the growth of a person, the scenic beauty of Thailand and the efforts put by the cast and crew.The storyline is simple. Very simple. Sometimes we need simple. It is about the remote village on the hills and the story about the people there and how one life far away from them ended up entangling himself in the life of the village. It tells the story of fate and the old tale of 100 stars. We get to see characters as real as it can get and a slice of there simple life. As I said, sometimes all we need is simple stories.
The cast really did amazing playing their roles. All the characters are so realistic and human and Sir Aof and the crew found perfect people for them. Earth and Mix really became Phupha and Tian. Aye as Torfun, and the rest of the casts fitted perfectly. Their acting was phenomenal because it is hard to act simple, act realistic and embrace a character to it's core.
The cinematography is impeccable. Anyone who loves mountain and nature, this drama is for them. They managed to capture the true essence of a remote village up in the hills with the non-exaggerated direction and clean cinematography. The cinematography and camera work made it feel like I was watching everything with my own eyes.
Lastly judos to P' Aof, EarthMix, Aye and the rest of the cast and crew for putting so much effort into creating this masterpiece. This is the result of weeks of hard work. From building the houses to eating under flashlights, bringing power from down hill, hats off to the team.
This drama has just became a place of comfort and emotion for me.
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Overall perfect
First, I want to thank all the crew and actors who took part in the production of this series, you are all really great. I really like the way they shoot and the atmosphere they present in this series.Second, I'm sorry for Torfun's passing, but also grateful because she has given Tian a new life.
Third, I was really impressed with the acting skills that Earth and Mix had when playing the characters Phupha and Tian. The two of them are very compatible, a teacher and a chief.
Lastly, I really like how P'Aof chose the village as their filming location, it's really a very beautiful and peaceful place, I really want to go there someday. Then, I like their official soundtrack with a flute as a heartwarmer when listening to it.
I like it all, love the whole thing. They are all perfect, I never get bored of watching this series over and over again.
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This review may contain spoilers
beautiful, minus a few things, a few episodes perhaps
the fact that i loved phupha absolutely incredibly so much and then he didn't apologize to tian.. it really hurt. and the fact that i still love him way too much that i can't get over the disappointment of that one part of the plot.... it felt so unlike how phupha would handle such a situation... that i think it's the writer's mistake, as if the writer didn't understand their own character. or that it was such an unnecessary trouble in the story that i find very difficult to make sense of. i was in such a bad mood after the diary confronting scene that i didn't enjoy anything since then so i stopped watching after episode 9 and took a break. (what was all that misunderstandings, followed by even more misunderstandings as if they didn't know each other the least bit. both of them seemed so out of character & out of chemistry all of a sudden. also, what if it really was tian who, accidentally, hit torfun? just cause it wasn't tian behind the wheels changed so much for him?? why, how? i couldn't quite relate to this sentiment :c)the ending was really beautiful tho. made me feel love for it again. so.. i don't know, maybe i should rewatch it from the start to accept it. :(
beautiful drama btw.
earth's acting was beyond expectation, so very good portrayal of his character. to the point that i loved every time he appeared on screen. i'd like to watch him again in some other work though i think it'll depend more on the character whether i'll like him there or not.
also, incredible how he could show affection so beautifully, just by looking at a person.
the storyline is nice and fresh for the most part.
khama & longtae are the mvps. <3
overall, refreshing, but also, unexpectedly overdramatic at times.
(might change my rating after i get over the disappointments)
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