This review may contain spoilers
Watch and judge for yourself!!
I actually thought about not watching this series due to the bad reviews but I got curious as there are so many JoongDunk contents passing my social media, so I did! And honestly? The bad reviews are just too harsh, and here is why.1. People should stop expecting BLs to have super mega complicated plots, some of them are just classic fluff, and that is okay too.
I think Star in My Mind is that easy to eat cookie BL that you can snack lightly. It didn't have a plot that is too intense, a bit patchy but still enjoyable. Totally recommended if you're searching for BLs with simple stories. Also, for a cutesy feel-good classic fluff BL, this is good. Better than few that I know (Fish in the Sky, for example, cough). The characters are pretty basic, but Kluen is just a dumbass, not an asshole (except for that one time when he kiss Nuea in his sleep), and Nuea is not as self-centered as people mentioned. They are freshmen, for god's sake, their love story started when they are just high schoolers. It was a puppy love, it IS still on its puppy love stage tbh. Hence why they need to work on their communications. Freshmen men that they're only 18-19 y.o, and what do you even know about love at that age? Not to mention that Kluen is so bad at expressing his feelings to the point that his mom knows, which means that it's not something you can just work on overnight. And (SPOILERS) they've been in love for years, secretly, never had the chance to sit and talk it out, now that they meet each other again it's understandable that misunderstandings happen. Nuea did been trying to forget about Kluen for a year, so it is highly understandable that the unnecessary push and pull puts him to stress. Not to mention that all he did all this time was just admire Kluen from afar without making any move so imagine the hope and regret and longing that he went through. Just imagine your long-time crush is finally within your reach, one day it seems like you had a chance but the other day he wants you to move on? Ugh, imagine the stress. I think that is why his reaction towards Gia's sudden call is really bad it makes him look like an asshole. But hey, Nuea didn't know the real situation of Gia and Kluen's relationship, and here he is vulnerable. His over-reaction is just him breaking down, desperate, we are talking about years of longing here, so yeah, he had the right to be heartbroken. Though I think it could be better if the story could highlight more about Nuea's character's good qualities. Like why did so many people like him? Because he's smart and kind and hot right? Only mentioning the fact that he studied in German didn't do him justice tbh, there should be scenes that emphasize that for him. If he had three people seriously chasing after him, the story should've elaborated more on the reason why he is so likable.
2. Contrary to other negative reviews, the side characters actually have some presence.
I have watched BLs that have side characters that didn't have any presence as if they're made to just fill in the dialogues so it's not just between the MCs. But Star in My Mind actually put some screen time to the side characters. I especially like the female characters! Often times the 'girl friend' characters in BL are often portrayed as the ones who ruined the MCs relationship and just overall a pick me girl. But here Paphang and Gia are actually decent. Gia, especially, is way more chill than I thought she would be. I also love how there is a scene where Gia and Nuea had a proper talk. Same with Phoon! Although it annoys me that this boy is pushing too hard to make Nuea notice him, I still salute him for being mature and accepting his defeat. Sean is like Fong from 2gether the series, he is that one sane friend that slaps some sense to his friends. There are BLs who had 'close friends' group as the support role for the MC but never did anything to actually 'support' the MC, here Sean steps in when needed, intervenes when needed, and I think it's great! Everyone need a friend like Sean. While at first I sees Fah as that cheesy very kind brother, he is actually a good brother figure for Nuea and he did give Nuea solid advice. They have great chemistry too! And I like how they meet and talk often, it really puts how close and dependent Nuea to Fah is into perspective.
3. The chemistry between the MCs?
I actually expect Joong's acting to be plainer than Dunk, because most BLs usually made the 'seme' didn't do much action, just staring with that lovestruck expression and sitting calm being all handsome. Here Joong actually served more than Dunk, his skinship is natural and his kisses! Didn't seems awkward at all. He is also better at expressing tiny details in his expression. Kluen suits him so much, so big kudos to Joong Archen for delivering Kluen so well. While for Dunk, although he did okay in most of his scenes, there are times when his expression is awkward. The only thing I'm agreeing with the negative reviews is that, yes, Dunk's crying scene is pretty awkward to watch. But hey! This is only his first series! Now that Joong and Dunk had built their chemistry off-camera, I think GMM should totally give them another series in the future that could showcase their talents and chemistry, and of course, with a better-written story too!
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It's nice watch
This is a short and easy watch. There is only one couple and basically no side character development, so if your wanting something chill and easy to watch in a day this is it. The story is not that deep but the cast is able to make up for it. There is a sexual assault storyline that goes nowhere and feels very out of place. It's dropped in the same episode it's introduced in.The couple is really cute and the acting is good most of the time. At some point, it can feel annoying but I was able to overlook it for how cute the couple is. The couple makes you feel for them when there know their love is theirs but doesn't want to act on it. Can't wait to watch Our Sky 2 with them in it.
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Simple. loses it way in the middle but finds it's way in the end.
Typical BL yes. Mediocre? probably especially when the writing was stale in the middle(eps 5-7) with all the miscommuication & misunderstandings but still pretty enjoyable imo. Honestly? I've seen way worse ones recently: Enchante, Rainbow Prince and Cutie Pie were horrible imo. Is this one of the best? No. But I still enjoyed it more than those 3. At least Star in My Mind had likable characters. And one thing I felt charming about this series is that it starts out fresh even if we've seen this story billions of times before it felt like something new. Both Dao and Kluen start this series with a lot of charm even if they are cookie cutters of other characters seen before. I was instantly drawn to them.Dunk is a newbie but for the most part he pulls off what is needed of him. Yes there's still room for improvement but I see lots of potential especially since I felt he did good for his first majjor role. He could emote which is always a plus in my book. Joong hmm he wasn't horrible or anything and I do feel like he can act it's just that in some scenes he was wooden and that didn't do his character, Kluen, much favors when it should have. But for the most part he held his own and had great chemistry with Dunk. And the chemistry is what guided the series sometimes.
As for the story it could be considered mediocre in the middle but I thought that the beginning and end were pretty good. I especially liked how once the misunderstandings and miscommunication between Dao and Kluen was handled there was no more unnecessary drama thrown at them. They were allowed to be happy and cute the last two episodes which is way more than some BL couples get.
All in all I give this a 9.0 overall despite all it's flaws it's one of my favorites this year. Sky in Your Heart is next hopefully that one doesn't have the mistakes it's predecessor did.
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A Good Series With a Good Plot
i really like this one (as you can probably already tell from my profile pic lol). idk why i love it so much but maybe because of the plot? i just love unrequited love stories and ep 6 really show how hurtful it is to love someone you have no chance with but is constantly giving you hints, making you questioning everything (idk if this makes sense english is not my first language). the amount of times you tried to get over someone and also fall for them over and over is the line that stole my heart in this show. but i do have to be honest the acting could’ve been better but it got better as the episodes progress. overall, i really enjoyed this and i hope gmmtv or any other companies would make more BLs with plots like this ☺️.oh and also, the ost which is sung by joong IS SOO GOOODDD! 😩
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Cute Love Story about Insecure Youths
I found this series very sweet and it isn't because I am in love with the actors, because I'm not. It is a story about people who are immature and inexperienced, so they do not seize their opportunities due to feeling insecure. Our main leads have flaws, just like us normies. When Daonuea what doing Kluen's assignments, that was the time for Kluen to approach, but he didn't. Many young people hold back out of fear, which is why I think that Dao is the stronger of the two.The redemption is, when Kluen got a second chance, he tried to make sure he didn't make the same mistake. Yes, Kluen messed up along the way, but he finally realized that he needs to take the risk, and be open about his feelings. It was nice to see a very attractive and charismatic persons have insecurities too. Many of us think that attractive people have it made (which they mostly do) but at least the character of Kluen has doubts just like the average Jo. I also like that Kluen didn't win everything like in other BL. He was not named the campus king (I forgot the contest name).
Second lead Typhoon was good looking, smart, empathetic and popular, but he is a symbol that even if there is a perfect person, he wasn't the perfect person for Daonuea.
I like that this this series shows that people have insecurities, flaws, make mistakes, but can still find happiness. Typhoon is a gem and will find love as well.
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Was ready to hate it, ended up loving it.
I saw the mild/bad review scores before watching, and was fully prepared to be disappointed, but I guess there are some factors that make me the ideal audience for this series:- Despite watching SO MANY series set in university and seeing similar tropes here and there, I'm not tired of them and I'm still willing to give them a chance.
- There have been a few titles in the past that I had to drop because they bored me. This one is absolutely NOT one of them. I didn't have to put any effort in finishing all the episodes either, I just played them one after another without being able to start anything else.
- The flaws of the characters didn't make them insufferable for me. I ended up finding them endearing and more real instead.
- I happen to like stories that have more fluff going on. No unnecessary tragedy in the family, no random violence, no silly attempts at sounding edgy or adult just to make a love story more interesting.
- I don't care about actors stripping and grinding on each other as they make out to make their love more believable. (Hint: if you think that passionate kisses on camera are called "chemistry", then you don't know what chemistry means in the first place. Also, if the characters need to kiss to make you understand that they're in love, then it's a very badly written story.)
- The secondary characters weren't fleshed out as much as the ones in other series (there wasn't time for any subplot, so putting more work in personalities without exploring them would have been pointless I think), but they did their job just fine and I never felt like they were filling gaps or anything like that.
- As much as the misunderstandings and the lack of communication were annoying, they somehow got me even more invested in the series, and the ending turned out to feel even more rewarding than I was expecting it to be.
This series is now among my favorite BLs. It feels sweet and comforting in a special way, and now it has a special place in my heart. I really hope I'll get to see Dunk and Joong in other projects in the future.
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I don't care, even though lots of people say that this series isn't good because of the story plot, the characteristic/action of the character or anything else that is a negative opinion about the series because this series is actually the series that I'm the most falling in love to. Yeah I know, this series isn't the best series with the story plot but I was just fallen in love with the cast. Especially Dunk playing as Daoneua, he was the cutest person I've ever seen. Even though the story plot might not be that good, I know that it's quite boring and annoying because many people like Daoneau and sure Daoneau wouldn't like any of them other than Kluen, but the effort behind the scene that they have put to make this series are a lot, so I never would give any series a bad rating just because many people did so. And if you watch like any of the casts really much, that will make you overcome the boredness and continue watching till the end.If you haven't watch this series, I would recommend you to, don't just read negative comments and just decided not to watch. Try it first, if you don't really like it then just don't continue, but you might be one of the thousand people that really fall in love with the cuteness of P'Dunk and the handsomeness of P'Joong.
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kinda like the go to basic meal when you don't feel like putting a lot of effort for dinner
the funny thing about this series that I pretty much agree with a lot of the crit people have about it., because frankly, it's true.the story is thin and built on the most contrived, single brick of "JUST SAY IT"/"why can't you guys just talk???" but somehow....i liked it anyway? Maybe I shouldn't have, but I enjoyed myself a surprising amount while watching this.
Dao is a lowkey harem protag with a thin personality where you're not entirely sure why he has like 4 different people vying for his attention except that he's cute and nice, and Kluen is a man of few words who prefers actions over words. The whole series is literally just everyone trying to get Kluen to finally spit it out as he keeps unintentionally giving Dao mixed signals and confusing the heck out of him.
ngl it got a little infuriating to watch by the end, and I think the whole thing with Gia at the last minute was absolutely /Ridiculous/ on a lot of levels, (domestic abuse? really? if the show could barely linger on it for like the minute they needed to for the plot, couldn't they have chosen another emergency to excuse Kluen to running over like her house is on fire...), and i dislike how Dao suddenly seemed so touch shy when they finally got together when it doesn't? seem that's how he was from how we previously saw him but otherwise i found this cute. a little annoying and dragged out at times, but cute.
I think I probably liked this better than most because, even though the plot is built off the most ridiculous miscommunication excuse, (and who the heck even likes miscommunication plots?), but it still made sense with these characters. Dao seems like the type to confess first and in fact, he even did! But Kluen gave him a non-answer that would obviously get taken as a rejection. Obviously this would mean that it's up to Kluen to resolve/end the mutual pining between both of them, even though it seems like trying to get him to be direct and straightforward about his feelings is like pulling teeth. It's honestly stupid but...understandable. Some things are just way easier said than done.
Another thing is that I did like how the show even points out Kluen is being stupid, multiple times. Several side characters call him out about it, and Dao gets understandably mad/frustrated from his end, although I will admit that I think that was a great kiss lol. Prob the best kiss in the show ngl
I've seen a few people say that they probably should've just combined the sky and star series into one series and flip back and forth between the couples and....I agree. I minded the miscommunication/misunderstanding plot less than most people, but even I was starting to get really annoyed by the end. Maybe they should've combined both series to help cover up the thin story in both shows and make the frustration of having to watch Kluen slowly work through his emotional constipation more bearable by having another plotline.
tl;dr it's not awful. if you want a chill university setting story with no serious drama and low expectations, go ahead
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sweet & charming innocence
the story feels like a prequel to a love story but it does so in a cute and charming way. went into this not sure what to expect due to such a wildly mixed bag of opinions, but I found myself laughing a lot throughout the episodes. loved seeing winny and satang in this too, they both added so much to the already great story. in fact, the supporting cast were all amazing, this felt really well in terms of their performance together.this is lighthearted, with a great representation of fearful, timid, yet entirely sweet dancing around with the idea of confessing. thoroughly enjoyed all of this.
my only subtraction to my score is having to see joong be so serious for most of this. would’ve loved to see him act cutely more lol
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I really liked this series, it wasn't until the last two eps that I kinda got bored a little. Turns out that I need some... drama... in my drama, not just pure fluff. I prefer it when my dramas end with a bang and not a soft plop.I mean, there was a bang, literally, just not for the main couple, it was a set-up for Sky in Your Heart. Definitely an interesting set-up, that's for sure, the main couple just sort of fluffily fizzled out into cuteness, though. And I'm more of a give me angst or give me death kinda gal.
But regarding the drama itself and its characters, I ended up loving Kluen which I didn't expect at first because I thought he was leading Nuea on out of pure... whatever. But when I got to know him, how hard it was for Kluen to express himself, he become my favorite!
What I adored were the relationships the main characters had with others, mainly Nuea's relationship with his older brother Fah, it was so touching, and Kluen's friendship with Noel who truly understood Kluen and his issues and tried to help him in any way he could.
Overall, a very sweet story and I will definitely watch the follow-up!
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SPARKLING CHEMISTRY OF MAIN LEADS (w/ a speck of undetailed spoiler)
I was driving along with the straight storyline and doing alright under the clear night sky full of stars, but not until I was about to reach the climax. I was staring to these two twinkling stars. I didn't expect the road to take a left turn and I fall off the cliff. I managed to survive in the end though.These two stars named Dunk (as Nuea) and Joong (as Kluen) shined so brightly. They are one of the main leads of a BL series that has great chemistry. Dunk, who looks like your average-looking actor, caught me off-guard with his charming smiles. And together with Joong, who speaks to me with his glittery eyes, made me finish the episodes 7 and 8.
What I find messy in this entire series is the misplacement of all Kluen's flashback (except the sunflower pot). They could have done the same thing to Kluen's flashback as what they did to Nuea's flashback. I lost interest in his past while he's telling Nuea about it. Also to mention Gia's BF problem and Nuea-Typhoon's relationship, who in their right mind would choose those in the climax? I mean those topics are great but they unwisely picked the worst scenarios and scripts ever. Nonetheless, the early and mid-episodes are above decent for sure with little and ignorable issues.
It could've been a must-watched series. (sigh) Never mind, I still enjoy this series. I like Dunk-Joong as main leads.
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Second time the charm
When I first watched SIMM I didn't like it for some reason i still cannot understand. I remember watching it more for the sake of watching a bl (i was 16 at the time ikik) than for understanding the story. Or maybe its because the plot hit way too close to home for my own comfort and I didnt like how the character behaved cause of what was happening in my life at that time. Regardless of the answer I decided to give it a rewatch and a second change and to be fair, I'm glad I did so.Rewatching it make me realize that, beside definetly not being a masterpiece, it was very enjoyable and very cute. The funniest part is that the show would have ended ep.1 if just Kluen was able to express his feelings like a normal person. No like, fr. The whole thing happened because Kluen was not able to talk (he'd rather leave the room than answer a question that requires some emotional though) and Nuea that was like "yeah but I don't love him anymore" while still very much loving him. And unfortunately for me, I'm a big fan of this trope. Even tho I really think they scratched the limit a bit too much with Kluen like he was really getting annoying to watch at a certain point cause like please SPEAK pls. Really.
The story was simple. It had elements that I liked and elements that I didnt like. For example, oh god, I absolutely hate when a series reference the school being "shippers" like the whole #kluennuea or #nueaklun was geniunly painful to hear cause in no case ever anybody behaved like this omg no need really. I also highly disliked Typhoon character, like, brother, Nuea very much told you very clearly that he has a problem with rejecting people, that it pains him and he is not able and what do you do? Keep asking him out untill he gives in because that's literally his trauma. I found it so distasteful and I wanted for it to be addressed more, like, made clear that personal limits exist and Phoon was CLEARLY stepping over them.
I remember not liking the acting but I kinda need to change my mind. OK, its not exactly oscar worthy, nor a "once in a lifetime" performance, but I gotta say that both of them did their job well enough to get me into the story. Side characters as well. The story is, if you are young, pretty emotional but if you rationally think of it its nothing groundbreaking so of course they didnt exactly have that much to work on, its actually pretty simple and straightforward.
The aesthetic was absolutely non existent, not found not even searched to begin with I guess. I might be a hater on this point but damn. No color grading, some cuts between scenes I could have done better with capcut. The only scene I liked was the one at night at the beach. Still not how I would have executed it but I think the closest this show ever gets to it. Oh, and stop putting music anywhere. Sometimes is way better to just listen to the natural sounds trust me.
Rewatch value was actually very high, cause it was the rewatch that made me like this show. I feel like its one of those shows that, since its being referred to a younger audience, it really changes when you watch it and your older. Kinda nostalgic.
Ps. Joong the prettiest cryer I've ever seen
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