Truly a hidden gem
I wish there were more bl series like this one. No toxicity, no fake friends, no complicated story line, just pure love. Kluen is the coolest cutest dumbest character there is. Joong's acting was on point and he really stole the show. The overall vibe felt like a slice of life and the emotions portrayed were so realistic. The story was short which imo made it even better since the plot weren't dragging and each episode fulfilled its purpose. I actually couldn't get enough of the main couple's happy time when it ended. And not just Joong but the entire cast did so well in their roles. I mean I could tell what every single character was feeling right at first glance. And since they didn't give anything away about the side couple I'm really looking forward to watching their story in the second season. I usually don't like side couple' spinoffs cause they show so much about them in the main story that I could already guess the rest so getting only a few hints here and there this time around came as a pleasant surprise.I'm glad I was able to watch such a good show. This one will definitely be in my favorites of all time.
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Cute but that's all there is
The key to watching this drama is to not have an expectation. This is a cute (seemingly) one sided love of college students and everytime they do something stupid, I think of myself at 18 which makes it tolerable really.Most people have issues with Kluen (Joong) being the literal worse at communication but honestly I have found so many men older than him who's the same or even worse. Like his case is way more tolerable because he's inexperienced really, and this is his first time experiencing romantic love.
I also found Dao extremely endearing - he's still in his people pleaser era and is still learning how to be kind and not just "nice", which he admitted! Gotta appreciate him for self reflecting.
So I like this drama better than some of the MDL reviews here, but I just don't think the storyline is memorable in any way at all. Like the whole plot is just about a long winded high schooler/college love story which I have experienced firsthand within my friend group previously which is a bad indication cause I'm a wholly boring person.
Anyways it's still worth a watch if you don't have anything else to do. Not for the plot but more for the cast.
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I needed this
I started this series because of two (alright, three) reason: I needed something simple and I wanna watch the Our Skyy 2, plus I'm in love with JoongDunk since THK. I'm not disappointed: this is what I expected from this. Sweet, not really complicated university drama: perfect after some serious BL. I haven't finished it yet, but I'm writing this review because I've seen a lot of hate in the comments and I wanna compliment them. I can see, that this is their first drama together, but this doesn't mean, that they aren't good together.Was this review helpful to you?
2gether vibes
SSIMM was the one of the middest and fluffiest BL I ever watched. Nothing about it stood out. Yet at the same time, it was engaging enough for me to remain invested. The conflict was also minimal, which allowed me to binge it without stressing. Overall, it reminds me a lot of 2gether the series, because the main characters, Daonuea and Tine, both have like 3 people who liked them, and the other male leads, Khabkluen and Sarawant, are super cold to other people who are not their partners, and it was also just mid. After seeing some reviews and comments for this BL, my expectations were at rock bottom, so it was a nice surprise to see that it was not that bad. I watched this because I wanted to get to know JoongDunk better, and I don't regret it at all. This BL nicely set up their chemistry, and I'm very excited to see more of them in Hidden Agenda!Honorable mention to Satang in this because he looks so good in this series!
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average school series
i almost dropped this one but since this only have 8 episodes, i tried to finish it. high school love and then they meet again in college, i think teenagers love this kind of story (sorry to generalize)this was still fun to watch, i mean, this is not boring though the story is cliché. i do enjoying every episodes, watching it till the end, finish it, and that’s it, move to another series. despite the actors good at acting, also it directed well enough, i’m not sure if i will back to watch it again. the chemistry is not bad even though (as i look up on it) Dunk is a new actor, and he just met Joong around last year or 2? in GMMTV. and joong, i saw him in 2moons2 and his acting become much better now, he can lead the chemistry with his acting skill here, but for this time i will just appreciate their chemistry up until there. for everyone who wants to watch it, i can’t guarantee you will like it, but you can have a try because it’s not bad.
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Better than I thought
I wasn't interested in this series at all but I really wanted to watch "Sky in your heart" so I forced myself to watch this even though I can't stand Joong Archen... it wasn't that bad honestly, I saw some bad reviews so I was preparing myself to die of boredom but this was pretty to tolerable.I think I liked every character of this series, and that's something really unusual to happen, Dao was really funny, he made me laugh a lot.
As always, my favourite character was the Jj's one (Pokpong) he slays in every single thing he appears on, he's amazing and his characters are always so funny that they grow on you.
Joong's characters are sort of haunted with his boyfriend's big brothers isn't he? On this series it was Fah but he also had some problems with Kit's big brother in 2moons2 so thats kinda relatable, and me...as a fan of 2moons can't help but notice it.
After all this wasm't the worst thing that GMM produced but I really hope that "Sky in your heart" is way better than this.
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university set, high school crush, jock/nerd, long term pining, reunion
Adapted from a y-novel by Peachhplease, starring Joong (2 Moons 2, formerly one half of a VERY popular BL pair J9) + fresh face Dunk, and directed by New in his usual blatant and somewhat mechanical style. The very first episode I said “I think I’m confused by the directing on this show. WAIT A SEC. Is this New phoning it in? (Runs to check.) Why YES yes it is.” So yeah... called it!Back to Joon.
While it was awful nice to see this beautiful golden boy again, I think he was ill served by this role, or maybe he just doesn’t shine as brightly without Nine? Or maybe he needs a stronger directing hand than New’s? Yes I think GMMTV intends for Joong to be their next Singto but from this performance I’m not sold. I thought Dunk out acted him, making Dao a likable and complex character against which Kluen felt rather flat. Although that said at first I really didn’t like Dao.
This is (sort of) a lost love reunion arc (GMMTV bringing back the blue shorts, hello old friends) + freshy hotness contest giving it a 2 Moons vibes. It was fun to see some Wabi Sabi stable playing around at GMMTV, and while it sounds like I’m being harsh I actually did enjoy this show.
I like how honestly they treated all the faen fatals for a change. I like how directly they approached the pain of rejection contrasted to loyalty and holding out hope. I also liked that Kluen was set up to lose if he couldn’t get it together and actually communicate his feelings. It’s a good life lesson. It was frustrating how long it took though. There was a lot of me yelling at the screen: please just TALK to each other.
I don’t like shows that function on this “plot.” Miscommunication for the sake of it (or for the lack of it) is always frustrating for viewers or readers. We feel manipulated.
Also, ultimately, these two were a bit too sappy and Dao was a bit too blushing maiden for such an aggressive uke, but that’s par for the course with GMMTV and Director New. (After all, he’s rumored to be the reason Pharm is that way in UWMA, apparently he’s wasn’t written like that.)
Look, this is one of those shows that I shouldn’t really like after 400 BLs. It’s not at all unique, just some classic Thai uni folderol driven by miscommunication (or just non-communication) and yet... I COULD NOT STOP WATCHING.
Also good kiss. Honestly, 2022 is the year of the BL kiss.
It was interesting to see Thailand tackle a love triangle, but let’s be fair, it really isn’t their forte. Phoon was a plot devise to drive Kluen into confession. Thailand should leave love triangles to Korea, Korea pretty much owns it after all this time. They’ve put a lot of work into it, Thailand, ceed this one to the north, please?
All that said, in the end, the show itself worked for me, fitting solidly into GMMTV’s pantheon and it’s... how do I put this... central lane?
It feels like the Thai pulps are noodling along in in the slow lane, and the outliers like Mame’s shows and Cutie Pie and KinnPorsche are in the fast line. Sometiems we dont’ know where they are going but they are going there QUICKLY. (With shows like SCOY just drunk driving all over the darn place.) Oh I like this metaphor.
I guess what I am saying is GMMTV is like reliable soccer daddy of BL, safe, well maintained station wagon, clipping along but safely. And we all know what we are in for.
Star supplied exactly that.
It didn’t excel, like Bad Buddy, it didn’t disappoint, like My Gear and Your Gown, and it didn’t fly off the tracks like Not Me. It was exactly what I want from GMMTV.
Does that mean I am a touch disappointed?
Sure, because I had my expectations met and I kinda always want them to be exceeded, especially with us all knowing GMMTV can actually do better.
In short, everyone involved with this show seems to have mostly phoned it in, but it was a REALLY nice phone call.
That said?
MORE OF THE SAME PLEASE. I didn’t get into BL for the goddamn novelty of it.
RECOMMENDED
It’s basic BL. But honestly, don’t we all need that plain white t-shirt to wear under our engineering smock... in the end?
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This review may contain spoilers
How to be unexceptional but still get eyeballs
I must admit that I enjoyed this series more than I think I should.The characters are likable, but perhaps a tad too likable, so any tension in the story is quickly lost. The story itself is actually at least okayish. (A has liked B for a long time but thinks his love is unrequited. However, it turns out that B has been liking A for a long time too. ) Unfortunately, it often feels like there is little development (not even a clichéd break-up in the penultimate episide).
Eventually, I can't stop watching the series because the leads are a pair that I really want to see end up together happily and sweetly ever after, and this, in turn, is because both Daonuea and Khabkluen are lovely people, especially Daonuea whose feelings are transparent to the audience from the start. It's like watching a video about an adorable stray kitten finally finding its forever home: the cuteness of the cat and my desire to see it adopted and some happy moments after its adoption will make me watch the entire video, but I won't objectively say that the video is a masterpiece even if I share it eagerly with other cat lovers. I continue watching as one misunderstanding after another get in the leads' way of ending up together because they are lovable and I feel for them--this is what the series succeeds at doing, I guess.
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The story of Dao, the not so bright star
The biggest problem with Star in My Mind is the fact that it only has two real characters, and the entire plot is driven by one of them. Unlike almost every single BL in existence, this show is exclusively about Dao and Kluen, and every aspect revolves around Dao. There are no side characters, nobody has a story or plot outside of things that directly affect Dao. No character has motivations, a plot, interactions or even scenes if Dao is not a part, or is the topic. So, if you don’t like Dao, like me by the end, there’s nothing left to like. And that’s such a shame, because the friends showed enough charisma to help Star in My Mind.Dao is the worst type of protagonist, the type that’s dumb, really dumb. And he’s paired with a love interest that’s not good with expressing his feelings. That’s a great combination for disaster. Dao was unable to get any of the signs from Kluen, when they were so obvious that everyone else knew. And that’s even worse if we consider that, the biggest moments were just between them, so other people didn’t even know about. Like the birthday dinner with the mom, the talk by the poll, the “have a safe fight” line, the backstage talk during the contest… I’m not even going to mention the “fake boyfriends for 24h” ideia. It’s probably the worst plot device ever created to separate a couple in a BL, even worse than the famous “someone is traveling to another country in the last episode”, which, in this case, was how the story started.
It also really rubbed me the wrong way how Dao handled the moment when Kluen had to go off to help Gia. That was the moment when he crossed into unlikable territory for me. Kluen was clearly shaken when talking to her on the phone. So, I have zero sympathy for Dao at that moment, specially when he tried to make Kluen choose between him and Gia. By looking at his reaction, you’d think Kluen was running away with his ex and leaving Dao at the alter. They weren’t even boyfriends at that point!
Dao reminds me a bit of Kao, from Dark Blue Kiss, who also suffered from a complete inability to tell people he was not interested, and chaos followed. But Kao had a major advantage, he was part of a pair that had several sweet and romantic scenes. Dao on the other hand, spent the entire series being in love with Kluen, but suddenly decides to play it cool when he finally got Kluen to admit he’s been in love him him for years.
These two have been in love for 2/3 years. They’ve given each other all the signs that the feelings are mutual. But even after the kisses and confessions, I got zero romantic chemistry between them even in their most romantic scenes, like at the end of episode 7. Honestly, I would’ve expected Dao to love hearing Kluen call him his boyfriend, kiss him or call him Dao.
I also have a major problem with how this show decided to use Georgia being in a violent relationship as a cheap trick to cause conflict. This series doesn’t have the capacity of tackling such a delicate and serious issue.
This was Dunk’s first role, and starting as a protagonist is not easy. But, it was very clear that the emotional scenes were very weak, specially if he needed to cry. I feel like Dao should’ve been way more emotional in several moments, like the conversation at the bridge or the confession in the parking lot. There were a few tears, but I didn’t really feel it from him in those moments. In happy scenes I think the acting was better. Outside of the show, be on social media or videos, Joong and Dunk really seem to have a good chemistry, but that didn’t translate into the screen, specially in the romantic department.
Episode 8 really didn’t need to exist, since nothing really happens, and the bracelet scene could’ve been the ending of episode 7. The connection between Star and Sky could have been a short bonus video after the credits.
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Cute & Sweet
This drama was really sweet and to the point...it’s the same old story - two cute guys pinning for each other because they suck at communicating their feelings. It should be all cute fluff, pure entertainment, feel-good watch. The story of Kluen and Daonuea is a classic tale of meeting your high school crush after entering college and falling in love .
There were some really bad points to this drama, especially when dao acted a little immature over the situation with Kluen and Gia, and understanding the franticness in Kluen voice, also the whole idea of lets do one date, when you knew full well that you were not interested, and stringing them along instead of just setting the record state from the start.
Kluen was cute to watch after 2moons2, so that was pleasant enough and possibly the only reason why I carried on watching it.
Overall: It was kind of sweet and cute, and looking forward to Fah story, hopefully this one will a little better and more mature.
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Short and Sweet
RATED = 7.5 ~ 28.5/50 ~ 5.7RPG Scene // Two confused homosexual Mages separated in the crumbling castle and it's pesky moving corridors, and using their magical glowing battle axes to find each other again.
There's not a whole lot I can about this one other than I enjoyed it. It's just a short, sweet and fluffy BL about our ML Daonuea who confesses to his crush before he is to study in Germany for a year, and is awkwardly crushed. They coincidently meet up again a year later in University, where both have been selected for a 'Freshy Boy' contest. This all seemed like a beauty pageant to me honestly, where the boys have to live together in a dorm while the competition takes place. This is only half of the show while the boys grow closer, and the second half is to allow for some truths to reveal themselves.
Overall, it's nothing complicated, nothing major intense. It's just a sweet afternoon watch. Dunk and his adorable little face gracing the screen for a few hours.
Acting did feel a little 'stiff' for me. I don't know why. Maybe for the more emotional scenes, it felt a little held back? But nothing too major.
The side characters did make me laugh though. Between forcing the two leads together, being over with the drama and the two Moment Killers of the show and, damn....those....phones.... LOL
You'll either like it for what it is or just move on. I suppose I could watch it again just for the fluff.
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"Have a safe [emotional] flight"
Impression engraved in my mind of a series with a rather calm plot but in return, the script and acting concede the points to make the series a bit more exciting.Production / Music >> 8.5 >> 6.5
The light concept of this series is not only introduced to the viewer with solid storytelling, superb colouring and smooth cinematography but also with the uplifting background music, thus the series is enabling the audience to be more laid-back while watching. However, it´s not memorable.
Plot / Story >> 8.0 >> 6.0
Even though a story that has "skipped" the first encounter seems to be more of a challenge, the writer(s) introduced a rather light love story to the viewers, also not that memorable, but cute.
Acting / Cast >> 8.5 >> 7.5
Joong and Dunk convince us of Nuea´s and Khluen´s story with good acting, which is displayed through a lot of eye-work and expressions rather than through words. The supporting cast is solid but not outstanding.
There is still room for improvement but my overall impression of this series is that it is watchable.
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