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Star In My Mind, one of the best soft mellow BL story with touching symbolism :)
I think this is one of the best soft mellow BL story I watched. For those who wanted a soft BL storyline, this series is for you. It is indeed a story of hope and inspiration for love, just as the theme song sung by Louis Thanawin. When Dao stopped loving Kluen because he was gently rejected when they were in high school, which is typical and normal in high school life. Kluen was a cold-hearted guy unable to express freely his emotions, but until the end, the North Star shined and guided them which gave inspiration and hope to both Dao and Kluen. Dao believed in the North Star guidance as a shine of inspiration and hope while Kluen had a change of heart and started loving Dao. What I liked in the story, is when Kluen took care of the sunflower in which Dao gave to Kluen and watered it when he was sick, that is when, Kluen started to open his heart to Dao. Sunflowers symbolize unwavering faith, admiration and unconditional love. Unwavering faith, admiration and unconditional love is always coupled with hope and inspiration, Kluen opened his heart and continued loving Dao just like a blooming sunflower no matter how many times Dao wanted to move on from his past but the North Star shined within Dao's mind and relive the hope of his first love and guided Kluen to open up with his feelings. The story used the North Star and the sunflower which both symbolizes a beacon of inspiration and hope in which this series depicted. It is difficult to include symbolism in a storyline since the flow of story should coincide with the symbolism they used. Dao believed in the North Star while Kluen believed in the sunflower's bloom.For those who said that the series was a waste, storyline was boring, worst and trash BL. I respect their opinion, but for me, I liked the storyline so much, the actors' depiction of the story and the most striking are the symbolism they used.
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I thought it'll be better but it's still good :>
As the heaadline says. I thought it'll be better based on the high ranking it had at the beggining. To be honest it's like almost every other thai BL. There's this story about a boy who fell in love but then for whatever reason had to leave and "forget" but then he met the guy who he was in love with again and the guy fell in love too. I think I've already seen that somewhere lolBut it was actually not so bad and my ranking is pretty high.
The acting was really good! All the actors did great job. I don't pay much attention to music in BLs but it wasn't bothering so I guess it's good. I'd rewatch it if I was bored but it definitelly wouldn't be my first or second choice.
Overall the series is pretty cute and good to watch because it wasn't toxic or whatever. No one annoying or something like that. Tbh I don't really like these cute BLs and I am always cringing way to much and it wasn't much different with this series but that's simply my problem and not the series' so yeah...and i wasn't cringing all the time, just at the end with all the moments, you know what I am talking about it if u already watched it lmao
Also I am really excited to get to know Fah more and to see his story :)))
Definitelly watch this BL, in my opinion it is worth it even though i expected a little bit more. Enjoy and have a good day <3
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This review may contain spoilers
Such pretty dumb boys
Lack of communication trope will kill me one of these days I swear.Acting:
It was pretty solid. I could feel the loning and the hurt and the love. Nothing overly noteworthy, but nothing bad. Solid performances all around with what they were given for a stroy/characters.
Writing:
I feel like there could have been a better way to tell this story. It felt oddly rushed at times and drawn out at others. Not my favorite way to put all of the tropes in this story together. And the ending scene was SUCH a weird thing to end on… Like I have NO IDEA why they chose to add that in.
Chemistry/Romance/Kissing:
These two beautiful men had pretty decent chemistry. Nothing crazy in this story, but there’s something there. This is an okay romance, it could have been executed better, though. The kissing was alright, though I do wish we had more of them when the characters were happy rather than when they were upset.
Music/SFX:
Pretty typical corny romance music and solid SFX.
This was a cute little watch. Nothing too heavy and full of lovely actors/actresses.
Now, for some highlight from my notes:
- They are so prettyyyyy
- So cold, this one
- Damn everybody wants a piece of that Dao
- Bro needs to learn how to express himself in words properly fr
- We could just… Say what we’re feeling for once
- We could just… Explain
- We could just… not do nothing
- I’d kick Phoon’s ass for pulling this shit fr why are we going along with everything
- Everyone is so desperate in this show relax
- Phoon is actually lowkey a bit of a dick unfortunately, Kluen is a coward and a dumbass, Dao is just a mess but keeps getting blamed for everything for some reason lmao
- Hand delivering an invitation to your wedding to your ex at their place of work alongside your fiance is CRAZY work
- Very odd ending scene there
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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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A lighthearted watch
I loved this <3 It's not in a Bad Buddy or Not Me level (not even close) but I still loved it. Like it's sweet and got me giggling and all. And I honestly loved to see Joong in a main role (I don't know if it's just me but his eyes give me all the feelings that his character was feeling). What I liked the most was the cast and the calm and non-toxic storyline. This series is something to watch when you wanna have a lighthearted and warm ride. And the friends, mwuah <33Cast/acting: Cast was amazing, acting ok
Music: It was good, but didn't really catch my attention
Rewatch value: I don't rewatch series (excpet for UWMA, DSN and WBL)
Overall it was a nice, lovely watch. Nothing special but a good way to spend your time if you don't have anything else to do. I really liked it and can't wait to see the next season <3
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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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1Daonuea? Cute, chill, awkward. Somehow have like 3 guys after him, go figure. At the same time, I hated him. He claimed to care for people and their feelings while also acting like a coward leading people for whom he obviously has no feelings. It’s not like he was truly an awful character, he had his moments and overall I enjoy his interaction, sadly only with people that had no romantic links to him.
Then we have Khabkhluen… I don’t even know where to start. His whole story? Ain’t buying it. This level of lack of communication, but also ONLY when it involves Daonuea? Ain’t buying it. The “progression” of his feelings? Ain’t buying it. He was just poorly written, that’s that. While it was fun to watch his silent moody demeanor at first, as the drama progressed I simply got tired with it, since the guy had like -10000 initiation levels. He just did not do anything.
I don’t care enough about the side characters to write about them. Some had some random not well executed last minute stories presented, but who cares? Not me.
I think my biggest issue was how they built the conflict, or rather dropped it out of nowhere. What it felt like - they obviously did not have enough plot for 8 episodes, so they had to invent some random issues that had no place to exist and be part of the show, that’s how ridiculous they were.
The acting was… mediocre? I was fine with most scenes, but the cast failed me with anything involving deeper emotions.
Overall, damn this was disappointing. It had a decent start with the first two or three episodes, and went DOWNHILL from there.
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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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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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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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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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