Star and Sky: Star in My Mind

GMMTV & Director New collaboration

Star in My Mind is a collaboration between GMMTV, one of Thailand’s biggest entertainment powerhouses, and Director New, who’s practically a legendary figure in the BL universe thanks to his work on Love By Chance and Until We Meet Again. Naturally, this combo had me counting down the days to its release like it was the BL version of a lunar eclipse.

So, is it any good?
Well… yes and no.

Let’s be honest, anyone familiar with GMMTV knows what they’re capable of. And Star in My Mind? It’s not bad, but it’s also not great. It’s definitely not GMMTV’s crowning achievement. The problem is that the plot is so simple and straightforward that pairing it with Director New’s understated, elegant style was a bit like serving plain toast with a side of plain toast. His strength lies in taking heavy, emotional stories and making them feel simple, but when you give him a story that’s already as uncomplicated as tying your shoes, it just ends up feeling… a bit flat.

In fact, Star in My Mind is the kind of show that’s built for binge-watching on a lazy Sunday afternoon. The plot is so simple that even those 8 episodes felt like they were stretching it out a bit. I can't help but think that in six months, most viewers will struggle to remember much about it—other than, perhaps, "Oh yeah, that was a thing." Which is a shame, really, because the main actors show real potential. With the right project, they could have made a big splash. Here? They barely cause a ripple.

I had a tough time rating this drama because, well, while there’s nothing particularly wrong with it, there’s also not much to rave about. It’s like a lukewarm cup of tea—not bad, but not exactly something you’re excited about either. If you break it down—acting, plot, script, directing—it’s all above average compared to many BL dramas out there. But when you put it together, it somehow just feels… mediocre. Even the screenwriting, which is stronger than some of GMMTV’s recent offerings, couldn’t elevate the whole package.

Now, if you’re a fan of simple, wholesome love stories with no big drama, no major problems, and certainly no twisty plot turns, this might just be for you. I imagine a younger audience or people who are new to the BL genre might really enjoy it for its easy-going charm. It’s like the BL equivalent of comfort food.

In conclusion, Star in My Mind is the kind of drama where everything is technically good, but somehow it all comes together in a way that’s distinctly "meh." The script and directing felt mismatched—perhaps a more energetic, "showy" approach could have spiced things up and made it more memorable. As it stands, I have a strong suspicion that in half a year, I’ll be struggling to recall anything beyond a few key plot points and the fact that, yes, this drama existed.

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A bright shining star that slowly loses its spark

They almost got me. I was so indulgent during the first few EPs and feel like this drama will climb itself to the top of my fave BL shows but lacks the consistency of offering the same kind of excitement.

The flow of the story is enjoyable; lesser cringes and cliche scenarios, no overdramatic plots, loveable characters, and something that can make me attached to the romance. It’s a glorious show since it can make me thirsty for the next EP.

GMMTV’s actor squad in a BL that can pull the show. It’s nice to witness a good-looking cast that can live up to their title as actors. Joong and Drunk are worthy to be the main character for their exceptional on-screen chemistry. The thing I adore the most is their exquisite facial expressions that definitely carried out their roles as Khluen and Daonuea. Two thumbs up for the creative names from them; Dao means Stars and Khluen means Waves.

Maithee and Sean are wholesome. Their flirty moments are always a minute of giggles. The comedic personality of these two surely makes me laugh a lot. The mesmerizing sensor of Sean that always detects Khluen’s affection for Dao, and Maithee’s cute and frisky personality that liven up the mood. Had a great time watching them as an extra-fine addition to the drama.

Phoon, the character who fell to the badly-written ending. Ever since his first appearance on the show, this boy caught my attention for his handsomeness. It’s clear that his role is going to be the usual male second lead that lifted up the drowsing courage of the main couple to admit their love for each other by him being the source of jealousy. Phoon’s direct personality is admirable. He can verbally confess his feelings without hinting any sense of disruption. However, the turn of events in his story is unacceptable. The show ruins his character; a side role that needs to do something awful just to justify the romantic development of the main couple. I hate this kind of twist.

Phaphaeng, the girl who also fell for Daonuea, is such a cutie too. I sincerely felt sorry for her after the rejection she endured from being in unrequited love. This has a different vibe compared to some girl roles in a Thai BL that mostly played as the wall to the love story of the main character. It's a real sadness to experience the deep pain of the heart from one-sided love.

So where did the drama go wrong? Personally, I feel extreme boredness the moment that Khluen and Dao finally reopen their feelings for each other. The enjoyment and thrill aren’t the same in contrast to them being all fluffy and jolly in the past. The scenes after the confession didn’t generate an impact on me. Khluen’s constantly stealing kisses from Daonuea aren’t romantic. I always feel uncomfortable when Khluen shows a fondness for Dao without making a clear conclusion about his relationship with Gia, in which people around them thought that they were dating.

Another drama that has an outstanding start but failed to be consistent. The ending is simply an average ending to me, contrary to my expectations. Despite this, it was still better than the usual university love story that I’ve seen from most BLs. Lastly, Joong singing the OST of the drama is ethereal. His voice is like a flowing river of mixed sweetness and sexiness.

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I tried to find points to like, but sorry this series sucks

- The story: I had high hopes for some first episodes, it was pretty good, but then from episode 5, everything seemed to fall down. What a messy story! Even the drama/series from 10 years ago still does better job.
- The actors: They did their work really well, the visuals, the acting is good, but with a bad scripts, I couldn't feel it.
- The music: The music is so good, I love both of the two theme songs, they're on my spotify now, I give 10/10 for the music.
Overall, the only thing I love about this series is the music and the actors, the story is so bad. I won't rewatch it.

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One of a number of mediocre Thai BLs this year

2022 looks to be the Year of Mediocre Thai BLs. That said, Star and Sky: Star In My Mind fits right in. Here are my pros and cons:

PROS

CUTE BOYS. That's all.

SHORT. Thank goodness, they got everything done in 8 episodes. Although it could have been done within a 90-minute movie.

MAITEE. I liked him. And I would date him.

CONS

DUNK. What was the casting director thinking? They give Dunk a character who cries in just about every episode, and he can't act. (It's been awhile since I've seen an actor that stiff.) He never shed any real tears, he just got a silly, pained expression on his face that looked more like he was having problems passing a bowel movement.

BOOOOORING. Even watching this at 2x speed, it managed to drag on incessantly, and there wasn't much of a cohesive story.

LACK OF CHEMISTRY. There was no chemistry between the main leads, and that kiss in the last episode was about as dead fish as a kiss can be.

But not the worst thing I've seen. 4.5 from me.

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Repetitive & Stretched Story

The story is good but something that we have seen over and over again in so many series
Even as a sub-story and not the whole series based on it, why it needed 8 episodes to cover this is a good question from my side.
Many scenes are illogical and too dramatic.
This should have been a mini-series instead, anyone can say that the series was just stretched.

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What the fuck was that

No like really what the fuck was that ending. Episode 8 was really dragging and the ending was like how did you leave us on a cliffhanger. I was really enjoying the series and i thought it was really cute. However the story was really well written in the beginning but towards the end your like what was all of that for. It was quite dry. I just felt like they could've done more. I just can't believe how bad that last episode was. Oh all is forgiven because we loved each other the whole time and now we are a perfect couple. Its just kinda dry and overplayed at the same time. I want them to be happy but weres the emotion and happiness. To be honest it just felt like it was missing something. Maybe its because there is no real rival.

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Lumayan bagsus, tapi ; agak menyebalkan sih ...

Series ini menurutku punya cerita yang "agak menyebalkan". Bentuk alur dan konsep ceritanya memang lumayan bagus, namun secara pribadi saya kurang begitu suka. Menceritakan Daonuea yang menyukai kk kelasnya Khabkluen, mereka berdua bahkan berpisah sebelum salah satunya mengucapkan perasaan cinta. Hingga akhirnya mereka berdua bertemu kembali di universitas yang sama. Bagaimana kisah mereka akhirnya? saksikan seriesnya. Hal-hal yang saya benci adalah bentuk dari karakter Khabkluen yang terlalu percaya diri, tarik-ulur dan memperlakukan cinta sebagai sesuatu hal yang "gampangan", series ini menggambarkan bahwa segala sesuatunya mungkin akan berjalan dengan baik di dalam pemikiran khabkluen, ini membuat Daonuea menjadi kebingungan, tersakiti dan punya posisi yang paling tidak menyenangkan. Bahkan ada beberapa karakter pendukung yang menurutku lebih cocok untuk Dao, sebagai contoh Typhoon. Namun series ini memberikan gambaran yang buruk (dalam artian, sad scene) untuk karakter Typhoon, tidak hanya di series ini, bahkan pada versi ourskyy 2-nya. Typhoon yang berperan sangat bagus di sini dan punya hal positif untuk Dao tetapi akhirnya mempunyai takdir yang tidak menyenangkan, sedangkan Kabkluen yang terlalu banyak menarik-ulur Daoneua malah memiliki bentuk takdir yang indah. Ini terasa tidak adil, hal ini mungkin tidak masalah jika Typhoon mempunyai bentuk cerita yang bagus di ending, namun sayang - series tidak memberikan itu.

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When you order a #PinkMilk, but get #GuavaJuice instead

STORY : 7/10

It's your typical thai college BL premise. Boy has a crush on another boy (often from his past). Boy 1 doesn't think his feelings are reciprocated (spoiler alert: they are). Boy 2 is unclear about his feelings, which creates drama (often a female rival is introduced). All communication issues will be cleared and we'll be treated to happy ending, hopefully. If you've watched 5+ thai BLs already, you'll think you've seen this film before. Mutliple times.

Personally, I still enjoy this kind of plot. So instead of judging its uniqueness, I'll judge the execution of it. And Star in My Mind doesn't fare that well. Let's break it into parts. I will try to avoid spoilers as much as I can, but if you wish to skip it, head straight for the "acting/cast" part. To give you my overall feelings - start was great, upper middle quite bad, ending couldn't save it. Miscommunication seems to be the main conflict for major part of the show.

Episode 1-3 : 8.5/10

I adored this BL when it started!! Was there anything new? God, no! But it was really cute, really funny, dare I say well-written? The characterization was also good and consistent. We've got a bit of mystery and angst, too, on top of all the cliches. It was paced a bit faster than I expected, but not too fast. Nor too boring. If you're gonna watch this drama, stay for at least those 3 parts!!!

Episode 4-5 : 6.5/10

This is where it started to go wrong. For one thing, they rushed through the part I looked forward to the most!! Then introduced a non-fluffy filler. A lot of angst. Unnecessary conflicts-to-be. Characters were still consistent imo, but the acting is showing its limits.

Episodes 6-7 : 5/10

All the good things go to hell. Consistency? We don't know her. Rational thoughts? Never had those. A lot of stuff is reaching its climax and resolution without believable progress, pushed mostly by side characters and not-so-shocking rushed revelations (which felt made up just to patch some plot holes). The lowest point of this series. I hated it. Actors are trying, but they can't do much with this mess.

Episode 8 : 7 / 10

Mostly fluff and introduction to Sky in Your Heart. Perfectly skippable in my opinion. Since nothing important is happenning, it dawned on me that their acting actually hasn't been that great (the whole time, I presume), especially from one of the MLs.

POTENTIAL TRIGGERS (with minor spoilers included) :

Domestic violence - mentioned, aftermath shown in one scene. Not much has been done about it and it wasn't very graphic, but could be triggering if it's personal for you.

Consent in relation to kissing - It's flat out not there, vast majority of time. Even before establishing to each other that their feelings are mutual. Sometimes it's forceful, but mainly not. It might be uncomfortable and disturbing, but not exactly emotionally triggering in my opinion.

Emotional manipulation / Hiding one's true feelings - One character doesn't talk about themselves, at all. Other one is so emotional, they not only let other people push them around, but they also do things without thinking it through, hurting others in the process (whether intentionally or not could be debated).




ACTING/CAST : 6.5/10

I'll talk only about the mains, since side characters were your middle-of-the-road, good enough actors in this show.

Main leads look perfectly fine for their roles, as always in BL series. They are cute/hot just in the way they need to be. Their acting skills, on the other hand...

Dunk (playing Daonuea) is the newbie lead this time. At start, I considered him adequate for the role. But with added depth, cracks started to appear. If nothing else, he should really work on his facial expressions during emotional outbursts. Often I cringed so hard, it took me right out of the scene.

Joong's character (KhabKhluen) is controversial enough to claim Joong acted badly. Khluen is very stoic for the most part. Very blank. Doesn't require much acting. So when he shows more emotion, it may look out of character and wrong. I was satisfied with him, though.




MUSIC: 7.5/10

The song(s) they use are nice. A tad forgettable, but sweet. There isn't much of them, though, which hurts the overall variety of soundtack.




REWATCH VALUE : 7/10

Liked it once? You'll like it a second time. And third. It's the kind of basic story you can just play in background or when you don't want to be challenged. Problem is to fall in like with it in the first place. The plot isn't strong enough to encourage rewatching, but it's also not bad enough to prevent you from doing it.




OVERALL: 7.5/10

This is what you'll get when you purchase 2moons from wish.com . A faulty replica. Usable, but very disappointing. If they just took the content of first 5 episodes, edited it and added more context with filler, this could have been exactly what I wanted from SIMM. I'm giving it a bonus .5 points just for my love of cliché college gay love stories. But in the end, I wish I had gone somewhere else.

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Star in my Mess

I thought I had a lot to say about this show but I didn´t, it was too short for me to scatter in my brain for every single detail. This show started out well enough, but the star did not make it to its first year of being alive, honestly, this was a black hole. The fact that I was excited for this show, so much. I am disappointed at many things, the direction it took was way off of what I was expecting, and honestly, I just feel like GMMTV is remaking its past shows. I think they did try, but failed miserably. Star in my mind is for sure part of my "worst bls of 2022". GMMTV you better watch out because you have been doing 1 good and 20 bad shows lately so... YIKES.
For the complete review, with details, visit my blog! link in my profile! and here:
https://souvenirmyshyyange.wixsite.com/website/post/star-and-sky-star-in-my-mess

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Confusion In My Mind

I don't have high standards when it comes to bl series really, I mostly watch them to relax and when I saw that Joong is in this (whom I have loved since 2moons2) I thought "Well, whatever if it's not good, I am gonna watch it!"
Did I regret it? No. It was cute. Worth noting that I stayed up all night to watch this so maybe my half-asleep brain wasn't in a very critical mode either, but I found myself smiling at some of the cute scenes and I was invested in the plot, I at least didn't find it as boring as some of the other recent bls.

Or maybe I liked it because it has a nostalgic feel to it. I might've only made this association because of Joong, but it reminded me of 2moons2.
It wasn't a very original plot but that's not a problem for me usually. However. Oh, however.

The bl industry is changing. Series are getting a bit more socially-aware, better at lgbt representation and discussing how should a HEALTHY relationship look like.
This series... doesn't even try. And that wouldn't be a problem, but when we now have series like e.g. Bad Buddy, getting into watching something like this leaves you feeling like something is missing, or maybe it's not even that. It's just bad writing.

The characters were fine. Just fine.
Khluen was the most interesting, he was this typical cold guy but I still found his logic interesting and I kinda get why he did what he did. There were points when he annoyed me too because some of his actions were either dumb or uncharacteristical of him though. for example, and this made me really pissed:
Everyone thought that he and Gia were dating and he didn't tell Nuea that they aren't? Why?
Why, my boy, are you making your life more complicated than it needs to be?
"It doesn't matter what people think", he said, but this doesn't make any sense. People? Sure. Don't care about them. But Nuea? Who is your actual love interest? You're literally making yourself unavailable when you aren't.

Nuea was just boring. Like I legit can't say one more thing about him except his crush on Khluen. And yet eeeeveryone suddenly wanted to date him. Why? He had the vibe of those zero personality y/n self-inserts. (can I blame them though? Who wouldn't want to self-insert into dating Joong? haha, ok, i'm joking, please give your protagonists some real characteristics)

Not much about the others. Fah was nice, I love him.
Phoon was just annoying at some point. Poor man got second lead-ed so hard, he was just there to make Khluen jealous. I mean, at some point he says that he LOVES Nuea. LOVES him. The man whom he knew for what? Weeks? And spent actual one on one time with him like twice, and Nuea was having none of it? lol.
And then he didn't even show much emotion when Nuea chose Khluen. I guess he looked a bit disappointed. If I squint my eyes really hard, yeah, I can see a bit of sadness there, I guess.

Not much about the plot either. It was fine, I actually loved the scenes where it was only Khluen and Nuea, and them with Khluen's mom was adorable. The last few episodes, however, were a mess.
First of all, the scene at Khluen's apartment. He FINALLY explained to Nuea that he wasn't dating Gia. Yes! So that plot point is over, right? ....right?
No. Because Nuea still gets jealous and asks Khluen to CHOOSE between them. That was horribly childish. Oh, but then Khluen gets a phone call and leaves without explanation. I mean, I get that it was an emergency, but he could've literally told this to Nuea too: that Gia was in an emergency. Like a serious one. A mature person would've understood it. But then again, was Nuea mature?

THAT FREAKING PHONE in general, by the way. Every time the directors didn't know how to continue a scene where there was tension, his phone rang. Once it's ok. Twice it's... fine. But all the time? It's just annoying and lazy.
Oh, yeah, and there is a noncon kiss in it that absolutely had no relevance to the plot, was just awkward and cringe, and not something that most bl fans enjoy being romanticized anymore...

Overall it was still enjoyable. Wacky, frustrating, cringe, but I had a surprisingly good time watching it. Joong's little warm smiles made me melt. The acting wasn't bad really, they did what they could as mostly rookies and with a bad script so I guess that's one thing not to dislike.
There is still one episode left but I don't think it could change anything.

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I FELL IN LOVE

I absolutely love this show. From the very beginning I fell in love with the story, the leads, the chemistry that they share. OMG it makes my heart flutters with every single episode. The comedy of this show is so cute. I love it so much and rooting for Kluen & Dao. I have never re watched a episodes so fresh out as I have with this one. GMMTV you are doing a great job with this one. I can't wait for next week episode. Until then I will be re-watching the episodes until the next one is out. I will come back to update my final review of this show once it has reached it's completion.

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