Two young men with opposite personalities sparked love and growth in each other’s lives.
STORYComing from Korea, I already expected it to have a seemingly interesting and unique plot. The story beautifully portrays a growing relationship between two young men with completely different careers. Their opposite personalities added depth to their characters, and I love how they helped each other develop. I would also mention how I really liked that they added a character that depicts a “confident gay” as I may say without hesitations or whatsoever when it comes to what he truly likes (no more “I do not like men, I only like him” lines which irritate me, I guess haha). It felt like they were existing in a world where homophobia does not exist, and they just took everything casually.
The story also shows a glimpse of the entertainment/showbiz industry. The struggles of living a normal life as an actor and the realities of the controversies they get involved in. Also shows how media can be deceiving, and how it affects the lives of celebrities.
I really find the story cute and full of fluff with the continuous engagement of the couple. Their interactions made me want to fall in love again, and how they managed to make each other a better person. The pacing is beautifully done, and I love how things are not rushed nor too slow for this drama. They are taking their time and there is something within the story that makes it feel comforting.
The ending was great and sweet I really wish there was more. And what I think the edge of this drama compared to other recent Korean ones was the pacing, I do not feel that the ending was rushed. Everything was explained correctly and most of the things were settled at the end.
Their story makes me want to watch more episodes but sadly, it’s only 9 episodes that are roughly 10-15 minutes long.
ACTING
In terms of acting, I would say that they really act natural around each other. I love their chemistry and the cast did a great job portraying their own characters. It does not feel forced and awkward at all. They’ve done it well especially the main couple because every time they have cute little interactions, I would quickly smile knowing how comfortable they are with each other.
CINEMATOGRAPHY
Since this is from Korea, I do not have issues with the cinematography as it is a lot better than the ones I previously watched from Thailand. In comparison, the production value of this drama is good and met the standards of the recent Korean BL dramas I’ve seen before.
MUSIC
The music is okay for me, I wish there were more songs in the drama but the ones used really suit the atmosphere of the scene.
Overall, this drama is very good in my opinion and probably my favourite among the recent ones that Korea has produced (Color Rush, WYEL, Mr Heart, Wish You). I fell in love with the cuteness of the plot and I really wish it was longer. Nonetheless, this is good and it made it into my favourites.
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1Makes you feel more lonely than you already are - in the best way possible.
This is everything I want from a romantic comedy short story. Simple plot that is connected to all the characters, great acting, amazing chemistry, bop of a soundtrack and aesthetics shots.To My Star is proof that you do not need complex, over the top, dramatic, and ridiculous sub-plots to make a good show. It's obvious the writer and director had a clear vision of what they wanted to show, and they focused on making it as high of a quality as possible. And they succeeded! All the subplots connect and affect all the characters, so you don't feel like watching different shows depending on who is the focus of certain scenes. Things hinted at the beginning are addressed by the end, and no loose ends are left.
Characters wise - pure perfection. There was not one character that felt redundant. They all were fun, unique and felt like real people. The chemistry between the leads was amazing, but it's worth talking about the awesome synergy between the supporting cast. Not one scene felt boring, and I truly enjoyed every second of the show.
From the opening scene I knew, To My Star will be a feast for my eyes, and I was not wrong. The show was just beautiful. Lately I am tired of the "shaky camera" and cuts and changes of frames and angles every few seconds. The still shots were a blessing. I could truly appreciate the scenes and what was happening in the story when I was not being distracted by random cuts.
The soundtrack. I mean - I need to google all the songs. I never care for the OST. As long as it's not distracting, I rarely even remember or care for even one song. Here though I am truly speechless at how good it was.
With all the love I give and all the praises, why not 10? We all have our own pet peeves, sadly this one hit some of mine... One being "crying without tears" and the other: random, poorly delivered English lines (acting wise, not language wise - clarifying so no one will get pressed again). But these are minor problems that most people will not even notice.
Overall, definitely one of my favorite BLs. Definitely one of my favorite rom-coms overall. I just love the simple and chill vibe it had, the wholesome feels and the great production value taking into consideration how small of a project it was compared to mainstream dramas. The acting was just gold, the chemistry made me feel lonely and in need of a relationship, the OST made me want to dance, and the aesthetic scenes made me take too many screenshots.
Make yourself happy - watch To My Star.
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Slow, steady, but confusing
All the reviews rate this drama between 9-10 and I feel bad being the first one giving it a low rating in comparison, however it's how I honestly feel about it.The main story is nice, I really enjoyed watching how the leads became close despite of being polar opposites. But it didn't make me feel anything at all. It already happened the same to me with "Where Your Eyes Linger", and right before writing this review I realized that both dramas have the same director (since that's a common denominator, I guess the problem here is the director). I don't remember much of WYEL because it didn't leave a memorable impression, so I would have to rewatch it in order to remember why I didn't enjoy it.
In the case of "To My Star", the problem that I have is that they tried to include many sub-plots with not enough time... which ended up leaving more questions than answers.
What exactly happened to Ji Woo's family? How did he end up running a restaurant with Hyung Ki? How did they ended up being friends/drinking buddies with Yoon Seoul? Why Seo Jun hyperventilates when hearing something break? What exactly happened at the bar that night? How did Yoon Seoul obtain that video of the fight? Where did that english speaking reporter come from? What's her relationship with Hyung Ki? How did she ended up at Ji Woo and Seo Jun's home? What was the place where Ji Woo went after leaving his house? Why did the intern leave and come back? What's the awkward "I studied abroad" sub-plot about?
And I could keep going on and on. They tried to include so many things without giving a proper explanation, that they ended up messing up a drama with great potential. So as I've said, the only thing enjoyable was the main story (aka how the leads meet and fall in love). The rest... a waste of time.
The actors did a good job though. I liked the chemistry between the leads, and the rest of the cast was okay.
So if you are wondering about watching this drama or not... give it a try. My recommendation is that you must focus only on the leads' love story and ignore everything else. Just focus on how they meet and their time together, and just ignore the other stuff.
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1This drama is truly a blessing. It made me feel so happy and I haven't been really happy lately. It made me forget my irl problems for a second which is always hard. It gives you such a warm feeling, it's so beautiful. The fact that Korea managed to create such a good BL drama is awesome, I hope we can expect more good projects in the future. Well, I can't tell if they'll be better than To My Star, but even if it's half as good it'll be acceptable.
They managed to create a good, coherent storyline with well-doveloped and interesting characters and they did it within only 9 short episodes. It's honestly admirable. The writing is decent, there's actually a good plot going on and it ACTUALLY makes sense. And the directing... oh, god, the directing. It was simple yet brilliant. Every scene was amazingly shot. And the food shots... I wish we had more of them.
The chemistry between the leads was turly good, every scene with them made my heart skip a beat. The acting is unexpectedly good, if we consider the fact that the actors are young and don't have much experience. I fell in love with Son Woo Hyun and I have no regrets. His acting was so natural, I felt happy while watching him.
Overall, one of the best BLs I've seen and of course it's now one of my favourites. Would highly recommend it!
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This review may contain spoilers
for such a short drama, it didn't feel flat at all. the story is well paced and had the right amount of angst, balanced by the chemistry of two individuals with different backgrounds. sure, the tsundere and upbeat dynamic is not new. ji woo has a stoic personality but deep down, he's a caring dude. seo joon has a fun type of personality but he also won't back down when someone's being a dick. one thing i loved is how straightforward seo joon is with his feelings. he doesn't hesitate to express himself and it was refreshing to watch.
"I didn't want to get hurt again. And I didn't want you to get hurt either. But staying away doesn't prevent getting hurt either." -Ji Woo
the conflict between the main leads was understandable with how unpredictable things can go due to seo joon's fame and the homophobia they'd face. seo joon doesn't care what society thinks while ji woo is scared from his past experience.
i'm just happy that the plot didn't go for a complex route so things were resolved easily and the pace of the story didn't become overwhelming or mellow. acting wise, it was pretty good. ji woo's crying scene and the slight angst definitely made my heart yeet into two pieces. seo joon was undeniably quite a charmer and his smile is hella contagious. i must say the acting is decent and i'm impressed.
overall, this drama revolves around two individuals helping each other grow with each other's support. bonus points for the ost.
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Short and sweet.....
I liked this, it was short and sweet. Actors were very good together and played their respective roles well. Gallops along at a good pace, a few twists and turns that make the story flow well too. Their chemistry was ok but with such short episodes it was like - ok - wow - so you like him? Few things I didn’t understand but those are probably down to “lost in translation” . I was totally lost at the end as to who the girl was swearing at the end? 🤷♀️If you have an hour to spare, watch this it’s sweet. If you are after big passion and ski ship then this isn’t for you. If you like sweet to the point, easy to watch and a good ending, then you are in luck.
I wouldn’t watch it again, but I would watch the actors again in different roles. Enjoy! I did,
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This review may contain spoilers
really cute BL with amazing chemistry
There's not one Korean BL drama out there that I haven't watched, and let me say, out of all the ones that were released recently, To My Star is the best drama in terms of kissing. Hands down. I sound like such a pervert omg... deja vu to another review just like this rip... But for real though, that last kiss in TMS was superb!STORY
Is it just me? When you talk about Korean production in the film/drama industry, don't you kind of get this feeling of not getting disappointed? Like, in a way, you know that no matter what happens, you're just really going to enjoy whatever's made? Pretty sure it's not just me. Thus, I have a special place in my heart for Korean BLs, and I know none of them will completely disappoint me. Exactly what happened with TMS. There's this interesting plot of a cook and an actor somehow finding themselves living together in the same house. One's closed-off and throws out cold-city-man vibes while the other's more outgoing and cheery. Introvert vs. extrovert, basically. There's not much story that can be told within nine 14-16 mins episodes, and there were some secrets and hidden tales that weren't talked about, but given what we have, it was pretty well done. I was just really, really glad we got a happy ending :")
CAST/ACTORS
The first thing I look at when watching romance dramas is the chemistry between the characters. Not gonna lie, first time watching it, I couldn't feel it. I didn't see the chemistry at all. But boy, oh boy, you know what they say, don't judge a book by it's cover because, for a series, the first few eps are basically a cover to a book. You've gotta give it time for it to develop properly, even if it's a short series. Slow and steady wins the race, for real. So come episode 3, you can already sense their chemistry. It's so natural, the way they act with each, I'm beginning to think maybe they're close friends in real life. Did you guys know? Both these actors acted together in 'Tale of the Nine-Tailed' It was such a good Kdrama ;-; Maybe cause they've acted together before in a way, you can somehow feel their closeness on TMS, too. When they smile at each other, the fluff and cuteness simply overwhelms me omg. AND THEY HAVE SUCH BEAUTIFUL SMILES!
SONG
You know how sometimes when you're so focused on watching something, you forget about the song that's playing in the background? Yeah, me. So, I'm not sure if any of them were playing in the drama itself, but I looked it up, and I could only find one. And I think you guys should really listen to it.
NewKidd - 《Left Hand》
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I don't think I'll ever grow tired of watching Korean BLs, and I'm so glad TMS became a part of the growing list of really good BL dramas out there. With a happy-ending, too! Can you believe that? I don't know why, but maybe because I've been watching BLs for a very long time and the ones in the past would break me with their sad endings, so in a way, I always expect sad endings? But I think nowadays, BLs have started to "grow up", leaning towards giving us those well-deserved, happy endings, and I've got nothing but praises for that!
Thank you 'To My Star' for gifting us with an endearing and lovely series, and an EXCELLENT last-episode kiss!
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a cultural reset if you ask me
Short, sweet and beautiful are the first words that pop in my mind if someone where to ask me my thoughts on this drama.The story as simple as it is still manages to keep your interest but is easy to watch, something that i greatly appreciate. nothing felt out of place or rushed out like most short korean bls, in reality it didn't even feel short. I truly enjoyed myself from start to finish. I find simple and honest stories like this very charming.
The characters are all fairly well written, especially the mcs, everyone plays a part on the story but it didn't feel like anyone was there just to move the plot forward (at least from the important characters). there were also times i whole heartedly laughed at their interactions, expected from korea tho. the acting fairly good too !!
The love between the mcs felt gradual and natural, seojoon is like a little golden retriever and jiwoo is like a grumpy cat, a perfect pair imo. their dynamic is adorable and i loved all of their scenes together, even the upsetting ones. the chemistry is definitely there too, truly makes you think about how lonely and sad you are lmao.
im not really one to talk about the technical side but i can humbly say that it was also filmed beautifully and the ost was really good as well.
i don't really have anything bad to say about this, except that maybe there are a scene or two we could live without and that i got confused like once while watching but it was something very minor so like who cares.
an amazing step up for korea too ;D
12000% gay peep approved !!
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Overhyped :(
I actually agree with the few reviews saying that this show was overhyped. I honestly didn't understand why everyone really really liked this series, but that's just my personal opinion. With the first episode, I was expecting it to be a really good series, however, I was disappointed after watching the entire thing.Story = I'd give a 5/10, I wouldn't say it's the worse because the development was there, and there was a good plot foundation, but it just didn't seem to resonate well with the viewer. I was kind of confused at some points, and the progression of romance was pretty fast. Some plot devices seemed unrealistic and unnecessary to me. There was something lacking in terms of emotions in the story? I can't really put my finger on it. Most of the plot tropes weren't really established well, and when they were presented, it felt a bit confusing and too fast.
Acting = the acting was alright, but sometimes the chemistry between the two leads was kind of off. I only really liked the CEO's acting hahaha
Cinematography/Production = was surprisingly good. The way it was shot made it seem like a mainstream kdrama. There were some weird issues with the audio though, and you can tell it was pretty low budget from the only few locations they shot in (its a web series so am not surprised), but I was actually impressed and is what made me add another point to my rating.
Overall, I wouldn't say it's good, nor is it THAT bad, but I personally still didn't enjoy it. There were some funny parts, and it was cute, but it wasn't enough to tug on to my heartstrings. But I'm still glad that more and more korean BLs are getting released. Do I recommend this? Not really, give it a try if you don't have anything to do, but don't expect too much.
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‘To My Star’ and to my heart.
The cinematography is excellent, I loved every single episode because of how bright it felt. The energy of the series matched the cinematography. It’s just beautiful.The acting, great. I loved how natural it felt, it didn’t feel forced at all. The younger actor was so edgy and he gave out that vibe (in a good way, lol), and the older actor, DANG he is good omg. Everybody else did awesome too, the cast is truly gifted.
Now, my only complaint, the music. The soundtrack at times didn’t match the scenes. At times I was like, “mmm okay? Why is this track playing in this scene?” but is all good, not everything is perfect.
I wish it was longer, there was a lot of development but no that the one you would get in a 20-40 minu...
visit my tumblr for more BLs reviews 'alienwms'
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Not good at all
Way too overrated. I have seen a lot of people talking about this drama so I obviously got curious about it and decided to watch it. I watched the whole thing really quick, which is weird since I never do that but I guess I was waiting for the drama scenes or the problems or whatever, just something interesting to keep me going. At first I have to say that it was great but the only reason why I thought it was great it was because of it being a bl drama, I was very excited because I rarely watch good ones. When I had two episodes left I realized how the story didn't make sense and started to feel confused about it.The only good thing about this drama was the last scene but that's all.
I understand that people might be hyping this a little bit too much because it's a bl drama but to be fairly honest, it was really bad and rushed. And yeah, of course it's going to be rushed since it has a couple of episodes and the duration of each is very small but it's still a bad show.
I wouldn't recommend it, go watch something else.
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SATISFACTION
That's what really made me love this drama. Koreans do make BL dramas short that it can be converted into an hour and 30 or so mins long movie. And we sometimes crave for more (This is just base on my experience with most of Korean BLs). Like the story and character development could be further tackled and other stuff.But the thing about To My Star is, it made me satisfied. Story flow is too smooth. Characters' development, right there. Can't crave for more. Acting?? Hell yeah!! I love how they portrayed their role. Every episode is just too good. They tackled every issues in the story and have it solved in the most satisfying way.
The plot can be seen on some dramas/movies as well (Like History: Stay Away From Me tho not exactly the same but somehow like a famous actor and just a commoner likes story). But you'll just smile by how every ep makes you crave to what will gonna happen next. I'm glad that every ep is only 11-18 mins long. I'm glad that they didn't give us a kiss that can't be considered one. I'm glad that they gave me the ending that will make me happy and satisfy my long long wait for this drama.
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