House of Stars (2023)

House of Perplexities.

The best way I would describe this series is ... PERPLEXING

But not in the way you are thinking.
I finished today, and it ended on a CLIFFHANGER, so I suppose there will be a second season. But even if there isn't, the cliffhanger itself is sort of a conclusion and will be OKAY as an ending.
I think the reason this drama does not reach its full potential is because some of the actors are really NOT good at acting. And in a Drama about ACTORS that was really bothersome. I mean, if you are casting for a Drama about actors, even if they are supposed to be "Not good actors" you should cast BRILLIANT actors to play Bad actors because then they will be convincing as a character and as a bad actor. It takes an outstanding actor to play a bad actor. But sadly this drama...
Still, something kept me hooked and brought me back to it week after week, so you can have that as my recommendation. If you dare LOL.

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My rating will change if there's no S2

This was a wild show. I was hooked and didn't find it boring like some. This was packed full of drama, but not executed in a fast paced way. I feel like that aspect actually worked for the show because I was kept in suspense and able to process each part of everyone's story.

If there is no season 2 coming I will probably drop my rating some because there is so much left unfinished. There's a lot of questions that could be answered and I was hoping to get that from the special episode, but the special episode was just 45 minutes of recapping and explaining each character's story.

If you're paying close attention and going into this knowing it ends with a death, I feel like it could be easy to solve. Unfortunately for me I was not paying that much attention to the clues from start to finish and was completely blindsided! I was impressed.

I hope to see more of a conclusion.

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interesting yet so underwhelming

i have so many things to say about this series. it was so much fun to watch, i honestly never got bored, it felt like a reality show of some sorts and it felt fun and interesting to watch.

BUT. some plot lines were messy as hell, and even unnecessary at times. like what was sun’s (susie’s son) purpose? some things made absolutely no sense and were never explained through the series. korn was such an annoying character, i disliked him the entire series. he was selfish, and just a shit person. i was over the MOON when phawin AND mintra left him, and became friends, honestly the best thing that happened in the entirely of the series, yet out of character. i was a little lost… but i loved it still! that little open ending with phawin & korn made me so mad, no. phawin deserves SO much better

phawin and gun CARRIED this drama on their back. they are the only interesting and worth watching characters. the actors did an amazing job, and played them very consistently. loved them. i truthfully enjoyed all the couples, but wayu & wayha were the cutest, most innocent couple. i adored them together and their story is adorable.

now as for gun and pitch… man, what the hell? i have never gotten clickbaited as hard as this. these two didn’t even hold hands ONCE. when gun said “i don’t know when it happened, but i like you.” i was also like ??? yeah, me neither, WHEN did this happen?! the MAIN couple was barely shown in the entire drama?? i couldn’t see their relationship develop or even get attached to them, i rarely saw them!!! i literally have no idea if they have chemistry or not. so so so disappointing on that part, cause i was truly interested in their story.

i loved zo being the killer. i honestly didn’t expect it at all. they portrayed him as this innocent boy, who turned out to be a vengeful killer and that was amazing and well developed… yet underwhelming?

overall, it’s an okay drama. nothing too special, just something to watch when you’re bored. it has an okay mystery storyline and it’s fun to watch actors date each other. i wouldn’t rewatch it, but i would watch a second season.

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I loved this

Contrary to the low opinions, I loved this series! Was this perfect? No. Was all the acting great? No. Was I glued to it? YES!

This series was like nothing I have ever seen before. It gave you a glimpse into the lives of actors and the acting industry. Lots of drama… friendships, hooking up, love, backstabbing, manipulation, murder, revenge, etc. The list goes on and on. I never knew what would happen next and I loved it.

Most of the actors were great. Too many to name them all but I especially liked Gun and Korn. Both are cute and good actors. Also, Weha and Wayu made such a cute couple.

I’m not exactly sure why they would cast Leo in the role of Pitch. He’s not that talented. Plus, he’s not attractive enough to have two men fighting over him. Maybe give him a cuter hairstyle?? He just wasn’t that believable to me. Then, strangely, he just disappeared in the whole last episode.

I don’t know why the reviews say it was confusing. I wasn’t confused. It was like any other mystery. It’s so good. Sin’s story had me in tears! There were many twists and turns with the relationships in the house and you never knew who could be trusted. The ending was surprising.

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If you want a BL, look elsewhere!

I am basically a very pessimistic person, always seeing the glass half empty and expecting the worst from people. This drama just comforts me in my world view. So bear with me while I gush about House of Stars!

The story follows the owner of a talent agency "House of Star" and the people (actors and managers) gravitating around her. Since some of the actors she manages come from out of town, she has them live in her house following her rules and having them filmed by security cameras. There are 8 actors she manages. The actors often rebel not understanding the reason behind the draconian rules she implements creating new problems until a mysterious death occurs in the house and the whole hell breaks loose.

The ratings for this drama are shockingly low and I probably would have given it a miss had it not been for a reviewer who described it as "a hot mess that makes sense". And I loved it. Binged it, paying attention to details since there are no useless scenes: everything means something.

The drama has been filed under BL. No! It is a murder mystery & a character driven drama taking place in the entertainment industry where some of the characters are gay. The poster for the drama also does not give the right impression: looking at it I'd assume I'd be watching a period bl. They really represented drama wrongly with this poster (which is beautiful but still wrong!).

First there is a couple of BL actors, shipped together by the public but not dating even though one has an unrequited crush on the other. That actor, Pitch idolizes the star actor of the agency, Gun and starts following him around, almost stalkery!
There is a handsome country bumpkin helped out by another rising actor in love with him. They are the cutest couple though I have a problem with the actor playing the country bumpkin: he looks odd and has weird mouth (sometimes I focus on unimportant details but they turn to be so distracting) and I kept wishing he would not smile, his whole face goes crooked when he does.
Then there is an established straight couple but the man is tempted by another actor, obviously gay. This threesome has an explosive relationship, the two vying for the third one's love. The actress and the gay actor know how it works and they keep playing dangerous games realizing they were very much alike by the end!

The owner of the agency, Miss Suzzie, looks and acts like a dragon, cold, merciless, strict and odious. We eventually find out why she is like that but she is definitely not a likable character throughout the drama.

The drama seems messy as there seem to be too many characters but if you pay attention everything is connected and everything has a reason. The depiction of the cutthroat entertainment world concentrated in the agency microcosme is rather superficial as the drama is mostly focused on interpersonal relationships between the actors and the secrets they are hiding. The plot is well written and there are no loose ends or holes. And even though it finishes on a cliffhanger, the main mystery is solved but the downfall of the revelations is not shown: everyone remains in a deep stupor.

The atmosphere is heavy and the feelings of oppression are well presented by sets and cinematography. The sets first! The house from the outside looks like a sunny villa in Italy but on the inside it is a different picture. It is a heavy victorian english gothic manor: dark walls, heavy dark furniture, dark curtains, oppressive and menacing. I would say that it serves as metaphor for actors: nice and sunny and perfect on the outside, dark and mysterious and flawed on the inside! The cinematography corresponded to the sets with dark colours prevailing, events mostly taking place at night or in shadows. When the daylight was there, the problems became evident and crisis management came into action: the daylight does not hide secrets!

The actors cast are a mixed lot: while the majority are really good, the one playing Pitch is by far the worst actor here (or anywhere for that matter. Sincerely he should think of another career!). The character he played was of a completely clueless Pitch but he played him in a monotone and with an eternally surprised expression immovable like a mask stuck on his face. He was really really bad. He performed so badly that the romance between Pitch and Gun was not convincing and they just left it in the background. (BTW, I wonder how he got the part?) In the beginning of the series he was one of the main characters but he somehow disappeared in the last few episodes. Fortunately! The character's mother got sick and he was gone. I guess the production realized they miscast. If they ever make a sequel, I hope they will recast the role.
The other actors were really good had great chemistry and were not afraid of skinship!

If you are looking for a serious, gripping show about human nature, do not look any further. It is an excellent drama but not a BL!!!!!

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An Agatha Christie sense about it

Perhaps because I am older, I love the sense of an Agatha Christie novel coming to life. And I for one thoroughly enjoyed this series and am willing to gloss over its many faults to give it a good rating. And it has a lot of faults to be sure. This series starts out so beautifully with an ensemble cast to ogle and fantasize about. Beautiful boys, and girls. Stunning clothes. A luxurious mansion to live in and a story told I am sure is not too far from the kernels of reality. It presents the world of movie/TV making under what I am assuming is similar to the old contract system in Hollywood. A house filled with prima donnas and/or wanabe actors/actress under the management and direction of a company. Be warned that there are a lot of characters in this series with a lot of unequal time among them and frankly disproportionate importance. Initially, somewhat confusing, they later simply blurred into one unit.
I thoroughly enjoyed this series and felt that I was watching an Agatha Christie novel if she had written one about the BL world.

Pure escapism.

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Is that the ending???

So, the whole series was very good. People who put under 8 are people who doesn't really like Thai BL.
First we have many characters with love stories. The woman have not really any power in it. Even the "evil" woman is not that evil. She's scared of her own son.
BUT you watch episode 12, and you have still soooo many questions without not answers.
It is the only thing I didn't like, the open ending. So, unless they do a second season, you are left with a bitter ending.
The evil person at the end is not the one you think.
If you have watched it, do you think it's the brother So? Is it Sin? Suzy????
I don't know at the end who is the real bad person, because they are all as bad for various reason. Only a few are genuinely nice like Wayha, or Pitch.
In short, watch it at least once. You won't be deceived to know the story.

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I liked the story. I liked the relationship between pawin and korn (i know it was bit confusing) but i just liked it. HONESTLY i liked sopitch at first i thought so was really cute and he liked pitch so much. Wayu and his boyfriend(i cant remember his name) were SO cute. And my favorite character was "SO" i know that im bit weird but i loved his plan.
Acting was just okey it could be better but it wasn't bad like it wasnt cring and it was good (in my opinion)
Music was okey.
If i have time of course i will rewatch it
The BEST ep was the last one i really enjoyed watching the last episode there were lot of mystery and if i want to be honest i enjoyed it
Hope my rewiew would help you

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It’s a "no" from me

I rarely quit a Thai BL - in fact it has only happened once before - but I’m doing it to HOUSE OF STARS, a series with so much potential. As someone born and raised in and around the television and film industry of Hollywood, California, I recognize nothing here and it cannot just be cultural differences. I don’t even understand the concept of having a group of actors and would-be actors living together in a villa with a weird Mrs. Danvers-type watching over them. That’s supposed to teach them acting? If that’s the case newcomers should decidedly reconsider moving in. There are of course other Boys Love series with as muffled writing and amateurish acting as this one but at least the attractiveness of the cast makes up for that. Sadly that’s not even the case here. Oh yes, New Nanthipat is one of the stars of the title and he’s not only a good actor but also one of the best-looking but New barely gets anything to do until episode six, and by then the tiresome cast has made your life rather not worth living. I returned to the show after a couple of months but only got to episode 7 this time where a long, tedious piece of dialogue between two cast members drifted me off to sleep and I packed it in. For good.

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I'm baffled.

So far the series has been great, the drama is there, the actors are doing their thing, the visuals are there but... WHY OH WHY ARE WAYU AND WEYHA THE MAIN COUPLE? 😭😭😭

They are written with soooo much third couple energy and if you were to watch the series without their parts you wouldn't miss a thing.... And that's our main couple😭😭😭

I just do not understand this creative decision, I'm baffled by it, Gun and Pitch have the chemistry, there are severe consequences at stake, they have a message written in their story pertaining to how Fandom can get toxic, about stalkers, about celebrity work-life balance... . So why tf are they not the main couple??? I just don't understand.

Also Korn and Pawin have too good a story for them to be fleshed out as third couple. That's just crazy.

If someone can please help me understand why any of these decisions were made I'll be so grateful because I refuse to belive professionals (multiple professionals) didn't see this as an issue😑

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BORING!

I CAN’T even with House of Stars! This was just TRAGIC in all the wrong ways. I only made it through 3 episodes, and honestly, it made me question my life choices for sticking around that long. Where do I even start?

First off, the acting… yikes. It wasn’t great, but I kind of expected that since it’s not uncommon in some Thai dramas. So, I figured I’d let that slide. But the plot?! Oh man, just NO. I couldn’t get behind it at all. It was a total mess. The whole idea of this glamorous house full of celebrities and their secrets should have been exciting, but instead, it felt all over the place and hard to care about.

By the time I finished episode 3, I realized I just wasn’t invested in any of the characters. The drama didn’t feel intense or intriguing, just forced. And the twists they tried to throw in? They didn’t land for me at all. It felt like the show was trying way too hard to be dark and mysterious, but it just came off as confusing and cringy.

Honestly, I was ready to drop it way before episode 3, but I was hoping it would get better. Spoiler: It didn’t. Overall, I wanted to like it, but House of Stars was just not it for me.

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