Be Mine SuperStar (2023)

The Secondhand Embarassment

(there are sort of character spoilers but not story spoilers)

Man, I love Ja & First. They don't wind up with great shows but their dynamic is fun to watch. This show is a bit difficult to get through, though.

The acting of the actors in the show (so the tv show being filmed that Ashi stars in) has such atrocious melodrama acting. The female lead in particular is like nails on a chalkboard to get through (note: not the actual actress, her character's acting). If I didn't know better I'd have thought First had zero acting skills based on that terrible soap opera his character is in.

Punn comes off as autistic coded (I don't mean that in a disparaging way) with Ashi being his special interest/hyper fixation. The over eager puppy dog and huge reactions to everything, in addition to him sort of coming off as a squirmy 12 yr old rather than a man in his 20s causes me so much secondhand embarrassment that I pause this show about 35 times per episode.

I'm still watching (but I don't know why) but I can't imagine how the romance is going to come off. Mostly because Punn seems so child-like (in a developmentally delayed way) that it seems like a relationship would feel like a violation.

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The ship has sunk...

Be Mine Superstar or where the two leads are actually the two bickering managers who are having a senseless feud.
In between childish scheming, we got a side actor moonlighting as a stalker who tries hard to get a doctor dude in bed and keeps roughly fucking him whenever he gets the chance. It is important to note that said doctor doesn't want him and drew a line in the sand, but oh well what are boundaries for in dramas?
Now when it comes to the leads, we got some very awkward and cringe-worthy puppy love that is more creepy than cute... when I thought that no one could top Toh from Secret Crush on You. Well, think again because Punn has outdone himself!
I should not forget the gigolo henchman whose abs I have seen way too often. Ken, I chose to remember you as Tum from Lovely Writer because this Bank character... they did you dirty.
I will continue to watch this as I can't seem to look away from this car crash. I thought no one could do worse than La Cuisine or Unforgotten Night, but I guess someone decided to outdo themselves.
If you haven't started this, save yourself the trouble. I know that 2023 hasn't been generous in good BLs but they're still better than this.

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Messy writing for Ja and First again

I really wished that for once Ja and First would get a good script for a show, but sadly it wasn't the case. This show violated the most basic rules of writing: Show, don't tell; Delete any unnecessary crap that doesn't serve the plot or the characterisation; don't leave or start random threads that lead nowhere or have no starting point. Achi remained characterless without any backstory, there were so many unnecessary scenes, stuff was brought up out of nowhere and lead nowhere and the issues created and resolved were confusing as hell. The story between the doc and Mueang was making the most sense and 90% of their scenes were NC scenes.
The story between Achi and Punn could have been good, if they had leaned more into Punn waking up from his idol worship and realise who Achi really is and if he liked that person just the same (or more) because of his flaws. This was all they needed to set up a good plot. Instead, we still know nothing about Achi and who he is- aside from being famous, Punn is still a weird fanboy and they created this weird "he took notes" issue that made zero sense.
Writing wise, as well as directing wise (where did this weird overacting scene from First come from in ep 12? Achi barely showed any emotions for 11 episodes and then he acts like this out of nowhere? Wth?!) this show is a mess.
The only thing they didn't do wrong is paint abuse as romance, so they get a star for missing that trap.

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Ughhhhh why...why did I watch this?????

This was just one of those shows that you watch as a filler on a Monday because my god what was this????

The characters were just annoying. It was not even cute at all. Like how can he even be attracted to someone who behaves like a child, a literal child. It also made the sex scenes even weirder because how howwwww can you be attracted to that. Like Golden retriever boyfriend I understand but this was an overkill.

The second couple did not really have a plot. It was basically all about sex and that's it which is a shame in my opinion.

I just....I should have dropped this show. I really should have but see, I was bored...-_-

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loses itself in cheap writing

I genuinely hate to say this, but any and all hopes for jafirst getting a good series were gone within the first episodes. the acting was fine. in fact, I thought bosston did incredible for finally giving us a gay role. the issue is the writing and I feel like a broken record, but Thailand really is losing in this aspect of the industry.

this series came off so terrible, I couldn’t stop thinking it was just pulled off some 13yr olds wattpad. there were moments where punn gave us some seriousness and showed real maturity, there was also some growth for some characters, but it was all so minimal it doesn’t help the series. also, the doctor and ming?? their scenes would’ve been better if they didn’t follow every nasty trope. they were set up for failure and it sucks because I liked their chemistry.

the managers constantly going at each other was what ruined the show for me too. there were scenes about the exploitation some actors face, but genuinely, why?? it was just thrown into the mix for what felt like no reason.

anyway, I finished this just to finish it. jafirst, I love them to death, but this series is one of the worst this year. it managed to not only hold back their chemistry, but also their talents. I can only hope we get them in another series that’s written by people that know what they’re doing with one of the best chemistry pairings that are genuinely not afraid to go above and beyond.

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could have been so much better

Overall: the cringey/cliched plot and those non funny managers ruined the series. 12 episodes 45 minutes each, aired on Viki (in U.S.) and iQIYI.

Content Warnings: non con/dub con, non con kiss, stalking, harassment, manipulation, blackmail, non con picture taking, violence/injury

What I Liked
- how Ja and First played different characters than they have in the past, I like to see actors not getting typecasted
- what was shown in the flashback to give a little bit of a reason for Punn's thoughts/actions
- the side couple's nsfw scene and the morning after (second scene was also well done but hated the circumstances)
- kissing/nsfw (but I was also horrified by the guys doing it in the onsen, other people bathe there!)
- Punn & Ashi sweet interactions
- Punn's realistic first day working
- I was really hating the brother but he did come thru in episode 5 and siblings can be pretty awful at times so that is realistic
- the soap opera scenes were fun*
- supportive family, mom had good advice about communicating clearly and making opportunities
- those huge, fluffy dogs
- actual consequences for characters who did bad things

Room For Improvement
- Punn feels too childlike/immature (stalking, that bizarre confession) to be in a romantic relationship
- the lightning speed relationship pacing in episode 7
- dialogue was unrealistic/contrived, the episode 11 drama was also contrived, Punn's anger would have made so much more sense if the writing happened before they got together instead of after
- *scenes could have been cut shorter for better pacing, as an example that very first scene should have been shorter and it would have been punchier, this did not need to be 12 episodes
- zero interest in the managers fighting and disappointed to see another stereotypical trans woman character
- the side couple's second steamy scene was overshadowed by the circumstances of it, disappointed to still see this in 2023 (and not a fan of the harassment vs reluctant pursuee dynamic), the writers should have cut the managers/love triangle and given the side couple actual dialogue
- not well integrated product placement
- unrealistic stuff, why would a superfan be late to a fan event? why would a non out movie star be dancing in public? who would confess in front of two other people like that in ep 5???
- so much of the final episode was spent on dragging out the drama with the lead couple, and focusing on the other characters

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Yet another BL with less plot more NC scenes

The plot ? Did we have any , this series was all about "they met, they slept".
Do makers think love making scenes are all that bl fans need, What fans truly need is a plot that makes sense, great chemistry, cute love story , proper communication, ofcourse good amount of NC scenes are like icing on the cake. Wait, am i asking for more?

What i hated and just could'nt get over was Punn's screen presence, he is sooo immature, creepy and non sensical. And Ashi , ok he is a superstar who lacked love but what he lacked the most was human communication.
I am not doubting the actors acting skills ,but at places the leads acting felt out of place especially Ja , felt like he is not for younger roles.

We could see great chemistry between Ja & first in NC scenes and the rest was filled with just some series in a series scenes , manager's quarrelling and unnecessary not so worthy scenes

And ya almost missed this, second couple? Nahhh , they were just 2 people who liked sleeping with each other, Show me one scene where they tried to get to know more about each other. None !!!

If you ship JaFirst, watch it . You'll get to see great NC scenes between them , but dont expect any logical scenes or plot . Only then, you'll like this for sure.

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Disappointment

I planned to watch this drama with the idea in mind that this would've probably been the last work of JaFirst as a couple.
While I enjoyed the couple's previous drama(s) - disclaimer: they weren't and still aren't one of my favourite couples - this one was a mess.

Acting: Ja was given a terrible role, and i'm not sure if it was his fault or the production, but this Pun(n?) was hideous.
Seems almost like he is autistic (while he's clearly not intended). I had difficulties not skipping his scenes altogether.
First was super stiff for almost all drama.
I laughed at the scene in episode 11 when he went nuts (one moment was crying, the other one laughing and reassuring himself). This scene was the only "realistic" scene for me.

The amount of cringe during the whole series is immeasurable.

Plot: I actually liked the idea of the commoner that fell in love with the idol/actor, but it was dragged and then butchered.
Idea: good - Execution: No good.

The second couple: I have mixed feelings about them. While I enjoyed the explicit scenes... there was no character development. A bummer.

Evil characters: Honestly? Again, they were cringy.

In summary, I wouldn't recommend this series, unless you're desperate for some sexy action.

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Nobody's SuperStar

Be Mine SuperStar can be summed up in single word: disappointing. This was a drama that had a potentially cute story, good actors, gorgeous filming locations, and yet still managed to completely fail. The plot is all over the place, the characters were a combination of cringe, problematic, and charming, the comedy aspect was boring, and the supposed love between the characters ranged from almost nonexistent to only about sex. Getting through those last few episodes was almost physically painful. If anything, this drama gets the reward for most pretty crying scenes in the shortest amount of time.

The premise didn't sound ground breaking, but it doesn't need to be either to tell a good story and be fun. I mean, how many of us have dreamed of meeting our celebrity crush and them falling in love with us? It seemed like if nothing else, it would be relatable and an entertaining rom-com. It wasn't. Frankly, I don't even know where to start with this mess. The plot was a bit all over the place and very inconsistent. It was only towards the end that it became a bit more cohesive. The comedy aspect was forced and overdone. Very little of what was played for laughs was actually funny. There were a few amusing parts, but they were few and far between. The angsty drama, mostly centered around the managers, was excessive and unnecessary. It was, I think, supposed to be amusing. It wasn't. It got old very, very quickly and took far too long to get resolved. Some arcs felt a bit unfinished, particularly with Priew and Title. Priew was arrested and Wan released the video of Title threatening to hit her and then that was it, there was no real resolution as to what happened to them. There didn't need to be a huge deal made about it, but something along the lines of mentioning that Priew was being prosecuted or Title was thoroughly disgraced and no one wanted to work with him would have wrapped up their stories a little more cohesively. The love stories were both very lacking. The romantic chemistry between Achi and Punn was almost nonexistent. Achi was too passive and Punn seemed more obsessed with Achi than in love with him. It just wasn't well developed to make it believable that these were two people in love. Lack of communication is almost always the source of conflict in dramas and this one is no difference. Despite being advised to communicate with each other, we never see them communicate effectively. Throwing Title in as the villain to their love was cliche and boring. He was not an effective or interesting villain. Muang and Ning's story was both troubling and boring. Muang was a red flag multiple times during his pursuit of Ning. The way they actually entered a relationship was glazed over and rushed. One second Muang is clinging to his leg begging him and the next they're having a drink and talking. There was too much left in the air. And once they finally did get together, pretty much every scene they had together was a NSFW scene or they were talking about their friend's problems. Other than obviously being sexually compatible and physically attracted to each other, I have no idea why they even liked each other. In general, both relationships lacked substance and meaning. The pacing was inconsistent, it positively dragged toward the end and ended being mostly filler with a lot of pretty crying and staring wistfully into the distance. It was a very anticlimactic ending to an anticlimactic drama.

The characters were lacking...a lot. Very little background on most of them which was disappointing because having that background can make or break a character. In this case, that lack didn't allow viewers to get a better understanding of the characters and help them understand their actions and behaviours. I had initially gotten the impression that Punn's history with Achi was going to play a bigger role in their story, but it was pretty casually brushed aside and basically only served as the starting point of Punn's love for Achi. A lot more could have been done with that to enhance the story and characters and I was disappointed that didn't happen.
-Punn was a struggle for me. There was a part of me that kind of liked him, but mostly I just found him to be incredibly immature and his behaviour to be very cringy. I don't know what they were going for with his character, if he was maybe supposed to be socially awkward or neurodivergent, but it didn't work. One of the questions I feel like his character brought up is whether the love we feel for our celebrity crushes can be romantic love or just a form of hero worship. True, Punn met Achi before he became famous, but it's clear they never actually knew each other and Punn's love for Achi did seem more hero worship than romantic to me. He came across as obsessive at times and he also didn't seem to fully appreciate or understand the boundaries Achi set for when they were in public given that he broke them multiple times. He just didn't seem mature enough to really be in a relationship. And some of his actions made zero sense. For example, when Priew was blackmailing him, rather than going to Wan who he knew would be in his corner, instead he went to Muang who also didn't suggest going to Wan and told him to sign the contract. What exactly were they thinking? And then there was the absurdity of his reaction to Achi's notes which served as the catalyst for their fight that took up the last couple of episodes. I feel like it's fairly common knowledge that actors and artists in general infuse their emotions and real life experiences in their art. That's part of what makes it realistic. So Punn taking Achi's notes as a sign that Achi was using him seemed unreasonable. Also, Punn had proven himself to be gullible at times, but to so easily believe Title when he knew Title didn't like him and was in love with Achi just seemed unrealistic. I really wanted to see Punn grow in maturity and come into his own as the drama progressed, but that just never seemed to really happen.
-Achi was a bit of an enigma. I struggled with his character because he seemed too passive at times. His words and actions just didn't match up for me. He said he loved Punn, implied that he was the love of his life, but I didn't feel it and didn't really see it. He seemed to find Punn's hero worship of him alternately amusing and, at times, vaguely annoying. I can understand if his character wasn't meant to be overly demonstrative but there needed to be something to show that he truly loved Punn. The build up of his love for Punn was also lacking. You could see him coming to tolerate Punn more and developing a certain level of affection for him, but where that crossed over to love wasn't clear. Essentially, there was a clear physical compatibility between them, but not so much a mental or emotional one. His lack of setting up boundaries with Title became an issue and why he didn't communicate that he was off the market, even if he didn't specify who he was with, is beyond me. In general, he was just a bit too trusting and seemed almost naive at times which didn't quite track with someone who'd been in the entertainment industry for a while.
-Muang was the highlight of this drama for me and for the most part I really loved him. He was funny, loyal, selfless and generally just a gem. Except for one glaring fault which would be with Doctor Ning and their second encounter together. I get that Muang was head over heels for him, but the fact that he was willing to take advantage of him when he was inebriated was a huge red flag. And then it was pretty much brushed aside and never mentioned again. That didn't sit well with me and felt out of character. In general, Muang's behaviour regarding Dr. Ning prior to them getting together was not great. He essentially stalked the man and wore him down, but not in a healthy way. Their relationship in general didn't seem particularly healthy and I was not a fan of it. For all that Muang said something to the effect of their relationship was not just about sex, that's pretty much all we saw them do. So that aspect of his character, I didn't like. Muang as a friend though was great. I liked how he took Punn under his wings and really did in some ways become a father figure to him, helping him, guiding him and supporting him. He was also a good friend to Achi, serving as a sounding board at times and supporting him as well.
-Title was boring. I know he was supposed to be the big bad coming between Achi and Punn and causing issues between them, but he was such a cliche that I just found him to be pointless and ineffective. His whole spiel of if I can't have him nobody can was eye rolling. The thing is, I think he could have been more interesting if he was given more depth and purpose.

The actors did a decent job given the garbage they were working with. Both Ja and First are talented actors. I've watched almost every drama they've been in so I've seen that they have good chemistry and work well together. Here though, the story and the script just failed them and they seemed to struggle. I was excited to see First in a more serious, mature role and I think for the most part, he did a decent job except for when it came to the romance aspect. He was too stoic and, like I mentioned before, I struggled to tell if he truly had feelings for Punn or not. For Ja, again, I'm not sure what they were going for with his character, the level of second hand embarrassment he generated was extreme, but he was consistent with it. I wasn't overly fond of the character, but Ja did commit himself to the role. Their chemistry was lackluster, nothing like in previous dramas such as Don't Say No or Remember Me. Bosston did a good job as Muang. He generally lit up the screen when he was on and was the one overall bright spot in this drama. His physical chemistry with Jo was good, I just would have liked their characters to have more than that. Wayo worked well with what he had. His character was just lacking in addition to the script and I can't really blame him for not being able to save it. I hope he has better opportunities in the future.

The one production aspect of this drama that really shone was the costuming. The costumes, whether within the drama they were filming or their regular clothes, were so well done. The sets were also well done, particularly the filming ones. Beautifully designed and they were well used. The cinematography, particularly in Japan, was beautiful. They really made use of the snow and snowfall to create some really beautiful shots. Some of the shots on the drama set were well done too, I particularly liked the one of Achi and Punn looking at each other through the fan. It was creative and oddly beautiful.

I was excited for this drama and the seemingly fun, romantic story it was going to tell. I was excited to see Ja and First again since their last drama, Remember Me, wasn't particularly good. And I was excited for the beautiful scenery the trailer showed and all of it's possibilities. The only aspect that didn't disappoint was the scenery. The rest was a bust. I kept hoping that things would get better, but they never did. It got to the point where I was looking forward to the next episode just because it was one step closer to the end and I wanted to be done with it. This isn't a drama that I recommend. It's got a few good parts, but overall, it's just not worth it.

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Childlike Antics and Stone Cold Superstar

Superstar may be a stretch.

Ja and First have so much potential, and Remember Me (which I'm still trying to forget) and this do literally nothing to showcase the chemistry they share.

Their apparent connection is then overshadowed by childish behaviour, talent managers performing criminal acts, and a second couple with only NC scenes. Really, their scenes together are mostly NC.

Most of the scenes are of them filming the drama within the drama, or Punn and his brother fighting like children, or Achi involved in a weird love triangle that doesn't include Punn, or the two managers throwing insults at each other that are frankly hard to watch. Or, it's filled by the cherry on top, the NC scenes. The scenes that Achi and Punn share are in turn filled with a weird sense that maybe these two shouldn't be a romantic couple. Their chemistry is great obviously, but the way their characters are written, it feels like both of them are in very different stages of life and the ability to be in a relationship.

Achi is definitely a grown up, he's seen life, he knows what he wants and that he definitely doesn't want a relationship. Punn on the other hand is a grown up child, and he's irrevocably in love with Achi or rather the idea of Achi he's got from idolising him. They go through a series of events in which Punn shows that he admires Achi, is capable of taking care of him, and even takes a couple of strides in showing that he's maturing as a person. And yet it feels like they go back to square one in every single episode, superstar and doting fan. It's kind of frustrating to see the same thing over and over, just on a loop.

Until the last episode, the character go around in this exact same circle, doing exactly what they did the last 11 episodes. This definitely had it's potential, but there's only so much chemistry can do.

I do need to watch the drama they're filming though, the acting is so over the top, the story seems like a mess, and yet it's the most popular thing out there, I just need to know what it's all about

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