Details

  • Last Online: Mar 23, 2024
  • Gender: Female
  • Location: London
  • Contribution Points: 0 LV0
  • Birthday: September 04
  • Roles:
  • Join Date: August 20, 2017

Harriet Ho

London

Harriet Ho

London
Sh**ting Stars korean drama review
Completed
Sh**ting Stars
3 people found this review helpful
by Harriet Ho
Jun 12, 2022
16 of 16 episodes seen
Completed
Overall 8.5
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 10.0
Rewatch Value 5.5

Better than expected, but...

Rom-com was a genre that I tried to sway from for the longest time, but after seeing the two main leads and their history, I was quite curious about what the drama had installed for them. Whilst I am impressed with how the drama turned out and I enjoyed the majority of it - minus the cringey slow-mo's in some moments - this drama does remind me why rom-coms are not for me anymore.

The story was beautifully crafted and structured in a way that enables the plot to be developed without the romance overshadowing it. It starts off with a general insight into what entertainment agencies do in their day-to-day job of managing celebrities and how they mitigate problems that arise, such as: how they deal with rumoured dating scandals, affairs - literally anything that we, as KDrama/Kpop fans, see in the media on a daily basis. Sticking to that theme, the drama then delves deep into Gong Tae Young as a top actor, specifically tailing his past and personal background. His story slowly develops and it was interesting to see it unravel. Whilst quite insightful and fascinating as it is, the drama projects these incidences in a more light-hearted way that maintains its ability to be entertaining for the viewers. Thus the authenticity of these events can be questionable.

At first, the brewing romance was its typical frenemies to lovers concept with a cheesy young love going on, but midway through the show, it settled and was eventually replaced by a cute, affectionate, and non-problematic/mature romance. But there were still some cringey, yet cute moments that this show offered. The ending left a really strong impression and felt like I was watching two different dramas. I truly believe that if the writers could write the cringey moments towards the end differently, it would have been perfect
On the other hand, It is not a rom-com drama with a few love triangles thrown into the mix. I found the love triangle in this drama to be quite pointless, though I did find it bearably entertaining to watch out of all love triangles I have seen in the past; it also added an adequate amount of comedic value to the show with their humorous twist with the two guys involved. And lastly, I loved how natural the outcome was for the second-male lead .
Besides the main leads, the romance that was blossoming between the other characters was well developed and timed nicely.

Stars do not shine at the top of the sky but have their own feet on the ground. Maybe I did not accurately quote the drama, but this saying plays a fundamental role in the message that the drama depicts. Celebrities are normal living beings at the end of the day who feel and react the same way as us. The drama is thought-provoking and enables us to think from their experience of that moment or a time when someone wrongly misjudged us.

Gong Tae Sung was your average male protagonist who was audacious towards those around him but settles once he got what he wanted, i.e the girl. Besides that, he is humble and thoughtful to those around him which is surprising to see for a change
His phenomenal chemistry with his managers and CEO were remarkable and endearing.
Also, mentioning his relationship with Oh Han Byeol. It was quite heartwarming to see their long-term friendship, but the flashbacks we see are confusing and provide little to no context. This makes things questionable as to how they were frenemies at uni, to best friends at work, to then playfully despising one another.

With Oh Han Byeol's competency and her quick-witted thinking, the charms of Gong Tae Sung, and the family-like bond with his managers like Kang Yu Sung, Jung Yeol, and his CEO Ji Hoon, this drama encapsulates the modern age of Korean entertainment and the everyday obstacles they face that push them into overdrive. This drama is another typical playful one. Whilst I enjoy how the story was structured and insightful, there are still a few things it lacks. For something to cheer you up, this drama gives you that, but for now, I am going on a rom-com hiatus again.
Was this review helpful to you?