Hanah
This review may contain spoilers
Rom-Sit-Com Comfort Drama
This is spoiler-free until the end and no major spoilers. Sh**ting Stars (still can't get over how weird this name is) was my intro back into kdrama as I had been taking sort of a break and the few dramas I was watching were cdramas. I was hesitant to start this because of that awful title and expectation of it being very cliché. I am happy to say that I was very much satisfied with this drama and it exceeded by expectations.
The story starts off like a classic sitcom, or like a weekender type drama to compare to other Korean shows. Rather than a hyper focused linear storyline on 2 main leads, it has 6 main leads and meanders through the general scenarios of them all plus the side characters. I really liked this method - it felt fun and fresh and was used well to show how the characters interacted with each other. It was nice how most of the characters had individual and group relationships with each other, almost like an interconnected family. I also liked how the celebrities were treated more like colleagues and the final product was something the entire company works on together. The characters themselves were all super endearing and all felt very much their own. I really appreciated that they made the female lead someone very competent (and passionate) in her career. In fact, I liked how most of the main cast was were experienced in their careers - it just added to that collegial feeling mentioned above and was a fresh approach to the cliche rookie angle most dramas take (especially for female leads). The comedy was very a good mix of straight man, camp and slapstick that was very entertaining.
The acting for all the cast members was amazing and bring all the characters to life. The chemistry between the 2 main (main) leads was so sweet and general cast chemistry was excellent. The music was fun and zippy and really elevated the drama to give both happy and comfort vibes. The sound effects or little tunes were expertly placed and also added greatly to the vibe. It would be a decent re-watch. MOST important, I very much appreciated that the medical scenes in this drama was accurate! There is no mouth-to-mouth in CRP!
All in all, it's a fun, funny, sweet, energetic and entertaining drama about entertainment that feels like a family/weekender/sitcom drama and is a delight to watch.
Some thing points of contention (possible SPOILER): while the plot and pacing were clearly thought out and executed well, it felt like the drama had to undergo this total shift in tone to portray the heavier aspects of the plot around the middle, which made it lose some points for me. It shifts back to its original light-hearted and zany vibe towards the end but the tone shift is so obvious one of the characters even kind of lampshades it. There was one particular ship that I had a really hard time coming around too and it felt the drama itself was trying to convince the audience about this ship - I eventually came on board but it was still meh for me. It was sort of weird how many of the actors were 'discovered'/street-casted, like performing arts schools were non-existent. And the monolithing and stereotyping of Africa came off as pretty ignorant and tone-deaf.
The story starts off like a classic sitcom, or like a weekender type drama to compare to other Korean shows. Rather than a hyper focused linear storyline on 2 main leads, it has 6 main leads and meanders through the general scenarios of them all plus the side characters. I really liked this method - it felt fun and fresh and was used well to show how the characters interacted with each other. It was nice how most of the characters had individual and group relationships with each other, almost like an interconnected family. I also liked how the celebrities were treated more like colleagues and the final product was something the entire company works on together. The characters themselves were all super endearing and all felt very much their own. I really appreciated that they made the female lead someone very competent (and passionate) in her career. In fact, I liked how most of the main cast was were experienced in their careers - it just added to that collegial feeling mentioned above and was a fresh approach to the cliche rookie angle most dramas take (especially for female leads). The comedy was very a good mix of straight man, camp and slapstick that was very entertaining.
The acting for all the cast members was amazing and bring all the characters to life. The chemistry between the 2 main (main) leads was so sweet and general cast chemistry was excellent. The music was fun and zippy and really elevated the drama to give both happy and comfort vibes. The sound effects or little tunes were expertly placed and also added greatly to the vibe. It would be a decent re-watch. MOST important, I very much appreciated that the medical scenes in this drama was accurate! There is no mouth-to-mouth in CRP!
All in all, it's a fun, funny, sweet, energetic and entertaining drama about entertainment that feels like a family/weekender/sitcom drama and is a delight to watch.
Some thing points of contention (possible SPOILER): while the plot and pacing were clearly thought out and executed well, it felt like the drama had to undergo this total shift in tone to portray the heavier aspects of the plot around the middle, which made it lose some points for me. It shifts back to its original light-hearted and zany vibe towards the end but the tone shift is so obvious one of the characters even kind of lampshades it. There was one particular ship that I had a really hard time coming around too and it felt the drama itself was trying to convince the audience about this ship - I eventually came on board but it was still meh for me. It was sort of weird how many of the actors were 'discovered'/street-casted, like performing arts schools were non-existent. And the monolithing and stereotyping of Africa came off as pretty ignorant and tone-deaf.
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