han1ac
So much wasted potential
So I have not seen the original series, this was my first introduction to the characters and I knew next to nothing about them going in.I liked how the main couple's relationship started different than in most other series I have watched - when kicking things off with casual sex, there was a lot of potential for it to form an interesting dynamic balancing horniness with developing emotions but then... none of that happened? There was 0 horniness. They continued to be awkward and not touch eachother for about 70% of the series and even when they had had sex multiple times, Team still continued to behave like he had never touched another man and it was just weird to see. Kisses between them were particularly bad and all the sex scenes very stiff and uncomfortable.
They could have done so much with the backstory as well, it was always about Team but even then, they just showed the one flashback over and over again and even that became a little stale. The climax of that story was emotional if a bit stiff but I did enjoy watching it.
As for acting, it was.. ok, they didn't really have much to work with and everything was so stereotypical without any big surprises. Team started out as a whiny and chidish, and continued to be that way the whole 12 episodes. Win was better, I could actually see some caring and loving emotions in him. I loved Mannow, she was so weird.
Tul/Waan and Mannow/Pruek were my favourite couples even though they both got a very little screentime. But at least they actually seemed to enjoy touching and spending time together, which was fun to see and I bought the idea that they could be a couple. Prince/Bee did seem promising too but I have to admit I skipped 90% of their scenes, mostly just because I found the ABC gang so very annoying.
One thing I have to say about music, I didn't really pay attention it, it did not improve the visuals in any way but the reason I rated it particularly low was the sound editing(?) I guess? The mics used were very bad and you could constantly hear kind of gross mouth noices which was pretty upsetting and distracting.
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I preferred this to the original show
Fools in love, that basically sums it all! The reason why I liked this more than the original show is that they are that much more secure in each other, excluding few bouts of dramatics, and it was just lovely to see how their relationship had evolved from the show.Acting is great, their faces are so expressive and I especially enjoyed watching Shiro who is much more subtler but still like, so clearly in love. And now, in addition to through his cooking, learning to show it more explicitly. (Which Kenji is freaked out by lol)
Meals and recipes looked delicious as always too, especially those caramel apples, I really have to try them at some point!
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High school romance at its best and worst
This show is about high schoolers so of course it's going to be embarrasing and cringy at times, but that is so well balanced with funny writing and extremely lovable characters that I had no trouble watching this show. I was grinning from ear to ear in pretty much every episode.In the beginning once we get a POV switch and get to see the events from Tinn's perspective, that really made me fall in love with the show, that boy is so silly in love you can't but adore him. The Tinn/Gun relationship is sweet but what I didn't expect to fall in love with was the side couple of Win and Sound, their dynamic is so entertaining watch and their chemistry could really be felt.
As long as you don't mind teenager hijinks and problems, this is definitely a show to watch!
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Simple and sweet
This was such a lovely show! The story was simple but still compelling and since the episodes were short it never had time to drag on or waste time. There weren't any shocking twists and turns but no unnecessary drama either and that I consider a big plus. The New Employee felt mature, (despite lacking any explicit scenes), but by that I mean the characters felt realistic and like actual adults and this was supported by solid acting from the whole cast.I would easily recommend this to anyone looking for a sweet fell-good story
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Maybe my favourite characters in BL
I loved these characters, I think they were all so well written, and for the most part extremely well acted as well, especially the main boys. Jihyun is a innocent country bumpkin but he's got sass and bite and he is confident in himself. Jaewon has so many problems but he seems indefinitely patient and kind. Aeri is a treasure, and Joopyu is probably the best "best friend" character I've seen in a while, it's all very believable.And ah the acting, when things get dark you can see how shut off from the world Jaewon is, how his eyes are so lifeless, how he's just going through the motions. Until he sees Jihyun. It's 10/10 from me. Their relationship was so tender and even before they got together, you could clearly see the attraction in the looks, small gestures.
Editing in this show gets a little wild at times with some confusing cuts but some scenes hit you SO HARD. One I need to highlight is in the episode after Jihyun's accident, when the opening credits play completely silent, it set's the mood so well and feels really intense. Or when the scene gets dark and colourless when Jaewon is deep in his depression. It's all so so good and people much smarter and more eloquent have talked about it at leght - I can just say I loved it.
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Will make you cry
This was one of those shows where I cried in basically every episode - especially in the beginning where the overarching plot didn't take so much of the run time, the individual stories this show tells are so touching, and there are scenes in every episode that I cannot get out of my head!What docks a point out from story for me is the ending, I would have much preferred a complete story rather than such an obvious lead up to a potential next season (I do not know if one is in the works?) and the events with the uncle were a bit over the top.
I can't praise the acting enough, everyone felt so real and you totally get sucked into whatever emotions they are portraying. Rewatch value is 10/10 for me, I have watched this show twice now and could easily go for a third round, espically of my favourite episodes.
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Excellent from start to finish
A Tale of Thousand Stars is probably the most solid BL show I have watched. The story makes sense and carries strong throughout, big events towards the end are hinted at as the episodes go on and there are no shock twists that come out of left field or drama just for drama's sake, it all feel earned. It is not a *realistic* story by any means but one that I could still belive!Acting is much the same; emotions felt real, chemistry was great and even the side characters were enjoying and very well protrayed. I loved the ending too, the show really stuck the landing! This is probably the first BL show with music that I actually remember after finishing, there were a couple of really beautiful songs that I'm now gonna hunt for online, they really added to the story as well.
In the beginning I struggled with second hand embarrasment a few times but it got better after Tian learned and grew as a character. I've honestly got no complaints, and can highly recommend to anyone!
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Uncomfortable but compelling
These boys have SO MANY problems, they both need therapy but instead they have each other.One content warning I would like to make since it caught me off guard and made me pretty uncomfortable, the main character Hira has two scenes where he imagines shooting his classmates with an automatic weapon. He is not a bad guy but deeply troubled, and it doesn't really get much better on the mental health front as the show progresses.
This is a very interesting show though, and there is so much to unpack and discover with both of the main characters and the POV shift on the 5th episode really helps with that and offers insight into how Kiyoi feels, and what has led him to become like he is.
I am very much looking forward to starting the second season and finding out where these two absolute messes go from here.
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Sky deserves better
I made an account on this site just to say that Rain sucks as a friend. I'm watching ep 9 rn and this guy just gives the keys to someone who his friend has multiple times expressed as not liking. C'mon dude your best friend is sick, surely you can have someone being your work to you if you really need to do it gods.As a more general review... I have almost dropped this series multiple times but then decided to power through and just skip any cringey or awkward parts which makes the episodes half as long. Idk sex scenes are fine, not feeling the chemistry between the first pair. Sky deserves better, him and Sig are my favourites.
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There is nothing here that I will remember in 2 months time
First of all, I want to apologise for Chopper, sorry king for ever doubting you, you were the highlight of this show. I love that his character was not made to be jealous or competetive towards Nueng, he was just a really good egg and Perth did a great job with him.I stopped watching this show in the 8th episode when things were supposed to be tense and exciting but it really didn't carry. I found the writing quite boring and annoying in places, there were some highlights and scenes I really enjoyed, which made me finish the show eventually.
Things I enjoyed:
+ boys looked handsome
+ I think their chemistry was ok and when they were being physical it didn't look like they had to force themselves to touch each other, it was all quite nice!
+ overall good production quality, there were pretty shots, the sound quality was fine
+ the moms, they were both cool! I liked Palm's mother especially
Thing that were meh:
The characters were all pretty thin and one note.
Palm never really got away from the role of servant/bodyguard even when he spent time with Nueng and they were officially together. His dad was throwing away his life at first, then in span of one conversation he was okay leaving two teenagers go against a crime boss on their own and peaced out never to be seen again. I liked Nueng better. He was almost fighting against Palm to be let do normal things and chill and relax, he didn't want to be put on pedestal and that was great to see, this wasn't taken far enough though in my opinion - he just often kind of gave up when Palm continued to insist that he should just rest while he works.
Plot was nonsense, like it did hold together but you shouldn't really pay too much attention to it. Most annoying thing was at the end.. first Nueng leaves at night, leaving a note behind saying "Love yourself, live your life without me" and Palm doesn't listen and follows and they have a teary reunion. Then couple episodes later Palm leaves in the middle of the night, leaves p much the exact same letter to Nueng and he still believes it? Sigh, it just wasn't very interesting.
Also, the 'Never Let Me Go' cap they made Palm wear looked like it was too small for him and that always made me laugh lol
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What a gem
It's a crime that neither of the actors seem to have been in anything else? Jung Jae Woon especially was so charming, the acting from both felt so natural, I would have loved to see them in more things!There isn't much to the story since it's only 16 minutes but you still get such a strong impression of the characters' personality and can easily let your imagination fill in the rest. Their chemistry was great and I wonder if the actors knew each other prior?
I'm going to have to save the episodes and re-watch them on a rainy day, it was so sweet.
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Exceptional
Moonlight Chicken has two perfect couples and I love them both for different reasons. Wen and Jim are basically love at first sight but it takes them a whole show to be able to act on it, Wen gets there quicker but he has his troubles to sort through as well. They yearn, are scared, are tired and just really want to find a some place to call home.Li Ming and Heart on the other hand have a rocky beginning but after they get over it they become close so fast. Their relationship was the most special to me, and the way it was written is truly exceptional. They both just want someone to listen and believe in them. Acting from both of the boys is perfect, all the strong emotions, small facial expressions, they sold it so well and I love them both.
Finale was perhaps the least strong of the episodes, but I already rewatched it since I wasn't ready to let this show go.
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Sincere and sweet!
Oh I loved Kieta Hatsukoi, the first half of the show was especially good! There were typical misunderstandings and miscommunication and it caused drama, but not *drama* it never felt unnecessary or overblown in the vein of "you lied to me, how could you betray my trust!" etc.The characters were for the most part very likable, especially Aoki, Ida and Hashimoto and the acting was really enjoyable to watch. It was a teen romance so of course there were some cringey parts but that's life lol they still made a very cute and believable couple.
Both Ida and Aoki had some serious real life issues to work through that affected their relationship, Ida with his uncertainty of his own feelings and Aoki with his internalised homophobia, and had the show been longer I think we would have gotten a much more in depth look into both, but I think the show still handled it well. As I mentioned at the beginning, I felt the first half was stronger than the latter part, the story felt like it was treading in place a little compared to the beginning but it wasn't too bad, I enjoyed all of it still!
Would absolutely love to see a second season, Kieta Hatsukoi has become one of my favourites <3
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Surprisingly good
This show starts out as silly ghost hijinks but it evolves into something actually sad and heartwrenching!The ending doesn't quite carry the energy through and there was some drama that honestly wasn't needed, but the few episodes before the last really made a strong impression on me.
The relationship between Kevin and Pluem was ok, some awkwardness which you rarely can avoid but they seemed to actually enjoy touching each other which was fun to see. The supporting cast was fine and I enjoyed seeing all their storylines, however brief they were. The number of episodes didn't really leave too much space for them but there also wasn't anything that wasted my time.
Overall a surprising gem of a show!
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