Well, that was weird!!

I'm being hella optimistic here, but what in them product placements was this?! You know how sometimes, there's a movie scene which just has to be a dream sequence? Too ill-fitting? Too plot-breaking? Damn right. It's what Work From Heart is made of, and they never say sike.

Let's get to the positives:

1. I like the songs! Not enough to look them up, but they were nice distractions from the boring semi-plot.

2. The preachy parts didn't feel as preachy as they usually do. Maybe because everything was just so ridiculous, I could see it fit quite well. Might even catch feels once or twice.

3. Song-Ve. They were cute together. And even had some development.

Point 4 could be something like "good visuals" or "attractive actors", but really. This is a BL. Thai BL. If anything, they always manage to bring in pretty faces.

As for the notable negatives...phew. Do we even want to go there? Let's just say it's boring. Cringe. Occasionally uncomfortable. Not much makes sense. We see blatant discrimination, homophobia, sexual harassment... They even had a 'pretend gay' subplot! I could be actually pissed, if only it wasn't all so ridiculous. Taking this seriously would be an insulting waste of your time, so don't. If you're here for the weird, ride with the weird.

In the end, there's no sane reason to pick WfH over any other boring, no-plot thai BL of late. But I would still gladly watch a GuyFries spin-off of this, so it couldn't have been that bad!! Right?

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Cutie Pie? More like a sleep paralysis demon!

[I don't normally write reviews on MDL, since I'm easily influenced by my emotions and such reviews may not be helpful for most people. BUT!! Cutie Pie deserves one. If you're looking for a more impartial review, I recommend the one from @Purple Scenes]

TL; DR : Just don't. And if you do, know when to quit. I didn't.

STORY: 1/10

I will give it a symbolic one star for trying, since the premise sounds actually pretty interesting. Unfortunately, by the end of episode 2 it's all but buried. What comes after is inconsistent, boring, repetitive filler that's just vaguely separating all the fanservice and NC scenes. Progress comes and goes whenever director demands a skinship or dramatic tension. You can't consider any piece of information as established. Subplots are abandoned or explained insufficiently. If you're looking for an arranged marriage portrayal, it's not there. Neither is a dual personality of one of the main leads. There is no real push-and-pull dynamic between the MLs present, either.

There are 3 pairings in this drama - LianKuea, YiDiao and NuerSyn. The show focuses mostly on a relationship between Lian and Kuea, who portray a standard BL dynamic of seme and uke. Lian is a business man that's cold on the outside, but secretly cares deeply for his other half. Kuea, who is portrayed as a spoiled, bratty child with rebelious hidden side, is literally swept away by Lian. In fact, Lian cares for Kuea so deeply, he feels the need to know everything about Kuea! It's his sacred duty to decide what's best for Kuea at all times! Anything, just to give Kuea the perfect life his little doll deserves. I'm sure many of you can already see where they're going with it.

YiDiao is basically a slightly altered rehash of LianKuea. Yi is portrayed as more aggressive partner compared to Lian, while Diao is a more scared version of Kuea. At the start, we can see Diao shaking during all of his interactions with Hia Yi. For a reason that's poorly explained to audience later on, Diao lives mostly alone in Yi's house and needs to notify Yi by phone each time he steps out. Or hide from him. As their relationship progresses, Diao earns himself a curfew of 9 pm.

Neither of those relationships develop significantly in any capacity, other than their physical intimacy. Both major conflicts are "solved" in the last episode with less than 5 minute conversations that explain next to nothing. Those neverending cycles are all presented as simple miscommunication. And we still get a "happy" ending for both of them.

The last pairing, NuerSyn, is barely even worth mentioning. They have less than hour of overall screentime and no reason to be together at all. That said, they are the most healthy, unproblematic pairing in the show. Which can be partially explained by writers forgetting to do anything with them.



POTENTIAL TRIGGERS (with minor spoilers included) :

Age gap - both between actors and characters. Main two couples consist of older, successful men and their barely adult, (financially) dependent lovers.

Grooming - both couples knew each other since they were kids. The main couple was engaged to be married since their early teen years, while the situation for YiDiao is more unclear (they are meant to be engaged, but no real information was given in the series). Both Lian and Kuea talk about how they were preparing for the marriage.

Arranged marriage - this one doesn't bear much weight in the bigger picture and is mostly a cause of other triggers.

Power imbalance - Both Lian and Yi basically control the lives of Kuea and Diao. Starting with where they live, where they go and when they return, to spying on them, following them around and being able to influence their financial situations. Both Lian and Yi are trying to solve their relationship problems by giving Kuea and Diao gifts.

Gaslighting / Lying / Hiding information - Both Yi and Lian have a major secret that has the power to impact life of their partner. Kuea and Diao hide their interests from Lian and Yi in fear of being punished or rejected. Kuea questions how much Lian actually knows about his "hidden" side. Lian's trying to force Kuea into confessing his hobbies, while pretending to know nothing. And much more, but that could count as spoilers for the show.

Unclear (try non-existent) consent in romantic interactions between Lian and Kuea.

Basically, if you get triggered by any abusive behaviour or manipulation tactics, tread carefully. To make it even more disturbing, the show never addresses it: It's all presented as normal, romantic, or even hot! Major issues between the leads are waved away by a simple "miscommunication" excuse.



ACTING/CAST : 5/10

The roles didn't seem miscast to me. Actors are attractive and their skills are mostly good enough, so I barely notice any issues. Characters aren't really multilayered, though, no matter how much they try to convince you otherwise.

Zee alternates between blank face, evil smirk and puppy eyes.

Max is either aggressively angry or looks as if he's being eaten alive from inside. He also smiles, once or twice.

Taking into consideration it's NuNew's first role, he does fine (except from when he has to cry, which is often). Also, he does the most grating fake voice I've ever heard. Iconic!

Nat is overdramatic, but it kinda fits his role. I personally found it funny, but it might annoy you.



PRODUCTION VALUE / CINEMATOGRAPHY : 8/10

A lot of money was spent on this drama. Such a shame it was in all the wrong places. It looks really good and it sounds decent, if you are able to ignore everything that's happening .



MUSIC: 5/10 -> 6/10 post edit

Some of the songs are pretty good, especially "Change" (NuNew's original song I think) and "Just Being Friendly" (NuNew's cover of song by Tilly Birds Ft. MILLI ). The main OST is fine (around the same as other BLs). The rest of songs were boring to me, but not insultingly so.

Edit: The music got to me more, because youtube just won't stop pushing NuNew into BL OST playlists. Especially the ending song (Love) is now bearable. So I came here to up my "music" score in order for it to more reflect my new situation. That said, I like to waste time on stupid stuff, so I decided to rank all of the ost songs I found and decide. Here are the results:

My Cutie Pie (main OST - 7.5), Change (9), How you feel (5.5), Be Yours (5), Always You (3), Alone (3), Suddenly (3), I Feel Your Love (Dead 0. This song makes me icky, sorry. I would have liked it more if it wasn't used at all), First Date (3), Just Being Friendly (9), Love (7.5 - the major ending event song ). The mean score comes to 5.045454545. I'm not petty enough to raise the score by 0.045454545 points, especially after all that time I spent looking for the songs. So, let's give it a 6. Out of 11 songs, I only really love 2, and one of those is a cover. I kinda like another 2, one of them cover. I could bear 2 more, but they are sort of a nothing burger. The rest is just boring and generic sap.


REWATCH VALUE : 1/10

I don't recommend you to watch it even once, let alone a second time. There are plenty of shows that look good. Plenty of songs that sound good. If you want to watch the NC scenes, there are bound to be plenty of edits being made. It might be worth it to wait for fan compilation of the third pairing, though, if there is one.



OVERALL : 1/10

If I could have given it a lower score, I would. In my personal opinion, this show should have never been made. It's unhealthy in a way that's dangerous to the whole BL community. There is no climax, no point, no meaning. Nothing. I'm not even sure they had a script to begin with. It feeds entirely off fanservice (which only got WAY WAY worse after the drama ended), cute visuals, and above average soundtrack. It's boring. It's tiring. It's uncomfortable. It's trying to take a high moral ground by promoting equality for all of 15 minutes, which is just plain pathetic, considering how the show itself handles the relationships. Even hate-watching it gets old very quickly. In short, I consider Cutie Pie a failure in every way that counts for a viewer.

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Sweet, but empty

When it comes to japanese and korean BLs, I often tend to think they are too ambitious for the amount of screentime they have. Not this one.

Kimi no Koto Dake Mite Itai lasts roughly 80 minutes, but presents a story that could have been done in less than half of that. Its premise is very generic for a BL, and there's nothing much to help the series stand out. There's nothing really memorable about it. Though it's not a huge time investment, i feel like it wasn't worth my time.

I don't have much to complain about when it comes to music, visuals, or acting. Everything is on very decent level. I just can't help but wonder... why? What were the creators trying to make out of this? One thing this show does really well, and that's being vague about stuff without it being infuriating. It's very soft, up to a point of being emotionless. If you just want to watch something that doesn't make you feel or think anything strong, this is it. A show for a lazy day. Otherwise, I don't recommend this to anyone who's short on time and/or wants to feel invested in the story.

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8 for the number of episodes it should have released with.

What it does well, it does really well. What it does badly is episode 10 and consequently episode 11. Episode 12 tried to save it, but couldn't completely erase the bitterness.

I believe it will be a better experience for those who binge it. Not perfect, but good. I binged the first ~7 episodes and I had a pretty great time. Not frustrating, not turbulent, kinda soothing, but still entertaining enough to keep you on your toes. Episode 8 felt like a natural ending. Episode 9 brought in new subplots, and it was still interesting. Episode 10... just prepare yourself. It's what you will most likely expect by that time, but also very much hope you're wrong. You won't be. I highly doubt it was their vision to continue the story like that. Because if it were, they could have done it so much better. Even well, actually. So much more naturally. It felt like they crossed the finish line and for some reason decided to go on, without having any strength left and clear goal in mind. Episode twelve is cute. Honestly, skip 9-11! That's what I would have done. You don't need to know what happens there.


What I enjoyed :

1. The work subplots. It was entertaining, educational, with great messages. This thing alone makes it memorable and worth your time in my opinion.

2. The side couple. They start a bit rushed, but eventually settle into their place.

3. The music. It isn't unique, but it's catchy and fits well enough.


What I didn't like :

1. The main plot line for episodes 10-11. It's very much not good. And that one side character from episode 10 onwards. You will know if you get there. Basically everything in episodes 10-11 can go to hell. It doesn't stick, but it stains.

2. The pacing was a bit of a mess. It starts slow, then rushes through some parts, gets stuck... this is the part where I think it will feel way better when you binge it. If I had to wait a week for each episode, I might have a very different opinion on this drama.

3. The "brother" stuff. It could have been fine if they did something with it, but no. It's only marginally better than the "wife" stuff.


In the end, I think you should certainly give it a try! The episodes are short, and it's mostly consistent in the overall "feel" of the show. You will find out pretty soon whether it's worth it for you or not.

Edit : The special episode is pretty cute! Totally unnecessary as far as the plot goes, so you won't miss anything if you decide to skip it. But it's a sweet fluff, focusing on the highschool past of main couple.

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Your Star has burned out and you're poking it with an electric stick

That's how I felt watching this show for the first time. Originally, I planned to make this long-ass review dissecting everything about the plot, character development, cinematography... so I went to rewatch the whole first season and episodes 1-8 of season two to prepare for a finale. Made a bunch of notes and quotes from the series. Intended to give points for every good thing a character does. Take away points from stuff they do wrong. Then I realized there would be a lot of substracting and negative numbers are ugly, so I switched strategy to giving black points. Looking out for for stuff to judge them on and drafting up my HJW defense rant of "To My Sta(lke)r: The Series."


I won't do that.

For one, I'm tired. It's 12 - 1 am where I'm from and this show has totally spent me. I could let it sit for a day or two, but it won't make me feel any more rested about it.

Secondly, it would go against everything the show's trying to portray. And portraying it does really well, so I will respect its message. It's a good one.



Let me just say some general advice for people that have yet to watch the show.

1. This isn't a feel-good story. It's heavy. Make sure you're prepared for that (TWs may include: portrayals of simulated violence, panic attacks/seizures, abandonment, manipulation, forceful following [I won't say 'stalking' because I'm playing nice], scamming, and more. Hearts will most likely break.)

2. Even though it may feel different from season 1, it's actually doing a really good job of expanding on what's already been established and keeping the characterization consistent. I recommend rewatching season 1 beforehand if it's been long since you've seen it last time.

3. There's a lot of details. Lot of symbolism. Lot of flashbacks and getting back to past scenes. Paying attention to it makes the show look way more logical and believable in my opinion. Rewatching might help you from getting lost in it.

4. Take your time. Some might like the show more if they binge it, but don't force yourself into continuing right away if it makes you feel uncomfortable. It was originally releasing 2 episodes per week, and the pacing feels adjusted to that (odd episode usually sets stuff up, while even episode sets it off).

5. Try to keep an open mind. Things may not be as they seem at the start.


Overall, I think this is one of the best BL shows I've ever seen. The characterization is insanely good in this one! The plot is on roughly the same level as in season one. Not my favorite, but good enough. It serves its purpose, which is uncovering the truth about main leads. The length felt suffocating on weekly basis, but looking back at it, I can't see what they could have left out without the show suffering from missing it. It's just very well put together in that way. Every little detail counts. I must say the ending didn't go exactly as I'd like, but that's personal preference. Everything else was solid.

If you liked season one, I think you will learn a lot more about the main leads from season 2. If you're new to TMS and somehow stumbled here, I very much recommend starting the show to anyone who's looking for something more complex and character-oriented. Start with season one, though! Both movie and the tv series are about the same, so either one is fine [around 2 hours long]. In both cases, just be aware it's not a light show to watch.

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Just because it's spinning, doesn't mean it's being cleaned

I don't have much words for this washing machine overall, so let's keep it short and to the point. This wasn't either. It's stuck between a comedy which builds its humor on highschooler harrassing a guy 10 years older than him on one side, and psychological drama that deals with trauma of said older guy on other side. It never goes far enough in either direction, just repeats the same wishy-washy cycle over and over again.

What I liked:

1. Visuals - both leads are pretty good-looking (as is usual in BLs), and the environment is also nice.
2. OST - the intro song is lively.
3. Neko comment from a side character. [start of episode 11]

What I disliked:

1. The plot doesn't move, for vast majority of the time. You're getting the same interactions over and over again.

2. It felt like writers didn't know what they wanted this show to be. Aside from constantly switching tone from kinda funny to kinda sad, back and forth, they introduce small side plots that are cleared almost as quickly as they come. But never developed.

3. Strong themes are brushed away nonchalantly. [more in spoilery comment under review]

Overall, I can't feel anything intense for this drama, other than frustration. It's just whatever.

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A bit too dense cupcake to swallow.

Ingredients might had been right, but the way they mixed them together wasn't. Too much flour. Too little sugar. The butter wasn't whipped enough. I can't pinpoint what exactly didn't work for me, but I will try. There will be spoilers ahead. As vague as I can make them, but still. So proceed at your own risk.



Issue number one : It's too short.

This one is pretty evident. 5 episodes of less than thirty minutes, so they had to cut some corners. Maybe even more than corners. The pacing wasn't much of an issue, but it felt kinda dry to me. Like they just went through the points they wanted to make in chunks, adding what seemed fitting to that particular scene. It lacked consistency. Some bits were too light and empty (especially the ones when they ate), while others were quite heavy and sticky. It felt uneven to me.

Should this be your usual college BL, it might have been fine. Because the audience is already used to it and can fill the blanks for themselves. They're also more familiar with the heavier stuff and hence you don't have to try so hard to show and provide context. Which leads me to my second point.



Issue number two: It feels too extrinsic.

This is entirely my personal problem, but one I feel a lot of people could share. The premise is quite unique, which makes it interesting at first. But it's also a curse in a way that if you don't do a good job presenting it in a comprehensive way, people might have trouble getting attached to it emotionally.

I couldn't relate to the main leads from the get-go. We just don't share enough of personal characteristics and experiences. So the show had its work set out for it: make me understand these people. See where they are coming from. Empathise with them. Feel for them and feel with them. This is the part where Old Fashion Cupcake failed the most in my opinion. During the whole series, I felt like an outsider spying on strangers. And as such, not only I was not moved by them, I started questioning the validity of their feelings.



Issue number three : Consent isn't exactly put into correct perspective.

I know. Complaining about consent in a BL show. Story as old as the industry itself, and seemingly missing a mark this time. Was there a rape? No. Forceful kissing? Forceful undressing? Not really. So why am I talking about consent?

The relationship between leads is very professional on the outside. They are boss and employee. Ten years apart, living in a society that puts immense weight on hierarchy and customs. Nozue stated that he's intending to keep those boundaries in place, even though he was clearly battling with the issue during the whole season. It was one of the main conflicts in my opinion. Which is why it felt uncomfortable when Togawa overstepped, without the show addressing it properly. I'm sure people that finished it can point out which scene, in particular, I have in mind. Should I go through the whole show again, I could most likely find multiple examples. Keep in mind, I'm looking at it from outsider's perspective, not really sure where each character stands with their emotions and values. If the premise were simpler, or the show longer and with better characterization, I probably wouldn't even stop to think about it. Might even enjoy it. But in this case, I was put off by it.



Issue number four: Message of the story isn't conveyed in a positive (to me) manner.

Starting with 'pretending to be girls'. Anti-aging. Nozue's struggle with technology. And in the end, sexuality. While I understand where they were going with it and align with their intentions, the way they went about it wasn't well-thought-out and could be misinterpreted easily. The gravest offender is, in my opinion, the ending message.


MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THE ENDING!!! TURN BACK NOW OR WEEP AFTERWARDS!


Togawa says to Nozue after they get together:

"Having an age gap or being a minority is the same as having different hometowns or cheering for a different baseball team.

It's nothing."

NOPE. Just no.

I get that he's trying to say it isn't much of an issue between them. Assuring Nozue that they can work through it. It could also be seen as one of those motivational messages advocating for a better world. An equal one. Our inherent differences shouldn't be a reason for judgement and discrimination. Good message.

But it felt SO DISMISSIVE to me!!! Bad. I'm legit angry about it! We don't live in a fairytale where everything is easily solved like that. Our differences don't all carry equal weight. Don't have equal consequences. It's not nothing.

END OF SPOILERS!!!


Just so I'm not only putting the show down, let's mention some positives. It's still a japanese BL adaptation. So the visuals, music, cinematography and acting are pretty good, as expected. It's very high quality.

The premise itself isn't bad. Quite the opposite. It's very good. Unique. Interesting. Needed to be portrayed in my opinion. The wording is also good, for the most part. I just don't think it was executed well.

It's fairly low-effort to watch, so you can try it even if you have some reservations. It doesn't have any major jumps in terms of quality and overall feel of the drama.

In the end, I don't think it is a bad show. I believe it's worth trying for everyone. And it can surely be enjoyable, if you like your cupcakes old-fashioned. I don't.

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Senpai, this won't be love unless we speak our damn minds!

Feels like a cross between Mr. Unlucky and Star in My Mind. It starts funny and ridiculous like Mr. Unlucky, gets unnecessarily messy in the middle like Star in My Mind, then somewhat picks up again towards the end. Overall, it's still a pretty good show, but only because it's way shorter than Star in My Mind. Should this have longer episodes, it would be more of a pain to get through.


STORY : 8/10

Kaneda is a new employee at a CG company Yanase works at. While Yanase is tasked with helping Kaneda get used to the job, he notices Kaneda being cold and overly self-conscious around Yanase. Does Kaneda hate him? Or is there something more to his actions?

As this is a BL (and not a queerbaiting one), I can assure you that Kaneda isn't repulsed by Yanase. Quite the opposite! Unfortunately for him, Kaneda isn't that good in voicing his feelings, a trait which Yanase seems to share. To my utter annoyance. This drama is riddled with clichés, a "miscommunication" being the most prominent one. And it doesn't get better as time goes on. When the show is funny, it's refreshingly cute! But when it's frustrating... you want to scream at the leads for wasting your, and everyone else's time. The show presents itself very well in the beginning, which just made me think of all the potential that was wasted. For most japanese BLs, I tend to think they are too much. This one didn't hit nearly hard enough in the middle. Nor at the end, if we are being honest. It was a disappointing path to take.



POTENTIAL TRIGGERS (with minor spoilers included) :

Sexual harassment - nothing too overt. Most of it is limited to the first episode.

Obsessive behaviour - not nearly strong enough in the context it's put into. It serves as a comedic relief, in a shape of small interactions sprinkled all over the series.

Age Gap (?) - Kaneda is 25 and Yanase is 29. Both actors are 26. So, not much of a gap. That said, the behaviour patterns of the main leads are peculiar enough that you might feel like age is an issue. For some people, Yanase feels considerably more mature than Kaneda [Frankly, he really isn't].



WHAT I LIKED ABOUT THE SHOW:

1. It's fairly light and easy to watch. Should feel good to binge if you are just looking for something to pass time.

2. Characters are cute. Their portrayal isn't exactly sexual, but it's sweet.

3. The OST and outro are well done.

4. It has its funny moments, and its romantic moments. It isn't just bland the whole time.



WHAT I DISLIKED ABOUT THE SHOW:

1. The main conflicts are overdone and boringly executed. I didn't feel any real tension in them.

2. It wasn't consistent. The first few episodes feel like a setup for completely different drama.

3. It relies heavily on tropes. Some of them worked for me pretty well, while others made me loudly exhale and look for aspirin.



OVERALL RATING : 7.5 /10

It isn't a spectacular drama. But it isn't tedious, either. It can get boring in small stretches, but not long-term. I don't regret watching it, but won't probably do it again. If you're just starting with BL shows, there are way better ones out there [for more serious japanese BL set in work environment, try "Old Fashion Cupcake". For a more silly one, try "Mr. Unlucky Has No Choice But To Kiss!"]. But if you are bored and have nothing left to watch, this one will suffice. And it's short. Which is always preferable for me, when compared to some thai shows that last twice as long with half the plot.




One more point I want to address (SPOILERS FOR BOTH "SENPAI" AND "MR. UNLUCKY" ) - I don't mind them not kissing in the end. It bothered me more in Mr. Unlucky, because the relationship felt prepared for it. And I thought they haven't got enough of a progress in the last episode. But with Senpai, they barely "got together" in the end!!! While circling around each other and being shy the whole show!!! Not talking to each other, basically ever! Quite frankly, the kiss would have felt pretty weird in my opinion, considering how they were behaving. And 'kiss open to interpretation' is probably slightly better than 'kiss prevented by one of the shy leads,' as far as general consensus goes.

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8 minutes of perfection

Literally. Just watch it! There's no excuse not to.

If I had 30 minutes left to live... I would have watched it twice. And in the remaining time, I would replay the last 2 minutes in a loop.

It's such a great mood-upper! You will see all the greatest BL hits, such as *female rival*, *soccer*, *engineer* and our all-time favorite, *product placement*! There's a coherent plot. Character development. Positive message anchored in the story rather than just randomly screamed at you in the end! That which shall not be named could never.

For some reason, my dumb ass thought Maple would be a guy. Oh, well...

It can be found on official "ACNOC" youtube channel (link in the comment section, a courtesy of @jemolian).

Treat yourself. And if not, do it for me ?

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Onslaught of emotions

STORY: 6/10

The story is very simple, bordering on weak. In essence, it doesn’t really matter where the characters are or what they’re doing there. What matters is what’s happening to them. This is certainly a character-driven drama. And while some characters may be an acquired taste, I believe they’re interesting enough to entertain you on their own. Once you get over the second-hand embarrassment, that is. Tone changes between melodramatic and more serious scenes are present, but usually handled well enough. Some subplots are rushed, though, especially later on in the series.

There are five pairings in the show – NueaToh, SkyJao, Intouch+Daisy, Kongkwan+Fon and Tor+Som. Out of them all, only NueaToh and SkyJao get adequate amounts of screentime.

NueaToh is your main “secret crush” romance. What I liked about them is that they stay true to themselves throughout the series and don’t feel the need to change for their partner drastically. What I didn’t like is how unrealistic they seemed at times, even though they were portraying a clear message. There is also certain power dynamic in play between them, but it felt fairly balanced to me and not concerning.

SkyJao is basically a watered-down version of NueaToh. It’s presented more one-sidedly than the aforementioned, but ultimately it’s just a slightly different perspective of the same dynamic. Instead of providing a contrast for the main pairing, they’re used more for a quantitative comparison.

I won’t touch up on the remaining 3 relationships, since anything I want to say would be too spoilery. I don’t believe the production had a chance to balance them all, and they haven’t even given an impression of intending to do that. I just wish they would have given one of them a proper progression, at the expense of SkyJao development.

POTENTIAL TRIGGERS (with minor spoilers included) :

Stalking – This one probably won’t surprise anyone. I believe it was dealt with quite well. It’s not dark enough to be truly uncomfortable, and we get *some* reasoning behind it. So unless the theme’s pretty close to the heart for you, I don’t think it will be a deal-breaker.

Body image and identity struggles – I hoped they would go deeper with those parts. It can certainly get uncomfortable at times, but it’s not prevalent enough that you wouldn’t be able to get past it.

Hoarding/object collecting – SCOY really dropped the ball here in my opinion. It’s very present in the story, inflated for comical relief and the resolution leaves much to be desired. This is the main trigger I could imagine someone quitting the show for. I will leave a very spoiler-filled comment under this review talking about my view on it (along with the "stalking" aspect), for those who are done with the drama. I don’t recommend reading it before finishing the show, since it partially dissects the whole subplot.

(Public) intimacy – It’s certainly an 18+ drama, no way around it. At least, the official youtube version (available for free on “IDOLFACTORY OFFICIAL” youtube channel) is. I heard there is a 13+ cut version being broadcasted in Thailand, but I’m uncertain of how to access it. That said, it’s not so obscene it should be a problem for mature audience. What I personally don’t like about it is the public involvement in some romantic scenes. Love declarations, kisses and touches are often happening in front of the whole friend group, which gets annoying real fast (at least for me). As for consent, it’s generally fine. There is at least one scene with dubious consent (intoxicated person), but there are no lingering regrets and the intention for it was established beforehand from involved parties.

Jealousy, mild possessiveness and forceful courting - It's there, especially in SkyJao plotline. I haven't thought much of it at first, since it fits the overall tone of this drama . But for someone who's sensitive to it, it might be too much (both main couples show signs of "macho seme" going after "smol uke", even if said uke doesn't appreciate it). It's less of an issue (more two-sided) between Toh and Nuea, but still present.

ACTING/CAST : 8/10

All actors felt natural for their roles to me, no problem there. They are also all good-looking, as is customary in BL shows. I’m not sure if I’m glad for that or a bit disappointed, considering the themes of SCOY. But in the end, it turned out pretty good. They might seem overacting at times, but it fits well in the story.

MUSIC: 7/10

The songs they use are pretty good. But there’s only 2-3 main songs being repeated all over, so it gets tiring and sometimes doesn’t reflect the tone of a scene. I guess that’s a budget problem, but I would wish for a more varied soundtrack.

REWATCH VALUE : 8/10

If you enjoy it the first time, you will most likely want to watch it again. If you only finish it to tick off a box on your list, there is no reason for coming back to it in my opinion. Certainly not as far as plot is concerned.

OVERALL : 8/10

It’s pretty enjoyable and mostly inoffensive experience. It’s not challenging, but rewarding enough for the effort it requires (which isn’t much). I could imagine myself watching it again. Especially when I need a mood-upper. Or when I’m drunk. It might not work very well as a background noise, since it can get loud and OTT. But it’s light and silly. I certainly recommend giving it a try for few episodes. Just be aware it can be a lot, both visually and auditory. So maybe watch it alone or in a very close company.

EDIT: After taking some time away from it and watching other dramas, I decided to change the overall score from 7.5 to 8. The main takeaways stay the same, but I appreciate the positives a little more now.

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It's one big cliché

The longer I'm thinking about this series, the lower score I want to give it. Each part of it is just... not good? And somehow out of blue? Not really forced, but you'll literally find out what's gonna happen the second it starts (4 seconds it lasts) and for the most part, *le sighs* will be the most authentic response. Don't expect to be surprised. Actually, don't expect anything. It's better that way.

I'm going to skip all that information about couples, plotlines, symbols and whatnots. It wouldn't help you decide either way. Here, have some random tags instead : Enemies-to-lovers. Best friends-to-lovers. Inhaler. Plant abuse. Cooking. Hotel. Shipping. Fans. Kangaroo. OISHI (you wish). Shrimp paste. SOTUS. Zombies. Bears. Neighbours.

To say what I liked about this - product placements. They go ALL OUT! You wouldn't believe how many people use the same product seemingly independently of each other in this show.

To say what I didn't like about this - it was so wasteful as a story. It told nothing interesting, and whatever it told was shallow enough to be mixed with product placements at any given moment (so at least some plus to that "plot"). It watches okay-ish-ish-ish, but it won't bring you anything new. Nothing goes too deep, because any story arc has but a few minutes until another trope's lined up and fired.

Who would I recommend this for - You simp over one of the actors and have nothing better to spend your time on. You're just looking for something to vibe with while you're cooking dinner or doing chores. You're feeling catatonic and just need something to mess with you, a little bit.

Who would I not recommend this for - You're looking for something at least slightly unique. You prefer fewer, deeper plots compared to mutliple fractured ones. You value your time.

Overall, I'm just surprised this was even made. It's hard to find something so uninspired, yet utterly filled with (copied) ideas that go nowhere. It's like they tried to develop something, only to give up midway. Tried again. And again, not clearing up the previous attempts. I guess we're just rolling with it.

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When you order a #PinkMilk, but get #GuavaJuice instead

STORY : 7/10

It's your typical thai college BL premise. Boy has a crush on another boy (often from his past). Boy 1 doesn't think his feelings are reciprocated (spoiler alert: they are). Boy 2 is unclear about his feelings, which creates drama (often a female rival is introduced). All communication issues will be cleared and we'll be treated to happy ending, hopefully. If you've watched 5+ thai BLs already, you'll think you've seen this film before. Mutliple times.

Personally, I still enjoy this kind of plot. So instead of judging its uniqueness, I'll judge the execution of it. And Star in My Mind doesn't fare that well. Let's break it into parts. I will try to avoid spoilers as much as I can, but if you wish to skip it, head straight for the "acting/cast" part. To give you my overall feelings - start was great, upper middle quite bad, ending couldn't save it. Miscommunication seems to be the main conflict for major part of the show.

Episode 1-3 : 8.5/10

I adored this BL when it started!! Was there anything new? God, no! But it was really cute, really funny, dare I say well-written? The characterization was also good and consistent. We've got a bit of mystery and angst, too, on top of all the cliches. It was paced a bit faster than I expected, but not too fast. Nor too boring. If you're gonna watch this drama, stay for at least those 3 parts!!!

Episode 4-5 : 6.5/10

This is where it started to go wrong. For one thing, they rushed through the part I looked forward to the most!! Then introduced a non-fluffy filler. A lot of angst. Unnecessary conflicts-to-be. Characters were still consistent imo, but the acting is showing its limits.

Episodes 6-7 : 5/10

All the good things go to hell. Consistency? We don't know her. Rational thoughts? Never had those. A lot of stuff is reaching its climax and resolution without believable progress, pushed mostly by side characters and not-so-shocking rushed revelations (which felt made up just to patch some plot holes). The lowest point of this series. I hated it. Actors are trying, but they can't do much with this mess.

Episode 8 : 7 / 10

Mostly fluff and introduction to Sky in Your Heart. Perfectly skippable in my opinion. Since nothing important is happenning, it dawned on me that their acting actually hasn't been that great (the whole time, I presume), especially from one of the MLs.

POTENTIAL TRIGGERS (with minor spoilers included) :

Domestic violence - mentioned, aftermath shown in one scene. Not much has been done about it and it wasn't very graphic, but could be triggering if it's personal for you.

Consent in relation to kissing - It's flat out not there, vast majority of time. Even before establishing to each other that their feelings are mutual. Sometimes it's forceful, but mainly not. It might be uncomfortable and disturbing, but not exactly emotionally triggering in my opinion.

Emotional manipulation / Hiding one's true feelings - One character doesn't talk about themselves, at all. Other one is so emotional, they not only let other people push them around, but they also do things without thinking it through, hurting others in the process (whether intentionally or not could be debated).




ACTING/CAST : 6.5/10

I'll talk only about the mains, since side characters were your middle-of-the-road, good enough actors in this show.

Main leads look perfectly fine for their roles, as always in BL series. They are cute/hot just in the way they need to be. Their acting skills, on the other hand...

Dunk (playing Daonuea) is the newbie lead this time. At start, I considered him adequate for the role. But with added depth, cracks started to appear. If nothing else, he should really work on his facial expressions during emotional outbursts. Often I cringed so hard, it took me right out of the scene.

Joong's character (KhabKhluen) is controversial enough to claim Joong acted badly. Khluen is very stoic for the most part. Very blank. Doesn't require much acting. So when he shows more emotion, it may look out of character and wrong. I was satisfied with him, though.




MUSIC: 7.5/10

The song(s) they use are nice. A tad forgettable, but sweet. There isn't much of them, though, which hurts the overall variety of soundtack.




REWATCH VALUE : 7/10

Liked it once? You'll like it a second time. And third. It's the kind of basic story you can just play in background or when you don't want to be challenged. Problem is to fall in like with it in the first place. The plot isn't strong enough to encourage rewatching, but it's also not bad enough to prevent you from doing it.




OVERALL: 7.5/10

This is what you'll get when you purchase 2moons from wish.com . A faulty replica. Usable, but very disappointing. If they just took the content of first 5 episodes, edited it and added more context with filler, this could have been exactly what I wanted from SIMM. I'm giving it a bonus .5 points just for my love of cliché college gay love stories. But in the end, I wish I had gone somewhere else.

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Not much, really

Let's just say general feelings for now.

The main problem of the drama is its length. 6 episodes of less than 20 minutes each is not enough for anything but the simplest plot. And they tried to do more than the simplest.

The story is fine. Pretty interesting premise, though not unique. And the stakes weren't high enough for me to care about it. It just distracted me from the romance, which was barely there in the first place. It had few little subplots, none of them developed enough. Didn't care for them, either. The romance part was handled quite well with the time they had left for it, but they had too little time left. So overall, I just didn't feel strongly about anything either way. It looked good and didn't have any glaring mistakes. So it's a meh 7.

If they cut at least half of the subplots and developed the romance more, it could have jumped to 8. Now, I don't think the romance is good enough to stand on its own. But the story by itself isn't that great, either. It's passable. It's also pretty forgettable, so there might be some rewatch value there. If you are really bored, that is.


TRIGGER WARNING FOR THIS DRAMA (SPOILER) - stalking. The ugly, creepy, violent kind. Nothing else is notable.


SPOILERS FOR THE ENDING FROM NOW ON:

Won't even bother with the stalker subplot. If it was someone more important, maybe. But random person? Who cares?! Same with other subplots. Who cares? I kinda expected the girls to end up together, though.

The romantic ending for boys makes little to no sense, since it goes from 10 to 100 in matter of 20 minutes. Even in episode 5, there's little to no sign that Ji Woo likes Ro A. And then, he just suddenly loves him so much he rejects the girl he's been pining for during the whole series?! Weird. I wouldn't have been surprised if Ro A didn't believe him or thought that Ji Woo is just confused. My personal interpretation of Ro A rejecting Ji Woo is different, though. I think he wanted Ji Woo to be with the girl of Ji Woo's dreams. Happy. Safe from homophobia and insecurities of same-sex relationship. Which leads me to my controversial opinion. This shouldn't have had a happy BL ending. It just isn't realistic with what little they've done for the pairing. They should have given us an ugly ending. For one of them, or both. That way, I would have at least felt something.

[I would also complain about the queerbaiting then, but still. It would make for a more emotional story imo.]

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More of a melodrama than comedy, but worth every minute

STORY: 8.5/10

It's very much what it says in a summary. The whole drama takes place on Ryosuke's and Mizuki's wedding day, with the main conflict being Ryosuke's family not knowing Mizuki is a guy. Chaos ensues.

Initially, I expected a very OTT and slightly cringey comedy. Something that's so unrealistic one might even get offended by it. This drama is so not it. It was way darker than I thought it would be, and also surprisingly more believable (it wasn't exactly realistic, but they got close to it). So if you're looking for a silly feel-good comedy, leave this one for later date. But be sure to come back to it.

Otherwise the plot is fairly simple, and for the most part, it flows well. There are few flashbacks, which might make it confusing for some. And it's only hour long, so any character development feels rushed. I believe it had potential to be made into a full-length series, and a good one, to boot.



SPOILERS FROM NOW ON IN THE "STORY" PART!!!

TRIGGER:

Mild homophobia - not enough to make you sick, but enough to make you slightly angry/bitter/uncomfortable.

SOME THINGS I LIKED :

The lemon metaphor. At first I thought it's really weird how obsessed they are with lemons, but I ended up appreciating it.

Grandma's big line.

WHAT THEY COULD HAVE DONE BETTER:

Ryo's father's progression was too jarring for me. They tried to make it believable, but for some reason, it didn't work on me.

I would have liked a kiss at the end. It felt fitting to me, once everything was resolved.

END OF SPOILERS!!!



ACTING/CAST : 8/10

Actors fit their roles really well and their expressions were adequate. Nothing to complain about, really.

MUSIC: 7(?)/10

I'm sorry, I can't remember anything of the soundtrack. It's good enough, most likely. Inoffensive, but forgettable.

REWATCH VALUE: 8/10

Why not? It's quite emotional. Easily digestable. Should it be made into full series, I'll watch it. As for this short movie version, maybe one more time.


OVERALL: 8/10

This feels like an 8. It's far from bad. Could have been better, but not by much. Considering what they had to work with, I'm satisfied.

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21 days, but you skip half of them

To start this off, I want to make clear I did not enjoy watching this drama. Should I rank it purely on my enjoyment, it would go somewhere near the 6 territory. The reason why it's ranked higher is because I can acknowledge the effort they put into delivering some messages. I appreciate the sentiment, even if the execution didn't impress me.

The plot summary makes it sound like the competition between X and Q is the main drive for the story. It isn't. Honestly, neither of them really cares about the challenge, which is actually fought on side fronts by Q's friends. As for what the real plot entails? It's hard to say for me. Should I be generous, I'd say it's a story about a boy discovering himself, a story about acceptance and first love. Should I be frank... it tries to. And maybe it succeeds for you. But no. Let's mention where it failed for me first, so we can end the main part with some positives.


What I disliked about the show :

1. It's presenting itself as a slice-of-life rom-com, especially at the start. But the humor is not my cup of tea. I found it very immature, similar to what older BLs like "Make it Right" and "'Cause You're My Boy" used to work with. I'm not a fan, but it's subjective to your taste.

2. The pacing of this show isn't good [for the main couple mostly]. First two episodes move at relatively slower pace compared to the last two. And while it creates a fairly well established set-up, it then leads to the main plot being rushed. The show has 4 episodes around 40 minutes each. That's enough time to properly pace a simple story. [Episode 3 started at the end of 3rd day, ended at night of day 17]

3. One of the reasons why pacing might be off is an inclusion of not one, but two side couples (male-female). It gets to a point when side characters have more screentime and relationship development than the main pairing.

4. It feels very preachy at times. The lessons it's trying to give are good ones, but they feel forcefully put in (based off little prior setup, or on setup that doesn't feel organic), repeated (it seemed like they tried to address the same problem multiple times, which isn't ideal with so little screentime), and long (they spent more time monologuing than actually showing something that would have moved the plot or added some flavor to it). I commend them for trying, but sometimes less is actually more. If you want to go that way, make sure you're putting enough effort in for it to hit the mark.

5. It sets up stuff without pulling it off. They go out of their way to create a specific situation, which is then fruitless or underwhelming.

6. The use of english language and foreign stereotypes in general.

7. Uneven set-up of the main characters, not supported or worked with.


Things I liked about the show:

1. More realistic portrayal of sexuality than in majority of BLs.

2. Second side couple was actually pretty well dealt with in my opinion (first time ever that I liked the male-female storyline more than the BL one in any story).

3. The actors are cute, obviously.

4. That one food scene in episode 4 was sweet.

5. The starting dynamic between main leads was entertaining.


Overall, I feel like I wasn't the target audience for this drama. Best case scenario, I still think the series has some major issues with pacing and set-ups, but it's apparently widely enjoyable for a lot of people. Should they have more time, or cut the side couples and Man's "arc", it could be a nice short story, akin to K-BLs and J-BLs. But they tried too much, with too little space, taking shortcuts that ruined it for me and focusing on stuff I didn' find important. So if you are looking for a drama that's light on basically anything but educational speeches, you might love this. Just don't expect a smooth development for the main couple. Below are some spoilers further elaborating on things that didn't work for me.


MAJOR SPOILERS UNTIL THE END - clarifications for "What I disliked about the show" part.

1. The comedy is very childish. Starting with the outright ridiculous situation of drying up pants in episode one, the way the audition ended, their big "hero" plan and the dialogue when they were playing videogames in episode 4. It wasn't even cringey stupid. It was a "why the hell should I believe anyone would ever find it normal" eye-rolling type of stupid. Combine that with the "based on a true story" part, and it's just big sigh from me.

2. There is little to no sign Q even likes X for the most part of the first two episodes. How do we go from there to that lovey-dovey bathtub scene (which was already ridiculous enough)? Cue the jealousy arc, the honeymoon arc, the coming out arc, the betray arc, the heartbreak arc, the second coming out arc, the the determination arc, and whatever the last ten minutes tried to do because I just can't interpret that in one word. We don't even know whether they talked at all while X was away (normal person would, but not BL leads. No indication given in the show).

3. This is a BL. That gives more screentime and believable progression to hetero-presenting side couples. You can argue it's for the sake of that "challenge" plot, but the challenge ended up useless either way. No one cared for it, and it was only there to create some ridiculous setup and a sense of urgency imo. Because really, he went on a school trip! He wasn't exiled to antarctica until he's 25 or anything! Neither of the two mains cared for the bet and they could have shown more of the main couple without it. It was just a quirk that got abandoned, because it was too ambitious to pull off for them in such a short time. That said, I liked what they did with the Frank-Mild storyline, for the most part. It was still kinda weird, but I enjoyed it more than the other side couple (which could have been just deleted and nothing would change), and even the main one (it progressed better in my opinion, had less drama and was more flavorful).

4. I like the idea behind those messages. But they really took up too much time and didn't feel well incorporated into the story. First case - Q's mother and her worries about Q's sexuality. There was no sign of Q even liking X when this started!! Zero. It was actually her and Man who pushed Q towards X. Why are you doing this so soon?! It made no sense. They also repeated basically the same stuff twice or thrice, which I was just over it.
Second case - the jealousy plot. I liked this more than the first one, but it felt forced in rather than naturally developed. Firstly, don't even try to tell me that it's completely natural when a 30+ man flirts with ~15 yo guy jokingly, touching him unnecessarily, giving him massage unprompted... just no. I thought they would lead it into "Man intentionally hitting on X, so Q gets jealous over time and recognizes his feelings." But they didn't. They made it look like it was nothing and it's purely Q that's to blame! Also, it was rushed. Q was perfectly fine with it (slightly annoyed at best), and then he just erupts during one scene into an ugly fit of jealousy (which, they could have excused themselves from those nasty comments about Man screwing X and X becoming Q's "aunt"). After that, Q gets talked down like he's a kid. Which, he did acted childish. But he's hardly the only one to blame.
The third case - Man and Q's mom persuading Q to go after X. This one would be mostly fine, if it weren't so long (the better part of last 10 minutes of the show), and if it lead anywhere (Q didn't catch X. He wasn't shown having any real regrets about it. They rushed the ending into HEA in the last seconds).
The last case - Man's own struggles and his relationship with his parents. I guess it was meant to provide contrast and parallels to Q and his mother's situation. But it was barely touched upon. The "resolution" scene felt cheap and too easy. I would have prefered if they left it out (at least the ending).

5. Again, the main premise is wasted. The bet is wasted, the urgency of 21 days is wasted. The side couple's big night (Q needed to get invited to) was wasted. Q mustering up the courage to follow X was wasted. Q's mother pushing X and Q to stay at their place so she can keep an eye on them just for her to leave almost immediately (planned leave, no emergency) was just stupid. The uncle's subplot with his farther could have been left out, since they showed nothing of it.

6. I could forgive them the comment about foreigners not being cute or polite. Even the english pronunciation, if it was just a normal talk. But they made such a big deal of how bad Q is in english (he was okay-ish) and how great X is in it (he was only slightly better than Q, if at all). They even made X the saviour of the bakery, someone who lived abroad for extended period of time (and "despite" that being a nice guy), who's great as a international representative of the school... it was too much. Thankfully he's putting subtitles on those educational videos, because they will be sorely needed.

7. The set-up you are hit with at the start is simple - Q is a loser than can't get anything, while X is perfect in everything. The whole challenge is portrayed as Q's final chance to win something for once, how to beat the perfect X in something. It might be more interesting if it was actually warranted, but we get no indication why (or how) Q is the loser, and X's supremacy is iffy at best. It's just something you have to accept without questioning it, because it's not supported by the story (it actually goes against it at times, see point 6 for example). It annoyed the hell out of me.

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