Hotel Stars (2019)

I initially wanted to watch this when it was announced that sbfive would be part of the cast. I was curious to see if they would give them BL roles. A lot of people were upset that sbfive did not portray BL but that does not mean this was a bad show by any means. I enjoyed the plot that heavily relied upon the competition for who would win best intern and receive the job at the hotel. I liked that each character had their own motivations and the overall message of the show. It really proved how important friendship is. If you're interested in only BL this is not for you but if you truly support sbfive and want to watch a fun show give it a try.

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WTF

It comes as no surprise that no one has a clue about this series, or maybe they do and they just don’t bother watching. I desperately missed the 2moons cast, so when I had learned that they were back in this series I was stoked. Immediately after finishing 2moons2, I started binging this show, and there are two words that describe this series perfectly: WASTED POTENTIAL.

You would think that they had plenty of stories to tell with the fifteen-million characters on this show, but all plots fall short with slow storylines, boring circumstances, and an overall stale watch. There was so much they could’ve done with this series, but sadly, they let the end loose. The concept was new, but still not very interesting. Having a bunch of people train at a hotel is something I've never heard of before, but it still left such a wide range of chaos to happen. Having a bunch of young people working at a hotel? something is bound to go down right? But NOTHING DOES.

Right off the bat, there were way too many characters. It took me like the first 4 episodes to remember names with faces. They could have easily cut off a good four characters since their stories' were pointless and added nothing to the plot. Most first episodes are slow and uninspiring, as it is just an introduction to the characters and their situations, but man was this first episode BORING AS FUCK. Not only that one but even most of the episodes to follow. What made them so boring was the fact that they had no meaning to the overall objective (but, then again, what WAS the overall objective?) We were left with watching stupid circumstances happen that left aggravation and annoyance.

I am strictly here to watch BL and BL ONLY. If someone were wanting to watch BL only, then this is NOT the show for them! There was one canon gay couple and several underlining romances (one including Kim and Copter which was one of the only reasons I started Hotel Stars in the first place. smh), as the rest were covered up with hetero shit that I didn't sign up for. I do not consider this a BL series what. so. ever. This is a bromance series at best, but there are too many BL shows in this world for this one to be the one people spend their time watching.

Let's talk about the one canon couple though: Nueng and Kay. With the screen time they did get, they were rushed and had no build-up. they were cute, but I didn't feel anything for them because of the little amount of screentime they had, It's sad honestly, cause I enjoyed these actors so much, and would be down to see them as main characters in another drama. They were the only reason people watched this show in the first place. The episode of them kissing was the only one that had surpassed 200k views (at the time of my watch on YT) while the rest of the episodes could barely hit 100k if that.
I was either half asleep or annoyed by the other plots. Kin and Pong could’ve been something but then that went away. Tone and Akk had a thing, but then some chick and Akk started having a thing and Tone was left in the dust. Ying and Nook were such stereotypical female roles that it was so tiresome to watch them. If there was one good thing to take away from this show, it's that the acting was good and some moments were pretty funny. That's it. Thank god they made Gen Y or I would be in some serious shit right now.

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This is a bl and bromance click bait series

Already on the 9th ep and this show only has bl and bromance click bait. The entire series is extremely boring and I’ve been skipping parts to find the bl scenes. The actors are doing their best they can with such a badly written story. There has been a lot of missed opportunities to start bl couples which is annoying because there have been a few characters I want to see get together but it doesn’t look like it will happen until probably near the end which happens a lot in click bait bl dramas. Some will have real bl characters but they won’t have any opportunities to get together because they are outed at the end and most likely won’t get a 2nd season or spin off which is a common thing in click bait bl series.

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Starting episode was fine. But as I went along and watched the series it started off on the wrong foot. Really didnt expect it to be so boring at first. I watched this series cos of SBFIVE but the majority of the episodes were lacking chemistry and fun. Its all about sabotaging each other just for the awards. Ying and Nook are the most annoying characters but I really didnt want Nook to win because she kept sabotaging Phong just for the award and she won. This is injustice shown by the management team! Not forgetting Toey, cos just because he has money he can do anything to make sure he wins. But, to my surprise, the last 3 episodes were worth watching as the characters shone as bright as the stars to make sure people continue supporting the drama. Kin, honestly speaking, was the main point of the whole show. He really made everyone laugh and made sure they enjoyed it, this is thanks to Kimmon's funny personality. I think the show should have been more fun like developing Akk and Sompoi's story even deeper to make the series worthwhile. Neung and Kay's story was also worth watching as they deliver one of the best kissing scenes produced on the story. Lastly, Akk's sacrifice for Tone was the ultimate best ending as he was willing to sacrifice for his best friend. Overall, good series but lacking in chemistry and fun. I give a rating of 7/10.

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Mainly watched for the cast

I watched because of the cast in it. I enjoy watching them. I watched this whole series just hoping that it would get better as it went. I was wrong. It never did. The female characters were completely toxic. The plot rewards bad behavior. The writing is sloppy and dull. The direction is worse. A total train wreck from start to finish, no fault of the actors. There is only so much you can do with bad writing.

The entire series is extremely boring and I’ve been skipping parts to find the bl scenes. The actors are doing their best they can with such a badly written story. There has been a lot of missed opportunities to start bl couples which is annoying because there have been a few characters I want to see get together.

OVERALL: Don't watch it. Total disappointment. A click bait so people watch the series and wait for BL but guess what? THERE'S NO BL!!

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It's not good, but not the worst, either.

This is a tough one to review. I'll start with negatives and end on positives.

- There are too many characters. None of the story arcs get enough time to be developed, and many of them are just abandoned. This is very unsatisfying. If it had been 6 interns, it might have worked better.

- It might be my Western outlook (being sorry is not enough - accountability for one's actions means accepting the consequences, like being fired for framing other employees and bribery), but it's profoundly disturbing when characters are the most horrible people in the world for 11 episodes, then suddenly feel bad at the end and are totally forgiven and get pretty much everything as a reward. Even if you can accept that morally, it's exceptionally unsatisfying plot-wise. You want the good people who suffer to come out on top, not the horrible people who spent the whole series tearing everyone around them down - we're not talking slightly bad, we're talking seriously malicious.

- Since there are 8 male characters and only 2 horrible and evil female characters, it would have made more sense to make this a BL. You could have two of the 8 be straight and 6 paired off. Why would you not just have Kim & Copter get together? Or Tae & Tee? Or alternatively Tae & Bas? Only Tee has anything to do with a female character, in a rather pointless storyline that goes nowhere.

- I don't know if any BL writers have ever had a regular job, but the Thai management style according to dramas is horrible and counterproductive. That hotel would fail in weeks with that level of incompetent management. Bosses bully and arbitrarily punish people. It gets really old in this series.

Positives:

- Tae is a really good actor. In Ep 10 he has an opportunity to show what he can do, and it's first-rate. He's playing off a very good actress, which always helps, but I haven't cried that much in a long time, and he's powerful yet fairly subtle and restrained, given what's going on. It felt appropriate and real. He's the standout throughout the series. The acting in general is pretty good. Most of it is not terribly inspired, but none of it is embarassing - that's typical of Thai series, which thankfully almost never stray into overacting.

- The BL couple is really cute. Kay is adorable and Pleum is really, really attractive. They don't have much screen time and their relationship is insufficiently developed, but it's not bad for the time given it, and there's no mannequin kiss - it's one of the best we've gotten, and would have been a strong conclusion if they had been a focus of the story with better buildup.

All in all, I can't recommend it. You might skim through ep 1-9 for the BL couple and Tae, then watch ep 10 & 11, then don't watch ep 12 if you don't want to be upset.

Story: 3 - it's a mess, and whoever wrote it doesn't seem to have known where the story was going as it was being written.
Acting: 8.5 - It's really more like a 7, but Tae drags the average up with his 10 performance.
Music: 7 - not memorable and not in the way.
Rewatch: 3 - I'm shallow and I would probably rewatch Pleum's scenes, in many of which he's wearing a skimpy muscle shirt. He has a hot body and I'm shallow. He's handsome and charming, too.
Overal: 6.5 - The suggested score is 5.5, but that seems a little too harsh - there are some nice things in here.

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I was under the impression that this is a BL series. But after finishing this series, not gonna lie, im disappointed.

The main story isnt about two guys getting together. It just revolves around interns at a hotel. There were about 2/3 scenes of BL but it didnt get anywhere. The problems that they faced are also so mehhh.

So if you want to continue seeing this series, don’t think much of it being a BL series. Just as a normal series with BL actors.

- End of Review -

For me to submit this review i need atleast 500 characters. So this is just me trying to make it to 500. BL BL BL BL.

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A REALLY Good Series

This series is way more interesting then perhaps it is given credit for and in my opinion one of the best series out there. While the BL aspect may be thin, it is full of profound love and connection. There is really only one BL relationship somewhat going on. But there is so much more going on for it. I just need to state that this is one of THE handsomest ensemble casts I have ever seen. These guys are stunningly handsome and that can not be overlooked. The female leads are also extremely beautiful but none of that matters in this story. This is just extraordinarily good story telling. Each of these characters had charm, growth, and all developed a sense of purpose, responsibility, and commitment and perhaps, and most importantly, lifelong friendships. Each also had to come to terms with that they did to negatively manipulate others to fall and learn to forgive themselves and admit to their errors. If you want to read my full review of this series, please visit my (free) blog site at ppbongi.medium.com.

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Series had a weak storyline. I can see that the actors were somewhat awkward with their acting, probably because most of them were greenhorns but what made it worse was the lack of substance and depth in the story.
There was one goal for the whole series and that was to get intership in a hotel and that's that. Nothing special really.
Also I find the part where the two best friends were secretly being shipped to give a BL shade a bit cringy. They both look so uncomfortable acting that part.
As for the "problems" that they all faced, they could have been more creative. They just all looked like a rush project.
Far from the trailer which looked promising, itbfelt like they were writing the screenplay as they were filming and that they were just forced to drag the script to make sure they have enough episodes.

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The most common response I've seen for this series is that it is a disappointment. This is probably because many fans who watched 2Moons (Season 1) were expecting something better as many members of the same cast are in this production.

It may be a little better for me. Although I have watched 2Moons, I merely stumbled upon this series. However, it is still a rather weak production.

The story isn't very interesting, and, to make matters worse, it is full of holes. It also suffers from having too many characters, none of whom is developed sufficiently. There are characters with potentially interesting back stories (e.g. Tone, Toey and Pong), but they do not get enough attention. For example, it remains unclear what Toey's father expects from him. Tone's story involves a sick mother who needs mother for medical treatment, but little so little is shown about their relationship ship from the start that when the mother is on the verge of dying, the emotional peak is compromised.

To be fair, there is at least a fairly discernible story in this series (compared to say, I am Your King, Season 2). It isn't altogether that hard to watch from one episode to another, especially if you have managed to get past the learning curve of recognizing all the different characters.

Unfortunately, the baiting of BL fans is rather annoying in this series. There is a real BL couple, though there is not much about their romance. The consolation is that that the BL couple is the only instance where hints of romantic interest get anywhere, and the couple does have a happy ending. On the other hand, there are obvious moments planted to bait BL fans, e.g. there are moments between Kin and Pong (played by the actors for Ming and Kit in 2Moons I) that seem to have been added in solely to lure viewers to watch the next segment or episode. Toey's behaviour towards Tone towards the end of the series, too, may have hints of BL, but they seem rather pointless.

One positive thing I would like to mention is the casting and acting of Bas as Toey. Although the character got a lot of hate from viewers at the start, I felt that he was quite early on suggested to be a spoiled and bad-tempered person who has moments of soft-heartedness. Despite his anger when he thinks that Tone has got him into trouble, he seems sympathetic when he overhears Tone talking to his aunt about his financial problems. True enough, Toey does prove to be more good-natured towards the end of the series and also does overcome some of his character flaws. Unfortunately, the change in the character suffers from a lack of development and is likely to come across as being rather sudden, even to those who have paid attention to how he isn't a horrible person to begin with.

If you don't set your hopes too high, the series can still be at least ok in terms of entertainment value. But if you are a BL fan who only wants to watch BL, perhaps you can pray that someone makes a BL cut. I'm guessing that cut of the BL couple's key scenes may even be an episode long.

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