To My Star (2021)

Made me smile

The people who wrote this script, a big salute to them. A slice of life love story without going overboard in any aspect - no cringe moment, no lasting sadness, no dramatic angst, no "how does that makes sense! " moment. They portrated it quite realistically - the romance feels a bit rushed , but I have seen romance happening faster in real life! The story was quite fitting for a short drama and really heartwarming at moments. I have not seen the actors before but there couldn't have been any better ones for the lead roles. Their acting and chemistry felt so natural, and when I finished watching it, I smiled for no reason for several hours after . Good one.

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A beleza está nas pequenas coisas

A beleza de To My Star (1ª temporada) está nas pequenas coisas, nos momentos sutis que constroem o relacionamento entre Kang Seo Joon e Han Ji Woo. Não são gestos grandiosos, mas sim os detalhes do dia a dia que tornam essa história especial. Está em jogar basquete em uma quadra vazia tarde da noite com a pessoa que você gosta, porque é a única maneira de ficarem juntos sem interferências. Está na personalidade intrusiva de Seo Joon, que invade o espaço pessoal de Ji Woo para fazer algo tão simples quanto estourar uma espinha, mostrando como ele se sente à vontade e conectado com Ji Woo.

A honestidade de Seo Joon também brilha ao longo da série. Ele não tem medo de declarar o que sente e fazer o que quer, mesmo sendo uma celebridade, cuja profissão deveria limitá-lo e amarrá-lo a certas expectativas. É essa autenticidade que faz dele um personagem tão cativante e imprevisível.

Por outro lado, Ji Woo vive na incerteza, hesitante em se entregar a esse novo sentimento. Ele é metódico, reservado e tem medo de abrir seu coração. Mas, ao mesmo tempo, sua curiosidade inevitável sobre alguém tão diferente dele o puxa para mais perto de Seo Joon. É essa dualidade – o medo de se machucar e a curiosidade de experimentar algo novo – que dá vida ao romance entre os dois, tornando To My Star uma série encantadora na sua simplicidade.

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uma boa surpresa

depois de anos acompanhando sobre a série na internet e salvando vídeos aleatórios na esperança de um dia assistir, o dia finalmente chegou e eu estou meio gag. era de se imaginar que uma série tão comentada mesmo passando anos de sua estreia teria uma certa qualidade mas estou surpreso com o que eu encontrei.

apesar de achar que as coisas operam em um ritmo acelerado a série faz uma outra coisa com essa mesma característica: faz a gente se apegar aos personagens e ao enredo muito rápido também. a construção da narrativa e do personagens é tão gostosa de se acompanhar que ao final de todo episódio surge a vontade de assitir aos próximos. estou apegado aos protagonistas pois ambos tem personalidades distintas e acharam uma maneira de conviver da melhor forma possível entre si ao ponto de desenvolver um romance dessa relação. um outro ponto positivo é entender as camadas que envolvem os personagens (como traumas antigos e inseguranças) de uma maneira muito evidente, a série não se preocupa tanto em desenvolver esses dilemas mas você consegue perceber de forma clara que eles existem e a maneira como eles influenciam no jeito com o que os personagens se relacionam com outras pessoas.

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Its perfect, but is it really?

Honestly, if I was writing this review when I first watched it I would've 100% given it a 10/10. But now as I rewatch it, I honestly have a lot of problems with this show. Don't get me wrong its still one of my favorite kbls but I can't ignore its flaws.

THE POSITIVES:
chemistry:
This is probably what attracted a majority of people to watch the show. The way han ji woo's and seo joon's relationship develops is natural and well done. The scenes with them as a couple are super cute and adorable. They way they interact and flow together is amazing and we can genuinely feel their love for each other.

acting:
This is honestly one of the kbls with the best acting, woohyun and kangmin are amazing actors and they way they portrayed their characters was done really well (I do feel like woohyun's delivery in some of his lines felt weak and tame and just sounded bored, I'm not sure if this is because of the acting or directing tho). I want to also highlight all the other actors jaehyun, jae yeong, jin kwon and han ji won, they all did amazing jobs as side characters and really pulled their weight. ( + special shout out to the last scene- the kiss wasn't stiff or bland, it turned out to be super amazing).

THE NEGATIVES:
dialogue:
A majority (and I MEAN LIKE 80%) of seo joon's dialouge was really crappy. Honestly, it felt like he was just saying the most random shit ever at the most random times (like what in the world was that unprompted depressing backstory about his parents leaving him in italy??) and ji woo just pretends he never hears any of that. maybe its mistranslation but some of his lines don't even make any grammatical sense? (like its just a bunch of words placed together omg). Also there was a some scene where this random white girl came up and just starts speaking english?? and also hyung ki's random english scene- i still dont understand its purpose.

story:
don't even get me started on the story, i have way to many gripes with it. i tried rewatching the show and i literally could not even stand to watch the scenes without the main couple (except for some funny scenes with pilhyun and ho min) because the story is just so nonsensical?? like hear me out. it starts of interesting kang seo joon is a top actor who gets into some drama and hence has to stay over at han ji woo's place. But like this exact drama is never explained?? throughout the whole show they are so vague with it and i kept thinking, there's gonna be one big reveal about what it is but it never comes? Yoon seul literally tells seo joon she'll reveal his "secret" if he doesn't tell the truth but there was never any secret?? Why did seo joon hesitate so much to show the cctv footage if he never even did anything wrong?? Also, the final villian reveal kinda turned out lame. I like how you could see hyung ki naturally spiral and his situation get worse but the fact that seo joon just paid him money to deal with it was kind underwhelming, i guess it was still realistic though, people cant just suddenly become better and money is just to solution to everything lmao. also a very plothole filled show (kang seo joon's trauma, why han ji woo is so closed off, and especially the scene where han ji woo was going back home from confronting the kid for throwing rocks and there's a green shoe and ominous music. i thot that was definitely going to be the main villian but it was just thrown in there and forgotten about??)

Final thoughts:
It feels like there are a lot of flaws with this show (and there are) but it doesn't make it fully unwatchable. seeing the romance between the two main characters definitely feels like a treat but its hard to overlook the problems when u rewatch it. I'm glad this show got a season 2 because it definitely feels incomplete, there are a lot more plot holes to fill up and i hope the second season will work on and improve these flaws.

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Grumpy/Sunshine pairing + Forced Proximity (cohabitation)

This was a 9 ep series of 10-15 each and was quirky as all getup, but so cinnamon roll adorable out the other side I forgive it all my confusion. I didn’t (and don’t) get it for the first half but it became more and more charming and totally won me over in the end.

A popular actor laboring under a scandal (also a cheerful bundle of neurosis) has to hide out in the house of a hot introverted grumpy chef. The chef is NOT best pleased by having a human puppy forced upon him. Until he is.

Recommended so long as you realize we are in Mr Heart style K-BL, not Color Rush.

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lovely story + great cast + good side story = beautiful mini series

when it comes to korean BLs, there are high expectations and this drama didn't fail us.
The whole opposites attract agenda was beautifully shown in this drama.
KOREAN actors are good seriously and even it's cliche, you'll love the cliche (lol).
The Characterization was beautifully done; in most of the series you'll see that one of the leads in introverted but after they realize their feelings, they suddenly becomes extraverted and everything is just alright.
but in here we saw how JiWoo actually struggled to figure his feelings out and how Seo Joon took the first steps and literally leaded their romance relationship and stood firm to face the consequences.

Moreover, the story of this drama doesn't only revolve around the romance between the boys and actually made me glad that they are talking about a thing that has been a serious problem in korean entertainment and made a good plot out of it.

It's no secret that the OST was fine and lovely

and if you only need a push to watch this drama, here it IS.

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One of the best korean BLs out there!

To My Star is a beautiful mini web drama that touched me a lot. I loved it even more than 'Where Your Eyes Linger', about 2 hours in total this gem made me feel more than some 16+ hour dramas. In short, this gem is about a famous actor Kang Seo Joon whose career is in danger after a scandal. He ends up living with Han Ji Woo, a chef. They are complete opposites, Seo Joon is bold and outgoing, while Ji Woo is reserved and introverted. Of course they fall in love.

I liked both characters, Seo Joon at first seemed selfish and indifferent, and somewhat stupid (clueless) while Ji Woo seemed very cold and emotionless. But then you realize there's more to this than meets the eye. Seo Joon may be completely carefree but he's not stupid, and he actually cares. As for Ji Woo, he's not that cold and callous, he's also a very caring guy but has built walls around his heart.

Seo Joon starts living with Ji Woo and tries to get close to him, while the latter acts cold. But Seo Joon eventually manages to form a bond with Ji Woo, and feelings between them begin to develop. Their relationship developed naturally, it didn't feel rushed despite the short length of this web drama. This is pure romance, so the majority of the scenes are them together, which I think is good, because this is short, if there wasn’t so many scenes of them together, their relationship wouldn't flow as naturally.

I came to care deeply about both characters. They are flawed and realistic, not one dimensional. You just wonder what on earth happened to Ji Woo to became so closed off , and what happened to Seo Joon since he panicks to loud noises… Despite being opposites, I feel they both compliment each other perfectly.

The side characters were great, and Seo Joon’s manager especially… Baek Ho Min was so adorable! The actor who played him was no other than the leader/subvocals of the band Newkidd - Kim Jin Kwon. Newkidd by the way sings the OST - I’ll Be There. Great song!! Kim Pil Hyun (CEO of TB Entertainment) was also great. The other side characters I didn’t care about though…

To My Star is kinda angsty and serious, but full of heart! The actors gave it all. Also, I believe this BL is one of the first korean BLs out there with realistic/ passionate kisses, which of course is a huge bonus!

So… lots of people think To My Star is one of the best korean BLs out there, and rightfully so! It’s a deep mature BL… Seo Joon and Ji Woo are definitely one of my favorite BL couples out there! The road to true love is not smooth, but you can totally feel that Seo Joon and Ji Woo belong together. How Seo Joon didn’t want to give up on Ji Woo is touching. The chemistry between those two men is amazing and it’s nice to see about two working adults, not a BL that is set in college/university!

There is not really anything I want to change about this wonderful series, the pacing was really good. If you are tired of typical childish BLs, then this is for you! No exaggerating over-the-top acting here. This is still a sweet one with lots of sweet moments! It has everything I want in a BL - great chemistry and great acting, nice cinematography, nice and deep and thoughtful plot, realistic development and realistic kisses/skinship… also great OSTs!

I think it's great that South Korea is opening up more and more slowly but surely to LGBTQ, a long way to go of course but it's moving forward! Hope a Korean GL (Girls love) comes out soon. And To My Star is one of the best BLs out there that doesn’t focus on fan services or whatever to sell the the ”ship”. I have never cared about fan service, and sometimes fan service is just so problematic. Anyways, this BL should not be missed!

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Good Enough

Korean Drama " To My Star " is a sweet drama with some deep themes here and there. The factor that makes this drama entertaining is the chemistry between the two leads, and, especially, the two personalities. The two of them were completely different characters, one outgoing, flirty and friendly and the other secretive, closed up and an introverted, and yet somehow they were great together, unlocking each other.

The drama added some other plot lines too, with the celebrity scandal and its conclusion, and the drama between the two friends. The food scenes were brilliant too and a nice touch, as were the bonding moments between the two leads. Another enjoyable note was the connection of this drama with the other mini drama " Where your eyes linger ".

Finally, the performances were great for everyone in the cast.

So, overall, eight and a half out of ten for this short drama.

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Ladies and gentlemen, they actually TALK to each other.

Ladies and gentlemen, they actually TALK to each other. About their feelings, about the issue on hand, they talk things out as they occur to leave no misunderstandings (although one of the main characters sometimes tries to, but the second one doesn’t let him). As a BL watcher, it’s SO BIZZARE to me, I’m still pleasantly surprised.

It feels different from many other ‘typical’ BLs, perhaps due to very realistic way of production & script. The story is not over the top, it is believable and realistic. There are no exaggerated slow motions, no overly-dramatic music, no unnecessary playing on each other’s heartstrings. What is also worth noting is the fact that they did a great job setting the characters, having such limited time for it.

Overall, it’s a nice and simple BL to make you feel cozy.
Korea delivered again.

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Most well acted Korean BL I've watched so far

I came in thinking I wouldn't be interested in the storyline to be honest. While there isn't anything super dramatic or fantastical in this series, I actually realized I preferred it that way. It portrays an honest romance without cringey slow motion or cheesy lines that you get in korean dramas and bl dramas. The acting feels super natural and both actors do really well to portray different ranges of emotions and the development of their relationship. I love how their personalities seem to clash together in the beginning, but they end up finding comfort with one another in the end. It makes my heart so warm! I also like how it's not a typical coming out/or gay existential crisis series as sexual orientation is never mentioned here. The same story could be said if it was between a man and a woman. Other cliches in BL or nonexistent here, like the annoying girl who is in love with one of the guys or the parents disapproving of their sons' relationship. The only sad thing is hows it's so short, but I'm also excited because there's going to be a season 2 soon! I hope it lives up to the first season.

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