Star and Sky: Sky in Your Heart (2022)

short & sweet

I’ve come to notice that MyDramaList users are like Reddit users: nothing pleases them. I saw a lot of negative comments regarding SIYH (mostly comparing it to SIMM), and I really couldn’t understand why. Many of us watch dramas for relaxation, and I think that this is the perfect show for that. There’s not a whole lot of twists, the timing is easy to follow, and everything feels natural and simplistic in the best kind of way.

For starters, I love all of the characters and I think the casting was done so well. There are funny characters, characters you have a little urge to slap, and characters you feel a lot of empathy for. It’s a wide array of personalities and I think that it is one of the more intriguing aspects of this drama. I felt myself going through the same emotions the characters did as the story unfolded. It is a very beautiful thing to connect to a drama in this way, and I think that it is a big misconception that you need an intense story to feel some sort of connection to it.

As for the plot, I get it’s nothing new, but it is a nice, fun rendition on the enemies to lovers trope. Nothing gets too serious or angst ridden, which makes it a nice, calming watch for the most part (with the exception of episode 7; the last episode before the finale curse continues on!). I found it ironic how similar Fah and Dao started to seem as time went on, and I think I can say the same for Khluen and Prince. It felt like a similar dynamic between the couples even if there were some major differences. The chemistry between the actors and characters felt natural and simple, and it didn’t feel like the acting was over or underdone, everything was just perfectly in the middle.

Regarding my recommendation of this drama, I think it is worth a shot from everybody, but it is made for those of us who can enjoy a simple story from time to time. 8 episodes and a rounded-out plot makes for the perfect miniseries, and I really think it can be enjoyable if you watch with this perspective in mind. Those with expectations of a large, upscaled story with an intense development, maybe this isn’t geared for you. Overall, I think it was definitely better than SIMM, and I would recommend anybody try it out!

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slow moving countryside Thai BL (minor spoilers)

Overall: this is a spin off to Star In My Mind and you don't need to watch Star In My Mind first. I enjoyed the countryside setting but it moved too slowly and the 7th episode nonsense/non logical writing and then more cliches in the finale bumped it down to a 7. Watched on YouTube.

Content Warnings: manipulation, stalking, animal blood/death off screen

What I Liked
- I laughed a few times
- cute moments including some oldie but goody tropes like 'there's something in your hair' and 'protect mode.'
- countryside setting
- episode 6 poor communication was cleared up right away
- Prince's mom
- neutral (it has comedy sound effects)

Room For Improvement
- I wish they had had the flashback/explanation in part 3 of episode 1 at the very start. It was odd when last week was a cliffhanger and then they are just in a small village...
- sloooowwww pacing
- not into the reluctant pursuee trope
- nonsense/non logical things (especially in ep 7, only 2 cars? all of Fah's 3 cell phones suddenly don't work? not how you diagnose that, etc)
- more cliche stuff in the finale, making decisions about someone else instead of talking to them and asking what they want, lack of apology, no communication about something that could actually cause friction in their relationship
- annoying that Fah was dictating his younger brother's relationship regarding physical affection, speaking of,
- the G rated Kluen/Daonuea scenes added nothing, they felt more middle school couple than university couple
- side characters didn't really do much
- useless love triangles
- not a fan of the intro drawing style

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rural setting, country mouse/city mouse, rich/pour, enemies to lovers

Adapted from a y-novel by Peachhplease, directed by New starring Mek (the Kiss series, het male lead and has been with GMMTV forever) this was his first BL (he shouldn’t have) opposite a fresh face Mark, support cast included Arm (Friend Zone 2) and Mike in (Tonhon Chonlatee).

This was a cheap 1000 Stars kock off about a doctor who goes rural and falls in love with the volunteer teacher. I guess this should be added to my short list of BL‘s that are told from the seme’s perspective?

Linguistically: these two are formal with each other using pom/khun. Also If you want to hear frozen register spoken, that’s what Prince’s maa speaks to tease Fah.

How did this show managed to be boring, corny, AND cheesy? There was a really dumb manufactured miscommunication-based parting and while they mutually pined well, the kiss at the end was extremely poor quality for Thailand. Tut tut - you have one job to do.

To put it simply, this show was dull. I don’t know exactly how to write a review of this as “boring” isn’t in my rating system but, it is a BIG SIN for me, so I guess 5/10?

Watch only if you have nothing better to do.

I think the Star & Sky shows would have been VASTLY improved by cutting each set back to 6 eps each and then cross cutting between the two couples like the Why R U? or Dark Blue Kiss approach with 12 eps total. Just call the whole thing Star & Sky. Each couple would have been less boring and frustrating if focus were split, and the pacing would have been a lot better too.

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The first half was nice but then it became so boring.

They had such good materials and it could and SHOULD have been another Tale Of A Thousand Stars, but it fell short.
The views were there, the story had potential so I think what let this one down was mainly a bad script and one of the main actors. The lines the actors were given sounded a bit juvenile and one of the episodes focused mostly on kids playing. REALLY? Why would I watch a BL if I want to spend almost an hour watching kids play??? And I'm very sorry, but the actor playing the doctor can't act.
This drama wasn't really bad but it was very disappointing because it never became good. It would have been OK if we were in 2019, but after two years of ATOTS and Triage, this kind of mediocre is no longer acceptable.

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I Must say Dao's brother love story is slightly better than his own. I didn't say it was good, because there are a lot of series that are currently airing this month have better quality than Sky in your heart. But at least this series treats my longing for Mek's performance which I have been following since his early appearance. Honestly, I was a bit surprised knowing that GMM offered him this "kind" of role in BL series. lol

The story between teacher and doctor isn't a new taste, plus its simple packaging makes this series easily to forget in a short time. But the chemistry between Mek-Mark was amazing, and even much stronger than Joong-Dunk, is actually the one and only attraction of this series.

In Indonesian:
Harus kuakui bahwa kisah cinta Kakaknya Dao sedikit lebih baik dari kisah cintanya sendiri. Kalo dibilang bagus, masih banyak series yang sedang tayang bulan ini yang memiliki kualitas jauh diatas Sky in your heart. Tapi setidaknya series ini mengobati kerinduan saya terhadap penampilan Mek yang sejak awal kemunculannya sudah saya ikuti. Jujur saja saya agak kaget mengetahui GMM menggandeng dia untuk bermain dalam BL series dan menjadi tokoh utama dalam percintaan "seperti ini".

Percintaan antara guru dan dokter bukanlah cerita yang baru, ditambah pengemasannya yang sederhana membuat series ini gampang sekali untuk dilupakan dalam waktu singkat. Namun chemistry antara Mek-Mark yang kuat, dan bahkan jauh lebih kuat dari Joong-Dunk, menjadi daya tarik utama series ini.

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The first episode is the worst. It goes downhill from there.

It's not at all necessary to watch Star In My Mind to understand this series - anything that matters is shown in flashback in the first episode.

Mark is certainly cute, and Mek has no lack of sex appeal, but the overall chemistry here is missing, except insofar as Mek generates it by standing around and looking sexy, which in the end has a 2D quality that wears thin.

The central problem for me in this series is the character of Prince, who is humorless, judgmental, constantly disappointed in everyone , and generally a tiresome priggish elderly woman trapped in a young man's body. And yet as interesting as damp cardboard.

Example: At the beginning, the kids hide in Fah's room. It's cute and harmless, but Prince acts like they're all bad people instead of taking it like, well, a normal adult, amused at the situation. Then he's very rude to Fah for no reason and doesn't even thank him for getting a huge spider off his head. I get the formula. They don't like each other at first, I get it. But Prince never changes and just shits on Fah the whole series, constantly making him feel like he needs to apologize even though he never does anything wrong, but rather is very generous and kind to him.

Then he says he's tired of waiting for Fah to make a move - then immediately leaves in a huff so that Fah can't make a move. He's so standoffish and unpleasant that it's not clear why Fah has any interest in him, but if Prince is interested, why can't he make the first move, or at least give Fah some indication that he'd be receptive? So now he's disappointed Fah doesn't have telepathic powers?

This whole series is formulaic and pointless. There's no redemption arc for Fah, because he's always been a good and caring person who had one bad moment because his girlfriend of 7 years dumped him for another man and he got drunk and drove. There's even an arranged marriage plotline that chews up a lot of time and has nothing to say about it, and like all conflicts in this series, is handwaved away anticlimactically. In this case, everything works out because the husband-to-be is hot, so the resolution isn't just lazy, it's shallow and misogynist - "Sure, I'll give up all my agency and have my future assigned to me by men without my input just so long as I get my tall handsome man."

The highlight of the series is easily Fah's sidekicks, played by Mike Chinnerat (clean-cut and bespectacled, which is really fetching on him) and Arm Weerayut, both of them funny and charming and a breath of fresh air. Everything else is a dreary mishmash of standard BL tropes like falling on each other and staring endlessly, the uke tripping about 47 times. etc.

Mek's acting has improved - not great, but a little more natural - but in the end the writing is so bad, and he's stuck acting against someone that could have been replaced by a clay figurine, that whatever appeal he has wears out its welcome.

Mark's acting is not exactly bad so much as non-existent. Aggressively bad acting is worse than the non-acting we often get in Thai BL, but in this case, it's so non that it collapses into a black hole that sucks all life out of the drama. He's really that bad.

The final dramatic crisis is so stupid and poorly written that it's only worth a weary sigh. Somehow, Prince gets malaria which is somehow untreatable, because the medications necessary for this were only developed 180 years ago. His evil ex-bf won't tell Fah which hospital Prince is at, so Fah decides their relationship is over and gives up. Which is what one does when one is in love. Unfortunately, Prince decides moping is more useful than contacting Fah, and when Fah finally decides to try to find him, he can't, until it turns out his brother is a good friend of Prince's, which somehow never came up in conversation before,. And so Fah is able to find Prince, who is a drum major in Bangkok for no apparent reason, and they live happily ever after.

The whole final episode is full of stupid and inplausible coincidences and miscommunication - sure, coincidence is a staple of romantic drama, but they still have to make sense.

Anyway, this series is an incredibly dull and charmless waste of time.

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Still Better Than SIMM

Won't lie, this was a bit of a letdown, and even possibly a bit of a disappointment, but still, it's better than whatever the hell SIMM was. I think this series focused too much on the wrong things, formulating a tedious and sometimes irrelevant story. We also focused in some parts on characters that were the very least of my worries instead of characters I'd like to hear more from. Everyone is comparing this to 1000 Stars (which lies untouched and is still credited as the best GMMTV BL in my book), and of course, it follows a similar format with the countryside and a rich guy navigating his way through rural Thailand, but I think this will be the new norm of BL -- countryside love stories.

Let's Dive In.

SIYH is about Fah, a busy doctor who gets himself in trouble, and to correct his mistake, he's led to the countryside of Thailand with his other two friends to take care of the village. There, he meets Prince, a secret Prince who works as the local teacher. There, they meet, they get closer with a few other complications, and the end. We also get other storylines that were so irrelevant to the plot and move nothing further along, which is why this series is kind of at a standstill for me.

For one, we're introduced to Yaya, the village chief's daughter, who grows a very quick crush on Fah and is all-around boy-crazy. We get an entire episode dedicated to her and being put in an arranged marriage. Bad? Yes. But do I care? No. And that's mostly due to the screenwriters making her so irritating and obnoxious that you can't care. Instead, they could've given us more Mesa, more JJ, or Prince and Fah. The same can be said for Toptap's character. Although I love him to death, he just wasn't needed. He was the very low-key jealousy that happened between Prince and Fah for just a little bit until one episode, it just felt like he disappeared, and considering that he didn't even show up until a few episodes after the first is a bit sad on TopTap's part. Same with Aun's character who was just vicious but with little story to back it up. These were the irrelevant parts I was talking about. Did it help to get our mains closer? Maybe, but there were other ways they could've done it that didn't make me want to ff.

Overall, the script could've been much cleaner and more precise. They choose a beautiful setting to shoot in and I feel like they didn't utilize it quite enough. They also had so much story to work with and they just chose all the wrong choices. The story grows boring somewhere in the middle, making it quite hard to want to watch. We get a lot of nonsense with Pince who falls randomly ill like 3-4 times and only because there was nothing else the writers could come up with. This is where I can draw similarities to 1000 Stars, but it's still its own series. I think we'll be seeing a lot more countryside-type BLs, but that doesn't mean we keep claiming them as rip-offs of 1000 Stars. It's like me calling every engineering BL a rip-off of SOTUS, but we don't do that simply because engineering BLs have become the norm, or in some way or another, the story switches it up to make it as unique as they can get it. That's what I get from SIYH, switching up a story that's probably going to continue to be overused and oversaturated give or take a few years.

Onto the romance, I was really intrigued with them in the first few episodes. Like, close to obsessed. I love the flirty/stubborn dynamic and this couple had it. Prince had very mini gay panic attacks anytime Fah did something flirtatious, but still he'd push those feelings aside to shoo the doctor away. And of course, he didn't stop trying. I talked a little about how their first kiss was very hesitant and gentle, kind of like a trial kiss, and that the others would be a lot more complex and deep, which I was right about. Now, their kiss scenes could've been better, but I've seen worse, so I'll let it pass. I think their chemistry really helped this series from being dropped, not only by me but by many. There were times when it could've been better, but for the most part, it was executed pretty well. Anytime they were on the mountain moon bathing their rocks or even when Fah visited Prince's hometown was when I knew this series was still worth watching. I think it would've even been better had they cut out most of the conflict and made this just a cute everything-is-perfect-and-nothing-can-go-wrong type plot.

But one romance I didn't feel the need to see was Duao and Kluen. They felt unnecessary to see each episode, (Fah calling Duao was fine, but it was the dialogue between him and Kluen that was just wasting time), especially with no progression in their love lives and seeing Duao decline Kluen's offers to kiss or do more with him even though they've been dating for a while now and it's just not ordinary for a couple like them to never progress. And if I had to hear Joong sniff Dunk's cheek one more time instead of just actually kissing it, then I don't think I could make it.

I wished we would've gotten more Mesa and JJ because they did so excellent in this. MIke never fails when it comes to being comedic, even when he's not even trying. Which is why I'm curious what his series with Krist will look like since it looks to be a bit serious. This is my first time seeing Arm in a GMMTV series (He was in Waterboyy and Our Skyy but I don't remember him at all) and he did so well. I was thinking the writers were trying to pair him and JJ up, but nothing. We couldn't get them and we couldn't get Mike and TopTap either. What a shame. The rest of the supporting characters did well. The kids were really precious in this too.

Ratings:

Story: 7 - still better the very mediocre plot that was SIMM. It had a bit more action and overall, Fah and Prince were enjoyable to watch together. I think other plots were pretty irrelevant and could've been unadded so we could get more time with the characters that mattered. I'll take 2 stars off for that and one for it sometimes going flat with no actual plot going on.

Acting - 8.5 - I think everyone did really well, especially Fah. Mark still wasn't 100% there for me. There were parts where he did excellent and other parts he lacked a lot in. Arm and Mike did really well too. Everyone else played their part well.

Music: 5 - Pretty basic and nothing extraordinary.

Rewatch Value: 3 - I could go back to watch complications of them, but not much else than that.

Excited to see this special episode next week. Hopefully, we get some loose ends tied tightly and see good progress with these characters. SIYH was a nice watch, could sometimes get a bit boring, but nonetheless, I enjoyed watching these two. I enjoyed them so much that I wouldn't mind seeing them in another BL paired together.

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6 isn't a bad rating y'all

The thing with rating is, that you have different scales, right. I hold this to the standard of other shows of similar length like Semantic Error, Mr Unlucky and of course Star in my Mind (which got 6 stars from me as well).

The plot is simple. Unruly protagonist meets pretty and kind love interest in a rural setting. It's a feel good show with no extreme plot twists or serious conflicts. So I really have nothing to say or comment on regarding the story.
I watched the last episode with a friend who knows nothing about the show and they put it perfectly "This would be perfect for when you're really tired from work and just want to take a nap. Just turn this on and drift in and out of sleep." And that hit the nail on the head I think.

I personally didn't enjoy the acting at all - no, let me put it in another way - The acting made my toes curl. Fah sounded like he was congested the entire time. Like come on, give my boy some nasal spray so he can breathe!! And Prince's facial expression ranged from "no toughts in my head" to "are you fkn stupid?". When I realized it, I couldn't unsee it and made me chuckle a couple of times, honestly.

ALSO I wish they would've tied in them meeting at Daonuea's Freshy Boy competition thing before somehow? I was kind of waiting for that. In Episode 4 of Star in my Mind they ran into each other on the stairs and that scene seemed so meaningful to me but they never addressed it. Not even in the flashbacks or something. Why was Prince even there? Why did he have all those roses? A mystery... (I know the director probably just put it in to tease the love story in whatever way possible but.. you know. A girl can dream of meaningful plotlines)

Anyhow, 6 stars isn't a bad rating in my book. I enjoyed it for what it was but it's forgettable by nature.

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Not the most riveting story, but still a nice BL

A continuation from Star in My Mind with a focus on different characters, but this is better.

I enjoyed Star in My Mind a lot despite relatively weak plot because the leads are lovable. Sky in Your Heart is surprisingly better. The plot is still not exactly top-notch, but it is pretty good. Fah, a doctor, meets Prince, a volunteer teacher, and we know what will happen.

Perhaps because the characters are slightly older and this is not another BL series with a university campus as its main setting, there is a bit more unpredictability in the plot. Prince falling sick, however, is an overused plot device to get things going and the writers could have toned down on it. Nevertheless, the leads are likable, just like in Star in My Mind. We feel for Fah because he is unable to get over his ex, but the series doesn't make this sappy. There are many humorous moments in the series with the joke being on Fah. And though I wish Prince were more rounded as a character, he is the sort of character that's easy to love.

Compared to Star in My Mind, the side characters here are more distinctive. Whether it's Fah's friends (Mesa and JJ) or Yayah the young lady or the comical Ou (nicely acted by Toptap), the side characters each have something distinctive. (In Star in My Mind, there are many side characters, but there's a lack of distinctiveness for most of them.) It's a pity that the pompous Ou seems to largely written out of the story after his initial appearance. The character has the potential to play a bigger part in the story, especially because some of the best moments in the series are the funny parts. (Watch out for the scene in Ep 3 when Ou offers to take a photo with Fah and his friends as a "present" for them. When the photo is being taken, JJ turns his back to the camera. It's hilarious, but I think it's also a deliberate allusion to the rumored falling out between Toptap and Mike, the actors for Ou and JJ respectively.)

Dao and Kluen from Star in My Mind appear every now and then despite being in a totally different place from the leads. Most of the time, it doesn't really make a difference whether they appear or not, but I guess fans of the DaoKluen ship won't mind.

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A Good, Solid Show

This story was really good and really sweet, and honestly I did like it better than its companion show, Star in My Mind. The story was light and fun, and while I would have liked the side characters to be a bit more fleshed out, I had a great time watching.

Mek, of course, was amazing in this show. I think I love him even more than I did before, and I need to see a million more shows with him as the lead! He's handsome and charming, and he has great comedic timing for the funny bits in the show. He was wonderful at making me love and root for Fah, even when Fah wasn't always making the right choice. The other actors in the show were great, too (loved seeing Toptap and Prigkhing!!), but Mek definitely shined above the rest.

The story, overall, was really nice, too. I liked watching Fah and his friends adjust to life in the village and come to appreciate all the village had to offer. Fah and Prince's back and forth was adorable and so fun to watch, and I loved watching them fall for each other.

My main complaint with this show is something I also complained about in Star in My Mind: the plethora of love rivals. It felt like, with both shows, they didn't bother with any other means of conflict besides love rivals! Both shows had four (4) people in love/interested in the same person! And I'm sorry, Prince and Dao were not hot or interesting enough to warrant so much attention.

None of the love rivals in Sky were even really developed well, either. They each came and went quickly, lasting as an obstacle for a couple episodes before the next one took over. Personally, I think love rivals being the driving conflict between a ship is boring enough as it is, but to do it three times in an eight-episode show was too much.

My other (much more minor but still enough to knock this show a half star) complaint was the final episode. It felt very jarring and different than the rest of the series, and it just was... weird. I won't say more because of spoilers, but while the Happily Ever After was nice and satisfying, I didn't enjoy the majority of the final episode.

All in all, this is one I would recommend people give a try! You don't need to watch Star in My Mind to watch it (though the many mini-scenes with Dao and Kluen might be odd if you haven't), and I think it's a sweet story worth the watch.

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Recycled concept with nothing new to offer

Here we go with another BL show with the never-ending enemy-turned-to-lovers plot, rich kids go lowkey, supporting characters with no significant roles, below-average chemistry, cliche scenarios, and those typical twists and turns.

This show has a lot of similarities with one of GMMTV’s finest BL, A Tale of Thousand Stars, transparent with its village setup. I guess they tried to get another win but obviously, they failed. The drama has nothing to impress the audience, unlike a few of BLs nowadays who had at least one to three memorable moments that once became the talk of the town. The YouTube views are high enough compared to other BLs that aired at the same time with this and yet only fewer viewers seem to enjoy the show.

Given its vibes, I am expecting to feel the warmth of the people from the small town but the drama tends to focus on showcasing the unimpressive romance of the leads. During the release of the first four episodes, I am always on the verge of either dropping the show or allowing it to have another chance to redeem itself. Thank goodness that 2x speed was invented since it saves me the time to easily watch it, wanting to see the end as soon as possible.

The good thing is, I somewhat feel like I already got the hook of the show and succeeded in finishing it till the last episode. I just hope that if ever the main lead has a new project, it should be in a more distinct nature that will highlight their roles as someone unique and charming. Also, wishing to give the supporting cast a more creative part if they will be given another role similar to their previous one.

Nevertheless, the show may not be the best I’ve watched this quarter of the year. But I still like to congratulate them for making an effort on executing a drama that talked about the importance of time in a relationship.

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