Star and Sky: Star in My Mind (2022)

How to be unexceptional but still get eyeballs

I must admit that I enjoyed this series more than I think I should.

The characters are likable, but perhaps a tad too likable, so any tension in the story is quickly lost. The story itself is actually at least okayish. (A has liked B for a long time but thinks his love is unrequited. However, it turns out that B has been liking A for a long time too. ) Unfortunately, it often feels like there is little development (not even a clichéd break-up in the penultimate episide).

Eventually, I can't stop watching the series because the leads are a pair that I really want to see end up together happily and sweetly ever after, and this, in turn, is because both Daonuea and Khabkluen are lovely people, especially Daonuea whose feelings are transparent to the audience from the start. It's like watching a video about an adorable stray kitten finally finding its forever home: the cuteness of the cat and my desire to see it adopted and some happy moments after its adoption will make me watch the entire video, but I won't objectively say that the video is a masterpiece even if I share it eagerly with other cat lovers. I continue watching as one misunderstanding after another get in the leads' way of ending up together because they are lovable and I feel for them--this is what the series succeeds at doing, I guess.

Leia Mais

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.

Leia Mais

university set, high school crush, jock/nerd, long term pining, reunion

Adapted from a y-novel by Peachhplease, starring Joong (2 Moons 2, formerly one half of a VERY popular BL pair J9) + fresh face Dunk, and directed by New in his usual blatant and somewhat mechanical style. The very first episode I said “I think I’m confused by the directing on this show. WAIT A SEC. Is this New phoning it in? (Runs to check.) Why YES yes it is.” So yeah... called it!

Back to Joon.

While it was awful nice to see this beautiful golden boy again, I think he was ill served by this role, or maybe he just doesn’t shine as brightly without Nine? Or maybe he needs a stronger directing hand than New’s? Yes I think GMMTV intends for Joong to be their next Singto but from this performance I’m not sold. I thought Dunk out acted him, making Dao a likable and complex character against which Kluen felt rather flat. Although that said at first I really didn’t like Dao.

This is (sort of) a lost love reunion arc (GMMTV bringing back the blue shorts, hello old friends) + freshy hotness contest giving it a 2 Moons vibes. It was fun to see some Wabi Sabi stable playing around at GMMTV, and while it sounds like I’m being harsh I actually did enjoy this show.

I like how honestly they treated all the faen fatals for a change. I like how directly they approached the pain of rejection contrasted to loyalty and holding out hope. I also liked that Kluen was set up to lose if he couldn’t get it together and actually communicate his feelings. It’s a good life lesson. It was frustrating how long it took though. There was a lot of me yelling at the screen: please just TALK to each other.

I don’t like shows that function on this “plot.” Miscommunication for the sake of it (or for the lack of it) is always frustrating for viewers or readers. We feel manipulated.

Also, ultimately, these two were a bit too sappy and Dao was a bit too blushing maiden for such an aggressive uke, but that’s par for the course with GMMTV and Director New. (After all, he’s rumored to be the reason Pharm is that way in UWMA, apparently he’s wasn’t written like that.)

Look, this is one of those shows that I shouldn’t really like after 400 BLs. It’s not at all unique, just some classic Thai uni folderol driven by miscommunication (or just non-communication) and yet... I COULD NOT STOP WATCHING.

Also good kiss. Honestly, 2022 is the year of the BL kiss.

It was interesting to see Thailand tackle a love triangle, but let’s be fair, it really isn’t their forte. Phoon was a plot devise to drive Kluen into confession. Thailand should leave love triangles to Korea, Korea pretty much owns it after all this time. They’ve put a lot of work into it, Thailand, ceed this one to the north, please?

All that said, in the end, the show itself worked for me, fitting solidly into GMMTV’s pantheon and it’s... how do I put this... central lane?

It feels like the Thai pulps are noodling along in in the slow lane, and the outliers like Mame’s shows and Cutie Pie and KinnPorsche are in the fast line. Sometiems we dont’ know where they are going but they are going there QUICKLY. (With shows like SCOY just drunk driving all over the darn place.) Oh I like this metaphor.

I guess what I am saying is GMMTV is like reliable soccer daddy of BL, safe, well maintained station wagon, clipping along but safely. And we all know what we are in for.

Star supplied exactly that.

It didn’t excel, like Bad Buddy, it didn’t disappoint, like My Gear and Your Gown, and it didn’t fly off the tracks like Not Me. It was exactly what I want from GMMTV.

Does that mean I am a touch disappointed?

Sure, because I had my expectations met and I kinda always want them to be exceeded, especially with us all knowing GMMTV can actually do better.

In short, everyone involved with this show seems to have mostly phoned it in, but it was a REALLY nice phone call.
That said?

MORE OF THE SAME PLEASE. I didn’t get into BL for the goddamn novelty of it.

RECOMMENDED

It’s basic BL. But honestly, don’t we all need that plain white t-shirt to wear under our engineering smock... in the end?

Leia Mais

Star In My Mind, one of the best soft mellow BL story with touching symbolism :)

I think this is one of the best soft mellow BL story I watched. For those who wanted a soft BL storyline, this series is for you. It is indeed a story of hope and inspiration for love, just as the theme song sung by Louis Thanawin. When Dao stopped loving Kluen because he was gently rejected when they were in high school, which is typical and normal in high school life. Kluen was a cold-hearted guy unable to express freely his emotions, but until the end, the North Star shined and guided them which gave inspiration and hope to both Dao and Kluen. Dao believed in the North Star guidance as a shine of inspiration and hope while Kluen had a change of heart and started loving Dao. What I liked in the story, is when Kluen took care of the sunflower in which Dao gave to Kluen and watered it when he was sick, that is when, Kluen started to open his heart to Dao. Sunflowers symbolize unwavering faith, admiration and unconditional love. Unwavering faith, admiration and unconditional love is always coupled with hope and inspiration, Kluen opened his heart and continued loving Dao just like a blooming sunflower no matter how many times Dao wanted to move on from his past but the North Star shined within Dao's mind and relive the hope of his first love and guided Kluen to open up with his feelings. The story used the North Star and the sunflower which both symbolizes a beacon of inspiration and hope in which this series depicted. It is difficult to include symbolism in a storyline since the flow of story should coincide with the symbolism they used. Dao believed in the North Star while Kluen believed in the sunflower's bloom.

For those who said that the series was a waste, storyline was boring, worst and trash BL. I respect their opinion, but for me, I liked the storyline so much, the actors' depiction of the story and the most striking are the symbolism they used.

Leia Mais

GMMTV & Director New collaboration

Star in My Mind is a collaboration between GMMTV (one of the biggest station in Thailand) and Director New who is an almost legendary figure in BL community due to BL dramas like Love by Chane or Until we Meet Again.

Making Star in My Mind one of my most looking forward to BL dramas of 22.

But is it good?
Anwer is yes and no.

Almost all BL fans know what GMMTV is capable of producing - Star in My Mind is not bad but also nothing special. It's definitely not one of GMMTV best works.
While drama plot is definitely not a good fit for director New.
Director New strength lay in simplicity, he is capable of telling pretty heavy and complex stories in a simple way. But if you mix his directing style with drama that already has a simple and straightforward plot .... we end with Star in My Mind.

Star in My Mind is definitely a show for binge-watch, the story is very simple and nothing major happens. Even these 8 episodes felt too long for the story it wanted to tell. Personally, I don't think this drama was memorable enough for anyone to mention it in half a year... Which is really a shame because the main actors really show some potential. In another project, they really could make a big splash.

I had a really hard time rating this drama because while there was nothing to dislike there was also nothing to like. If you compare acting, plot, scrip or directing to other BL I would say it was above average but put together as drama it feels very mediocre. It also has pretty strong screenwriting compared to other recent GMMTV projects.

If you are a fan of simple love stories that are no-brainers without any major drama, problems or twists it might be just for you. I think the younger audience might really like it or people who just started watching BL dramas and want something wholesome.

In conclusion, everything about this drama feels like it was good but somehow ends up feeling mediocre. While the script and directing were not a good fit. I think "showier" directing would spice it up and make it more memorable. Because i have a feeling that in half a year I will have a really hard time remembering anything beyond a few main plot points of this drama.

Leia Mais

A bright shining star that slowly loses its spark

They almost got me. I was so indulgent during the first few EPs and feel like this drama will climb itself to the top of my fave BL shows but lacks the consistency of offering the same kind of excitement.

The flow of the story is enjoyable; lesser cringes and cliche scenarios, no overdramatic plots, loveable characters, and something that can make me attached to the romance. It’s a glorious show since it can make me thirsty for the next EP.

GMMTV’s actor squad in a BL that can pull the show. It’s nice to witness a good-looking cast that can live up to their title as actors. Joong and Drunk are worthy to be the main character for their exceptional on-screen chemistry. The thing I adore the most is their exquisite facial expressions that definitely carried out their roles as Khluen and Daonuea. Two thumbs up for the creative names from them; Dao means Stars and Khluen means Waves.

Maithee and Sean are wholesome. Their flirty moments are always a minute of giggles. The comedic personality of these two surely makes me laugh a lot. The mesmerizing sensor of Sean that always detects Khluen’s affection for Dao, and Maithee’s cute and frisky personality that liven up the mood. Had a great time watching them as an extra-fine addition to the drama.

Phoon, the character who fell to the badly-written ending. Ever since his first appearance on the show, this boy caught my attention for his handsomeness. It’s clear that his role is going to be the usual male second lead that lifted up the drowsing courage of the main couple to admit their love for each other by him being the source of jealousy. Phoon’s direct personality is admirable. He can verbally confess his feelings without hinting any sense of disruption. However, the turn of events in his story is unacceptable. The show ruins his character; a side role that needs to do something awful just to justify the romantic development of the main couple. I hate this kind of twist.

Phaphaeng, the girl who also fell for Daonuea, is such a cutie too. I sincerely felt sorry for her after the rejection she endured from being in unrequited love. This has a different vibe compared to some girl roles in a Thai BL that mostly played as the wall to the love story of the main character. It's a real sadness to experience the deep pain of the heart from one-sided love.

So where did the drama go wrong? Personally, I feel extreme boredness the moment that Khluen and Dao finally reopen their feelings for each other. The enjoyment and thrill aren’t the same in contrast to them being all fluffy and jolly in the past. The scenes after the confession didn’t generate an impact on me. Khluen’s constantly stealing kisses from Daonuea aren’t romantic. I always feel uncomfortable when Khluen shows a fondness for Dao without making a clear conclusion about his relationship with Gia, in which people around them thought that they were dating.

Another drama that has an outstanding start but failed to be consistent. The ending is simply an average ending to me, contrary to my expectations. Despite this, it was still better than the usual university love story that I’ve seen from most BLs. Lastly, Joong singing the OST of the drama is ethereal. His voice is like a flowing river of mixed sweetness and sexiness.

Leia Mais

CUTE, CUTE, CUTE!

Literally just stumbled upon this show on YouTube and I must say I do not regret clicking on it!

Definitely a high-quality Thai BL that subverts all your expectations - you would not expect just how much cuteness, heartache, jealousy and love could be packed into this tiny series. Both Daonuea and Kluen do an amazing job of portraying their roles, especially Daonuea who, because of being rejected, tries his best not to hurt other people's feelings. You can really see the way both characters complement each other; Kluen learns to love through Daonuea, and Daonuea learns to express his feelings in an honest way.

Well-written characters and plot, with some comforting OSTs that really suit the vibe of the series. Would highly recommend to those who are looking for a cute, yet emotional series that will make you smile and (maybe) shed a tear - coming from personal experience. Currently rewatching the episodes as I wait for new ones!

Leia Mais

Cute Enough

Honestly, my opinion is all over the place with this one. Ultimately, I did enjoy myself as I watched, but there was a lot of... not great stuff in here. The amount of non-consensual kisses, the brushing-off of a girl being abused, the general weirdness of the MC having FOUR people in love with him, and the plethora of background characters that were just /there/ ultimately made this show feel very underwhelming and poorly done. While I liked the pining, especially from Kluen, there just wasn't much substance beyond it. There were some cute moments-- the T-shirt painting scene, the scene where they finally get together, the whole sunflower thing, etc-- but in the end I just couldn't love it the way I wanted to. It’s cute and sweet enough to binge and enjoy, but I don’t think it’s going to be anyone’s favorite drama.

Leia Mais

Repetitive & Stretched Story

The story is good but something that we have seen over and over again in so many series
Even as a sub-story and not the whole series based on it, why it needed 8 episodes to cover this is a good question from my side.
Many scenes are illogical and too dramatic.
This should have been a mini-series instead, anyone can say that the series was just stretched.

Leia Mais

I loved it but it was stressful

I have watched this a long time ago, but I realized I haven't made a review yet. I rewatched it recently, coincidentally. I love this couple very much. I relate to both of them in many ways. This is one of those cat and dog BLs and I was very happy with it. But it took me some time to find that happiness since every episode Dao cries because Kluea can't communicate. I love Kluea, but the guy didn't help himself nor Daonuea. It was a little frustrating, but I could take it. My BIG problem was that Typhoon guy. He was so annoying and his face made me angry. He wouldn't leave Dao alone and it got me so mad, the way he would pry into Dao and Kluea's business being so nosy and not giving up like, dude, get a hint. Dao got me stressed when he decide to "date" Typhoon too. I'm glad it's over and they're happy now being the cutest in Our Skyy 2.

Leia Mais

Was ready to hate it, ended up loving it.

I saw the mild/bad review scores before watching, and was fully prepared to be disappointed, but I guess there are some factors that make me the ideal audience for this series:
- Despite watching SO MANY series set in university and seeing similar tropes here and there, I'm not tired of them and I'm still willing to give them a chance.
- There have been a few titles in the past that I had to drop because they bored me. This one is absolutely NOT one of them. I didn't have to put any effort in finishing all the episodes either, I just played them one after another without being able to start anything else.
- The flaws of the characters didn't make them insufferable for me. I ended up finding them endearing and more real instead.
- I happen to like stories that have more fluff going on. No unnecessary tragedy in the family, no random violence, no silly attempts at sounding edgy or adult just to make a love story more interesting.
- I don't care about actors stripping and grinding on each other as they make out to make their love more believable. (Hint: if you think that passionate kisses on camera are called "chemistry", then you don't know what chemistry means in the first place. Also, if the characters need to kiss to make you understand that they're in love, then it's a very badly written story.)
- The secondary characters weren't fleshed out as much as the ones in other series (there wasn't time for any subplot, so putting more work in personalities without exploring them would have been pointless I think), but they did their job just fine and I never felt like they were filling gaps or anything like that.
- As much as the misunderstandings and the lack of communication were annoying, they somehow got me even more invested in the series, and the ending turned out to feel even more rewarding than I was expecting it to be.

This series is now among my favorite BLs. It feels sweet and comforting in a special way, and now it has a special place in my heart. I really hope I'll get to see Dunk and Joong in other projects in the future.

Leia Mais

Simple. loses it way in the middle but finds it's way in the end.

Typical BL yes. Mediocre? probably especially when the writing was stale in the middle(eps 5-7) with all the miscommuication & misunderstandings but still pretty enjoyable imo. Honestly? I've seen way worse ones recently: Enchante, Rainbow Prince and Cutie Pie were horrible imo. Is this one of the best? No. But I still enjoyed it more than those 3. At least Star in My Mind had likable characters. And one thing I felt charming about this series is that it starts out fresh even if we've seen this story billions of times before it felt like something new. Both Dao and Kluen start this series with a lot of charm even if they are cookie cutters of other characters seen before. I was instantly drawn to them.

Dunk is a newbie but for the most part he pulls off what is needed of him. Yes there's still room for improvement but I see lots of potential especially since I felt he did good for his first majjor role. He could emote which is always a plus in my book. Joong hmm he wasn't horrible or anything and I do feel like he can act it's just that in some scenes he was wooden and that didn't do his character, Kluen, much favors when it should have. But for the most part he held his own and had great chemistry with Dunk. And the chemistry is what guided the series sometimes.

As for the story it could be considered mediocre in the middle but I thought that the beginning and end were pretty good. I especially liked how once the misunderstandings and miscommunication between Dao and Kluen was handled there was no more unnecessary drama thrown at them. They were allowed to be happy and cute the last two episodes which is way more than some BL couples get.

All in all I give this a 9.0 overall despite all it's flaws it's one of my favorites this year. Sky in Your Heart is next hopefully that one doesn't have the mistakes it's predecessor did.

Leia Mais