Have you ever been so in love that it make you feel scared?

The slander that Jiwoo got because of his weird push and pull behavior is just undeserved. People whine about wanting to have realistic BL, THIS is realistic! This is how relationship is in real life! Sadly, angsty romance like this happens more often than good fluffy romance, in this economy having a good healthy relationship is pretty rare you know. Most of the negative comments complain about how it is unnecessary to have this angsty sequel, but believe me, most relationships in real life are only fluffy and romantic in the early stage, there are stressful phases in a relationship which is needed for both people to grow. It's okay if you don't want to watch, so you can save yourself from the heartbreak, but if you did it's also a great follow up story that gives you a perspective on how tricky a relationship could be. The writing in this season is even more smooth too! I totally dig the sudden happy flashbacks that cuts to the gloomy after break-up scene, it makes me feel sad too, as if I am feeling what Seojoon is feeling. After a harsh breakup, your brain somehow always managed to give you random flashbacks that would totally make you feel shitty.

So first, I think we had to understand that Jiwoo and Seojoon have a completely different personalities. It is understandable that Jiwoo finds adjusting to Seojoon's fast-paced, high energy and flashy life a hard thing to do. This poor boy been an introvert all his life, living a lowkey life and having a humble aspiration, that he just wants to be a cook. Jiwoo is also someone who took pride and has high ego about his own life, he didn't want anyone to pity him or give him things just because, he works hard to achieve his dream and I think Seojoon should understand that. He did should learn how to stop pushing people away though, but after years of being alone, having someone who suddenly barges in into your life could be exhausting, Jiwoo pushing Seojoon away is just a way for him to protect himself. Have you ever been so in love with someone it makes you feel scared? Scared that you're not good enough, that you could make mistake that'll probably hurt your s/o, scared that if you fall too hard you couldn't ever recover from the heartbreak. Jiwoo is just like that, he is a little overthinker who actually cares too much. Not to mention that his close friend did cause trouble for Seojoon, so he probably still feel guilty because of that. The relationship is getting too scary for him to explore, so he ran away. It's not great, but some people just have the tendency to do that, Jiwoo is just one of them.

Second, Seojoon had issues too. The problem is that he didn't understand boundaries, he just keep on pushing and pushing. This is also understandable because he is just so in love with Jiwoo, and it is hard to let go of someone who had been deeply rooted in you. Jiwoo helps him with his anxiety and panic attacks, although it is not healthy and Seojoon should've not used Jiwoo as the sole anchor of his life, it's understandable why he just can't let Jiwoo go that easily.

Third, the complexity of the characters made me fall in love with the movie. It hurts, but it's a good kind of hurt because there are still good moments between the two. It's just like watching someone grows in their relationship. The exquisite cinematography, the color tone, the outfits, the casts, the music! To me personally To My Star 2 had the best cinematography out of all BLs I've ever watched. I like the warm earthy feeling too, it's really pleasing to the eyes. Kangmin's acting is amazing, it's amazing how his little details in expression elevate his cold-ass character. Woohyun is also amazing, how he could express hurt and vulnerability makes Seojoon the perfect 'the man who can't move on'.

Overall! I am in love all over again with both of them through this second season, it's hard to make a good second season but To My Star 2 managed to do it so well!

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Tingling slow burn romance - Gotta praise Jun.Q for his incredible acting

I really like the story, it got that melancholic feeling to it with slight comedy relief here and there. It's also a well written story, good understandable scenes and it make you want to keep going back for more due to the careful plot distribution for each episode. If you like slow-burn romance with little to no skinship, this is a great movie for you. I like it because of how simple it is, you might even have experienced something like this in your life. The conflict is simple but understandable, though I feel like the build up to the ending could be better but overall! A great series.

I am surprised by the actors acting, especially Jun.Q (Woo Jae), while Han Jung Wan (Yeon Woo) is a bit on the okay side. Jun.Q did a great job portraying that longing but hating eyes, as if Woo Jae is holding himself from spilling too much of his emotion to Yeon Woo. His subtle expression and little details make it so heart wrenching in some scenes. Even without dialogue you know how Woo Jae feels and I think he's incredible for that. Jung Wan's eyes and expressions are a little bit dead but he's good somehow.

There are some technical mistakes (like a mic still attached to Jun.Q on the shot when he cried lmao, and the awkward rains), but the shots are incredible, the color grading, the scenery, the music! and also the wardrobe. I'm thankful that the boys are always looking handsome and well dressed throughout the movie. It's a movie that's pleasing to your eyes.

The only thing I want to change is the dead kissing scene, oh god please. The chemistry and tension between the lovers are only there for like 70% (with Jun.Q hard carrying it), the dead kissing scene only ruins the tension between them. These little things surely stop me from going fully immersed in the movie.

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Watch and judge for yourself!!

I actually thought about not watching this series due to the bad reviews but I got curious as there are so many JoongDunk contents passing my social media, so I did! And honestly? The bad reviews are just too harsh, and here is why.

1. People should stop expecting BLs to have super mega complicated plots, some of them are just classic fluff, and that is okay too.
I think Star in My Mind is that easy to eat cookie BL that you can snack lightly. It didn't have a plot that is too intense, a bit patchy but still enjoyable. Totally recommended if you're searching for BLs with simple stories. Also, for a cutesy feel-good classic fluff BL, this is good. Better than few that I know (Fish in the Sky, for example, cough). The characters are pretty basic, but Kluen is just a dumbass, not an asshole (except for that one time when he kiss Nuea in his sleep), and Nuea is not as self-centered as people mentioned. They are freshmen, for god's sake, their love story started when they are just high schoolers. It was a puppy love, it IS still on its puppy love stage tbh. Hence why they need to work on their communications. Freshmen men that they're only 18-19 y.o, and what do you even know about love at that age? Not to mention that Kluen is so bad at expressing his feelings to the point that his mom knows, which means that it's not something you can just work on overnight. And (SPOILERS) they've been in love for years, secretly, never had the chance to sit and talk it out, now that they meet each other again it's understandable that misunderstandings happen. Nuea did been trying to forget about Kluen for a year, so it is highly understandable that the unnecessary push and pull puts him to stress. Not to mention that all he did all this time was just admire Kluen from afar without making any move so imagine the hope and regret and longing that he went through. Just imagine your long-time crush is finally within your reach, one day it seems like you had a chance but the other day he wants you to move on? Ugh, imagine the stress. I think that is why his reaction towards Gia's sudden call is really bad it makes him look like an asshole. But hey, Nuea didn't know the real situation of Gia and Kluen's relationship, and here he is vulnerable. His over-reaction is just him breaking down, desperate, we are talking about years of longing here, so yeah, he had the right to be heartbroken. Though I think it could be better if the story could highlight more about Nuea's character's good qualities. Like why did so many people like him? Because he's smart and kind and hot right? Only mentioning the fact that he studied in German didn't do him justice tbh, there should be scenes that emphasize that for him. If he had three people seriously chasing after him, the story should've elaborated more on the reason why he is so likable.

2. Contrary to other negative reviews, the side characters actually have some presence.
I have watched BLs that have side characters that didn't have any presence as if they're made to just fill in the dialogues so it's not just between the MCs. But Star in My Mind actually put some screen time to the side characters. I especially like the female characters! Often times the 'girl friend' characters in BL are often portrayed as the ones who ruined the MCs relationship and just overall a pick me girl. But here Paphang and Gia are actually decent. Gia, especially, is way more chill than I thought she would be. I also love how there is a scene where Gia and Nuea had a proper talk. Same with Phoon! Although it annoys me that this boy is pushing too hard to make Nuea notice him, I still salute him for being mature and accepting his defeat. Sean is like Fong from 2gether the series, he is that one sane friend that slaps some sense to his friends. There are BLs who had 'close friends' group as the support role for the MC but never did anything to actually 'support' the MC, here Sean steps in when needed, intervenes when needed, and I think it's great! Everyone need a friend like Sean. While at first I sees Fah as that cheesy very kind brother, he is actually a good brother figure for Nuea and he did give Nuea solid advice. They have great chemistry too! And I like how they meet and talk often, it really puts how close and dependent Nuea to Fah is into perspective.

3. The chemistry between the MCs?
I actually expect Joong's acting to be plainer than Dunk, because most BLs usually made the 'seme' didn't do much action, just staring with that lovestruck expression and sitting calm being all handsome. Here Joong actually served more than Dunk, his skinship is natural and his kisses! Didn't seems awkward at all. He is also better at expressing tiny details in his expression. Kluen suits him so much, so big kudos to Joong Archen for delivering Kluen so well. While for Dunk, although he did okay in most of his scenes, there are times when his expression is awkward. The only thing I'm agreeing with the negative reviews is that, yes, Dunk's crying scene is pretty awkward to watch. But hey! This is only his first series! Now that Joong and Dunk had built their chemistry off-camera, I think GMM should totally give them another series in the future that could showcase their talents and chemistry, and of course, with a better-written story too!

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I'm sorry, but no

This series is supposed to be romance but the script makes it feel like horror comedy, I had to cover my face due to its cringey-ness and I laughed because some of the scenes just don't make sense

Look, I'm trying to finish this series but after 4 episodes it didn't get better, it just got worse... Joong and Dunk might be not the best actor out there but even this is not about their acting anymore. This is not the case of good story bad acting, it's more like decent acting horrible story. I don't even understand the story progression, suddenly they're here, suddenly they're there, suddenly this happened and boom! they fall in love even harder with each other. It just doesn't make sense, there are so many plot holes and the story feels like a fever dream. It's all over the place. It feels like you're trying to piece a long script from scraps of scenes, it has all the tropes that you would find in a cliche romance story, but even doing all that didn't bring anything to the table. Sad. The dialogues are cringe, their gestures are cringe, their acting are cringe, at this point I feel like this is not JoongDunk's fault, it's just the story and directing is bad. Which is sad because GMMTV had produced better series, and THIS NOT IT!!!

It's actually disappointing because I love Joong and Dunk, I also feel like they deserve better movies because they had the potential as a couple, great chemistry, and both are good looking. They have all the equations to complete the formula to be a big BL couple. But sadly they somehow always ended up doing movies with a bad script. I thought they would get something better after Star in My Mind (which I liked), that's why I am anticipating Hidden Agenda. It has the same story outline like 2gether but somehow this fails miserably. Hopefully, they will got better projects in the future. Good luck Joong Dunk!!!

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