I am basically a very pessimistic person, always seeing the glass half empty and expecting the worst from people. This drama just comforts me in my world view. So bear with me while I gush about House of Stars!

The story follows the owner of a talent agency "House of Star" and the people (actors and managers) gravitating around her. Since some of the actors she manages come from out of town, she has them live in her house following her rules and having them filmed by security cameras. There are 8 actors she manages. The actors often rebel not understanding the reason behind the draconian rules she implements creating new problems until a mysterious death occurs in the house and the whole hell breaks loose.

The ratings for this drama are shockingly low and I probably would have given it a miss had it not been for a reviewer who described it as "a hot mess that makes sense". And I loved it. Binged it, paying attention to details since there are no useless scenes: everything means something.

The drama has been filed under BL. No! It is a murder mystery & a character driven drama taking place in the entertainment industry where some of the characters are gay. The poster for the drama also does not give the right impression: looking at it I'd assume I'd be watching a period bl. They really represented drama wrongly with this poster (which is beautiful but still wrong!).

First there is a couple of BL actors, shipped together by the public but not dating even though one has an unrequited crush on the other. That actor, Pitch idolizes the star actor of the agency, Gun and starts following him around, almost stalkery!
There is a handsome country bumpkin helped out by another rising actor in love with him. They are the cutest couple though I have a problem with the actor playing the country bumpkin: he looks odd and has weird mouth (sometimes I focus on unimportant details but they turn to be so distracting) and I kept wishing he would not smile, his whole face goes crooked when he does.
Then there is an established straight couple but the man is tempted by another actor, obviously gay. This threesome has an explosive relationship, the two vying for the third one's love. The actress and the gay actor know how it works and they keep playing dangerous games realizing they were very much alike by the end!

The owner of the agency, Miss Suzzie, looks and acts like a dragon, cold, merciless, strict and odious. We eventually find out why she is like that but she is definitely not a likable character throughout the drama.

The drama seems messy as there seem to be too many characters but if you pay attention everything is connected and everything has a reason. The depiction of the cutthroat entertainment world concentrated in the agency microcosme is rather superficial as the drama is mostly focused on interpersonal relationships between the actors and the secrets they are hiding. The plot is well written and there are no loose ends or holes. And even though it finishes on a cliffhanger, the main mystery is solved but the downfall of the revelations is not shown: everyone remains in a deep stupor.

The atmosphere is heavy and the feelings of oppression are well presented by sets and cinematography. The sets first! The house from the outside looks like a sunny villa in Italy but on the inside it is a different picture. It is a heavy victorian english gothic manor: dark walls, heavy dark furniture, dark curtains, oppressive and menacing. I would say that it serves as metaphor for actors: nice and sunny and perfect on the outside, dark and mysterious and flawed on the inside! The cinematography corresponded to the sets with dark colours prevailing, events mostly taking place at night or in shadows. When the daylight was there, the problems became evident and crisis management came into action: the daylight does not hide secrets!

The actors cast are a mixed lot: while the majority are really good, the one playing Pitch is by far the worst actor here (or anywhere for that matter. Sincerely he should think of another career!). The character he played was of a completely clueless Pitch but he played him in a monotone and with an eternally surprised expression immovable like a mask stuck on his face. He was really really bad. He performed so badly that the romance between Pitch and Gun was not convincing and they just left it in the background. (BTW, I wonder how he got the part?) In the beginning of the series he was one of the main characters but he somehow disappeared in the last few episodes. Fortunately! The character's mother got sick and he was gone. I guess the production realized they miscast. If they ever make a sequel, I hope they will recast the role.
The other actors were really good had great chemistry and were not afraid of skinship!

If you are looking for a serious, gripping show about human nature, do not look any further. It is an excellent drama but not a BL!!!!!