A Tale of a Thousand Stars (2021)

One of the greatest romcoms with a questionable backstory

I was very skeptical about this drama because of it's description concerning hearttransplantees. So skeptical that I really did not want to watch it.

I have mixed feelings about how this drama portrayes heartrransplantees. On the one hand they do a good job showing the rediculus expectations and questionis hearttransplanrees get from the people around them as well as feelings one may have while expecting to die before a heart transplant and the feelings one may have after surviving. On the other hand they portray the process really poorly and unrealisticly. It was so badly done that it made me laugh, allot!

I really didn't like it when they talked about the donerheart beeing with them... which is the sole reason I am giving this a 9 instead of a 10.

The couples dynamics, looks, chemistry and process was flawless. It was existing and had all kinds of twists and turns. Something that makes for a really really really good romcom!

If you neglect the whole heart thing the story is also really good and well done.

So please watch this, if you liked this review and want to learn more from a transplantees point of view then after you watch episodes 1 and 2 I recommend you read my comments on those episodes. I had allot to say... but I don't want to spoil this great drama for you.

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The Best BL GMMTV has produced so far ❤️

An unexpected Masterpiece. At first, you'll think this is just one of those ordinary boys love stories that'll give you that elevated feeling which often time make fans delusional with its appealing leads. Though true. But it is way beyond that. It elevated the standard of what a BL should.

This is well-crafted masterpiece. It keeps getting better as the series progresses and will leave you drenched in tears and amusement on how each scene unravels and the outstanding portrayal of Mix. It was brilliant, it was stellar, it was magnificent. This will probably be the best series produced by GMMTV. And I wouldn't wonder if this sweep awards during awards season and I really can see Backof and Mix getting the Best Director and Best Actor Awards respectively ❤️

I promise, this series won't disappoint. Rather it'll leave you wanting for more. This is really unlike the other BL series GMMTV has made, and in my opinion, A Tale of A Thousand Stars outshone 2gether, Sotus, Dark Blue Kiss and Theory of Love in overall quality. Great job, GMMTV!

Also, Bad Buddy, you have big shoes to fill. Please don't disappoint. ❤️

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Underwhelming imo. And it had nada to do with the lack of 'steamy'scenes because I love slow burns I even watch BROMANCE AND CHINESE BL that have NO KISSING AT ALL FFS XD. Untamed guardian the lost tomb franchise the japanese high and low has better couples than this show again JUST MY OPINION so take it with a grain of salt. I just found it lacking in substance and repetitive. And at least UWMA for all it's faults doesn't lure you in with angsty dark scenes and then puts a lot of cutesy lame scenes in there.

I mean I don't mind watching something more serious and not angsty but don't bait me you know that's terrible. You were making it seem like some edgy life changing experience which this was not.

The story was average, the acting sub par, especially from the main cast again not terrible but underwhelming. All that crying Mix did MADE NO SENSE.

And the whole justification of the heart and why he was doing her bidding made no sense. In UWMA, another soulmate storyline, the past memories is a metaphor for Fluke's anxiety and grief that doesn't make sense like when you have depression or any other mental illness. In this the heart is just a prop they use to get Mix to cry pointlessly. When Fluke picks up Kao's gun in the finale you UNDERSTAND HIS MOTIVATION. and again like I said it was a metaphor for mental illness because at times you feel like you are happy and you're fine and then the next minute you're triggered and holding a gun to your head.

And the end conflict again I don't understand why so many people think it's something SPECIAL FFS XD that conflict and the way it played out is so common in any romance where you don't want to make it too angsty. It was there in 2gether the characters make the other one think they don't care or don't like them cause of their own insecurities. But 2gether doesn't pretend to be anything more than light angst guilty pleasure and that's why I love it.

Which is why this one was boring for me. First half was not bad at all but the way it unfolds s just didn't work for me.

I feel like the one thing good that came out of this bl was Mix and Earth's ship lol that's pretty much it.

I mean if nothing this could have been a simple hurt comfort show but it failed to do that properly even.

What I did like was again the couple their scenes together were pretty good and I dug them as a couple at least in the beginning but then when Earth was all yes you go f yourself cause I'm too much of a coward ugh I get that it was a part of his character development but like I said before I HATE this conflict in any romance where one person just goes away. Just a personal pet peeve so didn't help that they used this BS conflict.

I also liked how Mix's character grew and I feel like it's not a bad idea to say that we should all be able to at least mature enough to do our own chores take our own burden. Instead of leaving it to maids and servants. If you're not disabled then you should do something that challenges you and makes you step out of your comfort zone.

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Something fresh in the world of BL, but not a complete masterpiece imo

This one really took me by surprise by how much I for the most part enjoyed it- especially considering I was pretty uninterested in the premise when I watched the original trailer. (The whole Torfun/heart transplant storyline is too unreal, cliché melodrama for my usual taste in storylines. I still don't really care for it tbh. But I see how it was required as the vehicle to deliver the rich, metro Tian to that rural environment so that his character development could take place).

I had planned to give this one a pass until I saw all the hype the series was getting. By the time Ep.8 came out I ended up binge watching all the available eps in one go. My favourite scenes were all the fun, flirty moments between Chief and Tian that made me laugh. I thought they had lovely chemistry with both the physical and personality traits of both characters playing off each other really well. I was soooo impressed by Mix's acting, he was delightful. And surprisingly I was impressed by Earth too. I've watched the majority of Earth's dramas and have been pretty unimpressed with his acting for the most part (finding him pretty flat/bland in general). But I really think taking him out of the teenager/college student role for once and casting him as a more believable character for his age and appearance really did him wonders. I thought he was a perfect fit for the chief as he was believable in portraying the strength and independence of the character as well conveying the more vulnerable, insecure moments- often just with his eyes.

I think the best part of this series is the fact that it lets BL characters free of the college campus/high school cage, allowing for a more refreshing storyline. Seriously if anything, I hope the popularity of this series pushes more BL series out of that box into seeing that yes we can have fully fledged, interesting stories with BL romance that aren't focused around teenagers. I want to see more series like this, Lovely Writer and Manner of Death where BL stories get to branch out a bit more plot-wise. I found the rural setting pretty, interesting and refreshing. It was also nice to learn more about traditional Thai culture as well as see the commentary being made on class/wealth differences etc.

Now onto some aspects I didn't love. I really enjoyed probably the first 3/4 of the series before I started to get a little bored tbh. I stopped enjoying the storyline as much when the whole "Tian is revealed as having Torfun's heart but lets not reveal the whole story to drag out some miscommunication angst" arc played out. From then on the story got a bit more shakey imo and I thought it could've been handled better (especially ep 10. which I found a real drag to get through if I'm honest).
The thing I ended up absolutely hating the most was how every character takes away Tian's agency by force- yes even Chief. Even though they sell it as being out of love and I see why they did it- I still dislike how they went about it. I hate how his mother forces him to study education in the US and acts like allowing him to study teaching at all is such a divine gift.

I hate how Chief forcibly removes him from the teaching position and tells him he HAS to leave the village even though that is where he wants to be. I understand that the whole point of forcing him to the US for two years was to "prove" that his character truly wanted to live in the village for his own happiness rather than to pay it forward for Torfun... But the fact that everyone forces him to do that when he clearly of his own volition had already decided in his heart that that's where he wanted to be pisses me off. It made that whole last ep just feel like filler to me as you were just wading through the bs waiting for Tian to get back to where he already wanted to be. I just wish they gave Tian's character more respect to decide for himself what was best for him rather than forcing a mandatory time skip for melodrama's sake (I understand this is an adaptation of a novel though- so I'm assuming this is how the story was originally written).

I also kind of wish there was more of a payoff in terms of scenes with Chief and Tian living "happily ever after". Or even showing them a couple of months in the future and how their lives adapted to each other- rather than just the last scene of them flirting on the same crappy single bed in Chief's shitty room lmao. I didn't find the one real kiss scene to be much of a payoff tbh. It was a romantic moment on the top of a mountain I get it, but meh tbh. We waited through 10 episodes of longing glances and endless flirting for one short kiss lol.

Overall I did enjoy this series for the most part, but it was dragging for me by the end. For the first 3/4's I had been ready to add it to my "best of BL" list- but the ending episodes were a little disappointing for me so I lowered my ranking a little. I would recommend this one as one of the more heartfelt, romantic BL dramas out there- but I don't think I'd re-watch it tbh.

TLDR: If you loved I Told Sunset About You- you'll likely LOVE this. But if like me, you were a little less rose-tinted glasses with that one- you might not 100% drink the 10/10 cool-aid with 1000 stars either. Although I would say 1000 stars was a LOT more enjoyable than ITSAY was for me and I'd personally recommend 1000 stars a lot more.

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A Tale of Green Privilege.

I am salty, not gonna lie. I was totally in love with the show for the first seven episodes, but the last three were simply a writing joke and left a bad taste in my mouth. For me, the writers completely failed to deal with and give a proper closure to a topic they decided to showcase.

Starting from the positives, I have to talk about acting. I usually keep my standards rather mid range with Thai BLs - here they exceeded my expectations. The performances weren’t Oscar worthy, but damn they were good. I see a trend in Thai BLs with casting new yet extremely talented actors for the main roles - Zee, Win and now Mix. Some actors did a better job than the others, but overall everyone portrayed their characters well.

The production value and the attention to creating realistic settings was quite nice. The village seems like a real close community - the interactions and relationships felt genuine. Loved the kids and how each one of them had their own individual characteristics, and they were not just “a group of kids”.

The slow progression of Tian and Chief’s relationship (excluding episodes 8-9). They were adorable. Well paced and natural way of presenting two people falling in love. Ain’t no “love from the first sight” or “forcing your presence on the other person until they give in” (which is done in many shows both in the physical and emotional aspects). Just two people working around their insecurities while the attachment and emotions grow.

“Your feelings come from your freaking brain” aka clear message that Tian is just Tian, and his character development and feelings come from him and not the heart he received from Torfun. All the similarities in his behavior towards other people did not come from the heart - it was Tian acting on what he read in the diary. I truly appreciate that they clearly expressed that Tian is his own person.

Onto the bad aka everything that happened after episode 7: complete lack of consequences (both legal and social) for people who broke the law. In real life, Tian would be hated by society - a rich kid who got away with breaking the law (organizing an illegal car chase in which someone died, and with how it was presented, it was not the first illegal car race he organized and took part in) thanks to the parents' money.

And I’m sorry, but feeling guilty is not enough of a punishment. We have legal systems for a reason. I’m all up for a redemption arc, but a character needs to pay for their crimes first. Same goes to his parents - all they did the whole show was bribing people for various reasons. The whole show could have happened only because Tian’s parents were able to buy his way out of trouble with money, and the true victims were simply forgotten. Torfun got no justice, nor did her family and friends. Everyone involved in her death got off scot free. That part of the plot and how writers dealt with it just simply angered me and ruined the show.

For everyone who claims that since Tian was not behind the wheel, he should not be held responsible for everything that happened to Torfun, remember that Tian was the one that suggested the car chase. Him and Tul organized the whole thing. When Tian started to feel unwell, Tul suggested forgetting the race, but Tian said no, because he did not want to look like a coward (to this random person he met in a bar and will probably never meet again - pride much?). He sent his friend to take part in the car chase on his behalf. He is not blameless.

And yet, he hasn't once been criticized or even scolded. Everyone just kept telling him how he was not at fault, how Torfun would forgive him, how he should stop feeling guilty, and my favorite and most disrespectful line of the whole show “Maybe, Torfun was the one who chose to give the heart to you” - it came from the person who was close to Torfun, someone who in first episode said “Everything can be settled with money. Easy, isn't it? I will never forgive the person who did this to her” - newsflash Chie’s, Tian was one of the people who did this to her, and his parents were the ones that used the money to make it go away.

Then there is the whole aspect of Tian wanting the freedom of choice, when everyone around him made the decision for him. This could have been a really good arc if they actually showed Tian being capable of making these decisions. Up till the end of the show, while his intentions might have been good, they often led to putting others in danger (sometimes almost dying). Tian is not exactly a responsible human being. How many times his actions need to have negative consequences until he starts to release, maybe double or even triple checking his ideas would be a good way to go?

All the problems I have, were the result of episodes 8 and 9 happening. It turned from a really wholesome story of self-discovery, development and improvement, to overdramatized mess with no cohesiveness. I loved and adored Tian in the first seven episodes, to be left with no sympathy by the end. I just could not stop feeling bad for Torfun and how poorly her character was treated in the show - all as a way to make Tian look better.

The last episode was quite enjoyable. Full of clichés, but since the cast have good chemistry, it did not bother me that much. The MVP was Tian's mom at the airport. Her reactions were comedy goals.

Overall, I have no idea. I am extremely conflicted - it’s not like the whole show was bad, good or decent. There were things I loved with all my heart (Tian’s and Longtae’s friendship being truly the best part of the show), but some were laughably bad (I did laugh throughout episode 8-10). I guess this show just made me feel frustrated on a whole new level just because of the two episodes close to the ending.

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*unpopular opinion* meh

I was hesitant to bother writing a review as everyone else seems to think this show is the best thing ever and people in the comments are supporting bumping 10/10 reviews in order to hide the bad ones but then I decided it couldn't hurt to just write one anyway.

Don't get me wrong, the show wasn't really bad, I didn't hate it, I just don't think it's worth all this hype. I really enjoyed maybe the first 5 episodes but after that the storyline wasn't keeping me hooked anymore and the longing gazes and smiles got a bit annoying because they'd been obviously in love with each other since the first moment they laid eyes on each other and neither of them were doing anything about it. Don't even get me started on the new unnecessary drama that happened basically every episode after no.5

Someone pointed out in the comments that none of the rich characters *cough* Tian's dad, seemed to face any repercussions for their actions, and I agree that a lot of important things seemed to just get overlooked in the end in favour of rushing the couple together in the last five minutes

I appreciate the effort and creativity the production team put into the series but it's a shame the actual episodes didn't reflect it all I don't think.

The cast was good but (Sorry Earth) after a couple of episodes Phupha's sighing every 5 seconds started to grate me a little bit.

I can understand why people enjoyed it but unfortunately it wasn't my cup of tea and I just wanted to share my opinion so there's more of a mixed bag of reviews. It's ok if you didn't enjoy it as much as everyone else in the comments seems to have done :)

Leggi di Più

Let's start at the very beginning

This show is basically about counting a thousand stars in the night sky (not really but yes) and by the end of it I felt like I wasted my time. The music is wonderful. The male leads, Nammon and the children have acted really well. Drake and White are completely wasted in this series. Pure self -indulgence on the director and storyteller's parts. Am sure this show will find it's fans but did not work for me at all. Had so much material to make it really work! Ah well. Maybe another director can revisit the premise in the future. Earth deserves a powerful starring vehicle pronto.

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This is currently my favorite bl

Disclaimer: (this is not a professional review and i haven't read the novel so some parts might not be the same as it is in the series)

Truly, 1000 stars is such an amazing series, the story itself is amazing i can't praise the writers enough, not to mention the hardwork put into it by the cast and crew. I've seen Earth play in a few series as side characters and honestly he was just that, i'm really glad this series gave him a chance to really be imeresed with the character and make him shine as an actor, because i believe he's just meant to be phupha. I'm so grateful that mix also agreed on casting as tian because i couldn't see it any other way, he's so talented i can't believe it's his first series. Both earth and mix did so well often times i forget that they're playing a character, their acting was not overdramatic but they both imprinted so much emotion on me, wether by their actions or facial expressions and i really admire that.

Can't believe it's been almost 2 weeks since the finale, i will definitely rewatch this with my friends after this pandemic is over, it's so worth to rewatch because of how much detail is in this series, it's amazing. The ost of this series is also so amazing, with 3 versions of it i can't get enough of it! Oh and perhaps this is a bit of a popular opinion but my favorite episode from the series is episode 10 although it's not all about the kiss scenes, i really loved how impactful mix's acting was in part 1, i was crying so much i think i could have filled a medium sized water bottle with my tears. (sorry ik i'm dramatic) it's just so heartbreaking to see tian having to be apart from the thing he loved doing and also the person he'd fallen for, and phuphatian's love story isn't as cheesy as most which i appreciate, they faced a lot of hardships but they did still have a happy ending.

Ok i'm now just rambling and if anybody is (still) reading this review thank you sm- but i did have an idea for the ending of thus series with the airport scene and now hear me out i love the ending but i think the aiport scene could have been an amazing open ended finale. Where they know that they both still love each other but they have to part ways for an indefinite ammount of time, sure people can interpert it as a sad ending but it doesn't close the possibility of tian coming back and for the both of them to reconcile. In my opinion it'd be a great ending to a start of the sequel- ok i have my hopes up too high don't i but that's my thought on another possibility of the ending. But if we didn't get that scene on the cliff we wouldn't get the kiss scene and tian burying Torfun's book, it's one of my favorite scene in the whole series, why? It was the start of phuphatian, you might be thinking, but tian has been in the village for 9 episode what do you mean it's jusy started? Well initially tian went to pha pun dao to grant torfun's wishes but since he burried torfun's book his mission has officially come to and end (what a long time to settle things out and have closure am i right :")) and he's there for himself, doing what his heart desires, living the life that he wants. Oh geez i wrote so much in 15 minutes, well for me it is a lot cus i don't usually write, but i decided to write- well type this out because why not? Might not be the best review but again it's more of my thoughts and ideas haha. To wrap up what i said it's really an amazing series and i highly recommend people to watch this masterpiece.

Leggi di Più

Beautiful. That's it.

This is not a BL. It's a drama that includes a M/M romance, but the story is so much more than that.

Tian's journey of devoting his life to something bigger than himself after a near-death experience is the heart of this story. It's about love in every possible form, one of which happens to be a two-person romance. But it's Tian's love for teaching children. It's the love of friendship. It's the love of people and life and the little things.

The directing of this show was gorgeous. You can so clearly tell so much effort and devotion went into the production of this show, and that's proved by watching/reading about the behind the scenes. I mean, the crew built an entire village after the real one they were going to shoot at didn't work out. I heard how freezing it was, and that doesn't show at all in the scenes. I commend everyone involved. This show was clearly made with so much heart and love, which shows in the storytelling and the acting.

I'm so impressed with Mix's acting, as this was his first ever show, and he carried all of it. Everything was centered on his character, and he more than pulled through. Also, I think he's so youthfully beautiful. During the kite scene when he was smiling in the rain ... phew. Beautiful.

Leggi di Più

One of the best BL

Most series don't share the big problems in people's life. They just focus on small problems and show them as huge ones.
I almost missed this series because I knew that it wasn't a cute rom-com BL like most are but a serious one. But this is so much more. I saw so many recommendations for this series and knew I will have to watch it for sure, sooner or later.

The story overall was pretty good, displayed in a beautiful way because of the hard work of the whole team. However the extra ahead / before scenes at the end of episodes added a small confusion. Also even when the leads had a simple and happy ending, I think it would have been better to have a bit more zing in the ending to make it a bit better.
Another thing that made me almost drop this series twice in the first episode itself was the lead seeing the dead girl multiple times.
I think the series would have been way better if there was more chemistry between the leads.

Leggi di Più

Beautiful!!!

I've seen multiple BL's recently and this one has taken a special place in my heart. Reasons why I love this show so much:
1. It's not your usual university/school story line
2. It's a story about self-growth and this drama shows us how much the main character 'Tian' grows throughout the whole story.
3. Does not contain non-consentual scenes (has mutual respect and it's frankly adorable)
4. Shows that a BL drama doesn't have to have sexual scenes in order to make a beautiful story.
5. No jealous ex, crazy fangirls or homophobia.
6. The acting was really good with both the characters (even though it's Mix's first time acting).
7. The whole story doesn't just revolve around romance. It's about self-growth, forgiveness and a learning journey.
To me this show was PERFECT! And I would definitely rewatch it again.

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One of GMMTV's finest works. Sweet and Refreshing.

I was hesitant to watch this. I couldn't go through the first episode. A BL with a newbie lead and Earth? I'll be honest, I didn't like Earth at all. I hated his emotionless acting in Waterboyy (his character arc was also pretty bad) so it was an immediate turn-off.
But the pain of waiting for Bad Buddy was too much. So, I finally decided to give it a shot.

And boy, oh boy, was I impressed.

The story is nothing like you've seen in a BL series. Hell, even in mainstream Thai lakorns. It's unique, sweet and charming. The story deals with destiny and how the fates of 3 people could be connected so deeply. I will not spoil anything about the story but you have to take my word for it. It's amazing.

I was ready to be disappointed with Earth once again. But he has improved SO MUCH! It's like I'm watching a completely different actor. If he can improve this much in such a short while, I'm actually excited for his future works. He was almost as good as Mix.
Almost.
Remember the newbie I talked about? The man acts better than most GMMTV actors. He's too good. You'll have to experience it yourself to believe it. That's it. That's all I'll say about him.

The OST is amazing. I've been listening to the main theme music along with its flute rendition for hours now. It has that 'pure' feeling to it that sets the theme for the entire show.

After all, only one word could describe the relationship between the male leads - pure. I hated dramas like TharnType which used fanservice to lure its audience. Glad we're back to the roots of the BL genre.

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