Star Struck (2023)

Swings & Starlight: A Tale of Love and Letdowns

Beneath a starry night's embrace, two young souls found escape on swings, each shielding themselves from the shards of their broken homes. Han Joon, the pillar of a family led by a tireless single mother, stood in stark contrast to Yoo Jae, a beacon amidst the chaos of a wayward father and relentless parental squabbles. Their shared tragedies wove an unyielding bond.

By their high school years, Han Joon's affection for Yoo Jae began to blur the lines of friendship. Despite the introverted Han Joon juxtaposing the effervescent Yoo Jae, who had girls swooning left and right, their undeniable bromance was a puzzle missing its romantic piece. As the ties tightened, Yoo Jae's crippling fear of loss clouded his sight to Han Joon's deeper desires.

"Starstruck," this mini BL series, screams cinematic masterpiece, yet its segmented eight-episode release feels more like spilled ink on a canvas. Its Achilles' heel? The barely sketched transition from comrades to sweethearts. As an audience, you're left straining to fathom Yoo Jae's emotional tide. One can't help but ponder: Is his love for Han Joon true, or just a safety net against abandonment?

But the plot thickens: Just as Han Joon steps into his beau boots, he commits the cardinal sin of no-shows. The culprit? His mom's Houdini-esque relocation! Yet, ever the doting son, Han Joon tracks her down in a vast sea of hospitals (because drama, right?), and, nudged by a maternal epiphany, sprints to their nostalgic swings beneath the stars. An unpredictable finale to an already rollercoaster romance. Makes one's dating tales seem like a walk in the park!

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Started out okay and then just went downhill

I think that's the first time I genuinely thought that the leads would have been better off staying friends. While I used to be okay with the whole "one friend has feelings for the other, the other doesn't, behaves horrible but is also super possessive—which eventually ends up the reason for them getting together" type of story, I've come to realise just how problematic this dynamic is, so I can't really get into it or consider it even remotely romantic. Add to that the fact that the leads had zero chemistry with each other... They should have just stayed friends.
The storytelling wasn't that great either, and I don't even know what happened with the last 2 episodes, they were so bad I had a hard time finishing the series even though it's not very long.
All in all, can't recommend it, felt like a waste of my time.

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Like Most BL, "Star Struck" Should Have Been Much Longer

The reviews on MDL for this drama were brutal and I disagree.

I felt that Zuho and Kim In Sung did a great job with their characters.

BL are often 4 to 12 episodes and I really wish they were much longer so viewers can witness the growth of the characters and learn more details about their lives. Often, there are too many unanswered questions, too many plot points that are introduced for interest but not followed or resolved due to the short format. "Star Struck" is yet another example. Lee In Gyu (wore the headband) was an unnecessary character. Park Jin Hwan was sweet but we never received an explanation why Jo Yoo Jae kept blocking Jin Hwan's efforts to establish a relationship with Yoon Chae Young when it was apparent that Yoo Jae wasn't interested in dating (or protecting her) and she and Jin Hwan were interested in one another.

Jo Yoo Jae and Seo Han Joon meet as children, instantly become best friends and grow up together. Somewhere along the way, Han Joon begins to view Yoo Jae as a life partner, rather than as “just a friend.”

Despite their closeness, both Yoo Jae and Han Joon omit vital information from one another which only serves to harm their relationship and trust for one another.

As with drama...lack of communication causes 80% of all problems. The other 20% is covered by a refusal/inability to ask questions and assuming you already know the answer.

Yoo Jae’s parents hate one another. His dad appears to be an unemployed drunk who spends his days watching tv programs about financial investments while Yoo Jae’s mother yells at him for not working. Eventually, one of dad’s schemes works and he becomes exceedingly wealthy due to one of his stock purchases. Yoo Jae’s mom goes on a luxury goods spending spree, Yoo Jae has a nice allowance and they move into a much larger, nicer house. Yoo Jae doesn’t bother to tell his best friend about his good news and Han Joon finds out from his classmates who are astonished that he didn’t know.

In the first episode, we are told that Han Joon’s “family” runs a banchan stand and that Yoo Jae really likes the food. Han Joon’s father isn’t seen or discussed. We later learn that his mother is selling insurance but isn’t making any money. Then, Han Joon finds out from his classmates that his mother has gotten a job in a restaurant in another city and is moving. He confronts his mother and she doesn’t apologize. She confirms she is moving, has already gotten him a (much smaller) apartment nearby, has paid the rent for the next three months and he can pack his bags to move in immediately. Han Joon will be taking the college entrance exam in three months, graduate high school and will then be homeless and in need of a job that pays more than he earns as a janitor for a boxing gym. It’s hard to believe that Han Joon’s mother could not get a job in a restaurant in Seoul. She’s not moving to be the manager of a restaurant, or even to be a chef, she is moving just to be a waitress.

Han Joon doesn’t bother to tell his “best friend” that his mom has left and that he’s moved. In fact, when Yoo Jae tells him he’s coming over, Han Joon runs out of his apartment to intercept his friend and suggest they go to a café.

After taking the college entrance exam, Han Joon finally confesses to Yoo Jae who does not take the news well, they fight and end their friendship. Han Joon stops attending school and doesn’t show up for graduation. In fact, he shows up at the school administration office, pretends to be Yoo Jae and asks if he can pick up “Han Joon’s” graduation certificate to give him.

Fast forward and, coincidentally, both men are freshman at Hanguk University and run into one another. Han Joon keeps his distance and Yoo Jae is forced to initiate contact and attempt to salvage their friendship. When Yoo Jae assumes that the months of no contact resulted in Han Joon “sorting out his thoughts,” Han Joon tells him to just go away and stay away. Yoo Jae’s presence in his life is too painful and Han Joon wants to forget him and move on with his life. Eventually, Yoo Jae decides he does want to pursue a relationship that is more than friendship and asks if they can date.

Other reviewers have written harsh things about Yoo Jae that I don’t feel are completely warranted. He was raised by parents who hated one another and probably treated him as if he were a burden. He needs someone to focus on him and care for him. He probably didn’t get the affection he needed from his parents. In his friendship with Han Joon, Yoo Jae does become jealous, anxious, controlling, and angry when Han Joon has other friends and interests that get in the way of being 100% available for Yoo Jae at all times. He reminds me of Segasaki (“My Personal Weatherman”) and Kiyoi (“My Beautiful Man”) who were wounded men who needed to be the focus of attention, and also needed to learn how to communicate and to mature.

He was heavily criticized for throwing away Han Joon’s gift of chocolates twice. Viewers have to keep in mind that he thought of Han Joon just as a friend and Han Joon’s confession decisively changed his perception of reality. He had to work through the complexities of their relationship. He had been in “friends only” mode for over a decade. He now learns that is best friend is attracted to him. Was he attracted to Han Joon? What did it mean to be attracted to another man? What is life like for a gay man in Korea? Was he ever/still attracted to women? He wanted everything to stay the same, to stay “just friends” and Han Joon told him that wasn’t possible. He’s 20 years old and needs time to grow up and mature in order to become a better human being, in general, and to become a better partner for Han Joon.

Han Joon has also received quite a bit of criticism for rushing to his mother and then leaving her just as quickly. First and foremost, I think Han Joon should have been communicating with Yoo Jae every single step of the way. He told Yoo Jae that he had something to do, but promised to be on time for their dinner reservation and ceased all further contact. Han Joon thought his mother was merely sick, but later finds out that she’s moved out/been evicted and lost/quit her job and is in the hospital preparing for surgery. He should have communicated all of this to Yoo Jae. In the end, it is his mother that repeatedly tells him to leave and go home for his appointment. We never learn what sort of surgery she is going to undergo. Han Joon’s mother may love her son in some manner, but I am not nominating her for any “Mother of the Year” awards. She refused to tell her son she moved, no longer had a job, had debts and needed surgery. Her excuse was that “she didn’t want to worry him.” Nonsense. He didn’t deserve her running away when he was a senior in high school and didn’t deserve her repeated withholding of vital information.

The series ends with a mildly “happy for now” status.

Will Han Joon’s mother ever be honest with him?

Yoo Jae did not react well to his parents’ announcement of their impending divorce and has probably disinherited himself. He can probably move in with Han Joon but he’s going to have to get a job to pay for living expenses and for college. Yoo Jae needs to work on himself and his relationships with others.

Han Joon is happy to have him by his side for now, but Yoo Jae needs to fully earn Han Joon’s love and support and provide the same in return.

A second season would be nice, but probably won't happen. The best that can be hoped for would be to find "Star Struck" fan fic.

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Awesome characters... on a high-speed rail.

Not going to lie, this one deserves an 8.5/10 for the first six episodes and a 5/10 for the last two episodes.
Also, it ends in the blink of an eye. It's like they mashed together clips of the whole thing, particularly the last two episodes. I don't know whether to be upset or angry. The actors were good, the premise was good and it had plenty of potential to be one of the better short dramas out there. And to an extent, it is.

This is the one time I truly wished that a drama had a longer run time. Or a second season even. (If it's an 8 episode series, it needs at least 20 minutes per episode. Or 10 episodes, if it's going to be 15 minutes each.)

So… what do I think? Take off the "BL spectacles" and view it objectively as a simple story between two childhood friends, Han Joon and Yoo Jae. However, their bond becomes uncertain when Han Joon starts to realize his feelings for Yoo Jae. Moreover, the struggles of their families puts a further strain on their lives.

The characters and the performance by the cast is what carries the whole 8 episodes. Kudos to them for managing to bring so much depth and emotions to life while being handed like… half the story?
There is so much angst in this one that I decided that the 'best friends to lovers' trope is one of the worst out there. (This one has a particularly noteworthy confession scene.) But, it gives a strange satisfaction when beautifully portrayed. It was stressful to see both Han Joon and Yoo Jae keep trying to keep their friendship alive.

I'm surprised by both the leads. Kim In Sung could really make the viewers feel 'broken'.
While Yoo Jae is getting pummeled by the majority of the viewers, I liked that guy. While Han Joon was more emotionally receptive, Yoo Jae struggled to express his emotions.
I've not looked much into the idol group SF9, but I did not realize how popular they were until Star Struck. Baek Zu Ho can definitely act.

Their chemistry was not bad at all. But, as the concept of time isn't conveyed well, it can appear off putting to many.

The characters needed time: they were not just dealing with their feelings, but also had troubles with their families. This was one part that was well paced in the first few episodes, but got thrown into the bin during the last two. Not that it was bad, but it was all too sudden. Han Joon with his mom and Yoo Jae with his parents.

Another thing? The timeline. The first four episodes took place over a span of four months. The next two focused on their college. The last two took place in about three months. (That's three months in twenty minutes, I tell you.)

On a side note, I never cared about kisses ever since I watched the Taiwanese movie Our Times (2015) and that had literally no physical interaction between the leads, but was just sweet. So, I forgive the directors because the rest of their interactions were gold.

The bad stuff is definitely the runtime which impedes a better written script. I also suspect that they cut off a few remaining bits too. Also, I'll never look at Ferrero Rocher the same way again.

Am I disappointed? Yes, badly. The slew of well plotted short dramas with a longer runtime or more episodes with a tight plot might've made viewers expect better from 'Star Struck'. I'll rate this a generous 7.5/10. Han Joon, Yoo Jae and even those smaller supporting characters are too sweet to not be given a second chance by anyone who stumbles across this review.

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It was good, but... what happened to the end?

It was pretty good, over all. But like most KBLs, they usually start with a bang and end with.. nothing that good. I mean, I haven't seen Friends to Lovers for a really long time because the majority really like the Enemies to Lovers but I won't compare them.

I like the cast, they're cute, and their acting was pretty good. It's pretty low budget but it's pretty well-made.

And then there's the ending to which.. what happened to Hanjoon's mom and Yoojae's parents? They just aren't going to elaborate on it? I mean I guess they solved it because they're together and they'll push through. But neither of them told each other of their situation, like.. at all. Yoojae just gave him the ring and then happily ever after.

Love doesn't actually solve everything like what almost every show says, but they should've at least elaborated on the very last conflict or didn't involve it at all. They could've done 7 episodes and fit in the ring part and left out the drama at the end and saved some money..

But anyway, it was a good show and if there's a season 2, maybe they'll make up for it because the ending seemed pretty sudden.

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It started well and ended badly.

After a few good chapters, it got lost in a bad script. There was still a lack of depth in secondary characters, who were there only to compose the scenery.

I read that it seems like it didn't have a lot of budget, but it didn't need to make a very complex story. I think that for Zuho, who was extremely attacked, because he was from a famous group (SF9), it wasn't so good. He has suffered several homophobic attacks.

At the end they tried to do things that were even interesting, but that wouldn't have time to be really enjoyed. Out of nowhere, unrelated things happen. There are some stories that need more time to develop. What didn't happen here.

Perhaps a new edition if they have extra scenes or remove unnecessary things can improve in film format, if they are interested in relaunching in that format.

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Another victim of the K-BL format

Nearly every Korean BL I watch has the exact same issue: not enough time. And this one is no exception. I was excited to watch this one as a fan of SF9, and was slightly disappointed to see such potential in a show that could never live up to it, due to the time limits that K BLs seem to always have.

Hanjoon has secretly been in love with his childhood best friend Yoojae for a long time now, but only truly realized it when he starts to get jealous that Yoojae is pursuing a girl. This brings out a lot of tension in their relationship, as both of them are quick to anger when it comes to issues with each other. It takes a long time for them both to realize that the reason they're always on edge with each other is because both of them are harboring more feelings than they thought, and neither of them know how to process it.

Each of these 15-20 minute episodes could have and should have been 45 min. There's a quick conflict in every episode, where the causes, conflict, and aftermath are never fully fleshed out. Plus, they attempted to give both characters complex family situations without having the time to do so properly. They either should have cut out some unnecessary conflicts to flesh out the characters, or lengthen the episodes to flesh out the conflicts. As is typical, there is truly no way to have multiple complex characters with multiple complex conflicts in a series with a total run time less than a movie. Frankly, a movie would have been better because at least it would have been one continuous storyline instead of 8 separate conflicts that they resolve in under 5 minutes. I was, however, pleasantly surprised by the acting of the main two. The tension and fights felt like real issues that 18-year-olds would have, and nothing about this show felt cheesy. A fun watch that I wouldn't recommend too highly.

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Bueno.... La vi...

La historia es linda, pero lamentablemente le falto mucho desarrollo, en momentos no te dabas cuenta de como pasan las cosas, porque solo las ponían sin hablarnos del contexto que esta pasando, sentí que ponían escena tras escenas sin una correcta union con la historia, porque en el capitulo final por ejemplo al momento de encontrarse después de haber dejado plantado a Yoo Jae y no me presentan esta escena de ellos hablando y explicando o algo, yo se que paso, pero el protagonista no, pero van y me ponen que ya están reconciliados, no me dicen que paso o algo... y eso lo hacen a lo largo de la serie, le falto desarrollo y se que era poco tiempo de duración, pero muchas con menos tiempo tienen mejor desarrollo.

Los actores divinos, tienen una linda química, pero siento que no la explotaron como debería, corea siempre trae buenos BL pero este quedo corto para lo que estoy acostumbrada de ellos. Me gustaría ver otra serie con esa pareja con una historia mejor desarrollada.

No creo que vuelva a verlo... y aunque no soy de repetir series soy de las que les gusta ver escenas y revivir momentos específicos, pero no siento que haya un momento al que quiera volver. la historia tenia potencia, los actores química increíble y actuándotelas bien... pero a la hora de desarrollar la serie, repito que se quedo corta...

Ahora... si la vez es linda, n es la gran cosa, pero es algo que puedes ver en unas dos horas y ya, imagina que es una película y sentaste a verla y listo, quizás a muchos les guste y otros no, pero al final lo único que importa es lo que tu pienses de ella, fue linda, y con deficiencias, pero si hay peores...

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It's worth the watch!

First of all, the music in this series is outstanding. The intro music reminds me of Love, Simon--not the same but it gives me the same feeling.

I barely leave reviews but I would like to give this one to at least add a positive feedback over the negative ones because I enjoyed the series and I think it deserves it.

I love a BL series that is more focused on the development of the relationship of the two main characters in a way that it is not boring, and I think Star Struck did that. I love the pacing from episode 1 up to the second half of episode 7, but the last episode felt like, suddenly this and that happened without proper build up. There should have been an extra episode where we have to see the romantic relationship of the two main characters, but who knows, there might be a second season for that.

If there is a thing to be upset about, that would be the kissing scene. LoL! It's a turning point of the plot of the story but why fake it? That kiss was like a confession that Yoo Jae like Han Joon too. One more thing, Han Joon did not even bother to explain what happened why he failed to meet up with Yoo Jae and Yoo Jae did not even bother to ask. It is like they assume they did. Anyway, the two leads are too handsome and have good acting skills which made me enjoy this series aside from the music and the story. I hope they'll get more acting projects.

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