A Tale of a Thousand Stars (2021)

Is the Hype True ?

First off I love the fresh setting outside of a university.

The scenery is absolutely beautiful and making want to book a plane ticket to Thailand right after the pandemic is finally over!

My biggest issue with this series is the way the heart transplant situation is handled. Yes it’s a drama I know but it’s very hard to wrap your head around the idea that a heart (an organ ) can change someone’s whole being from within.

The constant comparison between Tian and Torfun is unnecessary and frustrating, if the plot had not been too weak it could be a much more beautiful journey of self discovery , growth and finding love.

What I am mostly enjoying is the interactions between our two handsome leads, their chemistry is one of the best I have seen in recent BLs.

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A beautiful tale of self discovery and a sublime romance !!

I'm reviewing this after having re-watched it now for the 3rd time after a year of first time watching it !! Trying to fill the void left by the completion of Bad Buddy, I didn't know what to watch so decided to give my favourite BL another try and having done that I realized why this series was my favorite until Bad Buddy took the top spot recently ...Nevertheless this is still a very close 2nd and will always remain one of my favorite series ever...
The story itself is mesmerizing and a respite from the usual BL tropes that have become common to the point of being predictable and boring!! The writing is meticulous and every scene has a purpose and nothing feels like a filler. There are no loose ends and everything is tied up beautifully by the time the credits roll on the last episode.
The direction by P'Aof is assured as always and he brings out the best from all the cast and crew. Special mention must be given to the production design of the show which is immaculate. Every detail looks authentic and nothing looks like it's added for the sake of creating an atmosphere...I don't know whether it was an actual village they shot at or it was all sets but it actually feels like a genuine village...
The OST is beautiful and the title song is used at perfect occasions causing goosebumps and butterflies at the required moments between the couple!!
Lastly coming to the best part of the show...The acting and chemistry of its 2 main leads ...Earth and Mixx exude a rare level of comfort together which is visible in every scene of them ..there is no cringe, no awkwardness and most importantly they look like 2 people in love ..their chemistry at times sweet and at times fiery lifts the show to a whole new level...Earth has given a nuanced performance which just strikes the correct balance his character requires...But the real star of the series and the MVP is Mixx in his debut role, who brings a level of intensity in his performance that even seasoned actors fail to bring at times...not only is he extremely good looking, but his face radiates every expression that Tian is feeling effortlessly ...he gets most of the heavy and emotional parts of the show and not once he fails to deliver in any of those scenes !! Watching him perform is just so satisfying !!
Another aspect of the show which I really liked is that though predominantly it's a love story, the focus of the writing is not just on the couple but the characters as individuals. The leads have a personality of their own and face problems and issues that have nothing to do with the romance aspect. Apart from being a love story, ATOTS is also a story of self-discovery and forgiveness a story of community and found family..

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One of the best Thai/BL shows in my book.

A Tale of Thousand Stars is a rare gem. They don't quite make shows like this one. The storyline, characters, scenery, music, and acting were phenomenal. This show has a lot of value and really makes you take a step back and analyze your own life. I've seen my fair share of Thai/BL shows, but this one truly left me stunned. The storyline is intriguing and meaningful, and the characters are so full of depth. The romance is slow but amazing. You can tell it's there just between the exchanged looks and actions of the characters, and the build-up is worth the wait. The growth of the main characters was one of my favorite things about this series. Tian is easily my favorite, and I was rooting for him the entire time. Mix and Earth, the main actors, did beyond amazing, and I would love to see more of them in the future. I'm crossing my fingers GMMTV continues to make shows like this because this is exactly the kind of shows we need to have.

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Something new … A breath of fresh air!

The only reason I decided to watch this drama is the reviews, all 9s and 10s; then I was like okay, let me give it a try.
Started off well and I got hooked. I mean the music to begin with rhymes with the remote location. It eases you into the story line so smoothly.
This drama is a change of scenery. I love that it's not school (college) based. (God! I've had enough of those, not that I won't watch them though). Tian and Phupha, great chemistry, well aided by the doc (Nam), Yod and Rang. They bring humor to the whole series and it blends really well with the serious faced Phupha.
The whole setting, everything is just perfect. This is one of the series I wish had like 2 more episodes...hoping for a second season. It looks unfinished in my opinion, esp the last episode. It's left me with a few questions that I pray will be addressed, though the ending was beautiful.
Oh, the airport scene had me in tears of joy.
Tian and Phupha dive deep into their characters and produce one of the best series in 2021.

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One of my favorites

Oh my where do I start with this masterpiece???

First things first, it was so WORTH waiting for this drama to finally release! We waited for a LONG time, but it really was worth it!

This really was a fresh drama, I think we kinda needed something like this, I mean I really love watching college-based bl's, but I wish we could get more unique dramas like ATOTS! there was no side couples who got more screen time than the main couple. Every actor in this this drama acted their role to the fullest and I seriously loved it. This drama taught me something, it's to finally start doing things I would like to try, help others, give without expecting something in return, not to be scared of facing the reality, learn to forgive yourself because not everything is your fault.

The whole story line was so well made and managed! Actors... they really stole my heart with their amazing acting skills! All of them!

Oh the OST, I could clearly picture myself lying in the grass at night and looking at the bright stars in the sky! One day when I finally get the opportunity to experience lying in the grass in the night, counting stars, I will definitely play ATOTS's OST!

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The Best BL in history - A new standard

Honestly, this single series should be the face of BL in Thailand. From the casting (Earth as Phupa was the best fit and Mix as Tian showed many surprises), theme song (can we just say the first 10 seconds of the opening song send chills down my spine every episode), the filming location and even the flavors added in by the supporting casts (and the kids) are nothing short of amazing.

What surprised me more was the chemistry EarthMix had and, there's a twist! I was surprised and also bawling my eyes out every single episode after episode 7. The only series i can think of that can rival 1000 stars in terms of storyline and cinematics would be ITSAY.

The series goes beyond BL and encompasses many other learnings as well. Mix impressed me as this is his first acting film and to be honest, he is already better than many other veterans out there. Earth convincing acting as Phupa was the one that impressed me the most. His subtle expressions and micro aggressions really caught me, His role as a captain needs to be less dramatic in terms of expression, but i could really felt his sadness throughout.

That said, this is a very heavy show and although this is my best and most favorite BL series. I didnt really rewatch it much because it's quite hard to watch - too much emotions needed and i would say not very light hearted.

To end off, if you are looking to start a Thai BL. This will be the best one to start but dont compare this with others because ATOTS is simply just refreshing and legendary.

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Just Wow

If you're looking for sexual content BE GONE! If you're looking for something new and refreshing WELCOME! The story was amazing all around. It's truly a humbling, emotional, cute and realistic series. As an experienced BL fan I gotta say I've never seen anything like this before and I love that fact. The MC's having great chemistry, visuals all around and with some gut punching parts all make for an impressive series.
With all the praise I'm giving I can't explain why I didn't give it a perfect 10. I think it's cause I felt it was a bit basic for a bit too long but I'm proud to say I'm definitely going to recommend to a newbie BL fan or honestly anyone in general lol
PLEASE Enjoy...

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A Really Pleasant Unexpected Surprise!

I really did not have much hopes from GMM TV because of their usual tendency to go with kiddish unrealistic BL tropes, unlike a few exceptions! But this one really left me short of words! In the beginning it seemed more like a BL version of Crash landing on you, but the story and execution was so unique and captivating in a way and it leaves you with such pleasant and good vibes. The Morales put up at the end of every episode were so thought provoking. The show gave me all sorts of emotions whatsoever, I was happy, sad, excited, numb, thrilled, all at the same time.

The chemistry between the leads was so strong, their gaze, the expression portrayed so much intimacy that no kind of skin-ship was even needed. And Mix's acting was unbelievable, totally couldn't believe he was Rookie actor, his eyes can ease up even the coldest of hearts.

I really hope thailand makes more of such unique and beautiful shows in future! <3

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Life from different perceptive

The story line exists on the life of Khun Tian from rich family and the another one from the very remote area.
When the true love comes, no matter in wealthy, gender and their prosperity, the most important things is to build the love with faith, sympathy, compassion, protection and most importantly mutual understanding. The characters prove that everything is not flawless, and perfect, and things are not happening as what we expected before, but we can feel the love of P Phuu over Khun Tian and how much he values on his love.
I am still remembering each and every moment of all episodes and still eagerly seeing again and again repeatedly without any boring.
The story line and the characters, all still remains in my memory and still missing the voice of both P Phuu and Khun Tian.

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It was worth waiting one more year for this

This drama was set to be released in 2020, but due to some reasons they had to push it back for another year. It was definitely worth the wait.
I mainly watched because Earth is my favorite Thai actor (and also criminally underrated), so when I saw that he would be one of the main characters I immediately added this series to my list. The premise of the story also seemed pretty good, so all I had left to hope is for GMMTV not to ruin an otherwise beautiful story. (It happened to other series in the past and at this point I don't trust them with anything)

Now that I'm done watching, I can say that it was really beautiful. It's definitely not perfect, as there were some details about the story that annoyed me: the decisions made by some characters about certain situations that didn't make much sense to me, for example, or how one or two things in the plot weren't talked about as much as I wished to. Other than this though, it was VERY good: the series kept its focus on the story and the relationships among the characters without going overboard with comic reliefs or fanservice, and even the product placements didn't feel overwhelming.
Talking about fanservice, there is little to none of it in this series, which I highly appreciated. On top of this, there are no side couples, which let the two main characters shine all the way and let their relationship develop without it feeling rushed.
Extra kudos to the writers for talking more in detail about various important topics. This series deals with touchy themes and issues that are hard to tackle for any writer, but in my eyes they did a very good job. Even when the plot focused more on those issues, it never felt heavy or overwhelming, but also never shallow enough to be hard to understand.

The chemistry between Earth and Mix was off the charts. I was very proud of Earth while watching, but also amazed by Mix since this is apparently his first role. They had me glued to the screen the whole time and I'll definitely watch anything featuring them in the future.

I highly recommend this series. It's touching, very sweet and romantic, but also with a good dose of heartbreaking angst. You won't regret it!

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A Drama I Never Expected to Love

I have to be honest, I wasn’t thrilled when I found out about this drama. The first time I’ve known about one of the leads, Earth, is during Waterboyy and I wasn’t impressed with that drama at all. Mix is a new face in the field and there wasn’t much to expect from him because he had no previous works before this project. So I dove into this piece with no expectations whatsoever. I just watched it for the heck of it and to fill the gaping hole of my previously-finished BL drama. I had nothing else to watch that time so I opened Youtube and got to it. And boy was I in for a ride.

For a first episode, a lot was going on so it was hard to keep up at first. I’m not a fan of too much crying and drama on a show so I was “meh” at this point. I was interested in the premise and I’ve got to say, it was Mix’s acting that hooked me in the episode. For someone new to acting (in a series), he proved to have potential. His expressions were heartfelt and I can see he portrayed the character of Tian very well. The feelings were relayed properly and I guess we have p’Aof to be thankful for it because without good direction, the actors would not have been able to pull it off properly.

The second week came and the story was still interesting but it didn’t hook me deep yet. Third ep was when I started to fall into the series hard. It was the point when I actually looked forward to next Friday again. There were so many heartwarming moments then on and you can finally see a development into each of the leads. Tian is a multi-dimensional character. It slowly showed throughout the episodes. He wins best character development for me. A rare instance where I find the protagonist so likeable and, well… so human. Each week, you will see his growth as an individual and it seems as if you’re going through the journey with him. Every week, I’d think Friday couldn’t come soon enough.

One of the things I love about this series is that it didn’t solely revolve around the romance of both leads. It wasn’t an in-your-face love story and you’ll see it being laid out slowly through the episodes, which I love. It was apparent but it’s definitely not the only plot of the whole show. In fact, a lot of the story also focused on Tian’s growth as he discovers what he really wants to be as he lives through his teaching assignment in the village. And also the importance on how he finally realizes that his life’s meaning is not in his family’s legacy or wealth but his love for the villagers (especially the kids and Phupa).

The villain, Mr. Sakda, was also a good addition. His heinous and unbearable presence as an influential smuggler gives you the feeling of unease which is a good portrayal of a perfect antagonist. Although, I’ve got to say, they could’ve expanded his character more. Like show how powerful he really is. The way his conflict was resolved was rather lackluster for me. But with the limitations this series could provide (given the 10 episodes, a probable limited budget and the pandemic situation going on), I guess it could suffice. But I was really glad it wasn’t some third party (boy or girl) that would cause a rift between the two heroes of the story. It’s more of an internal conflict which is a bit more relatable and realistic. It showed how different they are in the point of their lives — Tian, a rich college brat on a road to self-discovery while Phupa is a humble ranger with a strong purpose in his 30’s.

Overall, I really love the show. With the congested BL market nowadays, I have to say this is one of the masterpieces out there. A gem! The story is solid. A few holes I would say that needed improvement, but I could give them a free pass. The characters were well-written. Earth has improved a lot since I was last exposed to him and Mix proved to be a powerhouse novice in acting. The chemistry is skyrocketing and I guess it was one of the reasons that made this series so much more enjoyable to watch. Some of the support roles needed a little work but still passable. Dr. Nam, Yod and Mr. Sakda would be the most outstanding ones out there, in my honest opinion. Music was great! In fact, I have a Spotify playlist of all the background music they utilized all throughout the series. It says a lot because I don’t usually do that. With replay value, I guess I can say I wouldn’t be bothered to watch the whole series again. I’d love to see Tian and Chief Phupa once more!

9.5 out of 10! Highly recommended! Definitely gold standard 😉

Lire davantage

A sweet ending to a beautifully done series

!!Disclaimer¡¡
This review is based on my personal opinion. It is not meant to encourage/discourage you from watching. Please feel free to agree/disagree with it. This is going to be quite a lengthy review, it also might contain a lot of spoilers so if you're not into that go ahead and skip reading it.


Ok, first of, let me start off by saying that this series has officially made me fall in love with Thailand and its absolutely gorgeous nature. I've seen the bts of this series and I want to give all the people behind this amazing series a big hug for their amazing work. Although there were some parts of the plot that didn't make sense and made my head spin a little, I was able to ignore these little things because the positives outweighed the negatives in this one so thank you GMMTV, for not ruining this one.


Story/plot :
Let me say this first, as someone who has not read the novel and only discovered this drama a couple of months ago, I didn't know what to expect from it, and I literally just dove in headfirst (which is a rarity since I don't like going in blind) and I must say that it really exceeded my expectations and left me feeling very much contented. The script was written really well and you could really feel the efforts put into it. The way they presented each scene and how they introduced each character was very good and I'm more than happy with it. The series tells the story of Tian, a rich college student with a terminal illness who gets a second chance at life after undergoing a heart transplant surgery. While still unconscious, he dreams a strange dream and upon waking up, is curious about who was his heart's donor. His parents try to conceal the identity of the donor from him but he finds out anyway after secretly looking at his medical file. He tries to know more about his donor who turns out to be a woman named Torfun, a volunteer teacher at a remote village, and discovers that her death was caused by an accident. He gets hold of her diaries and after reading it, decides to become a volunteer teacher at the same village she was in and finish what she had started. While there he struggles to adapt to the very unfamiliar environment and the very closed people of said village, while hiding Torfun's death and his identity from the villagers. There, he meets Phupa, the chief of a group that protects the village, who helps him adapt with the help of a few friends as he aides and protects him while he teaches the kids of the village. Phu and Tian start off on the wrong foot but they slowly start to get closer and eventually fall in love, but as time goes by and the closer Tian gets to Phu and the villagers, his secret starts weighing on him and it leads him into dangerous situations, and eventually he reveals his secret and faces the consequences of it. That is a very summed up version of the plot.
When I first watched the trailer for it, I was very skeptic about how such situation would be portrayed considering it is not your usual romantic drama nor is it college/school life originated. However, I was pleasantly surprised with the final results. The way they presented the difference between social classes, the importance of money and influence in our modern society, and how someone's life can change in the span of a day was very believable, so a big shout out to the screen writer and the creators for this great plot.
Now that we've got that out of the way, let's talk about some of the very minor plot-holes that really annoyed me personally. How on earth did no one ask for Tian's last name? How was Doc able to get hold of all this information on Tian? Isn't that illegal? Why did Phu have to out Tian like this? Was it really necessary? And a few other things. I really wanted to give the plot a perfect rating, but these very small details really bothered me so I had to deduct 2.5 stars from the final rating, but apart from that, the plot was very unique and I enjoyed it very much.

Acting/cast:
Every single actor was gorgeous. I really loved the cast and I think everyone did a really great job in playing their own character. I loved the main couple and their chemistry throughout the show and I really liked how everyone interacted with each other. The supporting cast on this series is one of my favourite supporting characters of any Thai drama out there ( especially Lhongtae, Khama and Tul) BUT, I must say I did dislike some characters (like Tian's mother and his friends back home expect for of course, Tul) and I found them really annoying tbh. But yeah, with that out of the way, let's move onto our main characters.

~Tian: A
Mix is an amazing actor and I'm honestly really shocked that this is his first time acting, like I'm legit stunned by this fact. The way he played his role and how he brought Tian's character to life is fantastic and I'm officially in love with him. I must admit, I did dislike how his character's personality lacked in some aspects and how he acted in some situations. But yeah apart from that, I really liked his character and I think he did an amazing job in portraying it. Also, mad respect for Mix since he continued filming even though he was very tired and fainted eventually from exhaustion. Also also, can we talk about Tian coming out as gay instead of him going with the usual overused "I'm not gay I just like this guy" line? Cuz whoever is behind that scene needs a freaking raise cuz FINA-FREAKING-LLY!!

~Phupa: A
I have seen Earth act before in LBC and I honestly didn't really like his portrayal of Type back then. However, I think the role of chief Phupa really suits him and he does an amazing job in portraying him. I loved how his stoic face completely differs from his gentle and caring personality. What I didn't like tho is how they removed the part where Doc tells Tian that Phu is gay (I heard it was a scene in the novel and was really excited for it) and how he acted irrationally in episode 8, contrary to his usual self, which resulted in me being kinda disappointed and angry at him and doc for a while, but I got over it eventually. It did irk me tho so I had to point it out. But that aside, I really liked his character and I'm very proud of EarthMix.


Music/soundtrack:
I'm officially obsessed with the soundtrack. This series has one of the most beautiful soundtracks in the history of Thai dramas imho. I loved the ost, especially Aye's version of it and I loved how the soundtrack fit in and how it enhanced the overall feeling of the episodes. They really outdid themselves with this one ngl.


Production:
Two words, true effort. That's it. When I tell you I was stunned by the amount of effort put into this, I literally mean it. The fact that they literally built everything from scratch and it took them 3 years to make this speaks for itself. So hats off to everyone involved making this masterpiece, you guys rock.


Product placement:
The product placement in this was surprisingly decent. It wasn't great and you could tell that some scenes were filmed in certain ways to advertise some products, but it wasn't that excessive or bothersome. And they didn't try to cram in that many products in one episode like other shows did (yes, I'm looking at you 2gether).


And finally, if you've read this far, hats off to you! Thank you for sitting through this long ass review. You're a beautiful, kind, great person and I really appreciate your patience.
My final thoughts on this show is that it was a very nice rollercoaster of emotions lol. I loved the pacing and how natural it felt and I really liked the message that this series is trying to send, I'm also a big fan of the little quotes at the end of each episode. I'm honestly really liking the new Thai BLs coming out lately, I really like how they're slowly breaking the mold and starting to relate to real life a tiny bit more. And with that being said, I hope other people like it as much as I did and I highly recommend giving it a try, cuz even if you don't really like the storyline or the characters , you'll at least like the gorgeous scenery and sets of this series.


P.s: I know that Torfun really effected the villagers and that everyone really loved her, but the fact that they kept bringing her up was really insensitive of them. I also really disliked how Phupa wasn't the one to break the news to the people and how he and everyone around him, kept comparing Tian to Torfun, it really annoyed me tbfh....

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