A Tale of a Thousand Stars (2021)

EARTHMIX!!!

As you can tell by my name, I love EarthMix!! This is one of my favorite Thai BLs and it has my favorite ship in it (which makes it 1000 times better). The plot was amazing and definitely was different than what I was expecting. The characters all had personality and were interesting which is something I enjoyed. It had some emotional scenes towards the end which really pulled you into the story making it more enjoyable. I loved the main couple and just how cute and raw they were. GMMTV was really in their bag when they made this. Even though I watched this when it was airing, I still think it deserves a review (even though I am some years late). If you need a reason to watch this, please let this review be the reason. It is so goodddd and it is a good introduction into EarthMix!!

Lire davantage

There goes one more BL from my favourites. It's really difficult to find a good BL series such as this one. The story, the acting it's perfect. I'm so glad that I found it and watched it, it sure made me cry a few times. I like just how many emotions it causes in the audience, I like that it shows that happiness does not come from however much you may have, but from the people in your life. It also shows that we should treasure what we have instead of wanting more. And even with such a great story, it wasn't going to be that good if it wasn't for the amazing acting. Especially in BL shows, the chemistry between the characters is something really important, of course not only in BL but If they didn't have such good chemistry it was going to be very awkward for both the actors and the audience.

Lire davantage

Great great great, until it isn't...

A Tale of Thousand Stars follows the journey of Tian as he embarks on a path of self-discovery, transitioning from a life of wealth in Bangkok to a small remote village. After receiving Torfun's heart through a transplant, Tian is granted a second chance at life and endeavors to atone for his past misdeeds while carrying on Torfun's legacy in the village, where he encounters Chief Phupha.

I held high expectations for this BL series and was initially drawn to its story. Although the beginning of the show felt a bit slow to me, I understand the necessity of establishing the backstory and introducing the characters. Each episode delivered raw emotions from the characters, and the small romantic gestures often brought a smile to my face. However, despite being described as a BL series, I would label it more as a bromance. While the main characters flirt with each other and it's evident they have feelings for one another, the lack of physical affection, their stubbornness, and the overall plot began to frustrate me as the episodes progressed. It took about seven out of the ten episodes for Tian and Phupha to finally have a private moment together and share their feelings, and even then, it felt like an awkward and brief interaction with no type of intimacy.

The turning point in the series for me was when Tian finally confessed to the villagers that Torfun had passed away, and her heart was transplanted into him. This is when the plot took a drastic turn that started to annoy me. I disliked how the entire village and forest rangers blamed Tian for not disclosing Torfun's death and for receiving her heart. Tian had uprooted his entire life to assist in fulfilling what Torfun had begun in the village, doing everything in his power to repay her for her heart. Despite his efforts, the village turned its back on him in an instant, without providing a proper explanation. Moreover, Tian incorrectly presented himself as the direct cause of Torfun's death, which added to my frustration. Phupha, in particular, preached about not judging a book by its cover, but his initial action was to judge and publicly criticize Tian in front of the entire village, without knowing the full story, and then proceed to act rudely by telling him that he had taken enough from Torfun and should leave.

From that point onward, the story failed to captivate me any further. While I anticipated a redemption arc once everything was clarified, I had already grown tired of the series by that stage. Additionally, the lack of affection or meaningful moments between the main characters left me yearning for more. We were only given occasional intense gazes from across the room and a single kiss. The romantic aspect of the show began to drag, despite there being numerous opportunities for intimate moments that went unexplored.

Aside from the plot, I believe the most significant takeaway from the series was Tian's personal growth. I genuinely appreciated the personal journey he embarked upon and the transformative impact his new life had on him. The story is undeniably inspiring, even if other aspects left much to be desired. A Tale of Thousand Stars is a compelling show that encourages viewers to find inspiration within themselves and undergo personal growth.

Lire davantage

Home is whatever makes you happier.

I feel like i have a lots of things to say and none of them will ever be enough to express how much beautiful this BL was.
The story of this show is just so damn gorgeous and during all episodes i sincerely couldn’t stop loving all of characters. Tian’s character developed is beautiful, the way he looks at “his” kids and the villagers and recognize them as his friends and family is beautiful. I love how every villager slowly opens their hearts to Tian.
Phupha’s character is such an enigma that we slowly understand as the series progresses and flows. How he shows his love and care for Tian through his eyes it’s amazing.
This BL was like the sun peaking through the clouds after the storm. Aof I hope you have a free pass for heaven or whatever happy place that’s somewhere out there. It’s my third BL wrote by you and keep surprising me. Man, I love you.
Longtae and Tian besties forever.
Here are some quotes from this BL TO MAKE YOU FCKING WATCH IT FOR GOD SAKES PLEASE DO IT:

“Where we feel safe and happy, that place is home” - Chief
“So this is the happy feeling from doing something for others” - Tian

Also Drake my sweet boy you really are everywhere, give him a main role please, he deserves it.

Lire davantage

Beware: slow burn ahead

I LOVE slow burn. The fact someone could wait for you for years on end just to get with you is honestly the standard. I've seen reviews about this show saying that this show was just a tease because they only kiss once in the last episode but do you not see the acts of affection that the main two have throughout every episode? I swear some people are just blind to affection. Aside from that, this show has a really cool premise. The story of a person who gets a second chance at life and using it to their fullest potential is really amazing and the storytelling is so good! You should definitely give this a watch!

Lire davantage

This series is full of magic and love

I adored this series, love the actors and the leads chemistry is great. The storyline fit and showed emotion, ups and downs and good character growth. I wish it had a bit more then one kiss but lots of beautiful touching moments. My only downside was the leads parents, which I found to be very messed up with forcing Tain to do schooling at the end in USA instead of letting him pick where he wanted to go. Sadly the parents were the only downside to the series not allowing him to live his own life. The series is a must watch and look forward to future stories as well, loved it.

Lire davantage

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Lire davantage

A Brilliant Drama...Not Really a BL Though

In preparation for the anthological Our Skyy 2 series, as I had already seen several of the included BL stories (Bad Buddy, Vice Versa, and Star in My Mind), I decided to watch A Tale of a Thousand Stars (ATOTS) with a friend. Going into this, I have to say that there was a lot I liked about the series, but both my friend and I thought that, despite it being good as a drama, as a BL, it left a lot to be desired.

If you are looking for a drama, and are not overly interested in the romance, ATOTS is great! The main storyline is a story of Tian, a wild rich boy who likes to party. With a failing heart, his parents use their wealth and influence to jump the transplant queue and get him a new one. With his heart transplant a success, Tian's personality changes: he lets go of his party tendencies, and searches for information about the person whose heart now beats in his chest: a volunteer teacher named Torfun Chareonpon. Ultimately he decides to take her place as a volunteer teacher at Pha Pun Dao Village out of guilt. There he meets the villagers of Pha Pun Dao Village, including the love interest (played by Earth Pirapat Watthanasetsiri) who I will get to in a moment, and are one of the selling points of this. You will laugh, go "Aww!", and cry with these characters. The villagers serve as a contrast to his controlling parents, who, as well as being very rich, are very conscious of not just their own images, but the image of Tian as well.

Before my friend and I watched this series, I had been told by another friend that they knew people who had seen the show and thought it was the best BL they had seen, so I went into this with very high hopes. Sadly, apart from the fact that the lead couple was a same sex couple, for my friend and I, this was not the best BL we had seen -- it didn't feel like a BL at all. For me, a what makes a BL different from other dramas is that in successful BLs (At least ones I've enjoyed) the romance underpins and guides the entire plotline of the show. Now I'm not talking about every episode having a kissing scene, or a spicy scene. I knew the age rating was 13 and up, so there would be a lack of spicy scenes, if any were included at all. This was fine: a good BL story doesn't need those kind of scenes to be good -- and spicy scenes do not make up for poor storytelling, cinematography, or acting. I have not read the source material for ATOTS, though I know it was an adaptation, so I don't know how much the show deviates or remains faithful to the source material -- but for the series at least, it feels as though the story was written around Tian and his travels to the Pha Pun Dao Village, and then they realised the romance had to be added after.

Now I'm not saying the actors didn't have chemistry, because they did -- in general, I was particularly impressed by Mix's performance, and was surprised this was his first on-screen drama role -- but the chemistry was not strangers to lovers. If the story was rewritten and the ultimate relationship was a platonic one, little would change in the overarching narrative. That is how insignificant the romance felt to my friend and I as we watched. Even the 'most romantic' (and I say that loosely) moments in the final episode felt tacked on -- as though the writers had forgotten that there was supposed to be a romance in this story at all. The constant hugging in the final episode, and even the 'BIG KISS' did not warrant the build up the received: they were episode 4 kisses and hugs, not final episode, 'THIS IS IT' kisses. Worse than that though, we felt that there was more potential romantic chemistry between Mix's character, Tian, and Khaotung's character, Longtae.

As an objective non-BL drama, A Tale of a Thousand Stars is a brilliant story: it successfully explores the contrast between urban and village life, and the importance not just of camaraderie, but of finding one's self and who someone wants to be. But the series' BL elements feel added on to capitalise on the success of the genre. Again, having not read the source material, I do not know how successful the original work was at writing the romance into the narrative, but going into this expecting a BL series, my friend and I were very disappointed. As my friend said "it's not even a bad show like I liked it but?? there's barely any romance??" At first, the 'cute' scenes and scenes with potential romantic displays of affection were exactly that: cute and endearing -- and in the beginning made sense in the context of the characters' relationships with one another. But then as each episode passed, it kept happening, but went nowhere. It was almost like the writers were being comical at the expense of the audience: there was one scene in a later episode, where we are presented with an establishing shot of Phupha's living quarters, over which there is a very intentionally 'spicy' sounding Phupha voice over. Again, the age rating is 13 -- any spicy scene would have to rely heavily on implication. But the scene feels like a joke at the audience's expense because we know that there cannot be scenes of that nature in a show age rated like it is.

Overall if you temper your expectations of the series as a BL, and simply enjoy it as a pure drama with romantic/BL elements, you will enjoy this show. As I previously stated: the cinematography, acting (particularly Mix's), and non-romantic story elements are this show's strength. Remember that, and you will be golden.

Lire davantage

EarthMix giving EarthMix

Okay, so hear me out real quick! This was one of the first BLs I watched. EarthMix was all over BL TikTok and instagram understandably because they are incredibly talented actors with ridiculous chemistry off screen. So I went into it with super high expectations, but I feel like the chemistry wasn't 100% there as much as it should've been. I feel like the the love Mix has for Earth (and the character) throughout the show, was what carried it for me. NOW, with that being said, Earth brings the chemistry in Our Sky 2.

Anyways, fantastic show and plot. Mix absolutely kills it, like the feeling of guilt that he portrays throughout the show is next level and so understated when it needed to be, but then also very clear when it needed to be. I love how Tian and Phupha's relationship builds throughout the show. Was surprised they did such a long time skip, felt that it was a little unnecessary and just a way to move the plot forward without really having the characters talk through their problems, but still cute ending.

Would 100% recommend this show, but be ready to cry!

Lire davantage

Acompanhei desde a exibição, porém só pude terminar agora, não por não gostar, mas sim por não querer que terminasse. É sempre bom ver BL que foge na mesmice, mais ainda sendo adulto, maduro e divertido.


Quando li o enredo e comecei fiquei com medo que desse a entender que Tian se apaixonaria por Phupha por causa do coração da Torfun, porém não foi o caso, ainda bem, o relacionamento dos dois foi construído aos poucos. Phupha tem uma personalidade durona, mas Tian é do tipo respondão que enfrenta, amo isso, então vivem se bicando. Adorava como todos percebiam o clima entre os dois, dava olhares maliciosos, amavam e incentivavam.


No primeiro episódio Tian faz uma comparação com sua vida e a da Torfun, de certa forma foi bem poético, ele descobre que mesmo tendo tudo não era feliz e que podia ser com pouco. Foi muito genial as comparações de sua vida antiga com a simples. Me peguei emocionada em muitas cenas, gosto como Mix chora realista, é aquilo, o choro real não é bonito, mas há tanto sentimento e ele usa isso bem.


Um fato interessante, a casa que havia sido escolhida para ser a de Tian na aldeia era especial para os moradores locais, por isso a produção decidiu fazer outra do zero em outro lugar, os vídeos dos bastidores são possíveis ver no canal do youtube da GMMTV. Sério se a produção trabalhou muito e teve vários percalços. Por isso todo sem exceção estão de parabéns.


Falando em bastidor, quando vi a cena do banho no episódio sete, só pude rir e senti pena, porque lembrava ele dizendo como estava frio e que teve que fazer várias vezes. Morri com a publicitária, aliás com este episódio inteiro, queria ter visto o bastidor completo dessa cena, deve ter tido muitas risadas. E sobre a cena do aeroporto? Que cena! Quanta química! Surtei a cada movimento. E a expressão da mãe do Tian? Impagável. Sério perdi a conta de quantas cenas de aeroporto vi, mas essa é a melhor com certeza.


Vi uns acharam logo, outros curto demais, porém não senti isso, acho que foi na medida certa, não consigo pensar em algo que mudaria. O final foi redondo, a única coisa que sei é que amava a abertura, sempre brincava dizendo “E mais um dia nasce na fazendinha” e que vou sentir falta dos boys do interior, como gostava de chamar este BL. Mais ainda de ver o Earth de uniforme.

Lire davantage

Not quite 1000 stars

So I finally got around to watching this classic recently and it was... fine. It has parts that I loved, parts that I hated, and on the whole I feel surprisingly neutral about the entire thing.
It starts of really well with great performances, solid cinematography and editing, and an interesting premise, but unfortunately loses its way somewhere towards the end.

The climactic conflict centers around the difficulties of living life on your own terms but rather than actually making a compelling point about self-determination, the story inexplicably does a hard turn in the opposite direction and completely muddles its message.
I strongly dislike characters martyring themselves for one another but here it could have worked really well if we'd gotten to see Phu and Tian communicate with another and actively work to resolve their problems both with one another and in regards to their respective personal circumstances.
The dreaded 2-year separation cliche could even have fit perfectly for the story if the whole thing had been Tian's choice, but no.
Instead we get a lot of incredibly hollow feeling rhetoric about valuing and living life for yourself all the while watching everyone around Tian make his every decision for him, often going against his explicit wishes.
The fact that Tian's parents face zero repercussions for their actions and that the damaging effect their behaviour has clearly had on Tian's mental well-being is never once addressed honestly made me so furious I couldn't even really enjoy the final episode, despite how delightful the ending is.

Mostly I'm just disappointed with how little this feels like a P'Aof show.
His projects usually skillfully address themes of class difference, privilege, and the everyday struggles of queer people, but here these themes are barely present, if at all.
There are also barely any female characters and those that do appear are pretty much exclusively used as plot devices before being discarded. (Poor Torfun deserved better)
There's also an incredibly off-putting scene in which the characters spy on a young couple during their wedding night which feels entirely unneeded and out of place.

I wouldn't go so far as to discourage anyone from watching the show - for what it's worth the first 7 or so episodes are genuinely enjoyable and are objectively quite good, both from a technical and a story-telling perspective.
As a whole, however, the series feels sadly hollow and lacking. Sort of like shiny, appealing packaging wrapped around an entirely empty box.
I'd recommend maybe watching it once if the premise particularly appeals to you, before moving on to other, better pieces of media.

Lire davantage