A Tale of a Thousand Stars (2021)

The series long awaited and we all needed

Like the title says this series is the one that made us wait a few good months, but that was not for nothing. I've already fallen in love with this series concept back in 2019 when the 1st trailer was released. Literally everything from the story through the music to the cast intrigued me. We have waited quite a long time until we got the 2nd trailer of this series. It was slightly different, but the most important was that the series was said to finally happen. Then the release day finally has come...

Going into the 1st episode I was freaking excited. After it finished I was totally enchanted by every aspect of it. The plot was smooth and at the same time detailed. I felt that my expectations were met and kept my hopes up for the remaining episodes. As the plot had gone further I could feel totally involved in this story. The scenes following each other made every time sense without having any unnecessary scenes (okay maybe just one scene but that's only one out of hundreds). I don't want to spoil the ending of the series but it is was executed PERFECTLY. To see me getting emotional while watching a series is quite rare and the last episode made my tears flow quite frequently. Wonderful job P'Aof! That's why I want to give this series a perfect 10 for the story telling.

I think we all will agree that the chemistry that Earth (Chief Phupha) and Mix (Tian) had was one of the best that a Thai series ever served us. Of course the fact that they knew each other for a long time beforehand and that Earth recommended Mix for the role of Tian is the main factor for the chemistry. What matters is that they managed to get into the role despite their characters in real life. First of all, we have Mix who played Tian. No one would be able to handle Tian's role the way Mix did it. It was his debut and he nailed every single scene. He put his whole heart into acting as Tian and it totally paid of the effort. On the other hand there's Earth who portrayed Chief Phupha in an amazing way. At first cold and bossy he kept on getting warmer towards Tian. The way he kept being serious throughout most of the time and smiling once in a while in an episode made me totally feel the role he played. Such a lovely and non-toxic relationship growing episode by episode. Also shoutout to the actors who had amazing supporting roles and the kids who did great job. I have to give them all a 10 for their HUGE effort.

Music made me feel every time so good. The OST did fit very well in the trailer. I'm very glad they picked such good songs for the whole series. I'm very happy that the actors took part in it as well. Both Earth and Aye did great job covering the song. Actors should always have some cover or a song and I'm glad to see that often in Thai series. Also shoutout to Earth playing klui which was very comforting. Furthermore, the song "Lom" (Wind) in episode 10 made me cry instantly. It fits so damn well there! The only thing I regret is that they didn't use the song from the 1st trailer at all. That's why I have to cut off a half star so the music gets 9.5/10.

To be honest, it's hard for me to tell anything about rewatch value. I love this series the most of all the series, but it's just too early to elaborate on that. I'm certainly gonna rewatch it soon, but I don't know when. This series is PURE and with this word I want to end my review.

PS. I certainly want to recommend this series to everyone who want to watch something genuine, educational and beautiful to the core as an escape from our reality.

Lire davantage

YOU MUST WATCH IT AND RATE IT FAIR!

Omg. I’m speechless.
This was one beautiful one I found after I almost gave up on gmmtv and thai bls.
WHAT A MASTERPIECE.
THERE IS NOTHING NOT TO LOVE.
EVERY SCENE IS MAGICAL AND IS SUPER SOOTHING.
THE CINEMATOGRAPHY IS TO DIE FOR.
THE ACTING IS INCREDIBLE. ESPECIALLY EARTH’s. I wish they didn’t make mix cry so much but other than that THIS ONE IS IT.
IM GONNA WATCH IT EVERY NIGHT.
AND LET THAT MAGICAL MUSIC - (NO WORDS CAN DESCRIBE HOW BEAUTIFUL THE OSTS ARE) PUT ME TO SLEEP.
I have one thing to tell you.
WATCH IT.
AND HELP THEM BRING BACK ANOTHER SEASON.
<3 #phapundao #showsomelove #its time to give credits to such good bls. Cause it’s not fair when ones which are barely good enough gain so much popularity when these kinda good ones stay underrated.
THIS IS WORTH IT. Love y’all!

Lire davantage

One of gmmtv’s best bl

This is one of gmmtv’s best if not best bl. Mix did such a good job for his first lead role in a series. Wasn’t the BEST acting, prob where mix can improve is his crying scenes. Seems like he has a tough time finding that spot to start his water works but other than that, for his first lead role he did amazing. The music is always on point. And can I give props to the kids. They did a great job! The cinematography was really a step up in this series compared to other gmmtv’s bl series. Story in this is really nice and different. Because it’s different it’s nice and refreshing. Not too sure on the rewatch ability on this series but having said that, you def have to watch this. Won’t be disappointed

Lire davantage

It's down-to-Earth and a Mix of emotions

No I will not apologize for the puns.
In all honesty, this series is well worth the wait and goes beyond just two people falling in love. It's family, aspirations, friendships, the rise and fall, the process of life and self-reflection. There is so much jam-packed in these ten episodes. It is such a journey to watch from beginning to end.
The story is so unique and has many messages to reflect on.
The acting is some of the best I've ever seen in a series.
The romance is many feelings wrapped in one; a beautiful path leading all the way to the final episode.
If you have this on your watch list, or haven't heard of it until now, this is an immediate, top-of-the-list watch. You are pulled into the story, the characters, the conflicts, and the romance. Standing ovation-worthy performance told in ten episodes.

Lire davantage

Magical; GMMTV's best BL yet

I think everything good has already been said in the other reviews and in the comments. We waited more than a year for A Tale of Thousand Stars to air, and I am so glad to say, the wait was definitely worth it. I only have the following takeaways:

1. Before ATOTS, Earth was never in my radar as a leading man material. He's got the body, yes, but acting and appeal wise, I thought he had none. ATOTS changed my perspective of him, and I could not imagine any other actor from GMMTV's slate that could play Phupha better than he did. It is his best work, and his performance is definitely one of the greatest I've seen. What I loved the most about his version of Phupha is he does not really communicate through actions but through his eyes. Earth did it so well, and very few actors can do that.

2. For Mix, I would say that he's still got some room for improvement, but that does not mean his performance was bad. In fact, he carried the show so well. It wasn't hard to sympathize with Tian because Mix just transformed himself into the role smoothly. But there were still some moments in the series where I felt he was lacking. However, if GMMTV can give this guy more opportunities to improve, I have huge faith that Mix will turn himself into one of the studio's most treasured leading men. Just watch the old trailer of 1000 Stars and you can see how much he has improved in the span of a year.

3. ATOTS was a refreshing take on the Thai BL genre, which after 5+ years of feeding us student-student relationships, has grown quite bleak and tiresome. Correct me if I'm wrong, but this is probably the first GMMTV BL that is not set within university walls? The point here is, ATOTS highlights that the idea of making a boys love series not involving students can actually work. I am very excited in seeing how ATOTS' success will impact the studio's future lakorns. Will we finally get our wish to see a BL between two grown men? A BL set in the workplace? We'll just have to wait and see.

4. I think 1000 Stars had the best set of supporting characters and actors. I loved how they utilized some actors on the GMMTV slate that have not been getting any good roles lately. For instance, I haven't seen P'Champ in a series since My Dear Loser: Edge of 17, and that was way back in 2017! I like the fact that despite not having much lines, he was still largely present throughout the show. There's also Nammon, who played Dr. Nam, probably the best character in the entire series. This is another guy I do not see often lately. It is unfortunate that he already left GMM, but I find it amazing that he gave the studio his best work in his very last project for them. It is such a fitting ending to a career he's held with GMM for many years. Drake was given a surprisingly small role, too small that they did not even bother including him in the show's poster. This was a guy who had been getting main roles in the recent past, I wonder what made him settle for less? I don't have much to say about his character of Rang because his time in the series was just too limited. Nevertheless, Drake can give a solid performance if he is given the right material, you can check out Cause You're My Boy that was aired back in 2018. P'Thanom's performance as Khama is very reflective of his long experience in the industry. His last scene in the drama where he was on the verge of tears was my favorite moment of his. Aye and White, despite their very short screen time, were also effective as Torfun and Tul, respectively. And Khaotung, thank God he rebounded quickly from that Tonhon Chonlatee travesty. His performance as Longtae is so far my favorite of his own work. Although I think he is getting a bit typecast as that caring, sensible friend to the show's leading man. And we should not forget about Tian's students. Each of them had his/her own charm and was completely indispensable in the story.

5. I don't care much about songs, but ATOTS's soundtrack is too incredible to be ignored. Among all the songs linked to GMMTV series, I only liked two: Gun Napat's title song here and Gawin Caskey's song in Dark Blue Kiss. Gun's song may even move you to tears if you understand the full context of the show that it goes with. Moreover, one thing I noticed about P'Aof's past series is that he tends to overuse silly sound effects. I guess he learned how those SFX can ruin the mood of his dramas, so he minimized them significantly in ATOTS, which I truly, truly appreciate.

6. The location was shot so beautifully, it almost feels as if you have been transported to Pha Pun Dao. I noticed that P'Aof does out-of-town scenes particularly well. From In and Sun's episode in Our Skyy to ATOTS, not only did he capture what the scenario looks like but also how it feels to be there. What contributed to this feat was that the ambient sounds in the mountains were captured very well. I also loved the lighting for the nighttime scenes, which does not look artificial (in itself, this feat is superb because lakorns (at least from what I have seen) usually suck in making nighttime lighting look natural!). The production design was just the cherry on top. Heck, this is the first time I actually commented on a lakorn's production design! That just shows how groundbreaking this series was!

7. The only negative comment I can give is related to some unresolved conflicts in the story. The one that really sticks its head out was: what happened to Sakda's men? After all that gunfire, I could not believe it just ended right then and there. There was no resolution to his story at all. In addition to that, the problem regarding the village losing its major source of livelihood was also left open. When the stocks of those teabags were burned down along with the school, the issue was not brought up again. Although I understand that we were never given closure about these two key issues in the story since the drama's priority is Tian and Phupha's relationship, these issues are quite serious and we can't just pretend they never happened.


All in all, a highly recommended show. SOTUS and SOTUS S have just been dethroned as the best BL that GMMTV can offer. It will take the studio a long time to upend this feat.

Lire davantage

✨ATOTS SUPREMACY✨

A tale of a thousand stars made their way through successfully. It is an astounding series and novel as well. It's a series that doesn't require any kissing/love scene as emotions are poured within their sincere eyes and actions. ATOTS is a series that I've waited for so long and I can say that it is worth the wait. Phu &Tian will always be my comfort characters and my love. I'm hoping to see more series directed by P'Aof as well as WarthMix projects?

Starting from episode one, you could see how they put their whole effort despite the problems they encountered due to their location. Talking about the script, some parts was improvised and it was majestic? I just wish I'm there to watch them act behind the big cameras? ATOTS was really a huge success to everyone! kUdos to everyone behind the camera as well as all the actors! Congrats?

Lire davantage

The best show I've ever watched

and I'm not only counting in BL shows because this series is so much more than just a love story between two guys.

It is a story about the valuables and hardships of life, to learn how to forgive yourself, finding out and accepting your sexuality and to realize what your heart is longing for and where your place in the world is.

The whole scenery of the village and the strong bond that has developed between Tian and the villagers is so beautiful to watch and brings you to the edge of tears.

It is also great to watch Tians progression from start to end and the very meaningful act at the end of the last episode really highlights that. (not gonna say what exactly happed, you should just watch yourself ;))

Onto what I guess the majority of people makes them want to watch the story, the relationship between Phupha and Tian. These two have so much chemistry you need to remind yourself from time to time that this is just a series and not real-life. I'm so happy that they did not rush their relationship just to please the audience, they waited up the right timing for the kiss and them becoming lovers to wrap up the story perfectly and to really bring out all the emotions! Besides that you could already feel the feelings they have for each other way before that making this series being packed with a bunch of sweet moments that make you swoon over them.

This series deals with a lot of different kinds of issues that actually made me rethink my own life and realize that I as well need to look for what really makes me happy.
Summing up I would not recommend this series to whoever is looking for something light-hearted with a bunch of horny kissing and bed scenes. But I'm confident that anyone who is ready to watch a beautiful love story between to people and characters who develop mentally and learn something important for their own life will have an awesome time watching this series!

Thank you for reading my review and (hopefully) have a great time watching if you haven't already!

Lire davantage

Just WOW!

Didn't expect the best program I've seen all year to be a bl from Thailand. It took me over a month to write this because writing a review meant the show was over.
First, a lot of those points come from just the music and scenery that are not just an accompaniment but an integral part of the story almost like another main character. I dont think Mountains have been made to look this good since The Sound Of Music...
And then there is the story. How could they make something so clichéd feel so fresh and new? I cried and laughed and made all sorts of weird noises at my tablet and it was just wonderful!
Witch brings me to the main actors Earth and Mix. I know the bl public is out there shipping them as a couple in real life and I hate this aspect of thai productions, but their on screen chemistry is amazing and I would like to see them do more projects together.

Lire davantage

I've waited for over a year since the trailer came out, and this series is beyond my expectation. At first, I planned to watch only because it's Earth first series as a main role and the storyline is different from other BL series. As I watched through episode 4 I got deep into the series. They portrayed the life of the villagers really good, Phupha and Tian has a non toxic and mature relationship. There is no unnecessary drama and every characters has an important role.

Earth acting skill definitely got a lot better and Mix has proven his ability as a new comer (I can't believe this is his first time acting). Their acting felt natural, their chemistry is on another level, and they can delivered the feelings perfectly. And what I love the most is they don't need excessive lovey-dovey scene but you can feel their love towards each other (you'll know what I mean if you watch it ;) ).

In conclusion, this series is worth to watch. Go watch it!! :)

Lire davantage

One of the most beautiful and touching Fairytale-Stories in a BL so far.

When I watched the first 5 Episodes of 1000 Stars, I was totally fascinated by this unique and beautiful series, cause everything was perfect. The MainRoles, The Setting, The Music, the Story, and even the Sideroles were loveable, touching, and beyond the standard of a typical BL Series.

Unfortunately, it couldn’t keep the Tension when the Series goes to Episodes 6 and 7.In these Episodes, I’ve got the Feeling that the Relationship of Tian and Phupa is on a Plateau and didn’t move on, (I mean they sleep in a room, but not in the same bed for example), but that’s the only Lowlight in this great Series.

Besides that, everything makes sense here even the Conflicts and the dramatic Parts. Which has nothing to do with the BL-Clichees and Misunderstandings.

In other BLs there are normally Breakups for random reasons, but 1000 Stars makes it better and asks questions that definitely matters.
Like „how far will you go to be with your loved one? and would you give up your old life for him?“

All in all, I would say, 1000 Stars sets new standards in Setting, Creativity, and Storytelling and I’m really loving it!

Lire davantage

Top Tier BL Series - A Masterpiece That Needs To be Shared!

This is by far the best BL series I've seen! Unlike majority of other BL series, you won't hate on the third party (Thorfun, if you could even call her that). Had it been Thorfun's story without Tian, it would still be good and I'd still watch it. But the concept of having Tian as a recepient of Thorfun's heart is exemplary!!

For more than 2 months, I have been patiently waiting every Friday for new release. I even watch the reaction videos of the director and his friends! You should also check that out because you'll appreciate everything about ATOTS more. With their effort, THEY REALLY DESERVE TO BE LOVED AND TO REACH A WIDER AUDIENCE! I recommend this to all my friends even to non BL fans because in this series, same sex relationship is normalized and not taken as something that the main character would fight or deny. We need more of this approach because love is love no matter the gender.

Do I need to say more about the cast? The visuals are suuuuperb!!! How can they even look good with minimal make up under a bright sunny day or gloomy day?? I also can't believe this is Mix's first acting stint. You can really see how they are comfortable with each other because their chemistry is off the charts! This shouldn't be put to waste, let's support them for more!!

Lire davantage