To My Star 2 (2022)

Is it really a sequel without some angst?

July 9, 2022

To My Star 2: Our Untold Stories really hit the fking nerves. Like I am not kidding, when I tell you how communication is such an important thing for a relationship to flourish and survive. I know there are major critiques about this sequel but let me just tell you how I genuinely liked it. Obviously, there are flaws within this season that could have been better, but you know what this series has a special place in my heart. With bias that I am heavily and knowingly acknowledging, I just want to say that this is not as bad as what others have said.

Major spoilers:








Let me just get started with the biggest critique: miscommunication and how the sequel did not outdo the first season. First of all, yes the miscommunication part was a little dragged out. It was frustrating to see Seojun get hurt by Jiwoo as who on Earth leaves their boyfriend like that. Like hello???? I would have literally beaten the fuck out of Jiwoo, for fucks sake. As for how the sequel didn't do justice, I guess it really just depends on people's standpoint and taste. Personally, I like this season, I find it realistic, as much as I criticize Jiwoo's action, I feel like this happens to a lot of people. And if I am being honest I was like Seojun too, I felt his pain right to the core. The feeling of having everything going well then suddenly it actually is not, just feels like a slap to myself. Not gonna lie, I cried so hard, especially during the point where someone told Seojun that "it is enough" or something like that. And how Seojun tried his best to get back with Jiwoo and he should finally move on. I felt that. I bawled my eyes out because I know the pain and the devasting and detrimental it is to our mental health. It wasn't healthy, but I guess the only good thing about it was Seojun got his "happy" ending which isn't the case for most of us.

On another side note (is this even a review at this point...), I really thought this was going to be a sad ending... Before revealing Jiwoo's side, I was hating him so much to the point where I didn’t even want to see him as the end game. I know what his reasons are now, but I feel like maybe a bittersweet ending would have been better...

Anyhow, this season slaps, like literally ... slaps me to point of crying ... breh

Lire davantage

The best korean BL!

I actually liked this way way better than the first series. The production, acting, drama and everything was boosted by 10 times. I may be one of the few people that actually like this sequel. I understand the problems that they faced and the reasons for the problems. I understand why Ji Woo did all that. I loved the angst, the drama and the acting. This was way better than the first cause we saw more emotions from both Seo joon and Ji woo. I liked every part it of it. This like one of the few series that actually made me cry like a baby. The way when Ji woo begged Seo Joon to hugged just melted me and made my anger towards him disappear. The raw emotions when he was apologizing to Seo Joon for all the things he has done was just breath taking and took me out of this world. I really liked it. The music was also so much better here. I would say this is the best korean bl series for me. Korea could easily dominate the bl market if they wanted to.

Lire davantage

A story about healing so that you can love

The director Hwang Da Seul is a genius for sure. She took what was originally just a fluffy romcom franchise, rams it through a messy breakup plot that does not make much sense in the first instance, and then gives us a story about two people very much in love trying really hard to heal, survive and perhaps even love again.

Saying that the show is angsty does not do it justice. It is not angsty, but it will put your through a lot of pain for sure before giving you what you need.

But at the same time, the creators have given us a show that will have few parallels not only in the BL industry but also the larger queer entertainment, when it comes to unpacking a relationship. The break-up is just a set up here. It is a story about how two people radically different in how they interact with the world, come to terms with the traumas of their past, their insecurities, their needs and wants, and more importantly how strongly they are in love with the other. And more importantly it is a story about how we really need to be able to work on ourselves to be able to love without hurting them or yourself.

Couple of things to note before watching:
1. As a standalone series it is top notch, but there are major gaps if you judge it as part of the franchise. The tone and mood of this season is quite different from what the earlier season offered. There are logically sound plot points that connect the two (if you grab the subtle cues given to us), but overall the two are very different in all but name and the backgrounds of the characters. It is quite likely that you might not enjoy this if you really enjoyed how things were in season 1.
2. Do watch it in one go, now that all the episodes are out. Spend a day to watch it just so you can process all the emotions you go through. For those of us who chose to watch it as the episodes aired, it was just literal torture for over a month. So when you binge it, keep hydrated, keep tissues to wipe your tears as well, and keep remind yourself to not project on to these characters.
3. Adding to the need of doing point number 2, it will also help in understanding the subtle cues that the creators have given. There is a lot to interpret in the series. After rewatching it once again, I realised that there is not a single shot, no character, no sentence spoken, not even a look or a gesture that does not have a purpose. Big or small, but definitely serves the main plot quite a lot.

Lire davantage

Slow but worthwhile

This drama gets better on your 2nd time watching.

During my first watch, throughout ep 1 - 9 i disliked jiwoo's character so much. Even as he explained his reasons in ep 7, i couldn't understand them. It felt selfish of him. His worries could have easily been resolved if he had communicated openly with seojoon in the first place. And i absolutely hated how unnecessarily mean and harsh jiwoo was on seojoon. My heart ached for seojoon, for him still trying to reconcile his relationship with jiwoo despite the constant rejection. I was waiting for a good reason as to why he left, why he's so persistent in not getting back together with seojoon despite the poor guy's begging. And when i found out loneliness and guilt was the reason, it felt small.

However, watching it a 2nd time it dawned on me that not all relationship problems arise from external obstacles, most of the time it manifests internally. And jiwoo's case perfectly showcases how internalizing his fears to avoid problems in their happy relationship would eventually come back and hit him harder. Even the jump cuts between present and flashbacks made me co confused during my 1st watch, but rewatching it made me appreciate the director's skills and foresight. It was beautifully executed and the transitions flowed, showing the drastic contrast between his current life and his life with jiwoo. Same routine yet different feelings and scenes. There were many symbolisms and parallels used by the director in S2 to build up sj and jw's story, it'll hit you harder when you realise it.

Honestly i didn't like season 1 that much, it was definitely one of my top K bls but it didnt struck me as hard. There were many plot holes in season 1 and due to the short running time, they couldnt dive much into the characters and their relationship. I found it rushed as the characters just suddenly fell in love and they didnt show why or how. But season 2 completely changed my view on TMS. It felt complete. You get to learn more about each character and see the development of their relationship. I loved the addition of jiwoo's ex as that was a chapter in jiwoo's life which he needed to close and move on from. It also helped put things into perspective for him since she was in his shoes during their relationship - she constantly felt lonely while jiwoo could not understand why she felt that way. Presently, jiwoo feels lonely while seojoon is blissfully unaware.

To those who say TMS S1 was better and this sequel was a waste, i honestly disagree. I love the route they chose for S2 instead of just showing fluffy domestic moments. It would feel empty like that. S2 chose to showcase that not every story ends with happily ever after, it depends on the couple's efforts to compromise, trust and openly communicate with each other. In many instances you will notice how despite seojoon putting 100% into the relationship, his actions done out of love yet it backfired and in turn caused more internal turmoil for jiwoo. Seojoon is unaware of this because he only sees his side of their relationship. In jiwoo's case, he expected seojoon to know how he feels and what he isnt happy with because he is an actor. Going as far as running away and naming his restaurant "Ti Aspetto" ( Im waiting for you) expecting seojoon to understand the underlying meaning. These are common mistakes we as humans do in real life relationships and its so refreshing to see them being addressed, it feels relatable cause the characters are imperfect.

Lire davantage

A good but frustrating sequel

I want to start off by saying that I LOVED the first season, so it was very hard for this to top the previous one, and unfortunately it did not. Don’t get me wrong it’s still a really good show, but some parts were really confusing to me. It’s not a spoiler that they break up, because the whole season is about that, so I knew it even before I watched it, but it felt kind of unrealistic. If you really think about it, how the breakup was handled, is true to Ji Woo’s personality, but that’s the problem. I hate how he acts, he never speaks his mind and is so frustrating to watch, I’m glad that there was a big character development in the end, but if I were Seo Joon I would have honestly punched him in the face. He has to thank the fact that he’s adorable…
Nonetheless I still really liked how honest and “raw” this season was, it made me feel a lot of different emotions, and it kept me glued to the screen so much, I watched all 10 episodes in a single day. I love this couple and even if this was a little upsetting, the happy ending made me wish for another season just to see them again (even thought their story is finished and honestly another one would be a stretch), I hope we can see them again in other shows!

Lire davantage

Give Jiwoo a hug and apologize to him right now you haters! (Repost)

So, I've seen how people are kind of like trashing on Jiwoo because of what he did to Seojoon. It's understandable, and it's not very nice because, you know - he kind of just went AWOL without telling Seojoon why or what he did (it wasn't Seojoon's fault, anyway).

So, why did Jiwoo leave? In my perspective, I personally felt like he was insecure. He had trauma from his past lover, and obviously, they didn't end well together. Jiwoo had kept it to himself because he didn't want to be Seojoon's burden (with the guy already having busy schedules). Jiwoo's pretty much a pessimist, I think it was shown during the show (but I haven't watched it in a hot second and writing this months after I watched).

Jiwoo's afraid that Seojoon would leave him eventually, like how his ex did. Like he was afraid that Seojoon would finally realize how boring he was (he's not) and leave him, so with this plaguing his mind for a good year was probably tiring. And so he breaks up with Seojoon and ran away because he wanted to protect himself from the larger pain of when Seojoon does end up breaking his heart.

He's just trying to protect himself before it happens even if it won't because he doesn't know the future, he's insecure, he's negative about it, and he just wants to push himself away before it's too late.

So obviously, Seojoon finds him and brings him back and reassures him about it. Like it's fine. Anyway, thanks for reading through my little rant, I just wanna go give him a hug. I will literally be the biggest Jiwoo defender. I don't care.

Lire davantage

one of the best goddamn romances to exist.

to be honest, i still don't think i can quite put a finger on why exactly to my star hits so different, but it really does. there's something about how lovingly the show is shot, about how irreversibly in love jiwoo and seojoon are, and about how soft they are with every word and every touch.
there's something about the fact that when these characters are in pain, you really come to love them enough to cry right alongside with them, and when they're happy, you find yourself kicking your goddamn blankets in happiness and smiling till your cheeks hurt.
at the end of the day, i think the best way to put it is this: to my star is a show that will make you fall into it so effortlessly that you won't even realize how deeply you've fallen into love with these characters and their story until it's too late to back out.
(also, just as a sidenote: i fucking ADORE that film effect they've given this season so freaking much!!! it really brings out a sentimental sorta vibe that matches perfectly with the story and gives it a gorgeous timeless look. the visuals are just taken to the next level this time 'round <3)
tl;dr? GO WATCH THE SHOW OH MY GOD I SWEAR YOU WON'T REGRET IT

Lire davantage

Wondeful Execution Of Perhaps Unnecessary Angst

I get it, okay? I get Han Ji Woo's insecurities, loneliness, and why he ran away.

But.

It's been a freaking year since he left. Waiting all that time for Kang Seo Joon to come to him is too long, is it not? What was the sense in that?

But in any case, he waited. What I don't understand is why he kept rejecting Kang Seo Joon for so long once his lover found him. And in the end, when Han Ji Woo realizes his mistake, he dares tell Kang Seo Joon that he would not chase him as much as he had been chased. Seriously? I understand he had insecurities still, but for someone you love...surely...you could learn to try...It would be an amazing character development.

Overall, I felt Han Ji Woo did not get to the type of realization he should have by the end of the show. He should have realized that he hurt his lover and that his insecurities were just that -- insecurities, not realities. He should have apologized more, begged more, and got to a point of a more enlightened realization.

I felt there was no real climax to the story, or at least not the type of resolution I wished to see.

Han Ji Woo really hurt Kang Seo Joon but he did not heal the rift between them the way he should have. In the end, Kang Seo Joon loved more than Han Ji Woo, no? I don't like to think this, but as much as I adore this show, Han Ji Woo was simply too passive...

But I like him learning to express his emotions more. That part's good. But it rubbed me the wrong way when he said he disliked when Kang Seo Joon talked with others and had friends?! Seriously? That's a red flag!

Lire davantage

Es fällt mir tatsächlich ziemlich schwer, eine Review zu dem Drama zu schreiben. Es hat mich in so so so vielen Momenten unfassbar stark frustriert, aber an anderen Stellen fand ich es wieder so berührend und vor allem der Soundtrack aus Staffel 1 hat es mir absolut angetan. Aber hier soll es ja um Season 2 gehen.

Season 2 war..schwierig. Es werden ein paar offene Fragen aus Staffel 1 geklärt, aber der Großteil der Staffel war so unnormal frustrierend, weil ich - zum einen - so viele Dialoge nicht verstanden habe. Keine Ahnung, ob es an der Übersetzung lag, aber die Gespräche haben so oft keinerlei Sinn für mich ergeben und ich war einfach nur verwirrt, wieso sie sich getrennt haben, wieso er ihn einfach verlassen hat und weiß auch jetzt immer noch nicht so genau, was sein Problem war, lol.

Generell fand ich den Plot einfach dünn. Das Writing ist wirklich schwach. Man hat hier gefühlt Staffel 1 Punkt 2. Die gleichen Probleme, nur ein bisschen tiefgründiger und in die Länge gezogen. Ich habe beide Staffeln so gut wie an einem Stück geschaut und es ist definitiv auch irgendwie spannend. Es ist keine Serie, die ich abbrechen wollte. Aber am Ende war ich dann doch irgendwie erleichtert, als es dann vorbei war. Vor allem.. es passieren Dinge..dann endet die Folge..und es wird einfach nie wieder drüber gesprochen?! Als wäre nichts passiert?! Uhm?! Noch nie hat mich eine Serie so..gefrustet und verwirrt, lmao.

Fernab von diesem nervigen, wirklich frustrierendem Plot, fand ich die Geschichten der Nebenfiguren auch schlecht ausgearbeitet. Mal davon abgesehen, dass die mich eh nicht interessiert haben, wirkte es so, als hätte man mal eben schnell was für sie geschrieben, damit sie nicht ganz leer ausgehen. Ist in meinen Augen überflüssig. Ho Min und Pyil Hyun mochte ich aber sehr gerne! Das Trio aus den Beiden und SJ ist so herzig. Ich mochte ihre Gesprächsrunden seeeehr. Eine angenehme Kombination aus ernsteren Konversationen, aber auch super lustigen und unterhaltsamen Zankereien. Beide Supportrollen machen einen prima Job. Also das Problem an diesem Drama ist definitiv nicht die schauspielerische Leistung!

Neben dem schlechten Writing (ich bin wirklich nicht dumm, also liegt's nicht an mir, dass ich unzählige Unterhaltungen nicht verstanden habe. Das Problem hatte ich bereits in Season 1. :'D Die Serie ist einfach so seltsam geschnitten, in meinen Augen. Als würden Unmengen an Szenen fehlen, damit ich auch mitkommen könnte, was vor sich geht) ist der größte Kritikpunkt für mich die fehlende Charakterentwicklung. (Gehört ja aber auch irgendwie zum Writing lmao) Ich kann gar nicht oft genug erwähnen, wie HJW mich in den Wahnsinn getrieben hat und wie Leid mir SJ tat. Er hat wirklich besseres verdient. Und dass man alles so langzieht, um dann in der letzten Folge halbherzig alle Fäden zu verbinden ist auch eher meh.

3 Sterne. Weil der Soundtrack echt gut ist, weil SJ mein Herz geklaut hat und weil ich in der letzten Folge dann doch irgendwie auch ein bisschen traurig war, weil wir so wenig GUTE Szenen von den Beiden bekommen haben. Die Leads haben nach wie vor eine süße Chemie und die hat definitiv meine Liebe verdient.

Dieses Drama ist voller Schmerz und Frust und ich hätte mir mehr Fluff und Love gewünscht. T_T

Lire davantage

Excellent acting, too bad the script is a little iffy

I watched the series (not the movie), and I think overall this was good but has several problems. I would still recommend this to any BL enthusiast--better than season 1.

First off, the best part of this was definitely the acting: actually excellent for all the characters. Round of applause honestly.

The worst part was the music production. Apart from a few moments, a lot of the audio cues felt so random and would end so abruptly. Some even felt inappropriate for the situation we were in.

Story was unfortunately a bit whatever. At first, things were so confusing until they revealed explanations and even then, the explanations do not satisfy of fill in all the blanks. I understand that the goal was to create complexity and depth to the characters beyond what season 1 offered while also covering backstory, but to be honest, the execution was lackluster. It left me feeling that the characters were too complicated to understand or relate to, and the emotions started feeling more unrealistic than anything.

Direction was fine though and so was the rest of the production.

I think this is worth watching.

Lire davantage