A Tale of Thousand Stars (2021)

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.

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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!

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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.

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looks unconvincing turns out highly promising

at first i underestimate this series, a bit sceptical when i watch the first episode. i keep questioning why it get so many good reviews because i don't seem liking it. but i was force myself to keep watching it, until then.. around episode 3 something i starting to liking the story. and till the end, after i finish it i can agree that this one deserve high reviews. i love the background story, the cinematography, the sound, transition, also tone of this series. though i feel like the main actors still didn't reach great points for me, the story covers it all and it flows beautifully. overall all acting is good but it feels a little bit missed chemistry, very little only in some episode. This is not a mainstream story, but it has really clear line. it may a bit slow paced but highly measured and well served. let's say if it's a chart, from episode 1 to 10, the chart is keep going up to the final episode. the narration is fascinating as well for the characters in it. hope there will be some series like this again, i wanna see it with this high quality.

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*major* spoilers - a review for 1000 stars

Major spoilers -- just genuine love for things that happened throughout the show. Please don't open because it is genuinely full spoilers.

I struggle to remember many shows and finding love for them because there's always something that makes me just a little disappointed, but A Tale of a Thousand Stars (1000 stars) is something that I will probably hold pretty close to my heart.







On the surface of how the show is played out, 1000 stars has a very unique situation to work with and many different scenarios that can be built around a poor village. Typical BLs have the setting in the city, so it was new to see how acting in a rural village would work. The music is very particular to its theme. It's like a Pinterest board, it has a consistent sound and it fits very well with the visuals of the show. The actors (EarthMix) play their respective positions and characters very well given each's background. The Chief is stoic yet looks out for Tian a lot, while Tian is trying his best as a teacher in the village. The villagers are dynamic, there are people of all ages in the village with different personalities. They navigate life and deal with problems that come their way. I gave the cast an 8.0 because this isn't the typical "hot men kissing" trope, and it's not something that you'll find when watching the show. There is more substance to these characters, and later on, the message of the show.

Tian's character development has one of the best I've *felt* in a while. There's one thing about seeing character development but it's another to feel it in a character.

Tian starts off as the typical characters whom are born with a silver spoon in his mouth, and ironically enough, his parents have a very non-empathic approach because of their high status. They think low of the donor who gave their heart to Tian, they don't mind trampling on others to live on the high end. Although Tian isn't necessarily housing these same beliefs, he grew up with it.

He signs up to become a teacher impulsively out of sheer interest and wanting to do something for once. He doesn't know what he's doing but even when he gets dirty looks, he still swallows it down and stays anyways. And he makes core memories throughout the show that I still can remember clearly. The kite flying, the chief taking him to that small hut to look at the view, creating the tea satchels, the adorable parties they’ve had together with the villagers, Tian risking burning and risking his life for the village, risking his own health for the things he teaches around the village that he wants to show the kids. It's so clear the way Tian puts himself out there to support the village, and you can see how he gradually goes from just teaching kids to falling in love with the village and doing whatever he can to help them. It's really beautiful. I think actions speak greater than words in this show and it's refreshing to see.

The Chief is a pillar in everyone's lives, and it's really great to see how he can find support and fun in Tian. I think that one of my favorite quotes from him is: “When you choose to go home and not give everything you have up for me, I’ll know you’ve returned the feelings I have for you." It's so painful, it’s loving Tian to the point where he is willing to let him go because he knows what Tian gives up to be with him. It really shows is maturity in the Chief and I really like how blunt he is when he deals with Tian. He also is a pillar because he's always willing to wait for Tian, referencing off the hornbills and their patience. It comes up occasionally and I love the analogy behind it. I do think it was a little unnerving to see the Chief after realizing he had just protected Tian because of the money/promotion, but I think it was very interesting to watch them figure out whether it was actual feelings or simply work.

Now for the village aspect of the show. I thought that the village characters wouldn't be really well known and would just be supporting characters, but I didn't realize how close they would be to the storyline and plot. It really adds color and a familial aspect to Tian's life that he didn't have when he was living with his parents and drinking with his friends. I think it's really beautiful to see Tian helping the village in his own way, and the village welcoming him hesitantly but then forgiving him every time he causes them trouble. The ending with the montage of the villagers waving him goodbye was so beautiful that I cried. P'Aof made the montage so beautiful with Tian hugging the kids dearly and each of them bringing a gift for him, him hugging the village, him taking a picture with the village. It hurt me (in a good way) when they said to come visit sometime not ever knowing when they’ll ever see someone like him again. They are always staying as his pillar as family, unwavering and home. It's ironic because Tian also has a family waiting for him in the city as well, but he's also found another family in the village.

Time for the romance. The romance lacks any kisses, hugs, whatever typical things that are out there but instead has injuries, scars, betrayal, saving each other’s lives, introducing each other to new things, being there for each other. I interpret their love as action and bearing what might come next together. Their confession was executed so well because they are unsure of the time they have left before Tian leaves. It's not all perfect. The final scene actually gave us a kiss that was very rewarding to watch. I understand how it might be very frustrating to watch without any throughout the show, but the kiss for them happened because they knew they were finally sure they would be together (after Tian became a proper teacher and knew he would commit). They couldn’t kiss knowing Tian had to leave. They couldn’t kiss wondering where Tian would go. Everything was temporary. But after waiting and knowing exactly where their future is, they sealed it and, gosh it’s so poetic, the timing and everything.

Also Torfun was a really pretty aspect to the show. She shows what it's like to live a humble life and seeing Tian follow her steps out of curiosity was really nice to watch because I originally thought he wouldn't care much at all, like his parents. The ending where she wholeheartedly wishes for the Chief to find true love and him finding it in Tian, who has her heart, is a pretty twisted but poetic thing to watch.

There's a lot of pretty metaphors throughout the show (or maybe I'm seeing too much into it). Tian has a new heart literally and I'd say figuratively as well. He has a new heart for being open-minded and finally having a purpose in life, abandoning the luxurious yet dull life he lived before. The hornbill reference/analogy that shows unwavering patience from the Chief (and village). I love discrete storytelling and 1000 stars has it all.

Here are some lessons? messages? I got from the show: Socioeconomic perspectives, silent but unwavering love, familial love, finding the purpose in life. I felt like I was going through the rollercoaster right alongside the characters.

Thanks for reading, I didn't mean to spoil so much but I just wanted to post an honest analysis/review for the show.

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A Very Well Written BL

**Brief Synopsis**
B (Student): Tian
T (Village Chief): Phupha

- Beginning: The story starts when B starts looking in to the person who donated their heart to him and once upon finding out who the person was (and getting ahold of their diary), he decides to fulfill that person’s last wishes and move to the village where she had been teaching. He is met by T, the chief, who at first is not happy by his arrival.

- Middle: Despite the rough opening, T and B starts spending more time together and starts falling for each other. B also starts getting used to life at the village and life as a teacher. However, his tranquil life is disrupted when the village is attacked and B and T ends up in the hospital. B’s father finally appears and admits knowing where B was all along and asks B to go back home with him. T asks B to go knowing it was the best option and make him promise not to forget him. B goes back unable to forget T. However, he has grown and knows he wants to study to become a teacher. He decides to go to the US to study. On the day of departure, T appears and B finally realizing their feelings are mutual, make T promise to wait for him.

- End: Some time passes and B finally returns from oversees and goes to join T again at the village. He tells T he won’t leave again and they will be together forever. The show ends with them happily living together.

**My Opinion**

WHAT I LIKED ABOUT IT:
- The actors playing B and T. Their chemistry was amazing and some of their interactions were cute and sweet. They also do a great job in portraying the affection between the characters.
- I like the small looks they gave each other when they are still unwilling to admit their feelings.
- The writing is pretty nice despite the plot being predictable and cliche. But the story flows really well and the ensemble cast make the village they live in seem alive. This show isn’t exaggerated like some BL can be.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE ABOUT IT:
- Very tame intimate scenes which can be a disappointment.
- Angst comes from T constantly denying his own feelings which is an overused trope.
- The show is very slow burn with them only kissing in the last episode. I would have liked to see more of their interactions as a couple.

**Conclusion**
An OK watch but probably won’t be revisiting.

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Watch this one if you want to have an emotional rollercoaster. (In a good way!)

This started a little slow for me, but picked up a lot by episode 5 or so. It is beautifully acted and visually pleasing. Mixx is seriously a fantastic actor. He does such a great display of emotion in his facial expressions. I was worried that this was going to be a story about how he always fell short of Torfun, or everyone compared him to Torfun all the time, but it wasn't that. Torfun and Phupha vs Tian and Phupha were completely different relationships and I thought that was very well handled.

The last two episodes put me THROUGH IT. I sobbed so much. So maybe save those if you are not ready to be absolutely wrecked emotionally.

My only real complaint is that I was so freaking starved for physical contact by the last episode that the kiss and the last credit scene was NOT enough. Hopefully this is delivered more in Our Skyy 2.

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I love me some juicy character development

The average was 9.1 out of 10 stars. It was good. Was I really confused for like first 3 episodes because I am anti-reading descriptions? Yes, yes, I was really confused. I started to understand it, and then I kept getting turned on my head and getting even more confused. I am once again looking through my Instagram close friend story to see how confused I was 19 days ago when I started watching this. I kind of forgot what happened in episode one. My brain tuned it out, lol. Yeah, I can't find my reactions to episode 1, lol. I rewatch shows too much. All I remember is that I was very confused.

On June 15th, at 7:44 p.m., I got back into the show. And the reason was because I wanted to watch the goofy ass our Skyy 2 Bad Buddy x Tale of a Thousand Stars episodes. Great reason, I know. These two have some pretty good chemistry, so I will give it to them. My brain was struggling to wrap its head around what happened. Like it wasn't making any sense whatsoever. They could have done a better job explaining it because I refuse to read descriptions and just go based on random edits I saw at three in the morning on YouTube shorts.

I saw some familiar actors, so that was fun. Tian wasn't that likeable at the start. We are sort of forced to like whoever the drama starts off with. Just by default, even if we don't like their character, we are kind of forced to fall for them. And fall I did. Tian went from a careless, selfish rich kid to a selfless rich kid. He had some juicy character development. It was great, and I love when dramas build characters like that.

At first, I thought Torfun didn't actually die, and I thought she was going to come back and be like, "Omg, you can have him" and Bam happy ever after. Side note: she is dead. Dead as hell. It tells you that in the description, probably, so I am not actually spoiling anything, I guess.

Tian has heart issues, and that is his downfall. because that's what kills him. Or "kills" him. He is kind of a spoiled brat, and it's irritating. But Chief (I am going to be so deadass I don't even know his name) Phupha didn't put up with it like everyone else, and he shut that down. I mean, go off. That started off their dynamic and kind of made me fall in love with the characters. Chief Phupha had some good developments as well. He went from uptight, annoyed, and cold to uptight, less annoyed, and in love. Juicy character development

They had some really great microphones in this, and I could hear every single thing. Like everything else, it wasn't even funny. Good on them for the microphones, I guess. I wrote this in one of my episode reviews: "And last time bro drank, his heart stopped, so I would not trust him with alcohol. Bottoms up, more like bottoms down." Yeah. No tears were shed because in the parts where I should have been crying, I was half asleep and just confused.

There were a lot of cliffhangers in the episodes, and I feel bad for everyone who waited for them to come out instead of just grinding it out in one day.

Yeah, so a rich kid's car hits this teacher, and the parents cover it up because that's what rich people do. And that's about it. It was a good show and a pretty easy watch until like episodes 8, 9, and 10 lol. Otherwise, it was good. It wasn't too long or too short. It was just right, lol. Okay, I am watching Bad Buddy with Skyy, so I can watch the goofy ass cross-over episode. That's it; I would recommend this one. Okay bye!

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It's very cute, one of my favorites

I've never had time to write a review about this bl, and it's very cute, very well-developed, and I think it's still the best gmm production to date, there's something special about this work, the novel is already excellent, but the adaptation has managed to be just as good, it's good when you finish watching something and start looking for more information about the characters, this connection is not just any production that manages to make with its audience, here they have succeeded, every year I end up watching this work again, because this tale will always be eternal for me

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Amazing but SLOW ASF

This show is amazing, the storyline and emotions are so deep. EarthMix's acting is phenomenal, you can really see the conflicts on their faces and their chemistry is insane. Of course its GMMTV so it isn't without a few cheesy tropes like the close proximity stares etc but the drama and beautiful production makes you ignore it. At first I was a bit confused - this was my first show that involved soul swapping/reincarnation (I hadn't seen Vice Versa, Cupid's Last Wish etc yet) but this was simpler to ease me into that idea.
I cried through half of the end episodes, I felt so bad for Tian but also completely understand Phupha and the rest of the villagers having loved Torfun so much. I loved all the side characters as well that this was an easy watch, the doctor and other soldiers are so funny and a good comedic relief from the grief.
Like I said this show is so good and definitely underrated - however it is SLOW BURN. If you liked Only Friends bc they sh*gged in the first few eps this show isn't for you, they don't kiss until like the last 10 minutes or something, even my mum who had watched half of it over my shoulder was sat there going 'JUST KISS HIM ALREADY' - girl was getting impatient with Phupa.
Anyway, WATCH THIS SHOW RIGHT NOW.

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