A soft light hearted rom-com.
This drama was soft and lighthearted in my opinion. It started off with an unexpected incident, which brought the best laugh for me, and slowly and steadily, it went into the side stories of the main lead.The FL is a PR team manager, cleaning up the mess the actors make, and the ML is the top star in the country. They have had a strong relationship, starting from their college days and eventually as colleagues. The bickering of the leads and the soft side for each other were just like the cherry on top of this drama. The love triangle here is great too. NO MESS. The supporting couples were great and filled with romance and comedy. And every character was well played, leaving no hard feelings.
This drama overall was just so sweet and soft with lots of comedy. The ending just made me feel content. This drama could be perfect for binge watch.
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I like that the drama was not dragged. All the problems were solved fast.
I LOVED THIS DRAMASO GOOD.
Relationships in this drama are so good!!
Lead couple literally melt my heart everytime they are on screen.
Oh hanbyeol and Gong taesung have A GREAT CHEMISTRY!!!!!!
I love their relationship. I love how there's no breakup in the drama. They have a smooth relationship. They were always together for their most important moments. They are SOULMATES!
I like that the drama was not dragged. All the problems were solved fast.
All the couples are so cute.
This is my type of drama.
I had many fav characters like tae sung's manager, PR team and many more......
I loved whenever CEO dae soo called Yuna Ahhh~
Si deok is so attractive!!! His deep voice
My fav character is yu sung. His character is really my fav. Idk why but I like him. I like his personality. Maybe my ideal type?
Overall 10/10 rom com.
I'll definitely re watch it (of course only sweet moments). ❤️
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This review may contain spoilers
An Ode to the Agencies, PR Teams and Managers in and around South Korea.
That's exactly what I took away from this drama, even more than its romance element, which, was hard to ignore on many levels.I thoroughly enjoyed the take on the entertainment industry from an agency’s perspective. I've watched plenty of idol/ actor perspective dramas where their support only featured a small amount, so for this drama to spend the first four episodes solely focusing on introducing the characters at Starforce Entertainment, getting to know each of them and how they became who they were within the company, was a nice change of pace.
Secondly, because they just made it impossible to ignore, I have to mention the number of love lines in this drama because it really felt like Oprah herself was there dishing out love lines to every character in play. However, the second lead relationships were by far the most organically progressed in terms of storyline and grabbed my attention much more than the main leads.
Speaking of main leads, I did feel that Lee Sung Kyung's character, Oh Han Byul, was a little flat at times and she didn't really stand out or grab my attention throughout this drama. Maybe that's because I've seen her do better and might have had higher expectations for her compared to the rest of the cast, or maybe it was simply lazy writing? In contrast, though, Kim Young Dae, did a great job serving us adorable moments as Gong Tae Sung. He really seemed at ease with this character, and it felt like it flowed naturally for him. I honestly had a lot of fun watching him rollercoaster through the drama as he was the only charter who had the opportunity to do so.
The plot is a simple one that has many loose ends, holes and nonsensical distractions in order to allow us to reach the ending, I'm assuming, so many wanted. Overall, this drama was full of fluff, which made it an easy, no-brainer watch for those times when you need to unwind from a very stressful life. Just don't overthink this drama, it's not that deep! ;)
- foxx
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A story about frenemies turning to lovers
A love story about a childish star with his non celebrity frenemy. Oh Han Byul and Gong Tae Sung have been friends since college. While one went on the path of a celebrity the other became the head of PR in his entertainment agency. Both of them are besties who bicker at every chance they get. One day the celebrity guy realizes he is in love with the girl and decided to pursue her.This is one of those stereotype dramas with cliche love stories, birth secrets and childhood trauma.
The story is very simple, but whether you can stomach this drama depends on your tolerance to childish immature Male leads. The character of the celebrity is very straightforward. He is simple minded despite having a childhood trauma.
The girl is mature. She knows what she wants in her life and is a very realistics person.
The rest of the story is laced with the cute love stories of the ML and FL's best friends.
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Well worth your time!
Are you looking for a sweet romance that is well-written, there aren't random misunderstandings, and that you will find yourself smiling like a fool? If so, this is right up your alley. Full disclosure here, I'm all about the romance. The people getting to know one another, the build-up, being able to see why the couple likes each other, good kisses (no open-eye, fish kisses, thank you very much!). This show had all of this, plus the advantage of multiple couples, each of them cute in their own way, and each character was so likeable. Actually, now that I think about it, this show was full of extremely likeable characters, which is one of the reasons it was so much fun. There were even a couple of characters that were played a little over-the-top and I liked them as well. While watching this, I found myself thinking about how much fun I was having. Seriously.The only downside for me, was the sudden turn into melodrama-land, with multiple melodrama storylines. That's what I scored down for, it really ruined the flow. I think the subject matter of a couple of the storylines was timely, and probably a good storyline to delve into more fully, but here it just felt like it was all thrown in to make up the obligatory 16 episodes. They would have been better served to cut it down to 12 and have it be a straight, well-written rom-com.
I really enjoyed each of the actors, but I need to call out the mains.
Lee Sung Kyung as Oh Han Byul - LOVE her! I've seen her in multiple things, and I've always enjoyed her. To be perfectly honest, I didn't realize it was her until I recognized her voice, she looks so different. She played the characters of Han Byul as likeable, driven, and really good at a thankless job. That had the potential to make her look like she was perfect, but really you just want to be friends with her.
Kim Young Dae as Gong Tae Sung. I thought he was wonderful in this. He's got a very expressive face which was perfect for so much of the comedy that was going on. There were many, many times that I went back and re-watched scenes because his expressions/mannerisms were so good. He had his moments where I worried that he was a complete jerk, but he quickly redeemed himself. I LOVE when a man has liked a woman for a long time, and this show really shone a spotlight on that. It also showed how he never grew out of his "dunk her braid in the inkwell because you like her" phase. The things he did to try and get her attention just cracked me up. His love and care for Han Byul was lovely to watch, and if a man said some of the things to me that he said to her, I would melt into a puddle in the middle of the floor. It was very romantic. For example, he asked all of her friends for information about her, shoe size, MTBI, favorite foods, etc. He compiled a book with all this information, but yet when he talked to her about it, he just told her everything he had noticed about her on his own - her work ethic, how she supports others, etc. And when he called her "My Han Byeol", wow! Watching him be jealous was so funny, but his softened demeanor around her (his actions, his voice, the way he cared for her) was what grabbed me by the heart and wouldn't let go.
I also liked the friendships in this show. His manager, Jeong Yeol (what was with the haircut?) was supportive, and oh so helpful in trying to get the two leads together. The sismances were fun, and I absolutely loved the bromance between Tae Sung and his love rival, the lawyer (they became latte friends).
Finally, Kim Young Dae in beige linen pants toward the end of the show - yikes! Don't judge me, just watch it and you'll see what I'm talking about!!
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It's an adorable serie
Contained all the behind the scene of each and every entertaining industry.Moreover, it showed how and what we as a kdrama lovers could relate to the actors who are also human beings.
It also talked about anti-fans and how hate is made out of unexpected reasons such as; actors getting into relationships, fake scandals...etc
Still even if you're a fan of someone, u shouldn't be obsessive or aggressive towards their own lives.
Furthermore, it has been admirable to watch hoping for a season two :)
I won't lie(IT'S ADMIRABLE, GO SEE IT)
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The Softest Drama Of 2022
My real rating was actually 8.5 - 9.0/10 but because i got so attached to the drama, I'm bumping this up to 10/10.It's a light drama that didn't take itself as a plot heavy drama but still brought up the important points that celebs have to struggle with day in and day out, be it stress or no privacy or overwork.
The director did a great job overall with the scenes and the cinematography in all kinds of scenes and the screenwriter deserves an award for how many times they put a smile on my face after a horrible day.
Plot - The plot was completely focused on the behind the scenes of the entertainment industry and the struggles of the actors. It didn't drag out plot points unnecessarily but focused more on the emotional aspect of it all.
The main character's relationship itself progressed quite well from fighting like they're 5 to acting like they've been married for 50 years. It was a soft, sweet and candy romance with a strong foundation and a lot of communication.
Not to mention the comedy was done quite well and after a stressful day? it was bliss.
The other couples were a double? triple? quadruple? treat because of how many there were and how cute they were. You'll definitely end up rooting for them.
Characters - Each of the characters brought something new to the table and got their deserved screen time. Everyone was given enough screen time that watching them get their ending made me feel very mushy inside.
Music - It was all great. 5 OSTs and all of them have a place in my playlists and my heart.
Bottomline is that this drama is not the most well written plot heavy drama or one with a couple you will never be able to get over but this drama is definitely the warm hug you need after a bad day and it being aired on a friday was just a cherry on top.
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Perfect no-brainer, feel-good, stress relief
It's a light and feel-good show. I'd categorize it with Weightlifting Fairy: Kim Bok Joo (which is "coincidentally" Lee Sung Kyung's show also) and Business Proposal.I have no complaints with how the story unfolded, including how the last 2 episodes were literally almost useless and didn't carry much plot apart from being like a 2-hour ad and epilogue. I'm actually really happy with it since the supporting characters got more time and we see how the relationships developed.
My only opposition with the series is probablu Ho Young and Yoo Seong. I didn't see much chemistry in the beginning so when it came out that Ho Young has a crush on Yoo Seong, it was really surprising and not exactly in a good way. I would've paired Da Hye and Yoo Seong, then Ho Young and Si Deok.
The Yu Na-Jae Hyun pairing is def my fave out of all, but wow, I have no idea what to feel about the progression of their relationship HAHA it felt reckless and chaotic and something I wouldn't do, but hey, it's a drama.
Overall: worth the watch, great comfort show, and will probs be one of the series I watch when I'm looking to relieve stress and fatigue. Also grateful that everyone ended up with someone so everyone's happy which makes me happy (and thank you for giving Soo Hyuk a woman! I was actually scared I'd have another second male lead syndrome if he wasn't happy in the end HAHA)
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Many love stories glued by BTS of entertainment industry
First time I saw KYD in Extraordinary You (you must watch it, if you haven't watched already). Even though progression wise he was 5th Main character, I liked his role the most. Then I knew he is ML material. And here we are.Anyway, coming to Shooting stars. It's a well written light hearted RomCom. It deals with life of people, who are involved in managing, incident-resolution, PR of movie/drama stars. OHB is one such management person. She is part of company which manages GTS. In that company, our story unfolds.
In the beginning, GTS is shown to be having taken a break from acting career. He is in Africa. Doing some voluntary stuff. Some people have objected to narrow view of African continent shown in the first episode. I agree with them partially, as first of all, even if you go to Africa, you'll go to certain country there. It's not 1990s. It's 2022. We should become aware of modern standards in dealing with race and ethnicity.
Coming back to story, it will be fun filled ride of romantic moments with comedic relief.
After slow start, this dramas goes on to become one of the best shows I've seen in 2022. People might disagree with me, but I think LSK is doing much better here than she did in WFKBJ.
This show is mostly above various love-stories and love triangles (albeit lowkey). The main leads story is pretty engaging and refreshing. The second lead story is also quite naive (in a good way).
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Lead couple/storyline leaves much to be desired and is not helped by controversial aspects.
Very cute side stories (Yusung, Hoyoung, Kibum, and Soohyuk's storylines are amazing!)However, the main couple leaves something to be desired. Taesung is somewhat unlikeable, and the "gone to Africa" savior story is simply intolerable. The whole thing is made up to make a few points:
1. Taesung is actually very kind, although he is rude to Oh Hanbyeol.
2. Taesung is crazyily into Hanbyeol enough that he would leave the country and pause his career for a year.
3. Taesung hasn't talked to Hanbyeol in a year, but he still thinks about her a lot.
But all of these points above could've been made with SO many other scenarios. For example, Taesung could've started a charity where he gave back to the local underprivileged children and then had a year where he shot a drama in a foreign country.The producers are so out of touch with the world outside of Korea, specifically in the countries in Africa, that they couldn't even been bothered to name a singular country in Africa.
Also, the leads have mediocre chemistry with each other, and everything feels very rushed to be fit into the 16 episode limit, since they spent so much of the first 5/6 episodes just establishing that Taesung and Hanbyeol bicker all the time. To be honest, the couple of Jin Yuna and Yoon Jaehyun have much more chemistry than the leads and their storyline is much more enjoyable to keep up with. If I'm being completely honest, the potential couple of Soohyuk & Kibum has me squealing more than Taesung & Hanbyeol.
TLDR: The saving graces of this drama are the great supporting characters!
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Sweet Romcom but not too tropey
When I first caught wind of this series from its trailers in March 2022, I was immediately drawn in by the leads and their undeniable chemistry. However, the initial episodes failed to leave a lasting impression on me, and my disappointment persisted through the first few episodes. Despite considering dropping the series after the fourth episode, I decided to stick with it due to a lack of other options. To my surprise, the series took a turn for the better after episode 4.What initially seemed like filler scenes in the early episodes revealed themselves to be hidden gems, providing depth to the characters and enriching the storyline. While the screenplay may appear disjointed at times, I believe it was necessary to cover the multitude of topics within the Korean entertainment industry in the allotted time. The series delves into various aspects of celebrity life, fostering a newfound empathy for these individuals.
However, if you're seeking a romcom that solely focuses on the main leads or specific character dynamics, this series may not be for you. Nevertheless, the chemistry between the characters, both main and supporting, is undeniably compelling and authentic, adding to the overall appeal of the series.
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Finally a RomCom with a perfectly good ending !!
* SPOILERS ALERT *For starters I know this drama had quite an explosive start with the first 2 episodes: first the Africa controversy and then the scene in which the main lead chases the female lead in the restroom. For the Africa part, when I first saw the scene "live" and like many other people I was thinking "well they should have handled that better" and even now I agree that their approach can be viewed as problematic. With the drama now finished, I personally think the writers didn't want to "target" one country in particular, in order to not offend anyone but it backfired and frankly I can understand why others were angry. For the chase scene, likewise, I could perfectly understand why some viewers were shocked by it. If this happened in real life, of course Han Byul should have reported him immediately to the police (I would have 100% supported her in this process) but we need to keep in mind that this is only fiction, even though I agree this scene wasn’t necessary and they really could have done better without.
Now that I talked about the not-so-great things, I can talk about the GOOD things, and there are many! First is the fantastic chemistry between all the cast and especially the main couple. I can’t believe some people thought there was no chemistry between Han Byul and Tae Sung. Even at first when they were more on the “enemies” side they had amazing chemistry and even more so when they became a couple. I even thought at times that they actually fell for each other while filming lol. The only thing that quite puzzled me with this couple was the very hard feelings they seemed to have for each other at the start of the drama. For Han Byul I could understand considering her past experience but with Tae Sung it was a little more hard to believe… At first he seemed to resent her because she kinda “forced” him to leave the country and do charity work but then we learn that he apparently already liked her at the time (even if he wasn’t aware of his feelings) and also at the end of the drama I thought I understood that he actually wanted to leave the country because of what happened to his best friend?? It was a little confusing. But hey I can work with that.
Now for the other couples, I actually really liked the fact that the writers decided to keep the viewers guessing as to what couples would be endgame. There were so many possibilities lol. On a more negative note, I wasn’t really invested with the young actors, like don’t get me wrong, their scenes together were really funny but I honestly don’t know why they fell for each other in the first place. And sadly I don’t think the actor playing Yoo Na’s love interest was adapted for this role, but again it’s just a personal opinion. And for Yoo Sung and Ho Yeong, I admit they were cute but some of their scenes were just cringe, the constant patting on the head and the childish behavior of Ho Yeong was a little hard to look at. Apart from the romance, I also loved the friendship between the cast: the girls’ trio, the blooming bromance between Tae Sung and the lawyer, his friendship with both his manager and assistant… I can’t talk about them all because there were many but it was really refreshing and captivating to watch.
I also want to talk about the humor in this drama. I honestly didn’t expect to laugh as much as I did, because I only read the synopsis and didn’t watch the trailer beforehand but omg some scenes were just hilarious. Of course it might not be the case for everyone but for me it really checked all the boxes. And the many cameos were absolutely delightful to watch! The music was also a major bonus point. Some scenes were enhanced by the music choice and timing, and the little “animations” were also a nice and funny touch. On the other hand, some episodes were much more serious, especially in the second part of the drama with ep12/13, but it is very understandable with its context. Unfortunately, to a be a part of this world doesn’t mean that all is always pink, glitter and unicorns and the writers and director did a fairly good job in denouncing the not-so-pretty behind the scenes. Keep in mind that they could only show a little of this “dark side” at the risk of flirting too much with the melodrama/tragic genre. That’s also why I loved this drama so much, because despite talking about some serious themes, the show still has this “heartwarming and funny” aspect to it, but it also doesn’t fail to bring tears to your eyes at some well placed pivot points.
Honestly I didn’t expect to find myself attached to these characters so quickly. Of course 16 episodes was the right choice but I wouldn’t mind at all if they suddenly decided to add 4 more episodes to it, that’s how much I loved this story and the characters because I wasn’t bored at all! And it’s so rare for me to find all the different arcs and characters interesting until the very end. Of course I wasn’t in love with absolutely everything (like the young actors couple mentioned before) but they still made things intriguing, and even if I wasn’t as attached to them as the rest of the cast, their scenes were still funny to watch. And I will admit that my eyes were tearing a little at the end of episode 16, not because it was sad but because I was at the same time happy and melancholic about how well the story ended. And that’s now the end of my review! On a final note, big kudos to everyone working behind the scenes. They’re working in the shadows but I think this drama did a good job in bringing them to light.
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