Completed - 3/10/2022 - 8.25 rating

As my journey to explore more Thai BL dramas continues, I came across this highly rated drama. I was in search of a drama that is not about high school or college students, but a more mature drama. I am glad I came across "A Tale of Thousand Stars". The majority of the drama was spent in a rural village. The beautiful opening theme already sets the mood for me.

Our male lead received a new heart and wanted to fulfill the wishes of his organ donor, and traveled to become a volunteer teacher in a rural village. I would say the story is quite predictable and there aren't any crazy plot twists. We know our male lead, Tian, had to adjust to life without luxuries or even city-life basic necessity such as water and electricity. We know he's going to encounter some challenges with the villagers and that he's going to fall in love, and had to leave the village eventually (or not?). None of this is surprisingly, but that doesn't deter me from enjoying it.

"A Tale of Thousand Stars" is the only BL drama I've watched to date that has the least amount of physical contact or public display of affection between our two leads. This does not mean their romance is not good. In fact, you feel their deeper connection through conversations and actions. The chemistry between Tian and Phupha is sizzling. You can feel the attraction and the hesitancy in crossing the friendzone boundary. For a stern character such as Chief Phupha, he's quite flirty and suggestive with Tian. Yet, he's also so shy when his friends question his feelings for Tian. Tian on the other hand, is supposedly the younger and more outgoing of the two, yet he's the passive one in the relationship in expressing his feelings. Looking back, I do not think they outright confess to each other, but it's without a doubt that they are very in love.

I really enjoy learning about the food, livelihood and traditions of this Thai rural village. I I actually also quite like the house that Tian was staying at. I might not survive without electricity and running water, but I like the wooden house and feel of it. We also see many beautiful scenery of nature - luscious mountains, view from top of the mountain, view from off the cliff, forests and grassland.

The acting of the leads is pretty good, but not amazing. I like Mix's acting more than Earth's, especially with the more emotional scenes. There are times I find Earth's acting a little emotionless, unless he's smiling shyly and then I melt. ? But overall, I think Mix did a better job. I can't deny what a handsome fellow Earth is. I criticized "Bad Buddy" for its fanservice of excessive shirtless scenes, and I was glad I didn't feel that way with Earth. On another note, I think Earth was using his real voice singing and I love it. Was he also playing the instrument for real? It seems like it. I really like all the young actors/actresses in this drama. I think the students acted better than many of the adult side characters/villagers. The 'villains' are quite underwhelming.

I do find the pacing of the drama a little inconsistent. I was very interested in the first 5 episodes, but then it seems to slow down a in the middle episodes. I also find the last episode to be a little slow - too many slow motion scenes and flashbacks. I am probably not the only one who wanted to see more cute scenes between the leads, and not just the last couple minutes. I know product placements are needed, but it is quite weird to see the snack mix popped up so often in a rural village.