Kdrama Review: Shooting Stars

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Main Genres: Romance, Drama

I enjoyed the less used trope of (or a trope I just haven’t watched much of) the celebrity and a member of his staff/behind the scenes’ worker love along with a kind of forbidden love or hidden workplace romance. It was really enjoyable, I did struggle to finish it but I’ll get more into that in my review. Overall, this was a fun romcom to watch!

Continue reading for more details.

Synopsis:

As one of the nation’s most beloved stars, Gong Tae Sung is used to living his life in the spotlight. With the eyes of the world constantly on him, Tae Sung does his best to keep a smile on his face and his temper in check. Seen by the people as a kind and polite young man, the only people who don’t buy into his whole good guy persona are those working for his management company. As the head of that company’s PR team, Oh Han Byeol knows exactly what Tae Sung is really like. Well aware of his strong desire to win and his hot temper, Han Byeol has had to employ her excellent speech and crisis management skills on a number of occasions, in order to keep Tae Sung’s reputation as spotless as it seems. Constantly bickering, there isn’t anyone in the world better suited to the role of natural enemies than Han Byeol and Tae Sung.  Forever at odds with each other, Tae Sung and Han Byeol seem destined to hate each other forever. But could the time they’re forced to spend together change those feelings or will their mutual loathing last for all eternity?

(Summary from My Drama List)

Review:

Bouncing off of the summary, I loved the first half of the show especially because of all the “bickering” and them acting like “enemies”. I found it really funny and the reveal of what led Gong Tae Sung (Kim Young Dae) to have a “burning hatred” against Oh Han Byul (Lee Sung Kyung) had me cracking up so much! 

The second half, once the two kinds of cooled down and the reality of the star’s, Gong Tae Sung, true feelings towards Oh Han Byul became more obvious. Things slowly transitioned from funny to more cute. Especially once they started dating. Though, that also made things more boring since the biggest conflict they were facing at that part of the plot was dealing with dating without getting caught. It wasn’t very eventful, there were still some laugh out loud moments, but the plot felt really…dry. Some more conflicts or an actual problem to overcome would’ve made the second half just as good as the first.

Oh Han Byul’s character was really relatable. She overworked herself and would get stressed out often. She wanted to make everyone happy and have everything under control. She was also very, very oblivious to Gong Tae Sung’s endless signs. At one point, I started feeling bad for him. She truly represents the people who have to work behind the curtains to take care of celebrities’ and their reputations. She also represented the everyday worker (other than the part where the most famous actor falls for her) with her big workload and frustration which allows people to relate to her.

Gong Tae Sung was such a cinnamon roll. He was so sweet and probably the best kdrama boyfriend. I bet a lot of people would beg to differ but, seriously, he was the sweetest, most thoughtful boyfriend I’ve seen in a kdrama. He was so persistent, even when Oh Han Byul was so indifferent to all his efforts. Once he got her, he was so understanding and so cute, like a little puppy. He put in so much effort to be able to experience and do the things regular couples can to make her happy. He also had his own troubles and problems from his childhood and from being a celebrity that was important to address as it showed how even a celebrity’s life isn’t as easy and nice as it appears.

The chemistry between the two characters was very good since Oh Han Byul was more of a black cat while Gong Tae Sung was a total golden retriever. They balanced each other out nicely with Gong Tae Sung being more carefree and just wanting to be around Oh Han Byul while Oh Han Byul was more uptight and worried about rumors and being caught. Though, Oh Han Byul did have times where she showed how much she actually likes and misses her boyfriend, who was super cute and sweet of her.

The side characters and their relationships and journeys helped bring more depth to the show. I loved each of their side stories and seeing their development and progression through their feelings and problems. Each side character has their own part in contributing to the show and sent different messages to the audience.

Overall, this was a nice kdrama to watch if you’re looking for something funny and lighthearted to watch. I liked how both the celebrity and staff’s sides were shown and brought to light both of their efforts and difficulties they faced. I think it’s important to notice and acknowledge both sides of the entertainment world. 

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