Although I wasn’t a big fan of Ja and First’s BL, Don’t Say No, I knew for certain that I was going to watch their latest, and possibly their last together, Be Mine Superstar.
This was a rough watch, too. Both TharnType and Don’t Say No had their fair share of super cringe moments, but I caught myself slapping a hand to my face so often I lost track! I was dying in my home of secondhand embarrassment, and I can’t believe these guys got through some of these scenes seriously. With that being said, like most BLs, there was supposed to be a level of comedy, but I felt that a lot of the more serious moments were comically bad from a script perspective. I think it also doesn’t help that this series had one of the poorer English translations, but I don’t think that would have done much in the way of the story.
Punn is a student who’s obsessed with Thai soap star, Achi, and manages to land an internship on the show. He awkwardly skirts around interacting with Achi, until his co-star Mingmueang takes notice. He pesters Punn into taking more initiative, and it does seem to work, though Achi does seem fairly oblivious to Punn’s blushing and attempts at flirting. It isn’t until well into the season that Achi finds he feels the same way. There wasn’t anything too grand in this realization, which is probably why I’ve already forgotten the details of it.
What makes their relationship harder though is Achi’s old friend, Title, who harbors his own crush on Achi. That and the fact that Title works for a different agency, one who’s helmed by a woman hell-bent on destroying Achi’s agency. Achi’s agent was pleasant enough, but I couldn’t bear the scenes where Title’s were on-screen. These interactions were always over-the-top and obnoxious to watch. They did add complexity to the story, but they could have been approached more subtly. All in all, things work out as we hope for Punn and Achi, but it’s Mingmueag’s relationship with Doctor Namning that is really seared into my brain. That’s probably because every scene of theirs was increasingly smuttier. There wasn’t much being said between this pair, but it looks like they will have the opportunity to do so in their own series!
While Be Mine Superstar was anything but a hit, it was still fine enough to watch for Ja and First’s chemistry alone. Then add the second couple’s chemistry and I’m not even mad I watched this all the way through! Though the upcoming spin-off series will likely be as cringy as this one, I am going to hold out hope.