Shooting Stars

Oh Han-byeol (Lee Sung Kyung) is the head of a PR team who work for a company called starforce, the top star on their books is Gong Tae-sung (Kim Young Dae). These two have endured a frosty love hate relationship since their school days but over time both come to the realisation that they do really like each other. The story line is interesting as it shows the difficulties and struggles of protecting the lives of famous people when so many fans believe they can behave as judges of how the stars should live their life. A great supporting cast with stories of their own and a believable romance between the two leads make this an enjoyable watch.

This k-drama is a gem of rom-com genre. The comedies are all so fresh and the romance scenes are all so heart fluttering. All the actors did amazing job in portraying their respective roles. Especially superstar Ggong (male lead Kim Young-dae) was so good. His facial expressions, detailed emotional changes in his eyes were so on point that made the drama more enjoyable. Applause for his brilliant acting skill.

The first half of the drama made me laugh so much that I will rewatch those episodes whenever I feel down. The second half was on the right mixture of both romance and comedy. The last few episodes, however, sometimes felt like a bit dragged.

One of the best thing about this drama is they do not wait till the final episodes to reach the climax. They introduced problems and solved them within few episodes. And so the story progressed, and I was all curious about what was about to happen next without getting bored. There were no unnecessary misunderstandings and everyone was so direct in expressing their feelings.

Despite having too many sub-plots in this story, this drama never once felt all over the place. Rather it was nicely and swiftly executed. However, there were some weak points in the story that I think they could have avoided. And it would have been much better if they ended it within 14 episodes.

This drama could have been a perfect romantic comedy. However, by episode 11 it felt as if the writers forgot what they were aiming for at the beginning. As the drama started with chaotic best friends turned enemies plot and they eventually fell for each other and started a relationship. This is a great plotline. However, the show does not go deeper into their romance or why they were so angry at each other all the time and how it slowly turns into fluffy kisses. It feels like their change happens over night and feels short of expectations.

I also, did not like the heavy yellow filter they put to show "Africa" in the beginning of the Ep1 and the fact that they kept referring to all the countries in the African continent as just one poor country without water.

Also, the side character romances just seem to happen with whoever the partners they are with and as a viewer I found myself uninterested about all of them.

On the other hand, it was great to see the behind the scenes of a celebrities life and how their agencies and PR team are actually handling all the "scandals" and crisis that they seem to face everyday.

Also, I loved the actress who was actually a number one fan of the main lead. She represented all of us fans very well.

Here is a no spoiler, high-level review. I just want you to know I think you should watch it! Why?

The acting is truly great from the entire cast. I don't want to slight anyone. The female lead (Lee Song-Kyoung) and her friends in the series are all incredible actresses. But the male lead (Kim Young-Dae) turned in the best performance by a guy in all the KDramas I have watched. And I truly mean that. His ability to be both truly romantic and funny is amazing. He just knocked it out of the park. And, even as a pretty old, very straight male I have to say that guy is so good looking! The shots of him being "hot" were, well, hot! (And hilarious at the same time :-) )

The lead couple is maybe tied for the most beautiful and heartfelt couple from any Kdrama I have seen. Their chemistry is off the charts. They should hook up in real life!

There is touching romance and warm humor without ever going over the top and getting silly.

The level of trauma is low for a KDrama, which is awesome. The slight trauma and inevitable love triangle were resolved quickly and maturely. (Thank you writers!)

This series kept me engaged and rooting for multiple couples during every minute. I was seriously bummed when it was over, even if I liked the way it turned out for so many of the cast.

Seriously, just watch it!

Shooting Stars is a romantic comedy intertwined with drama centered around the top star at an entertainment agency and the PR Manager who has the task of managing him. He is a difficult task for the PR Manager all the while she is unaware that he has a secret crush on him. I love the beginning of the show in episode 1 where the top star is shown in Africa where he goes to volunteer for a year. His real reasons for doing this are divulged later in the series as the drama gets revealed. He comes back after a year of volunteerism to continue with his acting career, and he reunites with his former PR Manager again. The lead actor KIM YOUNG DAE plays the top star named Gong Tae Sung at the agency. He does an excellent job on his first lead role and is the perfect fit for the role. He is handsome, romantic, and they couldn't get anyone better. I rarely mention female leads in my reviews as I usually don't like them so much but I actually did like Lee Sung Kyung which is rare for me. After my many reviews on imdb in the US I have only mentioned 2 other females so that is saying a lot. When Gong returns there is a hysterically funny scene where it shows the PR Manager's first mistake with Gong where she accidentally uploaded a story that questioned his manhood (by a misspelling of a word). You will see how it plays out but it is so funny. I want to mention that the K-Drama is showcasing the popular song Your My Shooting Star which is an integral part of the series. Even I recognized it and I live the US so it must be pretty popular. #ShootingStars #GongTaeSung.