The Star Always Follows You – Series Review & Episode Guide

Dang is a high school student who lives in the city with his widowed mom. He is obsessed with playing video games on his phone instead of studying. As a result, he has failed the university entrance exam twice. His exasperated mother hires private tutors for her son. Nonetheless, Dang is barely invested in his academic responsibilities. Many tutors quit because he is a difficult student to teach and manage.

Fed up with his unruliness, Dang's mother makes a drastic decision. She brings her son to the countryside, where his grandmother resides. This rural village is so remote that it doesn't even have Wi-Fi signals. Dang's mom believes removing her child from the city's distractions will force him to pay attention to his studies. Dang is deeply unhappy with the living arrangement. However, he has no choice. His mom threatens to keep him in this village forever unless his grades improve.

Dang's grandmother knows about a tutor who works in the village. Son is a young schoolteacher who mentors the children. Recently, he has helped another villager enrol in university successfully. Son isn't confident about coaching Dang. He doesn't have the credentials to help someone with university entrance exams. Nonetheless, Dang's family is confident in his abilities. Son and Dang reluctantly work together during one-on-one remedial lessons.

Dang soon discovers an upside to spending time with Son. The school and Son's home are the only places with an online signal. Although Dang doesn't take his studies seriously, he starts hanging out with Son more. They are similar in age and get along with each other. Dang likes teasing his teacher with playful banter. Over time, Son convinces Dang to focus more on his studies. They bond over their one-on-one remedial lessons.

Meanwhile, Dang meets the other villagers around the rural town. There's Quynh, a single deaf woman who lives with her younger sister My. There's also Quan, a recent university graduate who returns to the village and takes an interest in Quynh. In addition, Son's friend Vi arrives in his hometown. Son's mother wants him to get married and start a family with a woman. However, he hides a secret from her. Vi befriends An, the orphaned town outcast.

The Star Always Follows You has several unique features that differentiate it from other BL dramas. I enjoy the cozy and mellow countryside environment, a refreshing location from the usual city landscapes. The characters live in huts, work at pastures, interact with animals, or spend their time outdoors. The rural setting offers a relaxed tempo, giving this series a distinct vibe. Similarly, the cinematography and production values feel comfortable. My minor quibble is that it films too much at nighttime or in darkness.

I appreciate the inclusiveness of the casting. There's a healthy mix of age and gender among the supporting characters, including several older performers. Many BL series tend to have homogeneous casts. There's just a bunch of young guys without much diversity. In contrast, The Star Always Follows You is authentic and welcomes people from different walks of life. 7 out of the 13 cast members are female, achieving almost an even gender split. That's not a bad number for BL dramas, which typically have one token woman or fewer.

The Star Always Follows You features Quynh, a supporting character with a hearing impairment. She brings fascinating storylines about a woman living with a disability. Admirably, the actress (Cao Tieu Thanh) and various cast members use sign language to communicate. This series shows an impressive commitment to depicting her condition gracefully. However, the story doesn't delve as deeply into the themes of deafness as it could have. It would've been great to see more prominence in the representation, not just limiting it to a secondary character.

The Star Always Follows You struggles because it has many storylines vying for the spotlight. In addition to the three romances, the background characters have minor subplots across multiple episodes. There's too much going on for a relatively short series, resulting in shallow emotional arcs. The overpacked narrative detracts from the character development, especially for the protagonists. Dang and Son feel bland because they don't have enough focus. A BL drama should highlight the leads instead of making them compete against the secondary couples for attention.

I can't connect with the romance in The Star Always Follows You. The uninspiring relationship scenes lack sparks. Dang and Son share a decent kiss, but that's the sole highlight of their love story. Otherwise, the forgettable couple fails to enthuse me with their mundane chats and casual flirting. The leads face homophobic drama in the later episodes, which I found stressful. There was a point where I'd rather watch the straight pairing instead. However, the secondary romances aren't any better. Everyone suffers from flat characterizations and superficial development.

Worst of all, The Star Always Follows You commits the offence of being boring. My main criticism of this series is its dullness. None of the plots stimulate me. Despite the potential for complex themes or exciting conflicts, the low-stakes story feels uneventful. I finish the last episode without emotional investment. Overall, The Star Always Follows You is an average BL drama. It has some positive qualities and doesn't deserve a scathing review. I recognize this small-studio project contains lots of sincerity. Nonetheless, it isn't something I'd watch more than once.