Wishing Upon the Shooting Stars – Series Review

Xiang Yong grew up in Starry Islet, a small coastal town on an island. The population is small enough that all the residents know each other very well. Back when he was young, Xiang Yong had to travel to the city just to go to school. Now that he's an adult, Xiang Yong got a job as an editor at a manga publishing company. The island locals all seem impressed. They think he has a fancy art job in the city and praise him for his accomplishments. Xiang Yong's childhood friend, Wan Zhe, jokes that Xiang Yong is like the star of Starry Islet.

Xiang Yong's single father, Old He, runs a small cozy B&B called "Where is my home?" (In Chinese, the business name contains a small cheeky pun on the father's name.) Xiang Yong returns home to visit his father. Everyone thinks this is just an ordinary short-term visit. However, Xiang Yong is actually hiding a secret. He has lost his job in the city due to poor performance. In fact, unemployment has made him feel like a total failure. Xiang Yong is forced to come back home until he can figure out what to do with his life.

Xiang Yong and his father don't get along. They constantly argue with each other. His father criticizes Xiang Yong for being rude and moody. He says his son has a "shit attitude". Xiang Yong finds it impossible to talk to his father. Their arguments only make him feel worse about himself. To help his friend feel better, Wan Zhe takes Xiang Yong to the beach at night. They sit on the rocks and go stargazing. Tonight, there's a surprising amount of shooting stars in the sky. Xiang Yong starts complains about his life. He says he doesn't want to be He Xiang Yong anymore.

Xiang Yong returns home and goes to sleep. The next day, he wakes up to discover his life has changed. When Xiang Yong told the shooting star that he didn't want to be himself anymore, his careless wish came true. Suddenly, nobody can recognize him. Not his father. Not the neighbourhood locals. And not even Hao Wei, Xiang Yong's high school friend. Recently, Hao Wei has become an employee at the B&B. Xiang Yong is shocked to see him here, considering he and Hao Wei had a massive argument that ended their friendship.

Despite their complicated history, that doesn't matter anymore. Hao Wei doesn't know who Xiang Yong is, treating him like a stranger. Nobody on this island can remember Xiang Yong. The only exception is Wan Zhe, who can still remember his friend. They realize the shooting star wish caused this mass psychosis. Until they find a solution, Xiang Yong must take on a new identity. He pretends to be "Xiao You", Xiang Yong's university friend. The father believes his fake backstory. He hires Xiao You as an employee at the B&B, not realizing that it's actually his own son. Xiao You and Hao Wei also become coworkers.

Wan Zhe has lived on the island for his whole life. He helps his mom run a shaved ice shop. Wan Zhe has also made a shooting star wish on that fateful night. He jokingly said that he wants to fall in love. Wan Zhe is shocked to realize his statement made an actual impact. Suddenly, his Japanese friend Hama (nicknamed Hama-chan) confessed his feelings out of the blue. Hama works as a sailor. He owns his own boat and travels the seas. Hama used to be just a platonic friend. But now, he's madly in love with Wan Zhe. Hama's whole world revolves around Wan Zhe.

Wow… Wishing Upon the Shooting Stars might be the prettiest Taiwanese BL drama ever! This story is set in a small coastal town, where the island scenery makes the love story feel so romantic. Look, the sea… Over there, those rustic buildings… And at a distance, that majestic skyline… No matter where the characters go, the series brings out the beauty from the locations. The cinematography is just extraordinary. Did you see the couple's scuba-diving kiss in the finale? An underwater kiss! The production quality blows my mind!

This story is a classic example of "be careful what you wish for." Xiang Yong mouths off to a shooting star, and boom! His life suddenly blows up in smithereens. At first, the premise seemed kinda cool. After a while, I was tired of this annoying gimmick. I dislike the fantasy aspects of the series. The whole "nobody remembers you" plot twist just makes the relationships needlessly messy. Instead, I prefer the ordinary storylines. Wishing Upon the Shooting Stars shines when it focuses on Xiang Yong struggling with family, friendships, and his low self-esteem. The realistic drama? That's well-written. The magic stuff? Ugh, not so much.

I really enjoyed the high school portion of the romance. Each episode includes a short flashback of Xiang Yong & Hao Wei's teenage memories. These simple scenes leave such a warm, fuzzy feeling. I'm fully invested in their cute little friendship moments. Later, I'm shattered when they fall out over a misunderstanding. Noooo! It helps that the youth actors (Yan Syu Chen & Max Kuo) are wonderful in their portrayals. They absolutely nailed it! If only GMMTV had a Taiwanese division, these two would already be signed up and starring in their own wholesome BL series.

As adults, I'm still rooting for this couple. I enjoy their sweet moments, but there are some annoying obstacles. Hao Wei lost his memories of their time together, which is so frustrating. Can we skip the amnesia crap and just let these two reconcile? Thankfully, the secondary pair is here to save my mood. Wan Zhe & Hama-chan's lighthearted scenes make me smile. And if this is a safe space, my secret ship is Papa He x Uncle Hua. I wish upon a shooting star for ossan's love! Sadly, the series doesn't have the guts to make this couple official. Where's THEIR underwater kiss?

Xiang Yong's actor (Jed Chung) should be proud of his performance. I love his vulnerability in emotional moments, especially when he gives that teary-eyed look. Oh, Jed is so pretty even when he cries! However, his co-star (Chu Meng Hsuan) seems a bit awkward. There are some important scenes in the story where he doesn't feel convincing. I liked him in The Time of Huan Nan, so I'm disappointed his spark is missing in this series. Thankfully, the couple's chemistry is on fire. Whoa, their sex scene in Episode 8 is so damn WILD! Their naked canoodling!?!? I SCREAMED.

Wishing Upon the Shooting Stars peaked in Episode 8, which was the perfect time to wrap up the story. But no, the series keeps going and drags on for a few more hours. More memory loss! More fantasy crap! Ugh… The later episodes bring back all the plots I hated earlier. Near the end, my positive feelings have started to turn negative. While the finale is beautifully filmed, I gotta admit that I've lost a chunk of my enthusiasm. With that said, I still appreciate Wishing Upon the Shooting Stars for delivering a high-calibre BL drama. Ultimately, this love story is enjoyable!