Wishing Upon the Shooting Stars

Every gain comes with a loss This review will be different from my other reviews as I won’t include a plot summary. Here’s the reason: Usually, my readers have watched the series I’m reviewing. “Wishing Upon the Shooting Stars“ (WUTSS), however, has remained below the radar of some BL fans, due to the large number of series airing at the same time. If you haven’t watched it yet, I highly recommend you to do so, and it will take you on an exciting journey into the unknown and the unexpected, which will be all the more fun if I don’t spoil the details and twists of the story. The story starts with Xiang Yong (Jed Chung) returning to his hometown on the small remote island of Xingpu, where he is a local hero as he has the reputation of being a successful artist on the rise to international fame. Xiang Yong, however, has been fired by the Taipei company where he illustrated mangas. He actually is in debt, which he tries to keep a secret, but it is accidentally revealed to all the villagers at his welcome party. Embarrassed and frustrated, he escapes to his favorite spot at the sea with his best friend Li Wan Zhe (JN Yu), and after throwing a stone, a tiny piece of a meteorite (“shooting star“) to be more precise, into the sea, Xiang Yong wishes he couldn’t be seen any more, while Li Wan Zhe wishes for a short fleeting romance. The next morning, Xiang Yong’s father Old He (Lee Lee Zen), the owner of a small, quite run down guesthouse, doesn’t recognise his son, who calls himself Xiao You after realizing that his wish has come true. He is flabbergasted when he meets Chen Hao Wei (Chu Meng Hsuan), his high school crush, who has come to Xingpu to find Xiang Yong, whom he still loves. The friends didn’t met even once after they had a fierce argument. There are only three persons who still do recognize Xiang Yong – Li Wan Zhe, Xi Xi (Aiko Fang), whose mangas he used to illustrate, and a mysterious young man named Brother Hong (Andy Wu), who appears to know a lot about the ancient legend of the shooting stars. Li Wan Zhe’s wish comes true, too, as all of a sudden his coworker Hamaguchi Aomi (Kagami Kota) falls for him and pursues him wherever he goes. The story which unfolds after this has lots of twists, wonderful scenes of drama, sadness, desperation, honest confessions, freaking comedy, and spicy NC scenes, but I won’t say no more. Only so much: after lots of ups and downs, there are happy endings for everybody. The high quality of the writing is obviously due to the book by Chung Min Jui which the script of the series is based on. It shows in the way the plot develops, which was done masterly – with one exception. In episode 11, a heartbreaking drama is added, bringing back the annoying trope of “the curse of the penultimate episode“ found in many Thai BL series. The superb quality of the writing also shows in the way the protagonists are characterized, and I’m not only talking about the four leads, but the main supporting characters, too. So in this review I will focus on the characters and the actors. Xiang Yong is a gifted artist, but has been bullied all his life - for being an introvert outsider from the island at school as well as at his job. He is insecure and full of inhibitions, and thus doesn’t trust anyone easily, and he is so annoyed at himself that he wishes to disappear. Jed Chung, one of my favorite Taiwanese actors (please watch him in the short film “Light“), personifies him brilliantly, as does Chen Yen Hsv, who plays Xiang Yong as a high schooler. Chen Hao Wei is a joyful boy at high school (played by Max Kuo, who already displayed his enormous acting skills in “Unknown“). He has grown into an extremely handsome young man, who cares very much about the people around him, but who carries the burden of panic attacks and the consequences of mistakes he made in his job as a financial advisor. Of course he falls for Xiao You, without knowing that he is in fact Xiang Yong, although he has some suspicions about his new friend’s identity after he notices gestures his high school crush used to make, and after Xiao You knows a mysterious 6-digit number that Xiao Yong used to mumble to calm down. Chu Meng Hsuan is not only a very handsome young man, but a very good actor, too, and he and Jed Chung are obviously very comfortable around each other, so their NC scenes come across naturally hot. Li Wan Zhe helps his mother run a shaved ice stall. He is a joyful young man, but not really satisfied with his existence. When Aomi starts hitting on him, he is reluctant at first, but then they do become a couple, with Aomi trying to fulfil every wish Wan Zhe utters. They are more than just a “second couple“, and certainly more than just comic relief, and when they actually become a couple, JN Yu and Kagami Kota have a breathtaking chemistry, which enables them to display incredibly intimate sex scenes. Now let me turn to the supporting roles, who are all characters in the true sense of the word, who contribute essentials to the development of the plot, and whose actors are all more than just good. Old He, Xiang Yong’s father, is a grumpy old drunkard, a rough guy, but with a heart of gold and a source of wisdom. He pretends to despise his son, especially after he disappeared the day after his return to the island, but in fact he loves him wholeheartedly. And wow, Lee Lee Zen’s acting is amazing in every respect – the way he walks, the way he talks, the way he shows despair. There is a scene where he and Xiao You have a father-and-son discussion at the fish market, without Old He realizing he is talking to his son, which is the absolute highlight of Lee Lee Zen and Jed Chung’s acting. Uncle Hua is a doctor who does not only treat patients medically, but who always tries to mediate once there is a conflict. Being a victim of a “shooting stars wish“ himself (he can’t return to the main island), he is something like the good spirit of the villagers. Darren Chiu plays his character exactly on point, with a heartwarming approach, but still an underlying melancholy. Xi Xi, the mysterious manga writer in black clothes and with a black wig, supports and encourages Xiao You and thus helps him cope with his situation. Aiko Fang is able to display the cool, distant, somewhat mysterious woman just as perfectly as the girl with disheveled hair and girly clothes in a scene of hilarious screwball comedy. Angela (Tsao Lan), Li Wan Zhe’s mother, is a good hearted woman, who does not only hope that her son will find a lover, but who herself is secretly in love with Old He. When Old He decides to sell his guesthouse in order to pay back his son’s debt, she gives all her money and, with the help of Uncle Hua, collects enough funds among the villagers to save the house. Tsao Lan is a wonderful comedian, and at the same time displays the care and warmth of a mother. And then there is Brother Hong, owner of a candy stall, who lives in the street or in the rocks at the sea. He is a key figure because he knows about the secrets of the shooting stars legend, and he is the person who can help those affected by the legend to decide whether to remain in their current state or return to what they were before. It took me some time to recognize Andy Wu (Bai Leng in “My Tooth Your Love“) as the make-up and costume departments have done their very best to create his character of a bum or a blonker. Andy Wu succeeds in making Hong appear stupid and wise at the same time. Finally, towards the end of the series, Brother Hong meets a mysterious man who appears to have deeper knowledge of the “shooting stars legend“. Snoopy Yu, Andy Wu’s partner in “Sweet Tooth Your Love“ plays this man who finally offers Xiang You a solution. So kudos to all the actors, and to director Pay Jiang, who has proven his extraordinary skills in series like “We Best Love“, “My Tooth Your Love“, and “Unknown“. He has succeeded in putting this complex story into beautiful pictures, and the setting adds to the general message. In this small secluded island, humans live the way it should be – they are individuals, who each and every one have a history of their own, yet they are a functioning community with people caring for each other and solving conflicts by gathering together and talking things over. Pay Jiang has also made all the actors perform at their very best, and this is a true achievement in an industry, where huge acting talents are often wasted on the altar of profit and fan service. The cinematography is beautiful, especially in dream sequences and underwater scenes. The soundtrack contributes to the beauty of this series with several nice songs. I’m not a friend of too many flashbacks in BL series, as they are often unnecessary fillers, do not contribute to the plot, and are simply there to extend the duration of a series. In this case, however, flashbacks to the main leads’ high school days are integral parts of the storytelling, as they explain their background and character development, thus helping viewers to understand them better. Moreover, they enable Max Kuo (17) and Chen Yen Hsv (19) to prove their enormous talent. This series is not just very entertaining, but it also teaches viewers some basic truths, which are exemplified in the story: Everyone has a reason to exist, every choice you make has consequences, and most importantly, every gain comes with a loss. To conclude, let me add this: Taiwan has given the BL community some of the best series, with the History franchise being a highlight of the genre. WUTSS is another example of the outstanding creativity and quality of Taiwanese BL, and in my opinion it is among the five best BL series I’ve watched. So I can only repeat myself: If you haven’t watched it yet, please do it now, and I promise you a most entertaining, surprising, and heartwarming journey.