The Sun from Another Star (Thai Series)

One of the more thoughtful ideas in this Fourever You spin-off is that love and family support cannot erase grief or trauma. They can, however, provide somewhere safe to return to while a person learns to understand those wounds. Daotok’s two gay fathers embody that kind of support, standing firmly behind him throughout the story. Unfortunately, although I appreciated what the series was trying to say, I never became invested enough in its central romance.

The series follows Daotok, an introvert whose personality has been shaped by the spirits he encounters and the emotions he takes in from them. That ability makes a heavily discounted condo seem like an easy choice: he gets 70% off the rent, and the restless ghosts filling the building do not frighten him. His only neighbor on the floor is Arthit, a medical student who could hardly be more different. Arthit is arrogant, impulsive, short tempered and outwardly confident, with the energy of an extroverted bad boy.

Their repeated encounters begin to mean more when Donut appears. Donut was once Arthit’s friend, and now his spirit wants Arthit to discover the real cause of his death. Arthit turns to Daotok for help, and Daotok agrees. Once that matter is resolved, Arthit begins to suspect that his mother’s spirit may also be trapped somewhere, unable to move beyond her grief. He pleads with Daotok to find her, and after some reluctance, Daotok accepts.

That search gives the two men more time together, and their relationship gradually shifts from uneasy proximity to emotional intimacy. Arthit recognizes that he is increasingly attracted to Daotok, but fear keeps him from admitting what he feels or allowing himself to fall in love. Daotok has his own defenses: his first love hurt him badly, leaving him with substantial emotional walls. As they learn one another’s pain, support each other and slowly heal, the two begin falling in love.

The strongest scenes are often the ones in which they are away from their friends. Without the people who already know them, both men can set aside the versions of themselves they usually perform and reveal who they really are. The two lead actors make that dynamic work. Their chemistry is convincing, and Daotok’s deadpan delivery provides an enjoyable contrast to Arthit’s more forceful personality.

My problem was the amount of time the show takes to get there. The eight episodes and bonus special run between 55 and 70 minutes each, which became exhausting for me, especially with my attention span being what it is these days. Several stretches felt slow, and there was enough filler that the story could have been shortened considerably. I understand the intention behind spending so much time with flawed, emotionally honest characters carrying genuine pain, but the result did not connect with me personally.

This is part of the expanding Fourever You universe in Thai BL. I enjoyed the original show to a fair degree, while its spin-offs have been inconsistent for me. This particular series has received enormous praise across the internet, and I expected to feel the same way. Instead, I found myself in the minority. Once I stopped caring about the main characters, the series had difficulty winning me back, even though its performances, central healing themes and depiction of Daotok’s supportive family all worked in its favor.

The internet seems convinced that this is something special. I wish I had felt that enthusiasm, but for me, the drawn-out pacing and filler outweighed the parts that landed. (5/10)