yel ♡'s Reviews > Studio Superstar

➺ 4/5 🌟

I actually found the theme of this novel as an acting talent show quite refreshing and intriguing. This is the first time reading a showbiz novel with this kind of setting. It was like watching an idol reality competition, but with unknown actors or extras as participants. It's a place of opportunity for actors who are buried in the deep entertainment industry and can only accept acting roles as small and passerby actors or new and emerging actors who has no support behind them. The set up of this competition is a little hard to implement in real life, acting live on stage like a play but also with complete camerawork to present the script in a movie-like set up. It seems chaotic if you thought about it but the idea and ingenuity is there so I really appreciate it so much.

It's very interesting to see the MC not even having an agency or an agent to help him in the beginning and doing everything by himself. He's also not the typical MC who can shock everyone with his acting skills. He can easily be drowned in a sea of actors without a proper assistance. He's a real newbie that has to earn what he has with his hard work but with a huge potential. Throughout the novel, you'll see that persistence in him, the loved he has for acting. I loved that it was not easy for him, making it feel so realistic. MC also has this positive mentality and even in the most desperate point of his career, he refused to be cornered and forced to take a path not suitable for him. He said this specific lines that moved my heart and it's very in line with his character:

[“At that time, I was thinking that if I want to take this road, can I only enter through this entrance? Do I have to go through these things?” He continued softly, “If that is the case, should I stick to this path?”

But at this moment, Xue Xiao’s tone changed and suddenly became brisk again. “But it turns out that there naturally can’t be only one path to the destination in this world.”

The host and the audience members were stunned.

“Every road is fair. There are shortcuts that can be taken at any cost, but there are also longer, further and more difficult but also down-to-earth roads.”

The young man said in a soft voice, “The world can be the same as we imagined, as long as we make the right choices.”]

This novel is really inspiring. The way the theme was presented not only applies for actors, but for all struggling people in their own professions. I also liked the romance aspect in this one. MC is a fan of the ML, but the relationship development is not built in a way to feed any fan delusions toward their idols. They have such a pure and lively interactions. ML's sharp tongue and MC's adorable innocence is quite a contrast, but they complement each other so much. I also appreciate that the MC earned many great friends in this journey. There's not that much jealous and petty co-actors that popped up left and right to smear his name. This has such genuine interactions.

Really recommend this novel!