Reincarnation of a Superstar

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Du Yun Xiu is a very gentle and kind person. He can throw away his chance to be successful in his career for a one-sided love that has no solution. He will stand up to a mafia boss for an actress he does not know. When the media exposes his s*xual orientation, to cover up for the other person, he does not utter a complaint, and he faces the discrimination all by himself, to the point it brings him down to the pitch of hell with no return. Even after he was dead, standing in front of his own grave, he still does not have any grudge against Xie Yi, he even takes Xie Yi as his motivation to urge himself to be more successful in his new life.

Associated Names
One entry per line
重生之名流巨星
Related Series
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Recommendations
True Star (4)
Kill the Lights (4)
Feng Mang (1)
Ti Shen (1)
Beloved Marriage in High Society (1)
Agreement of Being Gay for 30 Days (1)
Recommendation Lists
  1. showbiz pithole
  2. Fallen Leaves
  3. My fav BL 3
  4. MLM NOVELS VII
  5. Bl novels that I have read

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24 Reviews sorted by


Lint
Lint rated it
July 21, 2017
Status: c33
(3.5 stars out of 5 and subject to change upon completion) Much like the very popular True Star, Reincarnation of a Superstar finds its premise in the rebirth of an aging movie star into the body of a youthful and attractive stranger. Given a second chance in life, Du Yun Xiu - our protagonist - seeks to make up for past mistakes by devoting his new life to fulfilling his former aspirations. This time he won't let love or naivete hinder him from achieving his own ambitions.

Like True Star... more>> and most works devoted to the transmigration theme, our protagonist adapts fairly easily to this life-changing circumstance (which is fine for most readers because no one wants to get too bogged down with the details). Du Yun Xiu is warm, caring, and intelligent; he is not difficult to like. Because of his undeniable talent, Yun Xiu is immediately signed to a top talent agency and predictably finds success quickly. From thereon, the story focuses on each step in his acting career while throwing in a mixed cast of love interests (new and old), rivals, and friends. Unlike True Star, there does seem to be a more singular focus on DYX's career early on and any romance that exists doesn't happen until many chapters later. In this aspect I prefer True Star because there's a great balance of romance and story in each chapter so that you're not left wanting or bored.

However, if you're more invested in plot and reading how DYX's journey unfurls, then I'm sure the pace of the story won't disappoint. Despite spending a lot of time on his early career success, the writer goes at a fairly even clip and does a great job tying up each individual chapter of his career without dwelling too long on each experience. I did find a lot of the exposition unnecessary as the writer felt the need to explain away almost every detail and decision made by her characters to an extraneous degree. This is a problem, that however, plagues True Star, too, so I'm not sure if I can attribute this difference in style to culture or maybe the skill of the writer. There was also too much repetitive description about Feng Jing's beauty mark that the darn thing almost took on a life of it's own. I found problems with some character logic that made sense only when convenient to the writer, which brings me to the next thing - the translation.

Objectively, this is one of the better translated BL light novels I've come across. Translation is not an easy thing, so I hope people can understand that my criticisms are constructive and not meant to belittle or degrade a translator's efforts - nor am I ungrateful. There's a number of grammatical errors in early chapters and sometimes the translation reads so literally that I don't think it properly conveys the voice of the writer. Again, I'm not going to be picky about these things as she's not obviously a professional translator and I don't expect professional translations.

My next criticism falls squarely on the translator, who - as many can see from her notes and her wattpad page - can be very juvenile. I wasn't too bothered at first by many of her comments, but after a while, they became more intrusive and opinionated. I realize that my review may lose its credibility for airing this grievance, but I do think it's notable to mention the translator as she has made herself a huge presence in these translations. I did write a couple of comments on a chapter or two that disagreed with some of the internal logic for certain characters - mind you I did not criticize the translator or her efforts - and found later they were deleted and myself blocked from further adding any comments. I think it happened in large part due to one comment in which I disagreed with her assessment, which she put out there to seemingly influence readers. I laid out my reasoning fairly logically based on information in the text, but apparently any disagreement at all is reason enough for censure. It's not the act of being blocked that bothers me as much as the translator attempting to sway reader opinion and essentially shutting down any form of free opinion. It makes for a very totalitarian experience which I do not enjoy when reading, so I'm hesitant about continuing. I might just ferret out the raws and machine translations and read those instead.

All and all, I just want to urge any readers that do end up reading this translation to keep an open mind about the story and to allow yourself to form your own opinions and not let the translator make them for you. Aside from translator notes, her opinions are her own, and therefore subjective and not written in stone. Still a story worth reading if you're looking for something similar to True Star and recommended despite the translator.

small edits for grammar <<less
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Nebbia
Nebbia rated it
December 23, 2016
Status: c16
As a actress, novels about acting are my weaknesses. I found a really good novel about acting with a similar plot, called True Star. Was interesting, with a OP and calm MC, things that I love in a character. But Reincarnation of a Superstar has something different. Don't get me wrong, Du Yun Xiu is a great actor, maybe even better than Tang Feng. Both are calm and talented, but even if he saw the other side of the Showbiz, he still a kind and gentle person. He knows... more>> how good he is, but still humble about his acting skills.

Yun Xiu is human, and the way that the writer shows that is amazing. All the characters aren't stereotypes or hot guys made just for fanservice. They are normal, with own personality, issues, problems and difficulties.

Love isn't just passion here, but a complicated emotion that can easily hurt you. That's way I fall in love with this amazing peace of art. Ps: I know that's just my problem, but sorry for the bad English. <<less
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Matpatpat
Matpatpat
November 3, 2017
Status: c35
MC is a very sweet individual who makes this story worth reading. It's very story driven and the romance is very subtle and hard to pick up (which I like because sometimes stories get lost in focusing only on romance). The showbiz world and idol factor is explored and character decisions and motivations are easy to follow. When characters make unpopular choices it is easy to follow their logic and, even disliking it, understand what motivates them to that outcome.

my only issue is that, while I appreciate the translator's hard... more>> work, I wish they would keep their notes and comments at the end of the chapter instead of interjecting between sentences and paragraphs. Not only do they keep dropping spoilers (which is very upsetting because it ruins the immersion and suspense) they also keep trying to manipulate the readers opinions regarding characters. For example, a character is being shady and the translator goes into a large paragraph defending their actions and "giving insight into why they'd do that" and telling us not to hate them. I don't want a third party to influence my opinion I want the story to. Or a character is introduced and they make a comment that "they really hate this guy" or "this person is very important later."

I appreciate the hard work but please keep notes at the end. I posted a criticism on the chapters but they have been deleted and myself blocked from commenting. I just want readers to know that if you see () or notes then please skip if you don't want to be spoiled. <<less
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FAiri110
FAiri110 rated it
May 27, 2017
Status: Completed
I've finished reading the raw and give this story a satisfying 4.5/5.

The MC, Du Yun Xiu has been reincarnated into a handsome 22 year-old Mu Zi Che's body after he died in a car accident. Being a non-famous actor wrapped in rumor of being gay in his past life, he enters the showbiz as an idol of a 4-member group called Legacy with a new identity. He used the same stage name as his past life & try to become more successful than his 'ex-lover' actor.

The story has a slight... more>> mature feeling to it & more incline towards the emotional side compared to other BL novels. It does not revolve around revenge and the MC is not being petty about it. Instead, he wants to

use this 2nd chance to be acknowledged as

a true actor.

MC is calm, decisive and rational. He is not too hooked up to become famous and he values friendship. The story touches the issue of lobbying, manipulation, trust & competition of various people in the showbiz. Mostly about the dark side of showbiz.

The romance is a bit late into the chapter & not really in-your-face cringey type of love.
Spoiler

The future lover is likable and supportive. He tried not to rused into the relationship with the MC considering they're both famous in the entertainment industry, very professional in their career and have been hurt in the past. There's also the issue on uncertainty about their feeling being in a BL relationship in a showbiz world. No intense s*x scene like in Kill the Light or True Star though.

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A light-hearted and touching BL story. RECOMMENDED. <<less
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Alta
Alta rated it
July 4, 2017
Status: c32
I never saw the drama nor knew it existed before starting to read this. But, it delivered.

The story tackles the entertainment industry with a certain cynicality where face value is fhe foremost currency. And there often lies the conflict that the character often faces. In fact, the whole fact that it is only when he transmigrated into a handsome body that he gets recognition for his skills reflects that point blindingly clear.

I couldn't help but draw comparisons between this and True Star. I honestly like Tang Feng's character more with... more>> his cunning ang nonchalant personality but Du Yun Xiu does not disappoint. He has that earnest, positive, and quietly warm personality to him that makes you want to cheer him on.

Although, it tends gets a bit confusing as there is a lot of sudden exposition and flashback within the narration of a scene. But, unlike other acting themed stories I've encountered, the story opts to quickly wrap up the segment where they film the avtual movie/series and focus more on the overall impact of the undertakings to the characters growth and image as an actor.

Also a warning: the listed translator tends to... overuse their capacity to add translator notes. There's a lot of notes left within the body of translation itself containing the opinion of the translator about the scene.

(It's like watching a show with someone, who already watched it, making comments and "teasing" spoilers about what happened and what happens next. The editor sometimes jumps in too. Kinda annoying and disruptive of the flow.)

It's really a hit and miss with the notes. It's either helpful in that it explains the cultural thing behind the scene or just unnecessarily assumes that we won't get what it means.

Dear translator, thank you very much for your efforts but I need to call this out and off my chest. <<less
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Saffari
Saffari rated it
March 1, 2020
Status: c31
Reading this story was extremely exhausting. I now get why some reviewers said that it is boring. In fact, it's not that it's boring, because a lot of stuff happens in just one chapter, it's just that the delivery is somehow flat.

If I were to sum the shortcomings of this story, it boils down to the story being impersonal. Second chance stories are supposed to suck readers inside the head of the protagonists to make us emphatize with them and root for them throughout their journey to a happy emding,... more>> and that's where the problem starts. We don't get to get inside our MC's head.

The voice of the narrator is so impersonal and dettached, we only know the personality of the MC based on the summary, but not in the story itself. The voice is far too distanced. We don't get to see the happenings intimately from the MC's experience, rather, things are narrated so blandly and without depth that by chapter 31, two years had already passed since the story began.

There are cgaracters and they undergo changes, but since they aren't explored and no build up is done to set it up, there is no pay off. Suddenly you're just slapped in the face by changes and happenings in the story. The MC feels like a passerby character, the narrator's voice doesn't give insight to his development, so much so that he becomes a flat character.

The development and pacing are also off. It doesn't satisfy you because the story feels so passive. His acting isn't even made to bask in the spotlight.

The novel is full of telling but no showing, which is just frustrating. MC is supposed to be living the best out of his second chance, but we don't even see him being happy because there is no immersion to the story. Not to mention, the inflictment of conflict is far too passive. Things just happens to MC. Instead of giving him agency, his problems are dumped on him by powerful people and solved by other powerful people. His skill and talent barely makes the people around him stand up for him.

Another thing, all of the other characters are terrible and corrupt people, it makes you feel bleak and hopeless. MC doesn't even have a friend, his assistant is incompetent, even his manager is acting against him, it makes one wonder how he gets things done. Even his co-actors are cowardly hypocrites, his company CEO even favors a copycat vase over him which makes zero sense. He's like a ghost going through the plot. No friends, no family, even his own fandom turns against him at one point.

The story of his body's original owner? Ignored for two years (up until C31 at least). We know that the original goods is supposed to be rich, implied to be a secret love child. He is also supposed to be an intern and a student of a pretty elite business school, yet we get no answer how MC deals with those since he didn't get the body's memory. How does he have money? Does no one at all recognize him? Where the f*ck is his family? No one knows.

So if you're looking for something that will give you satisfaction or hope from MC's redemption and second lease at life? This ain't it, siz. <<less
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rhianirory
rhianirory rated it
January 27, 2018
Status: c25
I never watched the series that was vaguely based off of this because of how angry and upset the author was at its changes. My observations are based solely off the 25 chapters I had access to.

So far the series has been interesting but it skips over a lot of things. He gets chosen to be an idol and then bam, they're filming a series with nothing mentioned about the grueling hours of practice and team building that go into creating an idol group, nor much about the dynamics of... more>> the four young men (group seems to be based off of F4 or Fahrenheit). It just says they trained for three months, which is actually pretty short for an idol group. Then they mention releasing a CD and he wonders if he'll sing ok and another time skip and they're filming season 2 and releasing the second CD. What happened to the first? Was he a decent singer, was he OP, or did someone else get a chance to shine? Were there concerts? We'll never know.

As far as I can tell, we don't even know his actual age. We know he went to T university to study business so I am assuming early 20s but that's just my assumption; the author never tells us. Did his body have no family? I don't believe that someone could get that famous and still have no family contacting him and asking where he's been so maybe not. Did he formally drop out of Unni or just stop showing up? What about the intern job? So far it seems like he got his body without even the faintest strings or past consequences attached to it; not even friends or classmates contact him to suck up once he becomes famous. I know the body wiped his phone clean and all but they could still call him or contact him through his agency.

Other than those questions and a few more the story is decent but not addictive enough to make me willing to MTL it. I'll shelve it for now and wait for someone else to pick it up or for the current translator to continue. BTW, the current translator does insert some very long rants/ opinions into the middle of the text but they're usually in italics and its easy to just skip over them and keep going.

Temporarily rating it a 3/5 because of all the unanswered questions. <<less
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dysry
dysry rated it
May 23, 2017
Status: c29
Reincarnation of a Superstar is a great acting novel, with a dedicated and talented MC who just wants to perform without being judged by his sexuality, roped into power struggles or smeared by malicious gossip. Although the media attacks seem a little melodramatic and exaggerated, the author goes to great lengths to convey the MC's passion for acting by fleshing out the characters he portrays and the story line they exist within, while weathering all the scandals around him.

Unfortunately the same cannot be said for the romance. Of the 3... more>> or 4 romantic interests, the one he ends up with treats him the best and there's mutual trust between them - unfortunately they have no chemistry. At all.

Spoiler
  1. MC will end up with Feng Jing. It's not really a spoiler since it's in the tags right under the title. Rather than chemistry, what they share is commiseration after they're both let down by their respective lovers. While they spend a lot of time together, nothing really develops until right near the end. And there are a lot of extras dedicated to the sweet and passionate romance that the author couldn't convince me over throughout the actual story (and achieving their dreams with each other).
  2. Xie Yi pretty much disappears after the Golden Cypress awards. He appears a few more times and is mentioned a bit, but he doesn't really interact with the MC much. While it's better than going back to him, for someone who takes up so much of the synopsis, it's a little unexpected.
  3. A very shallow romance with Fu Zi Han was nipped pretty much as soon as it started. The ex of the original body will also turn up near the end as a catalyst for the MC and FJ.
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Other Notes

  • There is a drama based on this called Revive, shot in 2016. Haven't tried it yet though.
  • In terms of Yaoi/Acting stories, this series is more geared towards acting, and less towards romance. The first half was a lot better but lost it's momentum midway. It's still better and more realistic than True Star and Kill the Lights since the characters have more depth and the scenarios are more realistic.
<<less
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DeviLaugh
DeviLaugh rated it
December 25, 2016
Status: c21
Here we go, another amazing story about a person possessing the body of another after death and becoming an actor/star. It's amazing how similar to True Star or Kill the Lights this is and how unique. It is especially similar to True Star in that the main character was an actor in his former life and now pursuing an acting career in his new life as opposed to having a different occupation in the original life like in Kill the Lights. The MC decides to take the idol route under... more>> the "advice" of his senior/producer/boss or whatever. With the group formed, the 4 members do an idol drama, and with his experience in acting, he shines. There is conflict between him an his former lover, his manager, and other devious plots. I look forward to every update.

Because the updates are on wordpress, they don't always show up here on novelupdates. Make sure to check the story maybe once a week for updates since the translator has returned to this story. <<less
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procrastination_day
procrastination_day rated it
October 24, 2019
Status: c21
Interesting so far, The protagonist is likeable and mature the other characters are engaging even if they aren't always likeable. Although their are occasionally some cliche plot devises they don't feel cliche because of the way the characters react to them.

It's a shame though. I always feel like I'm reading an abridged version. I'm not sure if it is the original writing or the translations, but it takes a bit away from he experience for me.
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Amatullah
Amatullah rated it
August 30, 2019
Status: c40
The story is about a man who died from a car crash, he then finds himself in the body of a younger man who had also died. He was an actor originally, but he wasnt successful, not because he couldnt act but because he wasnt good looking enough, didnt have a strong backing, & love.

So with his new life, he decides to be an even better actor that wont let anything stand in his way.

Even though he was brutally mistreated by his person, and other people previously, he doesnt set... more>> out for revenge. He just wanted to do what he loved doing, acting. It should be worth noting that the protagonist doesnt get anything easily handed to him in his new body still; he gets abused and mistreated, but atleast this time he has someone in his corner.

I especially love how he was ready to give up acting to stand up for someone who had helped him previously. Its really angsty though, that really isnt my cup of tea but I love the protagonist. I couldnt see myself in him because Im too cynical but hes so precious. <<less
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Nana (ノ◕ヮ◕)ノ*:・゚✧
Nana (ノ◕ヮ◕)ノ*:・゚✧ rated it
February 1, 2017
Status: Completed
A reincarnated veteran actor in a new body, not much being told about the past of his new body. Being weathered, he just want to reach the apex in entertainment industry.

If you like true star, I am sure you will love this too. MC is more subdued than Tang Feng, but nonetheless, he still a charming character, slightly naive and innocent. The series is playing in more of emotional side, rather than glamour of mafia and other dark side. The story is move fluidly as well, the translation is quite... more>> good, although there's some slight mistake, it won't disturb you from enjoying this piece of art. ^^ update 2017-02-01, complete
it was a good meal ^^

As a said before, True Star is more glamorous.. As this one you'll feel heartache and pity for the MC, like how could those horrible people do this.

The ending feels like.. Eeh.. It's complete?? Where's my fluffy love scene??? <<less
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InsomniacReader
InsomniacReader rated it
May 30, 2020
Status: Completed
This is one of the purest— or rather, least toxic— rebirth bl novel I have ever read. The MC Du Yun Xiu has a forgiving personality which is really rare in rebirth novels.... more>>
Spoiler

Meanwhile, Feng Jing is a Super refreshing Shou. He's acts sly and is feisty but has a really kind and devoted heart.

[collapse]

Spoiler

For me, the MC was someone I could relate to. Initially, he lacked self- confidence in everything but his acting but as the story progresses, you can see him grow into a charismatic and strong man. He doesn't pursue revenge and wholeheartedly pursues his dream. Feng Jing is my favourite ML archetype— he, who has also experienced betrayal in love, silently supported MC when they were in a platonic relationship.

[collapse]
The MC and ML's interactions are fun and heartwarming! Refreshing banter and touching scenes where they have unspoken trust in each other.

The plot mainly centres on the MC's experiences in the acting industry and his relationships with the new characters met in his second life. I am a sucker for character growth, angst
Spoiler

but HE

[collapse]
so this novel was a really intriguing read. Personally, this novel is pretty soothing for my heart apart from the ups and downs or the occasional angst.

Coming from someone who read the untranslated Chinese version, Just wanted to say that there are two scenes of smut nearing the end of the story ;) It doesn't disappoint.

However, the plot can be better developed as there are a few plot holes (which the other reviews have already addressed) and illogic in the details. Nevertheless, the touching character interactions make it a quite satisfying read. <<less
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missred
missred rated it
July 10, 2018
Status: Completed
My heart is filled with love rn. So fluffy~~ The ending is so sweet, I wanna a partner like that too. Well although I kinda skipped a lot of paragraph (A LOT, especially after the climax) but the ending is so nice
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euodiaputri
euodiaputri rated it
February 7, 2017
Status: c21
MC has a very strong personality and charisma, now adding to my fav translation, on par with True Star, Golden Assistant, and Kill the light. All has similar setting in a showbiz world, but the character, the romance, and the story are completely different with each has its own charm.
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Give.Me.A.Piece.Of.Cake
Give.Me.A.Piece.Of.Cake rated it
April 11, 2023
Status: --
Not bad story in term of plot but I have to agree with the other reviewers that the story lack emotions and without the summary the readers would not even understand the MC's personality and relationship before he died... it's almost a necessary for the reader to read the summary first before starting the book.

Also, the MC and ML lack romance and it was weird they ended up together... it feels like they just choose to end up together because there is no one left in the novel toward the... more>> end, lol. Also, I thought the ex-boyfriend was going to play a bigger role but nope, he just fade into the background. It's almost as if the author was busy writing too many characters that he/she forgot which character is which.

BTW, I'm so done with the author writing about FJ fricking MOLE... every time FJ (ML) pop up in the book the author was like "and his mole shine like the moonlight" I almost feel like the mole on his face is another MC in the book. <<less
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Katie Hale
Katie Hale
September 16, 2021
Status: --
I read this with not much hope but it gave me a surprise. Not exaggerated, kind of bleak but feels more realistic.
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KatLyn97
KatLyn97
July 30, 2021
Status: --
Sorry for that bad review. This story is good. Just not for me.
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ThisLaozi
ThisLaozi
July 5, 2021
Status: c28
So much is happening and it just skips on some events worth mentioning

It gives me a feeling of being fast paced yet also slow paced

So stressful to read tbh, my head hurts.
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fireflymaoh
fireflymaoh
December 13, 2020
Status: Completed
While this is not bad, it is too draggy to be called good. There is little romance, even in the end which was a bummer for me. I wish there was more time on the romance. It is mainly about how the MC rises to become a popular actor. The best part was that you don't know who the ML is until near the end.
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