Shine (2025)

Shine mostra que o amor também pode ser uma prisão

Shine foi uma experiência bem diferente de tudo que eu já vi no BL tailandês. Eu já vou começar sincera: o primeiro episódio foi um suplício pra mim. Eu pausava, voltava, mexia no celular, ia beber água, tudo servia de desculpa pra não terminar. Quando finalmente acabei, a vontade de seguir pro segundo era quase nula. Mas, ainda bem, eu fui, porque dali em diante a série começou a mostrar pra que veio. Ainda não é aquele ritmo eletrizante que prende logo, mas dá uma engrenada boa e me fez continuar.

O que me pegou de verdade é que Shine não é uma história feita pra ser agradável. Não tem nada daquele BL açucarado, cheio de ceninhas fofas e momentos pra suspirar. Aqui é tudo cru, pesado e até doloroso de assistir. A série mergulha em um período sombrio da história da Tailândia, com militarismo, revolução, corrupção e repressão social. E, sinceramente, eu gostei porque a gente quase nunca tem acesso a essa perspectiva. Normalmente só consumimos o lado ocidental dessas épocas, e Shine abre um espaço pra enxergar as marcas que ficaram do outro lado do mundo. É denso, é cru, mas é necessário.

Os romances seguem essa mesma linha: nada de conto de fadas, é amor marcado por dor, obrigação, repressão e escolhas que cobram um preço caro. O coronel é talvez o personagem mais triste nesse aspecto. Ele consegue sair das amarras do exército, mas continua preso em outro tipo de cela: o casamento sem amor, mantido por convenções e preconceitos. É sufocante ver alguém que se liberta de uma corrente, mas permanece amarrado em outra, e isso, pra mim, foi uma das coisas mais fortes da série.

E aí tem o Trin e o Tanwa, que em teoria são o casal principal e até tiveram um final feliz daqueles que a gente gosta de ver, os dois juntos, envelhecendo lado a lado, sobrevivendo a todo aquele caos. Só que, sinceramente, por mais bonitos que fossem juntos e por mais química que rolasse entre eles, eu não senti tanto impacto. Pra mim, Shine acabou sendo muito mais sobre o coronel e o repórter do que sobre o casal principal. Era pra ser a história de Trin e Tanwa, mas quem carregou o peso emocional de verdade foram os outros dois. E isso não quer dizer que eu não tenha gostado deles, pelo contrário, foi bom ter uma fagulha de esperança no meio de tanto sofrimento, mas o protagonismo, pelo menos pra mim, escapou das mãos deles e se alojou firme no casal secundário.

E aí vêm os destinos de Victor e Veena, que são quase um soco no estômago. Os dois não mereciam o fim que tiveram, mas cada decisão deles pesou. Victor escolheu levantar a voz e acabou silenciado de forma brutal. Veena sendo envolvido com o exército e ainda por cima se apaixonou pela mulher do coronel, o que o colocou num beco sem saída sendo chantageado e traído. Shine deixa claro que toda escolha tem um preço, e, na maioria das vezes, ele é alto demais.

Agora, se for pra apontar problemas, Shine tem sim. Os episódios poderiam ser mais enxutos; algumas cenas parecem arrastadas e acabam cansando. Além disso, não é todo mundo que vai conseguir embarcar nesse tom pesado. Entendo quem desistiu logo no começo, a série não faz esforço nenhum pra “conquistar” o espectador, ela só joga a história nua e crua na sua cara e espera que você aguente.

No fim das contas, minha experiência com Shine foi de respeito e impacto mais do que de diversão. Não é a série que eu assistiria de novo numa maratona de conforto, mas é uma que vai ficar na cabeça e no coração por dias. Eu recomendo, sim, mas com a ressalva: vá sabendo que é pesado, que não vai ter final feliz pra todo mundo e que talvez você saia mais reflexivo do que satisfeito. O que mais me marcou foi justamente isso, cada personagem teve seu destino traçado pelas próprias escolhas, e Shine não romantizou nada, só mostrou as consequências. E, apesar de tudo, eu gostei de ter assistido.

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Sometimes shine means surviving the mess and not just looking pretty!

This isn’t your regular popcorn BL where two pretty boys flirt under fairy lights and call it a day. This drama throws us headfirst into late 1960s to early 1970s Thailand, with student protests, political unrest, family power plays, and a couple of messy love stories that refuse to stay cute for long. It’s ambitious, dramatic, sometimes painfully slow, but also the kind of drama that slowly grows on you.

At the center of the story, we have Trin. He is a freshly returned professor who went abroad, got a fancy education, read way too many books on morality and came back thinking he could change the world. The only problem was that the world does not bend that easily. On first glance, he is an example of what an idealist looks like in a realist world, but once we scratch that intellectual exterior, he is just a man still figuring out not just politics, but love, loss and why the hell he feels so drawn to someone as chaotic as Tanwa.

Then there is Tanwa. If Trin is bottled-up intensity, Tanwa is glitter in human form. He was this free-spirited hippie type, all colour and laughter, the guy you think doesn’t take anything seriously… until you realise his chaos is just a cover for very real issues. He hides grief under jokes, he masks loyalty under carelessness and when he finally lets his guard down, it hits harder than any lecture Trin could deliver.

Together, these two are opposites in the best and worst ways. Watching them stumble into each other’s paths felt less like “love at first sight” and more like “love at fifth breakdown.” Somehow, they balanced each other out. But as much as I adore them, I can't help but was expecting more romance. It felt underfed but maybe a little more to justify those strong emotions.

But honestly, if we are talking about sizzling chemistry, the crown might belong to Krailert and Naran. Where Trin and Tanwa are all about the slow-burn romance, Krailert and Naran are pure forbidden spice.
Krailert is in the military, married and duty-bound. Ohh, and also gay. Naran, on the other hand, is a journalist who is sharp-tongued and already engaged ( because clearly one doomed relationship wasn't enough). When they met, it was anything but gentle. It's reckless, desperate and dripping with that forbidden love tension.
I know it's a moral crash, but somehow I couldn't help but root for them despite them sometimes making trash choices. It felt illegal, but they were magnetic in a way only fictional disaster couples can be.

We also have Victor, who is equal parts irritating and endearing. He is young, idealistic and a little naive but I couldn't help but root for him. His crush on Trin could have been a disaster, but the writing handled it really well. He was brash and bright, and somehow I wished he had escaped that hell to live a life he deserved. *sigh*

What works best is how layered the characters feel. Everyone is dragging around some kind of baggage...political, personal, or both and the drama doesn’t sugarcoat it. No one felt like a picture-perfect character. The best I could define all of them was contradictory, messy but very humane.

The Ladies of Shine also deserve an honorary mention. They weren’t front and center, but lowkey they held everything together for the most part..silent but so powerful. Especially Moira not bending to societal pressure.

Edit : I went and re-watched the scene with Dhevi in the last episode and somehow I thought it was the years of sufferings speaking, but no she was just being petty and selfish. I have no honor left for her to give!

It felt like love in a pressure cooker where one wrong move ruined lives, but somehow danger also amplified the intimacy. Watching Lert and Naran cluth each other like drowning men while the world burns and Trin and Tanwa side by side talking about hope and despair, is the kind of romance that thrives on extremes but feels very intimate.
Also, the NC scenes were choreographed really well, leaving no stone unturned. (I wish I were exaggerating xD)

But it isn't without flaws. The politics subplot is very heavy-handed and sometimes it felt draggy and a bit boring. It might be a personal issue because I don't enjoy the politics trope much. Also, at times, I felt too much spotlight was given to different subplots, which could have been given to the main couple.
And while Trin and Tanwa’s relationship is sweet, there are moments where their intimacy feels rushed. There is also a constant heaviness that can get exhausting.

As for the acting, it is pretty solid across the board. Apo as Trin was perfect in my eyes, especially in the emotional moments. I can't even nitpick. Mile as Tanwa brought the chaos and had the perfect brat energy when needed but quickly balances it out in serious moments. Son and Euro, as Lert and Naran were excellent too. They just made me sometimes forget the political subplot, and I just waited for them to meet in another dusty corner to make bad life choices.

The production team understood the assignment and pulled the '70s vibe well. I like the costumes and cinematography overall. The only thing that I had an issue with was Mile's hair extensions. He looked really good with long hair, but it felt pretty unnatural.

And about the ending, I think it is very justified considering the period it is set in. I couldn't see a better approach. I mean yes things would have been happy go lucky... but then it would stand against everything that the previous 7 episodes built.

Overall, I can't really say this is a comfort watch or even a proper romance BL. It juggles politics, romance, and personal growth with historical tension surrounding every decision. It's not perfectly executed but the writing doesn't just give us pretty faces in suits. It demands attention and occasionally tears.

I would 100% recommend it if you are looking for anything except the cookie-cutter BLs and don't mind morally grey characters. This will make you feel everything from love to frustration to heartbreak with just a little bit of awe.

Thank you for reading my review! <3 I hope you enjoy the drama as much as I did. I didn't realise that it was so lengthy!

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