Still Shining

This drama is not for everyone

Its sad because writer-nim only show the struggle detail of ML and not for FL

So before I watch the ending, I read some comments saying it had a bad ending because the FL and ML didn't end up together. But after I finished watching it, I questioned: did we watch with the same subtitles?

Some people even said their relationship was just a one-sided love. Tbh, I don't see it that way at all. Both Euna and Taeseo definitely liked each other right until the ending.

​It's just that they both have egos and TERRIBLE COMMUNICATION. It's pretty obvious when they were younger and Euna chose to focus on her career. Then, as adults, Taeseo kept misunderstanding things and assumed Euna still had feelings for her ex, mostly because of his jealous guy ego. He didn't even consider the possibility that everything Euna doing had memory with her dad, especially since she was all alone without her parents.

​If people think the ML's situation was sadder, I think the FL had it same. She had to take care of her comatose dad completely alone in young age, without a mom or any family, all she could hope for was his recovery. When her dad finally got better, she wanted to try chasing her dreams, but their lack communication make them break up. And sadly, her dad passed away. And for those few years, she lived entirely alone without any family. If I was her, I definitely would have leaned on the SML to survive too, considering he was the only guy by her side at the time. But even so, her feelings for Taeseo stayed strong until the very end.

​I think the reason this drama is called Still Shining is because the writer wanted to show that "no matter how old you get, your first love will always keep shining."

​And honestly, I'd say it’s an open ending. At the ending, Taeseo basically proposed to Euna by saying, "If you ever need someone to be with in the future, you can call me."

​Overall, I'd rate this drama an 8/10.

I know minju still new in acting, but i will applause her because her acting is matched with Jinyoung's. Even during her crying scenes, I could truly feel her sadness. I think she's going to be one of those actresses who can draw you and make you cry along with her, just like Park Boyoung xD I also love how calming her voice during her monologues. I'm really looking forward to seeing how her acting grows in the future.

​As for Park Jinyoung, his acting is always top-notch. And I think he has a really good eye for picking scripts. Even though people say this drama has worst script, I don't feel that way at all. All of his dramas always give me new perspectives on life. I will always trust that any script Park Jinyoung chooses!

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Profound slice-of-life melodrama with outstanding acting, cinematography & symbolism

I really enjoyed watching and rewatching this melodrama. This is not a light-hearted romance and those looking for that type of drama will be disappointed and frustrated. On the other hand, if you are looking for a drama with lots of intense emotional scenes and thought-provoking uses of symbolism and imagery to explore themes of transition, personal growth, healing, trauma, and communication issues that many of us experience in life, I recommend this drama.

Park Jin-young hit it out of the park with his acting. It was a pleasure to witness how he has matured as an actor: how he took on the role of Yeon Tae Seo, made it his own and powerfully conveyed the complex emotional states of this introverted character. Kim Min Ju took a risk with her first leading role which was a challenging one given that the POV was more focused on the ML. I applaud her for not playing it safe and she definitely showed how she is improving as an actor. I look forward to upcoming roles from both of the actors.

The cinematography and OST were both beautiful and enriched the emotional tone of the different scenes, both in the countryside and in Seoul.

The use of symbolism and imagery was an important element in this drama that I really appreciated. Some of these are particularly noteworthy. For instance, both of the main characters carried their "emotional baggage" throughout the drama (and they had a lot)-the ML's backback and the FL's yellow suitcase played an important role in many scenes. Another important image was that of the door to the FL's house in Yeonwoo; a door often represents transitions, personal growth, and new opportunities and it was used well in the drama in multiple scenes. The use of flashbacks that were prompted by seeing or hearing something such as a key in a lock or the sound of footsteps were also particularly poignant.

Since the POV was mostly focused on the ML, it was harder to empathize with the FL and the script writing struggled a bit in this respect. We witnessed the personal growth of the ML during the drama so that he could finally accept that he was worthy of a future and then take steps to shape the future that he wanted. One of the many compelling scenes was the one where he asked his friend "Will talking about it really help me move on?" In other words, is talking about our problems helpful since, like many people, he had held it in all these years and he could start to see that is yes, it is helpful to talk with others about our problems and issues and indeed, that is the way to healthy relationships. In contrast, the FL was living a life that had almost been shattered by the abandonment of her mother and suicide of her father. She was living but not really living. Ultimately, she needed to reclaim her "family" and her sense of worth before she could enter into a healthy relationship and she was able to find a way to do that towards the end of the drama but it was a frustrating journey to witness because she was really lost and really struggled.

The ending: There is an important conversation between the ML and SFL in episode 5 which indicated where the relationship between the ML and FL was headed. While speaking about the making of a frame, A-sol asks “Then can it be done quickly?” Tae-seo replies “No, you have to wait 3 more times”, “you have to wait for these three, no matter what”. (They are not just talking about making a picture frame). A-sol then says . . ."oh . . .3 moments of waiting” and again in episode 9, they discuss the the "3rd and final moment of waiting" . . .which is where the drama ended. Although the photos that the FL sent the ML at the end that showed the spaces that they had shared together in the different stages of their relationship including the school, the bus stop, the train station and his rooftop flat indicated that she was ready to enter into a relationship with him since she had healed and she was shining again.

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Not Worth the Time

This drama starts really well. The first two episodes are beautiful, with great visuals and a strong story about first love. But after that, it becomes disappointing.

As the story continues, it starts to feel repetitive and less engaging. The characters are not easy to connect with, and their decisions can be frustrating at times. Instead of showing clear growth, the story seems to go in circles.

It had a lot of potential, but it doesn’t deliver.
Overall, it’s not worth the time after the strong beginning.

In short, first 2 eps were beatiful, remaining were boring
4/10 just for the first 2 episodes

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HOLY AIRBALL - DO NOT WATCH THIS

The Good:
- The actors are capable of acting well and I have seen the ML act in a different show and put in a good performance
- Music is solid
- Cinematography and visual vibes are strong especially in the nostalgic shots

The Bad:
- The two leads are the most incompetent people on planet earth when it comes to interpersonal communication. The first time when they were young it was fine but when they reconnect a decade later its clear that neither of them have grown at all.
- The conflict in the leads relationship the second time is completely ridiculous and if either of them was capable of communication it never would have happened at all.
- The actors I think CAN be good but in this show the male lead especially is written with two emotions, 1. neutral 2. slightly sad, this gets old fast and I would've loved to see this guy emote like a human one time.
- They don't expand upon or wrap up any of the side character stories.


**********SPOILERS************

- The main villain of this story being the fact that the two leads are adults with schedules that they need to work around is frustrating to see play out especially when both of their circumstances are known to be temporary, FL: wants to get closure on her guest house and close it properly...doesn't communicate it at all and leaves out the fact that her ex was involved heavily. ML: grandma is hospitalized and he needs to visit often...knows that this event that causes another hardship in their scheduling is temporary but somehow can't work through it for the short-term.
-The ending. I do not care at all if the leads end up together and my whole perception of the show doesn't hinge on that but what the f**k was that ending. My thoughts going into the last 20 minutes of the last episode was that the two leads would finally have a proper breakup and get their closure......I GUESS I'M A STUPID JACKASS. Instead we get the male lead (who was written as the most passive, uncommunicative, self-loathing, loser of all time) professing his love and sending the FL off to Hawaii to start her new life and to call him if she ever sees a future with him in it. THIS GUY IS PATHETIC. He then decides to fix up her old house, take a job that his mom use to have near the city (he had said previously that he had wanted this job since he was a kid so I don't hate this part), and I guess just wait around for the FL to maybe come back?

Summary:
DO NOT waste your time. The show was only 10 episodes but it managed to make me feel like I spent an eternity trapped inside it. The show starts off strong enough but quickly loses all momentum and grinds to a glacial pace. I had to put this show in 1.5 speed in some sections and it still felt like it was moving in slow motion. The leads both being insufferable to watch interact and the complete lack of a real ending made me genuinely angry as I mourn the hours I spent, and will not get back, watching this steaming mess of a show. I have never written a review on any 30~ dramas I have watched, but I was genuinely raging at the end and needed to get my thoughts out somehow so that I could go to sleep.

Note:
A lot is left to the imagination so I guess if you're creative enough you can spin the ending any way you want to fit whatever narrative you want but this open ended style where neither lead gets a real ending is frustrating to see when you invest this much time into the show. A show that I felt did a similar end a lot better was **SPOILERS** Twenty Five Twenty One. In this show it feels like the leads were able to get closure and grow as people while not ending up together. It seemed like this show was going for that kind of vibe at the end but tripped over their own proverbial feet.

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Not Shining

Still Shining had everything going for it. A serious romance and mature story with visuals to back it up. Acting was excellent with realistic characters and decisions. Regardless of the choices ML and FL made and how horrible they are at communicating it all fell in the realm of possibility. However, around the halfway point, cracks began to appear, and character motivations and reasoning started to falter.

When you realize there are only four episodes left, but the writers decide to introduce a second female lead, you know something is up. I was rooting for 2nd FL, but honestly WTF is she doing on this show? What a waste of precious time. The writers had her ask the male lead to roleplay a breakup, even though they never dated. I understood the context of why she did it, but are we serious right now? The writers seemed to want the show to appear smart through her with the nonsensical lines they made her speak all while neglecting the main focus of the story with an ending fast approaching.

This ending. My goodness. This show is definitely more about the journey than the destination. A rough journey at that. And a journey I’d argue not worth starting if you have other shows you’re interested in.

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A Melodrama That Failed to Fully Shine

It could have been a strong melodrama, much like the writer’s earlier works On the Way to the Airport and A Piece of Your Mind. But this drama failed to sustain its central theme of whether first love can truly end up together.

Bringing four characters into one chaotic first-love story could have worked better if each had been given a distinct bittersweet ending. Instead, much of the story drifted into family drama that felt disconnected from the core narrative. From the beginning, the focus was clearly on the on-and-off relationships between the leads and the second leads’ unrequited feelings, so the family background never felt essential enough to carry weight.

I have no complaints about the episode length or the cast ensemble, but with such a promising plot, I honestly hoped they had chosen a different actress to better match both Jinyoung and Shin Jae-ha.

A failure—definitely not shining. ✨

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What does did I just watch?

Literally asked myself this question out loud which was almost echoed by what did 'we' just watch from my wife.........eps 9 and 10 were definitely 2 hrs 15 min of our lives wasted~
Umm..........I've almost speechless. This was sad. Pure depression. A give and take relationship NEVER survives when it's one sided and that's how the relationship in this drama was portrayed from start to finish. ML have and gave and gave into the black hole that was the FL until an ultimate decision was made. And STILL.......the pattern never changed~
I wasn't sure what to expect but it sure as hell wasn't this. The FL and SFL did not cut it, or maybe it was the characters. I had the sense of two high school girls that just didn't mature at all. Speech, mannerisms, actions and decisions radiated indecision and uncertainty. There were very few scenes of positivity, the rest made you wanna go drown yourself. The ending was suspect and needs to be deciphered. I find so many similarities to the drama Love Me which ended a few months ago except the ending was much lighter. I'm not saying to ignore the drama but I'm pretty sure you're going to come away scratching your head like we were~

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Love doesn’t always = happiness but it does = eternal peace.

I first dropped it after reading how it ended,but if you come back to it with a open mind and understanding like with Doona it’s basically the same in a way,the ML lead and FL in this drama really did love each other to the end of the earth,I will first say that the FL definitely fell for the ML first from the moment she met him and she was the first to confess her love and in the first EP she says let’s stay together forever,and the part that makes a lot of us dropped it is when the FL becomes so distant and starts for some reason being more comfortable with the SML and they form a bond for some reason and the k drama doesn’t show it but In episode 3 you can tell that he had a huge impact on them breaking up he was like pushing her away from him and that scene where they first break up she in the same dorm witj that guy,the ML was busy taking care of his family but he still showed up for her constantly and to have her betray him like that hurt him and is viewers,I get that her family life was rough with her mom leaving and her dads issues,but don’t take it out on the only person who was there for you,your first love,first person to show you stability,and then the whole middle half From ep 7 to 10 was just poorly written and both ML,FL needed to let it all out before the airport scene,either way I did enjoy it after watching with a different perspective and approach I highly recommend going back and paying attention to the small details and misses scene in the future,I truly believe the ML and FL never stoped being in love but they were both to scared to say what they wanted and miss communication really drew this drama back,but in the end that ending I believe she went to Hawaii but came back after that year and went back to her dads house where she found the ML waiting,Why ? because I think she finally leanrned that he this whole time was her actual home and he learned that his love for her was not in vain and that he didn’t know that to love her was to let her find herself and forgive herself and he also needed to let go the past her and learn to forgive her and himself either way I do enjoy this drama after the second watch,what I take away from this is that Love is strong but it can’t always win,but being someone’s Heart and Home means you must be willing to let them hurt you really bad not because they did it on purpose but because they themselves are so broken and are terrified,and the Home part means they both found pain,happiness,hate,guilt,selfishness,fear and family all in there homes they built in each others heart.

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Thought Provoking

Here are characters you really want to root for.
Our ML, Taesoo, is a pure soul, smart young man, disciplined student, devoted brother/grandson and academic star. His work ambitions suit what seems a need for routine, control, and availability to respond to family responsibilities in his home town. From a world view that such potential = endless life possibilities, some letting go is required to take the journey of this coming of age, loss/return of first love, career and life choices journey. He identifies his highest value early on: self-reliance, though you wonder as you watch if this is acquiescence and “settling” or the actions of one with the soul of a servant. Especially when it comes to his relationship with the FL, Eunha.
Eunha. She chases Taesoo in high school until he chooses her, too. A bright personality, gutsy (sneaks him into her bedroom). And she is able to define her big wish in life: freedom. Independence from her father. Again, I had to keep going back to her reality. Mother left the family (not sure timing), whereabouts unknown. Father has chronic depression and a history of suicide attempt. They’ve come back to the town where grandma resides to regroup, run a homestay. She studies hard but fails to secure a college plan that synchs with Taesoo’s, then finds and follows a different opportunity in a hotel training program, leaving university life behind.
The characters’ early adult life choices are followed pretty quickly by a 10-year jump and re-connection. Taesoo is in Seoul but still deeply rooted in family responsibility. Eunha has had several different experiences with her hospitality career, including a stint in Hawaii, the most recent one managing a remote guesthouse, disrupted by an unplanned ownership dispute. Her career is uncertain and she has suffered more personal loss. She seems shrouded in unhappiness and depression.
This juncture is where you’ll spend most of your time with these two.
And with secondary characters. The best developed: Taesoo’s very likeable younger brother, a former soccer player, who courageously faces a likely lifelong rehab with a leg injury, gainfully employed as a postal worker. An old crush (on Taesoo). Should we root for her? A long-time admirer, supporter and 3-month BF of Eunha. He is a bit annoying and creepy. But quite handsome. Maybe creepier because of that.
A sort of step-mom. I never trusted her. Good acting on her part.
I was deeply invested in all the goings-on in the leads’ circle of life at this juncture. Choices are made. I reacted very emotionally. Not happy. The idea of love with “let’s not make it hard on the other person” vs. “let’s be together and be happy” is not something easily grasped if the love is for the person you want to spend your life with. But this is not romantic love nor is it a romance story. Perhaps that would have helped: their recognition of the nature of their love.
Might have been interesting to have Taesoo letting go…
And Eunha realizing that she suffers from abandonment issues and depression (like her father) and maybe looking for the missing piece of the puzzle…her mother. Her choice in the end…the stepmom she had hated and her step grandmother (we don’t know her at all, but she was nice to her)…did that make sense? She had a very loving grandmother in her hometown.
This one stuck with me. I respect the writer’s choices. Thus, the high rating. But….Still Shining? Weird title. Here’s an alternate: Ask the Fireflies. Or Second Chances. Frustrating but makes you think. And I like that.

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A Letdown

This was a complete letdown and I cannot stress this enough... a waste of time. The last two episodes are infuriating. Suddenly the FL is now this mellow, calm, sweet and understanding person, like for the past six episodes they did not have her behaving in such despicable manner. Suddenly she goes to see his grandma, after spending all through the time never doing so. Suddenly his grandma “loves” her, without absolutely no backstory scene of them ever interacting. The FL is so manipulative, so self centered, such a self- inflicting sufferer and this redemption arc they are trying to give her in these last episodes makes her even more unlikable, I’m so serious. Goodness.

I also dislike how they wrote A-sol’s character in these last episodes. Made her look like she begging the ML for love. To be honest, she deserves better and ML is actually not worthy of her goodness. She is kind, empathetic, sweet, understanding, such a wonderful character. Now they’re making her look awkward in these episodes…nothing can ever make me dislike her. She was the best character in this show, hands down. Both ML and FL deserve each other…one is spineless, the other is always eager to break the little spine he gathers.

I’m glad this mess is over. If the writers think they’ve achieved something, they’re delusional. Never put Jinyoung in such a drama again please. Also If this was supposed to be a slice of life or realistic love then that’s really freaking depressing.

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Off to a great start but that's all

This drama starts with a very promising set off. The enclosed boy who has a lot on his plate meeting an outgoing girl who dreams of being independent. Personally, I love the whole "opposites attract" trope, the hyper independent guy who wants someone to lean on and the very cared for girl who wants to gain some of her independence, fall in love and realize that what they originally wanted for themselves wasn't what they truly missed.

I was very happy with the first episodes of the drama when it started but later on it became so boring and actually non-comprehensive. Maybe I need to blame the Netflix subtitles for that cause half of the time I couldn't understand what the chatacters meant with all these allegories and philosophical talking that actually added nothing to the plot. I had a general difficulty to understand WHO was the second male lead, how was he related to the FL and all in all, why was he there😭.

The dialogs were so dull and even by the way they were executed by the actors you could feel the boredom radiating. I am saddened to rate this like that but generally the whole point of the plot was missing. Get together, break up and then repeat the same motive again and again. Also the ML's self hatred really tired me out.

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