This review may contain spoilers
I see what they were going for, but fumbled so bad
This managed to make angry both people rooting for them to end up together and people rooting for them to finally move on at the same time.It's kinda remarkable if you think about it.
I don't know what Jinyoung has against lovely romatic comedies but I hope his next drama is a happy one.
It was shot very beautifully so that's a positive. And the kopiko ads out of the blue never fail to make me laugh, another positive.
Nothing more to say.
Was this review helpful to you?
So much potential for nothing.
This was by far the most disappointing thing I've watched this year. It's a shame, really, because this had so so so much potential. It started cute and just a little bit angsty and yearning. I was sat. Then at some point, they started going off the rails, and I started to understand nothing. It got frustrating. Their actions, intentions, and thoughts were never made clear to the audience. They would just show a close-up of the actors and expect us to fully comprehend and piece together what, or why, was happening just by guessing what the characters felt. It felt like trying to solve a puzzle for which I didn't have the pieces.I swear the writing was the issue, because the acting was great. And the cinematography was beautiful. But that's really all there was. Beautiful nothing. I think the drama tried to portray some hidden depth, but ended up just feeling like nothing.
The production was beautiful, but the writing lacked any real substance and made the audience feel more confused than anything.
They don't end up together, and I'm not against that, but I felt like in the effort to have a "realistic" and 'deep" romance story, they failed to make the audience feel anything at all, cuz I was too lost to focus.
For example, at the end, he goes to her house and changes her lightbulb. What am I supposed to make of that?? No context, just a random action with no explanation.
I don't need things spelled out for me; any good drama shows instead of telling, but I never truly understood what it was trying to show, because I didn't really feel like it did have anything to say, just hid behind beautiful scenes and confusing plots to hide the fact that it really did have nothing.
The fl frustrated me, and the side characters felt so surface-level, like their sole purpose was to be plot devices for the main leads, and they didn't have any development or even a story or depth of their own. For example, the male lead's brother. There was so much potential to explore him, and I was genuinely curious about him, but they didn't show his story, or his thoughts, dreams, or anything; he was just a reason for the ML to stay in his hometown.
TL;DR
Beautiful acting and cinematography, no essence to the story. FL was frustrating, and side characters felt empty. Waste of a good story.
Was this review helpful to you?
However, the storytelling quickly falls into familiar and somewhat frustrating patterns. One of the biggest drawbacks is the unnecessary inclusion of the second male lead. Instead of enriching the narrative, his presence feels forced and, at times, annoying. As a viewer, I was more interested in seeing the chemistry between the main leads, but the constant focus on the female lead and the second male lead disrupts that emotional connection.
The drama leans heavily into typical K-drama tropes—love triangles, lingering ex-relationships, and repetitive emotional conflicts—which makes it feel predictable. The story progression could have been handled better, with tighter pacing and more focus on meaningful character development rather than relying on overused plot devices.
Overall, Still Shining is watchable for a one-time viewing, mainly because of its aesthetic appeal and strong start. However, it highlights a broader issue within the K-drama industry: the need to move away from recycled storylines and forced romantic complications. It’s time for fresher narratives that prioritize authenticity over cliché.
Was this review helpful to you?
Still Suffering: A Warning for Park Jin-young Fans
If you’re considering watching "Still Shining", DON'T. Unless you are here solely to watch Park Jin-young carry a sinking ship, this drama is a total waste of time.The Script is Trash: What was marketed as a "slow-burn" is actually just stagnant. The plot relies entirely on the "non-communication" trope, where problems could be solved in seconds if characters just spoke. It’s 10 hours of whispering and staring with zero payoff.
Annoying Female Main-Character: The protagonist, Eun-ah, is incredibly frustrating. Her decisions are illogical, and her "drama" feels forced and tiresome rather than deep or healing.
The Jinyoung Carry: Park Jin-young is the only reason this show is watchable. His elite acting and visuals are the only "shining" parts. Without him, most viewers would have dropped this by Episode 4.
The 10-Episode Mercy: Thank goodness this wasn't 16 episodes. The pacing is so glacial that stretching it any further would have been a crime.
Final Verdict: 3/10
Beautiful cinematography and top-tier acting from Jinyoung, but trapped in a hollow, annoying story. Save your time and skip it.
Was this review helpful to you?
Some people remain part of you no matter how much time passes
This was exactly what I needed. Slow, quiet, heavy in the softest way possible. Still Shining doesn’t try to romanticize life or relationships, it simply lets its characters exist with all their regrets, mistakes, and unresolved feelings, and that’s what made it feel so real to me. The chemistry between Tae Seo and Eun A felt incredibly natural, almost uncomfortable at times because of how authentic their emotions were. Nothing about their connection feels dramatic or exaggerated, it’s built through silence, familiarity, and the feeling that even after years apart, some people still know you better than anyone else. I loved how the story focuses more on healing and emotional growth than on romance itself. It’s bittersweet and melancholic, but never hopeless. The cinematography adds so much to that feeling too, every scene feels warm, nostalgic, almost dreamlike, even during the saddest moments. And honestly, the “second lead” added absolutely nothing for me, every time the story shifted toward that side I just wanted to go back to Tae Seo and Eun A. The drama knows exactly what kind of story it wants to tell and never changes direction just to satisfy the audience, and I really respected that. I could completely understand the characters even when they made frustrating choices, because they felt human before anything else. In the end, it became less about whether things work out perfectly and more about finding someone who feels like home even after life changes you.Was this review helpful to you?
A really good start ruined
All of you agree that the peak of this drama was the first 2 eps, then it went downhill from there.The cast and acting are amazing 9/10 but the story and the characters were pathetic and hard for us to watch.
The ending is not what was expected at all, more like an open ending because we don't know what happened next or in the next few years. Open endings are good sometimes but in this drama we absolutely did not get any closure.
They should have made it a 12 or 16 eps instead of just 10.
Was this review helpful to you?
One of those realistic stories that doesn’t make sense in Kdramas
Really realistic. that’s probably why it stuck with me.It’s one of those stories that quietly gets you thinking… like, what if things had gone a bit differently? What if you’d made another choice said something else or just stayed a little longer?
It kind of brings back that one relationship the “almost” one and makes you wonder how it could have turned out.
Maybe it’s just me.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Most boring drama of the year!
Ok I just finished it! Also a 6/10 for me… tbh the beginning of the drama was really good and the middle was still solid. Like when she comes to Seoul and then runs into him and we see how she is trying to start a life for herself there etc. I really liked that. Because it really is not easy to start a new life somewhere new. It was all good until the ex started meddling with the old guesthouse etc… thats when it got annoying. I wish we could have seen her starting a new life in seoul together with Tae-Seo… I didn’t understand why all the going back and forth both emotionally and physically (from Seoul to small town) was neccessary…And then when she did end up deciding to open her guest house again, why did she again, end up moving back to Hawaii???? I dont get it! She risked her relationship with Tae-Seo to open that guesthouse just to leave again??? In the end, neither Tae-Seo nor the guesthouse were important to her…I didn’t get the point of this drama. The plot was like what exactly?
There were some cute and sad moments, and the cinematography was great as well as the OST.
But i found almost all the characters annoying and unrelatable… except for the second female lead A-Sol, she was cute!
Even Tae-Seo’s brother was lowkey annoying, how he guilt-tripped him whether he was in Seoul or not… idk! His behaviour really icked me out…
And then we don’t even have to talk about the second male lead!!!! Omg ||what a pedophile!!! He was literally crushing on her when she was still in high school!!! And then he even dated Eun-A’s roommate???? Who would probably be the same age as her!!!! Thats sooo disgusting!!!! For me someone who has more power at work shouldn’t date a trainee or a freshly employed person… that’s borderline power harassment…
I also didn’t like it how Eun-A was jealous of A-sol when she drove the brothers to the village and back and how she told Tae-Seo not to have dinner with her to pay her back. But she herself literally had wine with her ex-boyfriend at 3 am!!!! Like wtf gurl????
And at the end, when the grandma woke up, and she kept remembering the wrong memories, and she kept on running into Eun-A even when her recent memories came back like… WHAT WAS THE POINT OF THAT??? Can someone please explain??? Because I really did not understand why that was neccessary!!!! Why did we need all that grandma memories section???? How did it all connect together? I am sooo confused…whoever wrote this drama must have been drunk or sth…
All in all, the drama had a great, promising start. It seemed like a cute coming-of-age story with beautiful cinematography and a second-chance romance… but it ended up being the most boring drama of the year so far…
Was this review helpful to you?
Not good
The main actor is very good, the main actress is average, the story is mediocre to bad. People with depression should avoid watching it, it’s depressing. I feel sad because I expected more from the story.Also, the supporting female roles are much better than the main one. I would have liked to see more of the protagonist’s father in the series, he’s an excellent actor, and they didn’t use him as much as they should have.Was this review helpful to you?
PARK JINYOUNG'S ACTING!!!
Still Shining proves that Park Jinyoung is more than just a good idol-turned-actor—he completely carries the emotional weight of the story. His micro-expressions feel so natural that even in silence, you understand everything his character is going through. There’s a quiet intensity in the way he delivers pain, making every scene linger longer than expected. It’s the kind of performance that doesn’t try too hard, yet hits deeply.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
They said it’s not worth it. NOPE! watch it and decide
What I love most about this drama is the lesson about a peaceful life. There’s a scene where the ML reads his parents’ expectation for his future career: “anything is fine, as long as it’s safe and peaceful, as long as it can support your life without hardship.” That moment made me want to become that kind of parent someday.To me, the title shouldn’t be “still shining”, but “still you".
Many people say it’s a waste of time. Maybe because of the open ending? And yes, it can feel frustrating at times.
Some also say the characters are annoying. But for me, they’re not. Maybe because I can still tolerate themespecially compared to The Summer I Turned Pretty, where the characters feel even more frustrating and sometimes don’t make sense.
There’s no real antagonist here. I actually love all the characters ML, FL, SFL, SML, even the supporting ones. They feel alive, not just there to fill the story.
To me, this is truly a masterpiece. It’s a drama that made me think deeper and feel deeper to understand their struggles and slowly learn to tolerate their choices and flaws. And I could.
I love the overall storyline: two people who were each other’s first love in their youth. After they break up, they try to move on with other people, but it doesn’t work because that first love still shining in their hearts. Ten years later, they meet again and try to be together once more, only to break up again due to differences in future plans, their inability to carry life’s burdens together, and their own uncertainties.
One of my favorite lines is when the ML says, “If you ever want to plan a future with me, contact me.” And in the end, she really does.
The ending feels like a moment of clarity. The ML finally knows what he wants. He knows the answers where to go, what to do, and who to be with. And then she follows, slowly realizing what she truly wants too. To me, this is a happy ending.
Every time I hear I’m the Man Who Can’t Be Moved, it will remind me of this drama.
Was this review helpful to you?
Still Shining — More Pain Than Shine
Honestly… this might be one of the most depressing and emotionally exhausting dramas I’ve watched in a while. 😭I get it — the male lead has a lot on his plate, responsibilities, pressure, everything. But why make the female lead this confusing? The constant breakup → patch-up → breakup cycle had me questioning everything. Like guys… if you broke up once, maybe there’s a reason? 😅 Unless both people actually grow and accept each other fully (good and bad), what’s really changing?
At some point, it just started feeling frustrating instead of emotional. I kept thinking, “What exactly do you want from each other?”
This is definitely not your light, feel-good, shiny romance. The title says Still Shining, but emotionally… it’s more like Still Suffering. 😬 You’ll need a lot of patience to get through it — and trust me, mine was running out episode by episode.
That said, I’ve seen some people online appreciate its realistic take on complicated relationships and emotional baggage. So if you like messy, slow-burn, very human love stories, this might still work for you.
P.S. – This is one of those dramas where you don’t just watch… you survive it. 😅
P.P.S. – Male lead was really very sad in most of the drama 💔
Was this review helpful to you?
