Communication is hard.
I really wanted to love this show. It has one of my favorite plot points where former lovers break up and meet again years later. The problem with this one is the ML just seemed reluctant to show his true feelings toward the FL. I thought plenty of times if he would have explained the situation with her and they actually had a conversation in person instead of over text or phone it would have made it way easier.The FL lead also has a lot of problems communicating as well. She seems lost most of the second half of the show not knowing where to go. I don’t know why she had to leave multiple times when she really could have just stayed and lived in Seoul with the ML at his apt. They both seemed to love each and care about each others feelings but at times it was detrimental to their
At the end of the day I think both ML and FL deserved each other and with him “fixing” her house at the end I hope to take it as a sign she is coming back but I don’t know. It was such a let down ending where nothing seemed to be solved I just can’t like it.
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This review may contain spoilers
A Complete Disaster for a Romance that was Beautiful Initially!!
A romance that drags on, but never actually reaches its destination!!“Still Shining” is incomprehensible in many respects. The show is a quite reunion between two people that keep getting separated and reunite, but never truly reconcile. It isn’t overtly dramatic, at times you wonder if the story is realistic. Is it possible for two individuals to remain in love after going through consistent heartbreak again & again? The tone is incorrigible and questionable, but it is a somber journey between two intellectuals. They have their own dreams and ambitions, which, unfortunately, become the main reason for their separation time & again. This show might not work for everyone, I was even left wondering, whether to continue this or not. In the end, I chose to commit because Park Jin Young embodies a character whose journey remains at the centerfold of this storyline.
Read the complete article here-
https://kcdramamusings.wordpress.com/2026/04/05/still-shining-series-review/
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Nuanced storyline, not everyone's cup of tea
Am I the only one here who came to praise this drama?! Maybe its because I never take the romance genre seriously but I loved this drama. And I knew Park Jinyoung is an amazing actor so no surprise there but Kim minju? This is the 1st drama I watched of her and maybe I was prejudiced cz most idol turned actors are never that good initially so I wasn't expecting much from her but damn did I love her acting! The rage I felt for her character 😭 I just loved to hate her! The senior cast in the drama were so good too! The acting (cast) and cinematography alone are 10/10 for me. Wish it had a better story as well so that it got more appreciation by the general audience but for sm1 like me who is not very serious about romance genre and acting is the most important part this was a great watch!Ik the story is not very compelling for a romance genre but I really loved the story telling, not only about the main couple but but small glimpses of the lives of other characters like ML's brother, his grandparents, FL's stepmom and the 2nd FL and 2nd ML. None of them are shown in depth and mostly were surrounding the main ML/FL but still could discern their individual struggles. I see that many are complaining about the main characters actions a lot and Ik most people watch kdramas as an escape from reality but I found both their characters to be very human. Especially the ML who has struggled so much from such an early age. I think the drama is definitely worth the watch atleast once.
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This review may contain spoilers
Less "second-chance romance" and more about "closure"
I really liked the slow and quiet vibes of this drama, but it does it so much at the cost of stagnating the plot, and I think I ended up being really confused.The first few episodes were really great; I think the leads have great chemistry and were really cute in the high school scenes. They were both quiet characters but had distinct personalities, so it was nice to see two little introverts fall in love. I also just liked that none of their family situations were spelled out for us — we learned about them, slowly, through dialogue.
After the leads met again, I still really liked their chemistry. They both did yearning really well, and once again, the quiet vibes really let us just wallow in their lingering feelings.
As the episodes went on, I STILL really liked the quietness, but it became pretty obvious that the plot was missing movement, and the vagueness started working against the drama's favor — it became really confusing what events had happened in the past for the leads to get to this point, and when they were fighting or upset I wasn't really sure why.
I'd gone into this one thinking it was going to be a second-chance romance, and I kept thinking that once they promised that they would try to be more accommodating and not let distance and timing be an obstacle. But then, in the last two episodes, the leads barely have ANY screentime together, and it became pretty obvious the show was going, instead, for the lesson "sometimes people just can't be together even if they love each other, but it's important to end things warmly."
So, spoilers for those who haven't seen this yet: it's NOT a happy ending. I don't mind this, honestly, but I think the show took far too long to decide what it was trying to do.
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Still Processing How Bad It Is
From the first two episodes alone, I knew this drama was going to be a form of viewer torture—I just didn’t realize how bad it would get. It felt like everyone, from the writer to director to the actors, forgot how to do their jobs.If you value your time, do yourself a favor and skip this drama.
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Still moronic… Avoid anything by this writer
When the story started declining around ep 4 I just googled the writers name and it all started coming back to me. Make a mental note to avoid anything made by this writer like the plague. I mean sure they might still have a section who will like it. But if u are person who gets rage baited by dumb characters and their dumb decisions in a snail paced show …. Avoid. No amount of good acting , looks n chemistry can save a show that has to make the FL dumb n selfish as a plot point to drive the story forward since it doesn’t have any other major conflicts. N y always the FL ???????? Korea always likes to idolise the make leads coz majority female audience I guess . Whatever .Was this review helpful to you?
Slow Story
It's only few episode but feels like I'm watching a 16episodes. The story is slow. I agree with some. it's a tiring script.Park Jin Young deserver better and move on. His acting good and you can feel the sincerity but unfortunate to FL doesn't match the emotions, story.
The ML doesn't deserve the FL. ML is giving too much for the ML.
Since the story is slow, I ended up fast forwarding most of the episodes as I really find it boring.
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Doing your best on your worst
Its suffused with the kind of realism most drama watchers loathe and in a way that's it's best attribute. Aggravating and slow, there's a kind of fondness i have built for these characters over the past few weeks and its bittersweet ending is made to be just that; bittersweet. I could go on about how beautiful it is from a technical standpoint too since it compliments every scene and mood for that scene. The golden autumnal sunlight in the first few episodes were magic. It makes up for the perfect storm for something I would consider incredible art. Certainly do watch this at your own doom. I came to it with an understanding of being someone who has once experienced such a thing. If just like me you also have suffered perils of low commitment high maintenance situationships/relationships then yay watch it. It at least gives you the guidance to not betray your memories. I was enamored in particular to subtle quiet love each person gave the other. There's so much tenderness amidst the hurt and I think that's what made this incredibly life like and incredibly approachable to me. The actors did a phenomenal job bringing such a thing to the screen and in such a real manner as well. I often feel bogged down by the artificiality and contrived nature of dramas as of late. So this was a breath of fresh air.Was this review helpful to you?
Unrealistic and frustrating
Save yourself time and don't bother, unless just for the acting and the cinematography. Story line in woeful, there is nothing realistic about this couples relationship apart from the start as kids. The lack of communication, commitment, broken promises etc makes this a torture that nobody in their right mind would tolerate.Was this review helpful to you?
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Some people are not meant to be.. and that's totally okay
The first part of Still Shining pulls you into a beautiful first love and than crashes you heart with the harsh reality of real life.Both of the main leads did an amazing job portraying their charachers. The acting was truly phenomenal from both parts.
Both the ML and the FL had some questionable choices in this drama which made them feel real and made me really resonate with them. They both had their own struggles in life and they both made some mistakes.
But truly some people are just not meant to be together, no matter how much they love each other, their life just takes different paths and that's the sad reality of relationships.
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PLEASE BE HAPPY YEON TAE SEO!!
Watching Still Shining, I was genuinely impressed by how Park Jinyoung builds his character layer by layer. He doesn’t rely on dramatic gestures, but instead uses subtle shifts in tone and gaze to show emotional conflict. It makes his portrayal feel incredibly real and grounded, like you’re not watching a character but a real person struggling. His acting adds a strong emotional backbone to the entire dramaWas this review helpful to you?
