Editorials 
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?
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Not a Drama for strong men
The main reason that I gave this TV series a 5 out of 10 is that the main male character is too passive and is just pathetic. How can a man respect a guy who still has feelings for a woman who dumped him so coldly and cruelly? Why has he not got a girl friend in 10 years? Does he have low testosterone? He seems like a guy who is lost and sad. The female lead is good, but she is just a bit pathetic too in that she has not married and is now 30 years old with a job that does not pay much. It would have been better if both leads had had bad relationships and had given up finding someone special and then found each other again. It is sad how many TV shows in Korea and in the West have weak male leads.Was this review helpful to you?
"A Love That Still Shines Through Time"
Still Shining is one of those dramas that quietly stays with you. It doesn’t rely on heavy twists or dramatic storytelling—instead, it builds its strength through emotions, memories, and the idea that some connections never truly fade away.The story follows two people who were each other’s first love in their youth but got separated due to circumstances, only to meet again after many years. Park Jin-young plays a man who has learned to live a simple, steady life, while Kim Min-ju brings warmth and quiet strength to her role. Their reunion isn’t dramatic or explosive—it’s subtle, slightly awkward, and filled with unspoken emotions, which makes it feel more real.
What really works here is the atmosphere. The drama carries a nostalgic tone, constantly shifting between past and present, reminding you of how time changes people but doesn’t erase feelings. The chemistry between the leads feels natural and gentle rather than intense, which suits the story perfectly. Their interactions often rely on silence, small gestures, and lingering looks instead of dramatic confessions.
Visually, Still Shining leans into soft lighting and warm tones, giving it a comforting and slightly melancholic vibe. It feels like watching memories unfold rather than a typical storyline. The OST blends well with this mood, enhancing emotional scenes without overpowering them.
However, the drama isn’t without flaws. The pacing can feel slow, especially if you’re expecting constant progression. At times, it feels like the story is repeating the same emotional beats. The plot itself is quite simple and predictable, and some supporting characters—including roles played by Shin Jae-ha and Park Se-hyun—don’t get as much depth as they could have.
Still, what makes Still Shining special is its sincerity. It doesn’t try to be more than what it is. It’s a story about first love, time, and the quiet hope that some feelings can survive even after years of distance. It may not leave a powerful impact instantly, but it lingers softly, like a memory you revisit.
Overall, it’s a calm and emotional watch—perfect when you’re in the mood for something nostalgic and reflective rather than intense.
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Soooo Depressing
Hate the ads for the candy and food appearing in the K-dramas- they are really overdone. I don't think Netflix offers the best in K, C or J dramas.The narrative began in an interesting way then the narrative failed. The acting nor the plot were able to convince me that these characters were in their 30s and still so clueless.
Both characters were struggling and had very odd ideas about what is possible in a relationship.
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Suffocates under the weight of a hyperfocus on the leads
There's some real interesting characters here.[Long dramatic pause - Narrator takes a long drag on a cigarette. Slowly exhales. Flicks cigarette toward the dumpster in the dimly lit alley. Watches as the cigarette smolders and the smoke dissipates. The narrator finally turns and ambles towards the main street. As he approaches the street light, he looks to his left. Then to his right. The seconds tick by waiting for him to speak. The sound of idling taxi engines hum in the background. And finally, the narrator raises his gaze to the camera}
None of the real interesting characters are named Tae Seo or Eun A.
Someone in the pre-production meetings should have asked "Do people really want to see a borderline depressive subway driver that can't move on from his ex?" Or maybe they did and some dummy said "Hell yes. Sounds great." If that actually happened, the dummy should be tracked down and summarily fired from ever having input in a drama production ever again.
Or perhaps someone could have asked "Does this female lead character make a lick of sense?" Because Pablo Picasso being asked to illustrate a medical anatomy textbook would be a smarter move than putting this sack of "Wtf is she doing now? What did she just say?" on screen.
It's not just that there are some occasional bright spots from supporting characters that outshine the leads. It's every moment from every supporting character in every episode. Not all of them are likable. Seong Chan is grating and toxic but at least it's a watchable grating-ness and toxicity.
In this made up "Still Shining" world, if there was any justice, A Sol would land a hot doctor boy and every time she looked at that table or a picture frame that Tae Seo made for her, she'd think "That idiot could have had me but he'd rather never STFU about oil drying on wood. What a hopeless bore."
[sigh]
Not recommended. Except for those that might be inspired to write some dope A Sol fanfic.
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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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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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Yeon Tae Seo and his family are the only shining characters in this series
DisclaimerWhat I am writing here are my views and thoughts about this series. Some of you may not like it. That does not give you the right to try to come at me with your opinions on why this series should get a higher or lower score and why it is better/worse than I think it is. You have your own opinions, and I have mine. Kindly respect that.
I am just going to come out and say this – I am a bit disappointed with this series. I can safely say that the saving grace for this series was how Park Jinyoung was able to portray the character of Yeon Tae Seo. When he was in scenes with the other actors who portrayed his grandparents and his brother, they were beautifully done. He is an actor that is able to portray emotions so well, and he did that with this character. A good example of this was when they broke up the first time – he portrayed his emotions so well there.
I liked this series in the beginning when they now met and up to when he entered college. Then, we got them ten years later. And I just lost interest in them as the episodes progressed (which is a first for me in watching anything that Park Jinyoung has starred in). Clearly communication was an issue with them, as we, the audience, saw throughout the series. I am shockingly okay with the ending, as they didn't end up together or with the SML/SFL (who I also felt nothing for or was even rooting for them to end up with the main characters).
In the end, it was nice watching another series that starred Park Jinyoung as he did an excellent job (along with the actors who portrayed his family) with his character, even with the few flaws that he had. However, I don't see myself recommending this series to others, unless you are a fan of the actors, because of how it didn't hold my interest for the whole series.
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it should have more eps
I think this drama would've benefited from having 14/16 episodes bc it would've had more time to explore eunah's side of the story, which felt a bit rushed to me. I like her, but I think the script didn't do a great job of expressing her perspective. With more episodes to develop her character, i don't think a realistic and open ending would've felt as disappointingminju's performance as Eunah was incredible. i hope this role leads to more leading roles for her in major dramas from now on.
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A bit disappointing
Before I go negative on this, I gotta say Jin Young was great as always. This role of Tae Seo was made for him and he did an outstanding job playing it.It seemed like this drama started out strong, giving us a good story that was going to take off ... but it really had trouble getting off the ground. I really couldn't tolerate the two characters of Eun A & Seong Chan for so many reasons. She had a good thing waiting for her in Tae Seo, but for some reason she really had no idea what she wanted in a relationship. I never saw a character keep showing up and then leaving ... and showing up again and leaving. It became so frustrating and exhausting to follow. Why Tae Seo kept trying to make this work without any success, it was just a complete mystery to me.
The character I had so much empathy for was A Sol. She when out of her way so many times for the chance of a relationship with Tae Seo, but he just couldn't give it a try. Instead he kept ending up in front of Eun A saying "goodbye" ... and goodbye, and goodbye. They said goodbye to each other so many times you lose count.
Again, thumbs up to Jin Young. He made a bad script work well enough to keep me watching till the end ... but there was only so much he could do.
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A Quiet Storm of Responsibility, Love and the Weight We Carry
A deeply emotional slice of life story about a young man shaped by trauma and responsibility. After witnessing his parents’ death, he carries the weight of caring for his injured brother and grandparents, choosing to love them from a distance, but this does not ease his burden.The story feels real and grounded. It shows how career, family and love rarely align, and how sacrifice often comes first. Jin Young delivers a quiet but powerful performance, holding his pain within and expressing a level of emotional maturity that feels very real.
What stands out is how it reflects adulthood. The silent struggles, the sacrifices, and the emotions we keep hidden just to keep going. His life is not a failure, but a difficult one. Even in love, what he gains is not perfection, but a lasting connection that still feels meaningful.
The female lead feels weaker in comparison, with a less developed storyline that makes the relationship feel less impactful.
Overall, it is a heavy and honest story that captures the deep emotions many of us go through but rarely express.
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Great Art piece, terrible entertainment
Art is meant to invoke a deep emotional or intellectual response from the viewer while entertainment is meant to provide enjoyment and escapism. That distinction made it difficult for me to rate this series as I initially started watching it as entertainment. Under that guise, I was finding the series rather slow and somewhat boring. But once I started viewing it from an Art perspective, I found myself become more engaged with it and eager to see where it was going.As Art, I would rate it a 9. It definitely hit me emotionally and is staying with me after I finished watching. But as entertainment, I rate it a 5 as I found long stretches to be rather boring and most of the emotions that it evokes are negative – primarily sadness and frustration and the miss/lacking communication trope (which I hate) is way overused. Overall, I would likely have given it an 8 as it did succeed as an Art piece for me but I settled on a 6 as I felt episodes 8-9 had provided an excellent opportunity to provide a satisfactory ending from both an art and an entertainment perspective and they instead chose to go with a pure Art ending that left me only feeling frustrated..
The Good:
The cinematography/editing is excellent. The way they used lighting, scene settings and superimposition were great in supporting the emotions for particular moments in the drama.
The sound track also did a great job conveying the emotions for the underlying scene.
The acting is a bit mixed for me. For a majority of the series, Park Jin-young and Kim Min-ju are emotionless or sad...even when Tae-seo and Eun-a are together. Considering the art aspect of the series, I assume this was how they were directed to act. But in the pivotal scenes, they did an excellent job conveying the emotions of the scene. And how they portrayed their initial dating was perfect. They really brought out the awkwardness of a teen first love relationship. (Side note: I am constantly amazed at how Korean actors in their 30's can convincingly portray high school students – Park Jin-young did an excellent job)
The 'misunderstanding' scene in ep 8 is brilliant. Sequence of small, innocuous decisions adding up to a catastrophic consequence.
The series was full of nuance that is easy to miss and greatly adds to the art of the series. From how the name for Eun-a's contact info in Tae-seo's phone changed as the story progresses to how the seasons are used to set the tone to the field of flowers relating to the current status of their relationship. They also make great use of symmetry such as the bike path split that appears in the beginning and again at the end.
To put a positive spin on the long narrative stasis / interiority scenes, they are mostly easy to FF thru as they usually do not include a voice over (although a few do).
The Bad:
It overdoes the narrative stasis and interiority scenes. While making FF easy, it became a bit of a drag even from an Art perspective.
It overuses the miscommunication trope. All of their issues would have been solved by a couple of 2 minute conversations...instead, when there was an issue, it was “Let's break up” → “OK”. This is fine from an Art perspective but is very frustrating from an entertainment perspective.
The ending is terrible. The series had done a great job in ep 8/9 in setting up a plausible ending with A-sol. She was a much better fit for Tae-seo from an intellectual and personal values perspective but instead they end it with Eun-a leaving to live her life abroad and Tae-seo essentially saying 'I will go build the life we talked about and if you ever want to join me, I will be waiting”. Thus, other than finally having a bit of clear communication between them, neither really show any personal growth – he remains the duty-bound, self-sacrificing giver and she remains the emotionally avoidant taker. Perhaps appropriate as an Art piece but I feel going with an A-sol ending would not have hurt that aspect and would have provided closure from an entertainment perspective
Summary
If you enjoy emotional Art dramas, you may really enjoy this series. But if you want a drama that has fast pacing, shows character growth and provides a satisfying ending, you may want to skip this one.
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