This review may contain spoilers
Unpopular opinion
Unpopular opinion: I don’t think Shine is the masterpiece people hype it up to be. To me, it feels like cheap fanservice dressed up as a serious political/romance thriller.Main couple (Trin & Tanwa — MileApo): They didn’t work for me. Tanwa comes off as childish, so it’s hard to take him seriously; I honestly don’t get why Trin is into him. Victor made far more sense to me.
Second couple (the colonel & the journalist): Naran, Krailert
They’re the reason I kept watching. The chemistry is insane; their scenes are 🔥🥵 and genuinely compelling. That said, even with them, the writing undercuts realism, like flirting in a bathroom during a high-profile event in a period hostile to homosexuality. It just made no sense. Instead of coming across as daring or romantic, it pulled me out of the story because it felt careless and unbelievable.
That’s my biggest problem with the show: it tries to blend politics, social commentary, and romance, but it never balances them well. The “serious” parts feel hollow, and the romantic parts lean too heavily on fanservice. The end result is a story that wants to be meaningful but doesn’t have the weight or realism to back it up.
Shine wants to be a layered political romance, but deep down it’s still just fanservice wrapped in fancy packaging. 😒
That being said, if you enjoyed the show, that’s great, I did enjoy certain parts too. This is just my personal take, so don’t come for my head 😂. Feel free to disagree, just keep it respectful.
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In conclusion, I can give EP1 a score of 9. But I can't fully trust BOC.
After waiting for2years, we finally saw shine's release. After going through a series of issues such as shooting delays and rewriting the script, i finally got to see my favorite actor APO return to the screen. After watching EP1, I'd like to share some thoughts1. Photography: I really like the overall shooting quality of this time. It can reach the level of film shooting. In terms of color tone, scene and transition design, it has all reached a very high level.
2. I'm quite satisfied with the plot, at least in terms of the entire narrative structure and pace of the ep1. It quickly unfolds the entire storyline centered around the character TRIN, who is connected to every character in the show, making people look forward to EP2 with great anticipation.
3. The casting of the actors: APO's portrayal of Trin is extremely accurate. Also, I really like the casting of Krailert this time. It's just perfect. I love his piano performance so much. Naran and victor's performance was also very natural. I'm looking forward to seeing more of their parts.
4. Acting skills, I must give APO and SON a score of 90 in ep1. APO performed both the French part and the interaction with senior executive at the end very well. In France, he was a melancholy and indignant young boy. In Thailand, he was a rigorous, patriotic and mature economist. You can watch his performance. Even his eyes expression are different.
5. Favorite cut:
-The part where Trin and his French girlfriend finally embrace each other in silence;
-Krailert the piano part;
-Trin took off his shoes and tried to blend in with the environment.
In conclusion, I can give EP1 a score of 9. But I can't fully trust BOC. I hope it can still maintain such a high level in the next eps. No more too many cliches and outdated plots that follow the trend.
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For the director: the pool scenes are NOT filmed with that camera where the drops splash on the lens and are visible!
Terrible acting!
I don't see the reason for pairing the same people in the series, if KeenPorsche was a good series, who guarantees that with such a terrible director, this one will be good as well? And the main actors are very weak with their acting, rather bad.
The story does not seem to be bad, but it is badly paced, there is no dynamics...
I wish there was a book to read!
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