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Shine (Orchestric Ver.) thai drama review
Completed
Shine (Orchestric Ver.)
12 people found this review helpful
by NLE
21 days ago
8 of 8 episodes seen
Completed
Overall 10
Story 10.0
Acting/Cast 10.0
Music 10.0
Rewatch Value 10.0

A Mature and Underrated Gem in the BL World

When it comes to showing off their stunning male actors’ butts, nobody does it better than Be On Cloud. From KinnPorsche to 4 Minutes and now Shine… truly the masters of cheeks on screen 🍑😂

It’s so rare that I genuinely love both couples in a BL, but this series absolutely delivered. Apo and Mile already proved their magic in KinnPorsche, and now seeing Son (Krailert) for the first time was such a revelation, he’s like a stunning Thai god, beautiful and perfect in every way.
The attention to detail is incredible. From the 1960s setting, the vintage clothes, cars, and houses, the production team poured so much effort into making this drama authentic and immersive. Every episode held my attention, I was never once bored, and the story kept me captivated throughout.
The highlight for me is Krailert secretly seeing his lover. It powerfully portrays the struggles of same-sex relationships and the pain of staying closeted in the 1960s. The NC scenes are another standout. They’re not just erotic but also deeply romantic, with the hauntingly beautiful violin background music making them unforgettable.

The best episode for me is epiosde 7, it was a storm of heartbreak, truth, and sacrifice. Three moments stood out: Naran’s coming out, Victor’s tragic death, and the loss of the loyal Veera.
At the dining table, Naran finally gathered the courage to tell Dao the truth: the person he loved was not her, but a man. His words cut through the air like silence itself. Dao stood frozen, her world shattering in an instant. When he called her name, she turned, lifted her heel, and struck his face, not with her hand, but with something harsher, as if to say his truth was too vile to touch. In the 1960s, when same-sex love was invisible and forbidden, her slap was not only a wound of betrayal but a reflection of a society unable to accept love in its purest form.

Meanwhile, on the streets, blood painted the cry for freedom. As someone from Melbourne, I think of protests I have witnessed where, at worst, police use pepper spray to scatter a crowd. Yet here, in Thailand’s past, guns were raised against innocent students, their voices silenced with bullets. Among them, Victor fell. He was not just a man at a protest, he was a dreamer, on the cusp of a new life in America. His death was senseless, his future stolen. Tanwa’s silence to protect Trin now becomes Trin’s torment, for he will forever wonder: if he had known, could Victor have been saved? Little did he know, Victor had already been warned. My heart breaks for them both, bound by grief and guilt.

And then Veera. The most loyal, the most silent, the most unseen. He loved Dhevi in silence, hiding his feelings within the pages of a notebook. Those very words, his only confession, betrayed him, exposing him to blackmail and sealing his fate. He died not as a villain, not as a coward, but as a man willing to sacrifice himself for the Colonel and the woman he could never have. His death was not only tragic, it was cruelly unjust.

Episode 7 exposes a bitter truth: love can be punished, loyalty can be betrayed, and innocence can be crushed beneath corruption. Police who were meant to protect became executioners, and love that should have been celebrated became a curse. This episode is not just a story, it is a wound, one that lingers long after the screen fades to black.

This series deserves way more recognition. 10/10 highly recommended for anyone who loves BL done with depth, beauty, and heart.
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