A Slow Burn That Overstayed Its Welcome
Real rating 7.8/10, but I rounded up.
Despite popular belief...I didn't like it. I had high hopes for this show. I kept getting this show recommended to me on Instagram and was excited. This was a real slow burn. The first 20 episodes I watched quick and caught up to the release dates. But then it was hard to pick back up.
Characters:
The main ML (Yu Sen) is honestly too perfect. He’s kind, talented, patient, emotionally mature… basically flawless. While that might sound appealing, it made his character feel a bit unrealistic and flat. On top of that, he talks a lot...long speeches, constant explaining, which started to drag and made some scenes feel way longer than necessary.
The FL (Xi Guang) was also a weak point. She had basically two emotions throughout the entire drama. She clearly loved attention, and her forced, exaggerated laugh made it painfully obvious when she was “laughing.” Instead of feeling natural or charming, it became distracting and repetitive.
What really hurts is the second male lead (Zhuang Xu). He could’ve made the story so much better. There was real potential for a stronger emotional arc or even a more compelling love triangle, but instead he was dragged along and made almost useless. He deserved far more depth and purpose. We just followed him way too long. I get that it’s meant to be “realistic”—people don’t always confess their feelings ,but here it felt frustrating and unnecessary rather than meaningful.
Plot:
One of the biggest problems was the amount of business talk. There was so much focus on work, meetings, and professional conversations that the drama got genuinely boring at times. It took away from the emotional build-up and made the pacing feel slow and dry.
The misunderstanding between the main leads was another major issue. It felt unnecessary and honestly kind of stupid. The conflict dragged on far too long and could’ve been solved with one proper conversation.
And then there’s the romance... or lack of it. There was barely any skin ship. Certain scenes had great buildup, that they could’ve kissed and actually made it satisfying, but instead we just get… hugging. It felt boring and underwhelming, especially for a drama that’s supposed to focus on romance.
Also they had like no friends. Only friends FL had were from College and they just sucked. Whenever she saw them, she was always upset, they weren't nice. The friends she had at work were just alright. Also there was just unnecessary family problems. But I did like the relationship with the FL and her cousin and her family.
The ending itself was good and emotionally satisfying, even if some choices didn’t make sense. I honestly didn’t understand why the second male lead was at the airport, ugh it just felt unnecessary, but I did love that ML and the FL still had a good, healthy relationship without bitterness. The way the ML lead yearned for her when she came back was sweet, and their dynamic in the final moments was cute, though it really could’ve been shown more. That said, the show absolutely could’ve ended about seven episodes earlier, because by the time it wrapped up, it felt like it had already overstayed its welcome.
ALSOOO.. The OST was great but too overused lol.
Overall, Shine On Me had a solid foundation and some realistic ideas about love and hesitation, but it leaned too heavily on business talks, and played the romance way too safe. With better pacing, more chemistry, and stronger use of the second lead in beginning episodes, it honestly could’ve been so good.
Final verdict: enjoyable but frustrating. Decent drama, just not very exciting.
Despite popular belief...I didn't like it. I had high hopes for this show. I kept getting this show recommended to me on Instagram and was excited. This was a real slow burn. The first 20 episodes I watched quick and caught up to the release dates. But then it was hard to pick back up.
Characters:
The main ML (Yu Sen) is honestly too perfect. He’s kind, talented, patient, emotionally mature… basically flawless. While that might sound appealing, it made his character feel a bit unrealistic and flat. On top of that, he talks a lot...long speeches, constant explaining, which started to drag and made some scenes feel way longer than necessary.
The FL (Xi Guang) was also a weak point. She had basically two emotions throughout the entire drama. She clearly loved attention, and her forced, exaggerated laugh made it painfully obvious when she was “laughing.” Instead of feeling natural or charming, it became distracting and repetitive.
What really hurts is the second male lead (Zhuang Xu). He could’ve made the story so much better. There was real potential for a stronger emotional arc or even a more compelling love triangle, but instead he was dragged along and made almost useless. He deserved far more depth and purpose. We just followed him way too long. I get that it’s meant to be “realistic”—people don’t always confess their feelings ,but here it felt frustrating and unnecessary rather than meaningful.
Plot:
One of the biggest problems was the amount of business talk. There was so much focus on work, meetings, and professional conversations that the drama got genuinely boring at times. It took away from the emotional build-up and made the pacing feel slow and dry.
The misunderstanding between the main leads was another major issue. It felt unnecessary and honestly kind of stupid. The conflict dragged on far too long and could’ve been solved with one proper conversation.
And then there’s the romance... or lack of it. There was barely any skin ship. Certain scenes had great buildup, that they could’ve kissed and actually made it satisfying, but instead we just get… hugging. It felt boring and underwhelming, especially for a drama that’s supposed to focus on romance.
Also they had like no friends. Only friends FL had were from College and they just sucked. Whenever she saw them, she was always upset, they weren't nice. The friends she had at work were just alright. Also there was just unnecessary family problems. But I did like the relationship with the FL and her cousin and her family.
The ending itself was good and emotionally satisfying, even if some choices didn’t make sense. I honestly didn’t understand why the second male lead was at the airport, ugh it just felt unnecessary, but I did love that ML and the FL still had a good, healthy relationship without bitterness. The way the ML lead yearned for her when she came back was sweet, and their dynamic in the final moments was cute, though it really could’ve been shown more. That said, the show absolutely could’ve ended about seven episodes earlier, because by the time it wrapped up, it felt like it had already overstayed its welcome.
ALSOOO.. The OST was great but too overused lol.
Overall, Shine On Me had a solid foundation and some realistic ideas about love and hesitation, but it leaned too heavily on business talks, and played the romance way too safe. With better pacing, more chemistry, and stronger use of the second lead in beginning episodes, it honestly could’ve been so good.
Final verdict: enjoyable but frustrating. Decent drama, just not very exciting.
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