Some people online say that this is due to Shine's more mature tone and I kind of agree with them. Not only that,…
It's a good rating of course, but I wouldn't say it's an accurate or reliable indicator of popularity because it's just an average from the people who decided to rate the series on MDL. If we're talking about media coverage, trends, tiktok videos and overall popularity on social media, it's probably less than some Bls that came out earlier this year.
Shine deserves all the love and much more. I don't know how it's so underrated yet. I shouldn't compare, however,…
Some people online say that this is due to Shine's more mature tone and I kind of agree with them. Not only that, but the story is set in the end of the '60s and the beginning of the '70s, a time of political uncertainty. The themes are also more complex, the characters struggling with identity expression, activism, democracy and overall the desire of change. As a result, Shine seems to appeal to a more mature audience and is not as accessible as other popular series. I do agree with you, of course it totally deserves more love and popularity, however we have to keep in mind that this kind of high-quality production requires a lot of funds, and a lot of time to produce, which might make it harder to break into the mainstream. I like to compare with the GMM series who are almost always hits, but that is because GMMs' strategy is to create couples with insane chemistry, pushing them to do a lot of fanservice, and overall just giving what people want to see : two handsome guys kissing.
feel kind of bad because everybody love this popular BL.. but I’m gonna leave my review here after some time…
Hey! I found your comment really interesting, and just FYI, this is solely my opinion and my own take on the hype around this series! First off, when it aired in 2016, BL series or Y series weren’t really a thing yet, so it was pretty hard to find BL content to watch. Nowadays, though, the genre has evolved A LOT, and gay relationships are portrayed way better than they were back then.
Secondly, it was pretty common for a lot of BLs, especially Japanese BL manga/yaoi, to include problematic themes like SA. Unfortunately, I think since a lot of BL media was written by women during a time when gay relationships were often stigmatized/fetishized, that might explain why there were so many SA scenes.
That being said, Timmy and Johnny had great chemistry as a couple, which was something a lot of BL shows from that time lacked in my opinion. Their acting felt really genuine, and they totally nailed their roles in Addicted. Even the second couple had great chemistry and some funny moments. Overall, from what I remember, the vibe of the whole series was heartwarming, it felt like watching a coming-of-age story with teens trying to figure themselves out and falling in love.
I’d say it’s probably still popular today because of nostalgia. I’d encourage you to finish the series, but since it’s incomplete and got cancelled, it’s probably okay to drop it, lol—especially with so many amazing BLs out now with much better production!
Yes! I know there's Laws of Attraction and Not Me which brings up some generic law stuff, but we need more! I’d honestly love to see a romance like the engineering ones lol
Nothing in this world can make me love you, Ming, no matter how many times you cry and beg, I'd still wish someone…
THANK YOU! I have finally found someone who shares my opinion on this.
I feel like this series should not be that highly rated, it set unecessary and unjustified expectations for me when I started it. Like you mentioned, the fact that everyone accepted Joe's new reality was so off-putting and felt disconnected from reality. I also hated Ming SO much (not the actor, the character). The jealous-highly-possessive-borderline-narcissistic-lover narrative was not it and made me feel bad for Joe in so many scenes I lowkey wanted him to end up with Sol. I like the parallel you did with Addicted, although in Addicted the possessive relationship was better portrayed imo.
Anyway globally the series was okay, I didn't finish it and mainly watched it for Poom sadly.
Markohm is such a good pairing
Secondly, it was pretty common for a lot of BLs, especially Japanese BL manga/yaoi, to include problematic themes like SA. Unfortunately, I think since a lot of BL media was written by women during a time when gay relationships were often stigmatized/fetishized, that might explain why there were so many SA scenes.
That being said, Timmy and Johnny had great chemistry as a couple, which was something a lot of BL shows from that time lacked in my opinion. Their acting felt really genuine, and they totally nailed their roles in Addicted. Even the second couple had great chemistry and some funny moments. Overall, from what I remember, the vibe of the whole series was heartwarming, it felt like watching a coming-of-age story with teens trying to figure themselves out and falling in love.
I’d say it’s probably still popular today because of nostalgia. I’d encourage you to finish the series, but since it’s incomplete and got cancelled, it’s probably okay to drop it, lol—especially with so many amazing BLs out now with much better production!
I feel like this series should not be that highly rated, it set unecessary and unjustified expectations for me when I started it. Like you mentioned, the fact that everyone accepted Joe's new reality was so off-putting and felt disconnected from reality. I also hated Ming SO much (not the actor, the character). The jealous-highly-possessive-borderline-narcissistic-lover narrative was not it and made me feel bad for Joe in so many scenes I lowkey wanted him to end up with Sol. I like the parallel you did with Addicted, although in Addicted the possessive relationship was better portrayed imo.
Anyway globally the series was okay, I didn't finish it and mainly watched it for Poom sadly.