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 felt like fan-service 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.
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.
Was this review helpful to you?
