This review may contain spoilers
Three months later, I still think about this show everyday
Shine is beautifully written, with a top-tier cinematography, and tackles topics that are, to a certain extent, still relevant today. The characters (and their relationships) are complex, nuanced, and there is an explanation for all of their actions — which makes them painfully human.Trin is the character that stole my heart the most. By the end of the fist episode, I was already attached to him, and my love for him kept growing after that. He’s endearing, touching, and even if I found him a little frustrating at times, I could always see the deeper reason behind his actions/reactions, and I could never stay mad for long. Thank you to Apo Nattawin for bringing him to life so brilliantly — his acting was flawless and he should get an award yesterday.
I could say the same about Tanwa: I adore him, and i believe that even the moments where I felt like he was annoying me were proof of how well-written his character is, because as soon as I’d take what I knew about his character into account, I would completely understand him. Mile excelled in this role too, I love how there was no trace of his previous character.
Maybe it’s because Kinnporsche wasn’t my cup of tea, but it was in Shine that Mileapo really came into their own in my eyes. This time, I could fully appreciate their chemistry, and I was taken aback. This is one of the reasons why I have to disagree with most of the comments I’ve seen, saying that SonEuro stole the show. The other reason is that Trintanwa have everything I like in a romance (a fictional one, at least.) They made me cry, they made me laugh, they made me melt — sometimes all at the same time — and they kept me at the edge of my seat until the very end. I can’t say I disagree with those who said they wished we could’ve seen more of them, but I also feel like what we got is enough to see how beautiful their love is.
Though I can’t say the same for Krailert and Naran, I like their characters individually, I liked the idea of their relationship (enemies (kinda) to lovers, forbidden love, doomed because they are on opposites sides…you name it.) and the actors really did have great chemistry. Even if this is the kind of love story that I generally stop finding interesting after the characters get together, that didn't make me love the series any less, as I at least liked the angst.
However, in the last episode, I couldn’t help but feel like their ending was a little drawn out. It was heartbreaking and also beautiful in its own way, but I wish some scenes weren’t as long so we could’ve seen more of Trin and Tanwa. But despite it’s flaws, the last episode (and the series in general) still gave me everything I wanted or needed.
And last but not least: Victor. If Trin is my favorite character, he and Tanwa both come in a close second. What I liked the most about him was his relationship with Trin; the love and protectiveness they had for each other was beautiful and touching, even if Victor’s romantic feelings always remained clearly unrequited (especially because of it, in my opinion.)
As for the political aspect of the series, it was fascinating, and like I said, still relevant today. I love how it showed different sides, how conflicts were represented at the intergroup level and at the intra-individual level, with characters questioning themselves, torn between their social position, the duties weighing on them and/or the orders they have learned to follow, the pressure from society and their families; and what they think is right or wrong, their morals, their loved ones — their hearts.
Shine also shows us the reality of the damage homophobia has done in the past in a raw, sometimes really brutal and graphic way. Therefore, some scenes are quite heavy and hard to watch, but even if they make us want to look away, I think they should make us reflect on how homophobia is still rampant nowadays, on the damage it still does.
One one hand, this series isn’t for an audience that needs to be spoonfed to be able to understand the plot and/or the characters, or that there’s more to a love story than the ship, who’s top and who’s bottom and etcetera. On the other hand, this is the kind of series that is always worth watching, for the message it carries and for all the things it teaches us.
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