littlebluemonster

I actually think Krailert and Naran also share a lot in common. But the difference between them and TrinTanwa is that LertRan don't open up their minds and hearts to each other like Trin and Tanwa does. That's why the crack between them gets bigger.

Lert and Ran can communicate through lyrics and books, and that's very romantic. That's one of the biggest things they have in common, but they seldom have real conversations about other things.

Despite both of them having a female partner, they don't have any affection towards them. Not romantically, not sexually. So it makes sense they both crave a lot of physical affection once they found each other. And maybe also coz they have had to hide their sexuality, so there's a lot of suppression, and that only made them crave even more intimacy. Or it could just be their love language, idk.

But yea, I agree they don't share the same beliefs and thoughts about what is right to a *certain* extent. That's actually similar to Trin and Tanwa at first too, but Trin and Tanwa always listened and pondered on each other's perspectives. I also think TrinTanwa had a bit more freedom to do that compared to LertRan? So that probably made it easier for them to understand each other. Whereas LertRan are in restricted circumstances and it's harder for them to change their stance.

But I think Krailert also shares Naran's beliefs and thoughts, it's just that he was forced to change, and he also made a choice to succumb to power to succeed and to survive. I remember seeing someone's comment here saying Naran is probably someone Krailert wished he could be.

At first, I also felt that what LertRan shared was mostly physical up till Ep5. Like they were completely sucked in and engulfed by their passion for each other, whenever they met, they had to make out instead of sharing heart-to-heart conversations (those love letter columns in the newspaper don't count coz they weren't communicating face to face). That's why their relationship felt lacking to me in the beginning. Something was just missing.

But in hindsight, I realize it was supposed to be that way. Maybe deep down they knew they had huge differences in certain aspects and it would be hard to overcome, so they just lived in the moment and jumped straight to having s*x, while conveniently avoiding the conversation they should be having—their differences in beliefs.

Just a quick comparison, Trin and Tanwa aren't afraid of sharing their views with each other all the time even though they're different. And TrinTanwa may end up disagreeing and being upset with each other (like when Trin calls out Tanwa), they always come back to each other to talk things out. But with LertRan, they seldom talk. And when they do, they get more emotional, end up fighting, and try to convince the other person to change or stop. But clearly, they are both too stubborn to change. That said, I think it's also easier said than done being in their shoes.

Lert wants to protect the people too, but he doesn't have enough power. Instead, he's forced into a marriage and has become his superior's puppet. Maybe that's why when he found out Ran was his soulmate, he felt an even stronger affection for him. Maybe.

But yea...like many people have said, their relationship is bound to lead to a sad ending. Not because they refuse to resolve their differences, but more like they can't due to their positions. But after Ep6, I have a feeling that there's a high chance Lert would sacrifice himself to protect Ran. ☹

And yes, Trin and Tanwa are truly a match made in heaven 🧡 There could still be things that might break them apart, but the love and connection they share is just so beautiful and precious to me.

I think that depends on how things develop. Trin and Tanwa may seem like total opposites at first with nothing in common, but as the story unfolds, they grow closer, and we learn more about them, they actually share a lot of similarities.

Both of them are dealing with the pain and trauma of losing a loved one. One is so uptight and doesn't know how to relax or be happy, making it his armor. The other is too afraid of feeling pain again, so he puts up a happy front and runs away from everything. Both of them are afraid of facing some part in them, because facing it would break them. They are two broken souls, and they found comfort and happiness in each other. They have built strong trust and love between each other, healing each other along the way, opening their minds to different perspectives, and slowly merging their worlds together because they listen to each other's voices. Oh, both of them also find solace in music by creating music.

By now, they have slowly learned to understand each other's differences. They may not see eye to eye about everything yet, and it's unrealistic if they do anyway, but they are more than just opposites that attract at this point.

"Tanwa should not even be a main lead and is only here to bring in the actor's fan, stay mad"

You've indirectly disregarded the actor's efforts and the work of the creator and teams involved. If you don't care, then don't be disrespectful to those people. And just because a viewer respects an actor's work, it doesn't make them a fanatic.

Your sarcasm is also super cringe, btw. Have a nice day.

If you can't see the beauty in Tanwa's character, that's your problem. If you can't relate to or empathize with Tanwa's character, maybe good for you if you've never experienced similar pain. If a viewer doesn't like a certain character, fine. But to attack the actor it just shows you're a hater. Period.

I think what makes Naran angrier could be that he knows Lert is a good man, but he's been keeping quiet and helping his boss cover up all the dirty work.

Remember when Naran got angry and lowkey defended Lert when there were rumors about Lert being bribed or something? I feel that Naran believed Lert would never do such a thing and hurt the people at first. But as things unfolded and escalated, his trust in Lert was shaken, that's why he's questioning Lert now.

Maybe he's not just mad that Lert condoned all his boss's evildoing. Maybe he's also mad at himself for being in love with someone who turned out to be like this. When Lert said he'd protect the people he loves, I think Naran didn't think to include himself since he probably(?) has no idea what Lert did for him.

And ugh, Padoem. I was honestly pissed to see Tanwa worried about his dad, though I'd probably be the same if I were Tanwa. Lol 🫠🫠

Same! I also like activist Victor more. But I think showing a different side of him makes his character more interesting. I didn't mind that he had a crush on Trin (coz obviously he wouldn't stand a chance lolol). And thanks to Victor, we got to see the unwavering side of Trin, which I absolutely LOVE.

Victor's persistence was both uncomfortable and nerve-racking to watch, because it felt like Trin might just cave in the end. Part of me knows Trin wouldn't, because that's just not something Trin would do. But ya know, writers like messing up characters like that just to create plot twists. So annoying.

I really like Victor's friendship with Trin. Before the story hinted at Victor's crush, I thought they'd eventually become close like brothers.

"This is what makes Tanwa's love feel more mature." —spot on. I feel that many people fail to notice this. Trin and Tanwa's relationship, the connection they share, and what attracts them to each other aren't exactly spelled out, though I think it couldn't be any clearer but seems like it still wasn't clear enough for a lot of people. But to see people call Tanwa childish or immature just shows they don't understand Tanwa's character at all.

Thank you for putting Trin and Tanwa's relationship into such beautiful words!! Reading this makes me want to cry because Trin and Tanwa's relationship is just so beautiful 😭😭😭 Two broken souls healing each other. Trin and Tanwa are so precious. Whatever happens in the world of 'Shine', I hope Trin and Tanwa get to grow old happily together. 🥺🧡

You can check out oddsare's recap for each episode under the comments here. Absolutely spot on.

Always looking forward to your recaps. Thank you for sharing them! And thank you for covering the historical aspects coz I'm not familiar with them and I struggle with learning history, so your recaps really helped me grasp and appreciate the details for those historical parts that I've missed.

I'm also glad the series won't make it to the massacre coz that's just too dark and heavy I don't think my heart can handle it 😩

After some thought, I feel that besides being a hot-blooded youth, Victor might assume Trin fell for Tanwa's sexual appeal since Tanwa gave people that impression. Victor, like many other viewers here, thinks that Tanwa's just a strange, annoying, empty-headed guy who fools around and serves no purpose. But we know Tanwa's so much more than that especially with Trin, and that's the side of Tanwa most people don't see, be it in the drama or even among viewers.

I just hope Victor will stop forcing himself onto Trin again because it doesn't only make Trin uncomfortable, it's also disrespectful. If Victor really loves Trin, he shouldn't do something that makes Trin feel that way.

I know people might even compare Victor and Tanwa's behavior, saying Tanwa never respects Trin either like how he doesn't listen to Trin when Trin tells him to leave and Tanwa refuses. But what people don't realize is, Trin subtly *lets* Tanwa do whatever he wants and Trin, even though reluctant sometimes, would just play along because he knows it makes Tanwa happy (and Trin lowkey feels happy too but he's too uptight to admit that sometimes lol). Trin is no pushover. If he really wanted Tanwa to leave, he would've made Tanwa leave. But he didn't. And even when Tanwa kissed him, Trin never rejected, which is *entirely* different from his reaction to Victor's attempt.

And about LertRan's previous NC scenes, I have read some of the analyses about their relationship and dynamics, and I do think the NC scenes suited them even though it wasn't really my cup of tea either. I appreciate their storyline and how they are the total opposite of TrinTanwa.

I saw people saying LertRan or TrinTanwa (or just specifically Tanwa) not contributing to the story, which I also disagree, because obviously that's absurd. All characters—Trin, Tanwa, Khailert, Naran, Peter, Dhevi, Veera, Dao, and even other supporting characters are needed in this story to make it more colorful.

I've even seen people question the purpose of Moira, and I think she also plays an important part in this story. She has an omnipresent existence, as if knowing everyone's secrets, and says what needs to be said, just like with Tanwa and Lert's scenes at the bar.

I get having a preference because I have them too, but I feel that the comment section here is really becoming a bit ridiculous with all the hate and attacks on certain main characters. Like, how about everyone hate Tanwa's dad instead??? Or Khailert's boss?? They're the real a$$holes here. Lol

Love this! This should be pinned at the top for people to better understand Tanwa's character. Then again, I feel that people who dislike Tanwa just refuses to actually understand him at all.

The way people are finding things to hate on Tanwa and making no sense at all is becoming hilarious... It just shows they don't understand Tanwa's character.

THIS. Like, I was actually pissed Tanwa was worried about his father. I mean, that just means Tanwa is human too, and if I were in his place, I might also worry about my abusive father, but I'd still hate him to the core. His father doesn't deserve any empathy.

Veera's probably put 2 and 2 together about his boss and Naran by now. Would Veera stay loyal to Khailert? Since he helped Trin and let Victor go, I'm hoping Veera's a good man too and he cares for the people. He also seems genuinely worried about Khailert so far....

And I actually think Veera actually knows his boss is gay this whole time. That's why he takes more care of Dhevi and doesn't feel guilty facing Khailert because he knows Lert doesn't love Dhevi.

Now, TrinTanwa had me on the floor. 😭😭 MileApo!!!!! Their chemistry is crazy. Even with 3/4 of the episode of Trin and Tanwa not sharing any screentime, you can feel the other person's presence. You can feel they were both still thinking of each other. From Tanwa being heartbroken at the bar, to him getting worried when he heard the students were involved, because he knew Trin would step in. Then there's Trin turning down Victor whenever he tried to kiss him because it proves Trin loves Tanwa, and after a long day when Trin wanted to be alone, what he said to Tanwa echoed in my head, "You're never there when I'm sad."

Tanwa never showed up the whole time, though I was wondering when and hoping that he would. But when Trin decided to walk home and you can see him trying so hard to hold himself together, I felt so sad for him because you know he wanted Tanwa by his side at the time. And then.....Tanwa was there waiting for him. Trin's face when he spotted Tanwa instantly made me cry. I knew he was going to break down. And seeing him breaking down in front of Tanwa like that was just so heartwrenching but also beautiful. Because to have someone like that in your life is so precious. Tanwa was his safe space, his comfort zone. He needed Tanwa and Tanwa was there for him this time.

It was also such a perfect pacing for the politic arc to escalate and the protest to happen, to lead to Trin's turn to share his trauma with Tanwa now. And Tanwa just listening to him, embracing all of Trin's sadness, and still making him smile again at the end. He made Trin smile. That's just— 😭😭😭 These two made me cry and then have a big smile on my face the next minute. Lol. Seriously.

Love has many definitions. A mature relationship has many definitions. I've seen quite some people say LertRan are more mature or their relationship is more mature and TrinTanwa's relationship are like childish kids' and they act like school boys. But for me, the type that touches my heart the most is when two people build a strong emotional bond and are able to be emotionally vulnerable with each other. That's what I see in TrinTanwa. I love that TrinTanwa didn't rush into having sex (especially when they were both so emotionally messed up at first), and just took their time getting closer. And just because the way they've interacted before this hasn't been that sensual compared to LertRan, it doesn't make them any less mature.

Adults come in different forms. There's no one way an adult should be. LertRan and TrinTanwa are all mature adults dealing with different problems, who grew up in different environments, and have different perspectives on life. No one is more mature or childish than the other. It's narrow-minded to think an adult must be acting a certain way, or that a mature relationship should come in a certain form.

Lastly, I just have to say, Apo, what an amazing actor you are. He spoke through his eyes the entire episode. From Trin's concerns to the politic affairs, to his discomfort with Victor's advances, to his brotherly love for Victor, to his pain and trauma, to finding his comfort and happiness in Tanwa. Trin didn't have to say a word the entire episode and you could still feel his emotions. And his messy hair?? Hella charming. Also not gonna lie, I squealed when he took out that trumpet!!! Like, Trin plays an instrument??? Now he's got one more thing in common with Tanwa and that's just so sweet 🥺❤️

Two more episodes left. How are things gonna end?

Wow, Mile and Apo blew me away in Ep6. Especially Apo!!! In previous episode, Mile really had his shining moment. And this episode, Apo had his. Just when I was skeptical about TrinTanwa securing more screentime because the politics arc was escalating, Trin and Tanwa took me through a rollercoaster of emotions.

But first, I'll quickly touch on LertRan's arc. It was nice to finally see more of LertRan actually talking to each other (even if they were yelling). Not in secret codes, not in love letters, not while or after they've had sex. Even though they were in disagreement, I really loved that we could finally see them communicating in a straightforward manner. Yes, secret codes, metaphors, love letters are their thing, but to see them talking or even arguing like that was such a breath of fresh air.

All this time, we've only seen them speaking almost in codes, not exactly being direct. Even though we know the love is there, perhaps for some of us (or maybe just me), it wasn't that convincing. And I think that's why some people (or just me) felt that betrayal could happen between them. But seeing Lert so hurt as Ran yelled in his face was quite heartbreaking. I think they needed that, though, because it's been an elephant in the room ever since they got together. There's no way to ignore it. The conflict's bound to happen. And I'm glad they (at least Naran is, but I also think Lert is trying) were being completely straightforward and not being vague with their words. And it's funny coz compared to all their NC scenes, the part after the protest with Ran losing it in front of Lert was the scene I felt the strongest love between them, even though it came with pain.

I don't know what's going to happen to LertRan. Not just about their relationship, but more so their safety. I also thought Victor was gonna die after getting rejected, but I'm glad he survived, which brings me to Victor and Trin.

Trin. Wow. He did not disappoint me. Often, we've seen writers make a lead character act out of character just to give the story a plot twist or create misunderstanding. Glad we don't have that many episodes here for them to drag things out. Lol. The way Trin handled everything, from the insults thrown at him by the students to Victor's confession, he kept his composure, he tried to keep them out of danger, he genuinely cared and worried for them. What I love most, was how he turned down Victor in the gentlest way, still showed him that he cared, yet kept the line so clear. To be fair, how can Victor not fall for Trin. It's Trin we're talking about. Though I admit I didn't quite like how Victor was a bit pushy and didn't take no for an answer, and Trin had to stop him several times. That said, I completely get where Victor's coming from. Him seeing Tanwa's car at the end will probably, and hopefully, make him accept Trin's rejection. It's not so much about him getting between TrinTanwa, but it irks me if he disregards and doesn't respect Trin's feelings.

Yea, watching the ending of Tanwa leaving in Ep5...I just hope Tanwa wouldn't think someone he loves will leave him again. That will only make him close himself off even more. But it's also not Trin's obligation to take on all of Tanwa's baggage.

Honestly, neither of them are at fault. It's just unfortunately a process they have to go through and work through together if they wanna make this possible. This, or one of them just has to compromise a lot, which sounds like a terrible idea to me.

I just hope their love for each other is strong enough to keep them from giving up. I think Trin has been quite patient with Tanwa already and he's only human. Anyone in his shoes would be frustrated too or maybe even give up on Tanwa already.

Erm....having more sex doesn't necessarily mean they are more mature adults though. People can be immature yet still have tons of sex. But in LertRan's case, they're definitely not immature, but I also don't think it means they are more mature just because sex is happening a lot in their relationship.

Exactly. I'm actually quite confused about Ran and Dao's relationship. Maybe there are some missing context due to translations, but we know Dao's parents doesn't like Ran, so why are they still doing this instead of persuading Dao to find someone who fits their standards?

I get that Ran might not dare break up with her for various reasons. But I'm sure it wouldn't be hard for Dao to meet another man who's richer and more powerful. If Ran were some influential journalist, I'd get it, but he isn't. I don't remember Ran having powerful backing from his family either. So why is Dao and her family still wanting him?

Idk... Maybe it could be as simple as Dao wanting no one else but Ran, and just wants to shape him into the man she wants, and her family lets her get her way so they're helping her.