Reviews

It's one of the best

The drama was amazing, both actors are talented. The plot in the novel seems light when i read it at first, and not long i felt boring. But in the drama despite following the same plot but ofc with some detail, they made it a drama i'm waiting for the new episode everyday. Their chemistry was just insane, how they look at each other was just full of love. Zhao jinmai is a really excellent actress, too bad that she wasn't as popular as other actress despite being a child-actress. Shine on me is one of the drama i will rewatch for the comfort it gives after AASOL which is also played by zhao jinmai

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Definitely worth your time

One of my favorite drama. The story was long but worth to watch<3. I’ve learned a lot of things while watching this drama especially with the main characters.

Romance: 9/10
A lot of sacrifice were made in the story but it’s slightly exaggerated.

Action: 7/10
It’s not that it’s bad. There’s just not enough screentime of combats.

Following the story wasn’t quite easy. The names were hard to remember, the beginning was a bit rushed and it took me a while to understand what exactly is her goal. Episode was more understandable.

The visual is so pretty (although some parts we can’t get over the green screen)

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This started strong, dragged a bit in the middle, and had a rather disappointing ending. I watched the uncut version, so it had a happy ending, but I found it disappointing all the same.

I liked the mythological storyline and much preferred it to the crime storyline, despite the low-budget CGI. The crime storyline dragged a bit at times, especially in the middle. Did we need to see the whole love affair of Art and Kao played out? It was beautifully acted (especially by Art) and compelling of its own right, but had no bearing to the overall storyline so an entire episode dedicated to it was a waste. The filler episode dedicated to the side couple felt the same way, especially since we barely saw their romance through the rest of the series. The fact that Khem got shot at the end and they completely gloss over it and never mention it again is a testament to that. I would have rather had more time spent wrapping the story up, rather than the leads reuniting less than 10 minutes from the end. Some of the fight sequences dragged on too long as well, particularly the opening sequence. It took me a while to get started because the opening is a bunch of fighting and shooting and you don’t even know who’s who to know what’s happening yet. Also, the crime storyline was related to Tharn’s parents’ death while the mythological storyline was directly tied to the romance, so the mythological storyline enhanced the romance whereas there were definitely times where I felt the romance was overshadowed by the crime storyline.

I loved the concept of the romance - reincarnation, soulmates, forbidden love. But wow Tharn pissed me off so many times, and his reasoning and actions in the end cheapened the whole relationship, in my opinion. He disregarded Phaya’s concerns so many times — ignoring and dismissing his dreams when he himself wants Phaya to listen to his visions, or continuing to attempt to contact the doctor after promising Phaya he would trust him and stay away. He often acted flippant, ignoring calls or having an unfriendly attitude, for no real reason. He didn’t return the level of affection that Phaya gave to him. In the scene directly after they finally get together and Phaya has a nightmare, he doesn’t even hug him. And in the morning, he goes around pushing Phaya away and semi-rejecting his affection. Phaya was so sweet in giving verbal and physical affection, and I don’t think Tharn reciprocated in the slightest. Yes, he was willing to sacrifice his life for Phaya’s, but that’s the extent of it. The worst was when Phaya was in a coma in the hospital, fighting for his life, and Tharn actively chose not to stay in the hospital and instead went about working and investigating his parents’ death. And not only that, but he let the doctor console him, crying on his shoulder and holding his hands. It was like an on and off switch — one minute he cared and was crying, and the next he looked totally unaffected and dedicated to work.

And the end, when Tharn chose to stay with the doctor for an entire YEAR while Phaya was desperately searching for him, unsure if he was even alive, because he was worried about the doctor “suffering” was horrifying. Because what about Phaya suffering for that entire year? And the doctor was the one who has been trying to break them up and kill Phaya this entire time, so why does he deserve any grace? Yes, Tharn justifies it by saying he wanted to convince the doctor to stop breaking them apart in this life and future ones, but then in the special episode he talks about how the doctor was there for him and saved him after he lost loved ones AGAIN. Totally ignoring the fact that the doctor was the one responsible for killing said loved ones in the first place! And the fact that they gave the doctor a redemption arc, saying he “let” Tharn return to Phaya, as if that was something he had the right to dictate in the first place…I was seething.

Plus, Tharn tries to play this placating middleman in half the scenes where the doctor and Phaya are physically battling. Even in the past life flashback, Tharn just stands around while the doctor is actively strangling Phaya and begs him to stop instead of physically intervening. When he’s dying in the end, he tells both the doctor and Phaya to stop fighting as if Phaya is doing something wrong by trying to stop the doctor from killing him and stealing Tharn away. He chooses to go with the doctor in both the past and present life to “keep the peace” instead of fighting for Phaya like Phaya is willing to fight for him. Why is it Phaya standing up to the doctor and telling him Tharn doesn’t love him instead of Tharn telling him himself? He was never once straight up with the doctor — he should have told him point blank that he was in a relationship with Phaya and that he loved him, but he didn’t even once disclose his relationship status. Tharn is a spineless man with no conviction that’s willing to die for love but not willing to fight for love.

I also didn’t like all the secrets between Tharn and Phaya, and sometimes for seemingly no reason. Pharn should have told Tharn about the doctor way before he actually did. Tharn should have trusted and believed him when he did. And Tharn would just lie for no reason sometimes. Like why did he tell Phaya there were no updates to the Kao case when he’d just been told that the fiancé had agreed to handover evidence? Phaya finds out two seconds later anyways when Tharn has a vision of the fiancé being murdered and has to warn the team, so what was the point?

That being said, I really liked that both leads were complete equals and equally capable. They were both responsible for protecting each other, which is something you rarely see in BLs - normally they stereotype the top into that role as if the two are related. There’s no power dynamics either. Even if there are times where one might tell the other what to do, there’s never a case where they’re unable to refuse or are physically forced or coerced into something.

There were a few confusing things about the plot. One is the whole past life Tharn. It’s explained that Tharn was a female in his past life, and the dreams Phaya have show a woman played by a female actor. But in all the flashback scenes, the “woman” is portrayed by the same actor as Tharn - looks male, dressed male, but with long hair and addressed as if they were female. I didn’t understand that. Why not have the same actor play both the dream and flashback versions of Tharn? And even if you were going to have the male actor do it, why dress him male instead of female if she’s supposed to be a woman?

Second is the whole karma thing. It’s said that Tharn had bad karma from wronging people in his past life and they’re out to kill him and his loved ones in this life. His life is intertwined with Phaya’s, and he needs to protect Phaya because Phaya will rid him of his bad karma. But that’s not what ends up happening at all. No one is out to kill Tharn. The only bad guy we see is the doctor, who is out to kill Phaya and keep Tharn alive because he wants Tharn to himself. And the only loved one that is killed is a dead ex that was alluded to. (Side note but I take issue with the dead ex plot point, especially given that it’s only mentioned in passing once. Was that necessary? His parents would have been a better choice.) His parents’ deaths were attributed to the crime storyline and not the mythological one. And how exactly did Phaya rid Tharn of his bad karma, even if you take that to refer to the doctor? Because he loses to the doctor in the final battle in every life, this one included.

None of the Luangpor’s prophecy came true, so all the advice he gave seemed like complete nonsense as a result. Yes he provided the protective amulet, but he did nothing else useful. He told Tharn to live with him at the temple, except no one was out for him or his family because the doctor never wanted to kill him or his family. He kept going on about giving merit and mindfulness and meditation and enlightenment and how morals should be dictated by Buddhist precepts, but none of that ever had any tangible impact on anything. And because it had no tangible impact, it came off as preachy, like if a pastor character kept going on about praying and Bible-defined sin but neither had any visible magical results in the fictional universe. Plus he knew from the start that the doctor was evil, but did nothing to warn Tharn or protect him. So I don’t get what his purpose was or why Tharn and Phaya had so much respect for him.

And third, the idea that the whole high-power corrupt criminal / political network came immediately tumbling down the minute they caught Montree was ridiculous, especially given that he had an even higher power backer. It took them what, 15 years to catch Montree due to corrupt interference, and you’re telling me there was no corrupt interference getting Montree and everyone else associated off the hook this time around?

Also, I took issue with the whole messaging that legal justice always prevails, even if it takes longer, but that’s just blatantly untrue. They even prove it in the series, with all those rapists that got off scot-free and the whole corrupt political network. Just because there was eventually legal evidence to arrest one of the rapists does not negate that the others were under-punished or that many, many people were roaming free due to corruption. The inspector kept wailing on about following the rules and not letting personal matters interfere when he himself was breaking the rules and letting personal matters interfere by investigating his brother’s death and Montree’s association.

And fourth is more minor, but the 2nd couple had some kind of break up going on in the beginning, with Khem saying they were still together and Thongtai saying they were broken up. But it’s never mentioned again and they act like a couple through the entire series, getting engaged in the end. That should have been properly explained, especially given that there was a filler episode largely dedicated to showing how they originally got together.

The special episode was a bit lackluster for me. It was more crime/action focused, when I wanted something more character/romance-oriented. Since I preferred the fantasy to the crime in the first place, I just wasn’t that interested in the storyline. The only place the fantasy came in was Phaya’s past-life brother suddenly revealing himself and helping to defeat a henchman. It didn’t even make sense, because he didn’t show up when fighting the doctor, but he helped to defeat a henchman? The brother also warned that Phaya and Tharn’s powers would wane if they were too far apart, but nothing ever came of that, which was really disappointed. That would have been a much more interesting dynamic to explore. There was also a kid they had to take care of and a shall-we-have-a-baby dynamic, which is never my favorite.

There were some sweet moments and an NC scene in the first half of the special episode, but not much in the second half. We didn’t get an ending kiss either. And it really pissed me off that Tharn brought up the doctor in a positive light, talking about how he helped save him when he lost loved ones, when the doctor was the one responsible for their deaths.

There were some consent / boundary issues, but relatively non-egregious for BL standards. (Although I live for the day when consent issues as a whole aren’t normalized, and I don’t have to consider it a good day when they’re “only minor.”)

The scene that bothered me the most is when Tharn is in the bathroom, drunk, and Phaya comes in and reaches around him and helps him zip his zipper up. They’re not even really friends at that point, more just colleagues, so their relationship isn’t anywhere near that level. Tharn pushes him away and protests and then pushes him away again when Phaya says something about pulling it back down again if Tharn doesn’t need his help. Phaya also asks if Tharn is single, but the tone is kind of intimidating (I don’t know if that’s the right word, really). The whole interaction was kind of like a high school bully that’s only bullying you because they like you, basically. It also felt out of character, because Phaya is never that egregious with overstepping boundaries like that again.

Aside from that, there’s a scene where Tharn is drunk and leans into kissing distance, but ultimately doesn’t go in for a kiss. Phaya kisses his forehead. For their first kiss, Phaya grabs Tharn as he’s leaving and kisses his cheek, then his lips. Tharn doesn’t pull away but he doesn’t welcome it either - he gives a soft rejection (“let’s go to bed”) and avoids him after. Tharn liked Phaya at the time but wouldn’t admit it to himself, but the point is he wasn’t given the opportunity to consent because it happened so quickly and he likely would not have consented if he had been given the opportunity. Phaya doesn’t respect Tharn’s space in the aftermath - he kept pushing to get Tharn to let him drop Tharn home and to go out to eat, basically trying to get Tharn to stop avoiding him.

There’s one scene where Phaya pretends his bike is broken so he can stay overnight at Tharn’s, but he sleeps on the couch by his own choice. There’s also a different scene where Tharn grabs Phaya in his sleep, and Phaya takes that as an invitation to stay in the bed and sleep instead of going back to the couch. He also touches Tharn’s face and pulls him even closer to cuddle. There’s a point where Phaya invites Tharn over to his house because he wants to introduce him to his family. He tells his family in advance but only tells Tharn it’s a surprise, so Tharn doesn’t really get a choice in the matter. And overall, I felt Phaya was too grabby when trying to get Tharn not to leave. He was never forceful though, as in refusing to let go or actually preventing him from leaving, which is a step up from other BLs.

When Phaya thinks Tharn told the doctor about his dreams, he gets violent, including punching Tharn in the face hard enough for him to bleed. He’s also overly jealous of the doctor, sometimes reasonably given his knowledge of the doctor’s intentions, and sometimes unreasonably. He goes behind Tharn’s back and tells the doctor to stay away at one point, and also gets in a physical fight with the doctor at another point. But he never forces Tharn to cut contact with the doctor. He does request that he keep away from the doctor towards the end of the series and gets upset when Tharn wants to contact him, but it’s justified by that point because Phaya knows that the doctor is evil by that point.

The NC scenes were fairly explicit (naked ass, stimulated sex). They were okay, but a bit mechanical. The light orb effect over NC / romantic scenes was really annoying though. Their first proper kiss was a bit of a disappointment as well. It was shown from a really faraway camera angle and cut away too fast.

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This started strong, dragged a bit in the middle, and had a rather disappointing ending. I watched the uncut version, so it had a happy ending, but I found it disappointing all the same.

I liked the mythological storyline and much preferred it to the crime storyline, despite the low-budget CGI. The crime storyline dragged a bit at times, especially in the middle. Did we need to see the whole love affair of Art and Kao played out? It was beautifully acted (especially by Art) and compelling of its own right, but had no bearing to the overall storyline so an entire episode dedicated to it was a waste. The filler episode dedicated to the side couple felt the same way, especially since we barely saw their romance through the rest of the series. The fact that Khem got shot at the end and they completely gloss over it and never mention it again is a testament to that. I would have rather had more time spent wrapping the story up, rather than the leads reuniting less than 10 minutes from the end. Some of the fight sequences dragged on too long as well, particularly the opening sequence. It took me a while to get started because the opening is a bunch of fighting and shooting and you don’t even know who’s who to know what’s happening yet. Also, the crime storyline was related to Tharn’s parents’ death while the mythological storyline was directly tied to the romance, so the mythological storyline enhanced the romance whereas there were definitely times where I felt the romance was overshadowed by the crime storyline.

I loved the concept of the romance - reincarnation, soulmates, forbidden love. But wow Tharn pissed me off so many times, and his reasoning and actions in the end cheapened the whole relationship, in my opinion. He disregarded Phaya’s concerns so many times — ignoring and dismissing his dreams when he himself wants Phaya to listen to his visions, or continuing to attempt to contact the doctor after promising Phaya he would trust him and stay away. He often acted flippant, ignoring calls or having an unfriendly attitude, for no real reason. He didn’t return the level of affection that Phaya gave to him. In the scene directly after they finally get together and Phaya has a nightmare, he doesn’t even hug him. And in the morning, he goes around pushing Phaya away and semi-rejecting his affection. Phaya was so sweet in giving verbal and physical affection, and I don’t think Tharn reciprocated in the slightest. Yes, he was willing to sacrifice his life for Phaya’s, but that’s the extent of it. The worst was when Phaya was in a coma in the hospital, fighting for his life, and Tharn actively chose not to stay in the hospital and instead went about working and investigating his parents’ death. And not only that, but he let the doctor console him, crying on his shoulder and holding his hands. It was like an on and off switch — one minute he cared and was crying, and the next he looked totally unaffected and dedicated to work.

And the end, when Tharn chose to stay with the doctor for an entire YEAR while Phaya was desperately searching for him, unsure if he was even alive, because he was worried about the doctor “suffering” was horrifying. Because what about Phaya suffering for that entire year? And the doctor was the one who has been trying to break them up and kill Phaya this entire time, so why does he deserve any grace? Yes, Tharn justifies it by saying he wanted to convince the doctor to stop breaking them apart in this life and future ones, but then in the special episode he talks about how the doctor was there for him and saved him after he lost loved ones AGAIN. Totally ignoring the fact that the doctor was the one responsible for killing said loved ones in the first place! And the fact that they gave the doctor a redemption arc, saying he “let” Tharn return to Phaya, as if that was something he had the right to dictate in the first place…I was seething.

Plus, Tharn tries to play this placating middleman in half the scenes where the doctor and Phaya are physically battling. Even in the past life flashback, Tharn just stands around while the doctor is actively strangling Phaya and begs him to stop instead of physically intervening. When he’s dying in the end, he tells both the doctor and Phaya to stop fighting as if Phaya is doing something wrong by trying to stop the doctor from killing him and stealing Tharn away. He chooses to go with the doctor in both the past and present life to “keep the peace” instead of fighting for Phaya like Phaya is willing to fight for him. Why is it Phaya standing up to the doctor and telling him Tharn doesn’t love him instead of Tharn telling him himself? He was never once straight up with the doctor — he should have told him point blank that he was in a relationship with Phaya and that he loved him, but he didn’t even once disclose his relationship status. Tharn is a spineless man with no conviction that’s willing to die for love but not willing to fight for love.

I also didn’t like all the secrets between Tharn and Phaya, and sometimes for seemingly no reason. Pharn should have told Tharn about the doctor way before he actually did. Tharn should have trusted and believed him when he did. And Tharn would just lie for no reason sometimes. Like why did he tell Phaya there were no updates to the Kao case when he’d just been told that the fiancé had agreed to handover evidence? Phaya finds out two seconds later anyways when Tharn has a vision of the fiancé being murdered and has to warn the team, so what was the point?

That being said, I really liked that both leads were complete equals and equally capable. They were both responsible for protecting each other, which is something you rarely see in BLs - normally they stereotype the top into that role as if the two are related. There’s no power dynamics either. Even if there are times where one might tell the other what to do, there’s never a case where they’re unable to refuse or are physically forced or coerced into something.

There were a few confusing things about the plot. One is the whole past life Tharn. It’s explained that Tharn was a female in his past life, and the dreams Phaya have show a woman played by a female actor. But in all the flashback scenes, the “woman” is portrayed by the same actor as Tharn - looks male, dressed male, but with long hair and addressed as if they were female. I didn’t understand that. Why not have the same actor play both the dream and flashback versions of Tharn? And even if you were going to have the male actor do it, why dress him male instead of female if she’s supposed to be a woman?

Second is the whole karma thing. It’s said that Tharn had bad karma from wronging people in his past life and they’re out to kill him and his loved ones in this life. His life is intertwined with Phaya’s, and he needs to protect Phaya because Phaya will rid him of his bad karma. But that’s not what ends up happening at all. No one is out to kill Tharn. The only bad guy we see is the doctor, who is out to kill Phaya and keep Tharn alive because he wants Tharn to himself. And the only loved one that is killed is a dead ex that was alluded to. (Side note but I take issue with the dead ex plot point, especially given that it’s only mentioned in passing once. Was that necessary? His parents would have been a better choice.) His parents’ deaths were attributed to the crime storyline and not the mythological one. And how exactly did Phaya rid Tharn of his bad karma, even if you take that to refer to the doctor? Because he loses to the doctor in the final battle in every life, this one included.

None of the Luangpor’s prophecy came true, so all the advice he gave seemed like complete nonsense as a result. Yes he provided the protective amulet, but he did nothing else useful. He told Tharn to live with him at the temple, except no one was out for him or his family because the doctor never wanted to kill him or his family. He kept going on about giving merit and mindfulness and meditation and enlightenment and how morals should be dictated by Buddhist precepts, but none of that ever had any tangible impact on anything. And because it had no tangible impact, it came off as preachy, like if a pastor character kept going on about praying and Bible-defined sin but neither had any visible magical results in the fictional universe. Plus he knew from the start that the doctor was evil, but did nothing to warn Tharn or protect him. So I don’t get what his purpose was or why Tharn and Phaya had so much respect for him.

And third, the idea that the whole high-power corrupt criminal / political network came immediately tumbling down the minute they caught Montree was ridiculous, especially given that he had an even higher power backer. It took them what, 15 years to catch Montree due to corrupt interference, and you’re telling me there was no corrupt interference getting Montree and everyone else associated off the hook this time around?

Also, I took issue with the whole messaging that legal justice always prevails, even if it takes longer, but that’s just blatantly untrue. They even prove it in the series, with all those rapists that got off scot-free and the whole corrupt political network. Just because there was eventually legal evidence to arrest one of the rapists does not negate that the others were under-punished or that many, many people were roaming free due to corruption. The inspector kept wailing on about following the rules and not letting personal matters interfere when he himself was breaking the rules and letting personal matters interfere by investigating his brother’s death and Montree’s association.

And fourth is more minor, but the 2nd couple had some kind of break up going on in the beginning, with Khem saying they were still together and Thongtai saying they were broken up. But it’s never mentioned again and they act like a couple through the entire series, getting engaged in the end. That should have been properly explained, especially given that there was a filler episode largely dedicated to showing how they originally got together.

The special episode was a bit lackluster for me. It was more crime/action focused, when I wanted something more character/romance-oriented. Since I preferred the fantasy to the crime in the first place, I just wasn’t that interested in the storyline. The only place the fantasy came in was Phaya’s past-life brother suddenly revealing himself and helping to defeat a henchman. It didn’t even make sense, because he didn’t show up when fighting the doctor, but he helped to defeat a henchman? The brother also warned that Phaya and Tharn’s powers would wane if they were too far apart, but nothing ever came of that, which was really disappointed. That would have been a much more interesting dynamic to explore. There was also a kid they had to take care of and a shall-we-have-a-baby dynamic, which is never my favorite.

There were some sweet moments and an NC scene in the first half of the special episode, but not much in the second half. We didn’t get an ending kiss either. And it really pissed me off that Tharn brought up the doctor in a positive light, talking about how he helped save him when he lost loved ones, when the doctor was the one responsible for their deaths.

There were some consent / boundary issues, but relatively non-egregious for BL standards. (Although I live for the day when consent issues as a whole aren’t normalized, and I don’t have to consider it a good day when they’re “only minor.”)

The scene that bothered me the most is when Tharn is in the bathroom, drunk, and Phaya comes in and reaches around him and helps him zip his zipper up. They’re not even really friends at that point, more just colleagues, so their relationship isn’t anywhere near that level. Tharn pushes him away and protests and then pushes him away again when Phaya says something about pulling it back down again if Tharn doesn’t need his help. Phaya also asks if Tharn is single, but the tone is kind of intimidating (I don’t know if that’s the right word, really). The whole interaction was kind of like a high school bully that’s only bullying you because they like you, basically. It also felt out of character, because Phaya is never that egregious with overstepping boundaries like that again.

Aside from that, there’s a scene where Tharn is drunk and leans into kissing distance, but ultimately doesn’t go in for a kiss. Phaya kisses his forehead. For their first kiss, Phaya grabs Tharn as he’s leaving and kisses his cheek, then his lips. Tharn doesn’t pull away but he doesn’t welcome it either - he gives a soft rejection (“let’s go to bed”) and avoids him after. Tharn liked Phaya at the time but wouldn’t admit it to himself, but the point is he wasn’t given the opportunity to consent because it happened so quickly and he likely would not have consented if he had been given the opportunity. Phaya doesn’t respect Tharn’s space in the aftermath - he kept pushing to get Tharn to let him drop Tharn home and to go out to eat, basically trying to get Tharn to stop avoiding him.

There’s one scene where Phaya pretends his bike is broken so he can stay overnight at Tharn’s, but he sleeps on the couch by his own choice. There’s also a different scene where Tharn grabs Phaya in his sleep, and Phaya takes that as an invitation to stay in the bed and sleep instead of going back to the couch. He also touches Tharn’s face and pulls him even closer to cuddle. There’s a point where Phaya invites Tharn over to his house because he wants to introduce him to his family. He tells his family in advance but only tells Tharn it’s a surprise, so Tharn doesn’t really get a choice in the matter. And overall, I felt Phaya was too grabby when trying to get Tharn not to leave. He was never forceful though, as in refusing to let go or actually preventing him from leaving, which is a step up from other BLs.

When Phaya thinks Tharn told the doctor about his dreams, he gets violent, including punching Tharn in the face hard enough for him to bleed. He’s also overly jealous of the doctor, sometimes reasonably given his knowledge of the doctor’s intentions, and sometimes unreasonably. He goes behind Tharn’s back and tells the doctor to stay away at one point, and also gets in a physical fight with the doctor at another point. But he never forces Tharn to cut contact with the doctor. He does request that he keep away from the doctor towards the end of the series and gets upset when Tharn wants to contact him, but it’s justified by that point because Phaya knows that the doctor is evil by that point.

The NC scenes were fairly explicit (naked ass, stimulated sex). They were okay, but a bit mechanical. The light orb effect over NC / romantic scenes was really annoying though. Their first proper kiss was a bit of a disappointment as well. It was shown from a really faraway camera angle and cut away too fast.

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Mood of the Day? More Like Mood Ruined

This movie is honestly just a waste of time. Calling it a "time-wasting movie" is even being too kind. It’s just pointless.

So, the story’s about this guy who is a player, sleeping with women like his life depends on it. He meets his latest victim on the train only to discover that she’s not like the other girls. She’s different, or so she claims.

But nope. Plot twist: She’s exactly like the others. She ends up wanting the same thing ( if you know what I mean) every other woman in town has already had.

What’s even worse is how the movie tries to make their connection seem special. But the thing is, if he had spared the same energy and time to get to know any of the other girls, he probably would’ve fallen for them too. But oh wait- Mr. player doesn't give the other women time of day because they gave in too easily the first time despite the fact that he’s also giving it up the first time and not just once, but multiple times at at that. I just do not see the appeal in such character.

At the end of the day, this movie doesn’t offer anything new or interesting but rather offers quite a shallow story.

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Rak is the greenest green flag that ever flew.

"Us" is one of my all-time favorites. It's on my rewatch list, and even after several times, I still tear up in both happy and sad parts.

The screenwriters and director who built this beautiful love story from the dumpster fire of a novel by Chao Planoy did fantastic work and deserve credit for their willingness to make the necessary changes, which resulted in the best adaptation of any of Planoy's work to date. While it does still suffer from Planoy's tendency to throw every possible trauma at her characters, this adaptation manages to soften the conflicts that could have caused conflict between Rak and Pam and shifts the story into the type I prefer, where most of the challenges the couple must navigate that ultimately make them stronger are external to their relationship.

The chemistry between Emi and Boni is undeniable, and the acting and production quality in this series are excellent.

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Final Review: Enjoyable, colourful, and fun. Some issues towards the end but still worth a watch.

A vivid story with likeable characters that you end up rooting for, a great score accompanying it, and beauty everywhere you look. (From the actors to the scenery to the intricate costumes. It's all very bright and colourful and pretty.)


Pros:

- The characters are interesting. They all exist in a world at war, so none of them are free of biases and vices, but that makes them human and relatable.

- The main female character is charming. Often I find the main female character grating because she's written to be childish or unaware of what's going on, but even at the very beginning Xiao Yao is ingenious and likeable. She suffers from 'everyone likes me and most male characters are in love with me' but then almost all main female characters in Cdramas like this do.

- BingZhu is a fascinating character and is a highlight of this show for 90% of it. He's tortured, conflicted and principled and those three things don't work well together, leading to him having a horrible time throughout. (He's also fucked up and does some horrible things, but you understand why he does them.)

His friendship with Xiao Yao is also rather nice to see, because for once in a Cdrama like this I'm not stuck watching the second male lead pine for the main female lead and eventually realize she won't ever love him back. He liked Xiao Yao, but not like that and it was a delight.


Cons:

- Hong Ye as an all powerful demon king is interesting, but it doesn't help that this means they have a deus ex machina walking around so they chain him up and remove his power for a good part of this show. it means he's just decoration while Xiao Yao does shit and if he's your favourite that might drag a bit.

- The end is a bit of a mess. Still enjoyable and we do get closure for Xiao Yao, but it feels rushed and some of the character choices aren't my favourite.

Note: Spoilers!!
For example; BingZhu's character kind of gets assassinated towards the end when he willingly absorbs demonic energy to fight HongYe even though his entire character arc is 'I hate demons to my core and loathe all that they are (so I would never willingly become one) but I learn to see that the emperor is wrong to want to exterminate them all for his own gain since they are not all evil. I have seen the error of my ways. And yet I will go and fight the demon king I have learned to respect and work with - and who Xiao Yao loves - just so i can get back in the good graces of the emperor.' (Not to mention that PianPian absorbing the crystal heart is what caused her to lose herself, yet he's all of a sudden very willing to absorb demonic energy and stop being him.)

Second, at the end of the show they introduce three very interesting characters that we grow to like and then kill them off in very quick succession and without much fanfare just to power up BingZhu.

And you might not like the conclusion of Xiao Yao and Hong Ye's relationship.

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This drama exudes warmth.

Have you ever watched a drama where even the title perfectly resonates with the storyline? Shine on Me gave me warm feelings I didn’t even know I could have for a drama. I fell in love with the characters and the plot. Dare I say, I have never watched a drama and truly believed it was better than the book.
Maybe it’s an exaggeration, but the chemistry was absolutely on point, and the fluidity of the relationship was pure perfection—from the pursuit to marriage. I also really loved how the drama ended. In the drama world, most endings leave a sense of unfinished business, especially in some k-dramas and even certain C-dramas. I often feel like something is missing.
In books, we get epilogues and extras, and this drama gave me that same feeling. It felt complete. It was one of those rare dramas that ended well and left me with a genuine smile on my face. Best modern drama. This drama was 🎶the sun of my life🎶.

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It's worth it

I didn't realize that there wasn't a plot until I read the reviews. It's true, it can be boring in some parts but the chemistry...the longing in the eyes...the power of their love...It was amazing. Slow burn but with a force of love in those slow but intimate moment. It was what I was expecting, good acting and AouBoom were amazing, their story had more plot tho. There were some parts were I was confused, especially at the end, but overall you can miss those parts if you aren't that focused on second characters. I laughed, I cried, I screamed...that was all I wanted from a serie like that.

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Painfully captivating

I don't know why I took so long to watch Shine, because this series is a masterpiece. If Gelboys started the year with an impeccable and authentic work, Shine closed 2025 with a bold, political narrative full of emotion and beauty.

The story unfolds with a growing tension that is simply irresistible. The series manages to balance well the coldness and cruelty of the dictatorship with the indulgent freedom and rebellion of those who refused to live in a stolen democracy.

Without a doubt, the protagonists here are Krailert and Naran. The narrative between them is pure excellence. From the impeccable acting to the character development, the letters in the newspaper, the duality of their lives, the forbidden desire, the threats, the conflicts of their professions.

It's truly one of the most interesting narratives I've seen in a long time. It's captivating and agonizing at the same time. It's a tragic story but still endowed with such beauty and nuance. They truly steal the show and are responsible for carrying the most significant storylines of the series.

Dr. Trin and Tanwa work well together and it's obvious that the chemistry between them is irresistible. The acting is top tier and I I had no doubt that they would deliver another excellent piece of work here.

What surprises me is how their characters end up being overshadowed and detached from the main plot of the series. The entire romance between them is choppy and fails to develop at an interesting pace.

Tanwa is the one who loses the most here. He's a character who feels disconnected from the plot. There's no evolution, no change. He goes through the entire plot drugged, drunk, fighting with his father and living a reality oblivious to the suffering around him.

And this makes the character sound selfish and alienated at the peak of his privilege. And when the series decides to put Victor in a "love triangle" with Dr. Trin, his image is completely deteriorated.

But it's undeniable that despite the lack of care for the series' protagonists, the story is simply fantastic and frighteningly close to what we could be experiencing today.

A major highlight is Victor, who, despite falling into the cliché of an impossible love triangle – which I consider unnecessary to the plot – still manages to deliver such a powerful narrative.

The ending unfolds bittersweetly with the painful realization that a forbidden love will never be free but still giving us hope that in the midst of all this chaos, some survived to love again.

A beautiful story and a sublime directorial debut by Jean Khamkwan.

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