Reviews

Sometimes shine means surviving the mess and not just looking pretty!

This isn’t your regular popcorn BL where two pretty boys flirt under fairy lights and call it a day. This drama throws us headfirst into late 1960s to early 1970s Thailand, with student protests, political unrest, family power plays, and a couple of messy love stories that refuse to stay cute for long. It’s ambitious, dramatic, sometimes painfully slow, but also the kind of drama that slowly grows on you.

At the center of the story, we have Trin. He is a freshly returned professor who went abroad, got a fancy education, read way too many books on morality and came back thinking he could change the world. The only problem was that the world does not bend that easily. On first glance, he is an example of what an idealist looks like in a realist world, but once we scratch that intellectual exterior, he is just a man still figuring out not just politics, but love, loss and why the hell he feels so drawn to someone as chaotic as Tanwa.

Then there is Tanwa. If Trin is bottled-up intensity, Tanwa is glitter in human form. He was this free-spirited hippie type, all colour and laughter, the guy you think doesn’t take anything seriously… until you realise his chaos is just a cover for very real issues. He hides grief under jokes, he masks loyalty under carelessness and when he finally lets his guard down, it hits harder than any lecture Trin could deliver.

Together, these two are opposites in the best and worst ways. Watching them stumble into each other’s paths felt less like “love at first sight” and more like “love at fifth breakdown.” Somehow, they balanced each other out. But as much as I adore them, I can't help but was expecting more romance. It felt underfed but maybe a little more to justify those strong emotions.

But honestly, if we are talking about sizzling chemistry, the crown might belong to Krailert and Naran. Where Trin and Tanwa are all about the slow-burn romance, Krailert and Naran are pure forbidden spice.
Krailert is in the military, married and duty-bound. Ohh, and also gay. Naran, on the other hand, is a journalist who is sharp-tongued and already engaged ( because clearly one doomed relationship wasn't enough). When they met, it was anything but gentle. It's reckless, desperate and dripping with that forbidden love tension.
I know it's a moral crash, but somehow I couldn't help but root for them despite them sometimes making trash choices. It felt illegal, but they were magnetic in a way only fictional disaster couples can be.

We also have Victor, who is equal parts irritating and endearing. He is young, idealistic and a little naive but I couldn't help but root for him. His crush on Trin could have been a disaster, but the writing handled it really well. He was brash and bright, and somehow I wished he had escaped that hell to live a life he deserved. *sigh*

What works best is how layered the characters feel. Everyone is dragging around some kind of baggage...political, personal, or both and the drama doesn’t sugarcoat it. No one felt like a picture-perfect character. The best I could define all of them was contradictory, messy but very humane.

The Ladies of Shine also deserve an honorary mention. They weren’t front and center, but lowkey they held everything together for the most part..silent but so powerful. Especially Moira not bending to societal pressure.

Edit : I went and re-watched the scene with Dhevi in the last episode and somehow I thought it was the years of sufferings speaking, but no she was just being petty and selfish. I have no honor left for her to give!

It felt like love in a pressure cooker where one wrong move ruined lives, but somehow danger also amplified the intimacy. Watching Lert and Naran cluth each other like drowning men while the world burns and Trin and Tanwa side by side talking about hope and despair, is the kind of romance that thrives on extremes but feels very intimate.
Also, the NC scenes were choreographed really well, leaving no stone unturned. (I wish I were exaggerating xD)

But it isn't without flaws. The politics subplot is very heavy-handed and sometimes it felt draggy and a bit boring. It might be a personal issue because I don't enjoy the politics trope much. Also, at times, I felt too much spotlight was given to different subplots, which could have been given to the main couple.
And while Trin and Tanwa’s relationship is sweet, there are moments where their intimacy feels rushed. There is also a constant heaviness that can get exhausting.

As for the acting, it is pretty solid across the board. Apo as Trin was perfect in my eyes, especially in the emotional moments. I can't even nitpick. Mile as Tanwa brought the chaos and had the perfect brat energy when needed but quickly balances it out in serious moments. Son and Euro, as Lert and Naran were excellent too. They just made me sometimes forget the political subplot, and I just waited for them to meet in another dusty corner to make bad life choices.

The production team understood the assignment and pulled the '70s vibe well. I like the costumes and cinematography overall. The only thing that I had an issue with was Miles's wig. He looked really good with long hair, but it felt pretty unnatural.

And about the ending, I think it is very justified considering the period it is set in. I couldn't see a better approach. I mean yes things would have been happy go lucky... but then it would stand against everything that the previous 7 episodes built.

Overall, I can't really say this is a comfort watch or even a proper romance BL. It juggles politics, romance, and personal growth with historical tension surrounding every decision. It's not perfectly executed but the writing doesn't just give us pretty faces in suits. It demands attention and occasionally tears.

I would 100% recommend it if you are looking for anything except the cookie-cutter BLs and don't mind morally grey characters. This will make you feel everything from love to frustration to heartbreak with just a little bit of awe.

Thank you for reading my review! <3 I hope you enjoy the drama as much as I did. I didn't realise that it was so lengthy!

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“When Love Meets History: Reflecting on Shine”

When I first started Shine, I honestly didn’t know what to expect. I kept asking myself, what would this story really be about? Then I saw the timeline — from the late 1960s to the 1990s — and realized it wasn’t just romance, but a love story deeply tied to politics and history. That era was tough, and no matter your background, life had its struggles.

Let’s talk about the characters. Trin Suwannapas is an economist with a brilliant mind and strong ideals. He wants to learn more about people, explore life, and push for change. But because of his painful and traumatizing past, he avoids protests and political confrontation as much as possible.

Then there’s Thanwa Chatbodi — the free-spirited musician. His whole life revolves around music, partying, smoking, and living without stress. He doesn’t care for politics or protests; he just wants to enjoy life on his own terms.

Among the supporting cast, we see Krailert Suwannapas, the police captain whose discipline and sense of duty clash with the chaos around him. There’s also Naran Pitayatorn, the passionate journalist working at a newspaper, always chasing truth. And of course, Victor Boonterdtoon, the fiery student activist whose courage and stubbornness lead him down a dangerous path. Characters like Mondira Techasawet, bold and extravagant, and Dhevi Suwannapas, more traditional and restrained, add richness to the story’s world.

What stood out to me the most is how being with someone can change you in ways you don’t expect. But at the same time, misunderstandings can break a bond that once seemed unshakable. If you don’t look deeply into Shine, you might miss its real message: even when betrayal or cheating seems obvious, there’s always more to the story than what appears on the surface. Without the full truth, you’ll stay lost.

It was almost heartbreaking that it took Trin and Thanwa so many years to finally reconsider their love — all because of one devastating misunderstanding. And then there’s Victor’s death. It wasn’t exactly unpredictable; after all, Thanwa had warned him about the danger. But Victor’s strong-minded, fearless personality made him accept whatever fate life had for him. His death shows how easily tragedy can turn into misplaced blame — and how that blame can destroy people’s lives long after the moment has passed.

In the end, Shine is more than just a BL. It’s a layered story about love, politics, personal choices, and how the world around us shapes the relationships we hold dear. It reminds us that life is fragile, love is complicated, and the truth — no matter how painful — is always worth knowing.

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i likey likey

this is really underrated
i don't think there were many episodes i found to be boring i really really liked there squad in this drama not a single character was annoying or even boring they were all awesome they have a big role into keeping many people to continue watching it had few jumpscares when
i came across this i wasn't expecting it to make me laugh but it did make me laugh a lot
i also really liked the chicken to also
Luo Ren & Mu Dai were cute to if you are watching it for romance it doesn't have a lot of that in here but i still liked it even if it wasn't much of it they were still adorable i think
editing does feel of on some parts i still will totally recommend this if like you shows with bit of creepy supernatural/ fantasy aspects & also comedy i don't think this was promoted much so i don't think many people even know about this

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Great to watch for the first 2 stories only.

This drama would be 10 /10 for first 2 parts and 3/10 for the last part. Hence my overall rating is 7.5. And I dropped after episode 25. Didn’t want to continue wasting time on the last part.

This drama started so well and continued to be so engaging until the second story ended. These first two parts are so well acted, with tight and fast paced plots. The first arc was beautifully narrated with some real beautiful people ie Cheng Lei, Jelly Lin as the main leads. The story was simple yet powerful in showing how unchecked corruption and wastage can ruin families and a nation. The love story was subtle yet strong. Second arc was equally strong. Although there were some annoying characters here eg the sister in law who loves to shout instead of talk like a normal person, I feel that the drama is trying to be realistic to what life was then. How early communist leaders and members got carried away with their ideals and abuse the so called intellectuals. It’s quite sad to see how low educated people was given power and they didn’t know how to handle the power and responsibilities, hence abused good people who did not have anything to do with the decadent and corrupt practices of the past. Again the love story between the leads were beautifully told. Mature love without super attractive leads. Yet I was so touched by their love. The actor is so good. The third story arc unfortunately is so boring. Again there is a character liuling who just acts like a hooligan. Boring storyline trying to show 1980s /90s China trying to open its economy. Acting was flat. I wish they had focused on a more romantic storyline to portray this era eg how people separated to pursue dreams overseas etc. instead it kept going on about factory and garment production. So bad that I dropped the drama with 5 episodes to go. No point for me to continue because I didn’t enjoy this part at all.

I still recommend this drama but just watch the first two stories.

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A moving story retold with heart, lifted by Kim Go Eun’s brilliance.

Review of You and Everything Else

The new Korean drama You and Everything Else, starring Kim Go Eun, Park Ji Hyun, and Kim Gun Woo, brings yet another interpretation of a story that has been revisited across multiple countries and generations. The roots trace back to the 2002 Korean film Love Concerto with Cha Tae Hyun, Son Ye Jin, and the late Lee Eun Joo. That film later inspired the 2016 Chinese movie Soulmate starring Zhou Dong Yu, Ma Si Chun, and Toby Lee, which itself was adapted into the 2021 drama August Never Ends. Korea revisited the premise again in the 2023 film Soulmate with Kim Da Mi, and most recently with the ongoing series A Hundred Memories.

With such a long legacy, the story is already proven—deeply emotional, full of youthful passion, friendship, betrayal, and love that lingers beyond time. What matters in each new adaptation is how the actors bring fresh life to the familiar narrative.

Here, Kim Go Eun absolutely shines. She has always been an actress capable of expressing vulnerability, longing, and raw emotion, and this drama gives her plenty of space to showcase that strength. Her performance is layered, making her character both relatable and unforgettable. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said as strongly for the other leads. While Park Ji Hyun and Kim Gun Woo deliver competent performances, they don’t reach the same emotional depth or authenticity that Go Eun naturally conveys. In moments where the story demands intensity, it is Kim Go Eun who carries the weight and ensures the emotions land.

Overall, You and Everything Else is a solid drama carried by its timeless story and Kim Go Eun’s remarkable performance. For viewers new to this storyline, it will feel fresh, heartfelt, and touching. For those who have seen the earlier versions, this may not surpass the best of its predecessors, but it is still worth watching—if only to see Kim Go Eun once again prove why she is one of the most talented actresses of her generation.

Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5) – A moving story retold with heart, lifted by Kim Go Eun’s brilliance.

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The Real life

Today i have completed this , took a long time to watch this masterpiece because of my busy schedule. I have to say this drama is an wonderful life though it was full of emotions flashes but this is how truly people struggle in life get angry but cannot give up on the love for each other. Coming to hero in real life there is no such a person exsting now a days and earlier days, now a days and also ancient days with two wifes or extra Martial affairs or even cheating but the hero with such love without any mixed feelings from childhood to till his death fixing his eyes upon his sweetheart the love of his life. Prince park bo gum innocence face his acting skills was fantabulous no other would have fit for this role this role was specially for park bo gum. Coming to IU very bold and good humor all the rest of the actors whether it is a middle aged version of gwang sik and ae sun was also awesome and scenery was outstanding. This drama shows how we struggle and also cannot become rich in one night even though we work hard there will be struggles for certain time because of heavy responsibilities or certain unexpected challenges in that tough times when it feels like giving up but finding a reason to go on and on until our journey comes to end and suddenly achieving what we have yearned for but suddenly achieving at a different time than ours.

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BL is a tag, not a genre

This is really a reminder of it, that "BL" is really just a more precise "LGBTQ+" tag.
An applause to the production team; they perfectly captured the 70's, from the clothes to the music to the haircuts to the way everyone is smoking everywhere and anywhere. The shots are gorgeous, there's this constant mood that something important is happening.

The acting is on point for every single characters, and the story is beautiful and hurtful. Of course it's a series, but there's still a realism in the drama of it all. The treatment of women, the overpower of military that has been plaguing Thaïland at the time, and the class difference. We're juggling in the gold of the wealthy and the macabre reality of the poor fighting for their lives and rights. Being able to see the characters going through both worlds makes it all more real.

Apo really fits the role of the idealistic professor, trying to see the good everywhere and help where he can, while still being somehow offbeat with the rest of the less privileged population, despite his roots. Meanwhile, Mile nails the hippie desperate to ignore the politics and keep himself away from it all, while continusly failing to do so.

I knew the fate of Victor as soon as I saw him, though it didn't soften the blow. His infatuation for Trin was strangely touching, he truly had an innocence to him, despite the heavy responsabilities that were constantly weighting on him, and that he had taken willingly.
I wish we had gotten more of Moira. She's the owner of the hotel, she had multiple husbands, has a freedom few women had at the time and holds a lot of power behind the scene. But at the end of the day, I still felt like the lack of knowledge of who she is, and how little we know of her story, makes her more "unknown" than "mysterious".

And my biggest surprise was SonEuro. Krailert and Naran's story was doomed to fail, but that didn't prevent me from rooting and being moved by them. Their chemistry was off the chart, you could feel the love, fear and desperation in both of the characters, sharing the same views yet torn by their opposite sides and responsabilities.

The finale brings it all together. The sacrifices of the characters doesn't solve everything, there's no happy ending because that's not how that works in real life. The people who died are still dead, those who got separated might have found eachother or not, the story kept on running and the world keep on turning.

An incredible and heartbreaking watch.

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Disappointing

1/ I don’t feel the slightest attraction from the couple (especially from the fl)
2/ You are taking care of a pet hospital, for someone who cares so much about animals girlie just signs and doesn’t care to check things
3/ the ml is too ungrateful, what do you mean she moved in with you cause YOU pretended she was ur doctor and now you get annoyed at the slightest bullshit.
Honestly the only reason I watched so far is because of the animals that were too cute. Overall the plot was not bad, acting was a little bit meh, genuinely think the romance between them was non existent (maybe it gets better after 21 episodes but I’m not sticking around to finish that)

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I'M SO IN LOVE WITH THIS SHOW

I will come back with a better review when I finish the season but I came here to say go ahead and start watching it if you haven't already. It is a breath of fresh air. I like the omegaverse and the idea of men getting knocked up and having their own families. Also the actors are so beautiful. . . (Yes I said beautiful because wow) Especially that actor who plays Hua Yong and his alpha 😍😍😍 The story is pretty good too. Ofcourse there are some characters I wish were written differently but well there's still some three episodes left so let's wait and see. Then I can properly give my full review. Otherwise, yes, go ahead and watch it.

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The drama is worth watching

I've read some angry comments and reviews  2, I completely forgot what Night 1 was about and who played it. I don't think that should happen with a masterpiece. I've never watched Night 1 since Night 2. Chen Fei Yu, who's too handsome and too combative, doesn't seem very convincing. Unlike the stunning Dylan, his performance is believable. Night 2 is multi-layered and consists of many stories, such as palace intrigue, the struggle between light and darkness, the struggle between other clans, the problems of the academy, and the 13 masters. The theme of chaos and eternal night runs through all the layers. The now-mature Ning Qiu must navigate life with his maid, Sang Sang. They have many protectors, and they don't harm themselves, but protect each other. With each emerging problem, new characters emerge.  I don't think Dylan was so naive when he accepted this role that he didn't expect comparisons, but apparently not to such a degree of negativity. It's good that he's also stubborn; he created the character and embodied it quite convincingly and beautifully in the fights, and his high-flying archery is perfect. I could write a lot about this drama; it covers so much ground, not always successfully, but it's not worth destroying. Dylan's charisma was enough for me to rewatch the drama and give Night 2 a positive rating in all respects. It's quite possible this role influenced the creation of such a bold, resourceful, and handsome Guardian of Dafeng.

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