Reviews

Cute enough

Sea and Keen were cute enough in this one, but their plot line just dragged on. I did enjoy the explanation at the end as to why Sea’s character was getting the vision, that was cool, but like does Keen’s character die in 10 years or was he able to fix the future? Keen’s characters conflict with his dad and mom dragged and then was too quickly resolved. Like I get why, he didn’t want his mom to die, but it was way too fast. Sea and Keen acted well and they have great chemistry. It was fun seeing both of them be goofy.

What I really liked about this show though was Surf and Java. I’m excited to see what they will do next, they were my favorite part of the show towards the end. They have a very natural chemistry with one another that is super enticing and genuine and that comes across in their performances. My favorite part of the series is when, I think episode 9, Java’s character apologizes to Surfs’s and admits the real reason why he doesn’t want to go home. Java’s range really showed through in that moment and I would love to see him do a more emotional series in the future, same with Surf. They’re both very talented and I will definitely be watching their next series’s.

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Strong Beginning, Potential Wasted by Editing and Pacing Issues

Shine On Me starts on a very strong note. Many departments are genuinely well done—the story is engaging, the characters are established clearly, and the emotional setup works. The early episodes are especially enjoyable, pulling you in with solid writing and a promising narrative direction. At its best, the drama shows real potential.
However, the biggest issue lies in the execution, particularly the editing. It is easily one of the weakest aspects of the show. Several episodes feel unnecessarily stretched, and two to three episodes could have been trimmed without losing any impact. The final episode, in particular, drags far more than it should. With tighter editing, the drama could have been far more effective and impactful.
The VFX is another noticeable drawback. The green-screen work is poorly executed and, at times, unintentionally laughable. Using green screen isn’t the problem—using it carelessly is. In today’s time, budget constraints can’t really justify such subpar visual execution. These technical flaws may seem small, but they slowly chip away at the viewing experience.
The performances in the last episode feel noticeably forced. The characters are meant to be in their late 30s, yet neither their appearance nor their behavior convincingly reflects that. It doesn’t align with the characterization built earlier, making it feel as though the characters haven’t aged at all. The interactions involving the child also come across as awkward and unnatural, which further weakens the emotional impact.
The drama would have benefited greatly from giving more focus to the supporting characters we’re already familiar with. Instead, several scenes are stretched for five to six minutes simply to fill runtime. The lack of substantial content becomes obvious, the pacing suffers, and what starts as dialogue-driven storytelling quickly turns monotonous.
I may sound harsh, but that’s largely because the latter episodes significantly affected my overall experience and rating. A drama needs to start strong, hold its ground in the middle, and end on a powerful note that stays with you. Unfortunately, Shine On Me falters at the end. The last couple of episodes go totally flat—predictable and underwhelming. The final episode, in particular, disappointed me in almost every aspect.
That said, I did enjoy the drama, especially the earlier episodes. It just didn’t meet the standard or potential I had hoped for, considering how promising the beginning was.

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A love that comforts you like a warm blanket in the harshest and darkest winter.

This happens to my very first review in MDL even after 6 years of watching cdramas because if any drama deserved appreciation more than what it already has right now - It is this one.

**Be aware the review might contain spoilers !**

**Overall** : This drama can be called as the *blueprint* on how modern idol romance dramas should be made. There is nothing new, nothing mind-blowing, no heart wrenching angst to keep you hooked and definitely not a dramatic love story. The love of Nie Xiguang and Lin Yusen is very ordinary and yet ever-present, the kind of companionship and warmth that you would long for in your everyday life and that is exactly why this drama shines among many others of this genre. With an impeccable cast delivering in their acting and chemistry, a solid and comforting plot to drive the story forward and beautiful camera language that tells the story on its own - Shine On Me is your perfect winter companion.

**Plot** : For any drama to entertain throughout its airing time, it needs a solid script and where can you find a modern idol romance writer better than Gu Man? She strikes once again! You see a girl (Nie Xiguang) being shamed for being brave in her love and your heart aches right then for her. For a love as blazing as her to be met with only coldness and indifference, it pierces your heart as it does to her. Zhuang Xu, her first love, he was not a bad person, he just was not right for her. She has always deserved better. The dialogues in this drama hits you and then stays with you forever. This drama is a perfect example of how you do not need a story with twists and turns causing adrenaline rush, all you need is a story that makes you fall in love with the 'love' they convey. It is not just the main leads, I cannot emphasize how much this drama showed the power of woman in business. The male lead's arc was also equally exciting. If every piece of a puzzle falls in piece just perfectly together, it has to be this drama!

**Screenplay/Direction** : There is not many dramas where the camera language is intentional and the story is told just through frames but once again, Shine on Me did it better than any! There was a scene that beautifully encapsulated the entire plot within a few shots -- Xiguang chasing after the shadow of Zhuang Xu, knowing that he has come to the place she is working at, but as she ran and ran towards him, he was only walking forward. The moment she stopped, he stopped and looked back - they happened to miss each other and he walked forward. But when she stopped and turned back, she found Lin Yusen standing right behind her. By stopping and turning back, she found the person who has walked into her life steadily and became her constant sun.

**Acting** : Zhao Jinmai quite literally becomes a sun in your darkest winter! She has long since shed the skin of every other role and when you see her on screen now, it gives you an out of world experience making you believe Nie Xiguang is real. She is real. This drama made me want to check every work of Zhao Jinmai, I'm that obsessed! Song Weilong does a decent job and most definitely improves throughout the drama. In the beginning I did find his line delivery and acting a bit awkward but he quickly picks up and presents a Lin Yusen who is believable and everybody's ideal companion to walk the life with. Every other actor on screen has made sure that we never feel disconnected from their characters even for a moment.

In a nutshell - If there is one cdrama that you really cannot miss out on, it is Shine On Me and none other.

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A future gone in an instant

My parents are having an affair and I ain't even mad about it. This is fun and pretty well done. I will give it to them. A very random pair that feels like a bad dream, but I would be lying if I said I didn't like them together. Okay, I would give it an 8.5 (8.75) out of 10. I am going to say what I liked, what I didn't, do an episode overview, and then put this show to rest after 3 long years.

Random ass ship, but they were fun as hell and have good chemistry. I think they are both good actors, stand alone, so them together was weird but good. The plot was pretty good, actually, and had some interesting lessons about life and the things you take for granted. I liked that a lot. I also liked what they did with the ending. Of course, I really do not know what I was expecting, but I did enjoy how they did the lesson learned kind of thing, and the thing about not being able to fix or save everybody. I liked how Gawin's character saw into the past about changing it, and I dont know if it was by choice or just the fact it didnt work, but he didnt go back and fight the future head-on, which was actually very interesting, and I did like that from an analysis standpoint. I forgot how many times he went back in time, and I am so obsessed that they did that a lot. Krist's character being an alcoholic was fun; I liked that for some reason. They are freaked out. Also, pretty good character writing for our main characters. The romance building was okay, I will give them that. This whole show was pretty good, and I would say watch it.

WHOEVER WROTE THE PACING OF THIS SHOW NEEDS TO BE FIRED. Jesus Christ. The first 5 episodes were gun to my head boring and genuinely so hard to get through, and it is because the pacing at the start is god fucking awful. Fuck. The ending was a bit empty because they jumped the gun in episode 11, but that's okay. I DO NOT GIVE A FUCK ABOUT PEAR AND HER PROBLEMS. Like, I am so glad they gave her dimension and made her stand alone from a man, but her placement of lore and background stuff was so incredibly boring, I really did not give two fucks. Actually, that goes for most of the side characters, just random, irrelevant, and take away from the main couple and their plot. They should have made the start more interesting, jumping off what I said earlier. I think that would have helped with the overall development of the show. The start was also confusing as fuck, and I am just like, what the fuck. Not a lot to complain about, but the things are a little major lmao.

Okay, episode overview time, which once again spans over 3 years, and I am so sorry to this show for leaving you on here for this long. "Watching it for Krist because he's a cutie. I am slightly lost because I don't read descriptions." "Things never go to plan for him; something is always going wrong." "I am thinking of how you would explain all the time travel shit to someone, because I personally wouldn’t believe them." "We are not going in the love direction right now, but these two are coming to terms with feelings and getting over all the childishness of always fighting for no reason, and there is only peace when Kawi is drunk out of his mind." "Whoever thought this ship was a good idea, I have some strong words for you. Wait, I can't lie, I'm obsessed with these two together, it's like your parents are having an affair. Krist is such a good singer. "Kawi is too cute to be straight." Lmao. I lowkey forgot this was time traveling. Gawin is so tall." "I am confused about how the globe works. I feel like if you fuck up time, you are gonna face some kind of consequences. You need some self-reflection; no matter what you change, it is always the same. Something about grown ass men playing in the water together does it for me. They are both great singers. I think Krist's character is interesting. "Shii, I'll wait." "GMMTV's biggest cry babies lmao. Put khao in here, and we will be complete. Interesting bit with him being an alcoholic. I think that guy at the end was a full circle bit, but idk. I like this, it's a good background show." "I DO NOT CARE ABOUT PEAR LORE HOLY FUCK I DO NOT CARE. GIVE ME MY MAIN COUPLE AND MORE LORE WITH THIS BITCH BENDING SPACE AND TIME, I DO NOT CARE ABOUT PEAR AND HER IRRELEVANT FUCKING MOTHER I SWEAR TO GOD." "I like the ending, they could have done more, but also it was a nice full circle with the globe and thinking about using it and then not, I liked that."

Yeah, this was fun. Uh, okay bye!

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"all people are equal"

OVERALL:
the romance is underdeveloped, especially the second couple.. but the drama does look nice and there isn't that much conflict (which bothered me a bit)/the conflict was resolved too quickly..

anyways - for a short drama I guess there won't be enough time to wrap everything up. I give it 7/10

it would be nice to maybe see the main couple in another drama some day, as I found them cute together. (there are no kiss scenes)

it has an almost too happy vibe, like another user commented "pure utopia"
it also teaches that if people are really sorry for what they've done, that they can choose to change.

REWATCH VALUE:
it's short enough to rewatch, but I don't know if I will.

FIRST IMPRESSION:
some of the ML's dialog was slightly cheesy at first, but then it got better

I dunno what more to say.. just give it a watch!

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If you ignore romance part, you'll be fine

I watch this because i just randomly check the MDL page and love FL marshall costume. Wang Zi Jia didn't have impress me and sometimes i feel i never watch her but i already watch her but i don't know what the drama was (Blame for my face blindness)

Ok for the chemistry between Wang Zi Jia and Shen Hao Nan are quite dry, there is no sparks of romance or little hint of dynamic duo despite ML constantly saying " I Love You" to FL

For the revenge drama, it was quite decent since FL was amend for her fake identity wrongful death. For love story, it was not worth to watch.

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Must watch if you are in your late 20s, early 30s.

I haven't written a review in so long but I have to after rewatching this at 29 years old. I first watched this in my early 20s and I only remembered vaguely that it was good, but didn't remember much of the plot. I decided to watch this again after rewatching ISWAK & TKA with Ariel Lin. So glad that I rewatched it, because at 29 I can relate to the characters a lot more and I have a deeper understanding of the plot.

Like a lot of the comments here, if you are watching this at the right time in life (which is late 20s or early 30s) you will enjoy the drama a lot more.

Supporting characters: I believe that the actors and actresses portrayed their characters very well. You can't really hate them because these characters exist in real life and they helped the main characters realized that "maybe this is not the life I want". They were the reason why CYQ and LDR got together in the end. They are much needed for character development of the main leads.

Cheng You Qing: She is a true Leo hahaha and a girlboss. I love her character. Although, when she got back together with her ex, she was quite dumb. Of course you can't blame her, because at 30 you will feel like your time is running out and everyone around you is getting married. Going on dates with new people is tiresome. Like she mentioned in the drama when you go on a new date, you have to start again with the basics. So, it was understandable that she wanted to get back with her ex (can't help it when her ex is such a smooth talker). But then in real life, I don't think I would give someone a second chance after they cheated. In the last few episodes, she is "frustrating" to watch because as a viewer you knew that they would have a happy ending. But you can't blame her because LDR said that "It is impossible to love you." If I was in her shoes, I think I would hesitate as well. Because loosing a "bestfriend" is much harder than breaking up with a partner. Anyways, she is very lucky that she has LDR in her life and I love that she went on her solo trip at the end! Ariel Lin is one of my favorite Taiwanese actresses and she did an excellent job in this drama.

Li Da Ren: It was love for him since the very beginning and he was very patience. I love that he YEARNED for her. He was a total green forest but very dumb as well hahahaha. He only got together with Maggie because of his "people pleasing" tendency and he was lying to himself. He said that he can't love CYQ, but then Nic said something in that one episode after he watched the theater show with CYQ, "you can't say the wrong thing to the right person". But then again, if LDR had confessed so early on this wouldn't be a 13 episodes drama hahaha. LDR should be a little more shameless in love like Maggie said, he missed his chance so many times :( But I think that when you really love someone, you just want that person to be happy. Good for him that his hard work paid off at the end. I have known of Chen Bolin and only watched one of his movies, but I'm going to watch more of his works now. I love his dimple and smile!!!

Special mentions:
- I love her mom and her dad!!!
- the song that Ariel sang was perfect
- Chen Bolin is such a great actor, even when he was singing the song, he portrayed LDR's feeling so well
- I like the fact that CYQ is a Leo and the youngest child, it shows why she is "the center of the world." And I also like that LDR is the oldest child, he knows how to take good care of CYQ. Small details but really shows that the Writer and Director really paid attention to the script.

I just wish that they show us when the CYQ and LDR talk it out at the end, like the hard conversations. I want to see CYQ asks LDR when did he start liking her, vice versa. Also I want to see them going on dates as a couple not friends 😭

Overall, I would give this drama a 9/10. Highly recommend. Especially if you are looking for the "he falls first, but he also falls harder" trope.

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Chemistry was brilliant and even the side characters were hilarious!

I was going to give it an 9 because of the last two episodes but those last few minutes of acting redeemed that rushed ending and the entire show. That ending scene wouldn't have worked if there wasn't that build up and chemistry with the leads throughout the show. And I know people don't like those kinds of open-ended endings but something about it makes you linger and ache (like JTY for ex). I watched the last 5 minutes of the show over and over again bawling each time because of the expressions.

I'm standing by my 10 because for a Xianxia I expect ridiculous CGI, costumes and over the top characters, dramatic plots, but the acting from the main leads and even the 2ML was so good I'd rewatch again for sure. Also the side characters were hilarious and so many scenes had my sister and I folded. Maybe half a point is given to spite the antis hating on TSY's visuals, I think she's GORGE. Also the OST from HMH and TSY are so good and went on my playlist.

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Another fun installment to the series

I'm really glad we got to see this friend group together again — seeing all the characters and how they fit together to round out the team is still the highlight of this show.

Plot-wise, though, I do think this one is the weakest of the three. The weekly cases, Do-Gi's different personas, and how the team infiltrates each situation are just overall not as memorable or creative. The pacing feels slower overall.

Part of this is that there's no overarching plot. The first episode made me think they were going international and having another "who's going to get to it first" arms race with Interpol, but those characters, who I thought were going to be secondary characters, never showed up again. And then the last case made me wish that there had been an overarching plot related to the military and Do-Gi's background; it makes for a really intimidating antagonist, and the personal tie would've added a lot of stakes. We didn't get either of those though, which means there's just no recurring antagonist and no ongoing tension throughout the show.

Nevertheless, I think this was a decent send-off for our Rainbow Taxi team — and it does leave room for another season if they end up making another one.

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Mature conversation but Female Lead attitude make me irratated.

I watch this because my close friend suggest this drama and i want to make recap base from my view. This is drama when i like Huai Wen acting and he found his sparks on his female lead,

This drama proves Huai Wei can be green flag character and the dog is quite lovely and smart. ML is quite logical and always ask for FL consideration for everything. He is quite smart and have his own perspective despite antagonist tried to persuaded him.

My underline in this drama is Female Lead character, Wallahi she makes me irritated especially in the middle and i cannot justified her action to Male Lead fortunately Male Lead has unlimited patience and if Male Lead was me, i would cut her.
Plot is too slow pace and i watch this with 1.25x speed.

Recommended to slow paced enjoyer.

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Even better than the first

I really liked the overarching plot and villain in this one, and the show does a great job of balancing it with a variety of individual cases.

The drama is once again great at showing Lee Jehoon's range as he takes on different characters, but the best part is still, without a doubt, the friendship between the main cast. It's especially interesting because we start out with a break from the status quo with them having disbanded, and we get to see them coming back together in a very heartfelt way. As a romance-lover, I also liked the subtle hints we got between Go-Eun and Do-Gi, but I appreciate that it's not a plot that takes up time and changes the dynamic between the team.

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Chemistry is Chemistry'ing'!

This is my first time watchin' a dmd friendship series. I've not yet watched S1 & S2. First 4 episodes of S3 had many butterfly-giving moments. Other than Pung from Khemjira series, I was not at all familiar with the other faces. The best thing about this was the chemistry between 2 boys that caught me from the first five minutes itself. Wondering who? It's no one else but North & Otto. From the first look in North's face when Otto entered the house, I noticed some spark. This spark I noticed gradually caught up heat evoking many sweet and wholesome moments between them. While North was so damn sure of how he wants Otto to be his partner, Otto pretends to be unsure to 100% but I'm pretty damn sure that he secretly enjoys being with North. Their CHEMISTRY IS CHEMISTRY'ING'.
Another shop I noticed was Ryujin & Patji. Though Pat-ji's feeling are not yet known completely, Ryujin adores him so so much. I love them. Not to mention Pat-ji's extraordinary vocals & how Ryujin kept praising them.
Wave is so cute and adorable that I felt like I want to keep holding him in my palms. Fifa, I hope he would end up with Copper cuz they have this iconic comfortability with each other and are really talented. Pete is the one who I observed has gave me that wow-factor with his charm & vocals. He is so shy and outgoing at the same time which makes him stand-out for me ( stand- out in a good sense). Phupha is already looking like a male lead, he has such a perfect figure and strength. Porsch is that guy literally everyone wants to make friends with. Personally I found him the sweetest but I couldn't find any potential partners for him in this 4 episodes maybe because of the feeling of age gap with the other. I don't mean that age gap matter, but here I didnt feel any spark. I felt him as that best sweet friend I want to have. I want him to be patterned with someone 2-3 years younger that him. Pung, I have the same feel like I have to Wave, I just want to keep him close in my palms. His introvertness make him a potential y/n (iykyk).
I'm waiting for 5 & 6 episodes. Imina North-Otto, Ryujin-Patji, Copper-Fifa...

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SLOW BURN with pure, green-forest romance (& a side of corporate war lol)

The drama starts off slightly slow and boring because of the SML and some business-y subplot but it kicks off much more interesting when the FL and ML are working at the company. I didn't particularly like the SML subplot because it was just annoying with the SML and Ye Rong. But when the MCs start actually flirting and getting together, I was definitely more invested.

The chemistry between the MCs was INSANE. Zhao Jin Mai's chemistry with all her MLs is always SO good. I'm always swooning during the couple scenes and it makes me feel like a third wheel (in a good way) lol. The eye contact, subtle glances at each other, just the flirting is insane. The relationship between the MCs is just so well written and Zhao Jin Mai and Song Wei Long executed it perfectly.

Lin Yusen is such a yeaner. And I love it. His character is so well written and executed there is not a single flaw.

The CGI is actual insanity. and I mean this in the opposite sense to earlier. Its just horrible lol. When the FL and her cousin go on a trip and the backdrop... I have no words...

The ending was okay. I didn't dislike it nor did I love it lol. I would've preferred more oompf for the wedding scene and it was interesting to have a big jump to when they had their daughter but idk it just felt a bit underwhelming.

I took off 0.5 cuz of the slow paced beginning, too much mulling over the trashy SML, the annoying college friends, and (ik its supposed to be like this but) THE SLOW BURN. Its just too slow lol. The plot focuses too much on her getting over the SML, stuff about the workplace and corporate giants drama it kinda takes away from the romance and since they took so long to get together, the dating era is just too short!

Anyways, overall, I really enjoyed it. It would be hard to find a good drama after this one.

p.s. This drama slightly reminds me of The Best Thing (with Zhang Ling He and Xu Ruo Han) because of how pure and green-flag the ML is. If you haven't watched it, I would highly recommend that you watch it lol.

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