A really good time travel drama
Story wise this was a really well written drama, There were quite a few surprises they gave which I defiantly didn't see it coming. Like they made me believe I had everything figured out but they dropped those and suddenly the story became even more perfect and emotional, This was definitely a emotional roller caster, Maybe you can't feel this in the initial starting episode but when it comes there you cant help but cry with the leads. I have to tell the acting of the leads is another reason why we can relate and feel their pain. The cast really did a good job .Personally for me the only flaw was the characters. I don't know for me I would have loved if they have a bit more to them. The characters for me was a typical and cliche characters from youth romance drama. Maybe it is if we forget the whole time travel plot then its really a youth romance drama. The characters was my only complain from this drama other than that the drama was perfect.
I have to say I really loved the music. For the music producer I have to give hats off, really I felt the youth, love and pain through the music. The music was really perfect and it went so well with the scene and made it even more enjoyable.
Was this review helpful to you?
BEST DRAMA I HAVE EVER WATCHED!
Amazing Drama Ever. best one I ever watched! So heartfelt and emotional I almost cried, my heart was bursting. The Story was so good, and the production was spot on! I love time travel dramas especially Chinese ones but this one hit the mark; it was amazing. I really recommend watching it. I won't hesitate to watch it again. The acting was superb, and the emotion was amazing, whoever wrote this drama, I can't wait to watch more of their makings. Shining for one thing is an amazing drama and i wouldn't have exchanged it for any other drama Cuz it has been one of the best i have watched so far.Was this review helpful to you?
Good but not great
Have you seen Extraordinary You? If you haven’t, watch that first... because the first few episodes of this drama basically copied that one. After you get over the fact that the writer blatantly stole another script, you can somewhat enjoy this drama. However, 24 episodes is stretching it. It should have been 16 at the most. It became draggy. The actors did a good job. I enjoyed the main leads. I didn’t care for the side characters.The story had potential. It was not a typical time travel but more of a travel to a parallel universe. However, it should have focused on the good points of the drama instead of the repetitive scenes. The storyline is not that deep and can be a light show to watch. I don’t have the energy to watch it again.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
A rather strange and later on, draggy show.
This drama really doesn’t do much for me.After watching the entire drama, this is my review. The first 1/3 to 2/3 of the show was rather all right but not great. The female lead was just running around and “all about nothing” in the end. The male lead was so painfully shy. He really had to “man up”. Perhaps, this drama wants to tell us that the past cannot be changed no matter what happens and what we do because the past is The Past. I’m not sure if this is what the drama wishes to convey because things seem quite vague and messy (to me). The last 1/3 of the drama was painful to watch. The female lead was just a messed-up weeper. It felt depressing to see her tear-stained face and her agony over “nothing at all” in my opinion since she couldn’t change anything. She was the one messing things up in 2020 and in 2010. It was only much later that she “woke up” and it dawned on her that she had to lead a good life for herself.
Perhaps this drama wishes to tell viewers: No regrets. Seize each moment and live it vibrantly and with awareness! But, I’d suggest— skip this mess. There are much better dramas out there that are more interesting, more exciting, more enjoyable and more coherent.
Was this review helpful to you?
Not A Fluffy Romance Drama
Shining For One Thing is not your typical sugary youthful romance drama like To Fly With You or Our Secret. It has a bit of mystery with a dark undertone and melodramatic feel towards the second half of the drama. So, it reminds me of Crush in a way as it moves away from the conventional. It is good if you are sick of recycled plots of contract marriages, domineering CEOs, and the likes.However, Shining For One Thing is also kind of angsty and the melodrama means a few pieces of tissues may be needed for all the tears. “I like you” would be a romantic confession for other dramas but not this one. Personally, the sadness is not in the league of Go Ahead or One And Only which is much more of a tearjerker to me. Perhaps more matured viewers will not cry buckets over this one but I think it will definitely evoke pain for the younger ones who are into high school romances.
What actually kept me going though is not the romance but the curiosity of what happened to the male protagonist and how the screenwriter will tie everything up between the original and alternate universe. Thus, it is not only the romance that is driving the story but also other elements which helps to broaden the overall appeal for this drama.
Simple Time Travel Plot
Many dramas with similar themes tend to be confusing or lack an ending that is properly tied up such as Love Under The Full Moon. However, Shining For One Thing is pretty easy to understand. It doesn’t get bogged down into details of how the time and space travel happens. An old mobile phone is the link and it is left at that. Instead, the story concentrates on the leads’ relationship and the prevention of the guy’s death.
While the romance is a substantial part of the plot, it is of the innocent kind given that it is set in a high school environment. So, don’t expect any real kisses except for simple pecks. The boy is shy and reserved and loves the girl in secret. It is sweet in that way and should resonate with the younger audience. But I’m not too sure if older viewers would find this romance equally moving given the teenage feel.
The way the story is told is that the female lead would move between the original and alternate universe a number of times. Each travel will bring her to a different year or month and hence, some things are changed along the way. These changes prevent the story from becoming repetitive although the overall setting remains the same. The different time dimensions that she ends up in has its significance which is revealed later on in the drama. I think it makes the plot more meaningful that way. It is also these little details in the story that add to the emotional impact.
Main Weakness (Spoilers Alert!)
The main weakness of Shining For One Thing is the lack of explanation of what really happened to the male lead. This is not a drama that outlines everything for you from start to finish. Although what is implied in the end seems pretty clear, there are some other things that require your own deduction or imagination. For instance, if the male lead is still alive, what happened to him after he fell off the lighthouse is up to you to fill in the blanks.
Similarly, the link between the female lead’s time travel and the male lead is also open to interpretation. After all, her arrival in the alternate worlds is related to his regrets. Basically, you will need to connect the dots yourself and come up with your own picture as the story progresses if you are that type of viewer who can’t stand missing pieces.
Having said that, I feel that the vagueness, ironically, also enhances the story. It fits the tone well and adds to the intrigue. If everything is laid out to the viewer, it might well changes the tone of the drama and takes away the mystery. Moreover, the story doesn’t really allow you to get too absorbed over the details as your attention will be drawn elsewhere. Perhaps that is why the weakness is not glaring to the viewers as it has been overshadowed by the emotional effect of the romance and mysterious death.
Great Acting
Both the leads did well in portraying their roles. Their faces may not look young enough as high school students but their mannerisms are convincing to be at that age group. After all, Karlina Zhang is already more than 30 years old while Shaw Qu is over 25.
Nevertheless, Shaw Qu is brilliant as Wan Sen with his shyness and awkwardness as a teenager secretly in love with his classmate. He gives Wan Sen those little gestures to personify the shyness and anxiety that a teen typically experiences. For instance, the way he pulls his shirt whenever he nervously talks to Bei Xing is so apt for the timid character that he plays. It is a minor act on the surface but it tells a lot about the character’s feelings overall.
Karlina Zhang plays a more expressive character compared to her co-star and it is enjoyable to watch the contrast. Her emotions are on point and hence, she is able to bring the character to life. Together with Shaw Qu, they manage to make their on-screen relationship a touching one with their great chemistry. They complement each other very well in their acting to give us a vivid romance that feels real.
My Verdict – Watch Because It’s Different!
Shining For One Thing is not without cliches. The childhood link is one example of a typical romance drama subplot. But the overall feel and tone of the drama is very different from the usual. It has both sweetness and pain in the romance that might tear at your heart with a melancholic OST to deepen the heartache. The scene direction and cinematography accentuate the mysterious aura with gloomy skies and heavy rain. The time travel adds a level of anticipation to the eventual outcome. Everything comes together nicely to give us a coherent and touching story.
While this is a highly watchable production, the high school life encompasses more than a dozen episodes. Thus, if you are not a fan of youth dramas like me, some parts of this would seem slow-moving. Frankly speaking, I fell asleep a few times while watching the first 15 episodes or so. It is not that the drama is bad. It is just that classes, exams, friendships, and secret feelings are nothing new for this genre. If these themes still resonate with you, then Shining For One Thing would be a great drama from start to finish. Otherwise, some scenes would be skippable in my opinion.
For this Shining For One Thing review, I would give it a score of 7.5/10. It doesn’t have the same excitement and thrill as Reset which is another sci-fi drama with a time loop tale. Instead, its strength lies in the melodramatic romance to move your emotions. If you can relate to an innocent love with feelings that run deep and don’t mind shedding a few tears in the process, then this is the drama for you.
Was this review helpful to you?
Shining for the Umbrellas
This is a story about a girl who assumes a bunch of stuff and the boy who dare not speak... Exploring the land of what ifs, what I do not know can actually hurt me and a bunch of other stuff in celebration of fireworks, fluff and a whole bunch of beautifully used umbrellas... There is a slight time loop in this drama, of trial and error learning from misstakes and desperately trying to change things that kept me wondering throughout the show, keeping me on my toes and giving me a nice selection of both predictable and less predictable twists.The mom is annoying at first but as the show moves a long I find the grown ups to be some of the better, less frustrating grown ups found in C-dramaland. Though I will admit that I was highly frustrated at the leads lack of communication skills more than once I did find myself falling for both them and the people around them. As this show truly did give me a whole bunch of lovely friendships and people growing together.
There is also a whole bunch of light stalking and people getting beaten up, a bunch of wrist grab and run... but there is not a single scene of the male lead forcing himself on the female lead, not even the pin up against a wall. So if you are in to that this is not a great place to find it, and while the chemistry between the leads is really good . There is still a lack of good kissing scenes, ensuring this drama will probably not get the steaming kiss tag and is certain to disappoint all those kiss lovers out there... Luckily there are slow mo gazes, falling in to your arms type of deals in here to cater to the romance lovers.
All in all this was an enjoyable watch, with a good balance between the frustrations, fluff and toes.
Was this review helpful to you?
The OSTs broke my heart as much as this drama did
I just finished watching this few minutes ago and my heartbreak is so strong for this one. It was indeed written so beautifully, i dont know about the others but I can't predict what's going to happen next despite some of the cliche scenes.The OSTs are so beautiful, I think this drama had the most beautiful OSTs and they fit the plot so perfectly, I find myself just being so affected by the scenes because of the OSTs lol
Zhang Wansen and Lin Bei Xing... I will never forget your characters. I may forget your names one day but I will never forget your existence. Thank you for making me realize how true love is... how sincerely loving someone is.
If you're hesitating if you should watch this drama, please don't. Do yourself favour and just go ahead and watch it.
Just prepare your heart for the emotional ride.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Superb drama, (not so much about time travel but personal growth and pure true love)
I suspect the drama is underrated because its summary may give wrong expectations, and also, if you don’t pay attention throughout, you will miss the key to understanding it…and the watch will not be rewarding. When the story is actually very simple with no doubt whatsoever in the end.It is not a classical coming-of-age drama with a fluffy romance. It is a beautiful love story, yet even if you feel their unwavering and unconditional love for each other, and see it grow, their endless separations, and his tragic ending(s) throughout the drama is gut wrenching. But we have our happing ending, opening a whole new world.
Their love story is meaningful, thanks to the time-travel opportunity to revisit one’s past and choices
- Not to change the past in our primary lifeline since you cannot do it in your own primary lifeline, as the drama explains in the 1st ep through the tv show in the background
- But to grow, find one’s dreams and own path, lead a better life, pay more attention and develop meaningful relationships with our people of importance,
- instead of losing one’s identity and purpose in life, lamenting abt what has happened that canNOT be changed in our past.
TIME TRAVELLING concept, as clearly told to us in the tv show in the first episode about time travel, is here that you cannot go and change your primary lifeline’s past, you only travel to alike parallel ones…
The ACTORS bringing life to this story are outstanding, esp. Qu chu xiao and Karlina Zhang…what a beautiful couple, oozing subtlety and chemistry while showing us what TRUE LOVE is….when unspoken actions are more meaningful than anything. Their looks and smiles at each other are also one of a kind. And I loved that contrarily to so many c-dramas, their voices are not dubbed and so fitting to the characters.
SPOILERS:
The TIME TRAVEL concept and rules are smart , simple, flawless and crystal clear (like in Reset)
They are perfectly explained, even if little by little over the drama, which is unforgiving if you don’t pay attention:
she travels back at times of regrets of the ML about her, thanks to her mobile phone, the texts representing those moments.
And she is sent back to present when there is a love confession, whether in written or verbal between them.
Always, as we are explained in ep.22/23. So love is the key between these two.
My take on the ENDING of the drama:
1. He is the one coming to her at the very end of the last episode (ep.24). It can only be him, even if we don’t see his face. For the following reasons:
- We clearly see the arm and hand holding the black umbrella. And the tall man is wearing his very duffle-coat from the beach walk in ep. 23.
- The black umbrella is an item of key significance when she met him when travelling to the past in another lifeline. And He has always protected her from the rain…
- Her shining smile behind her tears tells it all. Even before turning towards him, she knows.
- she has been told that « her whole world is behind her »- by the old man fishing in the 1st ep- and when he comes, he stands right behind her. He is her whole world. Like the sea for the fish as the old man said.
- The OST song playing also says exactly that. her whole world behind her.
2. He can only come from another lifeline through time travel. Not from her primary.
Some say that we don’t know if he died from the fall of the lighthouse. Not true. In ep. 19, we can hear the body when he falls on the ground. There is no doubt whatsoever. He didn’t fall into water. And he fell with part of the railing in his back , which must have been awful and certainly not protective. And it is also clearly said that the police closed the case quickly. The rest is just the hope of friends. It is obvious.
3. The fact that he comes from another lifeline is no more extraordinary than her travelling to other lifelines…
4. In her last travel, she at last manages to save him (ep 23) in another lifeline.
So, same as she has been able to travel to other lifelines and meet him at key given times for him, his regret times, I believe that their link is what makes them reunite in the present, at the very end of the last episode (ep.24), him from another lifeline, the last one visited, coming this time to her, because now, same as he was missing her in the past, she truly deeply misses him now and has heartfelt regrets in the present (we also have a clue that “he from the past” can travel as well in other lifelines, as I think he clearly visited the present, (or another present to past?) , if we pay attention to his winning essay “10 years from now” that is an exact picture of the present.)
So there is no debating whether it is him or not. We have a happy ending, even if we don’t see the face of who comes and protects her with his umbrella, for her shining smile behind the tears tells it all…
and it is the perfect closure to their first encounters when she travelled back in time…Because She is shining for him. He is shining for her…
(and a continuation movie is in the works.)
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Travel through fragments of past to discover what was forgotten
The story starts when LBX's present life is falling apart. Her marriage to ZY fell through because he fell in love with their classmate TT who LBX considers her bestie. Desperate to win him back she did some crazy stuff but it didn't work out and by some stroke of fate, she gets to enter a parallel universe where she is back in senior high and gets a different perspective of her life back then.My Opinion:
- ZWS is a wallflower in LBX real past he literally is in the background and fits much there that he goes unnoticed and a rare friend and man in her parallel world. No man would sacrifice that much for a girl IMO.
- In LBX real world she forgot her friends and wrapped herself around ZY. Her life is hin.
- The difference of ZY treatment of LBX in the real and parallel world is so obvious. I kind of think he really liked her but changed overtime. But I don't like him cheating with HTT.
- HTT is such a fake friend. She cajoles LBX to pursue ZY but likes him too. She enjoys embarassing her and it's no wonder in the parallel world LBX her a hard tine.
- GG and YCY is almost the same in both worlds, go getters ready to chase their dreams and except for the fact they are in a relationship in the other world.
-MZ the bad boy and good friend that should not fit the puzzle but is perfect to complete the gang.
I liked:
-No matter how she changed in the parallel world, the real world is the same.
- LBX journey to find about ZWS after she returned. Painful as it is.
- ZY got his karma. Lol.
- MZ is a friend we all want in our lives.
I didn't like:
- How could her brother live a nonchalant life after all that?
- I normally don't have issues with open endings but this one, this one, just made me shout out in frustration.
At the early part the strange man LBX met said her going to another world is a fragment of both her past and future and that the world she looks for behind her is in her past. Both statements are true and was well embodied in the show.
The actors are all great but I must say the main leads were perfectly aligned withbtheir characters that it overshadowed the others.
The osts are good. I really love the song Cold.
I might watch this again but I don't want to compare this to reset or someday or one day. These shows have their own strenghts and clealry defined difference from shining for one thing.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
"I Like You" - the words you want to hear the most but can't
Completed - 4/20/2022"Shining For One Thing" is a dark horse drama in 2022. A drama without a hugely popular cast or promotion, but wins the hearts of viewers due to its storytelling, acting and moving plot. I have seen my share of high school teen dramas and after a while, they all look the same. Time-traveling and alternate universe plots can be a hit or miss. But I am happy to say that "Shining For One Thing" is a great combo. It's like "Someday or One Day" + "Reset" (high school romance version).
What I Enjoy:
1) Plot/Storytelling - This drama does a fantastic job in switching between the two timelines/universes. It keeps me interested throughout and I wasn't bored when the story resets itself. It also keeps me guessing along with our FL, the secret of going back and forth. What really triggers it? Is it the high school exam? Is it the death of a character? Is it a magic word/phrase spoken? What really happened to ML on that fateful rainy day at the tower? In addition to the mystery and fantasy components, the love story between our leads is both sweet and heartbreaking. I was enjoying the ride of a sweet romance up until about episode 12. Then my anxiety kicked in and I started to worry about ML. I like his character so much that I really, really want him to have a happy ending. But with the way the story goes, deep down, I know the second half of the drama is going to hit hard. With only 24 episodes, the pacing of the drama is great.
2) Qu Chu Xiao as Zhang Wen San (ML) - In "Bloody Romance", Qu Chu Xiao played a stoic, reserved character who would sacrifice himself for FL and showed his love for her through actions behind her back. Qu Chu Xiao plays a similar character here as Zhang Wen San. ZWS is shy, sweet and reserved. Similarly, he also would do anything to protect FL and does A LOT behind the scene for her. Qu Chu Xiao plays this role so well. I love seeing ZWS's shy, little smile, or glance at FL here and there. ZWS is mature, supportive and thoughtful. Although he's shy, he also will speak his mind if needed. I love the way he speaks and I really like Qu Chu Xiao's sexy voice. Personally, I just have a soft spot for a male lead who does a lot behind FL's back, and if he's shy and sweet, extra brownie points for him!
3) The Cast - I enjoy the acting of everyone in this drama, especially our male and female leads. Both successfully display a range of emotions as the tone of the drama is quite different in the first and second half. Even though none of the actors are teenagers or in their early 20s, they do look the part. Karina Zhang is 32 (in real life) yet without makeup, she looks like a teenager and acts like a teenager. I also appreciate the fact that we only have 1 somewhat childish character in the whole drama. Since there are different universes/timelines in the drama and what happens varies each time, it provides the cast opportunities to act differently. A special mention to the class teacher who likes to recite poems. He’s sweet and funny. I actually don’t find him including English words here and there in the way he talks annoying.
4) Main Romance - I like the somewhat slow-burn romance between the leads. We already know early on that ML likes FL. It’s an enjoyable process to see how FL gets to know ML from the scratch, finds out what he’s done for her, and slowly falls for him and wants to be the one to protect him. There’s so much sweetness in the first half of the drama. The second half is heartbreaking, but that doesn’t mean I don’t like it. To know that the words that she wants to hear the most, are the exact words that she can’t hear. Normally, what FL has to do would be along the lines of noble idiocy (which I dislike) but in this case, she really can’t help it.
I don’t really have anything I dislike in this drama. But there are a few things that I have mixed feelings about.
1) Lin Bei Xing (FL) - I am lukewarm about the female lead. I don’t dislike her but I don’t consider her to be one of my favorite female leads as well. At times, I think she does act like she’s 30, other times, she acts like a teenager (when she’s not really one). But I like how she’s grown at the end.
2) The music and songs are not bad. However, I feel that the drama overplays the songs. Each time there’s a romantic scene (a hug, a close-up glance at each other), you can bet your money that a song will be played.
3) Childhood connection - I have already professed my love for ML. However, I find it just a little hard to believe that ML will do so much behind FL’s back to protect her, just because they had that one childhood connection at the zoo when they were in elementary school. I just want a little more to justify his love for her.
4) Secondary romance - Well, should I even consider that romance? It’s more like an unlikely friendship between Gao Ge and Yang Chao Yang. Their romance is unnecessary. I do like the alternate plot of Zhang Yu chasing FL.
*SPOILER*
Ending - Let’s talk about the ending. I am not satisfied! I wanted more! I was expecting ML to show up in the last episode. Throughout the drama, no one actually confirms his death. We only knew he fell and the family moved. Therefore, I was expecting him to reunite with FL at the end. I don’t need a full-on episode of them getting married and living happily ever after. But I want more than what the drama gives us. We didn’t even see a face!
Was this review helpful to you?
A sweet yet frustrating story
After watching this drama, I am interested in the actor, his emotion here is so good in expressing the feeling the character carried.The story itself is so fascinating. There are several Chinese dramas with the same concept, but, this story really makes you frustrated. It looks like there is no way to change fate even you came back to the past and change the past again and again. What makes me upset about this drama is the ending. How come is the lead comes back like that without an explanation about what really happened in the past? After all that frustrating sacrifices? I really hope there is an extra episode or what to that.
Was this review helpful to you?
FINDING THIS GEM MADE MY 2022.
found this drama on tiktok, found that the drama is quite interesting and fresh from the small clip which is why I went to watch it.usually I don't make an effort to write reviews for dramas bec its so troublesome and I often forget my password but I went to the extent of resetting my password just to get my thoughts out here. I have a HUGE post drama depression after finishing the series in one shot haha less than a day. I even fucked up my sleep schedule just to watch it.
not the typical Chinese school romance drama. was expecting the typical plot but the plot twists always got me on my edge. the romantic scenes were not to cringe and forced. I really liked that the female lead is independent but also shows her weakness in front of the ML ( but not in a cringe way!) so that he can protect her. usually female leads are always portrayed as weaklings that just need a lot of help and attention , it gets really cringe and I will end up disliking the drama but the romance here is 😭❤️ to die for. No words need to be said, they did not confess early on in the drama but their love can be seen through their actions and interactions with one another which I really really appreciate. i think this drama is good for people who hate cringe scenes. idk why but I feel that this drama is sooo underrated it makes me so sad.. when I searched for best cdrama online 2022, this did not appear on the list. EASILY TOP among the cdramas I watched. almost as good as 暗格里的秘密.
in2022, I lowkey lost hope in crdramas because the typical and popular ones I saw did not peaked my interest. but this one did. I will rewatch it again and again.
BEST ML AND FL ❤️❤️❤️❤️ can rly see their character development throughout the series
also I cried a lot throughout the series I feel like it rly tugged my heart, I could not get over how it ended w 24 short eps. rly excited for the movie tho
** spoiler - the ending is undecided which makes me rly anxious cause I rly rly want it to be a happy ending :(
edit: I keep rewatching and I still ball my eyes out over the videos.. my heart aches so much for zhangwanseng fuckinh love him so much rly best boy..
Was this review helpful to you?
