Still Shining

A bit disappointing

Before I go negative on this, I gotta say Jin Young was great as always. This role of Tae Seo was made for him and he did an outstanding job playing it.
It seemed like this drama started out strong, giving us a good story that was going to take off ... but it really had trouble getting off the ground. I really couldn't tolerate the two characters of Eun A & Seong Chan for so many reasons. She had a good thing waiting for her in Tae Seo, but for some reason she really had no idea what she wanted in a relationship. I never saw a character keep showing up and then leaving ... and showing up again and leaving. It became so frustrating and exhausting to follow. Why Tae Seo kept trying to make this work without any success, it was just a complete mystery to me.
The character I had so much empathy for was A Sol. She when out of her way so many times for the chance of a relationship with Tae Seo, but he just couldn't give it a try. Instead he kept ending up in front of Eun A saying "goodbye" ... and goodbye, and goodbye. They said goodbye to each other so many times you lose count.
Again, thumbs up to Jin Young. He made a bad script work well enough to keep me watching till the end ... but there was only so much he could do.

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A Quiet Storm of Responsibility, Love and the Weight We Carry

A deeply emotional slice of life story about a young man shaped by trauma and responsibility. After witnessing his parents’ death, he carries the weight of caring for his injured brother and grandparents, choosing to love them from a distance, but this does not ease his burden.

The story feels real and grounded. It shows how career, family and love rarely align, and how sacrifice often comes first. Jin Young delivers a quiet but powerful performance, holding his pain within and expressing a level of emotional maturity that feels very real.

What stands out is how it reflects adulthood. The silent struggles, the sacrifices, and the emotions we keep hidden just to keep going. His life is not a failure, but a difficult one. Even in love, what he gains is not perfection, but a lasting connection that still feels meaningful.

The female lead feels weaker in comparison, with a less developed storyline that makes the relationship feel less impactful.

Overall, it is a heavy and honest story that captures the deep emotions many of us go through but rarely express.

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Great Art piece, terrible entertainment

Art is meant to invoke a deep emotional or intellectual response from the viewer while entertainment is meant to provide enjoyment and escapism. That distinction made it difficult for me to rate this series as I initially started watching it as entertainment. Under that guise, I was finding the series rather slow and somewhat boring. But once I started viewing it from an Art perspective, I found myself become more engaged with it and eager to see where it was going.

As Art, I would rate it a 9. It definitely hit me emotionally and is staying with me after I finished watching. But as entertainment, I rate it a 5 as I found long stretches to be rather boring and most of the emotions that it evokes are negative – primarily sadness and frustration and the miss/lacking communication trope (which I hate) is way overused. Overall, I would likely have given it an 8 as it did succeed as an Art piece for me but I settled on a 6 as I felt episodes 8-9 had provided an excellent opportunity to provide a satisfactory ending from both an art and an entertainment perspective and they instead chose to go with a pure Art ending that left me only feeling frustrated..

The Good:
The cinematography/editing is excellent. The way they used lighting, scene settings and superimposition were great in supporting the emotions for particular moments in the drama.

The sound track also did a great job conveying the emotions for the underlying scene.

The acting is a bit mixed for me. For a majority of the series, Park Jin-young and Kim Min-ju are emotionless or sad...even when Tae-seo and Eun-a are together. Considering the art aspect of the series, I assume this was how they were directed to act. But in the pivotal scenes, they did an excellent job conveying the emotions of the scene. And how they portrayed their initial dating was perfect. They really brought out the awkwardness of a teen first love relationship. (Side note: I am constantly amazed at how Korean actors in their 30's can convincingly portray high school students – Park Jin-young did an excellent job)

The 'misunderstanding' scene in ep 8 is brilliant. Sequence of small, innocuous decisions adding up to a catastrophic consequence.

The series was full of nuance that is easy to miss and greatly adds to the art of the series. From how the name for Eun-a's contact info in Tae-seo's phone changed as the story progresses to how the seasons are used to set the tone to the field of flowers relating to the current status of their relationship. They also make great use of symmetry such as the bike path split that appears in the beginning and again at the end.

To put a positive spin on the long narrative stasis / interiority scenes, they are mostly easy to FF thru as they usually do not include a voice over (although a few do).

The Bad:
It overdoes the narrative stasis and interiority scenes. While making FF easy, it became a bit of a drag even from an Art perspective.

It overuses the miscommunication trope. All of their issues would have been solved by a couple of 2 minute conversations...instead, when there was an issue, it was “Let's break up” → “OK”. This is fine from an Art perspective but is very frustrating from an entertainment perspective.

The ending is terrible. The series had done a great job in ep 8/9 in setting up a plausible ending with A-sol. She was a much better fit for Tae-seo from an intellectual and personal values perspective but instead they end it with Eun-a leaving to live her life abroad and Tae-seo essentially saying 'I will go build the life we talked about and if you ever want to join me, I will be waiting”. Thus, other than finally having a bit of clear communication between them, neither really show any personal growth – he remains the duty-bound, self-sacrificing giver and she remains the emotionally avoidant taker. Perhaps appropriate as an Art piece but I feel going with an A-sol ending would not have hurt that aspect and would have provided closure from an entertainment perspective

Summary
If you enjoy emotional Art dramas, you may really enjoy this series. But if you want a drama that has fast pacing, shows character growth and provides a satisfying ending, you may want to skip this one.

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a química ta salvando o dorama

isso aqui ta acabando com a minha sanidade mental, eles ficam 2 eps felizes e 2 brigados, nunca se resolvem direito e são sempre brigas bobas. os dois primeiros eps foi tudo, tão fofo, mas era óbvio que iam estragar tudo ne, beleza o plot ser eles se encontarem dps de 10 anos, mas o drama p eles ficarem juntos e terminarem dps mds
pelo menos o jinyoung é gostoso e sabe atuar, alem da química entre eles dois serem incrivel, pq mds que desgraça de dorama e história

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Hope is the light that still shines

I think this drama is getting a lot more hate than it needs to be cause of how it turned out, but like the title, it's really about that sliver of sun shining through the darkest of times. I think while we are young, we build these memories that we look back our whole life thinking about how happy we were, and how we changed and I think this drama encapsulates this feeling a lot, especially with the feeling of love. Sadly, life is often a series of miscommunication and obviously it's not as enjoyable knowing the full behind the scenes while the characters don't, that's sometimes what life is and I think that's one of the more enjoyable parts of this drama. The chemistry between Jinyoung and Minju was something that really shown through the drama, and I think Jinyoung's acting was super articulate, I could feel the despair and happiness radiating around him whenever he felt something, and as an emotional person, made me relate heavily to his circumstances and feelings. This is a drama purely based on the feeling on latching on to that last slip of hope, and sometimes you just got to see where that little shining piece of hope can lead you in life.

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"A Love That Still Shines Through Time"

Still Shining is one of those dramas that quietly stays with you. It doesn’t rely on heavy twists or dramatic storytelling—instead, it builds its strength through emotions, memories, and the idea that some connections never truly fade away.
The story follows two people who were each other’s first love in their youth but got separated due to circumstances, only to meet again after many years. Park Jin-young plays a man who has learned to live a simple, steady life, while Kim Min-ju brings warmth and quiet strength to her role. Their reunion isn’t dramatic or explosive—it’s subtle, slightly awkward, and filled with unspoken emotions, which makes it feel more real.

What really works here is the atmosphere. The drama carries a nostalgic tone, constantly shifting between past and present, reminding you of how time changes people but doesn’t erase feelings. The chemistry between the leads feels natural and gentle rather than intense, which suits the story perfectly. Their interactions often rely on silence, small gestures, and lingering looks instead of dramatic confessions.

Visually, Still Shining leans into soft lighting and warm tones, giving it a comforting and slightly melancholic vibe. It feels like watching memories unfold rather than a typical storyline. The OST blends well with this mood, enhancing emotional scenes without overpowering them.

However, the drama isn’t without flaws. The pacing can feel slow, especially if you’re expecting constant progression. At times, it feels like the story is repeating the same emotional beats. The plot itself is quite simple and predictable, and some supporting characters—including roles played by Shin Jae-ha and Park Se-hyun—don’t get as much depth as they could have.

Still, what makes Still Shining special is its sincerity. It doesn’t try to be more than what it is. It’s a story about first love, time, and the quiet hope that some feelings can survive even after years of distance. It may not leave a powerful impact instantly, but it lingers softly, like a memory you revisit.

Overall, it’s a calm and emotional watch—perfect when you’re in the mood for something nostalgic and reflective rather than intense.

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"A touching story of pure love and innocence between two middle-class hustlers."

FACT:
♡♡If you’re into love stories, this one’s for you.

The story begins with a pure, ♡innocent friendship that slowly-slowly grows into something ♡deeper—love♡.
But distance steps in early, bringing its own challenges, and eventually leading to a breakup.

No cringe scenes, no weird characters—just clean ♡storytelling and a perfectly chosen cast.
It also features stunning visuals of ♡subways and bridges, which add depth and mood to the narrative.

Distance really messed things up for them.
Getting back wasn’t easy—it was even harder than ♡falling apart.

The background music may be ♡average, but it still hits where it matters ☠︎.

After ten years of distance, silence, and ♡missed chances, their love doesn’t shine easily—
it endures, and that’s what makes it real.♡♡

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She didn't care, why should I?

Things I liked

1 The acting of the ML. he's a great actor and he deserved a better partner, a better story, a better ending.

Things I disliked

1 The FL. She didn't convey any feelings and I'm not sure if it was her acting or the story that didn't work. Probably both, but I still think she was the weak link.

Things I hated

1 The ending. What exactly did they want to convey? I've seen dramas with sad endings that delivered but here there was nothing to like. The FL was an awful character and let me tell you something: she never loved him. That simple. but that wasn't the thing that irritated me the most. It was him giving her the possibility to come find him in the future. For what? to ruin his life? Unbelievable. This was a bad ending if I've seen one and no, I didn't cry, I wasn't moved. I was mad.

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Complex main characters, slow pace.

April 2026.
I had high hopes for this drama, as I love Jin-young's acting. I actually thought both leads gave good performances, as both characters were incredibly complex, and with reason.

This will definitely not be for everyone, and I imagine it splitting opinion quite widely, just like 'My Liberation Notes' did (which I didn't enjoy).
I thought this was well written; there were no real extremes in the story, and it felt quite true to life, in terms of the ordinariness of the every day.

The ML character has, what feels like, the weight of the world resting on him ~ he feels overwhelming responsibility for his family, seeing himself as the most able provider.
He is often withdrawn, doesn't say unnecessary things, and doesn't talk about how he feels, to anyone.
The FL character also feels similarly about family responsibility, but for very different reasons. She is somewhat more outgoing, but at the same time has no friends.
The two connect whilst nearing the end of High School, sharing a study space, and become close friends. They seem drawn together and provide one another with often unspoken comfort.

The pace may be crippling for some, and the story at times stagnant. I personally felt that fit. They were healing slowly and beginning to think of themselves more ~ Eun-A was definitely a shining light for Tae-so; and Tae-seo a rock and guiding light, for Eun-A

At this point I liked her character; quirky and quite focussed. However, some actions towards an adult female character earlier in the story, especially when coupled with later behaviour as an adult, made her seem an incredibly selfish character, to me, byvthe end of the drama She put herself first, and I got the distinct impression she was desperate for a way out of her young adult life, which she was successful in getting ~ again through someone else's guidance and involvement.

The two grow apart, as happens, with college/Uni and maturing. They reconnect later, and it's from this point I really grew to dislike Eun-A. I felt she used people, from beginning to end~ maybe it wasn't intentional, but the feelings of others were secondary to her, from where I was sitting, it was mostly about her own aspirations, and needs. Yet she allowed herself to be pushed around in work settings. Infuriating.

The ending, I thought, was fitting.
Made me want nothing but love for Tae-seo in his future, and for Eun-A to grow up and think of others, as well as herself.

If you don't mind an at times snail pace, with a contemplative focus, you might like this. I didn't dislke it at all, but watched alongside others, as it aired, which I think helped. Not one I could binge, nor would I revisit it.

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Biggest waste of acting talent and MY TIME

I am so frustrated after watching this. It was the biggest waste of time. I watched to the end hoping for some resolution but it was just stupid and annoying to the end.

I am so sad Jinyoung felt he needed to do this drama. He needs to do brighter rom coms. People will just think of him and get depressed because of this drama. I guess in that sense, he did a good job acting. However, this story doesn’t deserve his efforts nor our time.

There’s plenty to be depressed about in the world these days. I don’t need to waste time and money for crap like this.

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