Rhea
Malaysia
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.
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.
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