Reviews

Classic yet refreshing

This is subject to change since I've only watched the episodes that came out so far, but I have a very good impression on it. First of all, this drama will not be for everyone. If you like strong female leads, growth, character-based plots and a green flag relationship - this is the drama for you. This drama speaks of confidence, personal growth, overcoming difficulties and forging your own path in life.
It is set in the 1980s and the styling, makeup and set design are incredible. Worth watching even just to integrate yourself into that world.
If you ever watched something and thought "I'd do it differently" or "I wish they could say what they really think" then it might just fulfill it for you. Our characters really do make good choices!
The acting is great. It's not spectacular because the plot doesn't ask for it, but it's very grounded and lively.
The pacing is also not for everyone because the time jumps around and fasts forward through montages - but as someone who hates time jumps, it doesn't have the same effect. It gives the plot breathing room since it has a very long story to cover. (the novel is over 2,000 chapter as far as I know. I haven't read it though).
Zhou Ye is charming as always. Zhai Xiao Wen deserves more recognition. Dong Xuan (The mom) is lovely. The rest of the supporting characters are also good. Great, balanced cast.
I know people are worried about the ending because of Chinese censorship but they might find a way around it as Romance on the Farm and Winter Night have - which are dramas that to me are somewhat close in feel to this one. I believe in the enjoyment of the process more so than an end that could be decided by external factors. I believe in the writers' abilities to pull it off well based on what I've seen.
It also reminds me of Stand By Me (2023) which does not have transmigration but occurs in the 90s.
So I have to say I recommend it a lot so far and I hope it continues in the same trajectory and becomes as much of a hit as it deserves. It's classy and inspiring but also gives a fresh view from an angle that not many dramas have explored before.

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Someone stop me… I’ll spend everything on this show!!!

Guys, are they scamming each other or us? Because I couldn’t find a single moment where Tim wasn’t in love with Pai. It’s not bad acting or anything… it’s pure love that bloomed right from the start.
So “My Romance Scammer” is officially my comfort show from now on.
What can I even say… that cute way Pai calls “Teerak” every time—our little Tim just melts, and honestly, so do I.
The dialogues are everything… too precious to forget.
Like when Pai said he needed some alone time because he was sad, and Tim replied,
“There’s no way I’ll let that happen… come here.”
That scene is living in my heart rent-free.
And when Pai left everything for Tim and said, “I’d lose everything, but I’ll still have you”… I swear, I’m going to die from their sweetness.
I just can’t express how deeply they love each other. How could our Tim ever betray our cutie when his heart beats like a drum even in the smallest moments?
The story is exactly the same as you see in the teaser, nothing more, except that one of the actors has been replaced.
And our so-called comedian actor? He is now officially a sexy, hot, and charming romantic lead.
Girl, you NEED to see that hairstyle of our junior. Sir, please give me one chance—if mark ignores you, I’ll bring you heaven myself.
And it’s better if we don’t even talk about Mark… he’s literally the sexiest and kindest person in the whole show—like all-in-one. My Pookie. Even if I were in a life-or-death situation, I’d never betray him.
Then, Ohm and Poon—our controversial couple—I honestly didn’t find the change to be a problem. In fact, I loved the pairing. Poon is literally the only one on earth who can play North—fight me if you think I’m wrong.
Ohm, my ex dream partner… I’m glad he’s doing well. Funny roles suit him too, but I’m still stuck in UWMA (okay, I’ll stop there).
The songs are amazing, and the story is so cute. There’s really nothing bad about this series—it’s just pure, fun romance.
Okay fine… there is one problem.
These characters don’t exist in real life. They’re just here to make us delusional again. We should seriously ask P’Tha to ban shows like this… it’s too much for our hearts.
For me, it’s a 10/10.

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Very Qute!!

What a lovely take on the 'Cherry Magic' franchise! It stayed true to the manga plotline while interpreting it in the Thai context. I loved how the plotline embedded within it the cultural significance of community, the commute within the city and how ordinary commuting route could bring joy., The regional (northern) Thai dialect also added to the budding romance between the protagonists. Unlike other GMMTV shows, the product advertisements didn't feel forced (thank gawd!). GMMTV also has the tendency to add Bird Thongchai's songs to inspire nostalgia to their shows; and one of his songs juxtaposed with a moment where one of the protagonists performs a karaoke was so well done! I loved how the original song played later in the same episode at a very well curated cut scene. I hold the Japanese live-action Cherry Magic (2020) quite close to my heart, and this series did a very good job.

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The yearning nearly killed me

This made my whole body ache. The persistent longing between the leads was so intense. Sometimes with a series where the mains are yearning but not giving in, I lose interest or start rooting for another coupling. I never strayed from the path with this one.

Also, this series has one of the hottest intimate scenes I've ever watched, but its not explicit. Just raw emotion. How do you even do that? Good writing, good acting, good production.

My shallow side would also like to report that the mains are both very attractive and have great chemistry.

Definitely watch this one. It's a classic.

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A High Quality Gem That Defines Realistic Romance

The Chemistry: Intimacy Done Right
One of the most refreshing parts of Still Shining is how it handles the relationship between the leads. Unlike many dramas that take forever to show any real closeness, this show goes "full force" from the start.
• The chemistry feels incredibly authentic and grounded.
• The moments of intimacy and domestic "cuteness" are exactly what you crave in a romance.
• It feels like a rare, honest look at how two people actually connect when they truly care for one another.

A Cinematic Experience
The production value here is top-tier. Watching this show feels like watching a high-budget movie rather than a standard drama.
• The Music: The OST is easily the standout feature. It’s atmospheric and perfectly timed, elevating every emotional beat without being overwhelming.
• Cinematography: The visuals are "premium"—the lighting and framing make even the simplest scenes feel important and intimate.
• The Acting: I was incredibly impressed to learn this is the Female Lead’s first main role. She brings such nuance to her character, making her feel real and relatable. The Male Lead also delivers a steady, compelling performance that anchors the story.

The Heart of the Story: Healing
While some might label this show as "sad," it’s much more accurate to call it healing. It’s a beautiful exploration of two people finding a "safe space" in each other while navigating the messy realities of adult life. Instead of wallowing in drama, the characters focus on understanding their feelings and growing through their problems. It’s deeply cathartic to watch a story that prioritizes emotional maturity and mutual support.

Addressing the "Slow" and "Realistic" Elements
There has been some discussion about the pacing and the decisions made by the characters, but these are actually the show’s strengths:
• Pacing: We are 6 episodes in (out of 10), and the internal growth is massive. Every scene feels deliberate and necessary for the characters' development.
• Realism: The show portrays life challenges like overwork and the logistics of long distance with a level of honesty we rarely see. The breakup scene, for example, is handled with a mutual understanding that feels very adult. It’s not about "giving up"; it’s about acknowledging the weight of real-world pressures.
Final Verdict
Still Shining is a "slice of life" masterpiece for anyone who values quality over tropes. It’s a show about growing up, finding your person, and trying to "shine" even when things get tough. Whether it ends with a happy or sad note, the journey itself is absolutely worth the watch.

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не знаю просто напишу шось аби можна було опублікувати

цікава дорама. не думала, шо затягнусь. і головний герой схожий на Чжи Чан Ука. я вже думала, шо головні герої помруть, а третій принц забув, шо для нього зробили. як же я зраділа, коли побачила, шо вони обоє живі, а третій принц все таки милосердний. він дійсно достойний. дуже неочікувано було, коли виявилось, шо Пей труїв імператора. я не думала, шо він здатний на таке. але це було очікувано з його сторони. все таки імператор стратив всю його сімʼю, а його «зробив євнухом». добре, шо тут хепі енд

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History repeats itself.

I was very impressed. It was a good series. The way it handled the events was simple. Nothing was explored in depth because there wouldn't be enough episodes. Therefore, there might be criticisms. It could be said to be too simplistic. Or it could be said not to be that simple. Because no matter how many times our protagonist goes bankrupt, he rises from the ashes and builds something new. He gets into debt, fails, recovers, but doesn't give up. In the end, he establishes his own holding company. He becomes successful. He also helps those around him. No matter how negatively he is affected, no matter how much they attack him, he doesn't give up. Our protagonist has a determined, strong-willed, entrepreneurial spirit. At the same time, he also values ​​his family. Although the family relationships were complicated, and they showed us two separate families, they showed the differences between them. The situations of the protagonists in the families were also clear. We were shown what happened to them and how they rose again. Some things were instructive. I was impressed. In a positive way. I especially felt the warmth of the family. I felt the friendship. I felt the helpfulness. I felt the brotherhood. I felt the entrepreneurship. I felt the determination, the will, the resilience, the effort, the hard work. I felt the richness. I felt the poverty. I felt the helplessness. I felt the separation. I felt the absence. I felt the despair. I felt neediness and not neediness. I found many things in this series. But as I said, these aren't broadly presented. They are parts of a whole, simplified, and reflected without going into too much detail, being stifling, or dwelling on things too much. I think it's well done. Apart from that, I didn't see any shortcomings.

It's about a village girl who is given up for adoption, leaving her village and town to study and struggle for life in a big city. It shows the efforts of our protagonist, who has an entrepreneurial spirit, to rise to the top. We can call it a story of rising from the bottom to the top. Of course, the ups and downs of this journey are also shown. They've dedicated a large part to friendship. It tells the story of three friends supporting each other and overcoming challenges together. Of course, there are setbacks. Those are also shown. The successes and failures are presented as well. I liked it. As for the actors, in my opinion, they acted very simply and beautifully. The actors had no redeeming qualities. They presented a simple and straightforward performance. I didn't see anything spectacular. But everyone did their best and gave a good performance. I especially liked Tang Song Yun's performance, and particularly Dong Qing's. Dong Qing was completely immersed in her role, as if she were actually doing the job. Her performance was the best. She acted beautifully, as if she were playing herself. Xi Wang, Gao Zhi Ting, Wang Jing Song, Shi Yun Peng, Liu Wei, Jiang Fu Yi, and Jeremy Qu were also noteworthy. I recommend it to anyone who wants to see it.

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Came for Ryoma Takeuchi stayed to watch great series with brilliant ensemble acting by all involved

Having discovered Ryoma Takeuchi in "Then you cook it" and "10 Dance" was intrigued to watch this. I'd already seen
Seto Koji in "My Housekeeper Nagasi San" and "Kururi: Dare ga Watashi to Koi wo Shita?" and Mao Inoue in series with Takeru Satoh "I should have told you a 100 000 times" (where weirdly she also played a hairdresser).As I'm beginning to watch more and more jdramas I suppose I'm now able to recognise a lot of the actors ! One of the detectives played by Kamikawa Shusaku was Nakase's brother in "Incurable case of love" (though didn't like his role there) . As other reviewer jeoneungd stated the series also reminded me of the film "Stand by Me" about 4 young people. I had never seen the actress Eguchi Noriko before and thought her character was brilliant as the murder-solving detective munching on bananas... Part of me wanted her to team up with the ML as a crime-fighting duo. Suffice to say I will be trying to watch her in some of her other works. Just love the quiet unfolding of the different storylines over the 9 episodes - all done in a understated style of Japanese dramas (perhaps mangas apart- I'm a relative newbie). Also loved the OST and now will go looking for the title track.

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Disappointing

I love a good Joe Ma drama, but this one just had me going “what?” What do you get if you take the classic Justice Bao drama and try to modernise it in Hong Kong? If you were hoping for some awesome then this is not it. This drama was so bad I considered stopping it early if it wasn’t for Joe Ma being in it.

So Joe plays the role of the main prosecutor, and instead of being a judge like in the classic Justice Bao dramas, he is instead prosecuting evil doers and sending them to prison for their crimes. His bodyguard is now a cop played by Ricco Ng, and his clerk is played by a Winki Lai. Yes, Winki Lai is Miss Kung Suen instead of Mr Kung Suen.

We get some classic Justice Bao cases modernised for this drama like the bastard Chan Sei Mei story but turned into a k-pop star for this drama. These - for the most part - were okay. Identifying what cases they were remaking was at first novel and a lot of fun, but this quickly wore off as the drama pivoted towards Joe Ma’s backstory. The biggest issue I had was with what they did to the main characters.

Ricco Ng starts off in typical TVB fashion of cop undercover as triad but later is reinstated as a cop. He immediately becomes Joe Ma’s best friend and they solve crimes together. He isn’t too bad, but his love interest played by Kayan Yau was soo annoying. A career criminal, she falls in love with him - for some reason as we see hardly any romantic chemistry between them - and then spends most of the drama swooning over him like an idiot. This made her look so cheap.

Then we have Winki Lai. She works as Joe’s clerk and wants to become a prosecutor like Joe and practically worships the man. She is always serious and I mean she is ALWAYS serious, and there was one scene where she tried to dress sexy to use the honeytrap on someone. Man, no offence but her trying to act like a young sexy girl to trap someone just made me laugh. She’s okay but she is not super hot so I found it really offputting.

Joe Ma as a Bao is all good, I mean he looked sauve and sophisticated as a DOJ prosecutor, but the problem I had was how he solved crimes. He had a condition called Mirror-Touch Synesthesia - or MTS - that allowed him to feel what people were feeling such as pain or anger, to such an extent it would hospitalise him. He uses this super power to analyse guilty defendants and then get them judged guilty. On top of this, he also plays pictograms to help him think of a strategy, and coincidentally the pictograms always end up showing him a picture to provide a clue to solving the mystery. Why? It is so lazy and makes no sense. And to top it off, he also has this super power to look at a letter, which he needs to sign to close a case and if he does not see rainbow colours (wtf) he knows there is something missing and the case needs further investigation. Again, why does he have this power and wtf does it have to do with anything? They’re not related to his MTS condition at all!

We later find out that his sister-in-law played by Alice Chan really hates him, and we find out in flashbacks that they dated for a while but Joe’s older brother was in love with Alice as well. During one evening of drinking, Joe’s older brother blurts out that he was in love with Alice and hated that it was his younger brother who was with her. Because Joe had MTS, he felt his brother’s pain and so as a result - and I am not making this up - he broke up with Alice to not hurt his brother and went abroad to study. Alice, angry with what he had done, decided to marry Joe’s older brother out of spite. This had me going wtf so many times because that made nooo sense. Why would you let go of your love because someone else was in love with your partner, that was just epically stupid. I hated this subplot.

And to top it off, we later find out why Joe got MTS. His mother had Joe’s older brother first but unfortunately he was average intelligence and could not help her run her company. As a result, she contacted her ex-boyfriend, who happened to be a talented geneticist, to create a test tube baby with superior DNA traits so he would have high intelligence and be taller than average. This test tube baby was Joe Ma, and a side-effect of having superior genes was that he was afflicted with MTS. Joe’s mom spent most of the drama calling him a creature and a monster when she was the one who did this to him. This part also had me going wtf because it was simply too absurd.

The big bad ends up being Angel Chiang, a former student of Joe Ma. She started off as a nice person but suddenly turned evil at the end. This gave me whiplash so fast my neck still hurts.

This was supposed to be Joe Ma’s final drama before he retires, and I am sad he had to end on this note. The earlier cases were okay to watch but his plotline and the revelations of his past had me asking what the producers were smoking. If it wasn’t for Joe Ma’s star power I wouldn’t have even bothered finishing this drama.

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Girlboss spills the tea on the final third

In my view, this is not, by any means, one of those "more pros that cons" type of drama. It is quite the opposite, but I'll start with the good.

PROS
High production value and great visuals. One of the things I love about cdramas is how they let us peer into cultures and the many interesting trades. Whether it is Chinese Traditional Medicine (in 2025's "The Best Thing"), Bai culture in rural China ("Meet Yourself"), or aerospace engineering ("You Are my Glory"), I love series where I also learn more about the world that anchors the characters' lives. It reminds me of Western shows like CSI (forensics) or House (medical diagnosis) that are now few and far in between amidst the glop of detective-cop shows and courtroom dramas. Glory, on the the hand, delves into the world of tea farming and the care that must be taken to produce excellent crops.

Other good points about this drama are the costume sets and cinematography. The casting and acting throughout is solid, although I feel the ice queen vibe of the FL was a bit too much.

**** The next paragraphs contain a few spoilers. There are not that many, but there are indeed a several ****

CONS
Note that I am offering my perspective as a male viewer and that I fast-forwarded through many scenes, specially in the final third out of sheer boredom at the decline in quality. As you may already know, the drama centers around Rong Shang Bao, the headstrong lead of her powerful tea-farming, all women-leading, clan. The clan lives in in Lijin while the ML hails from the capital. In the last episode, around the 30-minute mark, Shang Bao speaks with another woman from the capital. She tells Shang Bao that "not everyone has the luck to be born in the Rong family. Also, not everyone has the freedom to live as they please." This conversation encapsulates the drama for me, coming across as the main point the authors wanted to drive home.

Yet it also defines what is so frustrating about this drama.

Lucky to be born in the Rong family? Are you kidding me? The FL expressed some platitudes about equality and mutual respect between men and women. However, throughout the series the Rong family never ceased to represent a turbo-charged reverse harem at its worst. The family essentially disregards men as mere laborers and replaceable pawns who have no room for leadership. At one point Shang Bao tells the ML, Jiang Lai, that throughout generations the Rong women only looked for meek, pliable men and that Jian Lai was anything but, hence why he is not a good fit for her. Even after the end of series I didn't feel that she changed her standpoint at all.

At first, I thought that the Rong would ultimately be depicted as a clear warning about the perils of an unbalanced harmony between the sexes where one side holds all the levels of power. It would ridicule the times when men trampled over women and deprived them of opportunities to vote, go to college and seek leadership positions. But no, this drama did not venture into any significant criticism of Rong's practices outside of showcasing the family matriarch as a stubborn elder bent only accepting men of high social status. In the end, the Rong sisters, FL included, had their differences against the matriarch but did not step away from all these family principles. The Rong clan makes Wonder Woman's Amazonian island look tame by comparison. I know dramaland caters to its audience, but this is one of those dramas where they lay it down too thick.

To add salt to the wound, Jian Lai changes from a levelheaded, witty ML that could go toe to toe against the FL (what I felt was the best part of the series), to a simp who is always after her despite her cold shoulders, which happened too many times, especially during the final third of the drama. She is pushing him away and he runs after her like a puppy begging to be back together. At one point, Shang Bao was to offer an explanation for keeping her distance but then never does until the Jian Lai comes to her for an explanation, which in the end didn't feel heartfelt.

There was also one scene where Jian Lai was bawling and shaken telling her about his family trauma. But through it all, Shang Bao kept her ice queen persona, just way too collected and didn't offer him a hug. Only when he rested his head on her shoulder in anguish did she put a hand over his shoulder. I know that she's supposed to be a battle-hardened, steely ice queen but it felt overdone and did not register to me that she deeply loved him. No wonder men don't want to make themselves vulnerable. It's even dangerous to do so in fiction.

That's not all. Before Shang Bao goes to marry another man, she seduces Jian Lai and sleeps with him. Only to then lock him up to make sure he doesn't ruin the wedding. Later we learn that she was suspicious of the man she was about to marry, but she was still going through the nuptials while her investigation on the guy was ongoing. By that point, she might have taken from Jian Lai what he might have been saving for another woman. Even if Jian Lai wasn't a virgin, to go from intimacy to locking him up before she goes to marry some other dude is as cold-veined and as asymmetrical of a relationship as it gets. Jian Lai deceived her at first too, but he wasn't a character that would have done all the things that she did to him.

Part of the reason I like cdramas is because Western media unabashedly rams the girl-boss archetypes down everyone's throat. This drama sadly brought the same negative repulsion I was escaping from. There is a scene where the subtitles stumbles through a translation using a very obscure or highbrow word. I always chuckle when I see them, and in this case it was the word impudent. How many people are going around calling others impudent?

In the finale, in front of several people, Jian Lai romantically lifts Shang Rong to take her to her boat. At first embarrassed at this PDA, she says "when we reach Lijin (Rong's headquarters) I won't allow you to be so impudent again." His response? Like a cute lap dog, he beams "then I'll listen to you, Lady Shanbao!" I mean, really? Might as well just throw a stick and ask him to fetch. And I'm sure Shang Bao she wasn't joking. If by impudent, she meant Jian Lai could no longer be bold or assertive, the drama as a whole made a good point that this is seriously what she expects from him. After all, she did say, that Rong women prefer mild mannered, obedient males.

To be honest, there was one sister that somewhat bucked the trend and finally decided to be with a man of lower status. She even had a daughter with him. However, this "reconciliation" scene was so rushed and abrupt that it carried very little emotional weight for me. Besides, she didn't explicitly say she wanted to marry him, only that she wanted him to live in the Rong estate.

Honestly, the guy was so meek, spineless, and submissive that they looked like a gross mismatch. I don't see what a strong Rong woman would see in him in the first place, and the drama made no effort to explain. It was the chemistry of an iceberg. If there was one plot line that should've been explored further, it was this one. They would have been great as a secondary couple, but in the end, it was a wasted opportunity.

As if this wasn't enough, the same woman who said she wasn't lucky to be born a Rong, also said this: "I don't have the Founding Emperor's jade seal. Nor do I have a powerful natal family, willing to support me. I don't even have a husband worth relying on. In this world, there isn't a single person who truly loves me. But I must love myself. I must protect myself. And above all, I must protect my children."

I'm sure this is one of the character's the embodies the author's voice and I have to disagree to an extent. Not having a capable man by your side is tragic. But I don't think anyone can say that there is a single person who truly loves them. If not a parent, there is a relative. If no relative, there are a lot of charitable men and women out there. So love yourself? Yes. Protect your children? Why sure. But one does not need some jade seal or Rong family to be blessed.

I wouldn't one to be associated with a Rong family for the reasons I explained above. Also, that Jade seal that she mentions worked well as an indestructible (and overused) plot armor, but it is what it is . A work of fiction. To me the real jade are those people who, though imperfect, truly care as well as the spouse who is, or can grow to be, that capable partner in life we all would be blessed to have at our side.

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Got me out of my loong kdrama slump.

this literally got me back into watching k-dramas . after the beginning of 2025 I lost the interest that I had in k-dramas and mostly just rewatched some of my favorites but then I just stopped. it was kind of annoying to see all of the cliches and basically the same type of acting and/or stories. even though there were some interesting k-dramas coming out I felt like very few couples had the perfect mix of chemistry/good acting /interesting plot.
So after 7 months i decided to give it a try with this one and honestly i don't know if it's because it's been so long, but this literally got me hooked from the first episode all the way to the last one.
The choice of the actors was so perfect and nothing can change my mind, the scenes were BEAUTIFUL in such a cinematic way, the story was so interesting, so simple and so complex,the amount of characters and their stories were so well written that i almost felt like part of their world, the main character were acting like real ADULTS, it could be argued tho that the MFL was "too persistent" on persuing the man, but I think it was a perfect amount of yearning over someone that has seen hidden parts of you, that obviously cares about you but still doesn't wanna show it, maybe because he's scared or because he's not over someone (unfortunately we cannot choose who we fall for! and I personally, being 21, know it very well).
I like it how it's not the usual nonchalant guy that never talks and the awkward and shy girl that looks away and talks quietly.
I already loved both the actors separately,but together they were was such an unexpectedly amazing combo.
I would've preferred some scenes to be without music, because in my opinion sometimes silence is louder and deeper than any other thing.
It was such an insight in mental health,mental illnesses and unresolved traumatic events and i feel like that explains at 360° the main female lead and her personality.
I love these "realistic" type of stories when they're so well done and honestly i cannot wait for time to pass so i can rewatch it. I don't usually rewatch shows that i feel like i liked just because of the plot, that's because knowing how something goes/ends makes everything else boring, but when they're acted so beautifully, the scenes are so well written and it really feels like a COMPLETE STORY I just can't wait to rewatch their performance.

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Better than I expected

I started this series mainly because of the big hype around it, and I didn’t really know what to expect. Unlike most dramas, the first two episodes bored me a bit and I watched them without much focus, but later the show really picked up. The FL was played well, the ML even better. Aside from one overly dramatic scene with the ML crying etc., I think it’s a very good series. Despite the seemingly trivial topic, it presents an interesting story about searching for a soulmate, loneliness, and maybe even an attempt to portray modern society—not just Korean, but more generally how we set expectations for a future partner. In a way, it also touches on the topic of AI, which is becoming more and more present in our everyday lives. I was very pleasantly surprised by the comedic elements—the writer lady’s dating experience was AMAZING, just a pity those parts were so short. Similarly, the subplot with the main character’s friend was great.

I’d even say it shows relationships quite realistically for a k-drama, meaning actual kisses and visible affection. The ML did a great job portraying indifference and awkwardness. Lastly, I’m really happy to see Yoo-in Na in another drama—I like this actress a lot.

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