One of the best Time Travel dramas, Korean or Chinese.
Shining For One Thing (2022) is a Time Travel School Life Romance Drama (contains no spoilers).Qu Chuxiao (Wandering Earth) and Karlina Zhang (Tang Dynasty Tour)
Short Review
Sometimes you pick up your next drama by following a favorite actor from the previous drama that you watched. I followed actor Qu Chuxiao from ‘Wandering Earth’ to ‘Shining For One Thing’. This Chinese drama is a Time Travel Drama which is very technical and science rich in story construct, but very romantic. The Chinese are often sticklers for technically sound plotlines. The writer was very careful to try to stick to the modern Scientific constructs of time travel/displacement thinking. I have covered the different modes of Time Travel in the past, like the differences between Time Travel, Time Slip, and Time Blend as a writing style for a story. ‘Shining For One Thing’ goes one step deeper, to try to explain Time Placement. It covers which timeline you are breaking, the possibilities of where you end up and the consequence possibilities when you travel into different Time Displacement zones. While this may sound too scientific for some, ‘Shining For One Thing’ really breaks through by making the explanations uncomplicated and informative, producing a very entertaining Time Travel drama. Shinning For One Thing is a “Time Travel” drama, because the mode of traveling through time is a definite object, an outdated phone. Great OST! Great love story. Although many time travel dramas use time travel only like a cab ride to the past, Shining For One Thing uses great writing, great concept, and a great use of time travel itself, to produce a great time travel story.
The female protagonist in this drama uses time travel to go back and forth in time to change her dismal future/present. Through it all, she gets hooked up with a young male student whom she knows (in the opening segments of this drama) dies in the past. She then makes it her mission in time travel to change her future/present, but also try to save this boy too. Along the way, she falls in love with the boy. The story is complicated, but totally intriguing. It progresses very slowly, I suppose this is so that the viewer can keep up with the action and the science. You have to sit with this one. However, there is a grand payoff in the back half of this drama.
Time travel is a modern construct, which is not believed to be naturally occuring. It has been given meaning by humans who believe that time travel is a definite possibility. In Shinning For One Thing (2022), the time travel was caused by the inexplicable use of an old phone and by deleting the messages to cause time travel to that point in time of the deleted message.
Extended Review
The female protagonist traveled to a new past each time she attempted to go back in time. She kept failing to enter an open loop of time where changes could be made to the future. To fix the future she needed to enter the right alternative universe.
Quote
Scientist in the Drama—We can go back to yesterday or even the distant past. But it is unlikely for humans to open the wormhole. Most travelers who claim to go back to the past did not enter the closed structure of the wormhole universe. Instead, they enter the crack of a parallel universe. The crack of a parallel universe takes place in every time and space, without affecting or changing each other.
Female Lead—So I did not travel to the past. I went to a new time and space (parallel universe). No wonder nothing changed (when she traveled through time).
Unquote
At the end of the Korean drama ‘The King: Eternal Monarch’, the male protagonist had to search through many alternative universes to find the right one which held the right circumstances and the woman he loved. This became necessary after his mode of time displacement (That family heirloom) was broken. The Wormhole had to be manipulated manually in The King: Eternal Monarch. In Shining For One Thing, the girl knows the outcome, the death of her schoolmate. We find that out in the opening minutes. She makes several attempts to enter the right time wormhole universe, which would allow her to change the past, but she keeps failing. She needs to enter the time and space where changes are possible. She must find the open time loop, instead of the closed time loop where changes can not be made to what has happened already. Along the way, even with all her course corrections, she finds romance.
This is time travel with a definite mode of travel, the outdated phone. With some travel, you are just an observer and can change nothing (closed time loop). With some time travel, you can change the outcomes (open time loop).
The female protagonist keeps failing, because she is not entering the open time loop section of the time wormhole. She is entering the crack of a parallel universe and is not able to change anything in that future. Same with the Chinese Drama Someday or One Day (2019), you must find the right time wormhole with the right set of circumstances, before change is possible. With the Korean Drama A Time Called You, the right time wormhole was entered on the first try in this time travel Korean drama, using a Song Cassette and Walkman as the means of time travel to the right alternative universe.
Cast
Qu Chuxiao (Wandering Earth) and Karlina Zhang (Tang Dynasty Tour), and Caesar Wu (Meteor Garden)
Esta resenha foi útil para você?
Stunning Visuals and Soul-Stirring Music Elevate This Drama
First off, let's talk about the plot. Picture this: Lin Bei Xing, a woman on the brink of her thirties, finds herself in a whirlwind of chaos when her high school sweetheart dumps her for her best friend. Ouch, right? But wait, there's a twist! Cue the time-traveling shenanigans, where Lin Bei Xing gets to relive her high school days, but with a few surprises along the way. From heartwarming flashbacks to mind-bending revelations, this drama keeps you on your toes with its cleverly woven storyline.Now, let's dish about the characters. We've got Lin Bei Xing, our spunky heroine determined to rewrite her past and find true love. And then there's Zhang Wan Sen, the quiet yet swoon-worthy guy who steals the show with his unwavering devotion. Together, they'll make you believe in the power of second chances and leave you rooting for their epic romance.
But hold on, we can't forget about the supporting cast! From quirky friends to charming adversaries, each character adds their own flavor to the mix. Whether it's Mai Zi's unwavering loyalty or Gao Ge's artistic flair, there's never a dull moment with this bunch.
And let's talk about the feels – oh, the feels! Get ready to laugh until your sides hurt one minute and ugly cry into your popcorn the next. The emotional rollercoaster is real, folks. But fear not, because the stellar acting and heart-wrenching OSTs will guide you through every twist and turn.
Speaking of OSTs, let's give a round of applause to the music team for delivering some of the most soul-stirring tunes you'll ever hear. Seriously, I dare you not to get chills every time "The Whole World is Behind You" plays in the background.
And last but not least, let's talk visuals. The cinematography in this drama is like a work of art – every frame is meticulously crafted to evoke all the feels. From dreamy sunsets to rain-soaked reunions, prepare to be visually dazzled at every turn.
In conclusion, "Shining For One Thing" is more than just your typical high school drama. It's a heartfelt journey filled with laughter, tears, and everything in between. So grab your tissues, buckle up, and get ready for the ride of a lifetime!
Esta resenha foi útil para você?
