Shining For One Thing Review

Shining For One Thing (一闪一闪亮星星) is a Chinese romance drama with a parallel universe theme. It has a rather high rating on some sites among the international viewers at the time of this review. I presume this will be attractive to the younger crowd due to the high school romance which forms a substantial part of the story. There is also a mystery bit which helps to differentiate it from the usual youth dramas and this is what kept me going to the end. I have written my opinion in the Shining For One Thing review below. So, do read on if you are interested to find out my overall verdict.

My rating: 7.5/10
Episodes: 24
Type: Youth Romance, Time Travel
Aired: January 2022
Images Credit: iQIYI Weibo

The Cast Of Shining For One Thing

• Karlina Zhang Jia Ning as Lin Bei Xing / Xing Xing
• Shaw Qu Chu Xiao as Zhang Wan Sen
• Caesar Wu Xi Ze as Zhan Yu
• Jinna Fu Jing as Gao Ge
• Luo Ming Jie as Yang Chao Yang
• Jiang Yun Lin as Mai Zi
• Roada Xu Zi Yin as Han Teng Teng
• Hou Wei Tao as Lin Da Hai

Main Characters

Lin Bei Xing / Xing Xing

Bei Xing is a general worker at the local zoo. She is a simple woman who is preparing to get married but is dumped after a 8-year relationship. She is cheerful but can be tough and determined once she sets her mind to do something. Bei Xing lives with her loving parents and an elder brother.

Zhang Wan Sen

Wan Sen was Bei Xing’s schoolmate during high school about 10 years ago. He was a top scorer and exemplary student. Wan Sen was a reserved and shy teen who tended to hide his feelings. He was secretly in love with Bei Xing.

Supporting Characters

Zhan Yu

Zhan Yu is Bei Xing’s fiancee who decides to dump her just before their wedding. They were schoolmates and became a couple after Bei Xing’s relentless pursuit of him. Zhan Yu was also a star basketball player back in school.

Gao Ge

Gao Ge was Bei Xing’s schoolmate. She was a smart student with good results but rebellious. Her father was the school dean and they had a poor relationship. Gao Ge has talent in drawing with a deep interest in art.

Yang Chao Yang

Chao Yang was Bei Xing’s classmate. He was an average student with a dream of being a crosstalk performer. He was unsure if he would succeed but persistent in his pursuit of his dream. Chao Yang has a supportive friend in Bei Xing.

Mai Zi

Mai Zi was a smalltime gangster under Lei Ge and operated a garage. He was also Wan Sen’s loyal friend and would even protect him from being targeted by his boss.

Han Teng Teng

Teng Teng is Bei Xing’s best friend from their school days.

Lin Da Hai

Da Hai is Bei Xing’s elder brother. He is a caring brother after a past experience 10 years ago. He used to peddle substandard goods and scam buyers to make money off them.

Synopsis

Bei Xing is approaching 30 years old and works at the local zoo. She is about to get married to her high school sweetheart, Zhan Yu, but he asks for a breakup all of a sudden. In a last ditch attempt to save the relationship, she texts Zhan Yu to meet her at the school that they attended. She also brings along her old mobile phone that she had used during those days.

While fiddling with her old phone, she meets Zhan Yu as well as Wan Sen. Later, she realizes that the meeting has taken place in a parallel universe which brings her back to 10 years before. She also learns that deleting a message on her old phone will trigger the switch. As Bei Xing is unhappy due to her failed relationship and mediocre career path, she decides to take advantage of the ability to go back to her past to change her life.

However, Bei Xing gets kicked back to the present each time after a short interval. Then, she discovers that she will get teleported back to 2021 whenever she receives news about Wan Sen’s death. Wan Sen is reported to have died in 2011 on the last day of the college entrant exam. He had fallen to his death from the lighthouse.

Therefore, when Bei Xing returns to 2011 again, she needs to prevent Wan Sen from dying. This means she needs to get close to him so that she could protect him from the potential murderer. As Bei Xing and Wan Sen spend more time together, they also start to fall in love with each other.

Shining For One Thing Ending (Spoilers Alert!)

Shining for One Thing has an open ending. However, what is implied is that Wan Sen is still alive. In the last scene, a man is seen holding an umbrella and shielding Bei Xing from the snow. He is behind her and thus, his face is blocked and not shown to the viewers. Bei Xing’e eyes are teary but she has a happy smile on her face as the drama ends.

Also in Episode 24, Bei Xing has managed to pass the test to join Vets Without Borders. After her last time travel, she decided to lead a happy and meaningful life in memory of Wan Sen. Her initiative at the zoo to rescue small animals became a commendable project which spurred her to take up the challenge to join Vets Without Borders.

Zhan Yu and Teng Teng are married. Bei Xing saw them together from afar and it doesn’t look like they are having a great marriage with Teng Teng’s non-stop complaints. Gao Ge is now a successful artist and has her own exhibition in the city. Chao Yang has also become a well-known crosstalk performer with his own shows. He attended Gao Ge’s exhibition and invited her for dinner with him to which she accepted. In the alternate universe, they actually became a couple in Episode 14.

What Happened To Wan Sen?

In the original world, Wan Sen was presumed dead in 2011. Bei Xing’s brother, Da Hai, had taken a loan from Lei Ge which he couldn’t repay due to the astronomical interest. Hence, Lei Ge wanted to kidnap Bei Xing to force Da Hai to show up with the money. Wan Sen secretly protected her to the best of his ability with Mai Zi’s help. During one incident, Wan Sen tricked Lei Ge who was after Bei Xing and ran up to the lighthouse. Lei Ge chased him and a fight ensued. As a result, Wan Sen was pushed off the lighthouse and fell to the sea below. Bei Xing got the complete story about Wan Sen from Mai Zi in Episode 18.

In Episode 19, Bei Xing read a page of Wan Sen’s diary. She learned that Wan Sen had liked her since 1999 when they first met as kids. But he had to move when his mother got a job transfer. When Wan Sen returned to the city in 2004, Bei Xing couldn’t recognize him anymore. In 2007, he managed to get into the same high school and class as Bei Xing but she only had eyes for Zhan Yu then. Hence, everything that he did for her was done in secret and he also didn’t want to affect her studies when her brother ran into money problems with Lei Ge.

Mai Zi gave the diary to Bei Xing when he decided to leave the city to start life anew.

Did Wan Sen Die?

There is no confirmation of Wan Sen’s death throughout the drama. He is only reported to have fallen off the lighthouse and presumed killed. Nobody seems to know much about the incident including Gao Ge who was his neighbor. Gao Ge told Bei Xing that Wan Sen’s parents had sold their house and moved out in a hurry the day after their son fell off the lighthouse.

Did The Time Travel Change The Present?

No, the travel through time and space does not result in any change to Bei Xing’s life in the present original world. Her initial motivation to go back to her past is because she thought she could change her current life by altering her past. But in the latter part of the drama, her sole purpose to time travel to the alternate world is to save Wan Sen and prevent him from dying.

Basically, the original and alternate universe are independent of each other. The travel through the different time and space dimensions only allows Bei Xing to discover what happened in the past concerning Wan Sen and to experience high school life with him. After reading Wan Sen’s diary in Episode 19, Bei Xing learns that every travel to the alternate universe is tied to the moments that he regretted. That is why she will always end up in different years or months each time she deletes a message from the old phone to bring her to the alternate world.

The moments that Wan Sen regretted are things that he had wanted to do or experience with Bei Xing but didn’t get the chance to do. The ultimate regret is not confessing his feelings to her. Hence, the moment Wan Sen utters I like you in the alternate universe, the time travel stops and Bei Xing is back to the present original world.

What Happened During The Last Time Travel?

Bei Xing wanted to prevent Wan Sen’s death in the alternate universe after learning how much he had sacrificed for her through Mai Zi. So, she time traveled again in Episode 20. At some point, she turned cold towards Wan Sen to make him hate her. This is because she needed to prevent him from confessing as that would kick her back to 2021.

When Wan Sen read her diary after she accidentally dropped it, he found out the reason for her harsh attitude towards him and her purpose of being in the alternate universe. So, he pretended to hate her to fulfill her wish but quietly went to confess to the police that he is Lei Ge’s murderer when the latter was reported dead in Episode 23. Wan Sen thought Bei Xing had killed Lei Ge because her hairband was found at the crime scene. Bei Xing was indeed there but she merely witnessed Lei Ge being killed by his underling.

The police knew Wan Sen had nothing to do with the case and let him go. Wan Sen then headed to the airport as he had planned to go abroad. When Bei Xing learned that Wan Sen had wanted to sacrifice for her again, she rushed off to the airport to see him. He whispered I like you from inside the glass door and Bei Xing was back to the original world in 2021 in Episode 24.

Is There A Love Triangle?

In one alternate universe in the first half of the drama, Zhan Yu became the pursuer instead of the pursued. Bei Xing knew Zhan Yu would turn out to be a jerk when she went back to the past. Hence, she ignored him and got interested in Wan Sen instead. This made Zhan Yu felt neglected all of a sudden and his interest in her grew as a result. But Bei Xing was very firm with him and rejected him a few times throughout Episode 8 to 14.

Shining For One Thing Review – 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.