Liar! Summer was supposed to Never End!
I wasn't expecting the day would come when I would finally have my first romance cdrama that i can confidently rate 10/10 and highlight all the answers in the "What do you like most about it?" question. Trust me, I really tried my best to find aspects of this drama to dislike, but there are none.
The story, i wouldn't really say it's true to life, because i later realized it's the typical Rich Guy & Poor Girl type scenario, but there are some aspects that way it was written and handled that make it grounded to some extent, so that it wouldn't come off as some fetish delulu like some other Rich Guy & Poor Girl type story out there.
Looking back, it is very tropey and I'm hella nervous when it's being presented on screen like "I hope it's not this and that just for the sake of it" because i wanted this to be either 9/10. If you also look at it objectively, the family drama and romance are very messy. It knows it's messy. It leans into that, but handles everything so well together, all of that in the drama, and it still made sense, because the way each of the characters impacts the other defines what's going to happen next. It has a chain reaction effect. You're not just sitting there thinking, "What was that for?"
When it comes to the Pacing, it's smooth for the most part. Still, there are times when I definitely thought it was fast, because sometimes info or an event that is revealed or introduced in an episode is unfolded to the target character later on in the same episode. It's just a nitpick. It didn't ruin the show for me whatsoever.
I watched this because I saw a clip of Bao Shang En getting too immersed with her character that she forgot to snap back even after the director said "Cut!". I'm sure you know what i mean. That tells me that her acting has definitely improved if she can get into that state of mind. Because i watched her first 2 cdramas back in 2024, and for a rookie actress she was definitely decent back then, but i stopped watching because she's not on my priority list. After watching this drama? Definitely can say she has gotten really good. She knows how to put emotions across the screen, and the tone and mood switch. The deep voice- can we talk about her deep talking voice here, because i definitely don't remember her having that kind of voice back then. I'm so in love. Though there are times when she's in a scene with an older actor/actress, you can't help but notice that skill gap. She would get overwhelmed in terms of stage presence, but I'm sure as she gets older and takes on more projects, she's definitely gonna become a great actress.
Zhou Wan as a character, when you think she's perfect, but she's not. She can be frustrating or hateable, but it's hard because every decision she makes is because of the people around her. You can't really blame her if you were in her position, and as she's stated, "I'm just 18." You can't expect a person at that age to make the right decision every time. Sometimes it will be dumb, but i loved how she was written as a realist, so at least she's very calculating when making decisions. Also, my gosh, i love her fits during her high school arc. It's simple, but layered so that it won't look bare.
The same goes for Lu Xixiao. I'm amazed by the progression of his character, from being a tough/rebel boy to a softie/yearner guy. He's a smart character, but he too makes dumb decisions, and then i remember, "Oh, yeah, he's 18, so you probably wouldn't be thinking like this." I'm always amazed how he's able to pick up hints from his day to day life to be able to piece things together when trying to figure out something, I guess that's where the observation skill from being an artist comes in, because he's able to figure out what Zhou Wan's intentions is whenever she doesn't want to talk, not all of them, but for the most part.
It's my first time seeing Daniel Zhou as an actor. Before this i saw him in a variety show, but I wasn't focusing on him. My eyes were on Bai Lu, because she was in it as well. Anyway, going back. He's such a really good actor and so freaking tall, my god. Also, can we talk about how he and Shang En got such explosive chemistry going on, like i got hooked episode 1 right away because of their chemistry. Now i want them to star in a Fantasy drama, because they reminded me of Luo Yun Xi and Bai Lu so much in terms of chemistry.
Among all the hateable characters, Luo He takes the crown for me. He's the first thug character that i actually thoroughly enjoyed watching, because he's actually written well for me. I think it's because it's got to do with the actor. He's so good at playing the role. You can tell he's really into it.
The music in this drama bangs! I don't think there's a song here that i don't like. I watched this drama on the Mango TV YouTube channel, and they always mute some music scenes to avoid copyright issues. So i would pause and watch the parts with music on a pirate site, then go back to their channel when it's done. That's how dedicated I am to not skip any scenes with music.
Overall, such a top tier drama. Sure, it may have its flaws, but i eat that all up because it's good. Highly recommend watching it. Give it a go!
The story, i wouldn't really say it's true to life, because i later realized it's the typical Rich Guy & Poor Girl type scenario, but there are some aspects that way it was written and handled that make it grounded to some extent, so that it wouldn't come off as some fetish delulu like some other Rich Guy & Poor Girl type story out there.
Looking back, it is very tropey and I'm hella nervous when it's being presented on screen like "I hope it's not this and that just for the sake of it" because i wanted this to be either 9/10. If you also look at it objectively, the family drama and romance are very messy. It knows it's messy. It leans into that, but handles everything so well together, all of that in the drama, and it still made sense, because the way each of the characters impacts the other defines what's going to happen next. It has a chain reaction effect. You're not just sitting there thinking, "What was that for?"
When it comes to the Pacing, it's smooth for the most part. Still, there are times when I definitely thought it was fast, because sometimes info or an event that is revealed or introduced in an episode is unfolded to the target character later on in the same episode. It's just a nitpick. It didn't ruin the show for me whatsoever.
I watched this because I saw a clip of Bao Shang En getting too immersed with her character that she forgot to snap back even after the director said "Cut!". I'm sure you know what i mean. That tells me that her acting has definitely improved if she can get into that state of mind. Because i watched her first 2 cdramas back in 2024, and for a rookie actress she was definitely decent back then, but i stopped watching because she's not on my priority list. After watching this drama? Definitely can say she has gotten really good. She knows how to put emotions across the screen, and the tone and mood switch. The deep voice- can we talk about her deep talking voice here, because i definitely don't remember her having that kind of voice back then. I'm so in love. Though there are times when she's in a scene with an older actor/actress, you can't help but notice that skill gap. She would get overwhelmed in terms of stage presence, but I'm sure as she gets older and takes on more projects, she's definitely gonna become a great actress.
Zhou Wan as a character, when you think she's perfect, but she's not. She can be frustrating or hateable, but it's hard because every decision she makes is because of the people around her. You can't really blame her if you were in her position, and as she's stated, "I'm just 18." You can't expect a person at that age to make the right decision every time. Sometimes it will be dumb, but i loved how she was written as a realist, so at least she's very calculating when making decisions. Also, my gosh, i love her fits during her high school arc. It's simple, but layered so that it won't look bare.
The same goes for Lu Xixiao. I'm amazed by the progression of his character, from being a tough/rebel boy to a softie/yearner guy. He's a smart character, but he too makes dumb decisions, and then i remember, "Oh, yeah, he's 18, so you probably wouldn't be thinking like this." I'm always amazed how he's able to pick up hints from his day to day life to be able to piece things together when trying to figure out something, I guess that's where the observation skill from being an artist comes in, because he's able to figure out what Zhou Wan's intentions is whenever she doesn't want to talk, not all of them, but for the most part.
It's my first time seeing Daniel Zhou as an actor. Before this i saw him in a variety show, but I wasn't focusing on him. My eyes were on Bai Lu, because she was in it as well. Anyway, going back. He's such a really good actor and so freaking tall, my god. Also, can we talk about how he and Shang En got such explosive chemistry going on, like i got hooked episode 1 right away because of their chemistry. Now i want them to star in a Fantasy drama, because they reminded me of Luo Yun Xi and Bai Lu so much in terms of chemistry.
Among all the hateable characters, Luo He takes the crown for me. He's the first thug character that i actually thoroughly enjoyed watching, because he's actually written well for me. I think it's because it's got to do with the actor. He's so good at playing the role. You can tell he's really into it.
The music in this drama bangs! I don't think there's a song here that i don't like. I watched this drama on the Mango TV YouTube channel, and they always mute some music scenes to avoid copyright issues. So i would pause and watch the parts with music on a pirate site, then go back to their channel when it's done. That's how dedicated I am to not skip any scenes with music.
Overall, such a top tier drama. Sure, it may have its flaws, but i eat that all up because it's good. Highly recommend watching it. Give it a go!
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