Reviews

The summer that I never want to end

Wow, this show was so beautiful.

6/30/2026
I've finally finished the entire show, dare i say the best summer cdrama ever. I waited for this show right when it got announced. I love Zhou Keyu and Bao shang en even more so I waited for a year in anticipation, and wow it did not disappoint at all.

The plot was so good, one of my favorite tropes ever is meet again where the two protagonists meet years later, so obviously I loved the plot. At times people did joke this drama started feeling like Never ending sadness and I agree however, this is THE most realistic drama thats been released recently. Zhou wan had such a sad backstory, everyone did leave her, and she grew up poor. Then in the middle, she leaves Lu Xixiao because yes she did come from poor backgrounds compared to him and she loved him so much she didnt want him to get hurt at all. The 2026 plot was super good as well, and healed the sadness. Yes there definitely was some plot holes here and there some things didn't make sense but honestly THE CHEMISTRY completely makes up for it no doubt.

I don't even have to talk about the actors because both of their acting in this drama speaks for itself. But GUYS the chemistry oh my days every single scene feels lived in and real, they are a couple I WOULD BELIEVE EXISTS IN REAL LIFE, PURELY from the chemistry between them. THEY are the ones that made my summer so much more enjoyable. (Also, slightly off topic but ZHOU KEYUS EXPENSIVE ENGLISH i actually love it sm).

ABSOLUTE PERFECT SUMMER PICKUP, go watch it right now stop reading this review.

(Also the ending was absolutely beautiful, they broke the fourth wall but it made it a lot better imo, the actors giving us the happy ending idk how to explain it but its like a "happily ever after", "never ending summer, THE LAST EPISODE!!, we're married!!!")

i dont wanna leave my parents behind but I will be coming back soon for a rewatch 1000%

Bye Lu Xixiao and Zhou Wan!!

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Great first half, disappointing second

This drama took me by surprise—I was hooked from the very beginning. It offered a great blend of humour and mystery, and I quickly grew attached to the team. Watching them work together to solve cases was genuinely entertaining, and I appreciated getting glimpses into their backstories along the way.

I didn't mind that it shifted to a thriller where they tried to catch a serial killer, but it just wasn't done well. Unfortunately, the drama lost its momentum around the halfway mark. I started skipping more and more scenes, and some plot points became downright ridiculous. It's a real shame because the first half was genuinely great.

Verdict: A strong start with a fun team dynamic and engaging cases, but loses its way in the second half. Worth watching for the first half alone, but temper your expectations for the rest.

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Finally watched this, but it fell short of my expectations

The high rating had my hopes up and I honestly wanted to watch something with a little more comedy. To be honest, Bai Jiu's screams brought me here lol. But unfortunately, it fell short.

What I liked:
- Strong start: the first few episodes were pretty good but after they solved the case of the murdered brides the storyline just didn't interest me that much anymore.
- Hou Ming Hao: He's just really fits this role as a demon or powerful being. I watched him in Love in the Clouds and I swear this kind of role is just made for him. His expressions and mannerisms are so good.
- Friendship and side characters: I really liked the whole group and the friendships and their different personalities.

What I didn't like/ Could've been better:
- Pacing: Way too slow. Sometimes they just be showing visuals on the screen and they would talk so slow. No way it takes 10 min of talking about one thing and then the ep is over like come on. Maybe if it was faster paced, I wouldn't lose interest. I had to do stuff while watching so it didn't feel like I was wasting time :(
- Useless Goddess: No offense but what was her purpose? Like she had no power, she moaned and hates herself for being weak, it just felt silly. I feel her character could've been written better. Maybe she could've been super smart and outsmart the villains. Her character when she was introduced was super interesting, I thought she'd be really intelligent, but it went so downhill :( I was shouting at my screen
- Deaths - Ying Lei's death was so sad. He deserved more. I get why he died but it was so sad. I also considered him part of the crew. I know he wasn't originally part of the group but for me he was there. Bai Jiu's death... I'm still in denial. I always thought he'd appear screaming and then they'd laugh and joke. The ending was so sad. Zhuo Yi Chen lost his family and at the end he also lost all his friends. Like give my guy a break. So sad :_(
- Villains coming back from the dead: I hate when someone who you fought died reappears a few episodes later like bro, just die already. Like I thought we dealt with you once, why you back!

I hope it's not too harsh, I did enjoy parts of it but I feel it was just too slow paced for me and the storyline became a little boring. And if you don't like sad endings like me, beware.

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The Dynamic Duo

I liked it.
It was original to a degree.
Everyone's acting, especially Sky, Nani, Great (believable in every character) and Krist were better than okay. In fact, Krist left an impression.
SkyNani have a real bromance vibe and that is partially due their features and not anything particular. Sky's soft protective look towards him and Nani's innocent face does the work.
expressions are their shitck.
It's okay marketing them as a bromance couple and once it stays that without inferring more. They did it, because the expectation was there, but light on the romance.
I enjoy action and mystery, so it was not boring but it still didn't blow my mind.
The story flowed along culminating without the usual overdramatization. Bonus.
The script was okay. The demon within and without being conquered by the Wu. Both finding their center along the way. I think I want something that breaks boundaries for them. This is still within the safe zone.
It was funny, a bit emotional at times, action geared and good enough to stick to the end.
S1 is enough. I don't need a sequel.

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Very Enjoyable

This movie is remarkable for its success at mixing genuine creepy horror and a romantic arc together with some hilarious comedy. It feels rushed as it checks off all the steps from cold relationship to romantic entanglement in a little less than two hours. But that's because I guessing most viewers, like me, are used to seeing all these steps detailed in 12 to 16 hour long episodes, so yes it is rushed. This story as we've seen elsewhere can be told over a much longer span and it works.

Master's Sun mixed some supernatural scary spooks into its story but what's remarkable here is that the spooks and how there're shown are really creepy, and then suddenly some funny switch will kick in and the scene jumps to comedy. Odd, but it works.

Stay tuned to the final credits because there's an amusing attempt by the male lead's sidekick to pick up a ghost, who ignores him walking, or drifting away.

The rules as to who can see ghosts when are loose. But the story points move fast so there's no time to dwell on this issue.

Possible spoilers.....


I only watched the one time so I may have misunderstood a scene in which the two leads get together, i.e. sleep together, in the tent she keeps in her living room. In the morning the male lead's girl friend somehow shows up from France, knows where they are, and gains entry to her house to unzip the tent catching them inside together. Then the three are shown talking in his (?) house, and after some discussion the female lead leaves his house. I am confused how that transition took place from in the tent in her house to some other house.

I liked how the story leaves unresolved the fact the female lead is being aggressively haunted by her dead former best friend. At the end the ghost is still haunting and apparently isn't going anywhere.

A final note. I almost missed this but note in the scene in which the female lead is seeing off her new boyfriend from the front gate in the morning. As she turns to re-enter the gate, look towards the top left of the screen and you'll see a ghost, the ghost standing on the balcony.

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Jumborg 9 supremacy

Released as part of Tsuburaya's 10th anniversary celebration, a year jam-packed with so many different tokusatsu productions from everyone and their mothers, Jumborg Ace is a confused beast, unsure if it should be a revenge-driven thriller or embrace the goofier antics of contemporaries. Yes, it very much lives in the shadow of the better-known Silver Giant from Nebula M78; the formula has already worn thin, but the series does deserve a bit of credit for blending high-flying monster action with mecha elements years before giant robot anime would truly explode in popularity. What keeps you going more than anything is the rather emotional central storyline; revenge is always a powerful motivator, and it keeps you hooked merely to see how far these characters are willing to go, especially once Jumborg 9 gets introduced. Unfortunately, the show has more than its fair share of child-focused episodes that regularly interrupt the momentum of its invasion narrative, while supporting characters sometimes receive limited development, and a lot of the acting reflects the broad style common to children's television of the early 1970s. Still, these shortcomings are outweighed by the show's infectious energy and sincerity. The production values are pretty typical of the era with miniature cities, rubber-suited monsters and colourful pyrotechnics all on full display. Although occasionally showing their budgetary limitations, they're executed with enough enthusiasm, the action sequences are brisk, inventive and often surprisingly brutal, with Jumborg Ace dispatching enemies in ways that stand out even among his giant hero peers. While the opening perfectly captures the larger-than-life spirit of the series, I find myself once again unimpressed by a Shunsuke Kikuchi score; there's not a lot I can even say about it. Regardless, Jumborg Ace is a fine little show in its own right; its blend of giant robots, alien invaders, and heartfelt heroism makes it essential viewing for fans of vintage tokusatsu despite being another series cursed to never get a proper ending.

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Mature Romance, Immature Villains

This is a true enemies-to-lovers tale. This isn't about harsh looks or mean words. The leads were ruthless with one another—they whipped, stabbed, and bit one another. Then, the drama deftly gave the viewer flashbacks that explained how they each came to be so combative and hard.

The Good:

• Kudos to the writer for giving me villains with understandable motivations. They were despicable and did unredeemable acts, but the drama made me mourn the waste of their lives.
• The drama subverted my expectations. The siblings didn't hate one another. The ML and FL were equals in intelligence, ability, and commanding power. They trusted and protected one another. When the FL was faced with an act of noble idiocy, she only considered it briefly, which was a huge relief!
• The princess was a mess, which was unexpected. She careened from one stupid decision to another. I had to remind myself that she'd been coddled and protected all her life. She had no practical experience outside her ivory tower. She'd never felt repercussions from bad choices. Her father and brother had protected and indulged her. Spoiled princess needed a reality check. And she got it.
• And now, a word about amnesia, that frustrating bugaboo of Asian dramas: this has BOTH the ML and FL experiencing memory loss. But wait, it isn't frustrating and meaningless like most plot Band-Aids. The first bout of amnesia with the FL was handled beautifully. She was understandably off kilter and suspicious of everyone, but she handled her condition rationally. Rather than detract from the drama, her memory holes added another layer of suspense. The second bout of amnesia was short-lived, thankfully, and bearable.
• There were beautiful visuals throughout the drama.

The Bad:

• Do we really believe an ill Emperor was left alone for hours?
• If a person destroys a woman's life and aspirations (someone who has proven she is capable of murder), wouldn't it make sense not to allow that dangerous person near? Just sayin'.
• Why do rotating Klieg lights appear every time there is a kissing scene?
• Why does the camera do the cha-cha-cha for dramatic moments? Forward, back, freeze, blur the background—so dramatic.
• The lighting and filters made the second prince look like his face was made of melting ice. I loved his character; he deserved better lighting and makeup.
• As often happens, the drama frayed a bit towards the end.

I added a half star for a capable ML and FL, well-fleshed out villains, and an amnesia story that actually worked.

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The acting is brilliant

I will start off by saying this may not be a story for everyone. It is both heart, wrenching, and heart warming. The characters are so impacted by their childhood. But I would never call them damaged. They’re just looking for who they were meant to be. And they find it in each other.
Each actor is perfectly cast. And they do a wonderful job.
I would say the only thing that left me a little unsatisfied was the lack of wrapup for some of the secondary characters, but it did not deter from how much I really enjoyed this show.
The three leads are amazing actors. But so are all of the secondaries. The soundtrack was awesome and helped the mood of each scene.
The show does deal with some very serious mental health issues. And I thought it dealt with them in a very realistic and important way.

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sugar overload in a fantasy workplace setting where everyone is unnaturally nice

To think that of all things I'll binge watch Thai GL shows. I guess this is the consequence of having discovered that in the 8epi GL format they barely have time for the usual lakorn crap & not having anything else lined up to watch.

The plot does not amaze, I'm especially annoyed how they dealt with second FL in the final episode. I dislike the social media confession trope quite a bit, it's bad even compared to other common redemption ark varieties.

Anyway despite not having amazing storytelling the drama is a lot of fun to watch. The FLs (xD) have great chemistry & their bickering is endless fun. The love triangle is bearable, yes the second (or 3rd xD) FL would be incredible annoying in any other format, but thanks to the short runtime she barely had any screen time or chances to annoy us. So I guess I can forgive the show the 3-way hand grab moment it had that one one time.

~ I wrote this review without watching the special episodes.

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I found it interesting that the production team used artificial intelligence to generate some video footage for at least one video presentation to showcase their concept.


edit: Watched the 2 special episodes. The first one is about closure for the main couple & its a decent extended fluffy happy ending for them, the second on the other hand is about the Tetris couple, but practically it feels like it's all for showing us embedded marketing, still as far as special episodes go these were okay.

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WHO? THE WU!!!

this is an exceptionally beautiful series! we have an amazingly skilled cast, smooth directing, beautiful camera shots, really good cgi and a script that doesn't just leave us hanging but explains why things are like that in the world of wu and why are the characters acting like this. to be honest from the very first episode onward not a single scene felt off or staged, everything was portrait with utmost sincerity and deep emotions which makes you feel drawn into this supernatural world where evil spirits absorb the energy of life. it also gives you hope that this silly little group of characters can defeat the demons and feel happy in their lives again. WU was done with so much background research considering we have a second language in here as well and many ritual aspects coming from ancient chinese books. these actors had to learn how to speak mandarin, how to cast spells, how to fight, how to play cards & drums and even how to act like a monkey! everyone put their heart & soul into this series and it really came out shining in just 9 episodes. i dare to say that WU is a masterpiece with the story itself alone but the actors, filming crew and staff just made it even better!
i'm so happy we got to see the reallife niranpete and their undying love and understanding for each other, skynani delivered the part of being soulmates so well i now want to go out into the world and find my own!! so if you're looking for a series that draws you into the story, makes you fall for the characters, screaming at the chemistry, keeps you hooked and makes you bawl your eyes out for what's happening in the episodes then WU is definitely the one I'd recommend!
i'm only nagging a little about the pacing towards the end especially ep 7&8 felt a little rushed to get it all done in just 9 episodes but the ending made it worth it all over again so congratulations to p'wa for bringing wu into this world better than anyone else could've! 👏 to all the viewers and skynanians: may your love & support for skynani protect you from the evil yao around you sadhuuu 🙏

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TWINNNNNN

This drama actually hits so well. ML and me actually twins cause I would act the exact same way if I thought I was a psycho killer. I didn't even get any second hand embarrassment it was more of a "we twinning" type of feeling which is kinda jokes LOL. I actually watched this a couple of years back and dont really remember the plot fully but I do rmb the drama being able to handle both the serious and comedic genres very well without ever fully letting go of one which I think a lot of dramas struggle to do so kudos to that. I wish to see more of these types of dramas in the future<3 Its always a pleasure to watch I recommend !

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No way bro was an empath

ML is an empath and FML is a go-getter who is optimism in a bottle. So basically girlboss and a malewife, fantastic I love a good malewife. I think we need more feminine boys in Kdramas like that's a lost market I would spend alot of money on. Anyways, the drama itself is sub-par with a very light and fluffy plot, no deep problems that last more than 15 minutes which is great for someone with no time to be emotionally invested. However, a problem I have with this drama is that it empowers empaths too much. Your average empath is an emo tiktoker saying shit like I can feel the pain of Chernobyl victims like baby no you can't, you just empathising rn. This drama portrays empaths as people who can see true emotions even when hidden, like a superpower and not just someone who is very observant. I dont think empaths are real if im being honest (call the woke police idgaf) so when the show pulled up that term I simply could not take the ML or the drama seriously anymore. Hence the bad rating. Overall mid drama with low stakes but alot of love to the actors and actresses

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