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The cast is fabulous and they executed the plot perfectly.It is a nice happy ending story although, I felt there's a subtle element lacking that prevents it from being a perfect ten.
There wasn't a need for the secretary to be so wish washy, she could have just chosen a side and stuck with it, writers please.
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Visuals and great story
★★★★★ 5/5Love in the Clouds is everything I hope for in a xianxia romance and one of the most captivating Chinese dramas I have watched in recent years. From its breathtaking cinematography to its emotionally rich storytelling, this drama delivers a near-perfect blend of fantasy, romance, intrigue, and visual spectacle. Adapted from the novel Ru Qing Yun, the series follows the complex relationship between Ming Yi and Ji Bozai, two characters brought together by deception, fate, and ultimately an unforgettable love story.
The greatest strength of the drama is undoubtedly its lead couple. The chemistry between Hou Minghao and Lu Yuxiao is exceptional from beginning to end. Every glance, every emotional confrontation, and every romantic moment feels natural and convincing. Their relationship develops with a perfect balance of tension, tenderness, humor, and heartbreak, making it impossible not to become emotionally invested in their journey. They are not only visually stunning together but also manage to bring depth and vulnerability to their characters that elevates the entire story. Community discussions frequently highlighted how visually striking and compelling the pairing was on screen.
Visually, Love in the Clouds is absolutely gorgeous. The costume design, color palette, lighting, and world-building create a dreamlike atmosphere that perfectly suits the fantasy setting. Every frame feels carefully crafted, from the grand celestial landscapes to the intimate character moments. The production team clearly invested significant effort into creating a world that feels immersive and magical, and the result is one of the most beautiful xianxia dramas in recent memory.
The drama also excels emotionally. While it contains many of the beloved tropes that fans of the genre enjoy, it never feels shallow. Beneath the fantasy elements is a story about trust, sacrifice, identity, and the difficult choices people make for those they love. The emotional scenes carry real weight, and several moments left a lasting impression long after the episodes ended. The soundtrack further enhances these emotions, complementing both the romantic and tragic aspects of the story with remarkable effectiveness.
What impressed me most was how effortlessly the drama balances multiple tones. It can be playful and charming one moment, then deeply moving and heartbreaking the next. The pacing keeps the story engaging throughout, and the central mystery surrounding the characters’ hidden motives adds an extra layer of intrigue to the romance.
Above all, Love in the Clouds succeeds because it understands the heart of what makes a great romance. It is not just about two beautiful people falling in love; it is about two wounded souls learning to trust each other in a world filled with secrets, danger, and impossible odds. By the time the story reaches its emotional peaks, the audience has become completely invested in their happiness.
For anyone who loves xianxia dramas, fantasy romance, stunning visuals, and a lead couple with incredible chemistry, Love in the Clouds is an easy recommendation. It is beautiful, emotional, addictive, and unforgettable. A true 5/5 experience and one of the standout Chinese dramas of 2025.
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Script, vibes and acting.
I'll keep this short.This is one of my most rewatched K-dramas. The script makes sense from beginning to end (which in turn means that the characterisation is also a 10 out of 10), the cinematography brings the vibes, and the chemistry between the majority of the actors is 10 out of 10. And the humour is through the roof. I love dramas that bring comedy through the characters and the situations that occur because of their actions, and that is exactly what this drama gives tenfold. I also love detailed profile-type criminal cases to follow (if you've ever seen and love to watch Criminal Minds, this is just a way more humorous version of that with a dash of fraud). The writing doesn't slack off towards the end, but brings the whole drama to a satisfying close. Also, the ml actor and his entourage clearly were enjoying themselves making this drama, and I like it when actors bring their A game and also love what they do, it makes the whole experience so much fun to watch.
The only thing is the fml. They might have messed up in the casting department by adding her in this role. But everything else is such a 10 out of 10 that I keep coming back to this drama.
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This review may contain spoilers
"A heartfelt journey through darkness that reminds us why hope matters."
Daily Dose of Sunshine is one of the most realistic and emotionally powerful K-dramas about mental health.Park Bo-young delivers a phenomenal performance as nurse Jung Da-eun, bringing warmth and sincerity to every scene.
The drama doesn't glamorize mental illness; instead, it portrays depression, anxiety, panic disorders, and bipolar disorder with empathy and honesty.
Each patient's story feels deeply human, making it easy to connect with their struggles and pain.
One of the biggest twists comes when Da-eun herself falls into severe depression, showing that even caregivers can need help.
Her breakdown and recovery arc is heartbreaking yet inspiring, becoming the emotional core of the series.
The supporting cast, especially Dong Go-yun and Song Yu-chan, add depth with their own personal battles and growth.
The drama balances heavy themes with moments of friendship, kindness, and healing.
While some episodes are emotionally exhausting, the message about understanding and supporting those with mental health challenges is incredibly meaningful.
By the finale, Daily Dose of Sunshine leaves a lasting impact, proving that recovery isn't a straight path but a journey worth taking.
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Contradicting summary.
This drama has very cliché tropes..but they are executed in a very refreshing way!. The leads have very good and stable dynamics..there aren't any major SML or SFL even if there are ..it's very subtle and it gets sorted out...The group of friends have amazing chemistry making them look actual friends.From the summary it looks like the drama is more focused on their adult life and their high-school life would be very subtle but the drama is totally opposite...it's 23 episodes in and they are still in High school..so, it's definitely not adult life centred. I hope they correct the summary which is giving a very different vibe what actually is happening in the drama and the summary hints that Xing Wu is the only one who has feelings but if you watch the drama you can see that both of them already have feelings for eachother in their high-school era..and I think XW's mother and grandma too ship them...so ..the summary is very contradicting to the plot happening...and if you are here for their adult life era then sorry .but it's more high-school era coded...
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Mixed feelings
We all know crime series are dramatized for entertainment. I'm usually happy with it as long as there aren't any glaring laziness or sloppiness around the lowest bar of common sense. This one was done relatively well in terms of how they analyzed and resolved the different crime cases. And because the cases are mostly episodic, I don't fault the speed of the resolutions either because they did a decent job in wrapping each one up. However, around the underlying case that connects the two male leads together - this one leaned toward some goofiness.Nevertheless, I quite liked the character of Shen Yi and how his life evolved from his experiences. I even enjoyed how he uses his extreme artistic and analytical skills to help solve pretty much every case. And if my art classes were taught the way he taught his, I think I might have deeper appreciation of art in general. But... I'm not the biggest fan of his partner and this is what made me want to drop the series a couple of times. Although they tried to cast him as a hot-headed but capable detective, his hypocrisy and inability to empathize was annoying for me. They had him learn to trust Shen Yi over time to but he had pretty much no character growth at all. He didn't give a crap about how his words impacted Shen Yi's youth when he unfairly blamed him for everything. Then instead of developing a real connection as partners, it just felt like he was using him and protecting him for his own selfish reasons. He never tried to understand Shen Yi's pain and only cared about his own.
So overall, the main reason why I watched the series was because of Shen Yi and the episodic crime cases. These two factors kept it entertaining alongside good and steady pacing. There was pretty no room for lag as they jumped into cases almost immediately after the prior one is resolved. It also isn't one of those where everyone involved is melodramatic which is a nice change. If they had only done a better job with Du Cheng's character, I would have given this a higher rating but also note that this aspect was a personal pet peeve.
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WORTH THE WAIT. HIGHLY RECOMMENDING
Everything about this series is very good. The setting, the plot, characters, ost, acting and everything is so perfect. You can feel what the characters are going through with their excellent acting. Acting is so good even we can ourselves feel what they are going through. I'm so in love with the OST and the special thing is Barth's song is called Tanrak. I really love this ❤️🩹.Was this review helpful to you?
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Uff....
One of the messiest short dramas I’ve watched… But honestly, the "messiness" of the plot isn’t the problem here.This is a story about Liang Chen (LC) and He Wei Xing (WX).
They first meet when WX accompanies a friend to a photoshoot audition for LC’s clothing brand. But instead of the friend, LC becomes captivated by WX—and chooses him as his model.
From there, the two gradually grow closer day by day. Problems begin to arise when LC’s fans start noticing their closeness, while the other models become jealous of WX’s sudden rise and his relationship with LC.
So, how will their relationship turn out in the end?
That’s basically the main story. However, the biggest issue with this drama on MDL is that it actually consists of two separate parts, yet they are not properly listed there.
The 1st season—8 episodes, 15–20 minutes each—is actually great. It’s clear, well-paced, and tells the full story of how LC and WX meet and fall in love. As a standalone, it works perfectly.
Then comes the 2nd season, or what I called special episodes—4 more episodes, same length. This is the one listed on MDL. And honestly? It sucks. Confusing. All over the place. Feels like random scenes without context.
I watched it first—completely lost and frustrated. Only later did I find a review by CCJM mentioning a prequel. That’s when I realized: I watched them in the wrong order.
If you don’t know about Season 1, this “special” season makes no sense at all.
So overall:
* Season 1 (prequel/demo): 8⭐ — solid, heartfelt, well-told
* Special Episodes (listed on MDL): 2⭐ — messy, disjointed, underwhelming
* Averaged together, that leaves the drama with an overall score of 5⭐..
If you are planning to check this one out, make sure you track down the 8-episode version first, or you will be completely lost!
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Brutal, Over-the-Top, and Extremely Satisfying
This drama hooked me right from ep 1. It starts with horrifying bullying and a student’s suicide, so the atmosphere is dark and frustrating from the beginning. But then the ERPB inspector enters and starts beating the bullies up, and honestly… it felt insanely satisfying. After watching so many dramas where bullies keep getting away with everything, seeing them finally get punished felt refreshing.
The show is definitely over-the-top and unrealistic.. one man beating 20–30 thug students alone is crazy..
But I genuinely didn’t care because the drama knows exactly what kind of fantasy it wants to deliver: villains losing instead of constantly winning. Sometimes you just want to watch criminals and bullies get immediate karma instead of waiting until the final episode.
What I liked most is that the drama didn’t only focus on abusive students. It also showed toxic parents, corrupt systems, and adults enabling violence. Some episodes were emotionally frustrating, especially the ones involving manipulative parents and the pressure they put on their children. Hyeon Min’s mother drugging her own son for academic success and u jin's mother stalking the teacher were the most disturbing parts of the drama for me.
The female lead annoyed me at times especially her voice when she screamed was irritating.... she acted recklessly and wasn’t very strategic, but I did like her almost maniacal energy. The villains were genuinely infuriating, which made their downfall even more satisfying.
Overall, this show is not subtle, realistic, or emotionally delicate. It’s loud, violent, dramatic but that’s exactly why it works.
If you’re tired of watching bullies constantly win in dramas, this one is incredibly satisfying to watch. I honestly hope it gets a second season.
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Good start but mediocre ending.
I can’t believe I sat down and watched every episode without skipping.I love Jinzhao’s character. She’s unapologetic, smart, and cute. She knows her worth better than anyone else. She treats everyone the way they want to be treated.
Lord Chen, on the other hand, is cunning and wise. He’s exceptionally good at what he does and is truly the best person for his position. I can't wait to see Ci Sha again.
I do sympathize with Xuan Qing a lil bit, but his motives in the end were simply unacceptable.
I’m having a hard time with Ye Xian. He’s so annoying and always wants everything to go his way without considering other people’s feelings. But in the end, I was devastated when I realized he was willing to sacrifice himself for what he believed in. It was an incredibly powerful scene, and I’m still in awe of it.
The biggest disappointment for me was the ending. After all the family conflicts and political drama, we only got about 10 minutes of a subpar ending with no real climax whatsoever. Episodes 38 and 39 were so good that I gasped and cried while watching them.
That’s why the final episode felt so sudden and mediocre in comparison.
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koo kyo hwan best actor
i really love this series, i watched it twice because i was amazed how koo kyo hwan act as hwang dong man. this drama is masterpiece💕💕i also love the ost of this drama, i really feel every emotions in this series, every cast is perfect for their role, this drama gives you hope, and the screenplay is also powerful that you want to treasure every lines.
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VERY SLOW PACE
If you are the bored type, you will definitely need several breaks to finish this film, the duration is also quite longIn terms of story, uhmmm, not that cool. but the story makes you feel annoyed, especially if you have the same special experience.
The acting was good, and the ending wasn't enough in my opinion
This is the first time I've watched Yamaken become unemployed, it's a bit funny haha
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there was not much to the story, and it was pretty forgettable.
my favorite part about this was Yoo Jinseok. he's a great actor, and incredibly handsome! he carried the entire drama tbh.
the younger character was extremely annoying. there's a difference between being persistent and being borderline harassing. he consistently kept crossing the boundaries no matter how many times he was warned.
I also think they should've cast a different actor in that role. Lee Chang In did not suit the role of a high schooler/freshman in university. him acting cute and coy pretending to be a high schooler was borderline cringe ngl.
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Conpletely Different from Start to Finish
This show was a rollercoaster to say the least! I will try to condense my thoughts by the 3 parts of the show.Beginning:
Absolutely loved the beginning. They start off as college students at the age of 20 and their romance initially starts. The show begins really lighthearted and fun and I ship the couple the most at this point. I was upset when FL breaks ML heart because I felt like he didn’t deserve that.
Once we get brought back to the present we find out she broke up with him, not because of the falling out but because her brother has an accident that leaves him disabled for the rest of his life.
In this new chapter of their life where they’re 27 and doing well in their successful careers they find their way back to each other. Although I like their college romance the best, this part is pretty good too. It’s filled with so much fluff so I can’t complain, but then the problems start to arise…
Middle:
Once the 2nd ML is introduced the show starts losing it for me. One, I’m already not a fan of love triangles. Love triangles usually consist of some rando trying to get between a relationship, I don’t find that romantic, I find it disrespectful. And that’s what happens in this case. Korea is so obsessed with characters staying “true to themselves” and sayibg their feelings, but in the States, a guy going after another guy’s girl is just disrescpectful and would’ve been nipped in the bud. My issues with the FL starts here. She knew her boyfriend was getting jealous and that the 2ML liked her but she insisted on some weird friendship instead of shutting him down completely. It just pisses me off!
The FL ends up breaking up with the ML for the 2nd time, and I never really understood why. I wasn’t under the impression that she started developing feelings for the 2ML, but she said she felt bad or sorry to the ML, which I’m not sure why she would feel sorry unless her feelings changed.
Anyways, they breakup. This leads the ML to quitting his job and moving to Portugal where he goes to culinary school tk ultimately become a chef. I will like to say from the earlier parts to when they were in a relationship, the ML held too much importance to their relationship. Like he really let it dictate every other aspect of his life and I didn’t find it cute how when he got jealous, instead of talking it out with the FL he would ignore her for days. That is NOT what you do in a relationship?!
Anyways, I liked the storyline of him in Portugal, I just think it was a bit dragged out at times. But in this section of the story is where the 2FL, who was introduced earlier, really comes into play and she confesses her feelings to ML and starts a relationship with him. I actually rather like the 2FL. Unlike a lot of people, I’m never really swayed by 2nd leads, I usually stand in full support for the main couple. But seeing as how the FL broke the ML heart 2x, I liked that the 2FL actually appreciated the ML, and I thought that she was pretty cute.
End:
The third section was a lot! I really struggled to fjnish the show at this point. The show started off so light hearted and comical and changed into 4-5 episodes kf pure depression. Between the revelation of what happened to yhe FL in the 5 years that they were split to the best friend of the FLgetting cancer, I felt so emotionally drained! I DO NOT like the fact that the FL broke the ML heart, but also that she git married to the 2ML! Nit only did they get married, but theh also had a kid together. At this point I nk linger shil the main characters. I feel like she chose her happy ending and it did not contain the ML, the onky reason they’re able to find their way back tk each other is because of the unfortunate events that leads tk the FL’s daughter dying. If it wasn’t for that tragic event, she would’ve been living happily with the 2ML and I feel kike that thought just completely ruins the romance. Not to mention, I actually like the ML with the 2FL, and they’re planning to get married, I had no hopes for the main characters getting back together, but atlas they do… well kinda
I felt like the writes were so lazy in end. I didn’t see any new romance that would have changed the ML’s feelings if he genuinely had loved the 2FL. Which makes me irritated that he would even consider marrying her when he never even loved her. Mind you, he was with her for 4 years and had only been with the FL cummulatively for 4 months?!! Anyways, he just felt pity and care for the FL, which is okay and totally reasonable given the circumstances, but I’f he wasn’t gonna get back together with the FL, why woukd he break up with the 2FL? It really was unfair to the 2FL. I felt like the writers really sucked for making the 2FL back down and basically mutually end things with the ML. It was so unrealistic and anyone could tell she wanted to marry him, but they let him off easy, where any real person would have been livid! Especially her parents! I would’ve have to get him for breaking my daughter’s heart!
Just to note briefly, the side couples were alrigtht. I felt really bad for the friend because she wouldn’t be able to have kids snd that’s all she wanted, bht I liked her relationship with the FL’s brother. And the ML’s sister with the ML’S best friend really pissed me off ngl. I know they were supposed to be comedic relief, which Sang Yi was, but the sister pissed me off from the start of the show to the end!
In the end, I give the show a 7/10. It started off strong, funny and romantic, but just went downhill after a while. The middle section with the ML in Portugal was a bit boring, but it was different so I didn’t mind it too much. For a while, I liked not knowing whether the main charactes would end up together or not, but then I actually hoped that they wouldn’t. In the end, I wasn’t happy with their vague ending because I felt like the FL coontinued to shake up the ML’s life and just her kept influencing him to make some pretty big lif choices but he never had that affect on her. Which reminds me how at the very start of the show he said, she was a woman he should have never met again. I just feel like if he was gonna end things with the 2FL, he could’ve at least gotten back together with the FL. Instea dwe get this vague ending where they really don’t seem to end up together, yet they’re friendly and on good terms, but I doubt that’s the case with the second leads. And it was also sad seeing the FL become a shell of herself because of her loss. I wouldn’t rewatch the show, not unless it was just the first few episodes.
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Beautiful visuals and music with an interesting story
Some are slamming this, but I am looking forward to seeing more. I'm wondering why many keep referring to the FL as a "villain" She is the hero! Sometimes I wonder if people that write reviews have actually seen the shows. I feel the FL is doing a good job but I feel she is written to be a little over the top. I don't believe it's overacting as much as scenes that make her seem like a spoiled brat. Some of her actions seem unbelievable for a girl that was raised by a general. The ML is now one of my faves. This is about the 3rd series I've seen him in and he is steadily growing as an actor. One of my few nitpick about production value is the sped up scenes. At some point the editors of historical dramas will understand that instead of speeding up someone running, or horses running you can simply cut into the scene at a later point. Otherwise your drama will come across as cheap and poorly produced. Still I am enjoying it for what it is, and have not had to fast forward through boring scenes and I'm glad there are not 40 episodes. In the US I guess we have gotten used to fast paced shows and sometimes the slow burners are boring and talky talky. It could be that too much dialogue in another language can sometimes make me sleepy, but I have not had that problem with this show.Was this review helpful to you?
