Love in the Clouds

i think I didn't end up adding any spoilers afer all. lol

I finished this drama when it was done airing back in November and I guess the time has come that I finally write down my own thoughts on it.

For some reason this drama did a really difficult thing that in general doesn't happen to me.
It made me forget that there were things that could have been done better, eg the script and some post-production editing.

Let me start by saying overall the directing, cinematography and music production were really good.

The acting of all the cast was also exceptional.

However the most important part of this show for me was the LEADS and their characters as individuals & as a couple.

Honestly, the main couple for me was the winning recipe that got me hooked AND it was why I give this 10/10 in rewatch value, considering how I've rewatched it 2 times already.

For me the main couple captured that realistic but quite rare, intense first-love feeling of 2 people that are lucky enough to find each other in their early 20s and learn how to grow together as indiduals and as a couple.
And this happening in a xianxia drama with that whole "lying" about who they are and their intentions, etc thing.

As a I've said before there were some script choices about the overall story and some post-editing that had me raising my eyebrow for a moment, but the leading characters saved it by being that young-adult couple that learns what "love" is and how to stand together AND for each other, against a lot of difficult circumstances.

By the way the Situ Ling interpretation of the "crazy-fan" (that should learn to live for himself) is something that should be seen by a lot of "intense" fans out there but something tells me they wouldn't understand that they're looking into a mirror and learn/get something out of it. lol

Final thoughts:
Hou Minghao and Lu Yuxiao nailed it out of the park being the leads here. The characters felt sincere, complicated (which is good bc i hate one-dimensional characters), with a connection that made me feel like it was one of the most realistic chemistries I've seen in this type of drama.

Special mention: the main female lead portrayal of the "cutesy" moments and how she's probably the only character in a c-drama that hasn't made me hate this type of "forced-cute" stuff. In fact I found those moments really lovely, especially when you see the contrast of what that character had gone through growing up.

Overall this drama gets my 10 for all the above & bc I love beautiful portrayals of touching love-stories.

Read More

The epitome of "Strong start, weak finish"

I started watching this show the moment it began airing, so let's start with me putting it out there that I was part of the crowd staying up to all kinds of ungodly hours just to watch the latest episode released. Let me tell you, the first few episodes were ABSOLUTE FIRE. Playful, chaotic, and even a bit naughty at times (ngl the naughty scenes were iconic). Like I said, this went on for a few episodes, and it didn't take long for the audience to be HEAVILY invested in the series, myself included.

Hou Ming Hao is a brilliant actor, and few actors in the business (especially those born in the '90s) can boast being featured in as many cdramas as this man (with the exception of Cheng Yi... who is another dark horse in the industry). Lu Yu Xiao did a fantastic job as the main FL, and though I had seen her in a few cdramas before (including "Love You Seven Times," "My Journey to You," and "Blossoms in Adversity"), her talent and outstanding potential never quite registered with me before watching Love in the Clouds. Since then, she's been on my radar for sure, as I'll be watching anything she features in from now on as well.

Love in the Clouds was also my introduction to the actors Yu Cheng En (the deadly cutie pie) and Quan Yi Lun (the not-so-deadly cutie pie). I'm still a little shaken by the fact that Quan Yi Lun played a supporting role in "I Am Nobody," "Blossom," "Moonlight Mystique," "Legend of Zang Hai," and "Moonlit Reunion," and yet I can't recall seeing him in any of them. Anyway, now to my thoughts on the storyline:

The scriptwriting started to unravel later on in the series (there was a bit of teasing going on to make us viewers wonder about who the main villain of the show would be). Hu Yun Hao did a fantastic job playing Mu Qi Bai, but it became apparent pretty quickly that he wasn't the main villain. The show then tossed the ball to a number of minor villains that did very little to add to the plot and/or develop the storyline. Finally, we land on Situ Ling, the cute, cuddly, but (apparently) conflicted stabby stabby villain... who the show was subtly setting up to become a villain from the start, but... his transformation and even his demeanor and antics after his transformation just weren't convincing enough, imo.

Beyond that, the story started jumping all over the place... you are the chosen one... no, he is the chosen one... this is what happened... no, that is what happened... I am your master.... no, I mean.... I AM YOUR FATHER. It was just.. too random, and too much to take in. The last few episodes of the series felt like a rush job to tie together loose ends, some choices didn't make sense, some outcomes didn't make sense, everything felt convenient but illogical. And all us viewers had to hold on to (so we could make it to the end of the series and not rage quit) were our pleasant memories of the first half of the series, which again, was impeccable and not to be missed. So this is a tough one indeed. My opinion is to give the show a watch, but set your expectation bar SUPER low so you can tolerate it to the very end. 7.5/10

Read More

Where Love and Fantasy Become Art ✨

I started this drama with super high expectations because everyone kept talking about it, and OMG… it absolutely delivered. (੭˃ᴗ˂)੭ It’s honestly one of the best fantasy c-dramas I’ve ever watched. I fell in love with the story, the characters, and THE ROMANCE—like, seriously, those kisses, those looks, those insanely sweet things they said to each other had me kicking my feet and giggling like crazy! (〃ﾉωﾉ) ♥ I love the MC, and the chemistry between the two of them… help, how am I supposed to recover from that? Watching them fall for each other, little by little, was everything. Also, that scene in episode 19 is gonna live in my head rent-free forever. (//ω//)

Both leads absolutely nailed the complexity of their characters, down to the smallest details. The rest of the cast blew me away, too — their acting was brilliant and totally captivating. They showed their emotions, passion, and inner struggles so well, and their stories unfolded beautifully with great pacing. The chemistry between everyone, especially the main couple, really brought this drama to life.

The CGI, effects, and cinematography are amazing! It’s not the first fantasy C-drama I’ve watched, but this one is just stunning — visually gorgeous from start to finish. The CGI doesn’t just make the action scenes exciting, it keeps you glued to the screen because it’s so well done you literally can’t look away. The costumes, hairstyles, and makeup are breathtaking, turning the whole show into a visual feast. And it’s not just the visuals — the OST is amazing, I could listen to it forever and never get tired of it.

This drama has it all: magic, romance, plot twists, villains you’re gonna hate with your whole soul, and characters you’ll want to protect forever. I laughed, cried, freaked out, and got way too emotional throughout all 36 episodes. I was never bored, and it kept me hooked the entire time.

The ending was incredibly heartwarming — a true fairytale ending where all the characters we love are happy and safe, and the show avoids killing off supporting roles just for shock value. Basically, only the villains got what was coming to them, which made the ending feel satisfying — justice was served, and the heroes finally got to breathe in peace. An excellent ending to an excellent story. (｢･ω･)｢

I enjoyed this drama from start to finish, and I’d happily recommend it to anyone who loves romance, fantasy, suspense, or wuxia. For me, it’s a perfect 10/10 — absolutely worth watching. (´｡• ᵕ •｡`) ♡

Read More

One of the best enemies to lovers!!

There’s a certain kind of love that doesn’t arrive loudly. It lingers in pauses, in glances, in everything left unsaid. Love in the Clouds is exactly that kind of story. This drama doesn’t rush love rather it lets it ache.
This drama is basically two people trying to outsmart each other and accidentally falling in love in the most painfully beautiful way possible.

Like imagine plotting revenge but then oops you caught feelings and now you’re emotionally unstable.
The tension??? ILLEGAL.
The yearning??? CRIMINAL.
The eye contact??? I need compensation.

They really said: “I will use you.”
“No, I will use you.”
And then both of them uses each other for emotional devastation.

Also why is everyone in this drama suffering so elegantly??? If I was going through half of that, I would not look that good doing it. Meanwhile they’re out here being heartbroken in HD slow motion with wind blowing dramatically.

The slow burn is so slow I aged, healed, and got hurt again while watching it. But the MOMENTS?? The glances?? The almost-confessions?? I was screaming internally like a Victorian woman with no rights.

And don’t even get me started on the whole
“I don’t trust you but I would die for you” dynamic.
That trope alone deserves a national award. Plot? Deception, poison, revenge, hidden identities basically chaos but make it romantic. By the end, I wasn’t even watching, I was emotionally participating.

Read More

I love Love in the Clouds!

This was my very 1st C Drama & it did not disappoint. I have re watched this show so many times. I love HMH! I have sent watched all of his shows. But this one is still my favorite and I keep going back to it. The music is beautiful as well. I have fallen in love.

There are some parts I don’t like, but I won’t put any spoilers because I just don’t understand why the FL would do some of the things that she does but I know it’s different than the book. I haven’t read the book but I have heard some things about it on social media.

I know POJ is very hot right now and people don’t know how to move on but if you haven’t seen this, I think this is way better and there’s no need to move on. Just watch it again.

Read More

Six Episodes of Doubt, Then It Clicked: A Romance That Won Me Over

I had a difficult time getting through the first six episodes. I usually love offbeat and exaggerated satire, but the stylized deliveries and constant misunderstandings just weren’t my cup of tea. I’m not sure if it would have worked better with a different lead, but something about the execution didn’t quite land for me. Still, I had a feeling the underlying storyline would eventually shine through—and I’m glad I stuck with it, because it ended up becoming one of my favorites.

It’s not quite top-shelf for me, as those six rough episodes are hard to ignore, and the plot occasionally relied on convenient or hard-to-believe twists that separated the main characters one too many times. Even so, it was a drama I couldn’t pull myself away from, and it made for an easy, comforting watch while I was stuck at home recovering from a terrible cold.

The cinematography was beautiful, and the themes reflected many of the elements I love in Chinese dramas. I found myself connecting with both major and minor characters, and the villains were especially compelling—complex, morally gray, and backed by layered stories that made it difficult to truly despise them, even after witnessing the harm they caused. I also appreciated the character dynamics, the steady plot growth, and the overall narrative arc. While I don’t always enjoy the style of romance often found in popular Chinese dramas, this one suited my tastes perfectly. I absolutely loved the main couple and their relationship.

Overall, this was a win for me.

Read More

Lies in the vally

While I admit there is love in this drama and indeed some clouds, there are just so many more mountains, vllies and lies in this to make me fully agree with the title.

The leads are extremely smart yet oddly oblivious and a blast to watch or at least most of the time, they also have quite a few frustrating moments as well as oh that turned fast... chemistry and gases are decent and so are the kisses. Their spirit animals are adorable too.

The second male lead had such SLS potential but the writers did him wrong, yes it did forward the plot and stand fore some of the twists but honestly cut those parts out and the drama may have been shorter but it would also have been better.

The other side characters are fun to watch and if we ignore parts of the secound male leads plotline there are no annoying characters, not a single really stupid cousin that shows up to ruin the mood.

the first 23 episodes are better than the last 13 but the last 13 are still highly bingeable.

All in all a decent easy binge

Read More

Best enemies-to-lover/fake lovers drama

Insane face cards and chemistry. The visuals are mesmerizing. Fake lovers trope is incredibly well done with misunderstandings being understandable and resolved well.

I love that it has the he fall first and harder trope. The misunderstandings are painful but at least it's understandable that it only occurs because one is afraid of hurting the other.

My only problem is the rushed ending. It ends with the ML breaks up and tries to make the FL hate him to spare the pain of his death cliche. I also hate that the second ML has too much screen time. It's easy to feel pity for him as the second lead but when he turned obsessive and pouting villain, it got annoying.

Read More