Nice one
The Unclouded Soul is a 40-episode drama about relationships between humans and demons, and the greed within them to become immortal. Even those who are already immortal seek greater power.I liked the drama, especially the love story between the leads. It also has a few light and humorous scenes. Overall, everything was fine except the ending. Firstly, I disliked the killing of the three demons who had been sealed in the mountain for many years. Secondly, I was dissatisfied with the ending of the leads’ love story.
Apart from that, everything else was perfect. The background music and songs were also good.
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Enjoyed everything in this series - cast, plot/story, music, costumes
Rewatching some episodes now....
The Unclouded Soul totally pulled me in from episode 1.I like all the characters. The characters make Unclouded Soul fun and enjoyable to watch. The acting of the case is convincing.
Must watch!
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This review may contain spoilers
Final Review: Enjoyable, colourful, and fun. Some issues towards the end but still worth a watch.
A vivid story with likeable characters that you end up rooting for, a great score accompanying it, and beauty everywhere you look. (From the actors to the scenery to the intricate costumes. It's all very bright and colourful and pretty.)
Pros:
- The characters are interesting. They all exist in a world at war, so none of them are free of biases and vices, but that makes them human and relatable.
- The main female character is charming. Often I find the main female character grating because she's written to be childish or unaware of what's going on, but even at the very beginning Xiao Yao is ingenious and likeable. She suffers from 'everyone likes me and most male characters are in love with me' but then almost all main female characters in Cdramas like this do.
- BingZhu is a fascinating character and is a highlight of this show for 90% of it. He's tortured, conflicted and principled and those three things don't work well together, leading to him having a horrible time throughout. (He's also fucked up and does some horrible things, but you understand why he does them.)
His friendship with Xiao Yao is also rather nice to see, because for once in a Cdrama like this I'm not stuck watching the second male lead pine for the main female lead and eventually realize she won't ever love him back. He liked Xiao Yao, but not like that and it was a delight.
Cons:
- Hong Ye as an all powerful demon king is interesting, but it doesn't help that this means they have a deus ex machina walking around so they chain him up and remove his power for a good part of this show. it means he's just decoration while Xiao Yao does shit and if he's your favourite that might drag a bit.
- The end is a bit of a mess. Still enjoyable and we do get closure for Xiao Yao, but it feels rushed and some of the character choices aren't my favourite.
Note: Spoilers!!
For example; BingZhu's character kind of gets assassinated towards the end when he willingly absorbs demonic energy to fight HongYe even though his entire character arc is 'I hate demons to my core and loathe all that they are (so I would never willingly become one) but I learn to see that the emperor is wrong to want to exterminate them all for his own gain since they are not all evil. I have seen the error of my ways. And yet I will go and fight the demon king I have learned to respect and work with - and who Xiao Yao loves - just so i can get back in the good graces of the emperor.' (Not to mention that PianPian absorbing the crystal heart is what caused her to lose herself, yet he's all of a sudden very willing to absorb demonic energy and stop being him.)
Second, at the end of the show they introduce three very interesting characters that we grow to like and then kill them off in very quick succession and without much fanfare just to power up BingZhu.
And you might not like the conclusion of Xiao Yao and Hong Ye's relationship.
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This drama has a Bad Ending - Not Sad but Everything Else was Nice
The story was illogical. Don’t get me started on the plot holes! I liked the idea of the first time loop. It wasn’t the cliché reincarnation or erased-memories trope. But the OG life also being a time loop? No. That idea was senseless. They should have pulled a 'Till the End of the Moon 'there, like Sang Jiu’s story.Bing Zhu killing off the most powerful demons like bed bugs—were they a joke to the storyline? Xing Mu dying in that scenario, and then Bing Zhu comes along and says, “Sorry bro, my bad, I’ll repent for it.” Really? The villains were so weak, while the other side was shown as extremely powerful—the Emperor, Bing Zhu, Hei Wui. Hei Wui had so much potential in the beginning, but even he became a joke halfway through.
And the ending. Oh, the ending. She goes into the loop again just to relive the memories. That’s when I understood—we were the joke. Did I get closure, even though everyone conveniently moved on in the last 10 minutes? HELL NO.
The OST was nice. It suited the drama very well, but they could have used all the songs more equally. They barely used the others compared to the title track.
All the actors and their costumes were beautiful. Even the minute details were well done. The Valley was beautiful. The human world was beautiful.
Their romance was also cute. It wasn’t very burning or steamy; it gave innocent, first-love vibes. There was no confession per se—they were already an unspoken couple. There were no unnecessary misunderstandings or a green-tea female lead following the ML around calling “gegegege” like a turkey.
Overall, it’s an 8/10 from my side—mainly for the pretty ML, FL, the other actors, the sets, and maybe the OST.
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Plot is not interesting - Review up to 20
This is a review up to eps 20. I will be dropping the drama because the story is not interesting to me. Please don't comment/attack my review because this review is not attacking you, "your actors," or your values. It's just about how I feel about the story up to 20.I like both actors. Up to episode 8, the drama was great.
However, the script can't hold my interest. The love story is not compelling, especially when the ML disappeared for awhile. Then he lost his power. The SML seems to have equal screen time.
I normally like TSY. Here, when she was in the Princess role, she looks beautiful. However, in the XY role, her hair always looks unkempt. I love her when she was in Under the Power. She was really funny and cute there. I think it's the script.
The resolution of the Sui Meng Xian Jun [Dreamshard immortal] story doesn't make sense.
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Has delivered almost nothing memorable or distinctive.
I am currently on episode 21 and, unfortunately, I have to agree with some fellow viewers about the poor quality of the story. The script is very weak, slow-paced, and lacks emotion. Worse still, the love story is dull and unengaging.Both main leads are excellent actors, delivering first-rate performances, as expected. Sadly, the story does not support them. It fails to gain momentum, fails to captivate, and fails to move the audience.
I have watched so many good C-dramas recently, but this one truly promised a lot and, so far, has delivered almost nothing memorable or distinctive.
I will try to finish it for the sake of the actors, but it is honestly quite discouraging.
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When True Love Feels Contradictory
Omg, The Unclouded Soul really messed with my head 😭. XY and HY meet across three lives, same people but different circumstances. But here’s the thing… XY kills HY more than once. In the first life, she’s the Dragon Lord, fully aware she’s her future self, and she still kills HY because he killed “innocent demons.” WHAT? That literally doesn’t match her character! She’s supposed to hate bloodshed and value peace between humans and demons. And yet, she kills the man she supposedly loves. How is that pure love?Then, in the second life, she kills HY again. fine, under external control, like a puppet but still… that’s two times HY is killed by her hands! In the third life, HY sacrifices himself to atone for his mistakes in their first life even though XY had already killed him twice. So why does he even need to sacrifice himself? Isn’t it already fair and square? And just to seal the Kunlun Mirror? I feel like there should’ve been another way. It should have been BZ who got sealed in the mirror. Why did he escape and survive when he’s the villain? Why did the director make HY die?? Oh my god, I just can’t handle this ending. Why did HY have to take on all the risk and bear all the consequences, even though it wasn’t 100% his fault? He’s just way too selfless.
The ending is bittersweet. XY lives on three years after HY’s death, and then XY time travels back to a happy moment from their last life. But here’s how I understand it:
• When XY time travels back to the moment before HY dies, she basically enters a loop of happy memories, reliving the moments they can enjoy together.
• In this loop, HY is still there; they can meet, talk, and experience happiness. But this isn’t the original timeline, the tragic future, where HY sacrifices himself, still exists in the main timeline.
• Emotionally, XY doesn’t have to face the reality of her loss while in the loop. She can escape her grief for a while and simply be with HY.
So, the ending is essentially an emotional escape / bittersweet closure: the audience and XY get a “happy moment,” even though the reality of tragedy remains. It’s more about emotional satisfaction than logically rewriting fate.
Honestly, the acting is amazing. Neo is heartbreakingly perfect but the plot? Messy. XY’s love for HY feels contradictory. She’s supposed to be someone who avoids killing, protects others, and values peace, yet she kills her lover twice. It’s hard to reconcile her actions with her character.
💔 So much love, so much heartbreak… but also so confusing.
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Cotton candy with a Buddhist veneer
I was in the mood for a dreamy fantasy, and the first episode of THE UNCLOUDED SOUL looked like it might do the trick. But by episode 2, I began to realize it had turned into a children’s flic with cute little pixies, a demon school for newbies, and a menagerie of talking animals and plants. The meanie demons (not the nice ones) were always dressed in black–so you could tell who the bad guys were. The decor reminded me of Snow White, Cinderella, Peter Pan or even the Wizard of Oz with a dash of Harry Potter thrown in.At first, Demonland ( Valley of Ten Thousand Demons) had a feel-good glow. As for the plot–there were enough contradictions to confuse a quantum physicist. When the FL accidentally tied the match-making red thread around her own wrist and that of the ML, he told her that from now on the two of them would never be separated. They would forever have to stay thisclose to each other. Two scenes later, the FL is back in class with the other kids (her demon besties), but the ML is off doing grown-up demon stuff.
There’s a school “test,” which is described by the “teacher” as having two goals 1) steal a pillow, and 2) make a human child cry. The pillows are duly stolen, but...make a child cry? Really? I was hoping for Darth Vader, but these folks have all the menacing gravitas of a group of trick-or-treaters on Halloween.
The FL learns a spell to make silver, but seems to have totally lost this ability in a later episode when she needs a couple of ingots to pay a merchant. A certain character, supposedly an immortal, is stabbed to death. Other “immortals” are also killable. Little things like this had me grinding my teeth.
On the other hand, the FL is cute and spunky. The ML, in spite of being a demon, is the perfect boyfriend: handsome, protective, warm, and sensitive. He even learns to cook the FL’s favorite foods for her birthday.There’s something sweet and poignant in their relationship that kept me hanging in there. Then there’s the dashing captain whose only flaw is that he takes himself way too seriously – and that he’s a little too bonded with his sword, who is also his sister (don’t ask).
A group of human women (including the FL) are sent to a mysterious island ruled over by a a beautiful immortal who has kidnapped the ML and injected him with poison, in an attempt to break his spirit. These women are forced to cook and clean and dodge magic manifestations in a series of degrading competitions, meant to bring out their greed and selfishness – all for a chance to become immortal. Mixed in with this display of sappy banality is a haunting atmosphere of tragedy and gloom that hangs over everything like a pall.
In short, this series doesn’t seem to know what it wants to be. Is it a children’s story? A romance? A tragedy? A Buddhist morality play? I felt pulled in a dozen different directions at once.
*******************
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Cute and Sweet
I was so excited when the preview of this drama came out because I’m a complete sucker for anything fantasy, especially if the ML is one of my favorites. I wasn’t over with Love in the Clouds, and now Hou Ming Hao has another drama with “cloud” in its title. Of course I was sold. I’ve only seen Tan Songyun in Whirlwind Girl and I couldn’t say much about her acting. Everyone seems to love her in drama land, so I was like okay, I’ll give it a go because this is a Hou Ming Hao drama and I know it won’t disappoint. I ended up enjoying her performance here. She’s cute and funny. This drama was special in its own way. I can’t compare this to Love in the Clouds. It’s cliche because almost every fantasy drama out there is made up of the same ingredients. I’m not complaining, though. The ML, Hong Ye, was awakened from a century’s nap by a young girl. We all know they’re linked somehow from the past, as always. The girl, Xiao Yao, was saved from falling off a cliff by the ML. She was brought back to the Demons’ Valley where she met some friends, the pig demon, Luoluo, and Dali, a flower demon. When Hong Ye was triggered by a memory, he started strangling Xiao Yao because he was so pissed. We saw a sneak peek of the memory that showed how Princess Ning’an betrayed him. I love how he fell for her right away after realizing they’re not the same person. I already knew that whatever she did to him 100 years ago wasn’t the full truth. Whenever Ning’an’s name popped up, she gets sad. She thinks Hong Ye only helps her because she looks like his past lover. When she saw Ning’an’s illusion, she asked what’s so special about her that Hong Ye kept thinking about her. In the end we found out that she is Ning’an and she’s also the Azure dragon Lord from 10,000 years ago who was the monarch of all demons. I love how Xiao Yao doesn’t stay mad for long when complications arise. She’s always there for him. Hou Ming Hao doesn’t show much of his acting chops here because Hong Ye was supposed to be this gentle, kind hearted demon that only wants peace between the human and demon race. It was nice to see Zhao Liying as the exalted immortal at the beginning. I started missing The Legend of Shen Li all of a sudden. The CG effects, music, fight scenes, and settings were really great in this drama. I adored the little Zhuyu herbs. They were so cute! The kisses were simple, not passionate. The chemistry between the leads was kinda off. I can’t put my finger on it. Overall, it was a great drama. I have to shave a point here because first off, what the heck was that ending? I refused to accept it. Poor Hong Ye! I hate that kind of ending. Why can’t they just guard the kunlun mirror and still be together? That really ripped my heart out. Then the writers killed off the three great demons as well. I really wanted to see them again. Anyway, I really thought Hong Ye was originally from an extinct dragon clan like what one of the theories say. Turns out, that was actually Xiao Yao. It’s funny how in the end, Hong Ye who used to be a human prince fought with Bingzhu, who used to be human, too. I love Xiao Yao because she has a good heart. When she learned the truth from 10,000 years ago, she transferred her power to him and made sure that Hong Ye will never die. He will become a demon and atone for his sins. She accepted the truth no matter how unbearable it was. Ah, true love. I was smiling and giggling whenever they had cute moments. I loved this drama so much. I highly recommend it for fantasy junkies like me.Was this review helpful to you?
So many mixed feelings..
Finishing this drama felt like an accomplishment for me 🤣 i gritted my teeth for the most part of this show.. I always love a show with Neo in it.. and they added Wang Duo an added bonus.. and there were other guest actors that i also love watching.. but even with all that incentive i had to fast forward alot of eps especially around ep30 on. And im usually against fast forwarding cuz whats the point of it right?!.. But the story just got so messy for me.. the back and forth travel through time and so much filler eps.. it lost it's grip on my attention and the story went all over the place around eps 20ish.. and it kept going down.. I believe this show couldve been done in 30 eps or less. If you want to know how the acting was.. all the actors/characters did well in acting.. they did their best. Its the directing and story telling that was the downfall in my opinion. This couldve been better if the directors and writers thought about a better execution of this story. Now would i recommend it? As always i tell people sure cuz you might like it. But would i rewatch it? No. The story isnt enough for me to rewatch and keep me coming back for more. Once was enough to say i watched it 💜Was this review helpful to you?
Okk But is it just me or you might agree that
Hou Minghao would be a great choice for Playing Inuyasha. If only there ever was a live action adaptation of "Inuyasha" An Japanese Anime that I love & grow up watching.
Maybe, just maybe? I maybe trying to manifest this light bulb idea in my head. Who knows it could actually be good, cause after watching all his fantasy dramas where he either plays a demon or a fox. His getup, his costume and his makeup is always on point & super slik. I would differently tune in for just that.
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Another masterpiece after Fangs of Fortune
I love the drama.... It is so interesting . If you are hesitating in starting the drama, you shouldn't. Go ahead and watch it. True to my expectations.Hong Ye-
Our ML is just woww...I have no words for expressing my feelings. Hou Ge really portrayed it in the best possible way.
Lord demon Hong Ye became my favourite character with ZYZ. How beautifully Hou Minghao (ML) can convey his characters' inner thoughts (cry, pain, smile, laugh everything) even without using a word, really appreciable. (Just through his eyes and expression) Truly a great actor. ✅
Xiao Yao- Naughty but smart FL...did a good job alongwith HMH.
I will write a full review after finishing the drama.
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