Editorials 
The acting is amazing, for both Luxixiao (Zhouzhou) and Zhou Wan (Baobao), they really carried the drama — especially during the heartbreaking parts of it. Although the villains are pretty mild to be honest (both acting and their emotional impact) that's why I don't feel much towards them—no hate whatsoever. I don't know whether it's their acting that just lacks something or that's just the way their characters are written (maybe both?), they just felt flat to me. I didn't expect that I would not hate any of the villains.
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heavy on the romance, light on the plot
This is the kind of story that is 100% about the love story and everything else is kind of background noise to that. Our main couple has so much chemistry and are both likeable and rootable characters and you watch this show just to see the beautiful people fall in love. Beyond that, however, this story is a bit messy.Am I enjoying their chemistry? Yes, absolutely. Do I love the amount of screen time given to our main couple? Also yes. One of the things I do love the most about this is the portrayal of the recklessness of youth and passion of young love. That mindset and feeling that we know everything at 18 and love can win all. But the plot logic gets in the way of the emotion. When you really stop and think about all the things actually happening in the story then you realize how under developed it actually is.
Lets begin with the first episode where you already begin to see the convenient story telling put in to play when Zhou Wan goes looking for her mother that abandoned her over a decade before and even changed her name but Zhou Wan knew just where to find her and even had her phone number so she could conveniently find out she is the step mother of our male lead. Okay fine, I'll accept that as a story set up and ignore the logistics of that one. But then this same formula is utilized over and over again with characters overhearing important tid bits of information or random papers just laying out in the open for them to find easily. This type of story telling often feels lazy as the writers spoon feed information.
Next is the lack of proper background. I understand that Lu Xixaio is from a rich family but the show hasn't really made sense in explaining why he is so important to his dad. It does well in explaining the estrangement due to his mother but is his father's only reason for constantly entrapping Xixaio due to the grandfathers favoritism? The company aspect and importance of his role in it is not defined well making the stakes not feel real.
Also the blocking for all the action scenes feels practiced which often pulls me out of the moment. These are fairly new actors and they obviously need to learn but you can see and feel the punches being pulled and the movements being rehearsed. Even the motorcycle race scene lost its thrill due to this.
As the drama goes on and it moves to the latter episodes and the timeline shifts it it mostly held together through misunderstandings and miscommunications which is almost always frustrating to watch. Zhoa Wan's flimsy reasoning, Xixaio's family company being pushed on him because he is the 'heir', a narrative that serves to only push the leads in proximity over and over again. What I would love to see more of is tangible reasoning and real stakes.
Overall this is an enjoyable watch for the romance but could have been so much better with more attention paid to the why's and how's.
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Perfect school love to adult love drama
I watched it after Dazzling, so comparison is inevitable.First of all, the balance between school years and adults years in this drama was strong, I typically get bored with high-school tragedy, and speed through it. Writers were merciful to leave me with 33% of the drama being about adulthood. My biggest pet peeve with Dazzling was that adult love between leads just happened within like 10 minutes and they went straight to marriage.
Chemistry between leads was hot and proper, no notes.
Character development arcs were a bit simplified, but served the premise. I am constantly amazed by a sheer number of artists making it big by late twenties in CDramas, but it’s ok, since it served the premise.
Overall, it’s a romantic story where passion and love between leads was well-written and believable with a sprinkle of fairy tale.
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This review may contain spoilers
Mixed emotions
I ended up with mixed emotions after watching the drama.On one side, I got a dopamine hit from the happy ending and enjoyed the main 'leads' performance, which convinced me of their true feelings, since, from my point of view, it is very difficult when you are framed in rom-coms. I personally like the no-dating-in-high-school campaign; I like this trend of the FL with great achievements complementing and even saving the ML, and the scenery and costumes, which made it worth going through 29 episodes.
On the other hand, the plot relied too much on main-character chemistry and soap-opera-typical drama, with exaggerated characters, and it lacked a consistent script, scene sequencing, and a credible story to identify with.
For example, when they eloped, they took a train with nothing but the clothes they were wearing, then suddenly appeared with a fully complete, neat wardrobe. Then two teenagers full of hormones living together, kissing each other, and nothing happened—too much asian drama style.
From my perspective, exploring the challenges of a rich ML suddenly exposed to poverty, doing low-level, hard-working jobs, and the challenge of daily life as a couple at such a young age will be very interesting, and even educational as a wake-up call.
The gangsters were also exaggerated, as was the grandfather, whose character could be deleted and nothing would happen, and no wonder the father almost looked like a silent-movie villain. The half-brother's performance was poor and unnecessary, with the same expression whether happy or sad, losing the opportunity to develop a good story about an illegitimate child born out of wedlock.
Then the ML's behavior after they found each other years later was like a maniacal, dominant psycho, and the independent FL suddenly became submissive, accepting the most outrageous situation.
The second leads’ story was very good and deserved more scenes, since it showed the challenges of a couple after getting married, as the female lead expressed in one scene. Still, it was left hanging because it seemed easier to rely too heavily on the main-character chemistry.
No wonder about scene mistakes, changing locations within the same scene, the typical wardrobe mistakes in Chinese dramas, sudden solutions without explanation, and characters living a great life without income.
In the end, I enjoyed it, but I regret not watching a better drama that wasted the great chemistry between the leads.
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❤️?❤️?lot of Angst ?and ?lot of Butterflies
If u r doubting whether to watch this or not don't just think run🏃🏻♀️ and WATCH THIS!!🔥🔥[🏹📚🐟🏍️💌🦋👩❤️💋👨🏃🏻♀️🐶💔💻❤️🩹❤️🔥🔥💋💍] - plot in emoji😗
So first of all there chemistry is sooo soooo soooooo insane 🔥💝💋that actually feels so real🥺 i have not read the novel so i really have no problem with the plot infact i love such plot that give angst ❤️🔥and butterflies🦋 equally while serving great chemistry💌💕 and visuals...this drama has all the plots that i love like - 🚩bad boy good girl👸🏻,💸rich guy poor girl😿, 💌she fell first he fell harder,💝 obsession ❤️🔥, heart break,❤️🩹📚 high school to workplace setting💻, and ofcourse happy ending💍💋. so I'm very well satisfied with this drama infact i would say this year after✨ shine on me✨ and 🏍️speed and love👩❤️💋👨 this is what got me this obsessed 🫠there's very less modern drama i actually love that much🥰 and this is one of them😍 i just love everything about this also i love the fact that from epi 1 to 29 we got very well screen time for them together😍 like in many shows we either see more about side character or the leads but seperately but here they spent very well time together on screen💃🏻🕺🏻 which gave me no way to skip or get bored i just love this so much and it is definitely worth re watching 😍😍😍😍😍❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥
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This c drama is absolutely wonderful
Honestly this show made me feel alot of emotions. It made me feel happy, sad, angry, annoyed, frustrated, wholesome and alot more, but whats more important is the fact that it made me feel. I was able to really connect to the characters as if i was just watching but i was there.The actors ability to display the emotions their characters feel is truly extraordinary and it's something that really isn't common these days.
The way the characters were written is honestly so refreshing to see, they aren't inherently good like most main characters are, you can see them make bad decisions and struggle with the guilt of knowing what they did was wrong even thought they really didn't have a choice or see a way out at that point.
Zhou Wan and Lu Xixao's love story isn't simple by any means but they were still able to find their way back to each other. We get to see them grow up together and then grow individually and still choose each other in the end. That's why i think their childhood era was very important to the plot because it shows us the depth of their relationship, although i would have loved to see more of their adulthood i think that their teenage era being the main plot point was really beneficial that's why it's called never ending summer because it's mainly about the time when their love sprouted and they look back on fondly
I also like the way the side romance was written. Alot of c dramas I've watched struggle to give the 2nd couple a proper romance but that wasn't the case in this one, Gu meng and Jian fan's romance wasn't just there for the sake of a second romance, it added alot to the main romance and was still able to hold its own
All in all this is one of the vest c dramas ive watched in a while it was fun, exciting and heartwarming. Its a 10/10 i would definitely recommend it.
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This review may contain spoilers
Some summers end. The people they make us become never do.
I knew Never Ending Summer was going to be special after the first few episodes, but I never expected it to become one of the most emotionally devastating and beautifully written coming-of-age dramas I’ve ever watched. This isn’t just a story about first love. It’s about growing up, carrying regret, learning forgiveness, and realizing that the moments we think will last forever are often the ones that disappear the fastest.What makes this drama extraordinary is how real every character feels. Nobody is written as simply “good” or “bad.” They make selfish decisions, hurt the people they love, run away from difficult conversations, and carry wounds they don’t know how to heal. Watching each of them grow over the years felt incredibly rewarding because their development was gradual, believable, and deeply human.
The relationship between the leads completely stole my heart. Their chemistry never relied on exaggerated romantic scenes it was built through years of shared memories, quiet conversations, lingering glances, inside jokes, and countless moments where they chose each other even when life kept pulling them apart. That made every reunion feel earned and every separation absolutely heartbreaking.
The time skips were handled beautifully. Rather than feeling like separate chapters, each period of their lives built naturally on the last. You could see how every decision they made as teenagers continued to affect them as adults. The drama constantly reminds us that growing older doesn’t erase the people we once were it simply teaches us to understand them.
The fireworks scene is one of the most unforgettable moments I’ve seen in any drama. It isn’t just visually beautiful it perfectly symbolizes everything the series is trying to say. Fireworks are breathtaking, but they’re fleeting. They light up the entire sky for only a few moments before disappearing, leaving behind only memories. Their love, their youth, and that unforgettable summer felt exactly the same. It was a moment that captured both overwhelming happiness and the quiet sadness of knowing nothing lasts forever.
One of the things I appreciated most was that the drama never gave us easy answers. Life doesn’t always work out the way we hope. People drift apart. Dreams change. Circumstances force impossible decisions. Yet despite all of the heartbreak, the series never becomes cynical. Instead, it quietly suggests that even painful memories can become something beautiful because they helped shape the people we become.
The performances across the entire cast were phenomenal. Every actor made their character feel authentic, especially during the emotional scenes where words weren’t necessary. So much of the story is told through expressions, silence, and body language rather than dialogue. That’s incredibly difficult to pull off, yet this cast made it look effortless.
The cinematography deserves just as much praise. The golden sunsets, the beaches, the long summer evenings, the rain, the fireworks, the classrooms, and even the ordinary streets all carry a sense of nostalgia. Every frame feels like a memory someone is desperately trying not to forget. Combined with one of the most beautiful soundtracks I’ve heard, the entire drama feels dreamlike without ever losing its emotional authenticity.
The ending absolutely destroyed me in the best possible way. I loved that it didn’t rely on a fairy-tale conclusion. Instead, it stayed true to everything the story had been building toward from the very beginning. It reminded us that love isn’t always measured by whether two people stay together forever. Sometimes its greatest purpose is to change us, to teach us how to love, how to let go, and how to keep moving forward while carrying those memories with us. Their final moments together, especially when they reflect on everything that happened during that unforgettable summer, left me in tears.
Even after the credits rolled, I found myself thinking about these characters for days. Their happiness felt like mine. Their heartbreak hurt as if I had lived through it beside them. Very few dramas leave that kind of lasting emotional impact.
Never Ending Summer isn’t just one of the best coming-of-age dramas I’ve ever seen it’s one of the best dramas I’ve ever watched, period. It captures youth, love, friendship, regret, grief, hope, and the bittersweet beauty of growing up with remarkable honesty. It’s the kind of story that reminds you of your own first love, your own summers that ended too soon, and the people you’ll carry with you forever.
A flawless 10/10. If I could erase one drama from my memory just to experience it for the first time again, Never Ending Summer would be at the very top of the list. It didn’t just entertain me it stayed with me, and I know it always will.
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Never Ending Summer (炽夏)
The best drama ever in 2026, their chemistry is very good, a very romantic drama and a love full of struggle with a happy ending. Really liked the couple Zhou Keyu and Bao Shang En. Hopefully they will be reunited in another very good drama too....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
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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!
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This review may contain spoilers
Chemistry so insane I thought the actors were dating IRL
The sweetest first love story imaginable, the yearning was insane.I WILL NOT accept any slander towards Zhou Wan. Y'all are messed up if you believe that Zhou Wan didn't deserve Lu Xixao. Was it right for her to use Lu Xixao for her own means? No, but she was doing it to save her grandmother. She's 18 years old, in debt, and her only family in the world is dying. She literally had no other options.
Was it depressing af to watch her leave Lu Xixao in the most twisted Hide n Seek game possible? Yes. Could this 10-year old breakup been avoided if she just had a conversation with him? Yes but that would not be her character. People are forgetting that she is as in love with him as he with her but she grew up believing that she's a burden and to hide her emotions for the sake of others. The love of her life got hurt protecting her and one of the only family members he trust told her to leave him. That breakup broke the BOTH of them and honestly me too.
I thank the Cdrama gods for Lu Xixao because no matter how much Zhou Wan hurts him, he never gave up. He called out her lies and when they finally reunited, he folded like a wet paper towel. I just love a ML who knows what and who he wants, it's always been her.
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I'm still not over this drama
never ending summer easily became my favorite modern cdrama this year. it's one of those dramas that had me smiling like an idiot, kicking my feet, and not wanting it to end. is it perfect? no. but did i genuinely enjoy every minute of it? absolutely.the chemistry between zhou keyu and bao shangen is hands down the biggest reason i stayed till the very end. they just have that natural chemistry that makes every scene together feel so effortless. add the beautiful cinematography and OSTs, and everything just comes together so well. and now i'm dealing with the hardest part... moving on..
i wasn't ready to say goodbye to them, so i immediately watched Blazing Summer, a variety show promoting the drama, just to get more crumbs. if anything, it made me even more obsessed with them. the chemistry is just as adorable off-screen, and i found myself smiling the entire time.
at this point, zhou keyu and bao bao have completely taken over my sns feeds and honestly? i'm not even complaining.
if you're looking for a light youth romance with amazing chemistry and all the butterflies, i'd definitely recommend giving this drama a try.
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A summer like no other
I think the hardest part of watching Never Ending Summer was waiting for new episodes to drop. I couldn't wait for the series to finish, so I watched it while it was still airing and honestly, I don't regret it one bit.This drama took me on such an emotional ride. It made me smile, cry, and even get frustrated at times. More than anything, it made me wish I had experienced a summer like the one Lu Xixiao and Zhou Wan shared.
Their story was so beautiful and heartfelt that I couldn't help but get attached to them. The cast did an amazing job bringing these characters to life. They're still young actors, but their performances proved they're more than just pretty faces, they have real talent.
The chemistry between the leads was absolutely insane, and even the second couple was so lovable that I never felt the urge to skip their scenes.
I'm beyond satisfied with Never Ending Summer. It's no surprise that it stayed at No. 1 on iQIYI throughout its run, and I honestly wouldn't be surprised if it continues to be one of the platform's most-loved dramas.
To L and Wan, thank you for letting us be part of your story. Through every setback and every heartbreak, you still found your way back to each other. Thank you for giving us a love story that will stay with me long after this summer ends. 💙☀️
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