Chen Xiang Ru Xie (2022)

The fragrant Agarwood already turned into Crumbs. Sacrifices were all for naught.

"In a lonely and empty courtyard, there’s a burning agarwood like crumbs. A blind man stood there, raising his head slightly so that the sweet smell gently brushed his cheeks. Immediately, the corners of his lips lifted into a smile. —

: The man casually asked, “What did you light up?"
: “It’s … just normal agarwood.”
: “What kind of agarwood?”, he added.
: “It wilts as it provides Fragrance and New agarwood will sprout as it dies.” The woman replied, and now, without a single bit of hesitancy.


The serialization of Immortal Samsara initially called “Agarwood Like Crumbs”, not only pulled in Novel readers and Xian Xia genre fans alike. It also attracted loyal fans of Director Guo Hu whose recognized for directing some of the legendary dramas we all know, “One and Only (2021)”, “Love and Destiny (2019)” and “TMOPB(2017). Intense discussions skyrocketed even more after, Cheng Yi & the Yang Zi were paired in one drama. And In no time, the news raised the spirits and expectations of each and every fans.

However, the ride was all but smooth sailing. Some rumors appeared, heated debates circulated and, even fan wars on social media sites spread like wildfire. Many fans, including me thought that this may also turn the tables for the worse for the drama.

Yet, Immortal Samsara astoundingly flourished like a lotus in mud. Despite the setbacks, there still remained fans who patiently followed its arduous journey from the promotions, filming, trailers, wrapping up, and even till the licensing. And at last after great efforts, fans finally witnessed the long awaited surprise— the release of the first episode at the peak of July 2022. It was a really vigorous almost 20 Months of a roller coaster waiting ride.


Story:

The story itself is independent if we compare it on the main leads and ending of its Parent Novel "Agarwood Like Crumbs" (沉香如屑) Authored by Su Mo (苏寞) . The main focus of Immortal Samsara, which translates to "Cycles of Death & Rebirth" is the agonising love story between the burden-ridden Ying Yuan, a Supreme Lord of the Nine Heavens and, an eloquent and witty Four-Leaf Ancient Lotus, Yan Dan. Sandwiched by a Realm that forbids the birth of feelings, the two will experience the struggles of avoiding the distraction of Love. But side by side, they’ll embark on the journey not just to discover secrets but also to fix the broken, and finally mend the scars. It do sound cliche but, this couple is truly worthy of the attention it is getting.

With Yan Dan always writing stories on her book, the viewers are hinted to ponder, “Will the main couple also have their very own page of a happy ending written in that book?” .


Main Characters:

Yan Dan, an independent writer and a loyal companion, was perfectly portrayed by Yang Zi. Yan Dan is a faulty-selfless person but she is definitely someone that stands out from the crowd. All throughout, Yan Dan stayed true to her own beliefs, never feared to love confidently, and embraced responsibilities like its her own life. And like Yang Zi, Yan Dan will always surprise you with her great acting and humor. Yang Zi did really well in portraying Yan Dan’s character development especially when she gradually prioritized self-care at the course of the drama. With Ying Yuan's (handsomeness joke) thoughtfulness, she fell first and loved him with all her heart. But Yan Dan isnt entirely just a simp for the guy. You will also see her having this innate talent in speaking and intelligence (which I love), since it is what makes her really cool. Her talent, also made her ascend from being a witty attendant into a famous playwright slash company of the bully and vile, Ying Yuan. I found no single flaw or plot hole seeing how the character develops and I appreciated this fact so you’ll really have fun watching Yan Dan through Yang Zi.

Then there's Ying Yuan, someone with a very high position whose obsession in life is Wei Qi or "the Go/encircling game" apart from his goal of ultimately maintaining peace to his jurisdiction, the Nine Heavens. While carrying this role, he was then burdened by an overthinking personality, scheming tendencies, and a boring slash busy schedule. I think I can compare Ying Yuan more with Emperor Qi Yan from “Stand By Me (2021)” who is always harsh towards himself. Ying Yuan is literally like a robot who does things with no flaw all because he thinks it is his obligation to be different from his parents. But his miserable life with only Wei Qi as a hobby only lasted until, he found Yan Dan who switched all of his perceptions in life and made him happier. With Ying Yuan being represented by Cheng Yi, he also got cursed with blood spitting moments. What made his character so interesting, was that he is not entirely harsh and cold hearted. He cares not only for his beloved but also for every single one of his people, his soldiers, and his best friends. His flaw stems in the fact that he always remained firm in being responsible (especially in his job) so he totally refused distractions (like love). But despite his imperfections & jerk-like-boyfriend choices, his love remained unchanged.

Next, Ray Chang as Yu Mo, was the love interest of Yan Dan in the novel. Here, he’s now the second male lead whose main conflict is his one-sided love for Yan Dan & his obsession to her egg scrambles…lol. Yu Mo, was introduced as an heir to the Nine-Fins Clan, The Four Seas, and Yelan Mountain and as someone who only longs for a peaceful and carefree life. However, as you can see, he also holds big responsibilities but sadly, he couldn’t compare to the person holding Yan Dan’s heart. He then only ended as the best friend that stayed in life but never in the heart. Yu Mo is honestly a refreshing take to the stereotypes of overly crazy and ruthless second male leads of Xian Xia. And although not entirely a scene-stealer, Yu Mo successfully captured the hearts of fans through his loyalty and pure love.

The trio throughout their journey, will be susceptible to face never-ending sacrifices, challenges, and heavy secrets independently. But during this chaos, there are also parts that will be your comfort place. Like the cute pairing of Zi Lin, a silly Celestial Turtle and the shy Lin Lang, a Three-tailed Snow Fox. And together with the bickering couple, Taoist Tang Zhou and Beautiful Bai, you’ll also be fed with what seems to be never-ending servings of candies and laughter. They’ll eventually become you’re source of therapy session amidst the angsts. ♡


Music:

I was ecstatic when I heard both Cheng Yi and Yang Zi covered and blessed us fans with their voices here. And as always, I am in love with their songs and played them in loop daily. I hold on very high regard the soundtracks from Xian Xia Dramas ‘cause they always have those touching and beautiful expressions in their lyrics which in turn, helps watchers like me connect easily to the characters of the drama even more. Immortal Samsara OSTs are one of those I sincerely am thankful for. Luckily, we can listen to these OSTs on Youtube!

Although I love all soundtracks, I am more bias towards “Never Forget” Wú Wàng 无忘 by 张磊 “Zhang Lei” . It’s the only OST I downloaded on my phone haha. Here’s my favourite quote from this song:

“ I wasted thousands of years, how can I solve my thousand thoughts about love? ”
“ Forget the time limit, and only then, can love be fulfilled. ”


Overall: ♡

I can see how dramas in which the main characters suffer and make sacrifices for love may really be seen as repetitive. Especially since angsts, misunderstandings, villainous side characters and the betrayal tropes are still present BUT, these are literally part of Xian Xia slash Romance genre that creates the foundation for beautiful love stories like this to be adapted. Immortal Samsara stand out so much for me because of the mature relationship that the main couple have. Other than the interesting fact that Yan Dan and Ying Yuan almost have the same hobbies and personality, both also have fully integrated personalities and separate life dreams & goals. Yet, they still continued to grow and be prosperous when engaging or communicating with each other, even while bickering. And nomatter where they both are, they're literally still both awe-inspiring in their careers and are still ‘The Best’ companions of each other. I am also truly glad that it was mainly thanks to their already compatible personalities and like-mindedness, and not just fate, that made them always successfully attracted to one another. I’m truly a sucker for this kind of relationship and so I just had to see for myself how their relationship will conclude . ♡

Oh yes, before I forget, let me also give a thousand praises to the production team. The camera works, the film sights, creation of the venues, the costumes ( especially Cheng Yi’s wardrobe and wigs…!), and CGI were SO BREATHTAKING! The production team for this drama were really meticulous in designing every corridor , every pathways, the rooftops, the rocks, the courtyards, and the big and beautiful trees!! Even the petals falling were apple to my eyes, lmao. I especially love the Night Forgetting River and The Land of the Horizon venues. Literally, even the screen wall where Ying Yuan and Yan Dan placed their lips on one scene, were sewed with a Lotus design! It indirectly told us viewers that Ying Yuan hypothetically, ‘physically kissed’ Yan Dan ‘cause in literal, Yan Dan is a lotus! I sometimes even ignore Chang Yi and Yan Dan’s visuals just to appreciate these beautiful details! Everything about Immortal Samsara is so phenomenal. For me, its really a drama worth checking out. ♡

I hope that you all had fun reading! I’m so sorry that I’m bad at english and that this was too long. Thank you so much for visiting this review!
Like what a wise Yan Dan said, “The censer has finished burning but there’s still lingering warmth. So once the fire burns again, we shall meet!” See you all on Part 2, my fellow Gou Dan babies! ♡

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WORTH YOUR TIME. GO WATCH IT

Story - If you like fast pace storylines, strong main leads, strong supporting casts, good cinematography and effects then you have to watch this. The chemistry between the ML and FL is there to compliment each other. All the supporting casts are also good actors who good in acting . The clothes and accessories are outstanding and beautiful to show how the people in Heavenly Realm dress up. I'm quite surprised with the pace of the storylines. The story is quite fast and you'll feel like the story is jumping from one place to another. But you will understand the story as there is actually a lot of foreshadowing that will be explain later. Especially the war between the gods and the demons where there is conspiracy and will be explained in the later part.

Those who love angst go watch it and you will like it a lot.

Acting/ Cast - ChengYi and YangZi did a great job potraying their character. Thank god its them who played this. Whether its happy, sad, annoying, they nailed it. I can watch them bickering all the time. Its funny. They made those cheesy lines and cliche part watchable like its not cliche at all. ChengYi as YingYuan is just like BaiJue to Shanggu in ALP, will do anything to not let his lover suffering. Do everything secretly without she knowing. And of course YangZi as Yandan, similar to Shanggu will not understand what happened in the Three Realms after YingYuan erased her memories. The 2nd male lead, Yumo, at first i don't like him much but after they travel together to find the artifacts, he's become more likeable. Of course his priority always YanDan but later on he and TangZhou became best friend and fight together.

Music - The OSTs are good but not great maybe because I've been listen to other dramas OST which are better than this. Btw, the OSTs have been on my playlists since the start of the show until now and all of them have deep meaning.

I always love angst and tragedy. This is only my 3rd Xianxia drama after ALP & LnR. So if I have to rate these three, should be:
1. LnR
2. Immortal Samsara
3. ALP

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Not sure...

Immortal Samsara is the first Xianxia that I'm rating so low. I mean, I usually rate them a 9 or above because they are worth it. To be honest, Immortal Samsara was even one of my most anticipated dramas of 2022, mainly because of the cast. But, in this case, I'm not able to do so. There are many reasons for this, which I'll be explaining in the review.


THE STORY

This drama is adapted from a novel Chen Xiang Ru Xie (沉香如屑), which literally translates as Agarwood Like Crumbs, by Su Mo. The drama is a typical eternal love story portrayed in Xianxias. There is not much difference and it has great similarity to Ashes of Love (even the kisses are similar!). FL and ML are dieties in the heavenly realm who fall in love, where their love is forbidden and opposed. They'll be hurting as well as sacrificing for each other because of their love. They'll also have love rivals on both sides who constantly stir up trouble and try to make them fall apart. Then, for some reason (mostly because of those love rivals), they will go to the mortal realm, fall in love again, and one of them will realize that they fell in love for the second time with the same person who hurt them before. But, they can't hold off their love and realize how deeply the love has been rooted in their hearts, etc. etc.. This is the common story arc of Xianxias, which is again repeated here. The only difference is that they fall in love a little too early, i.e., the drama is fast paced. I'm honestly bored out of my skull by these kinds of stories! True, there were many new elements in the story which should have made the story much more interesting, but the love story of the main lead is a total let down. But, towards the end, it seems that their story is taking an interesting turn. Fingers crossed for an interesting part 2!

A good thing about the story is the side couples. Many may not give much attention to side couples but, here, they are very hard to ignore because, somehow, I've got a feeling that they have a better love story than that of the main couple!

Note: The story has a lot of time jumps and flashbacks, and therefore, it may seem a bit confusing.


THE CHARACTERS

The male lead, Lord Ying Yuan/Tang Zhou, is not so different either. The typical handsome and cold-and-aloof-on-the-outside-but-warm-inside type of high diety/cultivator whom everyone looks up to and fairies are head over heels for. The FL has the slightest difference: she is not the usual dump girl who doesn't know what love is or the clumsy, not-so-intelligent pretty face. Yan Dan here is much more mature, witty, and strong. She has great willpower and knows how to love. That was refreshing to watch.

All Xianxias come with at least a love triangle, or should I say, an obsession triangle lol. Anyway, it's a square in this case. But, the SML, Yu Mo, is not so obsessed with Yan Dan here (he truly loves her!). In turn, it was Fairy Ying Deng who was obsessed with Ying Yuan.

Another thing is that it is the ML who usually suffers the most in these kinds of dramas. But, it's not the case here. Both Ying Yuan/Tang Zhou and Yan Dan suffer endlessly. Sometimes, it's a bit hysterical to watch, but it's immensely satisfying to see that pain and misery are not biased towards one lead XD


ACTING AND CAST

I don't think I'll have to talk about the cast. This drama sure has a star-studded cast, which will compel you to watch the drama no matter what. They were the main reasons why I held on to this drama till the end. If you are a usual watcher of Xianxia/Wuxia dramas, you'd probably notice many familiar faces throughout the cast.

Cheng Yi, the God of Blood-spitting, finally has a lot less blood-spitting scenes in a drama. I'm happy but somehow sad too. He was so hot during those scenes with some red lipstick! Taking about his acting, I have nothing much to say. He is as awesome as ever! And so is Yang Zi. If you have watched at least one of their historical dramas, you'll understand their excellence and the quality of their acting.

Yang Zi and Cheng Yi can make chemistry with whomever they are paired with, but, in this case, it's even more so! They can't be more compatible as a bickering couple!


MUSIC

The music in Xianxia dramas is always so pleasing! They always give the right feeling in the right situation!

Some of the notable OSTs in this drama are:
Agarwood (沉香) by Jane Zhang and Jackson Zhang
World Records (红尘录) by Jackson Zhang
Watch the Day (望辰) by Yang Zi
Forget the River (忘川) by Cheng Yi
Partial Star (偏星) by Jane Zhang
Never Forget (无忘) by Zhang Lei


OVERALL

If you ask me if this drama is worth watching, I'd probably reply no, because it's not. You'll know this is definitely not the best Xianxia, nor is it any different from other Xianxias. Actually, it's even worse. But, it's definitely worth a try at least for the cast. Anyhow, I doubt if this would be a good watch if you really did try.

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Almost Dropped It at First Episodes, but...

yes, i almost dropped IS after watching episode 1-2, but thanks God i choosed to skip a bunch of episodes and went directly to watch ep 15, the river of forgetfulness scenes, and i got hooked ever since, and now it turns out to be THE BEST XianXia Drama i'have ever seen.

*ofcourse then i back to early episodes that i skipped at first, to get some foundation of the stories, haha.

well, we should admit it didnt start right.
first episodes were not appealing, especially episode-1 which was bad and slapped our high expectation for this drama. the plot was nothing new, flat, I didnt like to see Yan Dan because she seemed to me just the same as JinMi from Ashes of love, and the worst is the CGI, weird and cheap.

I was not a fan of Yangzi or Chengyi, so i couldnt stand it and almost dropped it. because i am in waiting of LLTG new episodes and nothing to watch in between, then i tried to skipped and went right away to ep 15, and unexpectedly got surprised by the beautiful scenes, interesting plot and especially the main lead's feeling portrayed by the actors was so real that i can only say WOW.

and then the rest is the history, because the plot become more interesting, and i am fascinating with ChengYi's skill of acting (eventhough i watched Love and Redemption before, and it was good), but i never thought that i would felt so moved by an actor's acting like now.

He indeed not just has a great acting skill, but an acting that ensoul the character to become truly alive, and we watchers could realy feel the pain etc.

And for the plot, what i could say is if we analyze it honestly, its better than classic popular xianxia TMOPB and AOL. If people watch IS first, they will agree with this. Lots of people may say IS has the common xianxia plot, yes because it launched after all the classic popular ones.

But actually after watching more episodes, most of the plot is different from previous xianxia's drama.

Here in IS, the character development happens slowly and clear, that in some way may make some people complaint about it as slow paced. i dont think so, since its better to know the process of falling in love and how the deep love rooted than just a short meeting and little foundation of love just like in most other dramas.

The ML falling in love with the FL not because of her appearance nor just lust, there were no scenes where the ML amazed with her look. They fall in love each other because spending time and knowing more each other's character, which make the cause of deep feeling they are having and the sacrifice acts more valid, comparing to sudden fall in love, out of nowhere.

Acted by ChengYi, this deep feeling of love, expressed ten fold. The way he kissed Yan Dan in ep 10 was so beautiful, i have never seen deep longing emotion kiss like that before in any dramas.

Kudos to the hairstyler, this is the first time i watch ML in white/grey hair become much more handsome than in black hair version, haha. You have raised the standard and i dont think it would be easy for future dramas to surpass this look of Ying Yuan and Xuan Ye. YY and XY is the most handsome and charismatic look ever in xianxia dramas.

About ChengYi, after watching IS, i browsed and watched all his live interviews, variety shows etc on youtube, i truly appreciate such sincere, humble, and very polite actor like him. He is a hardworker. Its a rare for introvert person like him to standout in film industry, everyone let him down and scloded him before, and it took 9 years for him to be widely recognized as he is now. His personal character and struggle, has inspired a lot of people including me, and he indeed deserve to be supported by all of us more than any other high profile actors.

He knows what he loves to do (acting) and go all out for it as we can watch his dedication on his marvellous acting. In IS he plays 3 different characters, YY, TZ, and Xuan Ye. Cheng Yi’s acting as Xuan Ye really surprised all of us, because usually he plays suffering protagonist roles. Xuan Ye is a scumbag and devilish asura king, and Cheng Yi make this character literaly become the hottest devil king ever alive in any dramas, hahaha..

I sincerely would like to give thanks to the scriptwriter, director and the whole casts and crews, you all have brought a little joy in our chaotic life.

So, if you love to watch a xianxia genre, if you only have to pick one xianxia drama in your life time, this is the one. period.

*if you feel the plot on first episodes are flat, boring, the cgi is bad, etc... just hang on, or just skip them to ep 9, it started to get more and more interesting from this episode and so on.

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How beautiful the storyline of Immortal Samsara actually is

I'm one of the ppl who rarely watch xianxia dramas but Immortal Samsara changed my mind completely. At first I decided to start watching it because of Yang Zi & Cheng Yi. And I never regret abt it, the best decision I've ever made.

- The acting
The chemistry between Yang Zi & Cheng Yi so gold, rare and yet, no joke!! Their acting skills are on next level, Everytime I see them together, my heart flutter for them, can't help but smile like a fool all the time. Yang Zi is known for her amazing acting skills, she can express different types of emotion to show ppl what's inside her mind or heart, her face says it all. Cheng Yi never disappoints me as well, ofc when he cries, I feel so heartbroken for him too. His expression can show his true feelings and the way he portrays Ying Yuan & Tang Zhou differently is what surprise me the most. I can completely see the differences! Huge respect to Yang Zi & Cheng Yi, including every casts and crews of Immortal Samsara

- The storyline
Yan Dan may looks like she's weak but not only she's so powerful but also so intelligent and knows how to use her head!! Also, YD is one of the mature female lead characters who always thinks for other ppl's feeling and never act recklessly for once. Yan Dan also understands and let go of her feeling over Ying Yuan as she completely understand Ying Yuan's action on her and Three Realm. On the other hand, I love how Ying Yuan is not the typical male lead who think love is everything. He put the peace of Three Realm in front of his love for Yan Dan. Many ppl blame YY but without the peace of Three Realm, YD will also be in danger as well. He is the emperor of the Heaven, he still thinks abt his people even tho he truly loves Yan Dan so much, Ying Yuan's true love over Yan Dan is so pure!
By watching IS, you still can see both of them are ready to sacrifice for each other, both YD and YY sacrificed their lives to keep each other safe and sound. No matter if he/she loves her/him back, they will still save each other at the end of the day. But this also teaches us that love isn't everything as people's life and the peace of the world should be the first thing to put in front of love. As long as their love are still growing with pure and true love, YD and YY can store the peace of Three Realms with their love together.

I totally recommend everyone of you to try watching Immortal Samsara, the pure love between the main lead can totally flutter your heart, I promise! Even if you think this might not be a cup of tea for you, please just try to watch at least four or five episodes. When you start to develop interest in IS, it will never disappoint you! I finally found my home now, Immortal Samsara family including the casts and the fans of IS becomes my family!

- My opinion over the script
(However, I might have to complain a lil bit as the scriptwriters are more focusing on background character's story rather than focusing on YD & YY's love story. I feel so bitter abt it since the main reason why I watched IS is for YD and YY only!! For example, Xuan Ye & Ran Qing love story might be even more than the main lead's story! Also, everytime the sweet scenes came, they all turned out to be dreams, illusions or one of YD and YY is unconscious! WHAT THE HELL! The scriptwriters suck! Are they taking us as a joke or smth, having Yang Zi & Cheng Yi as a main lead couple so rare and gold but they made the script like this, like how!)

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Worth The Wait!

Waited for half a year to be able to watch this and I'm so glad it didn't disappoint! I devoured all available episodes in one sitting when I first streamed it; I think, it had around 20+ episodes at that time.

Anyway, this show has a great storyline that's easy to be invested in. Though I did find the mortal realm storyline a tiny bit slow... But hey, the interactions of Yang Zi and Cheng Yi are cute and hilarious there, plus there are fewer restrictions than in the heavenly realm. Yey for that! Overall, all the other characters are all easy to love and hate. The SML is easily lovable and adorable, and one of the main villains is just pure despicable that she's done the role justice. Plus, is it just me, or is this mostly a recast from Ashes of Love? Either way, It's so relieving to see characters from that show play unique and wholly different characters here. I seriously can't wait for Part 2 now!

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It will do for a slow day

I guess I would still recommend this drama but I would definitely not re-watch it. It checks all the usual and basic boxes. But TBH nothing really dazzling about it. Maybe it's because it has simply not satisfied the hype it received being one of the most awaited dramas of its genre in 2022. The CGI is atrocious, the story unimaginative. The chemistry between the leads is so so. The acting is however decent although a little stiff in some scenes. I am watching Love between Fairy and Devil at the same time and while it was a dark horse coming into the year, I rate much much higher than this drama, it has outshined this drama in every way possible. So perhaps the contrast also biased me from giving this a higher rating.

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It took six months to get through this series

Xianxia is quintessentially a contrast of light and dark, good and bad, gods and demons, and it is stylistically depicted by monochromatic character and color themes with slight differences in plotlines. If I'm being honest, this genre is my least favorite; nevertheless, I've seen a few that are slightly less ridiculous than most with my fave being Love Between Fairy and Devil (LBFAD) and my least fave being this tedious and pretentious Immortal Samasara.

Firstly, Yang Zi, the lead actress, is such a one-trick pony who seems content to play different variations of the same "dim and somewhat smart" character which she played not only in IS (Immortal Samsara) but also in Ashes of Love and Legend of the Dragon Pearl. If someone edits clips of her performances in these dramas, I bet you wouldn't know they were three different series.

And therein lies the problem not only with Yang Zi but also with Xianxia as a genre. It's too stylized with little to no room for maneuvering of plots or themes. There's the demons are bad and heavenly beings (HB) are good trope where the heavenly beings fight endlessly for dominance with a side plot of a HB prince who happens to fall in love with a lower twig or leaf spirit. Like clockwork, the writer never misses giving us the stoic and cold hero and the useless heroine with the baby voice (one of the worst aspects of LBFAD) who later comes into her power after being tossed around and abused by the higher HBs. Add in a love quadrangle, some men in bad wigs, and the most watered-down set props which, given this is all CGI, seems like a wasted opportunity to liven up an otherwise bleary set of white clouds and grayscale.

Did I mention how much I hate the color and style? Sigh.

Anyway, IS is about a HB prince who falls for a flower; sadly, love is forbidden in heaven and they have to go through three different time periods of heartbreaks and forgotten memories whilst fighting some obscure bad guys who did some bad things. That's all.

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Did you ever love me?

I waited for years for this drama. And I can proudly say that it was worth my long time of waiting.

For the one who loves xianxia and also Cheng Yi and Yang Zi, I really have a big expectation for this drama. And I am satisfied.

Story,
I really enjoyed the heartbreaking-yet-beautiful story of xianxia, so I really have big hope for the drama to have a good story. And as long as this first part, I can say that the story itself is DIFFERENT in a good way. Actually, I heard people drop this drama because the story is boring and predictable. But I think the story of this drama is really good. I feel bad to believe those rumors before watching it myself. It really satisfied my expectation because the two big xianxia dramas from both Cheng Yi and Yang Zi already have my perfect score. However, This drama rises to my number one favorite drama of xianxia defeating the big drama for both lead actors.

Acting,
I really want to give standing applause to all of the team and actors that worked together for this drama. Even though this is not perfect, I really enjoyed the result. Especially for our main leads Cheng Yi and Yang Zi. They both really have my respect. I can proudly say that I'm honored to become a fan of both of you. Not only Cheng Yi and Yang Zi, I really can enjoy all of the characters. The director and casting team really poured their best to find the best actor who can make each of the characters live. Cheng Yi and Yang Zi really engraved their talent and made me can't forget them easily.

Music,
What can I say? All of the songs really touched my heart and complete the drama perfectly. Thank you to Zhang Jie, Jane Zhang, Zhang Lei, and our main leads. You guys gained my respect! And I'm not tired to say this, Yang Zi and Cheng Yi really take a big role in the drama.

Rewatch Value,
YES! DEFINITELY YES WITHOUT THINKING TWICE! I will engrave this drama in my heart and always mention it in my top list of recommendations. But people have different tastes and favorites. But I can say that this drama really worth watching for you who loved xianxia drama!

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Loved it!

It did not take long for me to get into the show and fall in love with the main leads. Usually, it takes at least 10 episodes for me to start falling for a chinese drama, but with this one, it was immediate. I patiently waited for this drama to air, and I'm glad that it did not disappoint. I was actually a bit hesitant to start this one after reading some reviews saying that it was not able to measure up to the expectation (considering its director and the casts). I'm definitely glad that I did not listen and decided to give this drama a chance because I genuinely enjoyed it as a whole.



I find the chemistry between the leads strong very early on. The drama was able to set up a strong ground for love to blossom between the leads. It did not feel rushed for me. The male lead's coldness is justifiable. I can understand where he's coming from-- why he has to act as if he does not care about the girl and push her away at some point. He has to go that extra length to protect her. It's kind of a common formula for dramas but I don't mind it because it was executed well.



Some say this is very similar to Ashes of Love in many ways. And personally, although I have watched Ashes of Love about a year ago, I remember little to nothing about it. So, the similarities does not affect me at all.



I truly enjoyed this drama and would recommend it for everyone.

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In heaven love comes last.... or will have you killed

In a world where love not only does not come first but is is completely prohibited and punishable by death (annihilation of ones soul) , we are taken on a journey that proves that you can forbid love all you want but it won't stop people from falling in love and obsession... As open or not people will scheme, betray, sacrifice and what not in the name of obsession and love... oh and some power too.. I can not help but draw parallels to other loves who are forbidden in certain parts of the world and wonder how this drama passed the Chinese censorship... Still I am glad it did as I found it pretty interesting to see what happens when mr. upright, self righteous, by the book, bully iceberg is unavoidably drawn to ms, smart but naive cheerful, justice seeking sweetheart... Did I mention they lived in a world where love is forbidden.. yet they inevitably do fall in love... Which leads to a lot of cranberry, blueberry, strawberry and black current syrup splatter (different shades of blood), a bunch of misunderstandings, and one disaster after the other.

As mr self righteous seems to think he knows best... when he obviously is just a control freak... But I still love him... So basically what I got was a drama that is frustrating, interesting and at times a bit draggy...

What I like about the drama is that it has me wanting to choke a whole bunch of people, making Homer Simpson hands to the screen over and over again, without being overly annoyed by any character, nope just pure anger and hate from me.I also like a lot of the scenery but will admit that they could have paid a bit more attention to detail as the CGI is less than perfect and at times I got to see parts of the wing I should not have seen...

I am also happy that I waited to watch this part till after part 2 was released and am now looking forward to part 2...

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