Ok, so, where should I start? If you're a long-time Xianxia drama lover looking for a new, quality Xianxia drama, it might (emphasize on the might!) be helpful for you to read this review. Or if you're looking to see if you should continue the series. If you love love LOVE this drama, I'd advise you to stop here as although there were some loveable moments in the series, there were some major disappointments that did not allow for the best love story and drama overall, and I will be elaborating on these details in the review. Although the series was divided into two parts with 59 episodes in total, my review covers both parts. Spoilers are at a minimum with the assumption that the audience has a bit of information about the story.

I have been waiting for the release of Immortal Samsara since the first day the series announced its amazing cast, with Cheng Yi as Ying Yuan Dijun and Yang Zi as Yan Dan. Both are A-listed Chinese actors with a huge fanbase both in China and internationally, as well as many well-received dramas in the past. Immortal Samsara is directed by Director Guo Hu, who directed the well-received 2021 Chinese drama One and Only, as well as co-directed famous Xianxias Eternal Love (TMoPB) and Love and Destiny. As a huge Xianxia lover, how could I miss out on such a big Xianxia with seemingly beautiful production? It was like a dream come true, with Ashes of Love's FL and Love and Redemption's ML, as well as a supporting cast from both dramas.

Adapted from the Chinese Xianxia novel with the same Part 1 name, "Chen Xiang Ru Xie" (沉香如屑) by author Su Mo (苏寞), Immortal Samsara tells the romance between the noble and prestigious Dijun, or Heavenly Lord, Ying Yuan and carefree and bubbly lotus flower, Yan Dan. Again, Yang Zi plays the role of a rather naive little girl who knows basically nothing about the hardships of the world at the beginning, planning to rely on sister and friends. So here you are given a typical Xianxia male and female lead. Although love is forbidden among immortals in the Heavenly Realm, the two find themselves falling for each other, and thus, starting their heartbreaking love story spanning more than a thousand years. However, the drama is filled with many common Xianxia tropes, resulting in a predictable story with pretty much cliche characters. Again, do not get me wrong, I love Yang Zi and Cheng Zi and their acting was PHENOMENAL in this drama, as usual, however, their roles were dull and what one could call your "average" Xianxia lead, with a story filled with betrayal, misunderstandings, and amnesia.

To be completely honest, I thoroughly enjoyed the first 10 or so episodes, which took place in the Heavenly Realm. The episodes were filled with cuteness, laughs, and some character development from Yan Dan. Not to mention Ying Yuan's funny habit of flipping the turtle onto its back. But of course, Xianxias are notorious for the heartbreaking means the leads have to go through to finally be together happily, and the audience's emotions are also abused in the process. Predictably (cough), the first half of the drama has two, not one, second female leads, coveting Ying Yuan's powerful position, bitchy Ying Deng, and (surprise!), Yan Dan's older sister, Zhi Xi. While Ying Yuan is pretending to have never loved her to protect her for the greater good, poor Yan Dan is out there being targeted by not only high immortal Ying Deng, but Zhi Xi as well, the older twin sister who vowed to always protect her. Fun, right? Girl's having it way too hard on her. So basically, after Yan Dan truly falls for Ying Yuan, the rest of her time in the Heavenly Realm before she leaves for the River of Forgetness (Wang Chuan) is suffering, more suffering, and the more terrible of sufferings. She even cut out half her lotus heart to keep Ying Yuan alive, and this all-great lord pushes her away, even telling her before she walks onto the River of Forgetness that he has never loved her, leaving her in utter despair.

If this had been 2018, I would have probably been bawling every 3 episodes, but I did not cry a single time in this drama. This doesn't really indicate anything, but I could not understand many of the characters, as character development was rushed and not focused on. The drama just seemed like a cycle of, I love you, I'll sacrifice for you, goodbye, we meet again. The entire time, I was asking myself, is this going to get any better? Because I truly wanted to enjoy Immortal Samsara.

As with most if not all Xianxia romance dramas, there is always a Mortal Arc, where the leads go down to the Mortal Realm and their romance progresses from there. And like most other Xianxia dramas, our two leads enter the Mortal Realm with no idea of their past in the Heavenly Realm, their memories erased of their love and grievances towards each other. Obviously, they meet and fall in love again. Nothing new. In my honest opinion, the Mortal Arc was way too long, with unnecessary side stories that bored the audience. Jiang Chen and Pei Luo's ending was different than the novel, with a rather pathetic ending instead of the audience's wished for ending of them putting down their differences and living together happily. On the other hand, ridiculous amounts of screen time were given to the third female lead, Ying Deng, who is one of the haughtiest b*tches I've ever seen in the Cdrama world. Not on par with Su Jin of Eternal Love just yet, but she was almost there. It felt as if she had an infinite number of costumes to change into, while FL Yan Dan was wearing the same outfit the entire episode. I was over the moon when she was turned into stone, but guess what? SHE JUST MELTS BACK. As if rock can turn into a person. sigh. Yu Mo truly loved and cared for Yan Dan, but over time, the excessive amount of screen time that he as a second male lead got also became pretty much of a bore, as I longed for more strong interaction between the two leads.

However, the Mortal Arc also had its good sides. I absolutely love Zi Lin, the immortal turtle. His expression when he realized that Tang Zhou was the Flipping Turtle Lord was hands-on PRICELESS. Although Ying Yuan in the Heavenly Realm would never admit his deep feelings for Yan Dan to "protect her", Tang Zhou was the exact opposite, telling his sect members that he would live for himself just this one time, molding him into a more understandable and loveable person. Although both Ying Yuan and Tang Zhou had heavy responsibilities, Tang Zhou acknowledged the fact that his purpose of living was not just for the greater good of others, but for himself as well. Ying Yuan on the other hand, did not realize this message until it was too late.

In terms of acting, again, Yang Zi and Cheng Yi did not disappoint. Each heartbreaking scene was expressed with meticulous emotions on their faces, especially when it came to crying scenes. Ying Yuan and Yan Dan's love for each other was obvious, but unfortunately, even with the amazing acting skills, the story fell short. However, it's imperial to say that Cheng Zi amazed everyone with his acting as three different personalities, Ying Yuan, Tang Zhou, and Xuan Ye. Each figure was so different and unique from the others that it didn't seem like they were all acted by the same person. Cheng Yi had a totally different aura when he played the three roles, creating different atmospheres. Yang Zi's every tear was dropped with precise timing, showing the heartbreaking reality of her love, which she thought was unreciprocated. Meng Ziyi as Zhi Xi was beautifully acted out as a female immortal who aimed to become one of the best, although suddenly cast in the shadow of her playful sister. The bond between the sisters at the end is truly loveable, with heartwarming scenes between the two, even if Zhi Xi did break her sister's heart and trust in the Heavenly Realm. As for Zhang Rui as Yu Mo, his acting felt rather forced, and similarly, with other demons, I could not relate to them at all and was not very invested whatsoever in their separate stories.

You might be wondering, if I was so tired of these tropes, why did I continue watching? From the very start of the drama, not only was I looking forward to Ying Yuan and Yan Dan's love story (which was unfortunately much of a letdown), I was extremely excited to watch the side story of Ying Yuan's parents, Asura Lord Xuan Ye and Heavenly Realm female god, Ran Qing. Fortunately, I was much more invested in their love story, however, many questions were left unanswered when it comes to these two episodes. What were Xuan Ye's thoughts as his son when he learned of Qingli Ying Yuan Dijun? Did he know that his son was that powerful man? Xuan Ye evilness is definitely unparalleled, but he still fell in love with an immortal deity. By the way, Cheng Yi dubbed Xuan Ye, lowering his voice for a much more mysterious and frightening low-pitched voice.

When it comes to the ending of the drama, I, once again, was very disappointed. However, I wasn't disappointed with the outcome of the story, I was more let down by how rushed everything was. For a 59-episode drama that focused so much on a boring Mortal Arc, I was expecting a more explained ending, with an ending not only for the two leads but for supporting characters as well. That was not covered by Immortal Samsara in the least little bit. There were only 20 minutes left of the last episode of Immortal Samsara, and the leads were still fighting against the villain! Does the director have any sense of balancing out time and scenes? (probably not) Yes, I was most invested in the leads but I don't want to leave the supporting characters hanging in midair. Although screen time should be mainly focused on Ying Yuan and Yan Dan, the drama did not do this in a balanced way. The Mortal Arc focused way too much on other characters while the ending gave them a mere 5 or so minutes and none for the rest of the many characters in the drama. The leads disappeared together, and that was it. No more explanation. It is said that 2 more episodes will be released in a few days to explain this unexpected ending, but I am not sure if I will watch it. Why not just air everything together, instead of making the audience, who has already paid more than their fair share of money to watch the last few episodes?

However, the OST was beautiful, with wonderfully-written songs sung by a few talented artists. Lyrics matched the story of Immortal Samsara and melodies were gorgeous and unforgettable. It would have been better even more of a treat to see a few more singers in the track listing, as well as more songs used in the drama itself, as there are instances where OSTs are recorded but not used inside the drama, but perhaps budget or time was a roadblock. Cheng Yi and Yang Zi both sang a song each, but I'm not sure they were used inside the drama as I cannot recollect the melodies. Agarwood sung by Jason Zhang and Jane Zhang was absolutely charming and full of longing.

Here is the beautiful OST listing:

1) Agarwood (沉香) - Jason Zhang & Jane Zhang
2) Hong Chen Lu (红尘录) - Jason Zhang
3) Pian Xing (偏星) - Jane Zhang
4) River of Forgetfulness (忘川) - Cheng Yi
5) Can't Forget (无忘) - Zhang Lei
6) Looking at the Sky (望辰) - Yang Zi

Finally, it's also important to acknowledge the beautiful costumes and hairstyles of the many characters in the drama, as they truly did give off ethereal Xianxia vibes. I especially loved Yan Dan's hairstyle, with a long, silky ribbon that cascaded down her black hair. CGI was also gorgeous, with colorful pastel skies and of course, the massive dreamy-like whale that Yan Dan and Ying Yuan rode on together, a recollection of some of their happy memories. The palaces inside the Heavenly Palace were a bit odd-looking and the white walls did look a bit like plastic, but the props were intricate.

All in all, you might want to give Immortal Samsara a try if you're a new Xianxia watcher, however, keep in mind that some parts are ridiculously draggy with some annoying characters. If you're reading this review and wondering if you should continue onto Part 2, I don't really think the romance gets "better", as some might say, however it does progress as the leads do spend more time together. Xuan Ye was a treat, but again, the entire drama felt like a cycle of predictable Xianxia tropes. So if you've already watched all the big Xianxia romances out there, Immortal Samsara is probably not your best choice. Although Cheng Yi and Yang Zi did fantastically in their respective roles and costumes were gorgeous, the boring and draggy plot heavily outweighed the pros of the series.