Love the chemistry between the Leads

This show has given us another green flag in Yoo Ji Hyuk (ML). Just completed the final episodes and the show was worth the hype. All characters are pretty interesting, which makes you take in every minute of the show without hitting fast forward or skipping most parts.

Its interesting to watch Jung Soo Min hate the female lead (Kang Ji Won ) so much and still go on pretending to be her best friend, sabotaging her at every step. There was a time when I believed people weren't like that and the shows were too dramatic to show such characters. However, I have learned different, people get perverse sense of pleasure by putting others down. And to Soo Min making Ji Won's life difficult is like a drug. There is no self-reflection for this character.

Now, the female lead was actually a pretty terrible judge of character and its pretty common. It's lonely living a life suspecting everyone of a motive, much easier to trust people are telling the truth. I was glad to the sismance between Fl, Yoo Hee Yeon, and Yang Joo Ran. They did such a good job lending an ear to Kang Ji Won, however they weren't aware of her returning back in time. The second couple Yoo Hee Yeon and Baek Eun Ho took their time getting together but both were so adorable througouth the series. I do wish we had gotten to see Joo Ran and Lee Suk Joon together as well, but I feel very optimistic about their future so that's good as well.

The cast is pretty great as well, especially Song Ha Yoon, she did such a fabulous job portraying Jung Soo Min. This drama has made me see her in new light. I didn't recognize her as the lead actress from the show Devilish Joy. The ending left me wondering if it made sense that Min Hwan died and not her (Soo Min). While Min Hwan is a character that attack the weak, he isn't really brainy, so him in prison or getting out in the future wouldn't have made much of a difference. Eve still, did I feel sad that he died? Nope. He just stopped existing and things went about their way. Now, with the kind of hatred Soo Min is harboring for Ji Won, things might get tricky in the future if she was to ever get out.

Leia Mais

My favorite genre. (Hoping that we'll have a happy ending for the leads at least)

I especially love the romance genre where one of the leads can see ghosts, but I had put this one on hold because it was a bit heavy compared to the recent light hearted dramas I had been watching.

I love the ML, he is so adorable. What's more, he looks after the FL so much that even though he doesn't admit his feelings and rejects her, its hard to dislike him. The guy is sure he only has around 3 months to live, so, he doesn't really think he has much to offer. But he could at least just tell her that he is going to die. So far, I have loved episode 7 the best, despite rejecting the FL twice now, the ML was so damn jealous of her admiring another guy. Now that I have finally started the drama, I can't wait for next week's episodes.

Coming to the beautiful stories we have, each episode was created to make you cry. The deaths seem so untimely and we wish these people had another chance at life.

This drama gives me the same feels as The Master's Sun. (The romance and the ghost seeing lead (here both of them see the ghosts))

Leia Mais

What a beautifully written and well-depicted drama!

Byun Hye Yeong is hands down my favorite female character in all of the Korean drama's I have ever seen. She is such a role model to all the women out there. Love her character to pieces! Her values are so developed and progressive it is so hard to see female lead characters like her. Kudos to the writer and the muse the character was based on! Jung Hwan complimented her so well. He looked after her even when she pretended to be strong enough to do things alone and was supportive of her regardless of how foolish his mom was. He didn't enable his mother but actually called her out on her shit.

Joon Yeong was a bit dislikable at times but once he found out that the got his girlfriend pregnant he sure grew up a lot. NGL hate characters like Yoo Joo but she also grew up even though she took her sweet time doing it.

All of the couples in the drama were so good to each other. They took little missteps a time or two but always made sure to get things right. Well worth the time spent. I would highly recommend it to anyone who asks in future.

Leia Mais

Love the Leads! Leaving a review after 2nd Rewatch.

Kim Hye Yoon, Rowoon, and Lee Jae Wook, all three did such a great job together. During my first watch, this was my first time seeing Kim Hye Yoon in action and it was such a great experience. She is an embodiment of the character Dan Oh. Usually when characters use baby voice is it so damn annoying, but with her it somehow wasn't annoying. I don't know why, it doesn't make sense to me either. She was overall such a treat to watch, she honestly carried the whole drama and whiel I love the other characters, without them, she would have still rocked this show.

Coming to the love triangle between Dan Oh, Haru, & Kyung: Dan Oh & Haru were so lovely together. They simply fit each other too well and didn't have much angst, which usually makes the romance part a bit boring but the comedic scenes and the presence these two brought to the screen kept it from being so. Haru is such an adorable character, it impossible to not love him. One of the greenest flags. Despite labelling Kyung as a jerk early on, I couldn't help but want them to be together during few episodes. Their push and pull was a bit interesting to watch. There's just something about Lee Jae Wook, no matter what kind of character he plays you just want to watch him get what he want. Where Haru was the green flag, Kyung certainly was the red flag.

Before my first watch I read somewhere that the they Dan Oh & Haru don't end up together in the Secret, but Dan Oh & Kyung do. Thankfully, that wasn't the case. Dan Oh & Kyung call it quits and the comic Secret ends. After which, Dan Oh & Haru meet in another comic and reunite under the tree.

Leia Mais

Beautiful Music. Good Chemistry. No Misunderstandings. Supportive Friends. (But boring story)

Although the couples in the drama had a beautiful relationship, the drama was very linear and boring. Had to fast forward most of the scenes once the lead couple get together. However, they do have good chemistry which comes across clearly in the kissing scenes. They are so damn adorable.

What I liked about the drama:
Beautiful Music: It honestly has some of the best music. I like it especially because it reminds me of "Immortal Samsara" one of my favorite cdramas. Even though I can barely understand the language, there's no denying the beauty to it and the subtitles were pretty great.
Good Chemistry: This is the first drama where I have seen Tan Jian Cik act and wow! He has such a great personality and his stylist did such a good job. The clothes, the hairstyle, everything was on point. The actor himself brought a lot to the table, the way he looked at the FL was heartwarming. Even though I like Zhou Ye as an actress, the character was too timid for my tastes. However, they looked good together.
No Misunderstandings: Although the drama was boring, I don't mind that. Give me a boring sweet drama, over one filled with misunderstandings.
Supportive Friends: Each and every character in the drama was so supportive. Even the fans were happy that the Leads got together.

While I wont necessarily come back for a rewatch, this is a good drama for one time watch.

Dammit, now every time I'm watching a wuxia or xianxia drama and there's a male voice singing in the background i think it is Mo Qing Cheng.

Leia Mais

Beautiful! Rewatch Worthy!

Beautifully done. When I first went into the show, I wondered why there were so many episodes (Part 1 & Part 2 included). I was also vary because with Cdramas, the higher the number of episodes, the higher the number of misunderstandings. And the endings usually are very rushed and done poorly. Immortal Samsara was a refreshening change from those dramas. The best part about the drama is the story between the main leads, it has everything that you want to see, romance, angst, bickering, devastation, death, and more so.

This was my second time watching the drama and it was better this time around. During my first watch, I was too blinded by everything Yan Dan suffered to give some credit to Ying Yuan and his sacrifices. What's more, he was man enough to admit that he was wrong to have abandoned her. I have seen a lot of dramas where when the ML abandons the FL for their own good, they seldom admit that they messed up. They even double down and claim that they would do it all over again. But that's not Ying Yuan. What little grudge I held against Ying Yuan for abandoning Yan Dan, I happily let go after completing the second part. I am so glad they finally got the happy ending and peace they deserved. (As much peace Ying Yuan can have with Yan Dan's lively personality in their life)

In this part, Zhi Xi's character was much better portrayed, much more expressive, her feelings for Yan Dan much purer, something that I though lacked in the first part. Even before she sacrificed her life, she had redeemed herself and I was glad to see the sisters enjoy a good relationship. I would have liked to see Yan Dan get married to Ying Yuan in the wedding gown left to her by Zhi Xi.

Overall, this isn't my last time rewatching the show. Another great thing about this drama, the poetry series about agarwood, it was so emotionally charged. Wow! And let's not forget the beautiful music that accompanied each and every moment.

Leia Mais

Heartbreaking & yet that didn't stop me from adding this to my rewatch list!

Writing this review on my second rewatch. I'm already on Part 2, but wanted to drop the review before completing that one since I still have things fresh in my mind.

I found this show as a recommendation of the drama "The Starry Love". When I played the first episode, I kept wondering if one of them was a remake.
The visuals in "The Starry Love" are much better than first few episodes of "Immortal Samsara: Part 1". However, the visuals got better from then on. The effects were more believable.
While effects might have been an issue in the first few episodes, the outfits were always astonishingly good. I coveted many of Yin Yuan/Tan Zhou's outfits.
So, thinking that they were a remake I was committed to watching the entire thing. (I don't mind watching stories with the same trope if I loved one of them)
So, the scene started in the heavenly realm, the dances, sisters born out of twin flowers, immortals forbidden to love, the disturbances from the demon realm, and so on. There were so many similarities. But it didn't take me long to realize that while they shared a resemblance to each other both "The Starry Love" and "Immortal Samsara" tell different stories.

Characters:
-----------------
Zhi Xi: The elder sister, twin to Yan Dan, was one of the first characters that made me realize that the differences in the stories. The Starry Love's Ye Tan got a sister who was the sole person who cherished her, however Samsara's Zhi Xi was always envious of her little sister. If you are an average person who has to work hard at everything, then It is easier to relate to Zhi Xi's character more than Yan Dan's, who on the other hand, has always been cheerful and carefree. Someone for whom things always come easily. It was sad to see the how Zhi Xi's allowed others perception of her doubt not only herself but Yan Dan as well. She was so easily convinced that Yan Dan was against her that she played a huge role in Yan Dan's misery. Later, the story tried hard to convince the viewers that she did her best to make up to Yan Dan, but her redemption arc just didn't seem sincere. I just rewatched Ep 12 and I realized that I had put on rose-colored glasses, hoping that Zhi Xi didn't go out of her way to lie to Yan Dan & create all that misery, but she did. She was first to take the reward for saving Yingyuan, which she didn't, & last to bear all the costs of it, she later came up with excuses to pacify Yan Dan's hurt feelings & continued to lie to her. When Yan Dan jumped off the bridge, we could all see the guilt on Zhi Xi's face but there was no real devastation. It could be because of the actress, maybe she wasn't able to convey her feelings through her expressions. Despite that she was an interesting character, a weak willed woman who tried to save her ass and framed her own sister who wanted nothing but the best for her. She truly was the weaker sister. Even by the end of it, she put majority of the blame on Yingdeng when she was the one who destroyed her own sister.

Yan Dan | Bai Piao Liang: The younger sister, twin to Zhi Xi. Okay, before watching this drama, I didn't realize that the actress portraying Yan Dan was the same one from "Go Go Squid" and it was a bit surprising to me. I liked Yang Zi looks much in Samsara. Since I had come off binge watching "The Starry Love", I was also pleasantly surprised to hear Yan Dan's voice, it pretty much sounded same as Ye Tan's. There's also something about Yang Zi, she is such a treat to watch. I have seen her performance in "Ashes of Love" as well, she makes the screen light up with her presence. I wish there were more interesting historical romances with her as a lead. Coming back to Yan Dan as a character, she is a carefree light hearted sprite, who wants to take care of her sister and her friends and write for a living, someone who doesn't really have a lofty ambition but someone who's actually warmhearted. It gives me pleasure to watch such characters thrive and makes me doubly sad to see them suffer. She suffered a lot, framed by her sister, abandoned by her love, punished for crimes she didn't commit. The sad part, through her redemption arc, Zhi Xi was never selfless enough to clear Yan Dan's name. Yan Dan was too giving and forgiving of people who did her wrong.

Emperor Yin Yuan/Tang Zhou: Cheng Yi is wow! Him portraying Emperor Yin Yuan is his best performance I have seen to date. The aura he presents, the stylist did such a wonderful job on his entire look, however that all would have been for naught had it not been for Cheng Yi brining his A game to the picture. He did such a great job portraying the "Couldn't care less about anything" look. The indifference was portrayed so brilliantly, it came as a shock to see him further display a wide range of emotions. Yin Yuan as a character was highly complex . As we seem him put things in motions to save Yan Dan, we also see how Yan Dan didn't measure up to the entire world in his eyes. Even when he was being punished, what he did to Yan Dan was the last reason listed for his punishment. He also let her down so much. She was found guilty of a crime she didn't commit, and instead of clearing her name, the let the criminal get away with it. The criminal lived on and prospered well while Yan Dan had to struggle so hard to forget the betrayal & pain. Granted, he did go through heartbreak, refused to forget her as a punishment to himself, but he never had to question Yan Dan's love for him. Yan Dan on the other hand knew that he abandoned her after she gave so much of her to him. After all that Yan Dan was put through, it wasn't much to ask for her to find someone else in the mortal world or to feel something for YuMo, but not enough time had passed for her to enjoy her life that Tan Zhou showed up.

YuMo: It was really hard to consider him as a SML in the beginning, he just seemed like silly comic relief and his story didn't really speak to my heart. I could only see him as a guy Yan Dan could be interested in once he came to the mortal world. He was such a sweet guy that I wanted Yan Dan to give him a chance. Even though he clearly had feelings for Yan Dan and did everything for her, he never tried to sabotage her happiness. This is such a stark contrast to YingDeng's love for Yin Yuan, who thought she was doing her best to protect Yin Yuan but was mostly trying to ensure that he didn't end up with Yan Dan. So, YuMo was a greenest flag in this story.

After watching Immortal Samsara, I have become a huge fan of Yang Zi and Cheng Yi. I wish to see them together in more dramas as main leads. I tried watching "Noble Aspirations" but they don't have enough screentime together to enjoy it fully. They are not even a couple a couple in that.

Advice to anyone who wants to watch it:
---------------------------------------------------
Go ahead! It will make you sob at times but its a beautiful disaster that you won't regret watching.

Leia Mais

Worth the time spent watching this masterfully written and depicted story!

To begin with, I read some reviews and didn't want to see Luo Yun Xi portray an antagonist character, however, it's a good thing that I changed my mind. He did a wonderful job in that character, a character that you like in the beginning. But as time goes by, you see how it changes and not for the better. He is one of the few characters that I didn't mind having a redemption arc.

Jin Mi/ The Frost Flower/ The Water Immortal:
-----------------------------------------------------------
Jin Mi was also one of the best character Yang Zi has portrayed, another was her Yan Dan in Immortal Samsara. When I saw her in Go Go Squid, I didn't think much of her acting skills, but these historical romances changed my mind. She has shown such range of emotions, reminding me of Korean actress Gong Hyo-jin. Coming to her character, we have to consider her handicap, the unfeeling pill, the elixir that stunted her development and ability to discern things. Everyone in the floral realm appeared very weak, beginning from the ladies who raised her. They relied blindly on the pill, not preparing Jim Mi for what was coming in the future. For a 4000 year old, she had barely the understanding of teenager. And the Yun Elixir (the unfeeling pill) plotline left some loose ends. I mean did the elixir only cut of romantic love and not familial love? Because she loved her newfound father and auntie so much that she wanted revenge, those are some strong feelings. Phoenix was the first to fall in love with her, but it wasn't until later, a few months before entering the mortal realm that Jin Mi started reciprocating the feelings. Even in the mortal realm she hid things from him, she could have told him that she was poisoned and going to die, especially since she accepted his feelings. Her character was written beautifully, this was a coming of age story that made you hate her at times and love her at others. I'm glad she had to face the consequences of killing the phoenix, even once she was reincarnated. It was fair because she didn't love him as much as he loved her. She was so easily tricked into believing that he killed her parents, had little faith in him. Even once she found out that he didn't do it, the first thing she thought of was that she killed him mistakenly. Not how she could make up for it or bring him back. She wanted to bring him back to be with him, not only to atone for her sins. So, I wasn't really surprised with the way he treated her when he came back to life.

Xu Feng / Phoenix / Fire Deity
--------------------------------------
This drama introduced me to Deng Lun, he and Yang Zi were well-matched in their acting prowess. Xu Feng was one of the greenest flags in Cdramas you'll ever get to see, much similar to Sifeng from Love & Redemption. Even when he tried to hate the FL for what she had done, he found it unpalatable. But he did hate her, you have to when the person you are trying to protect stabs you in the back. The worst part of it was not that she stabbed him, it was heartbreaking for sure, but she stabbed him in the back. Even when she did that, all he did was ask her if she ever loved him. She denied it and that was the last thing he ever heard. Even when he came back from the dead, he didn't for a moment think about getting revenge against her. He only wanted to live his life and not bother with others. Apart from Run Yu, he was the one who suffered the most throughout the series, at the hands of the Jin Mi, his parents, and let's not forget Su Hi. The worst character Tai Wei, the heavenly emperor, who raped the woman he claimed to love and just wanted people to forgive and forget. What's worse, he still claimed to love her. Him along with his crazy wife were the reason Xu Feng suffered so much. Had they left it alone and minded their actual responsibilities, they wouldn't have meddled in their son's life so much, causing him untold grief. Let's not forget Su Hi, this trio went out of its way to make others miserable. The one flaw that Xu Feng had was he overlooked his parents crimes and tried to get them pardoned at every opportunity when he should have been disgusted by them. Even when he thought that his mother could have killed Jin Mi's father, he wanted to find a way to save her. His mother did kill Run Yu's mother, for that, he could only apologize, which was fine and reasonable, but what wasn't was not calling his mother out on it. He enabled her in that way. He also knew how his mother treated Run Yu and while he called her out on it, they were still living same toxic cycle where she continuously put Run Yu down.

Just a phenomenal groups of actors that worked together on a well-written story.

Leia Mais

Good for the first 10-15 episodes.

I didn't read the reviews for this one before going into it, should have. I just wanted to see Garvey Jin in another romantic drama but it was for the naught. His story only got interesting in the last couple of episodes that was the only good part about those episodes.

The story is so bad halfway through. Why can't these people talk things out? What's with keeping the baby from the father? Its not like he is going to be crappy father, the ML was a green flag and honestly would have been a much better father than the mother. As a role model for the child, she should have at least considered how her decisions would affect the baby but no. Once you find out you are pregnant, reach out to the fellow. Stop making decision for the guy, if he said he didn't want to be a father once he found out, then that's another story. But that was not this guy at all.

Just felt like wasted 9 hours watching this. Had to skip most of the scenes since they were not very impactful.

Leia Mais

Both the FL and ML are green flags

Its impossible not to love these two seemingly adorable characters. There is no finding fault. The writes did such a beautiful job and this is one gem worth rewatching. It is like a salve for your heart, especially if you have been traumatized by crappy endings.

The cast was also a treat to watch, all the actors were so visually stunning. The FL's entire family was full of green flags, her brother and her parents. They were so understanding of her and also cherished their daughter so much. A treat for people who understand how precious gentle parenting can be.

Leia Mais

Good characters failed by a story that only picks up in the last arc.

I watched sword and fairy 4 before this and was actually more interested in the SF6 because of the cast. Both of them lacked when it came to the story. Despite looking forward to watching this one, it was hard to get past episodes. Had to use fast forward far too much for the liking. The story lacked depth and just couldn't ensnare me.

They had decent characters but the story was all kinds of messed up. The supposedly good sect was okay sacrificing a thousand to save the rest of the world's population because one member of their sect came back from the future and told them so. So many important characters lacked the backstory that could have fleshed them out. I finally got into the drama around the final 10 episodes and most of them were sad.

I am few of those who believe that Bian Luo Huan wasn't really wiped out of existence, his sacrifice was not in vain. Part of him will always live on in Yue Jin Zhao. Sacrifices should be rewarded and not forgotten.

Leia Mais

Only Cheng Yi can pull off a carefree character like Li Lian Hua.

I mostly stick to romantic dramas, a little bit of romance is like a salt in food for me. However, I watched this drama solely because of Cheng Yi & it was worth it. This drama also helped to rediscovered Joseph Zheng. Last year, I had watched his Hi Venus and thought he was dashing but Fang Duo Bing was such a good character for him. Wish that we had more of Di Fei Sheng working along with them, however his screen time was very short.

Some of the cases were interesting while others were not, I mostly skipped some scenes and focused on those where the main trio were interacting. The main story was kinda weird with the bugs, bugs just remind me of starship troopers. Having seen Chen Duling in Till the End of the Moon, it was hard for me to think of her as the good guy, her character was so insecure and devious in it, especially since I had rewatched the drama a week ago. There wasn't much for her to do in this drama, she had but a small role to play and she did it well. Her fiancé was an immature idiot in this drama.

But anyways it was fun watching the main trio go on adventures together. At one point in time, I wondered how 4 horses managed to drag that big ass lotus tower all over the place. But then again, architecture is a marvel. It sure was so good to look at and would be such a great place to live in.

Leia Mais

Adorable! The kisses are lit!

The actors and the characters are such good fit. They all did such a good job on this one. The costumes are also so beautiful. This is tiny bite that I won't mind rewatching a few times. The lead couple were terrific and adorable. I wonder thought what he was doing down there for 100 years, would have liked seeing some flashback to the time he spent there.

I didn't take her being the demon realm's ruler seriously as there was barely any depth to that aspect of her character. It was supposed to be a light hearted drama and it did so damn well in the genre. The kissing scenes were done just right.

I read a review that this was Xianxia without Angst, and I thought okay I want to watch a adorable short & sweet romance like that. There was just a pinch of Angst that would have had me going for the Yin Mo Ting neck, but all is good since he did not end up consummating his relationship with Lin Qian Yu.

Nangong Xin Lan / Lin Qian Yu reminded me of Georgina sparks, the looks and the entire vibe she has going on for the drama.

Leia Mais

What a charming couple! I loved the romance plot here!

I was an idiot for putting this off for so long! Zhao Lusi & Yang Yang did a wonderful job bringing the Hei Feng-Bai Xi duo to life.

In the beginning, Bai Feng Xi was a bit annoying constantly blaming him for things that he hadn't even done. Thankfully, she realized what an idiot she was. Hei Feng Xi took it all as a joke because he knew who he was and what he stood for and he found her amusing. It would be fun to watch what they were like when they were earning the reputation as Hei Feng-Bai Xi, that would make a cute prequel.

The unwavering trust amongst the leads was such a soothing balm. It is rare to find leads that trust each other so much, especially in wuxia or Xianxia dramas. I loved how Lanxi cherished Xi Yun, the way he loved her was so adorable and at the same time mature. It was good to see that love reciprocated without unnecessary angst. The power dynamics between the two were also good.

Feng Qi Wu was a kickass supporting character! She did not use her intelligence to play petty mind games but was more focused on her goals. Even when she fell in love and it wasn't reciprocated she was very mature about it and moved on like a strong woman. She did not blame the FL for stealing away the ML like many delusional supporting female characters do. Feng Qi Wu is the kind of female characters I want to see more of. And for some reason, I kept hoping that she would meet Feng Chang in an unofficial situation and the would hit it off. But to think about it, Feng Chang was a very questionable character, he ordered to kill off innocent people because they found out about his epilepsy, whereas Qi Wu is someone who cherished her people and treated them kindly. So, maybe not. But he tried to do the best in his capability to be good brother to Lanxi.

Like someone said in their review, Tian Shuang sect was a joke. I am surprised that someone as powerful as Xi Yun came to power in that sect. The only two people who were maybe decent, died (Master & poor Han Pu). Had Bai Lang Hua a little intelligence, the flower would not have been wasted. They could used it to save Han Pu or even during the final battle where Lanxi shared half of his life with Xi Yu. They both could have lived longer. Because I'm not sure how long Xii Yun is going to last once Lanxi is gone. Maybe she would continue on as Elder Tai Yin did.

Leia Mais