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.