Immortal Samsara Review

Frankly speaking, I have been putting off watching Immortal Samsara (沉香如屑) because of the sheer length. After Love Like The Galaxy, I was hesitant to spend my time on another long-winded saga. But then again, this drama is not something you can ignore either given the cast and budget. Hence, I steeled myself for another long ride with the hope that there will be no sustained boring stretches in the 59-episode drama. After all, plots for xianxia dramas tend to be recycled with hypocritical immortals and resurrections. So, did I get what I hope for? Find out my Immortal Samsara review below.

My rating: 8/10
Episodes: 59 / Part 1 (38 Episodes) & Part 2 (21 Episodes)
Type: Xianxia Romance
Aired: July 2022
Images Credit: Youku Official Facebook

The Cast Of Immortal Samsara

• Yang Zi as Yan Dan / Bai Piao Liang
• Cheng Yi as Lord Ying Yuan / Tang Zhou / Xuan Ye
• Ray Chang Rui as Yu Mo
• Meng Zi Yi as Zhi Xi
• Zhu Yong Teng as Heavenly Emperor
• Vicki Xu Kai Ning as Immortal Fairy Ying Deng
• Li Xin Ze as Huan Qin / Ji Dou Star Lord
• Li Yu as Marshal Huo De
• Xia Zhi Yuan as Lu Ming
• He Zhong Hua as Celestial Deity Bei Ming
• Wang Hao Xuan as Ao Xuan
• Elisa Ye Xi Yue as Zhao Lan
• Sun Ze Yuan as Zi Lin
• Liu Meng Meng as Jiang Chen
• Johnny Zhang Jun Ning as Liu Wei Yang
• Hou Meng Yao as Tao Zi Qi

Main Characters

Yan Dan / Bai Piao Liang

Yan Dan is a lowly immortal attendant of Celestial Deity Bei Ming. She is the human form of the ancient 4-Leaf Lotus together with her twin sister, Zhi Xi. She is smart and gifted but her talent is overlooked due to her laziness. Yan Dan is a carefree fairy who prefers an easy life. She likes to read and write and would rather become a playwright than cultivating her powers. Bai Piao Liang is her human identity in the Mortal Realm.

Lord Ying Yuan / Tang Zhou / Xuan Ye

Lord Ying Yuan is the top Sovereign Lord of the Nine Heavens. He is a powerful immortal who prefers a quiet life. He takes his responsibilities very seriously and tries to stick to the rigid heavenly rules. Lord Ying Yuan is respected and feared. He is also astute and eccentric. Tang Zhou is his human identity in the Mortal Realm.

Supporting Characters

Yu Mo

Yu Mo is the descendant of the Nine Fins Clan. His entire clan was killed during the War of Genesis including his parents. As such, he ended up under the care of Celestial Deity Bei Ming. He is also Yan Dan’s friend.

Zhi Xi

Zhi Xi is Yan Dan’s elder twin sister. She is a hardworking immortal fairy who worked her way up to become the Vice Curator of Magical Pavilion. She is thought to be the stronger twin compared to Yan Dan. Zhi Xi cares a lot for her lazy sister and they share a loving relationship.

Heavenly Emperor

The Heavenly Emperor is the supreme lord of the Nine Heavens. He oversees all the 6 realms and is a strict enforcer of the heavenly rules. He is also the one who raised Lord Ying Yuan.

Immortal Fairy Ying Deng

Ying Deng is the Curator of Magical Pavilion and Zhi Xi’s superior. She is a jealous and vindictive immortal who would use her powers to bully those who have offended her. She is possessive towards Lord Ying Yuan whom she has feelings for.

Huan Qin / Ji Dou Star Lord

Huan Qin is the Ji Dou Star Lord who is one rank below the Sovereign Lords. He is also Lord Ying Yuan’s friend. Huan Qin is polite and helpful but can be impulsive during battles.

Marshal Huo De

Marshal Huo De is the most experienced immortal soldier in the Nine Heavens. He likes to strut around and show off his seniority but he is harmless and comical.

Lu Ming

Lu Ming is the Curator of Book Pavilion in Nine Heavens. He is a merman who have achieved the rare feat of becoming an immortal. Lu Ming is also Yan Dan’s friend.

Celestial Deity Bei Ming

Bei Ming is a kind senior immortal of Nine Heavens. Yan Dan is one of his attendants. Bei Ming was close to the Nine Fins Clan and took in Yu Mo at the request of the latter’s parents before they died during a war.

Ao Xuan

Ao Xuan is the Crown Prince of the Eastern Sea Dragon Clan. He is a wicked spirit who is spoilt and vindictive. He is betrothed to Zhao Lan. His father is the Dragon King of the Eastern Sea and also the leader of the aqua clans in the 4 seas.

Zhao Lan

Zhao Lan is the Princess of the Southern Sea Azure Dragon Clan. She is betrothed to Ao Xuan but only has feelings for Yu Mo.

Zi Lin

Zi Lin is a tortoise spirit in the Mountain Realm who becomes friends with Yu Mo. He is a courageous spirit who will fight against oppressors but can be childish and playful. His love interest is Lin Lang who is the Princess of the Three-Tailed Snow Fox Clan.

Jiang Chen

Jiang Chen is an opera performer in the Mortal Realm. Her lover is the sickly Pei Luo who is the Prince of Andu. Jiang Chen is a flower spirit.

Liu Wei Yang

Liu Wei Yang is a familiar face at a dancing hall in the Mortal Realm. He is a mysterious man with a secretive background.

Tao Zi Qi

Zi Qi is a senior immortal who is sent as an envoy to the Demon Realm to broker for peace. She is a celestial beast with a waterfowl spirit.

Synopsis

Yan Dan and Zhi Xi are twin sisters from the ancient 4-Leaf Lotus Clan. They are immortal fairies who acquired their human form 500 years ago. Yan Dan is the lazy one while Zhi Xi is hardworking and ambitious. However, Zhi Xi has never really got over the comment that she is the weaker twin despite climbing through the ranks in the Heavenly Realm through diligence and hard work.

Yan Dan’s talent is noticed by Lord Ying Yuan who is the Sovereign Lord of the Nine Heavens. Yan Dan dislikes him as she sees him as a bully when he takes her under his wing. But they gradually develop feelings for each other which is strictly forbidden among celestials. No love relationship is allowed in the Nine Heavens. As their feelings for each other deepen, a jealous love rival and Zhi Xi’s betrayal force the couple apart. Yan Dan also mistakenly assumes Lord Ying Yuan has never loved her when he is merely trying to protect her from the love punishment.

Feeling bitterly disappointed, Yan Dan ended up in the Mortal Realm 900 years later whereby her memories have been erased. She is now a lotus flower spirit and meets Lord Ying Yuan who has been sent to the Mortal Realm as a Taoist spirit catcher.

Immortal Samsara Ending (Spoilers Alert!)

Immortal Samsara has a sad ending at the end of Episode 59 but a happy one if you include the bonus episodes. During the final battle with Huan Qin, Lord Ying Yuan and Yan Dan trapped him in the Illusion of Dreams. They were prepared to die together as the whole structure started to crumble after the fight. But the couple got out of the illusion.

However, Lord Ying Yuan’s Asura powers were awakened while in the vortex due to a follower’s doing. The Heavenly Emperor’s primordial spirit which kept the powers in check returned to its owner. This means the dead Heavenly Emperor will be resurrected. But Lord Ying Yuan’s powers would become unstable and he went berserk at one point. As Huan Qin had demolished the barrier between the Heavenly and Demon Realms earlier, the vengeful spirits of the Asura Clan has also started a war.

In the end, Lord Ying Yuan sacrificed himself to reconstruct the barrier the way his mother did before him. Yan Dan didn’t want to be left behind and ripped out her heart to die along with him. As their spirits scattered, bits of it were fused together in a blob and the drama ended there for the last episode.

In the bonus episodes, Lord Ying Yuan and Yan Dan regained their human form. They lead a happy life together in the Mortal Realm and Yelan Mountain. They even have a young son who became friends with Yu Mo who is still the Spirits Chief. Yan Dan becomes a popular playwright. Zhao Lan is going to get married to someone she met. The Heavenly Emperor has been resurrected and resumed his position with peace in all realms.

Lord Ying Yuan’s Identity

Lord Ying Yuan was raised by the Heavenly Emperor who told him that his immortal mother fell in love with someone from the Asura Clan. She ended up being bewitched by him and betrayed the Heavenly Realm. The Asura Clan was thought of as cruel and evil. They were eventually wiped out by the Heavenly Realm.

In actual fact, Lord Ying Yuan’s father was the King of the Asura Clan, Xuan Ye. Only the King’s bloodline could wield the power of Eternal Darkness and control the Ren Hun sword spirit. The fake Heavenly Emperor exposed this in Episode 51 to find excuses and convince the court to punish Lord Ying Yuan. Lord Ying Yuan’s parents’ story is revealed in Episode 53. His mother was the Primordial Lord, Ran Qing. Ran Qing fell in love with Xuan Ye who deceived her love to get his hands on her artifact to conquer the realms.

Xuan Ye wanted both her and the world. In the end, Ran Qing sacrificed herself to kill Xuan Ye. Before she died, she left her son with the Heavenly Emperor and laid down a rule that everyone should abstain from love in the Heavenly Realm.

Yan Dan And Lord Ying Yuan’s Relationship

Yan Dan realized she has fallen for Lord Ying Yuan in Episode 10. She kissed him to transfer to him her qi while he was injured and his body is ravaged with a poison. He also developed strong feelings for her which he didn’t want to acknowledge as he was dying and feared that he would hurt her. Yan Dan also gorged out half a heart to save Lord Ying Yuan in Episode 11. But he pretended that he didn’t care after he recovered to prevent Yan Dan from being punished since love is forbidden in the Heavenly Realm. Yan Dan subsequently ended up in the Mortal Realm due to her disappointment in him.

The couple reunited in the Mortal Realm in Episode 22 and gradually developed feelings for each other again despite having no recollection of the past. Yan Dan knew Lord Ying Yuan was affected by her in Episode 37 as his bracelet to restrain his feelings kept glowing each time they touched. They tried to talk about their feelings in Episode 38 but it was cut short.

In Episode 41, Lord Ying Yuan destroyed his cultivation base in order to free Yan Dan after she was captured by his sect leader. She was wrong that he would always choose duty over her. She forgave him in her heart in Episode 43 as she has understood better why he can’t neglect his responsibilities. Lord Ying Yuan proved his love for her with his life in Episode 46. Yan Dan ripped out the other half of her heart to save him in Episode 47.

When Did The Couple Get Together?

Lord Ying Yuan vowed that he will return to Yan Dan after he has completed his mission in Episode 49. He asked her to wait for him despite her decision that they should go separate ways due to their responsibilities. But Lu Ming’s disappearance brought them together in an investigation. They stood by each other when framed by the Heavenly Emperor in Episode 51 and Yan Dan offered to be punished together with Lord Ying Yuan in Episode 52.

Lord Ying Yuan knew Yan Dan still has feelings for him in Episode 58 when she appeared while he was drunk. She chose to die with him in Episode 59.

Is There Any Breakup?

Yan Dan and Lord Ying Yuan parted in Episode 15 when she jumped off the Bridge of Emptiness from the Heavenly Realm. They were not a couple then but have deep feelings for one another which Lord Ying Yuan couldn’t express due to their forbidden romance. Yan Dan was severely disappointed when Lord Ying Yuan didn’t seem to trust her when she has been framed by Ying Deng and Zhi Xi.

In Episode 18, Lord Ying Yuan helped Yan Dan to cross the Night River of Forgetfulness to enter the Mortal Realm. She has been languishing in the river for almost 900 years due to her inability to let go of her memories of him. Thus, he erased her memories and sent her to the Mortal Realm as a flower spirit to lessen her suffering. They met again in Episode 22 when Lord Ying Yuan also became a mortal in order to investigate what happened during the war with the Demons which caused many of his compatriots to die. They have no recollection of each other then but feelings developed between them again.

Yan Dan decided to sever her love for Lord Ying Yuan in Episode 38 after she regained her memories. She found out that he loved her but was bitter that he chose his duty over her. Thus, Yan Dan rejected Lord Ying Yuan’s confession in Episode 39 and asked to be left alone. She did so again in Episode 44 because she knew he would return to the Heavenly Realm after his stint as a mortal. He returned as expected and Yan Dan insisted on a breakup in Episode 48 as she wanted him to take up his responsibilities to keep the 3 realms safe.

Is There A Love Triangle?

We will know as early as Episode 9 that Yu Mo loves Yan Dan. But he chose to keep his feelings hidden. In Episode 16, he went to the Mortal Realm to look for Yan Dan after she had jumped off the Bridge of Emptiness. Yu Mo finally found her after 900 years in Episode 21 as he didn’t know she had been traversing the Night River of Forgetfulness all this while due her inability to forget Lord Ying Yuan.

However, Yan Dan couldn’t remember anything about her past. She also treated Yu Mo as her master and friend. Even after she regained her memories, she still regarded Yu Mo as merely a good friend in Episode 39. He didn’t confess his feelings as well as he only wanted her to remain happy and carefree. In Episode 43, Yu Mo realized Lord Ying Yuan would always be the one to affect Yan Dan’s heart whether in the Heavenly or Mortal Realm.

Hence, there is no confession on Yu Mo’s part throughout the whole drama even towards the end before the final battle with the villain. His thought was if he dies, his confession will only be a burden to Yan Dan. And if he lives, he would have plenty of opportunities to do so.

The Villain

Lu Ming was seen to have been killed by the Heavenly Emperor in Episode 49. He left behind clues for Yan Dan and Lord Ying Yuan to investigate. Celestial Deity Bei Ming was also killed during the war by someone who appeared like him. He connected with Lord Ying Yuan through a chess piece in his coffin to narrate what happened.

The Heavenly Emperor forced Liu Wei Yang to give him his Eye of Demon by threatening to kill Zi Qi in Episode 50. After obtaining it, he killed Liu Wei Yang. In Episode 51, he framed Lord Ying Yuan for slandering him to usurp the throne when the latter kept up the investigation. Zi Qi was roped in as witness. But Lord Ying Yuan found the Heavenly Emperor did not seem to be who he was. After discussion with Yu Mo and Yan Dan in Episode 52, they surmised the Heavenly Emperor was a fake and the person behind the facade was Huan Qin, the Star Lord. They got their confirmation in Episode 53 by checking Huan Qin’s body.

Huan Qin is actually from the Asura Clan who was sent by Xuan Ye to infiltrate the Heavenly Realm. But he got ambitious with his selfish desires and started using the excuse of reviving the Asura Clan after Xuan Ye’s death to gain power. He also held a grudge against the Heavenly Emperor for not promoting him but Lord Ying Yuan despite knowing that the latter has Asura bloodline.

What Happened During The War

The war 900 years ago was actually plotted by Huan Qin and Elder Shuo Hua of the Demon Realm. Huan Qin needed the celestial spirits of the deities and senior immortals to practice the Earth-Heaven Guide of the Asura Clan. This will enable him to absorb the celestial powers of others without the need to cultivate it himself and rule the realms.

Zi Qi was Huan Qin’s subordinate and lover. She was used as a ploy to deceive Xuan Xiang to make him fall in love with her and became the instigating factor for the war between the Heavenly and Demon Realms. The war was needed to provide the opportunity for Huan Qin to kill the deities. He then killed the Heavenly Emperor and swapped their body appearance to take the latter’s identity.

Huan Qin also plotted to annihilate the Nine Fins Clan who ruled the 4 seas because they were loyal to the Heavenly Emperor. Thus, he needed a new leader who would support him and colluded with the Dragon King of Eastern Sea for that purpose. The Nine Fins Clan was lured to a valley and ambushed.

Huan Qin admitted to doing all these in Episode 56 during a duel with Lord Ying Yuan, Yan Dan, and Yu Mo.

Ying Deng’s Fate

Ying Deng’s obsession towards Lord Ying Yuan caused her to be very vindictive and jealous. After being used by Ying Deng to get rid of Yan Dan, Zhi Xi turned the tables on her. Zhi Xi framed Ying Deng for trying to bewitch Lord Ying Yuan to start off an investigation into her doings in Episode 19. Thus, Ying Deng was stripped of her celestial status in Episode 20. Before being banished to the Mortal Realm, Zhi Xi fed Ying Deng a pill to make her retain her memories so that she would forever remember her humiliation in revenge.

Ying Deng met Yan Dan again and tried to harm her in Episode 27 when she was King of Andu’s consort in the Mortal Realm. Her attempts to kill Yan Dan kept failing due to Yu Mo’s and Lord Ying Yuan’s protection. Ying Deng confessed her feelings to Lord Ying Yuan in Episode 32 but he rejected her outright and warned her against harming Yan Dan. She refused to give up and ended up being turned into a stone statue in Episode 33.

Ying Deng regained her human form by sheer luck in Episode 36. She annihilated the whole Flower Spirit Clan to get their inner cores and made a deal with a death force to get powers for her revenge in Episode 37. But Ying Deng was killed by Yan Dan in Episode 38 despite her newfound powers. This is because Yan Dan has regained her memories then and the cultivation powers along with it. Ying Deng died and faded into dusts.

Other Key Events

• Zi Lin and Lin Lang got together in Episode 41 and got married in Episode 45.
• Jiang Chen perished in Episode 28 after being attacked by spirit catchers on Pei Luo’s orders.
• Pei Luo died in Episode 29 after Yu Mo took back the special power that kept him alive. He had got greedy and wanted Jiang Chen to help him achieve immortality.
• Ao Xuan’s father died of old age in Episode 30.
• Ying Deng killed Ao Xuan in Episode 32 when their cooperation turned sour.
• Liu Wei Yang is revealed to be the Demon King, Xuan Xiang, in Episode 37. He fell in love with Zi Qi who was from the Heavenly Realm.
• Cang Hong died in Episode 42. He exploded after Yu Mo and Lord Ying Yuan tied him with a Spirit Subduing Chain. Cang Hong had been ingesting pills made of spirits essence to gain immortality and he also killed Tang Jiang because the latter found out about his evil art.
• Liu Wei Yang married Zi Qi in Episode 43.
• Zhi Xi met Yan Dan again in Episode 46 when she went to the Mortal Realm on a task. They reconciled. She gave half of her heart to Yan Dan to save her in Episode 47 after Yan Dan gave hers to save Lord Ying Yuan. Zhi Xi sacrificed herself to allow Yan Dan to escape in Episode 52.
• Lord Ying Yuan regained his memories and returned to the Heavenly Realm in Episode 47 after getting Yan Dan’s heart.
• Huan Qin killed Ren Hun in Episode 56 to stop an attack on Lord Ying Yuan.
• Zi Qi sacrificed herself to save Huan Qin in Episode 56.
• Liu Wei Yang died to destroy the Eye of Demon which is the source of Huan Qin’s power in Episode 57.

Immortal Samsara Review – Classic Xianxia Romance

I see Immortal Samsara as a classic xianxia romance that is typical of its kind in terms of plot. Love, misunderstanding, rebirth, duty, and sacrifice are the usual stuff in this genre and Immortal Samsara is no different. The ubiquitous jealous and vindictive immortal who is after the hero is also there as part of the plot. You have seen it in Love And Destiny, Ten Miles Of Peach Blossoms as well as Ashes Of Love. And you will see it again in this drama.

In short, there is nothing groundbreaking where this production is concerned. Therefore, if you are looking for something new in terms of plot or a more creative storyline, this would not be able to fulfill that need. In fact, Love Between Fairy And Devil could be a better bet in that aspect with a less common badass hero who is not out to save the world but conquer it.

Having said that, being served the usual doesn’t necessarily mean that it is bad. There is always something special about classics that people don’t mind going back to again and again. I guess Immortal Samsara is in this category. You know the plot is recycled but you will still find the drama alluring.

A Saga Of Unforgettable Love

A deep, unforgettable love that lasts aeons is always great material for a story. It is touching and romantic. It gives you the right feel for a romance drama. Basically, this is what drives Immortal Samsara. To me, the drama can be divided into 3 parts. The first is the Heavenly Realm where the couple met and fell in love with each other. The second is the Mortal Realm. Their memories of the past have been erased and they got to know each other again as different people. The last stretch is when they regained their memories along with all the past heartaches and regrets.

At 59 episodes in total, this is indeed a pretty long drama to sit through. But this is also what gives it its magnetism. The protagonists’ love for each other didn’t spring out of nowhere but slowly grew its roots to lay a strong foundation to the story. So, as you follow the drama, you will be engrossed by all the happenings and yearn for the couple to have a happy ending.

No doubt there are some boring stretches here and there given the length. The Mortal Realm portion is over 20 episodes long which I think could be shortened. At times, I get the feeling that the story has started running all over the place rather than making it tightly knitted to the overarching plot. But it is still bearable as the pace is quick enough to pull the story back each time it threatens to move too far off from the main plot.

Imperfect Editing And Ending

For a big budget drama, the imperfect editing is a disappointment. There are 2 or 3 scenes whereby the scene transition is sudden and jumpy. It is obvious certain scenes have been snipped and the story flow gets affected as a result. Fortunately, such occurrences are not frequent but when it does happen, it is highly noticeable to me. Perhaps the producers needed to cut some parts out to reduce the number of episodes to keep in line with the government guidelines. But they certainly could have done a better job at it.

I’m not sure if the imperfect editing also contributed to what seemed like a rushed ending. Certain things towards the end is not that well-explained. You have an idea of what is happening but may not have a clear picture of the details. I think if this is your first time watching a xianxia drama, the last 2 episodes can get pretty confusing. How it ends may certainly seem abrupt for some. The supporting characters also don’t get any airtime to give a finality to their story either.

Acting

Cheng Yi’s acting has always been well-received by viewers. In Immortal Samsara, he again played his roles very well. He has 3 different roles in the drama and he managed to give each character its own personality and feel. By and large, Cheng Yi managed to convey all the necessary emotions to move viewers and bear in mind that his characters have a lot of heartaches and regrets in their hearts.

Similarly, Yang Zi’s character is also full of sufferings and heartbreaks. So, the yearning and pain for love lost must be effectively conveyed which I think she did rather well. The crying and sad scenes are the key to which both leads performed convincingly with tears shed at the right moments.

To me, Cheng Yi has better chemistry with Yang Zi than Crystal Yuan in Love And Redemption. Their love for each other is clearly evident in their portrayal. The story demands that from them and they pulled it off amazingly well together.

My Verdict – Nothing Groundbreaking

Immortal Samara is not a groundbreaking xianxia drama. If this is my first or second time watching a xianxia romance, I’m pretty sure I will remember it for a long time and keep rewatching the clips. However, I have been watching Chinese dramas for the past few years and the predictability has taken away some of the enjoyment of a typical xianxia plot of love, misunderstanding, and meeting again in the Mortal Realm cliche. In fact, in the drama, the Mortal Realm arc seems like a repeat of what happened in the Heavenly Realm but in a different setting.

Honestly, I was more interested in the male lead’s cursed bloodline and investigation when I started watching because I could foresee what would happen to the romance. But I was still drawn to the couple’s love story mainly due to the depth of their feelings for each other and the character growth especially for the female lead. I wanted to see how it ends for them. It is not a particularly angsty drama for me as I don’t find it refreshing. But if you can strip away the predictability, then I’m quite sure this would be an engaging love journey with a roller-coaster of emotions for you.

For this Immortal Samsara review, I would give it a score of 8/10. If you don’t mind a rehashed plot of a typical xianxia romance, then it might be worth it to get onboard especially if you are a fan of the leads. After all, their acting is on point here. You will be moved by the love and heartbreak which is where the drama becomes an emotional saga for the viewers. But if you are looking for something new, 59 episodes might be too long to sit through without getting burnt out.