The Immortal Ascension

Disappointment

WARNING!!! - This review is scathing on a few levels - production, storyline, pace, and acting....
Im a huge Yang Yang fan but Immortal Ascension was not one of his best efforts here's why, the focus was on Yang Yang and not the blending of all actors into the plots and subplots, YY's character was overused and glaringly obvious from the start. Other characters never got a chance to develop and kept the plots and subplots at a generic level - cos the camera was always on YY???- visually i liked it like all XanXia series - but this series lacked good storyline to back it up since the beginning shows why YY goes on an ascension training journey - even tho some good fighting scenes in the series, by ep 24 I was done with just seeing YY always on the cameras view....The pace also was soooooo slow and generic too...compared to Shadow Love with Ryan Cheng and Song Yi and The Wanted Detective , The Legend of Female General all kept you engrossed in the series because there was a grip hanging after each episode....(the signs of a good director and production team). So, in ending, IMMORTAL ASCENSION the series needs its own ascension journey to come up to the standards of the aforementioned hits....Shadow Love, The Wanted Deetective and The Legend of A Female General, and many many others to name here....

Read More

Came to watch Yang Yang - stayed for the cool magic battles

I've watched a lot of Yang Yang dramas this year: You are My Glory, Love O2O, Fireworks of My Heart, Who Rules the World - all which aired prior to 2024. So, I was pretty excited when Immortal Ascension (filmed over 2 years ago) finally got a release date.

Things to love about this show include the detailed magical system that defines the life of all cultivators. This is especially exciting during the battle sequences where different techniques and artifacts are used. Another high point is Yang Yang's performance - one of his best - as Han Li convincingly matures from a powerless human boy to a powerful cultivator. (I still laugh at the constant description of Han Li as being plain and unassuming. It is Yang Yang after all! But he imbues the essence of Han Li well.) Yang Yang's background in dance is also on full display through the intense fight choreography.

What could have been better is the weaving story that randomly brings the myriads of characters in and out of the picture. This includes the beautiful cultivator, Nangong Wan (Gina Jin), whose reluctant fascination with Han Li becomes a frustrating plot point. Even though Han Li achieves his main goal, the ending feels somewhat anticlimactic - however it does set up Season 2. (Yang Yang may be signed for 3 seasons, but who knows when the next one will actually be filmed.)

A big bright spot of The Immortal Ascension is the incredible soundtrack featuring the powerful opening song, Mortal Heart by Reno Wang, and the emotional Mayfly's Will sung by Shi Yan.

Read More

Great potential but dwindled halfway through...

The series started off as a solid 8.5, particularly around our main lead. His beginnings were intriguing and unique compared to many other cultivation series I've seen. I really appreciate the time they took to build this foundation.

The ML's cultivation journey kept me locked on the screen until about halfway through the episodes. I've never read the novel but the plot started to feel discombobulated as well as his interactions with those around him. His thought process of consistently living for only himself is actually what makes his character quite brilliant. Someone who only wants to continue to surpass himself no matter what methods he needs to take to get there - but without crossing that fine line. However, the execution of this for the latter half of the episodes were poorly done and it wasn't able to maintain that same draw for me. A huge part of this was his reactions to the tons of people who were sacrificed for his growth. While it might make sense for his to have just a fleeting moment of sorrow or perhaps not much at all, it also felt much too repetitive and the timing of the momentary wistful to the excitement of finding yet another artifact was too abrupt. I also appreciate how he manages to overcome not being born as a genius for cultivation by utilizing creative methods but it also doesn't make sense why he's the only one who is capable of them when the same tools and resources are there for others to also take advantage of. He can't be the only one who is ambitious in the entire sect. It didn't help as well when he also became almost everyone's saviors, undermining everyone's abilities and experiences.

Outside of the ML, there are some great supporting characters who brought a lot of fun to the series. But (with exception of the mortal female), all of the other females falling for him were annoyingly distracting to the plot and there were too many unnecessary scenes around this.

Overall, I get the gist of what it's trying to portray and appreciate the thought behind it but they tried to squeeze way too many moving parts into the series. This caused the flow to just fly off and the chemistry to get chopped off. The action scenes were okay - a little corny as usual but not terrible. I finished the remaining half by lots of fast-forwarding only for a meh ending with tons of plot holes. It's always hard to rate shows that start off great with a story of great intentions only for it to dwindle off.

Read More

A journey to immortality

I started to watch this drama due yanyan previous work such as who rules the world, hoping the drama would have the same vibe.

Watching few episodes and waiting for new episodes to come out. I try to watch the previous on YouTube, and finding out there is a 3d animation called " A mortal journey ". As right there are 156 episodes. One big mistake I did, it was watching the 3d animation before finish the drama.

It seems most of the budget was invented for the firts half of the drama and later on the quality went down.

Overall is good wuxia drama. I really recommend the 3d animation " A mortal journey " which is free on YouTube and for those want to know the rest of the story.

Read More

Not An Easy Plot To Follow

I truly have enjoyed this drama. I am having a hard time following what is going on. The plot jumps all over the place with no clear leads into the next scene. I will rewatch and maybe grasp the story. The war is the hardest to keep up with. The individual cleansing of evil when the disciples come together to kill evil, is easy to follow. There are just so many holes in this drama that I can't even fill them in with my imagination. The drama definitely doesn't get too detailed, but if I'm left scratching my head, then there is not enough details. I just love watching YangYang to be honest. I love that he is not stoned faced throughout, but actually smiles and endears my heart to the characters he cares about. The one love scene was shocking and unexpected. Then ...nothing more between the two since then. I don't get it, but like I said, there is so much I don't get the reason for. I hope everyone else understands the plot better than me.

Read More

Shows to watch for motivation.

I know it’s a story, but these shows awaken the zeal that’s been lying dormant within. That fire—once dulled by repeated failures—suddenly reignites. They remind us that hard work pays off, and that we should never leave success to fate or luck alone.
We need more shows like this, ones that spark positive energy in people’s minds. These days, too many feel weighed down by disappointment, blaming others or society for not recognizing their efforts. But recognition isn’t everything. Whether others see it or not, we must keep working, striving, and believing.

Read More

Must watch!

I've been too lazy to watch long series in the last few years, but had to watch this. The oh-so-gorgeous and talented Yang Yang in a cultivation story? Sign me up!

Watching the drama is like watching a cultivation novel come to life. I actually really enjoy watching Han Li gp through the steps as he cultivates. Now, when reading cultivation novels, I can truly imagine the scene in my mind.

Yang Yang's depiction of Han Li is very nuanced. He definitely portrays the struggles of the lead character well. Just a slight look at the eyes and expression conveys his struggles and doubts.

The story itself is captivating. I normally skip through parts when watching a drama but was so entranced so far that I have not skipped through any of the 8 episodes so far.

The cinematography is gorgeous. It really gives the feel of an other worldly place where cultivation is a way of life.

Read More

This was a project I had been waiting for from Yang Yang. I kind of missed seeing him over the last few years and was wondering why he hadn’t come out with anything new. I read somewhere that he felt like no one missed him, so he wasn’t active. Honestly, thanks to Yang Yang, I was reintroduced to C-dramas—and I’ve been in love ever since.

I was super excited when I saw the trailer for Immortal Ascension and found out it was airing this year. I thought I’d have time to watch the series, but sadly, that hasn't been the case. I'm going to share what I love about it first, and then explain why I’m putting it on hold for now.

First off, I love that he’s trying a new kind of role. I’m so used to seeing him as the powerful character who always wins. In this series, it’s the exact opposite—he uses all the tricks he knows just to survive. He suffers a lot and overcomes many challenges to get to where he is, and it’s refreshing to see that kind of growth.

I had to look up who directed this series because from episode one, I couldn’t help but think of Ever Night. Turns out the familiar scenery and storyline weren’t a coincidence—this was directed by the same person. No wonder the landscape and overall feel seemed so familiar.

So far, the series is moving at a slower pace than I expected. I know the story is far from over, but I was anticipating a different direction and pacing. Because of that, I’ve decided to put it on hold. This has nothing to do with Yang Yang’s amazing performance—I just wish I had read the synopsis beforehand. This is a cultivation-based xianxia drama, and I usually find those hard to binge-watch because of all the intricate details.

I’m putting this on hold, but I hope to come back to it one day.

Rating: 7/10

Read More

A horrible fantasy drama and Yang Yang can't act. No sequel Please.

The Immortal Ascension is a fantasy costume drama based on an Anime starring Yang Yang and Gina Jin. I like these two actors; however, this drama was a waste of my time, and I concluded that Yang Yang can't really act. He has the same facial expression for seriousness, emotion, or humor.

I invested my time watching up to 22 episodes and was hoping the romance between his character and Gina Jin's character would take place, but it didn't. I became so frustrated while watching it, and each episode contains numerous instances of his inner thoughts, which made it confusing and annoying.

I also found that this year, numerous historical costume dramas were released back-to-back from all major streaming platforms (iQiyi, Tencent, Youku, and Mango) in the CDrama land, and most of them were not good. I am so disappointed. I wish there were more modern dramas with good scripts, rather than these idol fantasy dramas, which often lack originality.

This drama has ruined my taste in historical/fantasy costume dramas. Please do not have a sequel for it. The only redeeming aspect of this drama is the CGI.

Synopsis: Han Li is a poor, ordinary fourth son, hailing from an unremarkable village. As a child, his uncle introduced him to Qixuanmen, the local cultivation sect. The sect's leader accepted him as a member after learning that he possessed spiritual power, albeit weak and untrained. As Han Li develops his spiritual cultivation abilities on his quest to ascend to immortality, he meets Nangong Wan, a fellow cultivator. Han Li becomes captivated by Nangong Wan's gentle elegance and strength, and the two begin to develop a partnership that strengthens them both. However, they face a dark foe in the form of Wang Chan, a practitioner of forbidden techniques that threaten the kingdom. Can Han Li help save his people and reach enlightenment, despite his humble beginnings?

My Reviews:
1. Acting: 5
2. Script: 4
3. Music/OST: 5
4. Production Quality: 7
5. Cinematography: 7
6. Rewatchable: 3
7. On-Screen Chemistry: 5

Overall Rating: 5

Read More