The Last Immortal

Review and Analysis of The Last Immortal and Its Impact in the Xianxia Genre

I've been thinking about how to approach the review of this drama. I don't want to describe the plot here, so I'll focus only on certain facts.

Th Last Immortal is a drama that was the first xianxia drama I really enjoyed. It can be said that it opened the door to this genre for me. Why is that? Because Last Immortal was very refreshing for me; the drama flowed nicely, and I enjoyed every second of it. There's no need to talk about the acting performances – Zhao Lusi is already a good actress, and Wang An Yu, along with the others, complemented her very well.

Regarding the storyline, as I have already written, everything was understandable to me, though towards the end, I would have liked more twists.

I really appreciated and enjoyed the costumes and hairstyles, which reflected the different phases of the characters well, from the playful and childish A Yin to the brattish, spoiled Gu Jin. As the characters developed, the hairstyles and costumes were, of course, appropriately adjusted.

Below, I focused on four parts and selected three main key points from each. This doesn't mean that I couldn't find more points in some areas, but I wanted to highlight only the key ones.

The main strength of both dramas is exceptional acting performance. In particular, Zhao Lusi and Wang An Yu are outstanding in their roles and significantly contribute to the success of these series. The stories of both dramas are captivating and unfold in richly created worlds, with deep and interesting characters. The visual aspect, including costumes and hairstyles, adds to the authenticity and immerses viewers in the story. Additionally, The Last Immortal builds on the previous work "Ancient Love Poetry," which expands the fan base and opens new horizons in the xianxia genre.

Despite their strengths, these dramas also have some weaknesses. TLI is strongly linked to ALP, which might be an obstacle for some ALP fans, as it might not have met their expectations for the drama's development. In some parts of TLI, there may be a lack of complexity and depth in the story, which some viewers might consider a shortcoming. Differences between the book and the TV adaptation can also deter some fans.

The drama offers a number of opportunities for further development. There is great potential to attract new viewers, especially those who are not yet familiar with the xianxia genre. The interest in the characters and the story offers an opportunity for modern adaptations, which could appeal to a wider audience and bring new dimensions to the genre.

TLI faces competition within the xianxia genre, which is full of similar themes. High expectations from fans and comparisons with classic works of the genre can be a challenge. The ending of "The Last Immortal" evoked mixed reactions among viewers, which can affect the overall impression and recommendations. For some viewers, the end of the drama might be a challenge or an opportunity for another sequel.

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Worth a watch

LIKE

Relationship between Lan Feng and Hua Shu - I even cried for them seriously..

What everyone did for Da Zhe Shan - that scene I also cried like mad...

DISLIKE

Something must be wrong with me but I totally could not feel the pain between A Yin & (Gu Jin/Yuan Qi) - I did not shed a drop of tears even re-playing those hurtful scenes

MUSIC - personal fav

贪盼 Tan Pan - 汪苏泷 Wang Shu Long
未央 Wei Yang - 黄龄 Huang Ling
爱如此 Ai Ru Ci - 黄霄雲 Huang Xiao Yun
刹那心事 Cha Na Xin Shi - 王嘉诚 Wang Jia Cheng

REWATCH VALUE

I'll re-watch someday when I want to chill

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Not my favourite but pretty good

I enjoyed the series but I would say definitely not my favourite. I had stopped at ep 14 and continued watching only after the new episodes till ep 40 were released.

I like the story but I honestly didn’t exactly feel too invested in it. ZLS and WAY’s chemistry was really cute. My heart broke for them a couple of times.

In my own biasness I will admit the whole “hurting you to protect you without communicating it” really bothers me as much as I understand it was out of love.

I generally watch anything ZLS acts in because I adore how good an actress she actually is. But this wasn’t my favourite work of hers. She looks absolutely stunning in the different outfits. And I love how cute Water Beast Ah Yin is. 🥰 Yes alot of people complain about her cutesy voice but seeiously it didn’t bother me bc she is supposed to be cute. I rather listen to her than someone else dubbing her voice.

Watch it if you have time. But personally it wasn’t one that I will want to rewatch right after finishing.

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One of the best of its genre and sure to be an instant favourite for many.

As someone who watched and loved Ancient Love Poetry shortly after its release in 2021, as soon as I heard that a sequel was in the works, I was already excited. A little nervous, perhaps, since ALP delivered so much that I wondered if the next in the series would be able to follow or build upon the existing material in a satisfying way. Yet I needn't have feared.

If anything, The Last Immortal not only builds upon what Ancient Love Poetry established, it gives such an extension of growth to its universe that, truly, I ended up loving the sequel even more. Which is high praise indeed, considering ALP is very much one of my favourite c-dramas' from the last few years.

The Last Immortal follows the story of Shang Gu and Bai Jue's only child, Gu Jin (Yuan Qi) during his time throughout the Heavenly Realm. His True God powers have been sealed, and after an accidental event that causes the Phoneix Immortal's essence to shatter and scatter across the three realms, Gu Jin and the little water divine beast he hatches, A'Yin, work together to gather the pieces of her immortal essence.

I never once found myself bored watching this show. The pacing felt natural and engaging, with enough development with the different plots that were going on to keep me wanting to watch the next episode and find out more. There are so many interesting and fun characters too, a few of my favourites being the fox demon Hong Yi, the ghost realm's brother's Xiuyan and Aoge, and the Eagle Princess Yan Shuang. Truthfully however, there is no one in this show that I felt was annoying - even the Phoneix clan's father and daughter duo were compelling to watch.

One strength this show has is that everything feels as if it has a purpose. There are side plots that are introduced early on that seem as if they have nothing to do with the larger story, yet it isn't until later on that you realise they are incredibly important to the plot and have been included for a reason. A perfect example of this is the Ghost realm. One of my favourite realms in the show and perhaps the most interesting, it felt so satisfying to see certain characters within it return later on down the line and to know that they were always supposed to be a part of the story. That they weren't just added in to aid the main characters in their own goals, but they had their own story and purpose for being there.

I will warn any future viewers that are coming from Ancient Love Poetry however that The Last Immortal can be a bit confusing, and this is simply down to the way that the drama chooses to change the names of mentioned characters that appear in ALP. Shang Gu and Bai Jue are installed called Yi He and Di Juan. Xuan Yi is called Ming Qi. Thankfully, there is a thread on this site that explains the names of the characters that are featured in both shows, so do take a look if you find yourself confused or just wanting to know whose who (https://kisskh.at/discussions/shen-yin/121769-shen-yin-the-last-immortal-novel-content-and-its-connection-with-ancient-love-poetry).

All in all, if you are a fan of xianxia, The Last Immortal is definitely something you should check out. A fantastic story that is well acted with a talented cast of actors, and with features some beautiful visuals and a great soundtrack. Do give this show a chance - you may just find yourself leaving a new favourite!

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Like it but have a problem

From what I can understand ALP and last immortal were made by different people, I mean the directing crew. So I guess they had to change some names due to copyright or something. But I would like to see last immortal made by the same creators of ALP since it would be less confusing and more logical. Especially if you have seen ALP already you can understand. Like I want to see original feng ran in place of feng yuan. Chang win in place of hong rup. I would like to see that bai jue and shanggu will be mentioned by their names.. heck even get to see them even if it's a cameo appearance. Just Saying.

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A beautiful love song in narrative

I loved this drama for two things
--main leads were my fave from the beginning
-- the story and the complicated narrative of it.
I say complicated because in the beginning eps, it took me some time to gather everything, understand the facts, and why things were happening the way they were happening.
-- however, even if you don't watch the prequel you will be able to understand and that's what I liked about it the most.

The other facts that made me watch this drama till the end
-- the SMLs were too cuties and they were both brilliant in their characters. Their story was a good and slow burn, I wish they had more lovey-dovey scenes lol. anyway, but it was nice and more than that they were great friends. Like the support they gave each other is to envy.
-- the supporting characters, a few of them mainly positive ones. They were too good, even the Underworld king was a cutie pie.

Now we come to the negatives
-- the last bit [spoiler] somewhat hopeful or semi-happy ending is what I don't like about these xianxia dramas. One of the MLs either dies or when they return we don't even get a hug!
-- lack of communication between MLs which once again teaches us that COMMUNICATE with your beloved. The whole fiasco would have been solved in 24 eps had the miscommunication didn't happen.

I don't believe the male lead because he did what he had to, I am not sure why people hating on him. My man had to give a verdict based on evidence. People are forgetting that he had become a God, and when has God ever been in anybody's favor? But yet again that communication gap gave birth to soooo many misunderstandings that we didn't even get a proper ending. I demand a special ep like the Story of Kunning Palace!

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Here hoping that it won't traumatize me as much as Ancient Love Poetry did.

I have been wanting to watch this drama for a while because I'm always curious about the next one in the series, be it books or dramas. Ancient Love Poetry started out nice but it was traumatizing by the end, so I didn't immediately watch this one. I know that this one is another trauma in the making since the ML didn't exactly have stellar parents.

Ep 1: Wasn't expecting to like the ML since I have only seen one scene where he destroys the FL (on YouTube), so was surprised to see him be a likable character. The graphics are not that good, I have seen better in Starry Love & Immortal Samsara. The Phoenix Queen Feng Yin seemed so damn fragile that her immortal essence was destroyed due to a little trespassing. Hua Shu's character behaved as I expected her to, so no surprises there.

Ep 2: Ah Yin is so adorable in all her forms. The little water beast reminds me of the little white snake from the "The destiny of White Snake" I wonder what happened to the second water beast that went unnoticed. The entire episode was Ah Yin doing her best to kill Gu Jin in all her adorable ways. In her defense, he was planning on eating her just like a certain grape fairy was planning to eat a phoenix thinking it was a crow that could get her powers.

Ep 3 to Ep 5: Gu Jin is so damn naive. Him handing over such a powerful artifact to the peacock is an example of how he shouldn't have been given the responsibility. Ah Yin who's barely a few years old can identify crafty people, but Gu Jin is just not bright. I would have liked the peacock if she was a worthy villain, but she was nice to Ah Yin only until she found out that there was a Master-Servant pact between Gu Jin & Ah Yin. Once she discovered that, she thought of Ah Yin as nothing more than a servant and decided to treat her lower than dirt. Yeah, so not a move a powerful woman makes.

Ep 6 to Ep 10: Gu Jin is really a dummy. He just gets swayed so easily. His elder brothers told him that he should go propose to the peacock and he goes there with that intention as well. If only he hadn't overheard or seen her with the other guy, he would still have went through with it, only to realize much later that he is being used. Anyways, now that he knows that he was used he said goodbye to the peacock and has started wondering why he keeps thinking about Ah Yin so randomly. I like Ah Jiu, he is a bit smarter than the ML and more perceptive of FL's feelings to which the ML is really blind. While I ship him with Ah Yin, I also think he and Yan Shuang make a great couple.

Ep 11 to Ep 15: The aunt Hong Chou with her sense of superiority is getting on my nerves. I'm watching this on YouTube and someone in the comments said that all the people interfering are the reason the calamity exists, left on their own Gu Jin & Ah Yin would have done well together. The one trope that I absolutely hate is the amnesia trope, the only time amnesia worked in favor of the leads was Forget You Remember Love (2020), and even with that the guy was an ass once he got his memory back. I get that it wasn't a complete memory wipe but it just wiped away Gu Jin's emotional ties to Ah Yin, which is plain to see as he acts much more detached from the way he was with Ah Yin before he realized how he felt about her. It is sad to watch as Ah Yin has been the one who has struggled the most with their feelings in the relationship. She was the one who fell first & had to keep it under the wraps because he was into someone else. Once he realized his feelings for her, they didn't even get to spend much time together before his affections was cut off by outside forces, again leaving Ah Yin into one-sided love. And the worst is yet to come.

Ep 16 to Ep 20: Hong Chou needs to stop making decisions for Gu Jin. She has always treated Ah Yin lower than dirt so there isn't much to like about her character. I loved how the peacock was scared of the underworld king & tried to frame Ah Yin. What a calculative woman. Lan Feng has weird taste in women, he knows what the peacock is and still loves her. At least the peacock has some feelings for Lan Feng, thanks god for that otherwise the poor guy would have been stuck in the one-sided mess. Gu Jin has really lost his marbles deciding to cut of Ah Yin in such a brutal way, no points to you. He could have lessened the blow but then who cares about Ah Yin's feelings, let's make one-sided decision for her. Well Ah Yin's life is about to end, so I wonder what could be the cause. Gu Jin possibly blaming her for being a calamity. (Makes me want to punch him)

Ep 21 to Ep 25: Gu Jin is fool. He isn't half as good, a just, or talented as Lan Feng was. Even though Lan Feng loved the peacock he still made sane decisions. Gu Jin just let things get to him and destroyed Ah Yin in the process. He overlooked her since he regretted his choice to refine the pill for her, otherwise he would have been able to save Daze mountain. He forgot that Ah yin was also going through the same. Although he brought about the death of his own woman, at least he is a little bit better than his father Bai Jue.

Ep 26 to Ep 40: By the end of the drama, I finally understood why Gu Jin did things the way he did, but I do not agree with them. He made decisions to change the course of their relationship, claiming that he did it for not just the sect but also for her. It doesn't change the fact that it led to a lot of miscommunication causing Ah Yin to be treated poorly. But again, he was much better at the relationship then his father ever was. I actually Gu Jin once I discovered the complexities of his plan. The Da Ze Mountain sect was filled with lovely people who accepted everyone and didn't judge. They also looked after Gu Jin so much and took care of him without harming him or inflicting any kind of abuse or neglect (same cannot be said for his parents). So making a choice between Ah Yin and them was not possible. What's more Ah Yin was also part of the sect. Regardless of the peacock's sacrifice in the end, it was just not possible to like her. She did one right thing that could have may be been avoided had she had some moral compass to begin with.

There were two reasons I avoided watching this drama, one was my dislike my Bai Jue and the way he treated Hou Chi. The second was, I read a comment implying that it had an open ending. Nope, the ending was good. Of course, I wouldn't have minded more happy scenes after he came back to life but who cares, they are both alive.

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lots of waiting for lasting love

I <3 Zhao Lusi.
I now <3 Wang Anyu too.

I think their chemistry was amazing. Their characters always had feelings for each other whether the admit it or not. It was definitely angsty, but I think it was just about the right amount.

The Eagle Princess. I love her. I watched her in Twin Flower, and I didn’t like her character there obviously. This one, she was amazing.

I am also one of those people that want a drama with Zhao Lusi and the Fox as the leads 😭. Let the man win her over for once.




*** major major show spoilers ***

Okay, so I think I’m finally getting how Wuxia works. One of the leads MUST die at the end and the other has to wait til they reincarnate. It’s a MUST not a MIGHT. There is no way I waited A THOUSAND YEARS just for them to look at eat other. AND I DIDNT EVEN SEE YUAN QI CLEARLY. They did not. This is the biggest blue balls case in history.

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Watch this apart for Wang An Yu & Zhao Lu Si, also because this is the continue of Ancient Love Poetry (ALP). But much like story of Ten Miles of Peach Blossom & Eternal Love of Dream, this also in some point dissapointed & ruin the whole series for me.

Thanx to H19279 in discussions below, we get a big picture about who is who between ALP & this drama (TLI). https://kisskh.at/discussions/shen-yin/121769-shen-yin-the-last-immortal-novel-content-and-its-connection-with-ancient-love-poetry

Ok let's discuss drama.
What i like:
+ Zhao Lu Si. Like to see her play 2 quite different characters. The cheerful A Yin to the mature & calm Feng Yi
+ Yan Shuang & Hong Yi. Really like these 2 characters bickering around each other.

For me the weakest point of this drama probably Wang An Yu. I forgot heard or read from where/who. But they said, Wang An Yu not really ready to take this kind of role. And after watch this must be agree with them. I don’t know what point or to what extent, but there's certain point that very not suitable with him. But i just can't put the label to it. It just not fit character for him in the end. Don't take me wrong, I still like him, but i just more like to see him playing young, proud or playboy character.

Overall this just another Xian Xia drama....

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Recommend if you're a sucker for Xinxia and Wuxia

I watched this before watching ALP, and I must say I liked this one better. First of all, the series is pretty good as an example of the genre as a whole, but if you asked me if this is a genre-defining watch or an extraordinary piece of work, then I would without hesitation say NO.
The story is interesting enough to catch your attention; the fight scenes are acceptable, but of course, the CGI, or whatever that is, is the worst aspect of this show. I especially liked the part where the FL puts the ML's attendant(?) in her place; that part was gratifying. The music (soundtrack) was fitting and used when it was required, and I especically liked it.
Zhao Lusi's acting was pretty good (dialogue delivery, facial expressions, body language, etc.), but not particularly moving. I don't know the names of any of the other actors in the show, but their performance was not anything that would be worthy of praise.
Other than the CGI, the one thing that I hated about this show was the secondary couple getting together at the end. It made no sense and seemed like just a way to tie up all the loose ends. Sacrifice has to mean something; there must be some level of visible love for the SML's actions to make sense, although, sure, he could have done that for her just because she was just such a good friend and followed him everywhere, pining for him for GOD knows how long.
For me, a rating of 8 means something I would recommend, and I would definitely recommend anyone who wants to enjoy 40 episodes of creativity and masterfully crafted fun.

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