The Eternal Fragrance

Pretty to Look At, Painful to Watch

I usually try to find something positive in every drama I watch, and I almost never drop a series because I always hope it'll get better. Unfortunately, The Eternal Fragrance never did.

I kept telling myself, "Maybe the next episode will finally pull everything together." It never happened.

The story is surprisingly weak. It's slow, repetitive, and emotionally empty. Instead of getting invested in the characters, I found myself checking how much time was left in each episode. There were moments that were clearly meant to be emotional, but they had no impact because I never felt connected to what was happening.

My biggest problem, though, was Ju Jing Yi.

I know she has a lot of fans, but for me she's one of those actresses who plays every role exactly the same way. The same facial expressions. The same voice. The same mannerisms. No matter what character she's supposed to be playing, I never see the character—I only see Ju Jing Yi.

"Ju Jing Yi's performance was one of the biggest problems for me. She came across as too childlike for a role that required maturity and emotional depth. Her acting felt repetitive, bland, and flat, and I never truly believed the character she was trying to portray."

For me, she simply doesn't suit this type of adult role. She has a very youthful appearance and her acting style often comes across as overly cute and childlike, which completely clashes with the emotional weight this character was supposed to carry. Every dramatic scene felt flat because I just couldn't connect with her performance.

Another big problem for me was the lack of chemistry between Ju Jingyi and Song Weilong. Their relationship never felt natural or convincing, and I never really believed their connection. The emotional moments that were supposed to feel powerful ended up feeling flat because the spark between them just wasn't there.

It's a shame because Song Weilong has shown before that he can create great chemistry with the right co-star, but here the pairing simply didn't work for me.

This role needed a woman who could make me believe she had lived through love, pain, sacrifice, and heartbreak. Instead, I kept feeling like I was watching someone trying to act mature without ever quite convincing me. Her performance felt too childish for the role, and because of that I couldn't take many of the serious scenes seriously. Every time she cried or was supposed to deliver an emotional moment, I just felt... nothing.

Then there's Song Weilong.

Honestly, this is the part that frustrated me the most. Because I know he can do better. I've watched his other works, and I know he has the ability to carry a character when he's given the right material. His recent drama "Love for You" is a good reminder of that. Watching him there, you can clearly see the difference when an actor is working with a stronger script and a role that actually allows him to show his emotions.

That's why I keep asking myself: why does he continue choosing projects like this? "The Eternal Fragrance" isn't the first time I've felt this way. I had the exact same feeling while watching "Youthful Glory," where the problems ( bland and childlike) with the female lead, Bao Shang En, also made it difficult for the drama to reach its full potential.

It's honestly frustrating as a viewer to watch an actor with potential being placed in dramas that don't help him grow or showcase what he can really do. These roles don't make him look bad because of his acting—they make him look weaker because the overall projects don't give him enough to work with.

Someone watching only this drama might easily think Song Weilong is just an average actor, but that's not the impression I have after seeing his better performances. I just hope he becomes more careful with his future choices because he has the talent, and I would really like to see him in productions that actually allow him to shine instead of making viewers wonder why he accepted the role in the first place.

The music was just... there. I finished the drama and honestly can't remember a single piece of it. It never added anything memorable to the experience.

Would I watch this again?
Not a chance.

The beautiful costumes and cinematography aren't enough to save a drama when the story is dull, the emotional moments don't land, and the lead performance never convinces. I finished it only because I hate leaving dramas unfinished. If I had been watching it alone instead of trying to give it every possible chance, I probably would have dropped it halfway through.

I know many people enjoyed this drama, and that's perfectly fine. It just wasn't for me. I walked away feeling that it had all the ingredients for something memorable, but none of the heart to make it worth remembering.

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Great Potential in the Beginning, Falls Flat near the End

I'm writing this review because a lot of the perceptions of the characters and story are bothering me. The Eternal Fragrance had great potential and worldbuilding, but falls flat sometimes and had a just okay last episode. I will start with the good and bad and then do a (short) rant.

THE GOOD AND GREAT:
- Strong worldbuilding: There were only a few things that I was confused about but otherwise it was not hard to follow
- The ML and FL: I thoroughly enjoyed these characters and their relationship. They each have their own motivations that they stick to but are plagued by their love for one another when it comes into conflict with what they want. I am always ready for a doomed lovers trope
- The styling: I love love love all the outfits and hair for the main six. Most especially the demon lord and the divine tree. Makeup could be better for the men. Styling for the old dudes was mostly pretty good too, couldn't stop staring at their eyebrows lol.
- (Most) side characters: I love a found family, the six friends were great when they were given screen time. I wish we saw more of them because according to the timeline they spent at least a year together. The side characters for demon clan weren't thoroughly explored but I did like how their arcs ended
- (Some) villains: I appreciate the commitment to making certain characters just full on assholes even if they have misplaced motivations caused by centuries of hatred. Some of the endings are very satisfying, some fall a little flat. I think Cuixuan was quite good, actually frustrating because we know his strength. It made me root for the ML and FL more.
- Brave choices (?): Basically this drama isn't afraid of doing unexpected things and killing characters. They aren't characters you get super attached to but it's still pretty shocking. It makes he story and relationships more intense.
- Song Weilong and Ju Jingyi!!! Started this drama for SWL, I love his expressions and he looks great as a demon lord. This was my first JJY work and it's a great first impression! She played Jiang Lifei really well.

THE SUBPAR:
- CGI: The low budget for CGI is immediately noticeable unfortunately. Thankfully the smaller battles look okay, but the flashback to the Sea Calamity and battle with the demon lord from 500 years back looks pretty awful and they show it a lot, so that's a bit distracting. I really think some creative lighting could have helped a lot.
- Editing: Choppy quite often though it doesn't take away too much from the story. The abrupt cuts sometimes are very annoying and can make some parts of the story difficult to piece together.
- Tongzhou: I hate a love triangle but I could tolerate his character in the beginning when everyone was in the academy. Unfortunately he devolved from there and got pretty annoying. His treatment of Lanya was very satisfying for me but what he was doing to Lifei in the end was unacceptable and he did not receive a satisfying punishment for it. His character arc wrap-up was incredibly disappointing to me because they almost had it right, but refused to punish him for all the awful shit he did for what felt like "old time's sake". It was more disappointing because the drama usually isn't afraid of hurting characters that were/are good people.
- Lack of love scenes: I felt the tension, it was great. I wish we got more lovey-dovey scenes. I know, I know, a story doesn't have to have love scenes to be good. But we spent so much time with them and their developing relationship, I think it would have been a satisfying wrap-up.
- The last episode: As someone that was enjoying the show pretty thoroughly, the last episode felt quite flat because of some character arcs (Miaoqing, Tongzhou) and lack of time with the ML and FL, instead spending time with side characters.
- Demon lord's eyeliner: Super specific but it was genuinely distracting, sad because he looks amazing otherwise

Lastly, I have to rant as someone that was seeing the comments while this was airing:
Jiang Lifei and Lei Xuiyuan were a lot of fun to watch when you ignore the dozens of people that believe Lifei should just ignore the people around her and just go along with Xiuyuan. I really don't understand people, he betrayed her trust in the beginning (which she forgives him for, mind you), and in the final arc it LOOKS like he has caused the deaths of multiple people close to her indirectly and directly (we as the audience know it wasn't him, but she doesn't!). It is so ridiculous to think she should just ignore all of this, things that make it look like they really are fated to cause doom, and follow along with everything he says. Her taking time to make her own plans and find out the truth is what makes her a good FL. In fact the relationship and trials between the ML and FL are what feel the strongest to me in this drama.

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To Jiang Lifei—The Sanest Xianxia FL and the One Most Let Down by the Adaptation

Here are my thoughts on this drama so far.
As a massive heroine-stan, this show has been an absolute blast to watch! Even though it’s not labeled as a typical "female-centric" drama, the female lead’s actions, words, and choices give off major boss-lady energy. It completely breaks away from those tired old Xianxia tropes. She is incredibly realistic, completely immune to guilt-trips and gaslighting, and has rock-solid morals. She knows how to show gratitude but also stands firmly for justice. Honestly, it’s been ages since we’ve had a Xianxia female lead with this level of clarity and sanity. I don't mean to shade other Xianxia heroines, but Jiang Lifei is just built different. She doesn't just instantly forgive the male lead just because he "had his reasons" or played the pity card. A betrayal is a betrayal, a lie is a lie, and trust isn't something you just hand back easily. This is literally how a normal person would react! Like, sure, she gets that he wants to save his older brother, but since when does that give him the right to sacrifice an innocent person’s (Riyan's) life in a "one life for another" trade? Especially when Riyan actually saved their lives before. That's just fundamentally wrong.
Another thing I absolutely love about her is that she actually has a mouth and uses it! Seriously, in most dramas, the leads refuse to communicate, causing endless misunderstandings that make the audience lose their minds. But whenever Lifei has an issue, she confronts people directly to get things straight. She’s straightforward, doesn’t play mind games, and claps back on the spot. No internal conflict, no self-blame—if something is unfair, she will call it out right then and there. Her character writing is just top-tier. Every line out of her mouth is an absolute mic-drop quote:

"I know you want to save your family, your brother. And while I do sympathize with you, I am not going to help you. Everyone is busy; handle your own business yourself."

"Compensate me? If I had actually been killed by you, what were you going to do—cry at my grave?"

I am so obsessed with Jiang Lifei!!! Ju Jingyi completely brought this character to life. Honestly, she has so many more green flags, but I’ll talk about them as I keep watching. Haha! 😁

So, again.
I have finally finished the entire drama! Honestly, while I am actually a little bit satisfied with how the ending wrapped up, looking back at the whole show, my biggest disappointment and regret remains the way the female lead’s strength and high-light moments were completely nerfed by the adaptation.
Looking back, Lifei’s character design is a total game-changer, setting a whole new god-tier standard for Xianxia female leads:

1. Putting Herself First with Zero Self-Blame: She never blindly simps or chooses romance over friends. In her world, she is always her own top priority—loving herself always comes before loving others.

2. The Ultimate Reality Check: She is completely immune to emotional manipulation, guilt-trips, and moral kidnapping. When presented with tragic fate and the twisted logic of trading an innocent life for another, she shuts it down instantly with epic counter-gaslighting.

3. Rock-Solid Morals & No Free Passes: A betrayal is a betrayal—she doesn't just hand out easy forgiveness. The moment she notices someone using her, she cuts ties without looking back. Even when she’s mad at the male lead, she remains fair and righteous, clearing his name when needed. She is also deeply grateful, always confronting things face-to-face to repay any kindness she receives.

4. A Mouth She Actually Uses & Consistent High IQ: Whenever there's an issue, she confronts people directly to get things straight—no mind games, no dragging out misunderstandings. Most importantly, her IQ remains consistently high throughout the entire show, completely unlike other heroines who suffer massive intelligence drops in the later stages just to move the plot.

But honestly, as both a fan of the novel and the actress, I am so done with the screenwriters and directors! Is it really that hard to give the female lead her own ultimate, badass high-light moment?
In the drama, Lifei is either getting injured or on her way to getting injured; she’s either trapped or on her way to getting trapped. Almost every single time she is in danger, the plot forces the male lead to come to her rescue in a cliché "damsel in distress" setup.
This is a massive, frustrating downgrade from the original novel! In the book, when the female lead is imprisoned or faces danger, she relies on her own sheer competence and the awakening power of Jianmu to break out and crush the villains. She has absolute agency. Yet, the drama chose to nerf this incredibly powerful, badass heroine just to feed into the tired old "hero saves the beauty" trope. Of course I love it but the changes are so much . Sure, she still uses her wits to suppress antagonists and expose conspiracies during public trials in the drama, but these intellectual moments simply cannot make up for the fact that her combat power was stripped away.
She is literally the Fruit of Jianmu! Although I am somewhat satisfied with the ending because it wrapped up decently, the fact that the drama took a brilliant, clear-headed queen who should have been obliterating villains, and nerfed her into a weak, vulnerable plot-device being protected all the time, remains the absolute biggest failure of this adaptation

Honestly, watching this show, I find Jianmu to be the most tragic and pitiable existence. The Yaksha clan committed the sins and got cursed, yet they have to devour Jianmu just to survive. It honestly confuses me—was the curse meant for the Yaksha, or was it secretly targeting the innocent Jianmu?! On top of that, all those hypocritical sect cultivators are just as bad; every single one of them wants to seize and devour Jianmu's pure power. What did our Jianmu ever do wrong to deserve such a cruel and unfair destiny?!

Back in the ancient war, the Yaksha clan committed massive slaughters and disrupted the cosmic order, angering the ancient gods. As a result, they were slapped with a brutal bloodline curse: every generation of the Yaksha Demon Lord, despite owning terrifying powers, faces an inevitable backlash. They slowly turn feral, lose their minds, fall into a bloodthirsty madness, and eventually die of sheer physical exhaustion in extreme pain.
The only antidote in the universe to suppress this violent curse is the purest spiritual energy of the sacred Jianmu tree (our female lead, Jiang Lifei). In all their past lives, to save the dying and agonizing Demon Lord, the Jianmu tree—deeply in love with him—would willingly sacrifice and sacrifice herself. But this "one life for another" trick only treats the symptoms, not the cause. The Demon Lord left behind is always left living a life worse than death, while Jianmu goes into the next reincarnation, trapping them both in a toxic loop of "love, sacrifice, and painful survival."

Novel Canon: A Genuine Two-Way Street & Deep Mutual Understanding
This is exactly why the romance in the original novel is top-tier. It’s never about one person blindly taking while the other blindly self-sacrifices. It’s 100% a two-way street:
The Heroine’s Clear-Headed Fight: Jiang Lifei loves him with high self-esteem and self-love, knowing full well that "her life matters just as much." She refuses to do the cliché self-sacrifice thing because she deeply understands Xiu Yuan—she knows that if she trades her life for his, the fiercely loyal Xiu Yuan would live in absolute agony and guilt. She refuses to burden him with that kind of lifelong trauma.
The Male Lead’s Restraint & Protection: Xiu Yuan loves and understands Lifei just as deeply. Even when the Yaksha curse is tearing him apart in agonizing pain, he absolutely refuses to drain Lifei’s energy to prolong his own life. He’d rather suffer through the feral madness all by himself, and is fully prepared to die rather than hurt her or drag her down.

And I’m actually feeling so mad at the adaptation to be honest. They change all the sweet moments。 To be honest, the most unbearable thing about the drama is how the production team forced so many misunderstandings between Jiang Lifei and Lei Xiuyuan, even pitting them against each other.
In the novel, they knew each other since childhood as fellow foreign outcasts. Growing up, they were always each other’s rock and soul protectors. Once you’ve read the novel and immersed yourself in their pure, beautiful bond, it’s impossible to sit through the drama's endless, cliché "love-hate tug-of-war."

In the book's canon, their only real conflict is that the Yaksha clan naturally craves to devour the Fruit of Jianmu (which, if we are being real, was a tragedy caused entirely by human cultivators in the first place).
However, Lei Xiuyuan literally fought with his life to suppress this feral instinct. When they fled overseas, he broke his own horn just to protect Jiang Lifei. With that broken horn, the Yaksha curse was completely lifted from him. It might sound like a simple trope on paper, but under the book's setup, it is incredibly moving and emotional.

If it weren’t for Immortal Qingcheng’s "Senluo Magic" turning back time, and if Qingcheng hadn't taken Jiang Lifei away from overseas—which allowed the Fruit of Jianmu to build up its protective camouflage—Lifei would have been torn apart and killed in a struggle between Hu Jiaping and Lei Xiuyuan the very moment she matured.
It is all because of Qingcheng that they got a second chance at life. This second chance allowed them to develop human emotions and rationality, giving them the dignity to resist and refuse to yield to their feral beast instincts.

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Beautiful story in my top favs for 2026

This drama was def worth the wait chemistry between song weilong and ju jing yi i can feel it through the screen i hope they do a 3rd one together i would like to see them in modern drama together. I also like seeing alot my fav short actors in this drama too. I liked how the drama touched on greed and obession can bring someones dark side. i was sad about ye ye and baili deaths 😢 . Seeing lan ya grow and find someone's like lu li who truly loved her was beautiful. I was upset at first when they shortened it to 33 episodes but they told the story prefectly from beginning to end no confusion plus had me getting emotional almost in tears when thought the leads died glad they didnt and we saw how everyone story ended. I def rewatch this drama i recommend giving it chance.

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It's among the top 10 dramas of 2026

The first drama I watched starring Ju Jingyi completely exceeded my expectations. It blends action, comedy, romance, and heartfelt emotions so naturally that every episode remains entertaining without feeling dragged out. The story moves at a fast pace, with each episode introducing meaningful developments, making it easy to stay invested from beginning to end.

One of the biggest strengths of the drama is its cast. Every actor fits their role perfectly, and the chemistry between the lead characters feels genuine and engaging. Ju Jingyi delivers a charming and emotional performance, balancing lighthearted moments with serious scenes beautifully. The supporting cast also deserves praise, as they add humor, depth, and personality to the story instead of simply existing in the background.

The action sequences are exciting and well-executed, while the comedic moments never feel forced. At the same time, the emotional scenes are touching and give the characters enough depth to make the audience care about their journey. This balance between different genres is what makes the drama stand out.

Another aspect I appreciated is how faithfully the drama appears to follow the original novel for most of its storyline. It retains the essence of the source material while adapting it smoothly for the screen, which is something fans of the novel are likely to enjoy. The pacing is another major highlight. There are very few slow moments, and the plot continues to move forward without unnecessary filler, making it easy to binge-watch.

Overall, this drama was a wonderful introduction to Ju Jingyi's work. With its engaging story, excellent performances, memorable characters, and perfect mix of action, comedy, and emotion, it offers an enjoyable experience from start to finish. If you're looking for a fast-paced costume drama with strong character dynamics and a faithful adaptation of its novel, this is definitely one worth watching. I highly recommend it..

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So bad it's actually comical

Let me make it clear from the start: This drama is cringe.

Storyline: A train wreck. No logics, no originality. Almost everybody is on a guilt trip, except a few who are just evil. absurd ending.

Acting: It has the general feeling of a pantomime. Either expressionless or overacting. It's so bad I think any village theatre production would be above this. Song Wei Long is either hunched or pulling ugly faces. The support characters come across as a pantomime.

Make up: Song Wei Long looks more like a transvestite than a demon lord with that ridiculous eyeliner. His puffed up wig makes him look more like a middle aged western lady than a masculine hero. The overall result is second hand embarrassment. Deng looks like a 15 year old with a fake moustache. Some of the other characters also look straight out of a slapstick comedy.

Bad direction, choppy editing, CGI done by the intern, etc.

I'll stop here, I think you get the picture.

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A Familiar Xianxia That Was Easy to Walk Away From

This is a partial review covering episodes 1–18 only.

I've been watching Chinese dramas for a really, really long time, and I've probably seen more than the average viewer. They've been a favorite pastime of mine and have helped me through some very stressful periods in my life. The downside is that, after a while, many dramas start to feel familiar, so the bar for what truly stands out becomes much higher. That's what happened with this one.

For me, it's an okay watch. It doesn't bring much that feels new and shares many similarities not only with Beauty of Resilience but with countless other xianxia dramas. It follows many of the genre's familiar themes—conflicts between immortals and demons, fated or forbidden romances, hidden identities, tribulations, misunderstandings, and the larger struggles that often shape these stories.

None of those elements are a problem on their own; they're actually the kinds of stories I usually enjoy. But this drama doesn't present them in a way that feels fresh or memorable to me, so I haven't really connected with it. I don't think it's a bad drama by any means. It just feels too familiar, and "just okay" isn't enough for me when there are so many other dramas I can spend my time watching.

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it’s fine, but not too impressive

The story is just okay. It is my liking as I enjoy Xianxia drama, however the story is not epic enough to exceeds my expectations. I’ve been waiting for this drama for so long and I was hoping that the story will be unforgettable, moreover both of the main cast are my favourites, but I just feel like this kind of story is quite common. I also think it’s not emotional enough because I can guess the next plot that might happen.
Like 2 males are fighting over a girl, and then the one who doesn’t be with the girl will do everything to get her, and then because both of the main leads are considered strong(demon king & jianmu tree), they both are the one who saves the world.

Their editing for the power part is not really good, but overall its still manageable to watch. Such a shame that in the most epic scenes, where most of them are using their full potential power, the editing is just suddenly blur at that part even though I always keep the highest resolution. I can’t blame too much tho, as soon as I remember that they stream the drama on Youku, I directly remember that most of the Youku drama production is not really good, especially the editing, and most of the drama has a common story (drama that can only be watched on Youku). Compared to drama that can be streamed on Netflix, Iqiyi ot WeTV, Youku’s editing feels really rushed. To think about their (The Eternal Fragrances) editing again, it is such a shame that they doesn’t give the higher resolution, the max is only 1080p, and the power editing is not so good, it feels as if it is a drama from year around 2020 rather than 2026.

Maybe some of you might think that I’m too generous on giving the rating despite giving a few flaws of the drama, after all it is just because I feel the enjoyment while watching the drama. As I watched dramas for refreshing so that I can forget about the problems that I have in real life for a while. I always see a lot of aspects before watching a drama, the title makes me really interested and the actors too, the genres also fit my preferences, so I don’t think it’s a waste of time.
Thanks for reading this, this review is only from my perspective. Hope it can be helpful if you still haven’t decide on watching the drama or not.

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