Everlasting Longing (2025)

Romance?? Action?? Logic?? This Drama Said No Thanks..

Disclaimer: This might sound like a rant.. Because it is one.. If you somehow enjoyed this drama.. Good for you..

Script?? Bad.. Acting?? Bad.. Action?? Bad.. Romance?? Bad.. Character Development?? None.. VFX?? Worst.. Not one scene had good CGI.. I sat through this drama for SWL and what a disappointment.. It felt like the entire production team lazily put this together.. Apart from the costumes everything else felt completely half assed.. Like the team just threw things together and hoped for the best..

Angela Baby.. I hope you take some acting classes because seriously, what happened?? This was painful to watch..

The ML was supposed to be the next Wolf Lord or something but instead he spent the first half of the drama getting hurt, stabbed, hurt again, stabbed again by the FL and her minion.. And he still wagged his tail like a lovesick puppy while she kept taking advantage of him.. Where was his brain?? His dignity?? His revenge for his parents?? At one point he even got stabbed on purpose just to stop her from leaving.. That’s not devotion, that’s a suicide attempt you fool.. And then, after all that, he goes and gets shot with an arrow to protect her..

The script was all over the place.. Like the writer forgot what they wrote five minutes earlier.. The ML gets stabbed with a sword and yet wakes up the next morning like he is ready to go and win the La Liga.. And man he was so happy becase he saw the FL sitting by his bed.. Dude, she was literally applying medicine and touching another Guy's leg in the previous episode while she didnt even bother to prepare medicine for you.. That didn’t tell you anything?? And to top it off she was shamelessly ready to give away the locket or whatever that was that you gave her.. And you still didn’t realize you meant nothing to her?? At least not at that moment??

And the princess?? Dumb as a rock.. Another infuriating character..

Ep 13 was actually decent and I thought maybe things were turning around.. Then Ep14 happened.. The FL, in her infinite wisdom decided to protect her minion who literally tried to kill the ML by threatening to kill herself if anyone harmed him.. And the ML?? He had to tell his soldiers who had just watched their comrades die, to lower their weapons because his love interest was having a meltdown over the guy who tried to murder him.. What kind of joke is this??
Then somehow in the next scene the ML and FL end up in bed together.. She just threatened to kill herself over another man who tried to kill him and now they are suddenly sleeping together?? So all those soldiers died Just so he could end up in bed with her?? Unbelievable..

Even if she did love him which is questionable, she manipulated him the entire way.. She never once did anything for him.. Yet he kept crawling back like a fool.. She faked her death, ran back to her hometown, and started living her life while he was left depressed thinking she was gone.. She never once made an effort for him.. Not.. One.. Thing.. Meanwhile he spent the entire drama begging for her love..

What a complete waste of time.. Even the conclusion was unsatisfactory.. After everything it didn’t feel meaningful.. Just another half baked ending that failed to justify the mess before it.. I don’t know, maybe I had high expectations.. But for me this was just another drama with a mediocre storyline and wasted potential..

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The very reason I watch dramas...

I find myself never bored and happily chasing every episode. Yes there are "dog blood" cdrama tropes but with a male lead like that, I am happy to fantasize and be a little unrealistic. I find myself smiling ear to ear at times and heart wrenching other times, this is the reason why I watch dramas.
Positives)
1-a VERY manly, dominant and charismatic male lead
2-hair & costumes are refreshing (not often seen in cdramas)
3-great pacing, plot is compact
4-good fight scenes (not just posing/slow motion)
5-push pull build up to leads' romance
6-both lead characters are smart, strong and great looking (how it should be in idol dramas)
7-bromance
8-not one tone, there's light + heart wrenching moments
Negatives)
1-I prefer listening to actors' real voice but this is all dubbed except female lead. And can cdramas get rid of dubbing please already? It's 2025, an actor's voice is part of their acting and the only way to improve is to have actors keep using it!
2-CG needs improvement but gets less distracting pass a few episodes (this is only an A+ budget drama)
3-director, cinematographer, and filter need more consistency
I took half point off bc of FL's acting. AB improved but still cannot grasp/act complex emotions, surface level in the first half of drama she did ok.

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A Drama You Will Long to Watch

What a refreshing drama! I really enjoyed this a lot. From the look, storyline, leads, everything just had an appeal that will draw you in.

The story revolves around the Yannan and Beixuan region. Jun Qi Luo is Jun Fei Fan (Angelababy), the illegitimate son of the family, who really was a female, but women could not run a business because after all, it was a man’s world. The family hid her identity for many years as well as did the king. Her creative genius is what sustain the family business and helped the king during times of warfare.

Xuan Lie (Song Wei Long), from the neighboring and unrestful Beixuan, was a royal general who was seeking the truth of his parent's murder while also trying to win the Wolf Lord competition. He believed that Jun Fei Fan had knowledge of their murders and wanted to capture him to get an explanation; not knowing the truth of her real identity.

Crossing into the Uncontrollable they finally met and through a series of events that involved kidnapping, misunderstandings, hidden agendas, bickering, and eventually love. This pair went through many adversities all the while holding onto their love.

Xuan Lie and Luo Zhi Zhou had been best friends since childhood and were like brothers, but like brothers there is jealousy and deceit. Xuan Lie after investigating finds out the real culprit that has attempted so many times to kill him, as well as killing Lord Sun was done by none other than him. Why? To achieve winning the coveted Wolf Lord position so that he could get his love -- Consort Li who was taken by the king and married her. In the end there is sadness, the death of both Consort Li and his best friend.

Jun Qi Luo also had Shao Qi Min who had been by her side since he was 13. Always watching over and protecting, but unbeknownst to her, the king had placed him by her side to report back to him if there was any misstep in her loyalty. She was always true to the king. Never did she have any love for Shao Qi Min but sisterly love. In their time of separation, when she thought he was dead, he was taken in as a slave by Princess Xuan Qing Kou. This princess will drive you to want to seriously slap her because of how she treats him. I didn't think love could come of it, but it eventually does, sadly this pairing is short lived.

Xuan Lie and Jun Qi Luo still had so much in their quest to finally be together and finding the peace they not only long for themselves but for their countries as well. Proving that no matter what they tried to do to each of them, unwavering love is what would and always hold them together. A bond that not even their closest friends or family could understand.

My only thought was all the emotional drama she went through; it was a wonder something didn't happen to the baby. That was the one thing I didn't like, we never saw the child. We see our couple in the end together, but I wanted to see the child.

Overall, we did get a happy ending, and oh, this could lead us for longing for more, don't you think?

But I have to give some shoutouts:

Hair/Jewelry: The braiders on this drama were all that. I mean to do that hair, I get it. You all worked it out. Nicely done as well as all of the beads, ornaments, the intricacy of each look was exceptional.

Costumes: Can we please talk about those capes for Xuan Lie’s character? He wore those capes, didn’t he. Dude could fall off a cliff and still that cape was on. Every look they gave him was better than the first. JQL, her sisters, the princess and SSM, female general, all their looks were so on point. They slayed each and every outfit.

Martial Arts: Loved watching SSM and her fight scenes. It was awesome to see they let her not need a male to come in to assist her. Girl was bad ass. Xuan Lie, Shao Qi Min, Luo Zhi Zhou along with many others had such amazing fight scenes. Kudos to those who put these scenes together because we know they take a lot of effort.

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Watch at your own risk

Everlasting Longing had the potential to be an emotional and compelling love story, but it ultimately fell apart due to a weak plot, frustrating misunderstandings, and a disappointing romance.

The Cast

The actors delivered decent performances, and while there was a 10-year age difference (real life) between the male lead (ML) and female lead (FL), the gap itself wasn’t an issue. An age difference in romance dramas isn’t necessarily a deal-breaker, but this one didn’t do much to explore or justify it meaningfully. As a result, certain scenes felt awkward and disconnected.

Unfortunately, the female lead’s performance was one of the weaker aspects of the drama. Her portrayal lacked emotional depth and authenticity, making it difficult to fully connect with her character. At times, her expressions felt stiff, and in key emotional scenes, she either overacted or failed to convey the necessary intensity, which resulted in moments that felt awkward rather than impactful.

Even with the age difference, a strong performance could have helped bridge the gap and make their dynamic more convincing, but that wasn’t the case here.

Plot: Started Okay, Then Became a Cliché-Fest

At first, the story seemed intriguing. It had emotional depth and hinted at a bittersweet love story filled with longing. However, as the episodes went on, it became painfully predictable. The drama leaned heavily on overused tropes—misunderstandings, unnecessary separations, and melodramatic twists that could have been solved with a single conversation. What started as an engaging plot quickly lost its charm, becoming repetitive and frustrating.

Lack of Chemistry & Endless Misunderstandings

One of the biggest disappointments was the ML and FL’s chemistry. Rather than feeling like two people drawn together by fate or genuine love, their relationship was built on a series of miscommunications and unresolved issues. Every time they seemed close to progress, yet another misunderstanding pushed them apart. It felt like they never truly connected, making their love story more frustrating than touching.

The Ending: Unsatisfying and Unresolved

After pushing through the entire drama, the ending was one of the most frustrating aspects. Despite all the suffering, betrayals, and struggles the characters went through, there was no real resolution. The villains, including the king, faced no consequences for their actions. There was no justice, no satisfying closure—just an ending that left things feeling unfinished.

For a story built on themes of longing and emotional turmoil, the payoff was severely lacking. Rather than a heartfelt or bittersweet conclusion, it felt like everything that happened had been meaningless.

Final Thoughts: A Wasted Journey

I finished the drama, but by the end, I wished I hadn’t. The repetitive misunderstandings, lack of real emotional connection, and overly dramatic storytelling made it a frustrating watch. While some viewers might enjoy the angst and longing, I personally found it exhausting. And with an ending that failed to deliver any real consequences or satisfaction, it made the entire journey feel pointless.

⭐ 3/10 – Finished, but not worth it.

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Boring as Hell!

I was really hooked in the beginning, but lost interest as it started losing it's charm with every new episode.

1. SWL looked great in that costume in the beginning, but with every new episode his character's strength and charm started fading away.
2. I'm so disappointed with FL's acting skills! Literally there is no emotion, no expression, no affection...sometimes I wondered if she can really make a different face at all??
3. The script on the other hand is soo boring! It's all about the FL being a genius, strong, skilled bla bla while she has only one expression the entire drama! The ML doesn't think before taking action because he is blindly in love.

Overall, its a disappointing, boring drama.

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Stick to do story when you make a drama by novel

Novel was so interesting and different. I waited with so much hope. SGI was crap. Costumes was excellent in B city. ML in Yannan was looking like stray dog.ML character was needed to be badass general. After he met FL he become crying baby. FL is so expressionless i now understand what people say about her that her acting is crapy. Because of her beauty standards she was not even shown pregnant with twin's, possibly that she doesn't look ugly. So they change bigest plot of the novel where he find her with enorm big belly. Story was interesting except FL always treat ML bad and chasing him away. In end i can't understand why would ML defend shity king. Biggest remark is FL bad acting.

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Decent Story, Tropey & Cliche, Acting Lacks Depth

Adapted from the novel "The Stolen Bride" by Xi Juan, the series takes significant liberties, straying far from its source material. The Chinese title, 相思令 (Xiang Si Ling), suggests a poignant tale of longing between separated lovers, yet this theme is poorly executed in the drama. The prevalence of forced marriages—whether mutually unwanted or one-sided—leaves a bitter taste. The use of blackmail to manipulate characters detracts from any semblance of romance, casting a shadow over the relationships portrayed.

Storyline
Set in a fictional era across three neighboring kingdoms—Nan Yan in the South, Bei Xuan in the North, and Xi Xiang in the West—"Everlasting Longing" spins a tale of intrigue and romance. In Nan Yan, a genius girl from a merchant family disguises herself as a man to run her family business. She’s also the secretive descendant of a master craftsman known for designing advanced machinery and weapons. In her search for a metal-like granite to craft a unique arrow, she travels to Bei Xuan, where she meets and falls in love with a man seeking answers about his parents’ death twelve years prior. The arrow found in his father’s body was designed by her family, making her a crucial clue. While he finds ways to keep her in Bei Xuan, she remains until her king, suspecting betrayal, arrests her family and threatens their lives unless she returns. At the same time, the man she loves is coerced into marrying another woman, forcing her to leave, heartbroken.

Characters and Acting
Jun Qi Luo / Jun Fei Fan:
As a woman, she is known as Jun Qi Luo; as a man, Jun Fei Fan. Intelligent, beautiful, courageous, and calm under pressure, Jun Qi Luo is a compelling character. However, Angelababy’s portrayal falls short, with unsynchronized facial expressions that fail to capture the character's essence, often making her more irritating than endearing.

Xuan Lie:
Despite being from a bloodthirsty tribe, Xuan Lie is kind and intelligent. As the general of his tribe, he strives to unite the other four tribes to strengthen the Bei Xuan kingdom. While Song Wei Long’s commanding presence fits the role, his acting leaves room for improvement. Styled like a wolf, his towering presence and fur coat do evoke a fearsome wolf master vibe, but the heavy makeup, emphasizing his hooked nose, gives him more of an eagle-like appearance.

Other Main Characters:
Surprisingly, I found other main characters like Shao Qi Min and Luo Zhi Zhou and their respective actors more convincing than the leads. Bai Bing Ke deserves praise for her portrayal of Princess Xuan Qing Kou, nailing the high-pitched, staccato voice that makes the character utterly irritating. My favorite side character, though, is Luo Qi (Chen Tao), Xuan Lie’s sidekick and almost a brother to him. Chen Tao's acting is commendable with fine facial expressions that compliment Xuan Lie's cold appearance greatly. The character I found most grating was Jun Yu Jue, Jun Qi Luo’s first cousin. Greedy, evil, and cartoonishly exaggerated, Wu Yi Jia’s performance, while over-the-top, captures the despicable nature of the role.

OST
The original soundtrack is a pleasant surprise, enhancing the emotions of key scenes, adding a layer of depth that the story itself at times lacks.

Final Thoughts
"Everlasting Longing" leans heavily on well-worn clichés and predictable tropes—falling off cliffs, women disguising themselves as men, and forced political marriages. The story unfolds in two halves, with the first set in Bei Xuan and the latter in Nan Yan, centering on the dilemma of love versus duty. While Xuan Lie prioritizes love above all, Jun Qi Luo believes that without harmony between nations, there can be no foundation for love.

Despite featuring real kissing scenes, the chemistry between Song Wei Long and Angelababy falls flat, with Song Wei Long showing more passion than his co-star. The plot twists often defy logic, making the storyline feel like a patchwork of forced developments. One of such weird logic is Jun Qi Luo’s decision to split her own family in pursuit of peace, and the illogical timeline at the end only adds to the disconnect.

That said, credit is due to the elaborate settings and the strong performances from the supporting cast, who ultimately breathe life into the drama.

If you are either a hardcore fan of Angelababy or Song Wei Long, or an armchair romance buff like me, you may still enjoy this drama despite its many shortcomings—but if you're looking for a well-crafted, emotionally resonant story, you might find it lacking in depth and coherence.

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Emotionless Line Delivery + Fizzled Chemistry + Sloppy Script = 1st Dumpster Fire of 2025

Welcome to the first dumpster fire of 2025! My goodness what a mess! I forgot I had it on my watchlist plus it was airdropped with no warning or promotion which should have been a massive clue. I had wanted to see SWL in a different genre and it was my 1.5 time watching Angelababy as I dropped a previous drama she was in due to horrendous writing. This wasn't much better and I ended skipping some episodes towards the end as well as fast forwarding a lot of it during the entire thing.

Pros: Almost none other than the gorgeous costumes/accessories of the Beixuan people, the martial arts and acting of some of the supporting characters. SML and TML died for all the wrong reasons and I thought both were wasted characters though both nailed their parts. There was more chemistry between the guard and the sister than the leads. ML's acting has improved slightly.

Cons: Everything else! Atrocious script that literally threw every trope possible into the story but nothing new. Two horrible kings of two countries but you couldn't even hate them as proper antagonists because they came across as petty and insecure and one literally had some squirrel's tail for a mustache attached to his face. Chemistry between leads fizzled in the near beginning. Both leads were pretty emotionless; he always looked pissed off even when smiling and she was the opposite as even when upset she had like a joker smile glued to her face. No expression whatsoever from her but if his acting made up for a bit of it, in her case it was like a recital of lines with that creepy smile. I think I may stay away from her dramas from now on; she may be a pretty woman but acting requires more than looks.

Also the character of the princess was shudder worthy. Spoiled self absorbed brat from beginning to end. I never believed she genuinely loved SML; he was like a shiny toy to her that dared to defy her and she got a kick out of that. I wish she died instead of him; zero redeeming qualities. Cheap AF CGI, if you can call it that. The entire thing looked very cheap. I think most of the budget went to those stunning costumes and accessories. The story was like every other story you've ever seen crazy glued together. Boring. I have no clue how I got through it. It's very forgettable.

Would I recommend it? Absolutely NOT. This review should give you everything you need to know. Preserve your sanity and watch something else.

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They went: what can we do? Without thinking: can we deliver?

I don’t think I have ever seen a drama more dramatic, but also one with the least amount of any real stakes. Nothing had any consequences. And at some point it killed all my enjoyment.

You can kill your political opponents in a shady manner and no one cares, there is no investigation, everyone just accepts “it is what it is”. The most important tournament for the whole country had either no rules or the rules were not enforced at all - both cases make no sense. They kept having obstacles presented to them, things they could not do… and they did them anyway… and nothing. Nothing followed, no long lasting consequences, barely any short term consequences.

I think one of the most frustrating aspects was the complete incompetence of the King of Beixuan and how throughout the show no one tried to assassinate his dumb ass, and they even protected him. I cannot be pro leads, when they are pro trash. Truly impressed how the writers managed to make me hate the male lead literally 15 minutes before the drama ended. Just kill the King of Beixuan and let the King of Yannan rule both countries, he is obviously far better for the job.

Overall, the villains and antagonists were painfully poorly written idiots who managed to get/stay in power by pure luck and the lack of investigation and interest from leads to find out what is even happening behind the scenes. None of their plans were smart, the fight between them and the leads were always ridiculous, especially everything that has been happening in Yanna.

Now to the main course: the romance. The way they baited me with enemies to lovers, to deliver almost none of that. They move from enemies to partners in love way too fast. It does not mean there were no conflicts between them, but they were all based on mostly external issues and conflicting priorities. The best part of the enemies to lovers trope is the gradual change of heart, slow burn warming up to each other, pretending like you don’t care, when you do and the soft angst that comes with it.

I also honestly hated how both characters lacked growth and personal development - both as individuals and as a couple. They both loved to set rules for the other, but did not want to follow them themselves. Qi Luo can hide facts and lie, but Xuan Lie has to be truthful on every occasion. Xuan Lie can break premises coz of the “greater good”, but Qi Luo has to keep her word no matter the circumstances. They lacked communication skills and it feels like they never learned from any of their mistakes.

Qi Luo's conviction was protecting her family, but not really, because no one was as good at finding excuses for their questionable choices as she was. Xuan Lie was basically an amoral character. He had no individual moral opinions. He just did what was asked of him - no thought in that brain. The only times when he stood up to dumb ideas was when they concerned Qi Luo, but even then it was never a full defiance.

Qi Min and Qing Kou was a full on clownery that led to nowhere, but at least they were entertaining. To be honest, Qi Min was easily my favorite character. If he was the main lead,the drama would end on episode 2-3 - he was the man of action and convictions and no bullshit (well, there was some bullshit, still he felt like the most decisive character of them all, one that actually made some plans and put work into investigation).

Acting wise it was all over the place. Angelababy delivered one of the most underwhelming performances. There was barely any muscle moving on her face. Song Wei Long tried, but since the writing was not the greatest, him trying was not enough to save the drama.

Production was fine. I like the different styling for the characters that set this drama apart from other costume shows. Wanted to see a bit more desert setting scenes and less palace shenanigans.

Overall, I would not recommend it. It’s not actually good for an enjoyable watch, and not bad/trashy enough for a fun entertainment. It’s just painfully mediocre with a lack of smarts and wits.

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Everlasting Angst

Saw the plot and was intrigued, especially with the cast that it had. Couple of recognizable names and a decent sounding plot should make it a good production, right? Perhaps not.

The plot kinda killed it for me. I should be more specific, it was how the characters were written. Everyone is so freaking obsessive and yandere. My guy. Every character (ML, FL, the Princess) was walking around like they're in control of everything. It got kinda repetitive, especially how the pairings interacted. Two thirds of the drama is literally ML holding FL hostage and FL having no inclination of leaving. When she does decide to leave, she's almost unable to every time. Where did your famous brains go? Just the way that this drama was built and formulated, it was very 2010-2015 C-drama angst. Think 'Lin Lang Wang' and 'General and I'.

Angelababy and Song Wei Long were the bigger names in this drama. I'll admit that I don't follow either actor too extensively. The last dramas I've watched starring these two were 'General and I' and 'Untouchable Lovers'. Regarding Angelababy's acting, I'm not sure I saw much improvement since 'General and I'. There definitely was more expression and less of the 'eye acting'/staring doe-eyed, but I still found her to be less flexible than her co-star Chen Chen. It was just a lack of fluidity between different emotions and lack of complexity that made it seem like she was forcing/acting rather than embodying the role. It's most noticeable when she's in the same frame as her 'sisters' and they're doing the reunion scene or when she's crying/grief stricken. Song Wei Long is one of those actors where I don't actively avoid but somehow I don't see any of their works. I know that his drama 'Go Ahead' was quite good, but haven't really watched it yet, so I am more lenient on him in this drama. My first impression of him from 'Untouchable Lovers' wasn't good, because that drama was a mess in of itself. While I can't say much about how he is in 'Go Ahead', I found that there was improvement, similar to Angelababy. One of the hardest things Chinese male actors have to figure out how to do is be the 'cold faced' ML while being expressive. It's a bigger task than most give credit for because if you're too flat faced, it just looks like you don't know how to be expressive. I found that Song Wei Long hit the balance between cold/ruthless and expressive in this drama. He was adequately expressive and portrayed the role quite well. I will say that one of the ways he manages to stay expressive/human while acting as a 'cold' ML was his use of interactions with others. While interacting with ML's subordinates, Song Wei Long smiles more and acts like they are more like friends. This does come back to bite him, I would say, when Song Wei Long's ML is trying to be more controlling and forceful. It feels less forceful and more like he's micromanaging. He doesn't have Angelababy's issue of fluidity in transitioning between expressions, but I've noticed that he has an issue of keeping a single expression for a tad bit too long. Anyone who has RBF, understands the pain.

Definitely the plot above all else was what made me feel like this drama was a waste of time. The questionable consent at times made me flashback to 2010-2015. The MOST annoying part was definitely the princess x guard love line. It was definitely a dated way to write that trope. I have never seen a more useless love line in my many years of watching dramas. You could potentially take out the role of the princess and not much would change. Just the sheer amount of time spent on the princess stalking and controlling the guard was crazy.

TLDR: Not a bad drama if you liked 'General and I'. Personally, I dislike plots written in this way and found the angst to be a little heavy and unnecessary.

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