Love beyond the Grave

Romanticized Abuse & Stockholm Syndrome

This show almost got it. It was so close! But they ruined it by romanticizing abuse (both romantic and parental).

One of the main characters is kidnapped and held hostage for years by a man who made her "into a play thing," which means he was sexually assaulting her. While in captivity, she swore to kill him. But here comes the Stockholm Syndrome. She goes to hell to break him out of his prison. Once he's free, he immediately tries to harm her. Despite all of this, she tries to sacrifice herself to save his life. In the end, she locks arms with her abuser, signifying their future relationship. What the actual hell?

A father wouldn't help his son get out of a life-threatening situation, but it's shown as justified.

Why do so many C-dramas have these really messed-up dynamics?

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Double ending

This is a bit of a spoiler but there's actually two endings. It's not specified in the main episode, however on the same day the show ended, there was another small 6min official video released at the same time that gives it an alternate end in a way. much happier than the ending in ep40 and we get to see a bit of both

also in this one she gets the ending she has always longed for so it truly is the case of both being happy in the end.

overall, this was a really good drama and i definitely recommend. their acting was so good and i cried plenty of times and i love the chemistry between the two.

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The most memorable line from this drama occurs in Ep. 2 or 3 early on, when Chen Feiyu’s Duan Xu says ‘I was sand, I will be sand, but for this moment I’m a sandcastle.’ Beautiful line.
Love Beyond the Grave is based on novel ‘Carrying A Lantern In Daylight,’ a 107-chapter Chinese fantasy xinxia romance written by Li Qing Ran. It is available in Chinese and English languages online. It’s actually a well-written novel with a solid story and a good epic star-crossed romance with a happy ending. [https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=5458205 ] [https://www.novellist.co/novels/love-beyond-the-grave ] [https://www.readthedrama.com/novels/love-beyond-the-grave-bai-ri-ti-deng ] [https://nomad-translations.com/carrying-a-lantern-in-daylight-calid/ ]
The 40-episode English-subtitled adaptation stars Dilraba as the spirit queen and it’s her show all the way, she has the difficult and meatier role, a character she was probably born to play. She and Chen Feiyu are perfect for their roles. An immortal, 400-year old spirit queen Simu and a mortal 20-year old general Duan Xu have an on-off relationship which is tested across mortal and spirit realms over the span of a year. The spirit queen wants to experience life as a human by feeling the sensations of the five senses, since she has none - i.e. she can see, but cannot feel what she sees. Both realms are colorless, bland and joyless to her. The general can give her the ability. Both have their own ambitions and struggles in spirit and mortal worlds and have their work cut out for them. The story will end with the life-changing decision by the spirit queen abdicating her throne and immortal life and becoming a mortal to live with Duan Xu [in the drama, she doesn't make the decision, the decision is made for her by some fairy of Lord of Fate because DX has been killed] and though there are effective scenes, the grand romance is a hard sell. I think it is due to the way in which the drama is filmed, the way in which connection or lack-of between both leads is filmed. The spirit queen has had 22 lovers in 400 years, forgetting them all, because she couldn’t feel them with any of her senses (you know touch, taste, etc.). This is precisely why Duan Xu is memorable to her, because she can experience the totality of it all with him. And he tells her in Chapter 65 that he likes her because: ‘[Duan Xui] spoke softly, as if accusing and joking at the same time, “You lure me in.” He Simu raised her eyebrows. “With your gentleness beneath your cold exterior, the loneliness above all ghosts, and the love for the world, you lure me in. And I willingly took the bait.”’ Of course, her being a larger than life indestructible figure is part of the appeal.

Duan Xu knows her more than any entity and gambles and schemes to make her accept him, but in the drama she’s mothering his spoilt kid demeanor and the story loses its appeal around Ep. 23 or 24 - too much time is spent in the spirit world and the general’s heart is broken in more ways than one. You’ll find yourself skipping scenes and episodes.

The soundtrack’s best number is ‘Above All Spirits / Souls’ sung by Huang Xiaoyun. It's epic and enhances every scene its in.

This could have been a very sensual and romantic saga of 2 people fighting their own battles in spirit and mortal world and getting together at the end, but it is one of the coldest 'love stories' as in, there's no heat, no sizzle, no chemistry here. I've spoken more about it in my video review posted on youtube.

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Let me off this merry-go-round

I need to take a breather so I'm sloth quitting this drama. I don't hate this show, but there are aspects that are starting to grate and I can feel myself wilting. 😞

Confession time. I'm a low-key fan of our leads. They certainly kept me entertained in the early eps. Dilraba looks beautiful. As the sovereign of the spirit realm, her pose and demeanor are haunting. My only complaint is the amount of make-up can be excessive at times. Arthur Chen looks handsome as always and that mischievous grin . . oh la la! Their chemistry is what this house of cards is build upon.

I was fully engaged for the first 10 eps or so and then my eyes starts to glaze over. There are too many subplots, too many characters and too much CGI.

The world of Duan Xu is complicated enough. All the machinations and power plays in the mortal realm. His upbringing is hardly normal. He is a general as well as a trained assassin. Probably a scholar and a lover as well. Busy boy! 😅

His story would normally sustain a period idol drama. But wait, there’s more! The writer superimposed He Si Mu's story on top of his or is it the other way around? The chick is having philosophical discussions with the egg.

Si Mu's storyline is even more complicated. It is basically two lots of palace intrigues jammed into one. Whoever thinks that is a winning formula needs professional help!

To further cascade the complexity, the spirit realm is completely fictional. It has its own lore and internal logic. This type of world building needs time to bed down. It is just not the case here. They tried, but we are bombarded with facts and details constantly. Some aspects of the lore are particularly bothersome.

To wit, spirits come into existence when human has obsessions when they die. If they give up their obsession, they can be reborn. So answer me this, dear reader . . why can't the ML die and become a spirit and spend all eternity with the FL? He is totally obsessed with her. He went through “hell” just to be by her side. Did the lore just shoot itself in the metaphysical foot?

While my feeble mind is trying to take all this in, the production doubled down on the CGI. Green screen is like oxygen for any xianxia drama. The spirit realm gave the art director carte blanche. No more boring white heavenly glow. Huzzah!

To be fair, some of the settings do look striking. It certainly has an otherworldly look . . dare I say gamified? I just wish it is consistently good. There are times when I find it lacking. Quality vs quantity, hmm?

So after watching 22 eps, I need a break. When it is good, it is entertaining. There is just too much of everything now. I appreciate the writer flexing her creative muscles, but sometimes less is more. Just saying.

I'll definitely wait for it to finish airing and check the ending before making the final call. Peace.

P.S. Are we in the era of femme fatale girl boss? There was The Art of Sarah, then Siren's Kiss and now this series. That's quite a trifecta. BTW, I'm not including Pursuit of Jade as the FL is too well grounded and she doesn't want to be a girl boss anyway. ;)

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Pretty show, but severely lacks depth

This is the first time, or one of very few times, I've ever wanted to seek out "haters" leaving bad reviews on a show so I can feel justified in my dissapointment with this series.

7 eps in, I thought the show was complete ass. Nothing was grabbing my attention and l wasn't really buying Arthur in his role at all, he wasn't selling the general character. Also he had absolutely zero chemistry with Dilraba, like he just felt too young/boyish for her. It's probably less of an issue with Arthur and more the dynamic between Duan Xu and Si Mu as determined by the writer themselves. I just don't think the boyish/innocent/puppy ML personality type works well with that of an all-powerful/detached/400+ years life experienced FL.

Also, there's this thing that Arthur does with his smile...idk, it has always bothered me in every drama I've seen of his where he basically has this fake/awkward looking smile or smirk. And at this point I have to believe its an acting issue, because it's prevalent in every single role I've seen him play.

I hung in there until Ep 17 and the show still was not doing shit for me. The plot is seriously non-existent. It doesn't feel like the characters even care about their roles/jobs. FL is so powerful but seems incompetent or just too bored about the fact she's a freaking Sovereign of all spirits and the fate of the world rests on her shoulders, but she doesn't move like she's got shit to do, so the drama just comes across as unserious, like the plot is not really serving a purpose for actual story telling and is just background for the romance to progress.
Anyway, dropped at 17 eps. Not feeling any chemistry or interest to keep going.

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Lackluster romance

Dilraba effortlessly embodies the role of He Simu, a sovereign spirit. Her visuals are truly stunning.

However, I ended up dropping the drama. I went in expecting a darker, more serious storyline, largely because the trailers felt very intense and heavy. It feels misleading when the actual show turns out to be overly cute and lighthearted. While her character is meant to be ignorant of 5 senses, portraying her as excessively childish—reacting to basic things like a child given a grand toy when she is given some senses in a period of time—doesn't quite fit the narrative.

There was potential for powerful scenes, such as the moment she is repeatedly stabbed by puppets. It could have been a raw, painful experience, especially since it was her first time feeling pain. Instead, she handled it too easily, which felt very underwhelming. It seems the production focused too much on aesthetics and looking pretty, to the point where the emotional impact was lost. Being visually beautiful means nothing if the scenes don't make you feel what you are supposed to feel.

And let us not even mention the romance—it is easily the laziest and most boring I have ever encountered in a C-drama. Their feelings seemed to develop simply because they are the main leads, not because of any genuine connection. It felt rushed and shallow, lacking any real depth. Furthermore, the scene where the male lead kisses the drunk He simu without consent, when they aren't even in a relationship, was the final straw for me. That was unacceptable and the reason I had to stop watching.

In conclusion, the visuals, cinematography, and OST are excellent. But the execution and the romance leave much to be desired. I cannot speak much for the overall plot since I dropped it early on.

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I tried. It failed.

Pretty privilege is real. I watched this all because Dilireba is so pretty. (Chen Feiyu, on the other hand, somehow, gives me all the icks because of how much he looks like Wu Yifan. Their looks are popular, I guess. Reading his and his family's dramas doesn't help either.)
Back to Dilireba, because she's so pretty, deep down, I really wanted her to have a decent acting project. And...

1. The good:
- The cinematography.
- The set designs.
- The costumes.
- Feng Yi. Yes, the acting is so-so. But his character stood out to me. I found myself looking forward to his scenes. I even read parts of the novels with him in it.
- Liu Yuning's song. And that "Ai Cunzai" douyin from Dilireba.
- I discovered the online community (and discourses) of Chinese drama viewers! It's full of dramas. So many new words and jargon. The majority of the fans are blindly diehard. Most of the anti fans are beyond foul-mouthed and toxic. Constant data reporting, ranking, comparing, glazing, keyboard fighting, dragging, and juvenille competing. I love being a spectator to all of it!

2. The bad:
- One-dimensional Wei Zhe Ming. Why they love to cast him or give him projects where he plays the obsessive but one-track minded male character is beyond me. He could have played a decent, motivated villain that ultimately fell from grace. But nope, commercialised dramas are lazy.
- Another Mary Sue x Gary Sue that left me wanting to root for no one, but an imaginary villain/ess. Stereotypical Dilireba.
- It gets progressively worse as I've seen from online reactions.

3. The ugly:
- The acting. My God.
As long as Dilireba continues with one-dimensional, flower vase, Mary Sue projects like this, she'll never be known for anything but her looks. Maybe that's what she aims for.
Chen Feiyu's acting is mostly neck-to-neck with Dilireba: superficial and cringy. I always expect nothing from a typical idol-drama OP "military general" because I'm always given nothing. Wait, I had a few chuckles reading comments saying how bad-ass and genius his fight scenes in episode 7 or 8 were. I like how we all have different perspectives.
- The plot and the characterisation. Yikes.
Maybe this is the reason why the acting is so bad because the plot and the characters have nothing going on. Maybe both Dilireba and Chen Feiyu aced their performances based on the script they were given.
I found it most amusing that fans of Dilireba, Chen Feiyu and the series went on great lengths to write and explain the plot, the characters, the symbolism, the set designs, etc. Only to prove how badly this series failed to delivery any of those aspects.

Conclusion: Empty eyecandy.

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Crazyyy Cast but

I rarely start ongoing dramas , because I have no self-control and it keeps me hooked to the story too. But when I saw Arthur's new drama with Dilraba and Miles was dropping, I couldn't help but start it from the first episode. I devoured the first 20 episodes! But I think something shifted after that; the story felt boring, and I still wasn't able to understand what happened in Nandu and Xu's family dynamics. Dilraba made me her fan with this drama, and the role suited her. This is my second drama with Arthur Chen, and I am grateful to him for introducing me to costume dramas. I would love to explore more of them. The story and plot and visuals could be better but the actors delivered good performance , though I felt arthur's performance less in this drama than in When destiny brings you the demon, but then again, he was a mortal with great courage and strength, and his character shouldn't overshadow Dilraba's He Simu. what happened with chenyang broke me, poor soul :(
Miles's role was as a villain, and i REFUSE to sympathise with him TILL THE END , for what he did. This wasn't love at ALL; no romanticising these typa lunatics.
Was it explained in the end why the powerful sword chose him as an owner? Maybe because of his strength?

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