Oh, this is good.
One of those series you really have to pay attention to, otherwise you can miss important plot developments. The writing is excellent, the acting by my favorite actress and her co-stars is perfect, and the concept is unique. My only disappointment has to be the music. It doesn't seem to fit the theme. I know I will have to watch this again.Was this review helpful to you?
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In my top 2 fav dramas for 2026 so far
One the best stories in general ive seen in long time the talk about how obsession can hold us back in life and after death is good life lesson arthur and reba both strong presence on screen regardless when negative comments have said their chemistry is strong. What i loved is seeing enteral love of dream reunion with actor who play bai san xing. Also miles wei was so good as villain in this drama i have to give him. His props Seeing the adopted brother of the leads become the next ruler of the spirit world was beautiful. But fang xian ye death def hurt this drama had me so emotionally crying most episodes. Im glad we found out why he simu kept losing lovers cause of family curse by goddness he simu descent was funny as well. Im glad the leads got their happy ending i def watch it again. I hope the leads do another drama together like modern one i def recommend this to watchWas this review helpful to you?
A Slow-Burn Romance Entwined with Death, Fate, and Mystery!
After watching the first thirteen episodes of Love Beyond the Grave, I’m already completely hooked and honestly, it’s sitting at a strong 9.5/10 for me right now.What immediately stands out is the atmosphere. The drama balances an eerie, almost haunting tone with deeply emotional storytelling. It doesn’t rely on cheap thrills, instead it slowly builds a sense of mystery that keeps pulling you in. Every episode reveals just enough to keep you guessing without ever feeling dragged out.
The chemistry between the leads is another major highlight. Their connection feels intense yet fragile, especially given the supernatural elements surrounding their relationship. There’s a lingering sense of longing in almost every interaction, which makes even the quieter scenes feel meaningful. You can really feel the emotional weight behind their choices.
The pacing so far has been surprisingly solid. Nothing feels rushed, but it also doesn’t waste time. Each episode adds layers to the story whether it’s uncovering bits of the past, hinting at hidden motives, or deepening the emotional stakes. By episode thirteen, I feel invested not just in the romance, but in the mystery as well.
Visually, the drama is stunning. The cinematography enhances the haunting vibe perfectly, using lighting and color to reflect the emotional tone of each scene. The soundtrack deserves a mention too it complements the story beautifully and makes key moments hit even harder.
If I had to point out why it’s not a full 10 (yet), it’s only because there are still some unanswered questions and character motivations that I hope will be explored more deeply as the story progresses. But honestly, that’s also part of what makes it so compelling.
Overall, Love Beyond the Grave is shaping up to be a beautifully crafted mix of romance, mystery, and the supernatural. If the next episodes maintain this level of storytelling, it could easily become one of my favorites.
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Solid, but half of the time I felt that something was missing
Originally, I wanted to write a review earlier into the drama (writing this at ep 36) and I'm glad I waited because as the title suggests, I felt that the plot was missing something and I figured out what it was.Story. The official description is slightly misleading, according to that description I thought that He Si Mu was made to exchange the senses with Duan Xu to restrain her powers. She exchanges the senses to experience the mortal world while she has them, she is completely stripped of her spiritual power. The first 9 episodes reeled me in so hard, I loved the dark atmosphere, the "broken xylophone" sound effect (this is the best I can describe it, idk what instrument it was, if someone knows, please lmk), the stern character of He Si Mu. And then from ep 10 up to 25, it just dragged on.... And here I think some or even all of this could have been written: 1. One more mortal forming a pact with an evil spirit and the spirit being annihilated. 2. The past of Duan Xu and Fang Ji should have been cleared up, because that ended up quite unclear. 3. Yan Ke's corruption could have been hinted here. Don't get me wrong, a plot is happening in these episodes, it just feels quite empty compared to what's going on from ep 25 and further. Overall, it's good, I like how the characters are written, the story is just lacking a little.
Cast. Ohhhhhhh it's exquisite. The unshaken, stern spirit sovereign fits Dilraba so much, I loved Wei Zheming as the jealous obsessive lover (I think I'm lately having a weak spot for the villains), Baron Chen could have had longer appearance of his character, I love him too. This is the first drama where I saw Chen Feiyu, I really like him and now I really want Immortality to be released some day (iykyk).
Music. It's pretty unique, I think I haven't heard an ost track sung by a choir, it gave me chills.
Rewatch value. Personally, I don't think I would ever watch this drama again some day, and non personally, i would maybe watch just to see Dilraba in all the gorgeous outfits and Wei Zheming again. Definitely not for the plot.
Overall, a nice 8/10, it's definitely a drama on the better side.
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Shallow Acting, Low-Class Cinematography - A Waste of Dilireba
Unbelievably shallow. Is this really a series led by someone like Dilireba?There’s something seriously wrong when a drama makes you want to fast-forward even the leads’ scenes. That’s what’s happening here. I can’t sit through all these going-nowhere conversations between the main couple. If even the leads can’t make the viewers stay, that says a lot about how boring the drama is.
I wrote the review below after watching ep.9. I add this intro after watching ep.13 and still stand by everything I wrote below. It’s boring. The atmosphere feels cheap and phony. The camera angles and cinematography reflect the lack of skills. The ML’s run toward the FL in ep.13 also looks fake.
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🍅 Shallow Dialogues
There are too many vague and unnatural lines. Some are so melodramatic they become ridiculous. For example, no one would allow a prisoner of war to casually have a long ping-pong conversation with someone on the city wall, asking whether there’s enough food inside before execution.
There are also too many long speeches that exist purely to explain things. Instead of showing, the drama constantly tells. Characters, including the leads, deliver extended monologues that feel forced, artificial and pretentious. These monologues are the result of the laziness and/or the lack of skills from the writing team.
And it's even more absurd when the FL suddenly starts narrating her thoughts through voice-over in ep.9. A character who is supposed to be mysterious ends up explaining everything directly to the audience.
At this point, it’s hard not to feel that the writing team lacks capability. They don’t know how to craft sharp, meaningful lines or distinguish characters through behavior. They rely on blunt verbal explanation, which is the least convincing way to tell a story.
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🍅 Shallow Acting
The weakest performance goes to the ML.
After seeing him in several series, I think it’s fair to say his acting lacks depth. There’s no real interpretation behind his performance. It feels like he’s simply following instructions, like “smile here,” without understanding why.
His repeated light smiles throughout the first 9 episodes feel eerie rather than meaningful. There’s no emotional layering behind them. I can’t tell what he’s trying to express and it doesn’t feel like he knows either.
When he starts to show his love toward the FL at the end of ep.9, I can't figure out at all how or when this love actually begins.
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🍅 Shallow Atmosphere and Cinematography
The cinematography lacks sense of artistry. This becomes especially obvious when comparing to other dramas airing around the same time, like Generation to Generation and Pursuit of Jade, which have more beautiful, impressive scenes. I can see how these other two dramas had designed their storyboard scene by scene while I don't think Love Beyond the Grave's production team knows what a storyboard is.
The atmosphere and camera angle combined have made Love Beyond the Grave feels outdated, almost like older TV productions that the main goal is to simply push the story forward without creating moods or visual identity. They don't care to build any emotional engagement for the audience at all.
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🍅 Weak Supporting Cast
The supporting characters don’t help. Many of the extras feel exaggerated or flat. The ML’s female subordinate is particularly annoying, while the male subordinate leaves almost no impression at all. There are almost no memorable side characters.
The only one that feels natural is the child who follows the FL.
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🍅 What a Waste of Dilireba
I’ve always liked Dilireba. She’s capable and established enough to choose high-level projects. I don't know why she ends up surrounded by what feels like an inexperienced team across the board: directing, writing, cinematography, CG and even her co-lead. The result on the screen looks cheap.
There’s also a noticeable mismatch between her and the ML. It’s not just the maturity, but also the difference in acting.
And when she has to act with weaker actors, her own acting starts to feel less convincing as well. Instead of elevating the scene, she gets dragged down.
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Not my cup of tea!!
This drama is about the love between a mortal general, who had a rough past as an assasin and the Lord of Spirits who is 400year old.Duan Xu, played by Arthur Chen is revealed to be the spell bearer of He Simu, played by Diliraba, who can get her five senses through him and hence starts a love story of a spirit and a mortal.
The first 10 episodes seemed quite interesting and though it started becoming less interesting, still I managed to watch it. But after the arc where Duan Xu, our male lead enters the spirit realm, I somehow completely lost interest. I didn't find any interesting elements that would make you stay or make you wait for the next episodes eagerly.
When it reached episodes 25-26, I felt myself completely bored.
With no solid storyline, no progress as it proceeds further, not so well developed romance track(which was not at all entertaining for me)., I think this drama has disappointed me.
The only saving graces are the beautifully designed costumes, especially for the people in the spirit realm and the lavish sets that are my only reason to watch this far.
The acting of the actors was perfect.
But the characters they play didnt make me stay.
Personally I couldn't bring myself to like He simu's actions or character and as for Duan Xu, his character went downhill after few episodes.
Personally, its not my cup of tea or maybe I failed to understand the dynamics, but I lost interest in it.
Anyways, the first 16 episodes were good, imho.
This review is purely my opinion.
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A light hearted storyline about romance
I enjoyed watching this series, the playfulness of FL for being curious and openess such as being open to new experiences, asking "what if" questions, and having a "beginner's mind" that is willing to experiment without the need for perfection. Yet a strong decisive lead to make a good decision when she needs to. I love her curiosity about 5!senses and she acted perfectly. The ML is totally smitten by ML curiosity and intrigue by FL character. The two leads are indeed charming to watch , interesting pairing indeed. You could see the twinkle in ML s eyes how much he is drawn towards FL, it is magic chemistry between them.The story line is fresh to watch how the innocent of romance develops between the leads. Let’s see how the story develops till the end … at the moment I love the cute comedy, fun and entertaining story .
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A love that transcend worlds and time
Chemistry: on point! Cinematography: gorgeous! Nice story but we lost time on useless things sometimes so it felt like some part were draggy. Also, some part of the story were too predictable, it takes a away a bit of the fun to watch. But as someone who's not a wuxia/xianxia fan, I thoroughly enjoyed it. ^v^Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
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 bothalso 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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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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Chef's kiss
Everything about this drama is perfect. The story is exciting, the character plot is very intresting, the script is well written and acting are on point everyone acted so well based on their character. Best part is the cinematography and CGI that looked like straight from a mobile game. Great job to the cast and crew.Was this review helpful to you?
