Shizuyo

I think the low rating is because people are trying to understand it as a time travel story, but this is a high fantasy, Möbius strip about the farthest boundaries of love. I mean one of the characters is an immortal who: 1. speaks in riddles, 2. has a talking familiar, 3. is in disappearing clock shop, 4. grants wishes.

So at first glance, this doesn't look like a xianxia story, until you start analysing the vibe. Sure's there's no wire work or epic hair jewelry but what is every xianxia story about? Discovering that you're stuck in a system you didn’t choose, coming to realize that you can’t escape it, and then deciding what kind of person you’re gonna be anyway because The Dao doesn’t care about your dreams, heaven is unfair, and breakthroughs aren’t guaranteed. There's no finish line. There's just you, the cultivation, and time stretching on forever.

Then The Myth of Sisyphus book shows up in episode 3. His whole deal is pushing a boulder up a hill and then watching it roll back down again. Forever. On paper that sounds miserable, and it surely is, but Camus’ whole point is that once Sisyphus understands the situation everything changes, because while the gods can control the hill and the rock, they can’t control his attitude. Gravity is the law. Repetition is his fate. There’s no rebellion arc where he can break free and live happily ever after.

So, you cultivate anyway, you roll the rock anyway, you try to save your boyfriend from dying for the N+1 time anyway.