This review may contain spoilers
My 2025 Favorite: The True Meaning of Home.
I had honestly lost hope in finding a drama I’d actually love—
until I stumbled on this masterpiece.
This show, for me, is the full package. The story, cinematography, direction, acting, music—everything was on point.
And the relationship between the leads? Absolutely beautiful. No toxic nonsense, no forced sad drama just for the sake of it. Just pure, heartfelt storytelling.
1. The Story
It’s fresh and different, which is rare in this genre. It’s so well written—no boring arcs or unnecessary drama. The emotions hit hard. I felt like my heart couldn’t take any more at times.
The female lead literally taught the male lead what warmth and “home” really mean. She stood up to the whole world for him, and always managed to balance her mission with what mattered most to her—him.
The Female Lead:
Whether in her first life or her second, I never felt annoyed by her character. She’s truly smart, strong, and independent—but still a girl who loves, who messes up, who laughs and cries. She takes responsibility, but her lighthearted, playful spirit made the whole drama feel warm.
Her love was beautiful and pure. She was both the perfect lover and the perfect teacher.
The Male Lead:
Totally my type. I loved his mood swings, loved how overly protective he was, and adored how naturally his character grew—from a rebellious student to a strict, wise teacher. It all flowed so smoothly, never felt off or forced.
I loved how much he cared for the people around him, his sacrifices, his regrets, his tears, and his smile.
Deng Wei absolutely killed it here. Genius-level performance. He made me feel every single emotion his character went through. It didn’t feel like acting—it felt real.
The Music:
The songs always hit at the right moments.
Though, I’ll admit, sometimes they got in the way when I was trying to read the subtitles.
The Downsides:
The pacing at the start could’ve been better. They could’ve spread the male lead’s flashbacks across more episodes.
The whole memory loss thing? Yeah… totally unnecessary.
The side characters were badly acted. Plus, way too many pointless ones that added nothing to the story.
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The drama is a masterpiece— so that I don’t even know where to begin.
The story: It's one of the most complex and intertwined plots I’ve ever seen, yet everything leads to a single point. It’s like a tangled mess of threads that all turn out to be part of the same string once you unravel it. What is good? What is evil? What’s right and what’s wrong? These questions will keep spinning in your head the whole time you’re watching. And by the end, it feels like you've been slapped in the face—in a way that makes you rethink life from the ground up. Despite the heavy themes, the events are both engaging and painful at the same time. But still, I couldn’t stop. After every episode, I just had to know what would happen next—no boredom at all.
The character connections in this drama are some of the best I’ve ever seen. Almost every character is linked in one way or another, with different kinds of relationships. This gave the story so many moments that explored human connections—their depth, their beauty, and their flaws—which made the whole thing feel incredibly real and emotionally powerful.
Character development: Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji in particular had phenomenal character arcs. Each of them stayed true to their own path and values, and through supporting each other in both good times and bad, they grew and shined even more. At a certain point, their relationship evolved into a deep mutual understanding, making the second half of the drama feel like a masterclass in human connection—mixed with a bittersweet sense of regret that came before that growth.
Cinematography and direction: It was good but not perfect. The drama had a low budget and weak CGI, especially since it’s not a recent production. But the strength of the story and the professionalism of the actors—especially the leads—more than made up for it.
Music: The soundtrack still lives in my heart. Every time I hear it, it’s like the whole show flashes before my eyes like a beautiful dream.
Flaws:
The first few episodes can be tough and confusing, especially for viewers new to this genre. Some of the supporting actors didn’t do a great job and occasionally pulled you out of the experience.
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Immortal Samsara—My All-time favourite Fantasy Romance Drama. this will be a spoiler-free review.
The main plot is strong and full of twists. Just because it’s a romance doesn’t mean they threw in a random story and expected us to fangirl over the leads and a their fluffy scenes.The female lead, Yan Dan is gorgeous, strong, smart, and talented. She speaks normally (no fake baby voice or clinginess), and she supports the male leads—she’s not constantly fainting into their arms or being helpless. Honestly, she's one of the best FLs I’ve ever seen: such a perfect balance of soft and strong. Compared to her, the male leads feel like the ones who need help sometimes😂 , yang zi did a great job portraying her role.
The second male lead loves her, sure, but he never annoys her with his feelings. He doesn’t get jealous or act petty toward the main lead. Instead, he respects both of them and handles things like a mature adult—not like the dramatic, toxic guys we usually get in these shows. Seriously, major respect.
The drama really focuses on what I love most: relationships and how we value them. It shows the love between siblings—Yan Dan and her sister's bond made me cry so much—and also love for parents (whether biological or not), mentors, friends who become like family… every kind of relationship, with both its good and painful sides. It's all there.
The side couples aren’t just filler—they actually show different, often heartbreaking 😭 love stories. The drama doesn’t sugarcoat romance or pretend it’s always beautiful; it really explores its darker, more painful sides too.
The locations and visuals are breathtaking. I could spend hours just staring at the walls, the curtains, the furniture, the costumes… each look is more stunning than the last. And don’t even get me started on the hair accessories 🥺✨🥺✨🥺✨🥺✨ Pure visual therapy. 💖💖
The soundtrack? Absolutely beautiful. Not a single annoying song. I’m adding them all to my Spotify and preparing myself to cry every time one comes on, because they all remind me of this show 😭🤧
I haven’t even talked about the main lead yet— A lot of people say Ying Yuan is just another cold, arrogant, overused type that girls fall for—but honestly? That’s just not true. From the very first scene, he was kind, funny, and never once looked down on Yan Dan. He appreciated her intelligence, played chess with her, and even when she made mistakes early on, he didn’t punish her harshly—they were literally playing together. Despite his high status and heavy responsibilities, he never lashed out or pressured anyone. He carried everything quietly and kept his emotions buried, but he still expressed them when he was alone. He was a real man—to his friends, followers, and everyone around him. Stubborn and self-sacrificing, sure… but honestly? Perfect husband. Perfect dad. Perfect boss/leader.
Cheng Yi truly outdid himself in this drama. He didn’t just play three characters—he became three completely different people.
Ying Yuan was calm, strict, and full of inner conflict—constantly torn between duty and love. You could see the love he was hiding in his heart just by looking into his eyes. It was like they were mirrors reflecting everything he felt inside. And those real tears… they hit so hard. Every scene where his heart was breaking—when he had to leave Yan Dan, when she misunderstood him, when she refused to come back to him—he made you feel every moment. I was shattered.
Then there’s Tang Zhou, the complete opposite. Open, kind, playful, and full of life—living freely among humans, far from the rules of the heavens. It felt like he was a totally different person, with no connection to Ying Yuan at all. That range?? Insane.
And finally, Xuan Ye. I don’t even need to say much—his story speaks for itself. He wasn’t just a “Demon Lord.” Even with the few episodes he had, Cheng Yi still managed to convey all the pain and struggle that shaped him. He made you understand him, even as a villain.
Even though the drama had over 60 episodes—and yeah, there were a few moments I didn’t like—and even though there were two endings (the original one and the extra episode ending), the depth of the story and how unique and well-written the characters were honestly made it easy to overlook those small flaws. I ended up really enjoying the entire journey, every single detail of it.
And in the end, I just want to say this:
Love—with all its beauty and pain—is hard, it’s heavy, and it’s also incredibly beautiful.
To find someone who truly loves you and accepts you as you are… that’s one of life’s most priceless treasures.
And the people around us who support us—our family, our friends—they’re the most beautiful part of life.
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This review may contain spoilers
Like the title says, "The Prisoner of Beauty"— but in the bad way.
This show is straight-up misleading. In the first few episodes, the male lead was giving strong, smart, wise vibes. He had that deep-rooted grudge in his heart that made him tough and cold on the outside, but supposedly a good guy deep down.They definitely exaggerated things to sell that whole “dark and broody” cliché image, especially early on, just to hook in the dark romance crowd.
Then comes the female lead—and no shade to the actress, ‘cause honestly, she did a great job. Too good, actually, ‘cause she had me mad irritated with how dry, emotionless, and confusing her character was. She’s supposed to be 15, but acts like she’s 40. It’s just so unrealistic. She’s like... dead inside. No joy, no fear, no reactions—like a damn robot. All just to match the male lead’s unstable personality and to fit into that “strong independent woman” trope everyone’s obsessed with lately.
But just ‘cause the writer wants her to seem “smart” doesn’t mean you gotta spell it out in every single line. Let her show it through her actions. The more they tried to make her look clever, the dumber they made the male lead seem. And that just doesn’t work for someone who’s supposed to be a ruler. He came off impulsive, obsessive, and lowkey toxic.
I really wanted to see a battle of wits between them—but nah, it turned into a cliché mess between a robot and a lovesick fool.
The drama started with wars and epic battles... now it’s just endless talking. The guy’s jealous of his cousin, the girl’s jealous of his ex, and the mom-in-law keeps starting drama. By episode 14, I still can’t tell how the girl even feels about him. The romance just doesn’t hit. Like, are we seriously supposed to believe this cold, intense guy would let a whole year go by without touching his wife just ‘cause she’s grieving? Nah, doesn’t add up.
And the girl—she’s clearly trying to play him, fake affection and all... but then sometimes it feels like she actually cares? She defends him, lifts him up in front of others... but at the same time, it’s like she’s just using him for her family's sake. In the end, I don’t feel anything.
And look—I love Liu Yuning, and I’ll admit his acting has gotten way better here.
But honestly? I gotta drop this drama. I’m done.
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