Jojo

It has been a while since I watched a xianxia, and this was a perfect choice to take me out my costume drama slump. I was entertained from start to finish. It had all the elements of a typical xianxia, but instead of repeating it note by note, it somehow exceeded my expectations with the usual setup. A grumpy immortal cursed by fate, sealed on top of the mountain, meets a modern-day office worker who accidentally gatecrashes into a mystical realm. This is equal parts romantic, tragic and humorous.

✨ Character Sketch :

🔥 Sima Jiao: At first glance, he is this powerful, cold and revenge-hungry being who was buried alive for 500 years. He is called "Lord of Mercy", which I thought was a cruel joke, looking at his terrifying exterior, but then, as we went on, I started to sympathise and ultimately understand him and his actions. I don't blame his rage because imagine being trapped and isolated for so long, that is bound to mess anyone up.
For him, trust is dangerous, but once our frost fish navigated through that icy mask, we are introduced to a very soft, tired and lonely Sima Jiao.
What I really liked about his journey was how we were able to witness the growth step by step. It wasn't some 180 overnight turn. He was still slightly grumpy, sarcastic and broody guy we saw at the start, but also Sima Jiao, who can now express care, jealousy and finally break out of his shell and trust people.

🐟 Coming to our Frost fish, Liao Tingyan: She healed what she didn't break. She isn't your typical female lead. She is a chill, go with the flow person with a great sense of humour who was thrown into this mystical world and all she does is try to stay alive without losing her mind. And she is lazy! She doesn't care about power, scheming or fighting. All she wanted was to go on a vacation and chill. I liked how her character was unbothered about the materialistic things like fate or power. And when I say unbothered, I don't mean careless. Initially, she did come as a damsel in distress at times, but if I put into perspective that this cultivation world, full of immortals and demons with deep-rooted grudges, must be so new to her, it kind of softens that feeling.
Her relationship with Sima Jiao was definitely the highlight of this drama. I loved how she treated him as "human" and not some terrifying beast people portrayed him as. Sometimes she was an annoying roommate, sometimes the boss and eventually someone who calms him down. To understand that "normalness" is exactly what he needed. She was the sunshine in the storm and what our demon lord wanted and needed.

❤️ Chemistry between Tingyan and Jiao: Ohh, to be loved by Sima Jiao !! <3
The romance was absolutely top-tier here. I can find no flaws in it. I loved them together. It amazes me how Sima Jiao would scare everyone, but suddenly is such a soft and understanding person to Tingyan and would bend backwards to make her happy. And the passion...so intense. I liked how much balance they both bring together. She always kept him in check, and he somehow accepted her with all her quirks. The sweet banter, the tension and the unwavering devotion to each other made their romance so much better.
And the kisses...
In all the lifetimes, Jiao and Tingyan would never stop choosing each other.

✨ The drama has 3 arcs -

Immortal Realm Arc: Building it
Demon Realm Arc: Breaking it apart
Human Realm Arc: Rebuilding it

🤝 Immortal Realm Arc: The first arc where all the stage is set. This is the strongest and my favourite arc. The first 19 episodes had me in a chokehold. It had everything from humour to the ultimate journey of Sima Jiao being ruthless to lovesick.

🗯️ Demon Realm Arc: This is where all the real drama and angst began. We experience all the emotions here, from shock to grief to longing to vulnerability to some xianxia kind of action. This is where we see a new Tingyan who is now a part of this cultivation world. And a Sima Jiao who would go to any lengths to make her happy.

🥰 Human Realm Arc: This last arc of this drama, and somehow, the romance overpowered everything. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed it, but I felt too much was happening in the last few episodes. Though all the ends are neatly tied, it felt a bit messy. We also got a very xianxia-coded ending, and I have no complaints.

✨ Supporting Characters :

🐍 Hei Nianju: My little loyal serpent companion was endearing from start to finish. I loved his bond with Sima Jiao, and I also liked how Sima Jiao treated him with respect. I really liked his character growth, except for his love line with Ruling.

🤷🏻‍♀️ Ye Ruling: She was a character I just couldn't like. In my opinion, she got off very easily. The whole lack of a redemption arc felt very partial. I kept waiting for little snake to bring that up, but as they say, love blinds people. She was okay in the second and third arc, but I couldn't bring myself to forgive her for the 1st arc.

💢 Shi Qianlu: Our main antagonist was truly despicable. He was every bit evil from start to finish and was definitely cunning. There are a few loopholes around how he gets things done (Eg: How did he find the FL before the ML, even after being injured to death). I also felt he overstayed his welcome. A little too much screen time was given to him.

😒 Fen Qi: He was the second male lead, and, except for bringing in the jealousy arc, he came off as stupid. What he called love was just a mere illusion of a person who doesn't exist. I didn't find him too compelling, but rather very obvious. I mean, I knew from the very start he would be swayed easily and cause unnecessary chaos.

😠 Sima Shi : I understand Sima Jiao's hostility towards me. I did understand him as leader but as a father , he failed big time. I really wished instead of him, we had interactions with Sima E instead. But the exchange with him brought a whole new development to the story, so I am not too mad about it but still...

✨ Acting: The leads were fabulous.
Arthur Chen was fabulous as Sima Jiao, especially in the emotional scenes where a lone tear stole all the show. He was the ultimate Sim Jioa. No ifs and buts. Wang Yin Lu as Tingyan was a refreshing and apt pick. She had great comic timing without making it feel too forced. The rest of the cast also brought their A-game. I have no major complaints in this department.

✨ Writing & Production: CGI definitely could have been better at times, but it wasn't distractingly bad. The costumes and make-up were beautiful throughout, except for the fish costume of Tingyan. I felt the makeup was a bit juvenile. Cinematography was beautiful, especially when they were in Soul Manor. The black and white costumes with vibrant background were definitely a bold and beautiful choice. The OSTs are beautiful too and complement the scenes so well.

Coming to writing, if you watch a lot of xianxia with a cultivation theme, you might find a few cliché tropes here. That being said, props to the writing for effortlessly blending the modern lingo. I loved this. (Touch the fish still makes me giggle.) The pacing does feel a bit slow in the middle, might frustrate you too, but I assure you it's all seemed worth it to me.

Overall, this drama isn't without flaws, but if you are someone who enjoys romance, this is a treat. It is chaotic but somehow very wholesome.
I would 100% recommend it. Not for the out-of-the-box premise because it isn't but for Sima Jiao's journey of choosing love when trauma has shaped you. For Liao Tingyan, to show you don't need to "fix" him but support and be there for them. And their beautiful relationship that surpasses the test of time and generations.

Thank you for reading my review! <3 I hope you enjoy the drama as much as I did.