Aya

I was really looking forward to watching this drama and overall I ended up enjoying it.

I will have to admit that while there were many things about this drama that I liked, there were also a few things I didn't.

One of the bigger things that I found lacking was the world building. The reason for that is because it's the foundation on which the story is built and if it's lacking or incomplete, it can easily ruin the whole story. In this drama what bothered me most was the lack of detail in explaining the immortal world. For example, by the end of the drama the whole world is in peril, but no other immortals even appear to help. The Heavenly Emissary constantly harps on the importance of the Infinite Stele, but no one lifts a finger to help protect it. But hey, they are always ready with their punishments. The only other immortals we get to see are the Four Venerables, but they are useless and a complete waste of screen time. Why were they even included? The problem I have with this is that we're never really given an explanation on the structure of the immortal world, it's rules, the hierarchy, ...

Another big problem I had was that I couldn't warm up to a lot of the supporting characters. They just didn't get enough screen time to develop into much more than caricatures. Admittedly, I also never warmed up to Zhang Suan, who did get enough screen time, but remained bland throughout the drama.

If there were a few more episodes these things might have been executed better.

That being said, the saving grace of this drama for me was the main couple. The two main leads had great chemistry and portrayed the characters convincingly. The thing I liked about them the most though was their dynamic. The two are perfect opposites right from their birth. And from the beginning to almost the end we are shown just how different they really are from superficial things to core values. When together they both clash and stubbornly try to prove that they are right. The most beautiful thing is that they are both not wrong. They just see the world from a different perspective. They both value different things and they are both right. Eventually, we are also shown the things they have in common and they both learn to see things from the other's perspective and find a balance, because right from the beginning while they may be perfect opposites, they are also a perfect pair once they find that balance. They are stronger together. That part of the story is executed beautifully.

In relation to the development of the two main characters, I liked the moral and philosophical themes that were explored.

Another thing that I liked was how visually beautiful this drama is. Everything looked stunning.

All in all, I enjoyed this rollercoaster journey.