Everlasting Longing

A Captivating Journey: My Thoughts on Everlasting Longing

Some dramas entertain, some leave a lasting impression, and then there are those rare gems that completely immerse you in their world from the very first episode. Everlasting Longing falls into the latter category. With its stellar cast, gripping storyline, and beautifully crafted characters—both main and secondary—it offers an unforgettable viewing experience that kept me hooked until the very end.

A Stellar Cast That Brings the Story to Life

One of the standout aspects of EL is its exceptional cast. Every actor, from the leads to the supporting characters (and here I’ll admit I don’t remember perfectly the names apart from Xuan Lie and Jun Qi Luo so I won’t use them!) delivered performances that felt natural and emotionally engaging. The chemistry between ML and FL was undeniable, making their interactions feel authentic and deeply moving! At the same time, the secondary characters were given just as much care and depth, ensuring that no role felt unnecessary or one-dimensional. Instead of merely existing to fill gaps in the story, they added richness and complexity, making the drama feel more immersive.

A Perfectly Balanced Storyline

A drama’s success often lies in its pacing, and EL mastered this effortlessly. The blend of action, romance, political conversations or even all those explanatory monologues of the FL, created a well-rounded narrative that never felt rushed or dragged out. Each episode had just the right amount of suspense to keep viewers on edge, emotional depth to connect with the characters and the much-needed lighter moments in between that provided warmth and humor.

Enemies to lovers! The romance was so beautifully developed, allowing the relationships -both main and secondary- to grow naturally rather than feeling forced or overly dramatic. At the same time, the action sequences were thrilling and well-executed, adding an exciting dynamic to the story. Unlike some dramas that struggle to balance intense plotlines with emotional depth, this one struck the perfect equilibrium, ensuring that every scene held the viewer’s attention.

Breathtaking Sceneries and Cinematic Excellence

Visually, EL was a masterpiece. From sweeping landscapes to carefully curated set designs, every frame was stunning to look at. The cinematography played a huge role in elevating the storytelling, with beautifully captured moments that highlighted the emotions of the characters. Whether it was an intimate conversation, a breathtaking outdoor scene or an intense action sequence, the visuals enhanced the experience in the best way possible. Maybe the only thing that could be better were some cgi -scenes or creatures- but that was a minor mishap in all its perfection!

A Binge-Worthy Experience

Few dramas make me feel so invested that I binge-watch them in a short span of time, but this one did it. Each episode left me wanting more, making it impossible to stop watching (apart from the last episodes that weren’t yet on viki so I was forced to wait). The unpredictable twists, emotional depth and overall execution were so compelling that I found myself completely immersed.

Final Thoughts

Everlasting Longing is an absolute must-watch for anyone who loves a well-crafted drama with a perfect balance of action, romance, and engaging storytelling. The captivating characters, stunning visuals, and emotionally rich moments make it an unforgettable journey. Whether you’re a fan of the genre or just looking for a drama that will keep you hooked from start to finish, this one should be at the top of your list.

Would I recommend it? Without a doubt!

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Worth a watch

Despite other people's bad reviews, I liked this drama. Admittedly, it's not perfect and you'd have to overlook some of the unrealistic scenarios like:
1) Surviving a jump off a cliff and not suffering a miscarriage at that! They didn't show how she survived the fall and how she was rescued at all.
2) Qimin being alive after being stabbed to death which they also conveniently didn't show how and who treated his wounds and took care of him plus he was being sold as a slave when his Royal Surveillance guys could've rescued him from there in the 1st place and no need for Qingkou to rescue him

I liked the fast pacing and how the villains were caught early on and not being dragged out for long like a tiring endless battle in some dramas. For me, Weilong and Angela looked good together despite their 10-year age gap which doesn't show at all! I like strong female leads and Quiluo is definitely it. She's levelheaded and realistic, but she did succumb to a moment of weakness which resulted in her getting pregnant. I like how the characters weren't one-dimensional; they weren't all good and yet weren't all bad either (except for the Chancellor 😅). The most annoying character was the spoiled brat Princess Qingkou. I swear, most dramas have this kind of character! Lastly, Tiger Hu's song was so good it made me have last-song syndrome.

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Finally a new 2025 drama!!!

I am a person who enjoys watching dramas with a strong, smart, and useful female lead; and strong, masculine, intelligent male lead. What I also like about both the characters is that both of them are very scheming and I love that. The villains and some evil side characters are annoying and irritating, so the side actors did a good job on that. Some side characters are lovable like Shao Qimin (still sobbing internally for him) and Luo Qi (including the other good ones), Sun Zhaomin seem pretty chill but the problem is that there wasn't very much screen time for her or interaction between her and the female lead which I was hoping to see by the end. I adored their friendship.

The costumes are beautiful, especially Beixuan. I really love how they designed the costume for the princess Qingkou and Xuan Lie. The Beixuan style costume also look gorgeous on Jun Qiluo.

I feel that Jun Qiluo is very decisive and kind of cruel in her ways of trying to protect Xuan Lie. The lack of communication in this chemistry lowkey annoys me. Other than that, I am so glad that them two were able to stop with the nonsense with each other.

The princess is naive and annoying but I kinda grew fond of her near the end, at least she has some useful talents and can fight.
I was really hoping that Shao Qimin eventually falls for her and accept her love for him because I noticed that he kind of likes her (deep down he still cares about Qiluo more). The princess still need to grow up. I feel like she needs some character development because she seems the same throughout the whole drama.

The ending felt kind of rushed, I was hoping that they showed Xuan Lie and Jun Qiluo with their children. I also wanted to see how Princess Qingkou is doing without her Shao Qimin. I noticed many flaws and things I didn't really like, but most importantly, I truly enjoyed this drama since the first time I watched it. I'd watch it again to understand some plots better and part that I might have missed.

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"My heart yearned,my heart burned"

Do you know why it was called eternal longing?

It was a story of the three men who fell so hard but for painful reasons they couldn't be together with the women they loved. The first supporting ML fell in love with the woman,who forcefully owned by the emperor and the second supporting ML fell in love with the woman whose heart belonged to the wolf lord.

Yes the wolf lord,the male lead who fell in love with the noble merchant. Nay this was not your typical arranged marriage,this was a hard fight,this was you and me against all odds. She couldn't marry him,she was neither a female general nor a princess.

Did I shed some tears? I did.The most painful scenes were all the wedding scenes. The wolf lord was arranged to the princess,and the noble merchant was arranged to the knight of the king. Two different clans that forbidden to cross paths but still found each other because of fate. I was always on edge,always shouting don't marry him/her!! Suspense but sometimes funny. Calm but most of the time storm.

The physical features? Man! the first time I saw them I fell in love. I love the cute expression,the in love expression and the fierce expression.

The acting skills were awesome,they naturally executed it,but the writer was clever,it was beautifully written. This drama opened another world for me,another perspectives,sometimes I felt I was there together with the
characters.

This is a romantic story that will make your heart flinch but indeed they would still give you a satisfying ending.

My regret? Am I too late to discover this precious hidden gem?

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The Business Woman and a the Desert Prince

Everlasting Longing (Starring Angelababy and Song Weilong) is a Chinese Costume Drama that tells the story of a strong willed women who takes over the family merchant business. Of necessity, she poses as her older dead brother. This smart woman knew that the Merchant Guild would not accept a woman. Her business acumen far exceeds that of any man and she becomes a dominant force in the Guild. She is envied by all and targeted by many who are jealous of her business success. Along the way, this self-willed woman is captured by a rouge desert Prince, who does not know who she is. She tells him that she is a lowly maid. He recognizes her gifts and decides to keep her as his. That is not going to work for her.

I like Everlasting Longing (2025). However, the script seems wanting, as the spoken translated words seem immature. I started to shelf this drama, but decided to give it a chance. There is always the possibility that the problem with the dialog is not the writer’s words, but the problem may be with the translation team. This is a Chinese drama. It is no telling how Everlasting Longing plays in the native Chinese language.

Nonetheless, I began to rationalize this point, that unpaid volunteers translate these dramas (on VIKI). One has to realize that the viewers are secondary spectators. The words we get are filtered through someone else’s lenses, but without these volunteer translation teams, I would understand zero percentage of a foreign drama. Zero. The words are simplistic, but fortunately the action, costumes, acting and general settings drives this Action Wuxia Romance drama full of Intrigue and Revenge. This makes Everlasting Longing work for me.

This experience prompts me to alert everyone who lends their expert opinions to rate Foreign Language dramas. Some may underrate a good drama because the words don’t flow. The words are not flowery or poetic as I would expect a script writer to produce. However, I could not put down this Chinese Drama, Everlasting Longing. It is not a simple job to translate an emotion through words from a translated foreign language. That is why Foreign Language interpreters get paid high dollars when they can do this, transfer the emotional intent of the words spoken into their translation of the foreign language. We may not be getting the drama as presented in the native language, but we are getting a good drama.

Secondarily, this just might be the fault of the writers of Everlasting Longing. The writers may have paid more attention to the action than to actually connecting the action with wonderful words in between. With two powerhouse Chinese actors like Song Weilong and Angelababy adding their expertise to Everlasting Longing, most viewers will not be disappointed.

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Poorly directed

I really wanted to like this show, but there were so many problems with the world building that you were thrown out of the story, thinking, “that doesn’t make sense.” If you are someone who doesn’t care if the story/plot makes a lot of sense or offers something new, then this drama is for you. Each episode, from what I’ve seen, consists of the writer/director wondering which trope or situation they will include. Below are 4 examples of what I’m saying.
1. The tired trope of a woman with fine skin, delicate bone structure, and thin frame passing herself off as an adult man. No one notices because her hairstyle and clothes are masculine. Sitting with her legs apart doesn’t make her look manly.
2. The female lead has been captured and escapes. The ML runs after her. They start by a river and a nice forest. Soon they are running through the dangerous desert. (Lost in the desert, surviving without water). A sandstorm comes. She is buried but emerges with every hair in place. He is flat on the ground, laying neatly. No one is hurt by flying grains of sand. They walk for hours/days (unclear) even though they didn’t run far to get in the desert.
3. Just as they see trees, they are attacked by wolves! She manages to miraculously make a bow and arrows with enough draw power to kill a wolf. Amazing!
4. Later (episode 3), the ML and his buddy are in danger from their enemies. He sends her off quickly to ask for help from a friend. However, she decides to take the time to put on female clothes and fix her hair nicely, complete with jewelry. No rational reason exists for this.
Many more things make no sense, I just could not continue. There are so many shows to choose from, I couldn’t spend my time on this one.

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