Reviews

HERE ARE HONEST CRITICAL ANALYSIS

If there is one area where the drama undeniably shines, it is the aesthetic execution. The celestial realms are rendered with vibrant, saturated palettes that feel more 'magical' and less sterile than many low-budget peers. The evolution of the characters is reflected well in their attire, moving from the playful, airy silks of the early episodes to the heavy, regal garments of the finale. Moreover, the heavy lifting is done by the leads, though their chemistry is a point of connection for many viewers. Zhao Lusi brings her signature charm of the 'water beast' A-Yin. But for some, her early-game 'baby voice' performance can feel grating. Her transition into the powerful, colder Feng Yin is where she truly proves her range, offering a satisfying payoff. Wang Anyu delivers a solid performance as the hidden 'True God's son', but the script does him no favors. His character often falls into the 'misunderstanding martyr' trope, leading to a frustrating lack of communication that drives the plot's central conflicts.

However, the drama's biggest weakness is its reliance on recycled plot devices. Much of the angst is built on 'I'm doing this for your own good, but I won't tell you why.' In 2026, this trope feels increasingly tiring. Like many dramas in this genre, the plot relies heavily on characters spitting blood and sacrificing their cultivation or lives in a repetitive cycle that loses emotional impact towards the end. The middle act of the drama suffers from significant drag. The 'quest' to collect the immortal soul fragments feels formulaic: find a piece, fight a monster, have a misunderstanding, repeat. While the stakes are technically high ( the fate of the realms), the emotional weight doesn't always keep pace with the plot.

In conclusion, The Last Immortall is a comfort watch for die-hard Xianxia fans wholove the 'trials and tribulations' of star-crossed lovers. It doesn't surpass 'Ancient Love Poetry', but it offers enough spectacle and star power to be enjoyed if you go in with adjusted expectations.

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A treat!

Beautifully written.

A second chance to live, love, and conquer.

I love how straightforward both the main characters are in their second life. They were able to instantly resolve all the drama and tensions during their past life which then made them great allies and partners in the current life.

I also love how everything unfolded in the end. How secret enemies from their past life became their strongest allies in the current one. It’s beautifully written in a way that reminds us that once one changes their outlook and stance in life, another set of future becomes available.

This is also way different from other historical and political dramas as the main focus here revolves around the court politics and little to none about the common folk.

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Well-produced and well-acted Korean BL Vertical

I stumbled upon “Summer Indigo” as I was browsing through my iQiyi app late last night. I’ve seen my fair share of verticals and this is a very well-produced Korean BL that has a decent plot, good acting and chemistry.

“Summer Indigo” is a sports drama with the judo club as the setting, and not a romantic-comedy. The drama focuses on the relationship and romance between two team members, and the team's competitive dynamics, hierarchy and unspoken rules of the club. There’s a lot of unfairness and mistreatment that could be a trigger for some.

I am most impressed with the acting of the cast. With all of the actors being pretty new, there wasn’t a time when I felt cringiness or unease because of their acting. I like blondie’s acting the best, but the other two aren’t bad either. There are some cute scenes, but also some more emotionally charged ones as well. The chemistry of the leads is also great. I even felt bad for the young villain, despite him being a bully and doing other bad things. But once we get to know him more, his actions make sense (though not excusable).

If you are interested in checking out a Korean BL Vertical, this is a good one. It’s not easy to find a vertical (from any country) that is well-produced and doesn’t feel cheap, with a good-looking cast that can also act!



Completed: 2/18/2026 Review #667

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A remarkable turnaround ...

so I have watched couple of episodes from the animated series and wished they will do a live action version , yet when i watched the first episodes I couldn't bring myself to keep watching , still I gave it a chance and glad I did .

In the beginning you think it is gonna be a bunch of funny scenes without an actual plot but it get a great turnaround after xu yao's death, you begin to see that isn't gonna be as written in the book and as yu wayin predictions.

this was great on so many levels music , costumes , acting yet I can't tell if the actor who did prince duan did a great job or not like he is a villian to forget , not a strong antagonist for me , he did some bad deeds but the whole series he was only plotting and whenever he tried to carry out his plan it failed and it wasn't even due to wanyin's knowledge of the book because everything deviated from the book , it was like Dan was always one step ahead , yet actor did a really go job in making me hate his character .

xie yong er 's death was so rushed like she dead and they gave her a 2 or 3 minutes and that is it and it wasn't mentioned again except briefly , I wished she and cuihua would have met in the real world .

I hoped they would give zhang san and cuihua more screen time when they returned to the real world.

empress dowager kept saying she hated Dan's father , we later found she was from Qiang, wished we got more background on that like how she ended in Xia was a marriage alliance , a hostage ??

when it came to dramatic scenes this series delivered , was it perfect NO but nonetheless it was great and deserves to give it a go.

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I. enjoyed It

I have seen many Mixed thoughts on this one, what is understanding I feel like this one is not For Everyone. So where we go my thoughts about. I like the acting i thought it was done so well the Makeup the zombie just everything about that was done so well in my opinion. Then are some Top BL actors in this and see them playing something Different is nice 🥹. I feel some characters was annoying hey that out of the show.. Did I wish they died yes lol.. it could be but slow I feel more to the End of the the drama but it kinda made sense tho cuzs we was getting more the full story and what was happening.. But of your into Zombies and wanna see some or one of your favorites in this I well have to say check it out.. then is a opening ending so then is going to be a S2..

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A high quality political historical drama

Grandeur in nature; this was a highly political historical drama of 48 episodes length based on real events (maybe not entirely but that’s up for discussion!) that occurred during the five dynasties and ten kingdoms. It focused mainly on the kingdom of Wuyue up until it surrendered peacefully to the Song Dynasty in 978 to spare its people from war.

Song China has been one of the well-known dynasties due to its success but I love how the drama had given spotlight to a smaller but thriving kingdom in Wuyue who’s often overlooked in history. It showed us the rise and the changes within Wuyue, the problems it faced, the things they implemented for its success, and the events that led up to its surrender to Song. On the other hand, we were also given a peak of the chaos in the central plains along with the changing of dynasties that occurred. With only 48 episodes, I think the drama tried its best to cover all the events mentioned above (which was a pretty good feat!).

From the first minute of the first episode, you could tell immediately that this is a top-tier content. This may not be an easy watch with all the characters being thrown to the viewers throughout the drama. YES it was confusing at first, but as the story progresses, you will eventually get familiar with all the characters and the role they play. I believe neither of the characters were good nor bad, but rather they were simply focused on doing what was best for their state. The only characters that I disliked were the young successors who were easily manipulated or were too foolish to rule.

The performance of every single cast is nothing short of remarkable, with seasoned and stellar actors delivering nuanced portrayals of their characters. The delivery of their lines was brilliant, and you could feel the intensity in every word they drop. I came here for Zhu Yawen but ended up loving every cast, most especially Bai Yu. The portrayal of Bai Yu as Qian Chu was phenomenal. He was able to give the youthful energy that the young Hong Chu should have, and at the same time, he was amazing with depicting the older, weary King of Wu Yue. Zhou Yutong may have not a lot of scenes, but her portrayal as Sun Taizhen certainly deserved applause. I remember watching her in the beginning when she barely had any lines and yet her facial expressions were enough to convey the character’s subtext and complex emotions.

The drama also gave a dash of romance between Qian Chu and Sun Taizhen, but I love that it was not distracting to the plot at all! They may probably be my favourite couple despite barely having any scenes together. They met when they were kids, grew up together, went through adventures and challenges together, and built life and family together. Despite minimal physical intimacy, the audience could still feel the characters’ deep mutual understanding and affection.

The production demonstrated exceptional quality and artistry, particularly through its authentic set designs and costumes. The music was no less exquisite with it seamlessly matching each scene. The narrative primarily features ministers and officials engaged in discussions concerning state affairs, with dialogue taking precedence over action. I find these conversations interesting, offering substantial value and insight. The dialogues were well-written that I often find myself repeating a scene just so I could take in what has been said and understand its complexity in its entirety. I thought I would get bored at some point, but that point did not come when watching this. The plot moved rapidly as it involves multiple shifts in power, numerous deaths, and constant changes throughout. The drama started strong and it kept its audience engaged until the end.

Although this drama is well-produced, it may appeal mainly to history enthusiasts familiar with the era or have deep passion in learning history rather than casual viewers. That being said, please still do give this drama a try! This was a heavy watch but so so worth it in the end.

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Good message lost in slow and light story-telling

I had started to watch this drama back when it aired in 2024 but dropped it relatively quickly because I didn't feel that there was much story. I now picked it up again and watched a few minutes here and there -- and once I got into the second half, I even enjoyed the series.

The first six or so episodes tells us how a star and a normal guy get together -- and the second half deals with the consequences. Where the first part is extremely predictable, the latter part had potential to become much more interesting, but it didn't: It still remained mostly light and soft, and because of that, it felt a bit superficial.

I do have to commend the writer for their dedication to their vision: None of the conflicts lasted long, the relationship between the two main characters was extremely stable and notable for their good communication.
Unfortunately, combined with the length of twelve episodes à one hour, that means that the whole thing starts to feel quite slow and even a bit boring. What's more, the incredibly important message gets lost in between the sweetness of the main couple.
Because this drama picks up a topic that I think fans in our modern world should be aware of: How social media blur the lines between the public persona of a celebrity and them as a private person even more. How fans think a celebrity is a commodity they can "play with" instead of a human being with feelings. How celebrities are dependent on their fans' goodwill. How "ships" and the heteronormativity of society impacts celebrities' lives and livelihoods.
And also, for the second couple, the topic of (internalized) transphobia, with a trans woman who, for once, is shown as a human being instead of as a comedy plot point (and she's played by a trans woman too!)

These themes are all there in the plot -- they just could have been used for more emotional impact. Since the main couple's relationship is so stable, the external problems could have made for an exciting contrast: Let the problems spiral for much longer, let the stakes rise higher -- so that the sweetness of the couple has something to balance out. And would that not have made the win in the end much more satisfying?

Alas, the writer had other ideas, and if they don't align with mine, then that's that. However, even so, there are a few aspects that did not help.
For one, the first five or six episodes were too slow in story telling, especially as it's mostly set-up for the actual plot. Also, some scenes don't have any impact for the later story (e.g. when a character repeatedly shows up in the "wrong" clothes for his internship), some scenes just went on slightly too long.
I also don't think the directing was particularly inspired. While most of the actors were showing a slightly-above average for newbies in a Thai BL, they obviously needed more and better directing -- often I found myself thinking "This is too static." or "Why are they just standing around?" More movement, more interesting camera angles, different placements of characters, even more interesting lighting would have helped a lot. As soon as the actors get something to do, their performance becomes much better, and the scenes much livelier and much more engaging.

And as a last point, I need to talk about Krommatha's characterization because that was the one point where the drama dropped the ball. The screenplay tries to tell us that Krommatha and Fueang don't follow the usual heteronormative seme/uke dynamics. They even talk about who will top and who will bottom during sex -- a scene that quite a few viewers loved.
But from the very first minute we meet Krommatha, it's obvious that *he* is the bottom/uke. From his pastel and wide-cut clothing and his softer haircut to his teenaged-girl behaviour when he talks about his crush with his friends, he is the stereotypical BL bottom. Dear writers and producers, if you're not going to commit, don't give me lip-service.
What I did love about Fueang and Krommatha was that the screenplay showed us how much a new couple (both of them, not just the top!) in their honeymoon phase is obsessed with getting it on and generally being all over each other, even if it's just sitting closely together in a more public setting. I missed that in some other soft-and-gentle Thai BLs.


Was it good?
It had a good story to tell, but was hindered by slow story-telling, static scenes and the writer obviously committing to the "soft and light" style instead of tightening the pace and heightening the potential external conflicts.

Did I like it?
Not really. It was okay, but I like its potential more than the actual drama.

Who would I recommend it to?
Maybe to those who want light and "green flag" stories?

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Everything is perfect..♥️♥️

The Legendary Life of Queen Lau is a delightful and feel-good historical rom-com that keeps you smiling throughout. Everything feels perfectly balanced — the humor is genuinely funny, the romance is sweet without being overdramatic, and the characters are lovable in their own quirky ways. The female lead truly shines with her cleverness and bold personality, bringing life to every scene she’s in. The pacing stays smooth and engaging, making it easy to binge. If you’re looking for something light, charming, and heartwarming, this drama is absolutely worth the watch. ♥️

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