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The Immortal Ascension Continues to Do Well Hitting 10100 Heat in Youku But Starting to Get Criticism for the Two Female Leads and the Production Visuals

A Koala's Playground Posted on by

We’re now 5-days into the airing of The Immortal Ascension on Youku as we start off the month of August with this being the biggest budget C-drama to air this summer. So far so good, with a quick start and strong pacing to reach 10100 heat index already, and the early reviews of male lead Yang Yang not being oily or greasy (i.e. self aware of his own handsomeness) remains. However, there are now criticism coming out that neither female lead Jin Chen or Zhao Xiao Tang are doing well in acting or charisma, and the only actress in the main cast to get more positive reviews so far is third female lead Zhao Qing. Netizens are saying it’s just one of those weird situations where the worrying element before the airing which was Yang Yang’s acting and presence is not a problem but then there are other problems popping up instead. But the feedback isn’t overwhelming the strong airing and steady buzz so far so all in all this one looks to be on track to remain a much needed hit for Yang Yang.

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The Immortal Ascension Continues to Do Well Hitting 10100 Heat in Youku But Starting to Get Criticism for the Two Female Leads and the Production Visuals — 33 Comments

  1. Lol this is so laughable, guess the show isn’t doing too well and they need someone to blame lol. I’m up to episode 11, the female lead made her appearance in episode 5 and so far she shows up for about 5 minutes per episode.

    Yang Yang has about 90% of the screen time lol so of course it’s someone else’s fault that it’s not doing well lol.

    Of course it has nothing to do with thrilling a$$ scenes like Yang Yang doing yoga meditation, Yang Yang watering plants or Yang Yang eating a peach instead of focusing on other characters or side stories lol

    All of the other characters have been reduced to cameos or extras they appear at the start of an episode and are dead or abandoned at the end of the next episode lol

    • Someone always has to take the blame for not meeting some expectations. The advantage of big IPs is that they rarely have a problem reaching 3000+ viewers while being criticized. A easy mean to produce a hit. This is one of the reasons why fandoms fights because they want them for their favorites.

    • Huh? In what way does this article say the drama didn’t do well? Isn’t reaching 10,100 heat index in the first 5 days like… crazy good?

      And if you complain about the meditation and plant-tending scenes, probably this drama is not for you? Because as someone who’s not a Yang Yang fan (seriously, I made a mistake by starting this on a weekday because I thought I would drop it within 1–2 episodes, but ended up losing my sleep instead), I found those scenes actually charming.

      This drama is very classic, with us as viewers following the journey of someone from zero to hero. It’s not without flaws, but I agree with people in Koala’s article.. the flaws are actually in the CGI and the female leads who… yeah, the one with charm is actually the one with the least screen time.

      And honestly, miraculously, it’s Yang Yang and other characters acting that made me stay despite the obviously fake props and CGI.. It’s like watching a play where you know the props are obviously fake, but you still enjoy it because the actors show pure joy when they see a fake dragon or experience flying for the first time..

      • As they say one person’s trash is another person’s treasure lol

        I would highly recommend this show to people who like to watch others meditate during yoga, who like to watch old people do tai chi in the park, people who like to watch grass grow or laundry dry and watch trees move in the wind lol

        or people who like bad CGI because it reminds them of old tvb dramas from the early 90s lol

        And yes let’s all critize the women for not being young enough or pretty enough to join Yang Yangs harem, I guess that’s part of the entertainment in these kind of shows where there’s not much else going on story wise lol

      • ??? No one said that (or at least I didn’t, the article didn’t either) I f you translate doing well in acting and charisma = young and pretty, then the problem is you. For me someone can be charismatic even tho they have ordinary face and old, as long as they good at acting

    • Most of the negative comments are about her visuals. If you believe her acting is any worse than Yang Yang’s who is mainly known for his looks and often criticized for his poor acting then that’s says more about your bias than her acting talent lol

      Lol the first time (and only time ) I saw Yang Yang was in who rules the world and I didn’t think he was that bad though I did eventually drop it half way because of his bad acting, he is even worse in this both bland, monotonous and non discript it’s difficult to believe he has 10 plus years of experience.

      • At least for me it is not about visual. Honestly, I legit thought 2FL was just an extra character before I read this article.. she just didn’t exude any charisma and yeah, I do think her acting kinda bland. For 1st FL… she just didn’t have enough strong charisma for someone who’s supposed to be an Elder..

        And like I said, I’m not a Yang Yang fan. At least you didn’t drop Who Rules the World until halfway.. I DID. And don’t even get me started on his most beloved role in Love O2O, I couldn’t even get past episode 1. The only drama of his I actually finished (though I skipped a lot) was The King’s Avatar, and that was only because I love the original IP.

        So yeah, I’m surprised too that this is the drama where his acting finally worked for me. He just matches the character really well.. and I don’t think he is bad this time.. instead he finally learn of subtlety (which is the opposite of his usual ‘oily’ acting). And if you find that bland… mmm.. okay?

    • @Rrrt
      Him watering plants or meditating all the time was annoying AF , the drama have no plot or so whatever, just fictional world ab YY ,I thought his acting was good but the drama is horrible and boring ,nothing worth watching, FL? I don’t think there is any FL in this drama .

      • @Merry
        And Yang Yang pulling pills out of his …….lava pit, is it 2 pills or 5… the suspense lol so many absolutely thrilling scene lol

        I’ve stopped the rage watching, I was watching for Wang Duo who I think is an excellent actor but he only has 1-2 minutes of screen time (first appearance is episode 9) it’s not worth it, it’s not enough screen time to develop a character.

        @ordinary

        I haven’t seen the worst of Yang Yang s projects that’s probably why I don’t see the improvement. Even with whatever improvement, he is an idol actor to the bone and if you didn’t know him you would think it was his first day being an actor.

    • So true. Everyone is a tool for a Mary Sue of a ML to use. Also, the acting is so casual. Ok, I have to kill, no problem, done! Make pills in 5 minutes, no problem, done! Learn extremely rare and difficult move, no problem, can do in 30 secs. I will be in all right places to overhear important plot points. The whole show is plot armor and silly.

  4. I actually thought his acting has gotten better based on the fact that I can interpret his feelings based on his facial expression. Am I the only mad one here 😆😆
    I was distracted by Gina’s nose she didn’t need to do PS, she is very pretty.

    • If this is better acting, actors need to go back to school. The ML is not doing anything besides walking happily with a bobbing ponytail. He cannot even turn his head, it so stiff. It’s like a millennial in cultivation world. Standing out like a sore thumb.

  5. really disgusting, failed to bring down Yang Yang and the Drama, now they attack the female lead
    this is not about reviewing the drama anymore but cyber bullying. The media also act like they never go to school
    no manner publishing something like crooked mouth. How is the woman feeling getting mocked like that ?
    But they have the last laugh, 10,100 heat index, (if they say index being manipulated…..even Legend of Zhanghai
    unable to cross 10,000) this is like slapping their face so hard
    mock what you want, the drama is success

    • Are the comments about the female lead really that bad? I’m honestly asking because I don’t really follow C-news and mainly get my updates on C-dramas from this site

    • Wait…didn’t Legend of Zang Hai already cross 10,400 on Youku’s heat index? I remember even Koala reported it before.
      Anyway, this is an article about The Immortal Ascension. Not sure why some keep bringing Legend of ZangHai into the comments. Let’s just let this drama shine on its own without unnecessary comparisons. Each story deserves its own space….

    • What are you talking abut? Legend of Zanghai holds the record for Youku, 10465. It is the first drama that ever went over 10400. It also broke 10000 much faster than Immortal.

      It is not the only one that did good. First frost also did great 10331, just below that and then the Zhao Lusi drama The story of Pearl girl, 10327

      I understand people being passionate but don’t lie.

      • the fastest to reach above 10,000 in 3 day
        broken LZH record….thats according to chinese media

  6. This is Yang Yang blaming others because the drama isn’t as successful as it should have been for such a great IP. He is getting mocked on Chinese sns for this behavior as he should be. He is the absolute lead of this drama and he still has the guts to say it is someone else’s fault.

    Pathetic behavior, especially as while drama isn’t doing great, it isn’t doing terribly. It is basically mid and will probably hit around 27-30 mil average on Yunhe which isn’t a fail. But his ego can’t take that it is not a huge hit so he is being a trash human.

  7. I think people will always criticise the drama just because it’s an idol drama? Is Yangx2 actually dissing Gina? I thought she acted quite well but I am easily entertained. If I wanted some real thought provoking drama, maybe I should go to my Netflix/prime/disney. Anyway it’s all for entertainment, none of these people are creating cures for cancer we can all chill out 😆
    What’s wrong with website? I can’t get the latest article 😩

  8. I have not really started watching this drama except the first 15mins. Just checking is Yang Yang relationship with Gina Chen’s characters similar to Yang Guo and Xiao Longnu? Mentor & disciple? or equal status?
    I am just curious.

  9. Oh my fav’s drama was tagged again in an irrelevant blog. LOL. See how ppl just can’t get over XZ. They are obsessed or bitter!? LOL.

  10. Every drama- not matter how successful – gets criticism about one thing or another. For the sake of the actors and production, I’m glad the drama is finally airing and doing well overall.

    I have to admit that I find Jin Chen’s acting offputting, but since this is a malecentric drama with the guys occupying most the screentime, I can’t see her having a such a negative effect. I find the production visual looks muted and dated for such a big budget production in 2025, but it’s also sort of refreshing in a nostalgic way (for us older viewers).

    Yang Yang’s acting is still comes off a bit “I’m acting!” to me, but he seems better suited to being an ordinary guy on his path to greatness rather than confident, hot-shot male lead.

  11. YY definitely has done something to his face. He looks like Lee DaHun from Hotel DeLuna. The drama is Harry Potter without soul.

    • NO. Yang Yang never had plastic surgery in his life. Have you seen Yang Yang childhood photos? He is exactly THE SAME LIKE TODAY!

    • YANG YANG neved had plastic surgery in his life. You can see his childhood photos and it’s clear that his face still looks the same until TODAY!

  12. Yang2 is back on top , from many publication in China Web :
    https://www.msn.com/zh-cn/news/other/%E5%89%A7%E9%9B%86%E8%A7%92%E8%89%B2%E6%96%B0%E5%AA%92%E4%BD%93%E6%8C%87%E6%95%B0-%E9%9F%A9%E7%AB%8B%E8%BF%9E%E7%BB%AD%E7%99%BB%E9%A1%B6-%E9%82%93%E5%A6%8D%E6%8E%92%E7%AC%AC%E4%BA%8C-%E8%90%A7%E5%8C%97%E5%86%A5%E4%BD%8D%E5%88%97%E7%AC%AC%E4%B8%89/ar-AA1JVP88?ocid=msedgntp&pc=ASTS&cvid=7eebc9f5e0454d749902f832b30e2214&ei=5

    https://www.msn.com/zh-cn/news/other/%E6%9D%A8%E6%B4%8B-%E5%87%A1%E4%BA%BA%E4%BF%AE%E4%BB%99%E4%BC%A0-%E7%88%86%E4%BA%86-%E9%87%91%E6%99%A8%E6%BC%94%E5%8D%97%E5%AE%AB%E5%A9%89%E6%88%90%E6%83%8A%E5%96%9C-%E5%AF%BC%E6%BC%94%E9%80%89%E4%BA%BA%E7%9C%BC%E5%85%89%E5%A5%BD%E7%BB%9D/ar-AA1JRtTB?ocid=msedgntp&pc=ASTS&cvid=e60478ffc17e467694ecf9ce27fe2bf7&ei=11\

    https://www.msn.com/zh-cn/news/other/%E5%87%A1%E4%BA%BA%E4%BF%AE%E4%BB%99%E4%BC%A0-%E6%BC%94%E6%8A%80%E5%A4%A7%E8%B5%8F-%E6%9D%A8%E6%B4%8B%E9%87%8D%E6%96%B0%E5%A4%BA%E5%9B%9E%E5%B1%9E%E4%BA%8E%E8%87%AA%E5%B7%B1%E7%9A%84%E8%8D%A3%E8%80%80/ar-AA1JTbqu?ocid=msedgntp&pc=ASTS&cvid=57719b80fb584c38a28694935c2afef6&ei=7

  13. the chinese media and netizen now majority said Yang yang back on top
    And on the latest the drama character new media index ranking
    1. Han Li (Immortal Ascension)
    2. Deng Yan (Sword Rose)
    3. Xiao Bei Ming
    4. Yan Chi
    5. Nan Heng
    6. Jiang Qiaoxi
    7. Zhang Hai
    8. Qin Wan
    9. He Weifang
    10. Li Qingyue

  14. I like the C-drama and Yang Yang but I don’t like those women encounter him they are all ugly and is not suitable for him especially Gina Jin pretends to be a good acting role, and I heard she has surgery to her face to look pretty. And other women should replace good Chinese actress such Tifanny Tang, Yang Zi, Zhao Lusi, Liu Hao Cun, Shen Yue, Yang Mi, Xing Fei, Janice Wu, Wan Peng, Ju Jung Yi, Angelababy, Tian Xi Wei.

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