Short Review: Love Never Fails (2025) 落花时节又逢君
Summary: In the Heaven Realm, at the once-in-a-century Blossom Festival, the immortal lord Jin Xiu 锦绣 (ft Liu Xueyi 刘学义) is boldly confessed to by the demon Hong Ning 红凝 (ft Hu Yixuan 胡意旋). She declares her wish to become his divine queen. However, she is told that immortals and demons are inherently different. She holds onto a single promise from Jin Xiu and embarks on a long path to become immortal. Hong Ning finally ascends to the heavens only to learn that he has married someone else. Heartbroken, Hong Ning turns away, abandons her the immortal path, and chooses to fall into eternal reincarnation. Unbeknownst to her, Jin Xiu defies fate to reincarnate her and grant her another life in hopes of making up for his past failings. But that is just the beginning and the mystery of their origins await. Hong Ning is the destined trial Jin Xiu cannot escape
Platform: MangoTV
Episodes: 40
Airing Date: April 28, 2025
Final Rating 6.2/10 [After 10 episodes] – A charming but outdated fantasy romance that sticks closely to familiar tropes of forbidden love and reincarnation. While visually appealing, its predictable plot and slow pacing make it a tough watch.
Jin Xiu 锦绣 Liu Xue Yi 刘学义
Crown Prince of the Emperor of Heaven who oversees the flowers of the realm
Hong Ning 红凝 Hu Yi Xuan 胡意旋
Red Tea Spirit who was banished to the spirit realm from heaven
Kun Lun 昆仑 Ao rui Peng 敖瑞鹏
Younger son of the Emperor of Heaven who enjoys causing havoc but has a good heart
Lu Yao 陆瑶 Xu Xiao Nuo 许晓诺
Princess of the Nine Tail Fox Clan from the Northern Realms
Final Thoughts
This drama was originally filmed back in 2021 and faced one major obstacle before finally airing in 2025. That obstacle was the blacklisting of its female lead Yuan Bing Yan back in 2022 due to tax fraud. The production company was faced with two options, 1) completely abandon the project and suffer major financial losses or 2) re-shoot the series with a new female lead with hopes of successfully airing the drama and minimize financial losses. The producers chose option 2 and casted Hu Yi Xuan in the lead female role. The final product is a mixture of leveraging AI to paste Hu Yi Xuan’s face over Yan Bing Yan’s face, re-shoots, and clever cuts. I thought the drama did as well as it could with the technology available as the body swaps weren’t too noticeable.
Unfortunately, the effort can’t mask that the story itself feels outdated, overdone, and all too familiar. The once-popular trope of forbidden love between gods and spirits has lost its charm with audiences in 2025. While the lead actors gave respectable performances, the lack of narrative momentum and low-stakes conflict made it hard to stay engaged.
Unsurprisingly, this drama was a massive dud for everyone involved. Because of its delayed release and fiasco with its female lead, the drama didn’t have much marketing and merely just aired. It’s yet another disappointment for Liu Xue Yi, who continues to struggle to break through as a leading man.
What I Liked
- Surprisingly Solid Chemistry from the Main Cast: Despite the challenges of a mid-production cast change, the drama manages to bring together a cast with commendable on-screen chemistry. Hu Yi Xuan blends in well and holds her own alongside Liu Xue Yi, whose portrayal of the stoic Prince of Heaven fits him perfectly. Ao Rui Peng adds a playful spark as the mischievous second male lead, bringing a lighthearted energy to the series. Overall, while the storyline may not have given the actors much to work with, their performances and interactions were a bright spot that kept things engaging.
What's Didn't Work - Spoilers Ahead
- Too much romance: Yes this drama is a fantasy romance but it leans too heavily on the romance aspect. It often feels like the gods don’t have actual responsibilities, instead, they’re either gossiping or chasing love interests (Jin Xiu being a prime example). I found myself constantly wondering: shouldn’t these divine beings have something more important to do than flirt and lounge around? Scenes involving actual duties or world-building are sparse, and most of the gods, aside from the Emperor and Empress, come off as completely inconsequential. Their actions have little weight, and the rules they’re supposedly bound to are casually tossed aside, especially by the male leads who seem more interested in wooing than their own responsibilities. Overall, it’s hard to take a celestial realm seriously when everyone in it acts like they’re in a dating show
- Disappointing toxic female rivalry: Building on the previous point, one of the most frustrating aspects of this drama is the portrayal of nearly all the female gods. Instead of being powerful, enlightened beings, they’re constantly engaged in petty jealousy, backstabbing, and catfights. Much of their energy seems focused on tearing down Hong Ning, not just because she’s a Red Tea Flower Spirit, but also because of the attention she gets from Jin Xiu. The show tries to frame this as prejudice between gods and spirits, but it quickly devolves into toxic rivalry over a man. It’s disappointing to see supposedly divine characters reduced to high school-level drama when they should be concerned with higher callings. The result is a portrayal of women that feels regressive. The men (so far) don’t engage in this type of behavior.
- Lack of central conflict and antagonist: The drama suffers from a glaring lack of central conflict or a compelling antagonist. By episode 10, the only driving storyline revolves around whether Hong Ning can ascend to the heavens and marry Jin Xiu. This is hardly a gripping or high-stakes plot. With no real threat, villain, or broader purpose for the characters, there’s little tension to hold the viewer’s interest. The gods aren’t engaged in any meaningful struggle or greater mission, making the entire narrative feel flat and inconsequential. The stakes are so low that it’s hard to stay invested.