Too drawn out
I thought the 2 leads, Zhu Yi Long and Bai Yu, were so good ~ their acting portrayed the characters' attraction to one another really well; the eyes can say it all.Lots of very diverse characters, action, emotion and different worlds, making for entertaining viewing.
I did have trouble sticking with it though, as it just went on too long for me. The last few episodes were amongst the best of all and saved the drama, to my mind. The emotion from the leads was heart felt and definitely confirmed that Shen Wei and Yunlan loved each other, and there was nothing 'brotherly' about it.
It is a great shame that China feels any sexuality other than straight, is abhorrent. Lines don't need to be crossed, but as with straight romance dramas, they aught to portray love as love. Just what are they so scared of?
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OVERALL:Wow, just wow. I really can't believe how good this was. I'll be honest and say I didn't have high hopes for this drama when I first added it to my 'to watch' list but I was blown away. Everything from the acting, OST, storyline, and production value was 11/10! The characters were brought to life so well, it's hard not to love all of them. I do have to warn anyone who is interested in watching this drama, it is NOT for the weak of heart. Do not watch this if you are just looking for a happy-go-lucky bromance. There are so much heartbreak and pain (not just for the main characters). This show will build you up just to tear you down at the very end, but the happy, carefree moments in between are so worth all the heartbreak. I highly recommend this! Especially if you loved the untamed!
STORY:
I'll start off with the storyline. You can tell so much thought was put into this, and seeing as I haven't read the novel I don't know how well they kept to the original storyline but this plot was weaved together so well. It is hard to not binge-watch all the episodes in the span of a couple of days. At least, that's what I did.
ACTING/CAST:
Amazing, they couldn't have chosen a better cast in my opinion. The characters each person played were so complex and had many times where they had to show different sides of their character and the actors/actresses were phenomenal! I hope everyone enjoyed the casting as much as I did for this drama.
MUSIC:
The OST for this drama brought tears to my eyes. I downloaded the opening and ending songs after the first episode, I was so in love! The lyrics are perfect for the drama and the atmosphere the music sets in this series is so beautiful and sometimes heartbreaking but in a good way.
REWATCH VALUE:
The only reason I am not saying 10 is because the ending is something I don't think my heart could take again. But I will be rewatching select episodes because I just love the characters too much.
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I think I enjoyed the story but for sure loved the actors
Ok, let me be honest my love for how the characters are portrayed is making up for more than 60% of this rating. The acting was solid. I have seen Zhu Yilong and Bai Yu in other project since then and adore their acting. I fell in love with the way they portrayed their characters and grew attached to the characters. The actor who played the villain in the beginning...I laughed at him way too much. I could not take him seriously for real I enjoyed the cases and the basic storyline. Unfortunately some story lines were dragged out too long and some were way too short for me. People have complained about the CGI and I see what your talking about haha. But they did run out of budget so I do not think it is terrible enough that it had an effect on the way I viewed this drama. This drama will always be a gem for me but it is not perfect.Was this review helpful to you?
Should watch!!!
1) Actually I was not so interested in this genre .....but as the story continues from ep 1 onwards this series creates and exictement and eagerness to know what future holds for these characters .2) The story itself converse with audience.
3) Once u started u can't hold it in the middle.......! 4) The viewer itself holds upon a curiosity.....which is utmost important for a web series to be popular.
5) the bonding between two main leads is the best part......for which i was looking for.
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.at last I just wanna say......this was one of the best among my choices....and the acting of actors was just amazing and excellent.....so I thought I must give a small compliment , even if I know my compliment is not going to reach them but ......but still I wanted coz I saw and appreciate their efforts ....... thankyou
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Need more of this awesome storyline.
Even though it's supposed to be about the 2 main guys being in love... yes they changed it to be a bromance, you can still see the deep feelings between the 2 guys.I definitely think they need to make more. I can't get enough. It has been a true rollercoaster ride of twists and turns that kept me wanting to see way more depth to the bromance.
So I want to see way more then 40 episodes. I'm sure they could make this last into 80 to 90 episodes if not longer. I love both main lead guys.
Ok so I cried my eyes out at the end when both leading men died. They need to finish this storyline because they left it open for more episodes because ShenWei and YunLan made a bet that they would meet again no matter how long it took. That's love that crosses both time and space in my opinion.
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NOT A BL, BUT THE CHEMISTRY WAS UNDENIABLE. (READ THE NOVEL FOR BL)
I came across this drama as I was looking for more BL dramas to watch. So, my first point is EVEN THOUGH THE ORIGINAL WORK IS BL, THIS DRAMA IS ADAPTED TO A BROMANCE VERSION. Well, THEY ARE MORE LIKE SOUL-MATES BUT THEY GIVE OFF BROMANCE VIBES MOSTLY.If you're into Chinese BLs, you know we always get platonic version of their love. In case of UNTAMED, I knew before watching that it's BL. So, while watching, even though it was platonic, I didn't get the "bromance" vibe because of the chemistry they had. Next I watched WORD OF HONOR. It too, did not give Bromance vibes. It was a BL with soul-mates / platonic lovers vibe. Same goes for KILLER AND HEALER. It did give Bromance vibes to certain extent but we could see they were platonic lovers. But this drama, GUARDIAN, GIVES THE BROMANCE VIBES. BECAUSE, THROUGHOUT MOST OF THE DRAMA, WE COULD SEE THAT IT WAS ONLY ONE OF THE MALE LEADS (SHEN WEI) WHO SECRETLY LOVED HIS CO-STAR (ZHAO YUNLAN) FOR MORE THAN 10,000 YEARS. ZHAO YUNLAN HAD NO IDEA OR MEMORIES ABOUT IT. SO, YUNLAN CONSIDERED HIM AS A BROTHER ( MORE THAN BROTHER TBH, BUT HE PORTRAYED A CHARECTERS WHO IS A CHEEKY, WORKAHOLIC, DOESN'T INVOLVE IN LOVE OR ROMANCE, SO EVEN THOUGH THEY DID LOVE EACH OTHER, THEY VIBE THEY GAVE WAS OF BROMANCE/ SOUL-MATES). BUT BUT BUT, OH WHAT A CHEMISTRY AND ACTING SKILLS THEY HAVE!!!!
THE LEVEL OF COMFORT, CONFIDANCE, UNDERSTANDING AND SENSE OF SACRIFICE THEY HAD FOR EACH OTHER WAS SO PLEASING TO WATCH.
COMING TO THE PLOT, In the first half of the series, it's like a fantasy murder mystery solving drama. (Like detective shows). In each episode, there's a new villian and Zhou Yunlan and his team (SID) fights against them. Shen Wei is always mysteriously involved with the cases. Though he helps out the SID team as Black Envoy, he gets into their suspicion as Professor Shen. IT WASN'T THAT INTRESTING BECAUSE EVEN AS A KID I HAVE SEEN MANY SUCH SHOWS OF SUPER HERO VS SUPER VILLIAN. I WAS WAITING FOR THE ACTUAL STORY OF SHEN WEI AND ZHOU YUNLAN TO START. It starts towards the later half of the series. Like I said, the drama has no romance elements between the leads but their chemistry, relationship development was still beautiful. Time and time again, we see Shen Wei's love filled glances and actions towards Zhou Yunlan. But Zhou Yunlan was always playful and more like "hey bro" (Just saying about the vibe he gave). Because even at the point when Shen said Zhou "I have been waiting for you for 10,000 years" in a serious tone, (much like a confession), Zhou just laughed it off, lightning the entire mood. But yes, both indeed loved , cared and respected each other.
I HATED THE ENDING THOUGH. IMAGINE HAVING TO WATCH 40 LONG EPISODES ONLY TO GET A SAD ENDING WITH BOTH MLs DEAD!!!!! SERIOUSLY, WHY DOES CHINESE BLs ALWAYS END IN A DISAPPOINTING WAY? THIS DRAMA AND KILLER AND HEALER HAD SUCH AN UNFAIR ENDING. ITS A FANTASY DRAMA, WHY COULDN'T THEY HAVE A HAPPY ENDING AND DIE JUST LIKE THAT? AFTER SO MUCH HARDWORK AND SACRIFICE, THEY DIDN'T DESERVE SUCH AN ENDING. THEY SHOULD HAVE ATLEAST REINCARNATED AND LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER AGAIN. :(
ANYWAYS, IT WASN'T SUCH A WASTE TO WATCH IT. I WASN'T SATISFIED WITH THE ENDING AND LACK OF BL, SO MOW M GONNA READ THE NOVEL VERSION OF THE STORY TO SATISFY MY HEART :)
Updated Review- NOVEL VERSION
OK so m done reading the translated version of the original work by Priest. Gosh!! I LOVEEEEDDDD IT SO MUCH!!!! TRUST ME IF YOU LIKED THE CHARECTERS IN THE DRAMA AND WISH IT WAS A BL, JUST GO AND READ THE NOVEL. THE STORY OF THE NOVEL IS MUCH MORE INTENSE AND INTRESTING AND VERY DIFFERENT TBH. PLUS THE ZHOU-SHEN COUPLE IS ONE OF THE BEST BL COUPLES I'VE EVER COME ACROSS. I WON'T GIVE SPOILERS, JUST READ THE NOVEL. YOU'LL GET A HAPPY ENDING AND YOU'LL FEEL SUPER SATISFIED. T
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One of the standout features of this drama is the chemistry between the two leads, which is amazing from the very first episode. Unlike many other shows that rely on tired tropes like bromance to create a sense of connection between characters, Guardian manages to forge a genuine bond that feels authentic and meaningful.
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Egy próbát megér...
Overall, I liked the series, although some of the details and characters weren’t elaborate enough, the ending was confusing and kissing. I’d rather not go into detail about the CGI effects, I would just say that they did surprisingly poorly in some places, but there were scenes where it was done well.Of course, there was a directorial and screenwriting flaw in this series, but a flawless piece never exists. The music ... both the opening and the closing were only divine, the opening music has been a big favorite ever since.
And there were the more meaningful, more dramatic scenes where music was also well chosen. There were weaker episodes, but there were some very emotional, dramatic and already a bit romantic episodes where you essentially showed who was most important to him. There was a sense of camaraderie and teamwork, but sometimes I also saw a pull apart.
I don’t deny I liked the chemistry and connection between the two protagonists (which of course makes everyone “faint.” All the actors did a good job compared to the character, there were only a few characters that became (for me) forgetful (Da Qing, Zhu Hong, the ghost couple, Jin Ling), because they were basically just there, but I didn't experience any character development and they added quite a bit to the story.
What really caught on in this series is the relationship between Guo and Chu. I found myself starting to love them and their relationship more than any other character. Somehow I noticed the contrast more than them and then the process as they fell in love with each other. Real bromance, even a secondary pair. I would have rather put an end to the way Little Guo gets hurt, because maybe he would have been much more "fit" systematically into the story, I think
So, all in all: the end could have been better worked out (like Guo how he became a leader, why he leads new people and not the old team, why Yunlan's father suggested that it might be, Guo saves the world .. I would have been happier if Yunlan and Guo had even talked to each other because Yunlan was dying, last wish, something like that, it could have been a more emotional end to Chu and Guo's completion, it could have been the hug, not in the dream., and..Lin Jing's character was redundant he thinks to bring it back..because he said goodbye..so it was stupid.And that torment on the part of Shen Wei and Yunlan ... argh..etc. So the end is very confusing for me ...
Well, this series isn't necessarily spectator for me again, because of the mistakes mentioned above ... and the excessive torment of the main couple in the end ... and that last scene ... absurd ...!
I prefer to look at the Guo and Chu scenes again because they showed a lot of character development and I was better able to identify with them, and as I may have written before, their relationship is much more realistic and elaborate than that of a “perfect, fateful main couple”.
Sorry for the long writing.Good health everyone.
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Overall enjoyable, with some very strong moments
Some people might think my rating is way too low or way too high, but I have mixed emotions about this show. One weakness is the special effects- however, I usually don’t judge a show too much on this, because of course they do the best they can with the budget that they have. I also enjoyed the show throughout, but sometimes the plot seemed to get a bit off track to me... like the ghost couple were sweet and cute but then they suddenly died and that was that.However, there were many aspects that I personally found very interesting plot wise; I thought it was quite emotional with Yun Lan lost his sight, for instance. I also thought the hospital games scenes were pretty intense, as well as many of the Underground scenes. I also loved the relationship between Shen Wei and Yun Lan, obviously. It was fun to see Yun Lan regard Shen Wei as a normal meek professor...then to become suspicious of him...then to find out his secret and watch after him...
I was surprised how much I ended up loving the relationship between Guo Chang Cheng and Chu Shu Zhi. I loved their “enemies” (or timid kid annoying and being scared by an angry man) to brothers progression. When Shu Zhi thought that Chang Cheng died, that was really quite brutal and emotional.
The most impactful part of the show for me was the ending. I hadn’t read the novel and didn’t expect the ending to be that depressing. It gutted me on multiple levels; even just from how it was filmed, with Ye Zun suddenly appearing in a different room when he and Shen Wei died. I didn’t even realize they actually died at first. Of course, the two leads meeting in heaven or space time or whatever it was, before continuing on, just broke me. Another one of the most heartbreaking moments was when they showed Yun Lan continuing to live and work with his team- I thought that he had somehow ended up surviving. Then it was explained how his body is just being possessed by that other man, and that he really is dead.
For me this show was never unenjoyable at all, but there were a lot of ups and downs and moments that were just that- enjoyable but not much more. But, this show also had a lot of very interesting, emotional, and impactful parts as well. I watched this a while ago, but even now, the introduction song makes me nostalgic and the closing credits song makes me full on emotional. Overall this show wasn’t perfect, but it was still special.
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Good actors maketh not a good show without good execution of the story.
The graph of my interest in this show will definitely resemble the cracks left by an earthquake if I ever plotted it. So why/how did I finish 40 episodes? Because this show is strangely addictive. Even if you want to bash your head or pull your hair out for forty minutes, you are eager to see what happens next (no matter how cliché or absurd you know it's going to be) and that is this drama's strength. And that comes from the marvelous performances of the cast, who make you believe in their emotions when the story doesn't. Because the story doesn't do anything here. The only one holding all the cards is the writer/director and we see the scenes they wish to show us, how they show us and when they want to show us. That is this drama's downfall. Maybe the three directors took a thread of the story each and went their way with them and faltered when it came to tying them all up. Add in poor screenplay and editing and this is a recipe for disaster waiting to happen.Yet, the story is engaging. The main plot is scattered in pieces somewhere in between all the mess that happens but manages to take an integral part in the episode so it doesn't feel like we are wavering away from what we embarked on. The cases could have been better written or at least better presented. They often began in the last one third of an episode and continued till the first one third of another. I can't reason out why, unless it was dole out some cliffhangers and make the audience wait. Well, it worked. Episodes 10-20 are easily the best in the show. Midway through, you can take guesses at how each character's ending is going to be so it's not that shocking when the end does arrive. There are heaps of things we could have done without, though.
The actors are all amazing and the characterisation is one of the few good things, be it the two leads, SID, the humans or the Dixing-ians. I like how everyone has their quirks unrelated to the job they do. Those at SID are well sketched, but not well shown. In that respect, Zhu Hong, Sang Zan and Wang Zheng are the weakest. They appear when the directors want them to appear instead of always being a part of the group even if it's just standing in the background. Wang Zheng's story was drawn out a bit too much, and the Crow tribe leader's too little. Still, everyone is given a chance to tell their story and that keeps the plot going when the writers have used up their repertoire of cases.
Music is good and I'll only re-watch the edited portions of the two main leads for their sparkling chemistry. It's there right from the moment they first make eye contact with each other and I rewinded plenty of their sweet scenes to gush over them. This was a BL despite the lack of explicit or implicit words of romance between the leads and despite the love triangle they tried to build. I mean, if someone did for me what Shen Wei does for Yun Lan, he is definitely going to be tied to me for the next seven births as well. Shen Wei is open but silent about his feelings and Yun Lan openly and silently enjoys all the teasing he gets. Their love for each other is scattered in the story just like the plot has been. However, I'm disappointed that some of the most emotionally charged scenes are haphazardly placed at the end, which in itself is a mess.
In a nutshell, this show left me wanting for some actual BL scenes so much that I watched two others in succession but I still remember how the cat behaves like a cat even in his human form and how Guardian was reminiscent of a bad cross between Power Rangers and Supernatural. It's worth watching for the two leads, though.
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The first episodes were a bit boring, but each episode gets more and more exciting.
No matter how much I express in this comment, I will not be able to describe the feelings of love inside me for this series and this wonderful couple.Their relationship is very warm and beautiful
Well, in my opinion, I prefer bromance over BL because the feelings of love are stronger in bromance in my opinion. This series is one of the greatest series that I have watched, and I loved the actors a lot, especially BaiYu and ZhuYilong, their performance was so great that I lived the atmosphere of this series, but what saddened me a lot was the end of the series, in fact, the end of the series was neither sad nor happy, but the ending was open, but all that matters to me now Is that they promised each other that they would meet again and this comforted me a lot and made the end of the series not so sad.
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