Guardians of the Ancient Oath (2020)

I waited and waited and waited for it to get better. It never did.

As a fan of Nirvana in Fire, I perked up when I saw that Leo Wu and Zhang Lingxin were both in Guardians of the Ancient Oath, and gave it a go.

First Impressions (1-4):
The first few episodes were actually very promising. The machinations of the Yo Imperial Court contrasted well with the serenity of the Baili household, and Ming Ye Feng promised to raise big waves in the Wolf Tribe.

The cinematography is great in general, and the dim and gritty colour palette is also to my taste, as it speaks to a sort of realism and a lack of anachronism on the director's part.

Mid Season (5-33) Impressions:
This is where it starts to fall apart. The quality of the screenplay falls off a cliff (esp. the dialogue) and the generic/cliche storyline can no longer support the agonising pacing.

It just feels like people talk a lot without getting to the main point, and repeat themselves in general. Lareina Song parrots this line like a broken record across an entire arc of the drama: "If you touch him, I'll kill you!".

Leo Wu, Lareina Song, Karry Wang, and a full 80% of the other characters just aren't interesting to watch - the viewer can already predict what they will do and its incredibly boring to watch this occur, without any tension.

Props to Ming Yefeng, Baili Hongxuan, An Tingfeng, and Ling Jun, the only multifaceted characters, for painfully dragging the comatose body of the storyline forward towards the final arc.

There is zero humour in this drama, just none. Yuen Wah's Ji Qiu tries his very best but there's no straight man to match his absurdity - what a waste of this talented actor.

The active CG (the magic) is good in general, blends well into the scene and isn't poorly made. The passive CG is quite poor - the backgrounds of many Wolf Tribe wilderness scenes have been green-screened very obviously.

And could they stop blasting the main theme at full volume at every available opportunity, multiple times an episode? Did they commission ANY OTHER music at all?! Why is there no instrumental-only version of the main theme?

Final Impressions (34-45):
Episodes 34 to 36 were quite good, as the main characters finally start coming into their powers. This change of events wasn't to last though, as somehow the drama became even more boring after these three episodes than the episodes that came before them.

There is a confusing and haphazard introduction of the "ancient" characters, and because of the insistence of masking their faces and using three different names to refer to the same characters, viewers have no idea who is talking to whom.

Each of the very strong, very important-ish "Wu" disciples barely have 10 minutes to recite their entire lifestory: it is not odd then that all these new characters actually make the drama more boring - they just become repetitive obstacles for the protagonists to overcome.

It's not all terrible though; throughout the drama, you could say that Lareina Song had portrayed three different characters: the present, the past, and the "ancient". With each iteration her character became more interesting, and her acting talent more clear (I thought it was extremely poor in her first iteration, but I guess that was how it was written).

Ling Jun is also very consistent as the prime mover of the plot, but somehow Ming Yefeng became a stereotype of his own role, and Baili Hongxuan deteriorated to become a ranting and raving lunatic of a racist.

There is also an uncomfortable undertone of genocide/racism and sexism in the ending arc.
If a character is not a human, they should die [for the plot].
If a character is a woman who doesn't adhere to the Three Obediences and Four Virtues, they should die [for the plot].
If a character is a woman who is not a human, it's impossible that they could adhere to Confucian values and so they should die [for the plot].

Conclusion:
The very best dramas have likable heroes with depth, likable villains with depth, and likable side characters with depth. I find almost every character in this drama unlikable and one dimensional as written.

The protagonists on paper, Baili Hongshuo, Baili Hongyi, and Baili Haohe do not have sufficient agency in the storyline to be proper protagonists (Baili Haohe was a puppet both figuratively and literally: I dare say Karry Wang's role is not a real main character and only has top billing because he's famous/popular). None of the three have any motivation beyond what's been narrowly defined, are not complex, nor deep.

The final villain, on the other hand, has no real reason to be evil except for "it's the character's nature to be evil". What drives them? Evil. What is their hobby? Evil. Why are they fighting the protagonists? Because of evil muahahaha! Somehow this made perfect sense to the writers of this drama.

The actual protagonist of the entire narrative is An Tingfeng, and his tragic epilogue is ordained by karma. His character, and Ling Jun's character, have the only well-thought arcs from start to finish of this drama.

TLDR: Watch something else unless you are an idol superfan.

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But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep.

Patience is required for this drama that is unlikely to enjoy broad appeal. It is a Beijing Academy student production so don't expect high production values; indeed there is a distinctly amateurish and unpolished feel to the entire effort.

The shadowy and suspenseful plot is steeped in the supernatural and mythology and takes a long time to unfold. The synopsis, which already gives away much of the story adds to the impression that nothing is happening. Hidden forces conspire to release the demon Jiu Ying, that according to legend was sealed by five deities representing the five elements (metal, earth, water, fire and wood). This manifests itself in increasing hostilities between the You Kingdom and the Wolf Tribe that make war and chaos seem inevitable. These events bring the three siblings Hongxuan, Hongyi and Hongshou whose Baili family has long been the power behind the You throne; together with Ming Yefeng, the leader of the Wolf Tribe who also has a mysterious past with Hong Yi. They are linked by destiny and rediscover their powers so that together with other supernatural beings from a past lifetime, they can once again fulfill an ancient promise to keep the world safe. It is not a complicated or super original fantasy story that culminates in an epic clash between good and evil.

What is interesting about this drama is the characters and the acting. The actors are not given much to work with in terms of dialogue so they have to rely heavily on body language and subtle expressions to convey their characters. This makes the complex characters particularly difficult to get to know and nobody is as they originally appear. It is very difficult to tell who is friend and foe and what their motivations are. For most of the drama, Baili Hongxuan and Ming Yefeng were the most complex and interesting characters for me. While they are both quite grey, both turned out to be quite different from what I expected and almost opposite of each other. I really enjoy this kind of peeling of the onion approach in terms of how a layered character gradually becomes unveiled but many will find this kind of storytelling frustrating and boring.

I suspect many may be interested in this because of Wu Lei and Song Zuer. I admit I discovered this because of Wu Lei. While his character Baili Honsghou is quite one dimensional - the typical c-drama hero that goes through many common tropes; it is the best performance I have seen from Wu Lei since NIF. It is very nice to see how far he has come as an actor; that he is not just an incredibly athletic lean, mean, killing machine. As for Song Zuer, she is an actress that provokes strong reactions, especially when she plays the bratty young girl. I never minded her that much because I always noticed that she has screen presence that belies her small size and her performance in this also showed much progress and was actually quite nuanced towards the end. And it will be remiss of me to not mention how super hot Zheng Kai's Ming Yefeng is - I can't believe I have never seen this actor before!

The story advances much more quickly in the last 10-12 episodes although it appears a bit messy as many characters are introduced at once. But they are not interesting characters and all you need to really know is that they are either obstacles to be overcome or they are there to give some assistance along the way. All of the substantively relevant characters are introduced at the beginning. There are a few nice twists at the end with respect to the emperor as well as the mysterious man in the hood. The ultimate villain (to me was not Jiu Ying) was hiding in plain sight the whole time but their motive for unleashing evil on the world was pedestrian and lame. Most of the so-called heroes or deities in this show have feet of clay, do not have high morals and are not particularly enlightened beings. The story is very matter of factly callous in its treatment of spirits or demons. This is very typical of the genre so if you are familiar with Chinese mythology, you will not be surprised by any of this or how the story ends.

I enjoyed this drama but it is not for everyone. Watch at your own risk.

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I tried to watch this 2 years ago when the CV pandemic started. I just could not concentrate on this drama. I have now finally completed it. I loved all the actors and actresses in this drama, they worked so hard to tell this story. Leo Wu played the lead main character Bai Li Hong Shuo and ancient deity Murong Chen Dang he was only like 17 or 18 when starred in this drama. Very mature and so talented. I am impressed. He played his part as if he took over the body of his character. So good. Song Zu Er who played her character of Bai Li Hong Yi/Murong Yi did such a fantastic job as she always does. I have mostly everything she has done. The visuals, fantasies, costumes, and the music and that music were excellent. The bass sound and the sound were beautiful. I even wanted to fight. I want the soundtrack! I do have one not-so-good opinion and that is the ending... why???? was it like that? You will have to see this drama to know what I'm talking about.

This is another one of those dramas that you can't skip not one episode and please don't go to the ending because you will ruin it for yourself. BTW the same two leads are the same ones who play in "Love like the Galaxy" 1 and 2. I hope the ending is better.

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has troubles with story telling

Story: The story actually has some potential. I like it that it's not those dramas, where it's painted just in black and white, but with grey tones . Positive to me was, that the drama could hold it's mystery and plots until quite far. But the story telling is a little too slow and unclear that I nearly gave up already at the beginning already. After 35+ episode, it really reached the point, where there's not much to hold you to the drama anymore.

Acting: The acting is very average in my eyes and the female lead might need more experience imo. But in general none of the actors really stood out to me. Only Mingyifeng left more impression.

If you are into dramas, where you can't guess everything right at the beginning, you might like this one. But you also would need some patience for the first few episodes. Unfortunately the quality drops later.

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I enjoyed this movie and am a fan of leo wu

I am no.1 fan of leo Wu and I enjoyed this movie Guardian of the ancient oath and I will like to recommend it to every dramalist watcher to go for this movie. You will really enjoy it . I can say that Leo Wu is one of the best actor cause I like his acting expecially in this drama and many movies like the breaking sphere the long ballad and many more. Don't miss this drama and I ensure you that will really want to watch again this movie haven't watched it finished. Leo Wu is one of the best actor that I can confidently say that I use to enjoy his movie and I can wait to watch another one of his movie.

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Unique and totally unpredictable, but slow-paced

For me, this drama wasn't anywhere nearly as bad as some of the other reviewers made it out to be. In fact, despite some of its obvious flaws, I quite enjoyed it. The flow of the plot could have been better executed and the dialogues better scripted. It was just slow-paced throughout, the dialogues not just slow but even a little redundant at times. I can see how the pacing might affect the drama's rewatch value, making it difficult for some viewers to sit through the drama again and again in its entirety, even if they were able to watch every single minute through the very first time. It also took its time revealing the main plot of the drama. That's not to say that nothing was happening. There were a lot of things going on from the get-go(a war between two nations, inner political turmoil/scheming, family/romance /relationship complications, even non-human characters scheming off and on in the background because it is a fantasy drama), but you'll come to the realization a whole 30-some episodes later that there's actually something much more important going on in terms of plot. It is definitely a drama that requires its audience to have a lot of patience. I also wish that Guardians of the Ancient Oath had been given a bigger budget to work with because it really showed in its CGI moments. Those moments looked kind of poor. Although, if it's true that this drama was mostly a school project by the students from Beijing Film Academy, then I guess that would explain my complaints about budget. The last note of warning is that while the ending made sense, it isn't your happily-ever-after ending, so if that bothers you a lot, you might want to steer clear of this drama.

Those things aside, I found the story to be quite unique and unpredictable. It felt rather refreshing when there are just so many dramas out there always doing the same story...and the twist that revealed the main plot later on towards the end of the drama will probably come as something of a little shock because, most likely, it won't be something you'll have been expecting. At least, that was the case for me. I also enjoyed the cast of actors and actresses here, many of them quite young: Leo Wu Lei and Song Zuer(our two leads), as well as as others like Wang Junkai and Fiction Guo. They each played their roles quite well despite having been so young. I came into this drama specifically for Leo Wu Lei so, naturally, I enjoyed his acting, but I appreciated that so many of the characters here weren't entirely black and white or without moral/character flaws. I was rather invested in the relationships of the various characters, and enjoyed the love story between the two leads as well as their relationship dynamics. Some other wonderful things about this drama were some of its cinematography(settings and shots of landscapes) and its music/soundtracks. Loved all the pieces of music that were used throughout, especially the gorgeous opening and pretty ending theme songs. I actually like the more gritty color palette that they used here too. If you're looking for something a little different, and have the time and patience, I would say to go ahead and give "Guardians of the Ancient Oath" a try.

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I'm embarrassed to write this ...honestly

Was this a 2020 film? did COVID hit the media industry so badly last year that this drama turned out equally bad too? What's more, its a drama with one of my fav actor - Leo Wu. I feel so so sorry for the cast as they can potentially do much more given their cslibre if not for the production n maybe also the storyline... ( have mot read the original story so can't quite fault the storyline)

Who are the 2 ( 1 mysterious man and a female lady demon) up up in the cold mountain? They seem to be plotting but don't know what.? When did the young emperor become a demon? How or why? I'm still quite puzzled there. Then the role of the ZHEN bird, what exactly is she meant to be? Is she also just a demon meant to die along the way just so the Baili brothers, the demon hunter and the Lang tribe King can increase their 'powers' to fight even tougher demons?

Then there is group of 8 'saints sitting down in a circle guarding smtg at the top. What was that? and What about them? How did they exist?

Hence I must say there are just too many undeveloped plots in this story. Just wished this was done better. Indeed, just like the other reviewer mentioned, i was indeed hoping and hoping that it would get better as the drama progressed but it didn't. What a disappointing drama.

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Why such ending

The story, being fictional, could have had a much better ending. In it, five gods seal a monster, scattering their spirits into the human realm. After many years, demons begin attacking a kingdom where Bai's family lives. When the family's king dies, a relative seizes the throne and becomes a tyrant. At this time, the gods' spirits awaken, kill the monster, and the story ends.Flaws:The story hints at parallel love stories, but none of them develop, leaving viewers waiting for them to start.The devastation of the Bai family is depicted in a way that feels unacceptable.After killing the monster, all the gods disappear. Given that it is a fictional story, a better ending could have been crafted.I had high expectations for the drama, but it ended in disappointment.

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The only good thing about this drama is the OST and the cinematography (Oh and Leo Wu of course). I especially like the ending theme song. Couldn't find that song on either Apple Music or Spotify, so I patiently waited until the end of each episode to hear the ending song. Luckily this drama doesn't shy away from playing the song throughout the drama too, so at least that's good :) They are literally playing the whole song throughout the drama sometimes, not just as the instrumental background. To some it could be annoying, to me it's good as I pay more attention to the song than the story in this drama LOL. The story is for me confusing to the max. I had high hopes despite the low rating on MDL, but as the drama progresses, i get more confused and finally gave up my full concentration and just kept it playing while I do other things (to wait for the ending theme song to play too :))

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A mythic tale told through savouring the small moments.

It does really require patience to get through the slow build up of those small moments as it is a long series, and it savours those small moments by investing time on them - to be clear, enough time, not excessive time.

So ... don't rush it.

I'm ashamed to say I skipped forward through a number of scenes that dwelled more on the side characters I wasn't particularly invested in. Ashamed enough that I've promised myself to re-watch it in full, with far more patience next time around.

I liked it precisely because
- it is a mythic tale (fantasy and myth being my favoured kind of genres);
- it does take the time to savour those individual scenes that make up the longer story;
- the characters aren't excessively stupid in order to advance the dramatic narrative (which seems to be a common failing in too many a fantasy c-drama I've watched, or maybe that's just dramas generally).

Another common c-drama failing is they use flashbacks to a large extent - though they at least kept the flashbacks relevant and edited appropriately. Being such a long series I suppose a large amount of flashbacks nearing the end was inevitable.

I regularly find myself getting lost in early stages of asian dramas, as they seem to presume understanding of certain story elements which I fear I don't have. I didn't get lost with this one. Even though it flips between a number of the opposing viewpoints, the narrative remained clear for me as foreign language viewer.

The storybook art use to narrate the tales of ages past that relate to the current story arc is beautifully done.

The main theme is beautiful and heart breaking, though I agree with others in that it is a tad overused. This tale deserved a few more musical pieces to give its soundtrack more range.

I find no fault with the acting at all. There were no off notes in the performances for me. Every now and now I found myself thinking I'd just watched a perfect moment.

I consider the fact that I reverted to skip forwarding not the failing of the production, but my failing as a viewer. I've long wished for stories told that celebrate the story by investing in the individual scenes within that larger story (and I don't mean fillers of fluff) then when I'm finally watching one I revert to skip forwarding due to my own impatience.

I advise prospective viewers to do what I intend to do next time around: don't rush through the series within a few days ... take your time with each individual episode. If you find yourself having the urge to skip forward, stop and take a day or two before you continue watching. Contain your impatience and savour watching it the way it deserves to be.

A warning for those needing a shiny bubbly happy ending. Myths aren't particularly known for their Happy Ever Afters.

I'm truly amazed this is currently scoring in the low 7s on MDL, and I'm feeling bereft that the main couple's love story was so heart-breakingly unfulfilled. But as above, not everything is a H.E.A.

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