Nat

Seven Relics of Ill Omen is a fantasy adventure that follows five ordinary young people who form an accidental alliance called the Phoenix Squad to hunt down seven evil ancient artifacts before they trigger a catastrophe of apocalyptic size. It's a wonderful show that explores human nature, inner demons, true friendship, and what it takes for broken people to become something extraordinary together.

I wanted to watch it when it first came out, but I kept putting this one off. The poster is dark, the title gives you ominous vibes, and the trailer is full of creepy moments. I'm not the kind of person who enjoys overly dark dramas or heavy horror elements, and that's exactly what the marketing fed me. But I’ve been on a Song Weilong binge for some strange reason lately LOL, so I figured I'd give it a shot and drop it if it got too scary. Surprisingly, it's not nearly as dark as you'd expect. The first stretch of episodes leans a little heavier into some creepy elements, but most of the show is actually shot with nice, bright colors and solid camera work. So if you've been avoiding it for the same reason — don't.

As far as entertainment goes, this drama kept me on my toes. I wanted to keep watching even when it was well past my bedtime. I don't usually enjoy large ensemble casts, but this one earned it. Each character has their own backstory, their own inner demons, and the drama gives every single one of them room to shine. We get genuine insight into their backgrounds and get to watch how, despite everything, they all develop into wonderful human beings. That's the heart of this show, and it's what kept me invested far more than any plot twist could.

Song Weilong is great as Luo Ren — fiercely protective, intense, and he gets to showcase some impressive fighting skills. Liu Haocun as Mu Dai goes through several transformations throughout the drama, making her one of the most dynamic characters to watch. I wouldn’t say she’s a stellar actress. She does have a long way to go to get to the point where she can get very nuanced with her facial expressions, but she worked for this role because this was adventure and action driven drama. Ao Ruipeng as Thirteen-Thousand and Zhang Yichi as Chubby bring a lot of comedic relief that's smartly written with genuinely witty lines. And comedy doesn't disappear in the second half of the drama like it usually does a lot of C-dramas as things get a lot more tense. Thirteen Thousand and Chubby continue making us laugh until the end. I actually quite enjoyed Ao Ruipeng's performance in this drama. And Yan Hongsha? An absolute badass. She works perfectly as an addition to the group a few episodes in.

The pacing is excellent. There was not a single boring episode. No filler scenes, no draggy unnecessary moments, no urge to fast-forward even once. Scenes with dialogue or slower, more mellow moments are all beautifully done and meaningful. The script is tightly written, and while there are some things left unexplored that I would have liked to see explained better at the end, I didn't care much because what I cared about most was these characters conquering their trauma and inner demons along with the defeating the evil, and the show delivered on that front completely.

Production-wise, the CGI is decent. I wouldn't call it amazing — I've definitely seen better — but it's solid quality work that doesn't feel cheap at all and never takes away from the enjoyment, instead, it enhances it. The fight scenes are well done, particularly between Mu Dai and Luo Ren. I don't usually watch contemporary dramas with martial arts, but I enjoyed seeing it in this setting. Their fight choreography together also adds a little extra chemistry to their romance, which is a nice bonus.

Now, to the loaded question — is there any romance? I’m sure a lot of you want to know.

Yes. It's not the main plot, because the main plot is five people hunting relics to prevent the apocalypse, but the romance between Mu Dai and Luo Ren is set up from the very first minutes of the first episode and it’s obvious. It's not the kind of romance you'd see in a romantic drama — it's very sweet, non-toxic, and doesn't take forever to develop. They become a couple less than halfway through, but they go through several hurdles that add real depth to their relationship. Since this is an adventure show for all audiences, don't expect skinship beyond hugging — but it's still satisfying to watch them fight for each other and for their future. There's also a secondary romantic subplot set up between Yan Hongsha and Thirteen-Thousand, though it doesn't fully develop until the very end. It's still fun to watch these two bicker throughout the drama and aggressively ignore the fact that they like each other. I think whether you like romance or prefer your adventure dramas without it, you will still enjoy The Seven Relics of Ill Omen because the romantic subplot and the actual main plot are intertwined very well and don’t take anything away from each other.

Overall, Seven Relics of Ill Omen is a very well-done character-driven fantasy adventure with a great cast, great pacing, and a story that will make you feel things you didn't sign up for. I recommend it to anyone who likes any of the actors, anyone who enjoys fantasy adventure, or anyone who just wants something different. This show definitely deserves a higher rating—go in with an open mind and let it surprise you.

P.S. Special award goes to Chubby’s fated pheasant. Oh, and the soundtrack is great.