Here's some answers to some questions that I had while watching the show:

The Bromance/Sismance Ratio

Other reviews have been misleading over the imbalanced bromance/sismance ratio. They say the bromance/sismance is 30/70% which implies that this is the only thing going on, however over half of the show just the juniors going on missions and Leya and Spectre narrating those missions and calling it 'plotting'. Unless you count the friendship that all the female disciples seem to have with Qi Ling as sismance, there really isn't a lot of bromance or sismance in this show. Even Lotus and Rosemary don't have a lot of sisterly-chemistry onscreen. Most of the bromance is between Qi Ling and Yang Ze. It's unfortunate that Qi Ling and Yin Chen don't spend much time together throughout the show, Qi Ling spends most of his time with Shen Yin, Lotus and Rosemary.


Does Qi Ling Ever Grow Up?

Yes he does... eventually. Qi Ling starts to put away his goofiness around episode 28 and is actually kind of bad-ass, though the part where he actually learns something from Yin Chen is skipped and now he is just good at magic. However, it's not until episode 34 that Qi Ling really grows up and starts acting like a disciple. Up until now he's just been messing around having a good time with his friends and slacking off because he's lazy, but episode 34 is when the production team remembers that they still have a plot to follow and they're going to get back to it now.


The CGI

Yes it's bad. Enough said.


The Plot

More holes than Swiss cheese and half the show is just for amusement. If the production team had stayed anchored on the plot and exchanged episodes 5-33 with actual plot, a second season's story arc could have fit into the episode budget, we would have gotten a much better story and a lot less time-wasting, and perhaps the show could have ended in a more satisfying way.


The Emotion!

As of episode 36, Zhang Min En's (Qi Ling) acting gets much better and Qi Ling gets a lot more interesting. This episode is particularly emotional and Zhang Min En does a great job with it. We've gone so long seeing a comedic character that the emotional depths he can reach are all the more shocking. It's a shame that it took so long to get there.


Genuinely Sad When It Ended

From episode 34 the story really gains traction. As soon as Qi Ling and Yin Chen have established their relationship at the start you can skip to episode 34 and it wouldn't make an awfully great difference to your understanding of the show. The only thing that you might miss is why Qi La is important at the end. Even though half of the show felt like little disciples going on little missions that made no great contribution to the main story arc or even individual character development, I was genuinely sad when the show ended.


Second Season

It was set up for a second season but you aren't left hanging on a critical moment, you're only showed which direction the characters plan to go next and you can imagine the rest.


Watch Or Not?

This show was enjoyable because of the characters, even in their underdeveloped state. If you've got the patience and can ignore the poor CGI and fight choreography, then you can coast through this show and just have a pleasant time, until you get nearer the end and can start enjoying the story. Just take it for what it is, and I imagine if you do watch the whole thing you'll probably want a second season for these characters just like everyone else, even if the CGI doesn't improve. By the end we have some good characters and a decent plot we can follow so if there was a second season I would definitely give it a watch. It did make me want to read the book and I'm going to watch the animated films


Rewatch Value?

I would only bother to rewatch episodes 34-48 and only if there was a second season.