“you are a human, not a knife” - guardian write up

[latespring]

This is going to be basically my thoughts on guardian, which was a chinese drama I started specifically because one of my favorite authors started writing fic for it. I started watching this at the beginning of the school year, and just finished it now, which should give you some sense for how slow I am finishing these things lmao. It’s 40 episodes, each about 45 minutes long.

 

Anyway! The basic premise is that the Special Investigations Department (SID) is tasked with guarding Dragon City from crimes of an unusual nature, perpetrated by criminals with special powers. These criminals are usually dixingren (an alien race who live on the planet) who escaped from the underground (the place where they live). The SID in in charge of capturing the criminals and returning them to the Black Robe Envoy, who returns them to the underground. 

 

Anyways, the plot follows members of the SID and the Black Robe Envoy as they slowly uncover a 10,000 year grudge against the world they live on. 

 

This is, similar to mdzs, a show based on a novel. I haven’t read it, but some friends who have report that the novel is significantly more gay. The relationship between the two main leads (Shen Wei (aka, the Black Robe Envoy) and Zhao Yunlan (the head of the SID)) is cute either way. 

 

Overall, I think I’d give the show itself a 6.9/10!

Good points:

• Really likeable characters and character development. They did a good job with fleshing its cast out and making sure the entire SID got some screen time. Even the side characters are really vibrant! I don’t think there’s a character I could point to as being especially weak, and while I point to the SID as being especially good, I loved basically the entire cast, even the villains. 
• Fun plot. It isn’t always the most thought out, but the show (at least in the beginning) does monster of the week type arcs, and they all feel interesting! The first one is a bit rough but that’s because they’re introducing everything at once, I think. Overall the plot had some contrivances that made me raise an eyebrow, but it made me laugh just as much.
• Character relationships. I really appreciated the relationships in the show, especially those between Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan, and Guo Changcheng and Chu Shuzhi (both members of the SID). I adored the found family vibes from the SID and the general development and banter everyone had.
• It has some killer lines, see: “you are a human, not a knife”

• The theme slaps!

Eh Points

• The description I used for the ending when describing it to a friend was “it feels like they tripped into it” and tbh that still holds. As much as I say the plot was fun, the ending was kind of a what the fuck moment. I wasn’t (and still am not) sure what emotion they wanted me to feel at the end of it all, but what I got was confusion. No spoilers but like, seriously wtf.
• Some of the character arcs they used were, I’ll be honest, boring and kind of forced. Specifically Zhu Hong and Da Qing’s (both SID members) arcs felt out of place and uncharacteristic of them. While I was invested in their characters, sometimes it was despite of, not because of the writing. 
• The overall conflict was just ok. It wasn’t really interesting, but it wasn’t completely boring either. I think overall the show struggled a lot with pacing, which while relatable, didn’t help the engagement with the main plot (it came both almost entirely backloaded and also with awful information management). 

 

I think this show really hit some fun points about science vs. magic, found family, and detective stories, but overall it did miss some points with the whole ending. There’s certainly some rewatch value to the whole thing, especially now that I know the plot! The characters alone are really compelling, and I already have a post-canon fic in progress for a side character. If you like 10,000 years of drama, interesting magic and grudges, found family, and don’t mind when they absolutely butcher any sort of attempt at political drama, I’d recommend this show!