This review may contain spoilers
I read the entire novel
Well first of all, the timeline and many plots got scrambled and sometimes they merged 2 storylines which make absolutely no sense to me (I speculate they just want to just keep some key details without dragging the plot), however if you read the novel, there just reasons to why the author make it that way.The character is there and quite good and subtlety different from the novel which honestly a good feature in my opinion. Although it is very different from the novel, for instant it feels like MC only love interest seems to be Lian princess and if you read the novel, it basically a harem, despite he did end up living the rest of his life only with her.
Also, I saw many criticisms on the MC accent, and since he is a person from the future, the novel did state that he sounds very different from everyone else since that what he used to (which is the only details I enjoyed but make y'all hate it lol).
I also have to confess I haven't finished the series since I can't cause the film pissed me off sometimes. I know it's unfair, but the characters' appearances aren't portrayed very well, for instance, Wei Yuan and his lover (the Empress), despite their age, they are highly regarded for their beauty, manners and attitude which I just can't see it through the screens.
Overall, I would recommend it cause the fighting scene just an absolute treat to watch and generally it is pretty funny.
Also, this is a COMEDY DRAMA; I love the comic and the novel mostly for the detective scene and Xu Quian supposes to be a police/detective in his previous life (in the novel), IN THE MOVIE HE FELL THE POLICE ASSESSMENT EXAM!!!! And become a real estate agent or something (don't quote me on this) so he would sometimes show good communication and persuasiveness, but I can't see why they changed that detail one bit. Therefore, if you expecting a crime solving masterpiece, there aren't, just some good logical thinking and attentive to details.
PS: I said this already, but I HAVEN'T finished watching the film since my mental health right now just cannot handle it, although I might comeback. Just some small details triggered me since one more thing I really like about the novel is that some small details and decisions made most of the times are influenced by an event or some other small details WHICH YOU CAN'T JUST CHOOSE TO EXCLUDE THEM COMPLETELY FROM THE MOVIE.
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First Costume Drama I was able to finish in a week.
I've been a C-drama watcher since around 2019 to 2020, but even then, I rarely watched costume dramas—and never actually finished one until now.Guardians of the Dafeng was the first costume drama I enjoyed from start to finish.
One thing I’ve always disliked about costume dramas is the guaranteed pain and angst. I don’t think there’s ever been one without it. That’s why I rarely watched them, and if I did, I usually didn’t finish because I’m very averse to emotional pain and angst.
With Guardians of the Dafeng, even though I knew some angst would come eventually, each episode kept me engaged. I didn’t even realize I was already halfway through the series by the time I started feeling a bit tired.
I think this drama is one of the best beginner-friendly costume dramas you could recommend to someone looking to get into the genre.
Probably the only disappointment for me was the lack of romantic scenes between Tian Xiwei and Wang Hedi. There were a few, but it just wasn’t enough for me.
Also, the ending was a bit rushed, and we weren't able to see any proper ending which is probably intended if they will make a season 2
Hopefully, there will be a season 2.
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I loved the first half but then the second half kinda dragged on…
I really loved the first half. It was really funny! It was light hearted! It was filled and adventure and comaderie. I liked all the comedy relief the dynamic of the characters brings! Thennnn I felt like they made his character too powerful that it peaked and couldnt help him properly develop. I was having trouble getting into watching the end, but that’s just me….so I stopped at 35/40 (tho more honestly lost my attention at 31/40).I put the rewatch as 5 because it’s a neutral answer maybe in the future I hope to pick it up again with a fresher perspective.
Am I the only one that shipped Caiwei and Xu Qi-An LOL
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A must watch
I think this is Dylan Wang’s best work. The acting from main and supporting cast is exceptional, the writing was tight and thrilling, the comedy was hilarious - there were times we had to pause the TV to stop laughing because we couldn’t read the subtitles. I cannot WAIT for season two - please have the same cast and HURRY!!!!Was this review helpful to you?
Guardians of the Dafeng is humorous and yet meaningful drama that made the beginning of my 2025
Watching this was such an interesting and compelling journey. I like Dylan's works in the past, so I've decided to check this one too. What I didn't expect that I would love it as much as I did.Guardians of the Dafeng is one of those dramas where you have to watch carefully since the beginning in order to truly appreciate it. The story delivers and connects with characters in humorous way, which I enjoyed. I find that may be because of contrast between funny moments I was able to appreciate serious and dramatic moments.
Guardians of the Dafeng crafts characters beautifully. I love how every part of cast and supporting character is given the stage to shine. Xu Qi An and his life as a protagonist represents what normal person life should be, with importance towards family, friends, love partner and colleagues. I find this very refreshing.
I love Xu Qi An's righteousness. He is not perfect and definitely has flaws but consistency in building his character as someone who will stand for the weaker ones is admiring. I connected with him instantly, I love his quirkiness, sarcasm and positive attitude towards life. Dylan did an amazing job portraying Xu Qi An.
I loved romance storyline, though it was not central, Xu Qi An and Lin An were beautiful.
Overall, this is a great drama with great visuals, great OST, great CGI, great cast and great story. I can't wait to see Season 2.
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This review may contain spoilers
There are things that are more important than life
Breath of fresh air in Chinese dramaland. What starts with epic humor is able to deliver serious thought provoking themes in the end.What makes one a decent person? Is ordinary and mediocre life is considered a meaningless one? Should we stand up for weak ones or conform? Is it better to take things slowly or act rashly? There are no simple answers but Guardians of the Dafeng tried to provide some insights.
I am writing this as I have ended watching this, so emotions are very fresh. I cried so hard at the last episodes, and it solidified its brilliance to me. The fact that we were presented with light-hearted comedy as a way to portray and present characters is making it even more painful.
I want Season 2 so badly. Music, acting, production, script - everything was great about this drama.
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Great
You wouldn't be able to quit this drama after watching 2 episodes, every episode got me hooked 💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜Was this review helpful to you?
My Favorite C-drama of all time
No way in my wildest imagination I thought I will love this drama this much when i started it. It started as a fun and humorous drama but the the more I watch the more I was falling for these characters & story. For me, Guardians of the dafeng is all about character dynamics & their relationship with each other. The drama explore all kind of relationships & make me invested in every storyline. It has comedy, silliness, comaderie, family bonds, mystery and many more. XQA, the protagonist is the heart & soul of the drama whose bravey & courage inspire and touch many viewers. At the end, I was left with tears and awed at the performance of Dylan wang as Xu Qi An because this story was much more than goofy non serious dramaWas this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Guardians of the Dafeng was a surprisingly brilliant watch
I am not usually into male-centric dramas, but this one I enjoyed so much. I love how heart-warming and complete relationships of Xu Qi A with his family, I think this one accept deserves a lot of praise. It's rarely we see that family relationship are portrayed that well in Chinese dramas.Acting, visuals and storyline were all great. Guardians of the Dafeng is very similar to a game, where you start without understanding much, but once you move to the next level - some truth unfolds.
On the rewatch, I noticed so many details I haven't noticed on the first one which solidified GOTD excellence to me.
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A Must Watch!
Guardians Of Dafeng definitely has to be one of the best Action/Dramas I've ever watched.. From the acting to the fighting scenes to the many friendships formed in this drama... I think it's well worth the watch.. It had me laughing alot as well.. I love Martial Arts/Swordsmanship Dramas and I feel like this had a little of everything.. It does have some fantasy aspects to it as well.. This drama is not highly focused on romance however the male lead (Dylan Wang) does have a love interest in this drama and they do have atleast two full blown kiss scenes that are very spicy to look forward too... Its definitely worth watching atleast once...Dylans Dramas are usually pretty good, he's one of my favorite Chinese actors and he definitely didn't disappoint me with this one... ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 STARS
Thoroughly Enjoyed Watching This... 🤍
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This review may contain spoilers
Guardians of the Dafeng, please give us season 2
I love everything about Guardians of the Dafeng. I cried so hard, and also laughed so hard. I grew to love this characters so much. I want to see Xu Qi An's adventures.Dylan was so powerful and great here. Probably his best acting. I like love story here. It doesn't take itself too seriously but produced great moments that made my heart clench.
And ending was epic.
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This review may contain spoilers
The peony is mightier than the sword
I'd often start a review with "this show starts promisingly". It is not so straightforward here.The issue with this series is multifaceted. Firstly, I can't escape a comparison with the Joy of Life series. The cocky ML and his modus operandi are uncanny. There are differences but the subplots regarding famous poems, and the spy master mentor are too close to ignore.
Secondly, the tone of this show is inconsistent. It starts off light and breezy. It even lean towards slapsticks at time. This makes it harder to change things up. For instance, the ML is sentenced to death in ep.15 but within minutes, the tone shifted again. How serious is serious? We are always expecting a get-out-of-jail card.
Thirdly, the ML's sudden appearance in ancient time was never explained (at least by ep.20). He has no problem assimilating into his new life and gains new skills in the blink of an eye. Granted, he is charismatic and a smooth operator. Everyone is fawning over him. It just feels contrived.
We are told he is a police academy graduate, so he is presented as some kind of Chinese Sherlock. The problem is that we don't see much real police work at all. He would "review" a case and just pronounce "the butler did it!". To tell you the truth, that was one aspect that I was most looking forward to. I was hoping to see some scientific approach to crime solving but alas, it was not to be.
Needless to say, the writer is holding all the cards and we are drip-fed information. It is all designed to show the ML in the best light, but at the cost of narrative logic.
Fourthly, we are sold a strong romantic line regarding our leads. Unfortunately, the chemistry is weak (up to EP.20). It is obvious from the start that they are the OTP but I don't get the feels. This is partly due to the way the FL role's is written. The FL plays a ditzy princess who is constantly competing with her royal siblings but not in the deadly game of thrones way, more like petty squabbles. Her schemes are borderline childish. It really throws shades on her intelligence. I'm sure the writer will right that ship in due course but at this juncture, she is just another tropey character. This drama is well populated with such standard characters.
Lastly (for now), there is no rhyme or reason why the ML should suddenly wake up in ancient Dafeng after a staff dinner (see next paragraph). The show goes hard on its own lore but we are none the wiser unless you have read the web novel.
It is full-on xianxia. Monsters, wizards, warlocks, flying heroes, the works. Everyone is cultivating, just not peonies. ;) This means we are running to catch up with who’s who and what’s what. Sects and agencies, both official and secret, are everywhere. They all slot in somehow but there doesn't seem to be a prime directive other than lore, petty jealousy and powerplay.
Of course, all that pales when they played the Ancient Evil card. Yes, it spices things up and pushes a lot of the filler subplots aside. May be there will be some clarity at long last. My money is on the ML being the Chosen One™. Old tropes but good tropes, I suppose.
None of what I listed are deal breaking but when you add them up, I am foundering and losing heart.
This is where the scheduling god played a cruel joke. In the middle of its run, Flourished Peony starts airing. This shines a harsh light on our Guardians. Once I sampled FP, it became an one-horse race. I'm shelving this series until I finish FP. I'll give it another go then. Peace.
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