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This review may contain spoilers
The Love Child of Joy of Life & My Uncanny Destiny
EDITED: For sanity! The previous version was a cross-platform transfer gone horribly wrong on grammar and formatting. I have addressed the issues.
GUARDIANS OF DAFENG is everything you want in a Wuxia or any television series for the matter and
more. Guardians is the joyfully cheeky love child of Joy of Life and My Uncanny Destiny, and THAT IS WHAT MAKES IT SO GOOD!
The 'Unaware Chosen One' trope is revised in a contemporary manner. Our ML is always in 2nd place, a ‘could’ve, should’ve, would’ve’ man with a broken dream and heart. Add plot armor + ‘look how smart I am’ style palace intrigue + a massive cast similar to JOL, and the formula makes sense. This is cleverly and hilariously balanced by the boundless energy of ‘over the top’ tomfoolery, and humor that stays consistently throughout the entire series. The undeniable chemistry of the ensemble cast is the yummy stuff. I only wished it would have taken some of Uncanny’s skinship as well. Yet, this is the 1st series in a long time that I didn’t care that it was a show that advertised as a romance without any romance. I was so invested in the story! The flitterings of love that did occur were unexpected and charming; The palaple connection that Lil Bro Xunnan and Simu pull off in a single episode gave me the feels, it normally takes MC's 15 or more boring episodes to achieve what these two young actors accomplished with just a look and a word. And Secret Sect’s # 2 and #4, the couple that slays together, stays together. I’d be happy to follow either 2LMCs to 🫶🏾town.
The FL's antics didn’t bother me as the show progressed and her court attendants became more involved. I like this actress and New Life Begins is a favorite of mine, so she probably got a pass from me here. Tbh, I never really saw them as a real couple. In fact, this is the 1st series of Hedi’s that I could finish since my GOAT 🧚🏻♂️🖤😈
Our ML is a Chinese Millennial salesman whose dream it was to be a detective. Dafeng grants his deepest held wish. A quid pro quo is expected. Dafeng wants a good one, just as we all do.
I’m cynical, not by choice, and I’m well past my angst era too, so to find myself crying early in the series,
then at least once per 10 episodes was wild. I was also laughing in every episode, often. That is the cure for me now.
The writers were straight up showing off by Episode 31. Betting that they could drive the viewer to the edge of
existential despair where madness makes so much sense. And seconds later, make those tears become cries of laughter, as our ML goes from humanist stoicism to the embodiment of a cartoon character con man. I was so blown away by this. Bravo! Even the losers get lucky sometimes.
As he said dying, 'Losers, the common people, their experiences have meaning. Success or failure. I came, I did, I had. That is also meaning. Just when I begin a profound, tear filled rumination of these words, I look up to see our hero call for the nurse and proceed to die. And like a mashup of Cdrama, Rick & Morty, and Once and Future King, we watch the 'cycle of death and rebirth to annoy the enemy' play out over and over again, each death and rebirth filled with chaotic Lao Tsu energy seemingly renewed after each turn. They made you legit laugh and cry at the same scenarios in less than 10 mins. That’s magic.
Near the end, our ML Silver Gong is experiencing existential crisis, can you blame him? I don’t.
Someone being slow will get you dead.
Sometimes being slow gets others dead.
Sometimes being slow will cost you the love of your life.
The people of the Dafeng cohabit with time.
Finally, is it me or my whimsy. Or he needed the $$. No shade I need $$$. Did everyone clock DFQC lil bro from LBFAD as the Witches Cult Leader’s right hand man. Then suddenly the bros are in a triangle, slowly swirling in red with a ferocious father at the apex preparing to demand. In my head this could be what DFQC spent his 500 years doing: tribulations. And this is one. Let me dream.
Big up to cast, crew and producers and Wang Hedi, our man Dylan for giving us 2 iconic characters that no one will forget for years to come.
GUARDIANS OF DAFENG is everything you want in a Wuxia or any television series for the matter and
more. Guardians is the joyfully cheeky love child of Joy of Life and My Uncanny Destiny, and THAT IS WHAT MAKES IT SO GOOD!
The 'Unaware Chosen One' trope is revised in a contemporary manner. Our ML is always in 2nd place, a ‘could’ve, should’ve, would’ve’ man with a broken dream and heart. Add plot armor + ‘look how smart I am’ style palace intrigue + a massive cast similar to JOL, and the formula makes sense. This is cleverly and hilariously balanced by the boundless energy of ‘over the top’ tomfoolery, and humor that stays consistently throughout the entire series. The undeniable chemistry of the ensemble cast is the yummy stuff. I only wished it would have taken some of Uncanny’s skinship as well. Yet, this is the 1st series in a long time that I didn’t care that it was a show that advertised as a romance without any romance. I was so invested in the story! The flitterings of love that did occur were unexpected and charming; The palaple connection that Lil Bro Xunnan and Simu pull off in a single episode gave me the feels, it normally takes MC's 15 or more boring episodes to achieve what these two young actors accomplished with just a look and a word. And Secret Sect’s # 2 and #4, the couple that slays together, stays together. I’d be happy to follow either 2LMCs to 🫶🏾town.
The FL's antics didn’t bother me as the show progressed and her court attendants became more involved. I like this actress and New Life Begins is a favorite of mine, so she probably got a pass from me here. Tbh, I never really saw them as a real couple. In fact, this is the 1st series of Hedi’s that I could finish since my GOAT 🧚🏻♂️🖤😈
Our ML is a Chinese Millennial salesman whose dream it was to be a detective. Dafeng grants his deepest held wish. A quid pro quo is expected. Dafeng wants a good one, just as we all do.
I’m cynical, not by choice, and I’m well past my angst era too, so to find myself crying early in the series,
then at least once per 10 episodes was wild. I was also laughing in every episode, often. That is the cure for me now.
The writers were straight up showing off by Episode 31. Betting that they could drive the viewer to the edge of
existential despair where madness makes so much sense. And seconds later, make those tears become cries of laughter, as our ML goes from humanist stoicism to the embodiment of a cartoon character con man. I was so blown away by this. Bravo! Even the losers get lucky sometimes.
As he said dying, 'Losers, the common people, their experiences have meaning. Success or failure. I came, I did, I had. That is also meaning. Just when I begin a profound, tear filled rumination of these words, I look up to see our hero call for the nurse and proceed to die. And like a mashup of Cdrama, Rick & Morty, and Once and Future King, we watch the 'cycle of death and rebirth to annoy the enemy' play out over and over again, each death and rebirth filled with chaotic Lao Tsu energy seemingly renewed after each turn. They made you legit laugh and cry at the same scenarios in less than 10 mins. That’s magic.
Near the end, our ML Silver Gong is experiencing existential crisis, can you blame him? I don’t.
Someone being slow will get you dead.
Sometimes being slow gets others dead.
Sometimes being slow will cost you the love of your life.
The people of the Dafeng cohabit with time.
Finally, is it me or my whimsy. Or he needed the $$. No shade I need $$$. Did everyone clock DFQC lil bro from LBFAD as the Witches Cult Leader’s right hand man. Then suddenly the bros are in a triangle, slowly swirling in red with a ferocious father at the apex preparing to demand. In my head this could be what DFQC spent his 500 years doing: tribulations. And this is one. Let me dream.
Big up to cast, crew and producers and Wang Hedi, our man Dylan for giving us 2 iconic characters that no one will forget for years to come.
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