Intensely good if you like sci-fi/fantasy that uses allegory to explore real life issues

First: this show is super hard to find english subbed - except on iQiyi. On iqiyi app its fully english subbed, and it's where I watched it easily. This show was literally the first thing I watched on the app, and became one of my favorite cdramas of all time, along with one of my favorite shows. If you love fantasy/sci fi genre shows that have found family and use their premise to explore very real world issues, and also prefer good characterizations and arcs tied in deeply to the overarching plot - then this show is near perfect. I happen to love all those things, so this show was like finding treasure when I went in not knowing what I'd find!

This show was phenomenal, the writing was so great in how it tied up episode of the week stories into bigger story plots and longer characterization arcs, every seemingly more mundane plot ended up contributing to the bigger character arcs or main story plot even when I didn't expect it to be able to! The characterizations are phenomenal, especially the lead character's arcs and journeys through the story - focusing on learning how to be vulnerable and love and trust, working on how to be yourself when society has different expectations on you, how to deal with choices that will affect your whole life, how to work in a system where the law sometimes hurts people and how to react to that, and just general social commentary and a ton of allegory for real world issues.

It's very much the same niche as X-men/In The Flesh/Star Trek in how it uses it's sci fi premise to tackle real world issues and very grounded struggles people face in life. I absolutely loved how hopeful and meaningful it was - it handled a lot of heavy stuff, but also had so much optimism and comedy and action to balance out the darker moments so it never felt emotionally draining. It has a bi lead, and another lead that deals with trans experiences in their storyline, which I found really well done for the way they approached these parts - especially compared to some lighter-surface shows that might add a gender-bend sort of trope but not do anything to actually relate the story to real experiences/struggles, whereas this show very much felt like it was trying to connect its sci fi premises and arcs to the real experiences of people. So many real world issues got explored in this show - and sometimes it got dark because of it, but like Star Trek this show tended to have protagonists aiming to do their best to help make a world that's good for people, so the show tended to conclude hopefully.

I also love action/comedy, and although this show has some very heavy/real moments, it keeps its action/sci-fi premise and uses it to comedic affect a lot with cool funny fighting scenes and ridiculous setups. I really like this, as it disarms the audience and also gives breathing room before the heavier stuff comes back for the bigger plot moments. I'm rewatching it without english subs, and the comedy is so visual too that its super enjoyable just to watch in general even beyond the dialogues.

The only small weak points I might give it, is that the actors aren't particularly well known - they did amazing in my opinion though! Especially the lead 2 characters, they did phenomenal layered performances and packed a ton of character building into all their scenes. The other characters did well, though they had less time for their character arcs - still did equivalent or better if I'm comparing them to Buffy the Vampire Slayer/In the Flesh etc type shows. The main lead being someone I didn't know was a big reason I wasn't sure about this at first - he comes off really comedic and relaxed and not like a typical lead AT ALL at first, but his personal growth arc ended up being ridiculously relatable to me and probably many other people with abandonment fears/who tend to just put on a persona and reserve being genuinely themselves because its hard for them. The lead actress was INTENSELY good, I had no idea who she was before this but now I'd probably watch anything she's in - her character is incredibly unique, but the main struggles in the character arc are something I think most people with societal or family pressures will probably find big parts to relate to, and her acting was also so good with the nuance of emotions revealed versus fears/struggles being hidden. Both leads were fantastic at conveying the depth of what was going on throughout with their characters and their roles in the world of the story.

The other maybe tiny weak point I'd give - BECAUSE so many small seemingly mundane plot points end up contributing to the end-main plot, upon rewatch a lot of the twists are going to be much more obvious to catch. I think its fine for rewatchability, because its cool to see HOW they do connect in real time, now that I saw their payoff. But for some people the way the ending comes together will have a bit less impact on rewatch.

Anyway, this show was so freaking good. One of my favorite shows ever. If you've ever loved Buffy the Vampire Slayer, X-men, Star Trek, In The Flesh, Guardian, then this show is probably going to hit a LOT of what you love in a story. For me in particular, the WAY it told the story so tightly in it's writing helped even more - its enjoyable, well written, uses sci fi for real world issues, and does it in a concise way so you can enjoy it without too much time commitment. I'd love if more people found it and had the chance to experience it too. ;w;

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How much you love this show is going to depend a bit on: what writing style you prefer, and on how much you expected it to be like the novel.

Is it like the novel? While some key points were kept, the novel has a different set up to a degree and a different plot, so I treated them like different things. That said, the main characters were portrayed in a lot of ways like the novel, the romance felt similar, the lead actors did a phenomenal job portraying their roles, and I definitely connected emotionally and it hit me hard. I saw the drama first, and on its own I actually really liked the plot because its very sci-fi/fantasy used as allegory sort of like x-men to comment on society and prejudices and justice. I always love those kind of stories. And a ton of the episode-cases tended to be parallels to the main story/romance between Zhao Yunlan/Shen Wei, and I love when storytelling uses side plots to comment further on the main plot or contrast to it. For people who do not like this writing style - cases, parallels, allegory - they might get bored/annoyed. For people who love this style, a la Buffy the Vampire Slayer kind of shows, if they're like me they'll love it. And... if you go in expecting the novel story, this is not really it - more like an AU. That said, the main characters are really solidly portrayed as is the main relationship.

A last note about the plot/setup of the show: the sci-fi/fantasy premise is easier to just treat as a flimsy thing used as allegory, because the show does not bother trying to make their sci-fi explanations sound legit (which makes sense, since in the novel all this stuff is more ghosts/demons/magic tools, and the show just shifts it to 'mutants' and 'science-blah-to-replace-ghost-word' or 'science-blah-to-explain-magic-item' which works fine as allegory but I imagine is annoying if you expect the original fantasy setup or a more seriously-attempted sci fi setup. Its just using the fantasy/sci-fi mesh setup as needed in this show to pursue its themes... its not trying to make it solid. I didn't mind it, but it's probably annoying if you go in trying to treat it like a serious science-based sci fi setup then see ghosts and magic tools and wonder why they're explaining everything so weird/inconsistently.

What might people not like: the cgi lol. The cgi. I am used to some old old Xena Warrior Princess 1990s cgi and Star Trek TOS special effects, so I didn't mind this shows cgi and actually thought it was kind of funny to watch tbh. But if you come in expecting GOOD cgi you will cry. Either treat it like a fun joke, or you will be offended at how yikes some special effects look. Expect cheap 1990s looking effects, at best...

I loved this show so much I started learning chinese so I could eventually read the book by Priest, and Priest's other books, because I loved the characters and some story points portrayed in this show so much. It's been great, so I'm immensely grateful to this show. This show also introduced me to Zhu Yilong and Bai Yu who are both absolutely fantastic actors, and everything I've checked them out in since they've done pretty cool stuff with their characters even when they get weaker writing then they ought to have lol. With the writing in THIS show, they do wonderful work, and Shen Wei is a character now fixed in my head as intense and full of presence as like Xena or Buffy or Spock. Side actors actually stood out to me besides the leads - namely Lao Chu and Zhu Hong's actors, who I'd likely check out other dramas of. This is very much a kind of campy, sci-fi found family and romance sort of show that mixes real life allegory with ridiculous sci-fi/fantasy premises, and that's either going to be your thing or its not. The romance is fantastic either way - but the rest will be love or dislike depending on what you like in your stories.

Actual story wise, I loved the soulmates through ages, the starcrossed lovers from different groups, the found family pushing for a better system, the time travel, how Zhao Yunlan is so flirty with Shen Wei so immediately and that their relationship is a heavy solid presence throughout, and I actually loved the end (although some people won't). Their relationship felt intensely akin to Xena/Gabrielle to me, like soulmates that always find each other, choose each other, and affect the world together. This show is technically... technically a bromance, based on a romance novel, and so clearly implied as a romance as much as literally possible (hence coming off a TON like how Xena/Gabrielle danced just barely in subtext as lovers in the 90s). Because of a lot of things that combined in this show - the solid characters (amazing Acting from the leads), the storytelling style and tropes I love, the lovely music and very unique feel of the show (despite its ridiculous cgi lol) - this show easily became one of my favorite shows of all time. And the romance... wow this romance really is timeless... its up there on soulmate stories like Xena and Gabrielle for me...

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