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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Guardian is a 3-volume danmei originally released as Chinese webnovels by priest. Zhao Yunlan is the head the government’s Special Investigation Department responsible for investigating strange abnormal cases which is complemented by his role as the Guardian, responsible for any human relations with the Underworld. When an investigation draws him into the orbit of university professor Shen Wei, they form an instant connection. But all is not as it seems when it comes to fate and destiny, as their lives become intertwined with that of two ancient deities and each subsequent case brings forth the Four Hallowed Artifacts that will shake the foundations of all Three Realms.
This series was kinda rough in all honesty. It was awkwardly translated, resulting in some strange dialogue and just plain awkward statements. The writing also has the tendency to shift perspectives randomly between paragraphs that is jarring. The story’s over-reliance on knowledge of Chinese mythology makes for a ton of necessary information dumps that is somehow both too much and not enough. There’s a lot of telling (instead of showing) and explaining with so much of the story dedicated to exposition while still being inadequate for people who don’t know anything about Chinese mythology to actually understand the overarching plot and its implications.
The story is actually much darker and grittier than I was expecting with the supernatural cases often tragic and doomed. The main fated romance between Zhao and Shen should have been sweeping and lush but never felt all that romantic because it is bogged down by everything else going on and the author doesn’t really allow for the emotions and weight of their tragic circumstances to be felt. (That one extra Mountain Spirit short story at the end does deliver though.)
Zhao worked as the primary protagonist with his own sort of charm, and I liked that his coming out to his parents was included in the story. I thought Shen was written too closed off and I wanted just a bit more out of him directly (especially after all his secrets and manipulations were exposed). And to contrast the darkness of the story, the supporting characters were rather fun and ridiculous oftentimes—from the uppity talking cat, the unrequited crush having serpent woman, the fake monk, the edgy necromancer, and the slow cowardly new hire (who serves as the third protagonist).
I thought Guardian had a good story, but the telling didn’t quite work.
slow-paced
It was slow, plot felt like it was everywhere. Shen Wei was doing the most and that ending left me less than thrilled. Kind of disappointed the only thing that made up for it was sarcasm and hilarity points.
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The story was average. It was a very complicated and elaborate plot but maybe because it was translated and requires a bit more knowledge of Chinese mythology, I found it would have done better if it provided a bit more explanation. I was not able to fully appreciate it otherwise.
But for how epic it could have been, I’m giving it a higher rating.
The ending felt rushed. Three books worth of paving and the final-final end was one short chapter. That was a bit disappointing.
But for how epic it could have been, I’m giving it a higher rating.
The ending felt rushed. Three books worth of paving and the final-final end was one short chapter. That was a bit disappointing.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I have never not wanted to read the bonus content more in my life. Maybe I’ll swing back around to properly finish this in a couple months, but for now just suffering through the main story was enough.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No