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momijizukamori) wrote2021-03-02 10:13 pm
momijizukamori) wrote2021-03-02 10:13 pm
Entry tags:
Guardian
So I finally got around to watching Guardian! Overall I'd say I enjoyed it, though I'm not sure I'd like... generally recommend it. Having lots of fun digging through the fic though, because this fandom seems big on like, intense loyalty kink and h/c which is 100% my jam
Okay let's get the not-so-good out of the way first:
-that ending, seriously. Like, I guess it was at least a little ambiguous, and fandom seems happy to ignore it, but man I was not anticipating that much of a downer going in.
-they clearly spent all of their (probably small) budget on casting, and while they got their money's worth there, it clearly shows elsewhere. Shout-out to the ghost-beast from the Hanga arc, which looks like someone ripped the monster assets from Resident Evil: Code Veronica (a PS2 game) and upped the mesh count. Most of the other CG is... noticable but tolerable, but that one was rough. It also shows in some of the sets, which have a distinct BBC/old Star Trek vibe to them. Dixing is particularly rough on that regard.
-the worldbuilding is a hot mess. I know this is because they had to change a fuckton of stuff for censorship reasons, but man, it does not make a lot of sense. For better or worse being a superhero comics fan has conditioned me to suspend my disbelief at some truly nonsensical worldbuilding (and really incoherent time-travel plots, too), though, so I kind of just... let it wash over me.
-There were a bunch of bits in the current Youtube uploads where it seemed like stuff was badly redubbed later? Like the change in audio quality is very noticable. Seemed to mostly be when people were talking about the Haixing Supervisory Department so I wonder if there was a name change or something.
And the good!
-I liked pretty much the whole main cast of characters! Even the antagonists were pretty interesting, with the exception of maybe Zhu Jiu who was just kinda... there. Being a dick.
-SHEN WEI. Like, realtalk, I was here for the weilan, and I was not disappointed by far. I did not realize the degree to which it was going to be like 'oh look someone wrote a character just for me'. The domesticity! The OP badassery! The intense pining! The stupid self-sacrificial loyalty! And he looks extremely good with both long and short hair. I'm sorry, Wang Yibo, you're very pretty but you're also kind of a baby, my heart belongs to Zhu Yilong now.
-Zhao Yunlan is less laser-targeted straight at me, but also very good. Scruffy and adorable! Apparently incapable of sitting in chairs like a straight neurotypical! I love it.
-Much of the wardrobe for the main cast is *chef's kiss* Like, Shen Wei in particular because hngh suits, but special shout-out to like, 90% of Zhu Hong's outfits which are FIRE.
-This series said 'we heard you like h/c and loyalty kink' and just went HARD on it. Bless.
-I appreciate the fandom's willingness to go 'aliens? Okay we're just gonna do some whacky biology headcanons', which I'm very into.
I did dig up a fan translation of the novel, which I'm gonna compile into ebook and read at some point when I have free time, because I have heard it has a happy ending and presumably has fewer gaping world-building holes. And has a higher 'gay supernatural bullshit' quotient.
Okay let's get the not-so-good out of the way first:
-that ending, seriously. Like, I guess it was at least a little ambiguous, and fandom seems happy to ignore it, but man I was not anticipating that much of a downer going in.
-they clearly spent all of their (probably small) budget on casting, and while they got their money's worth there, it clearly shows elsewhere. Shout-out to the ghost-beast from the Hanga arc, which looks like someone ripped the monster assets from Resident Evil: Code Veronica (a PS2 game) and upped the mesh count. Most of the other CG is... noticable but tolerable, but that one was rough. It also shows in some of the sets, which have a distinct BBC/old Star Trek vibe to them. Dixing is particularly rough on that regard.
-the worldbuilding is a hot mess. I know this is because they had to change a fuckton of stuff for censorship reasons, but man, it does not make a lot of sense. For better or worse being a superhero comics fan has conditioned me to suspend my disbelief at some truly nonsensical worldbuilding (and really incoherent time-travel plots, too), though, so I kind of just... let it wash over me.
-There were a bunch of bits in the current Youtube uploads where it seemed like stuff was badly redubbed later? Like the change in audio quality is very noticable. Seemed to mostly be when people were talking about the Haixing Supervisory Department so I wonder if there was a name change or something.
And the good!
-I liked pretty much the whole main cast of characters! Even the antagonists were pretty interesting, with the exception of maybe Zhu Jiu who was just kinda... there. Being a dick.
-SHEN WEI. Like, realtalk, I was here for the weilan, and I was not disappointed by far. I did not realize the degree to which it was going to be like 'oh look someone wrote a character just for me'. The domesticity! The OP badassery! The intense pining! The stupid self-sacrificial loyalty! And he looks extremely good with both long and short hair. I'm sorry, Wang Yibo, you're very pretty but you're also kind of a baby, my heart belongs to Zhu Yilong now.
-Zhao Yunlan is less laser-targeted straight at me, but also very good. Scruffy and adorable! Apparently incapable of sitting in chairs like a straight neurotypical! I love it.
-Much of the wardrobe for the main cast is *chef's kiss* Like, Shen Wei in particular because hngh suits, but special shout-out to like, 90% of Zhu Hong's outfits which are FIRE.
-This series said 'we heard you like h/c and loyalty kink' and just went HARD on it. Bless.
-I appreciate the fandom's willingness to go 'aliens? Okay we're just gonna do some whacky biology headcanons', which I'm very into.
I did dig up a fan translation of the novel, which I'm gonna compile into ebook and read at some point when I have free time, because I have heard it has a happy ending and presumably has fewer gaping world-building holes. And has a higher 'gay supernatural bullshit' quotient.