My current obsession Ancient Detective. I highly suggest this to anyone who likes costume cdramas. The characters and their relationships with each other are such a joy to watch and makes this drama so cracktastic.

I love that the ML, Jian Buzhi, has no martial arts skills and needs his best friend and lover to protect him. It’s a unique twist to most period cdramas out there where the ML is almost always very skilled at martial arts.

The first few cases aren’t all that interesting and it’s hard to figure out who is the culprit since the murderers usually used magical martial art skills to do them. But ultimately it was the characters that made this drama so enjoyable. I love the threesome (and later foursome). They are so much fun together. Even the side characters you meet are all fun, different and endearing.

You have the sweet and tender Jian Buzhi, who is the glue of the group. He might not be able to fight or protect himself but everyone looks up to him as an example of goodness and strength. He is trying to carry on his father’s legacy to uphold justice by solving crimes with his intelligence, bravery and skills.

Then there is the brash, loyal but lovable Zhao Wohuan who meets Jian and within the first few minutes decides he will be his protector. His journey from being an untrained swordsman to being a force to be reckoned with is rewarding. Him and Jian have a beautiful and healthy bromance together that I absolutely love, which is built upon trust, brotherhood and love.

The last main character is the kickass Zhan Shiqi. She may seem like a cold and emotionless assassin at first but she just wants to live her life being the woman she was never allowed to be as an assassin. She is highly skilled and protects her lover Jian without question. The relationship between Shiqi and Jian is sweet and tender. No grand confessions of love between them, but their love is real and strong.

I really wish this did well, both because I would have loved a second season (it ended very well but a scene at the very end opened it up to a 2nd season) and because these talented actors deserve to be recognized. I’m heartbroken that most of these actors have no future dramas, or they are small side parts. 💔 But I definitely suggest this drama!

@outofthisworld @mayhemf @lugirl131415 @horangi @harunomasu

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    What an amazing little gem!! I loved all the characters and I enjoyed the ending even more.
    Also, It really helped that this was capped at 24 episode.

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    Thank you for this write up, @trinpie!

    Ancient Detective is an underrated gem. It has garnered good reviews everywhere but didn’t enjoy half the popularity as dozens of C dramas out there which paled in comparison in terms of quality. It isn’t big budget but that doesn’t mean the production quality is bad. Everything was very tastefully done and I love the aesthetics.

    I enjoyed the cases more than I expected because I find most C crime shows boring. This one is pretty old school, giving me vibes of Agatha Christie. Although it got a little tad repetitive at one point, the whole crime mystery thing was well done. I was pleasantly surprised that they managed to tie up all the cases to the main plot with as little plotholes possible.

    Most of all, the cast is amazing! I enjoy the bromance between the two male leads so much! They are cute beyond words. I have seen my fair share of drama bromance. This is one of the very best. It’s straight, bucking the trend of BL these days but not less enjoyable. The rivalry between Zhao Wohuan and Shiqi over the position of being Jian Buzhi’s protector is hilarious. A departure from the usual male leads fighting over the girl or vice versa.

    Besides the Trio, the other side characters were interesting as well and well acted. For a relatively new and young cast, I’d give them top marks. Kudos too to the scriptwriter for these awesome characters.
    I have little hope that they will do Season 2. Look at C drama record, they seldom do seasons and even if they do, they take forever. Nonetheless, it’s a great drama and easily one of my top dramas for 2020, even if the year hasn’t ended.

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      “I have little hope that they will do Season 2”

      😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

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    Thanks for this Trin! Just like any good Wuxia stories the relationships between the characters in Ancient Detective are wonderful. I was continually surprised that even a few of the tertiary characters in this drama have depth and even growth. I am hopeful for a second season, at least it looks like the writer of the original story is indicating that there will be!

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      I really really hope so! The drama rated well with those who watched but sadly seems it wasn’t popular or watched by a lot. 😭😭😭🤞

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