For me, this drama wasn't anywhere nearly as bad as some of the other reviewers made it out to be. In fact, despite some of its obvious flaws, I quite enjoyed it. The flow of the plot could have been better executed and the dialogues better scripted. It was just slow-paced throughout, the dialogues not just slow but even a little redundant at times. I can see how the pacing might affect the drama's rewatch value, making it difficult for some viewers to sit through the drama again and again in its entirety, even if they were able to watch every single minute through the very first time. It also took its time revealing the main plot of the drama. That's not to say that nothing was happening. There were a lot of things going on from the get-go(a war between two nations, inner political turmoil/scheming, family/romance /relationship complications, even non-human characters scheming off and on in the background because it is a fantasy drama), but you'll come to the realization a whole 30-some episodes later that there's actually something much more important going on in terms of plot. It is definitely a drama that requires its audience to have a lot of patience. I also wish that Guardians of the Ancient Oath had been given a bigger budget to work with because it really showed in its CGI moments. Those moments looked kind of poor. Although, if it's true that this drama was mostly a school project by the students from Beijing Film Academy, then I guess that would explain my complaints about budget. The last note of warning is that while the ending made sense, it isn't your happily-ever-after ending, so if that bothers you a lot, you might want to steer clear of this drama.

Those things aside, I found the story to be quite unique and unpredictable. It felt rather refreshing when there are just so many dramas out there always doing the same story...and the twist that revealed the main plot later on towards the end of the drama will probably come as something of a little shock because, most likely, it won't be something you'll have been expecting. At least, that was the case for me. I also enjoyed the cast of actors and actresses here, many of them quite young: Leo Wu Lei and Song Zuer(our two leads), as well as as others like Wang Junkai and Fiction Guo. They each played their roles quite well despite having been so young. I came into this drama specifically for Leo Wu Lei so, naturally, I enjoyed his acting, but I appreciated that so many of the characters here weren't entirely black and white or without moral/character flaws. I was rather invested in the relationships of the various characters, and enjoyed the love story between the two leads as well as their relationship dynamics. Some other wonderful things about this drama were some of its cinematography(settings and shots of landscapes) and its music/soundtracks. Loved all the pieces of music that were used throughout, especially the gorgeous opening and pretty ending theme songs. I actually like the more gritty color palette that they used here too. If you're looking for something a little different, and have the time and patience, I would say to go ahead and give "Guardians of the Ancient Oath" a try.