First, I watched this drama with a full preparation of big heart towards LiXian x Wang Zixuan and. I prepared my feeling towards them without hatred and biased.

I watched this series on Netflix and The drama started really well, I was expecting it would be the best LiXian drama and then it's getting weirder and weirder so I claim maybe he will get a better drama with "Republican Era" later.
It's very unique drama with a little touch of folklore, mystical and superstition which is I was completely hooked up by watching their first 10 episodes.

The drama is set in the republican era which with aesthetic props and setting even the costumes. They introduced the drama with some kind of "shaman" annual ritual in Tientsin and lead the audience to get know Guo Deyou and Ding Mao. Guo Deyou (LiXian) who salvaged corpses from the river and known as "Little River God", the ability with kind of smoke spiritual method meanwhile Ding Mao (Zhang Mingen) is a son of the chamber of commerce and forensic scientist enthusiasm lead them together to try solving mystery about the murder in Tientsin, up to this point the drama was excellent. Gu Ying (Wang Zi Xuan) character is very refreshing at the same time dumb and I love Xiao Lan character the most which is thanks to Charlene Chen for played it really well. The combination between mysticism and modernity (at that time) blended together to add the uniqueness of the story. The relationship between four characters were pretty decent and the bickering was pretty delightful. The humor is sometime on point and mostly are dull.

Like I said before, The drama started very well and it's getting weirder and
I couldn't cope what the hell happened between leads, antagonists and the main issue. When it started into Evil Gang Cult and holy child went to zombie apocalypse to psychotic magicians and they didn't even explain the relationship between the main issue and them which is I found it was really confusing, ridiculous and outrageous to digest.I just can't stand with their beating around the bush conversations and didn't come straight to the point what they wanted to tell the audience about. The writing was very dull, I am pretty sure the one and only who understood the story only the writer himself and he even couldn't let the director understand it so the directing skill is quite off.

The drama didn't realise that they need a plot so they could engage the audience into their story very well. They have to enhance the character development to get the drama more well executed. Even me as the audience cant feel any "villain" characters at all. The drama didn't grasp each characters really well even the four main lead which is disappointed.
Sometimes they started off over acting a lot especially Gu Ying ( Wang ZiXuan, well if she doesn't do over acting, I found her quite decent in acting) and Ding Ming (Zhang Mingen) and make have no choice to move forward it. I don't mind with the dubbing except Gu Ying , it wasnt match with her body and age at all. Though maybe at that time either LiXian or Charlene Chen were inexperience, so their acting are not at their best. For Wang Zixuan and Zhang Mingen, they have to improve and learn more about acting, I watched their acting are really stiff.

For the cinematography, it's very beautiful with a little touch of "mysticism" and "republican era" and I love it. The costumes are made very on point and perfectly suit of each characters. The setting and props are so stunning and color palette of cinematic are stunningly great but I hate myself when it comes to small details like how they used camera, film camera, writing with pen, using medical mask and microscopes biology all of them are WRONG USED and it's such a shame they didn't use it very good props properly. They shot it fantastically so we could watch it the sense of frightening and creepy montage and creativity to put the deleted scene.


ENDING EPISODE

I didn't know how to explain how disappointed I am, watching last episodes that left us so many unanswered questions that still mystery. The ending was really ridiculous and abrupt. I couldn't say any words except "WTF is this"
1. They didnt tell us why the master is gone and suddenly he is back and told Gu Ying that he searched for Dark Waters. Where is the explanation about the water and the missing master himself?
2. Unnecessary kissing scene
3. The holy child is Gu Ying yet I have no idea wtf happened in the end, what kind of spiritual she has that she can jump to the water while she lost her sight.
4. Where is the explanation between Zombie, Evil Gang Cult and magician psychotic? and they just killed Huang Yu like that?


OVERALL

Overall, Despite the ending was abrupt and disappointed. We could tell that is the conclusion what the drama has actually happened, "weirdo". It had enough fantasy and mystery to satisfy me. I was hoping for more of an explanation as to how the Little River God could stay submerged for such a long time and his mystical other worldly wandering. He seem more magical than the Holy Child. it’s a cliffhanger for a season two, I hope it will answer all our questions. TBH, I would never to recommend this drama to my friends who has prejudice towards LiXian.
LiXian has that talent to improve and promising, I do hope he could break away his image with a well written, well directed and well casted drama.

I will give another chance to Tienstsin Mystic Season 2. I hope they will give us a better well packaged drama than this one.