First: this show is super hard to find english subbed - except on iQiyi. On iqiyi app its fully english subbed, and it's where I watched it easily. This show was literally the first thing I watched on the app, and became one of my favorite cdramas of all time, along with one of my favorite shows. If you love fantasy/sci fi genre shows that have found family and use their premise to explore very real world issues, and also prefer good characterizations and arcs tied in deeply to the overarching plot - then this show is near perfect. I happen to love all those things, so this show was like finding treasure when I went in not knowing what I'd find!

This show was phenomenal, the writing was so great in how it tied up episode of the week stories into bigger story plots and longer characterization arcs, every seemingly more mundane plot ended up contributing to the bigger character arcs or main story plot even when I didn't expect it to be able to! The characterizations are phenomenal, especially the lead character's arcs and journeys through the story - focusing on learning how to be vulnerable and love and trust, working on how to be yourself when society has different expectations on you, how to deal with choices that will affect your whole life, how to work in a system where the law sometimes hurts people and how to react to that, and just general social commentary and a ton of allegory for real world issues.

It's very much the same niche as X-men/In The Flesh/Star Trek in how it uses it's sci fi premise to tackle real world issues and very grounded struggles people face in life. I absolutely loved how hopeful and meaningful it was - it handled a lot of heavy stuff, but also had so much optimism and comedy and action to balance out the darker moments so it never felt emotionally draining. It has a bi lead, and another lead that deals with trans experiences in their storyline, which I found really well done for the way they approached these parts - especially compared to some lighter-surface shows that might add a gender-bend sort of trope but not do anything to actually relate the story to real experiences/struggles, whereas this show very much felt like it was trying to connect its sci fi premises and arcs to the real experiences of people. So many real world issues got explored in this show - and sometimes it got dark because of it, but like Star Trek this show tended to have protagonists aiming to do their best to help make a world that's good for people, so the show tended to conclude hopefully.

I also love action/comedy, and although this show has some very heavy/real moments, it keeps its action/sci-fi premise and uses it to comedic affect a lot with cool funny fighting scenes and ridiculous setups. I really like this, as it disarms the audience and also gives breathing room before the heavier stuff comes back for the bigger plot moments. I'm rewatching it without english subs, and the comedy is so visual too that its super enjoyable just to watch in general even beyond the dialogues.

The only small weak points I might give it, is that the actors aren't particularly well known - they did amazing in my opinion though! Especially the lead 2 characters, they did phenomenal layered performances and packed a ton of character building into all their scenes. The other characters did well, though they had less time for their character arcs - still did equivalent or better if I'm comparing them to Buffy the Vampire Slayer/In the Flesh etc type shows. The main lead being someone I didn't know was a big reason I wasn't sure about this at first - he comes off really comedic and relaxed and not like a typical lead AT ALL at first, but his personal growth arc ended up being ridiculously relatable to me and probably many other people with abandonment fears/who tend to just put on a persona and reserve being genuinely themselves because its hard for them. The lead actress was INTENSELY good, I had no idea who she was before this but now I'd probably watch anything she's in - her character is incredibly unique, but the main struggles in the character arc are something I think most people with societal or family pressures will probably find big parts to relate to, and her acting was also so good with the nuance of emotions revealed versus fears/struggles being hidden. Both leads were fantastic at conveying the depth of what was going on throughout with their characters and their roles in the world of the story.

The other maybe tiny weak point I'd give - BECAUSE so many small seemingly mundane plot points end up contributing to the end-main plot, upon rewatch a lot of the twists are going to be much more obvious to catch. I think its fine for rewatchability, because its cool to see HOW they do connect in real time, now that I saw their payoff. But for some people the way the ending comes together will have a bit less impact on rewatch.

Anyway, this show was so freaking good. One of my favorite shows ever. If you've ever loved Buffy the Vampire Slayer, X-men, Star Trek, In The Flesh, Guardian, then this show is probably going to hit a LOT of what you love in a story. For me in particular, the WAY it told the story so tightly in it's writing helped even more - its enjoyable, well written, uses sci fi for real world issues, and does it in a concise way so you can enjoy it without too much time commitment. I'd love if more people found it and had the chance to experience it too. ;w;