In this mystical Chinese crime drama, Tientsin appears to be a peaceful harbor city, but murder, mystery and mayhem ensue once the body of the president of the Chamber of Commerce surfaces from the river.
Guo DeYou (Li Xian/ 李现) is part of a river salvage team who pulls bodies from the river. He is often referred to as the “little” River God (Hé shén/ 河神), and he is the one who pulls the president’s body from the river when no one else can.
The president’s son, Ding Mao (Zhang Ming En / 张铭恩) comes to the dock and discovers his father’s body. He then makes it his mission to find his father’s killer. Initially, he believes Gou DeYou is the murderer but then ends up partnering with him to learn the truth.
Together they team up with a reporter (Xiao Lan Lan, Charlene Chen/ 陈芋米) and a sorceress’ daughter (Gu Ying, Cici Wang/ 王紫璇) to unravel his father’s murder.
Their investigation leads them down a seemingly neverending path of lies, betrayal, mystery and death that began 20 years before his father’s death ever occurred.
The two main characters Guo DeYou and Ding Mao each undergo transformations from the beginning to the end of the season. Although they seem like rivals at first, they soon evolve, revealing they actually complement one another in their mission to reveal the truth about Tientsin.
Although Guo DeYou has a weak body, he defies his circumstance and does everything he can to protect his friends and stop the culprits behind the death of the victims he salvaged. Eventually, he finds himself on a slippery slope that could put his friends in even more danger.
Ding Mao is a forensic scientist who uses his skills to determine various clues that can be used in their hunt for justice. He is from a wealthy family so his demeanor can be somewhat abrasive and seemingly arrogant, but he does redeem himself over time.
Gu Ying is a quirky girl who is hopelessly in love with Guo DeYou. Her mother is the local sorceress, but she did not elect to follow in her mother’s footsteps. She naturally inserts herself into the investigation primarily because she always wants to be near DeYou, which has been a habit since they were both children.
Xiao Lan Lan comes from a wealthy, political family. She is a reporter with a nose for tall tales and a detest for coverups and corruption. Unfortunately for her, she finds herself in a few precarious situations because of her ability to sniff out a story.
The journey of Tientsin Mystic has many winding roads, and there is no shortage of mystery, thrills and laughs. If you are easily frightened you might want to watch it with the lights on as some parts could be considered somewhat disturbing – especially if you are planning to go to sleep right after you watch certain episodes. If you like that sort of thing, however, you will be very happy with some of the twists and turns.
There are many elements in this series that will easily keep you guessing until the end. The actors do a fantastic job of bringing their characters to life, and they are all perfect in the roles they were cast.
This show originally came out in 2017, however, it was just added to Netflix recently. If you have the chance, you should definitely add this to your watch list before season two comes out.
My overall assessment — Love.
