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This donghua was quite the surprise. It's not a show you can light-heartily watch, because each episode does its best to wring on the audience's heart strings. And this is exactly what this season is about: unraveling all the colors of the human heart:
"Who will break the deadlock,
Hard to heal the mind, at least there is the heart" - (from the opening)
A powerful yet mysterious bell.
A name that makes spirit hope for salvation or run away in fear.

We follow the wandering about of a young girl called Táo Yāo (桃=peach; 夭= die young). She is a doctor, ... but she only treats spirits and not humans. However, through each episode we learn more about human emotions and behaviors.
The English title of the show is: "Manual of Hundred Demons". It tells us a lot about the story. Although we don't know a lot about this mysterious book, there is one certainty: Bai Yao Pu doesn't focus on the main character, but on the Demons. Every couple of episodes tells a self-contained story. They are the beautiful stories of the demon-patients, their memories of the mortal realm.

Every episode touches the strings of the tragic and the comic of life. The latter is expressed through the relationship between Tao Yao and her companions, while the first one is represented by the stories of the demons.
Their memories are told through flashbacks and direct narration and have a "tragic" dimension in the sense of classical tragedy: emotion and struggle against fate, which can be life or the limits of one's existence. Laughs, first times, tears, joy, pain all come together as the story of each character develops. The power of the narrations in each episode makes Tao Yao almost disappear; she is, in fact, the "glue" that works as a bridge between each episode and, on another level, as the bridge between the outside and the conscience of the patient.

She is the bridge between us and the "xin" (to use the Chinese word for heart that also indicates the mind, so the "heart-mind"). She is a psychoanalytic device that can bring to the outside the problems that involve the "inside". That's what she does: through the power of the bell, she finds the string of the heart that contains the illness, which means she cures the root of the emotional and physical crisis (which is understandable also because ancient Chinese thinkers believed in a powerful relation between the heart-mind and the body).

But, even though demons are the ones to be cured, at the end of each episode they seem to have unraveled a new aspect of human mind-heart and morals. They say there's no better way to understand one's reality than understanding the reality of others, this show proves this idiom is right. Demons try to understand humans and us humans can have a cathartic realization of what makes us humans:

"The true meaning of great love is dedication" (-from the opening)

All the stories are not banal and therefore are plenty of details that make them "particular" (special and peculiar, unique); but at the end of the day they underline all the ways in which human relations are given and show all the types of love and dedication. All these things have the right to be heard. Emotions overcome the ideas of "right and wrong":

"Unwilling to listen to others/the wind blows. We walk through the snow
together/Good will bloom/Forget the pain/Blame the bell/Couldn't wake up
the indistinguishable soul/ Wait till dawn /Clear black and white / Gods are
dumb during the showdown between justice and evil/ Forget sorrow and joy/
Pawns in the game correlates with right and wrong/ Who will break the
deadlock." (- from the opening)

Tao Yao seems also to have a story to tell and a deadlock to break in the future of the series...

In conclusion, this is a story about demons. But at the end this ends up to be the most natural expression of humanity and the of meaning of being human, of the meaning of being alive and have a dedication. For a show that is set in a world of gods and spirits, everything screams "MORTAL" and death.

"There are hundreds of fairies
All can distinguish good from evil
Humans only have one heart
But it's unpredictable" (-from the ending)

What happens when a "mind" that can only see black and white meets a heart that is blinded by the shades of grey? They complete and become each other, understanding more of themselves, while the spectator has the privilege to see the whole picture: "heart-mind", xin, indeed.

OVERALL: 8/8 (very suggestive, although lacking the features of a masterpiece)
ENJOYMENT: 8/8 (I would define it as an emotional experience, that can make
you bore or cry and smile; it's not an epic journey, nor a life-
changing masterpiece, but it manages to make you think
about reality, relationships and emotions)
STORY: 7/10 (hope it'll get better in season 2)
ART: 9 (wonderful palette of colors and very good animation)
SOUND: (the original soundtracks are really evocative)

For sound and art, check out the opening theme:
https://youtu.be/FaAcojegweY

N/A: I'm going to summarize each mark in capital letters for those who don't like long pieces of writing. After the summary I'm going deep into explaining the reasons behind the mark. At the end I'm discussing also the problem surrounding the so debated finale of the series (but you can avoid spoilers avoiding the *SPOILERS AHEAD* section). Yes, I like to talk a lot and say my opinion in detail, hope you enjoy XD.

[ENJOYMENT 7/10]
This is the perfect show if you want to chill out a little bit. I watched it during my lunch breaks when writing my final dissertation and I felt both ... entertained and relaxed. It is a series that doesn't ask too much focus or thinking from its spectators.

[TECHNICAL SIDE: SOUND AND ART]
6/10 + 7/10: ENOUGH TO BE ENJOYABLE AND CHILLING, BUT NOT EXCEPTIONAL
The opening and ending song are both absolutely enjoyable, though not memorable. I think the op gives a really chilling vibe that mirrors that average-but-pleasant work that this shows wants to be. The absence of a real soundtrack throughout the episodes makes me choose 6/10 as a mark for the sound design.
From the artistic point of view, we have -again- an average result which can't be classified as beautiful or peculiar. Even if this is not high budget animation and special effects are minimal in respect to this kind of story, the fight scenes are enjoyable and the overall quality of the artwork is good, with detailed characters (in 70% of the scenes). Therefore, I give 7/10 to Art

[CHARACTERS]
6/10: COULD BE MORE INTERESTING; EVEN WHEN THE POTENTIAL IS PRESENT IT IS NOT DEVELOPED. SUPPORTING CH. ARE FUNNY AND FAIR, BUT NO DEPTH.
The character design is quite simple, both on a physical and psychological level. Nevertheless, I loved the design of the main character and I think that men's cloths really suit her. Hua Jiu and Mu Chunyang are interesting as main character and main villain: they are nothing new, but still easy to sympathize with. On the other hand, I think it's a shame that other characters like the perv, dog/cat like -blondie Daoist, have little space and no background story. Qi Ye's story is shortly explained, but a one episode-tragedy and a heartbreaking death is not enough to make the public feel fond of the male co-star. For these reasons my vote is 6/10.

[STORY]
6/10: THE PLOT IS SIMILAR TO OTHER STORIES, BUT WITH A FEMALE LEAD THAT MAKES IT A BIT DIFFERENT AND WORTH WATCHING. THE INTERACTIONS BETWEEN THE CH. ARE FINE, SOMETIMES FUNNY. THE TWO MAIN PROBLEMS ARE: LACK OF EXPLANATIONS ABOUT THE POWERS OF THE CH. AND THEIR BACKGROUND STORIES; A REALLY UNEXPECTED BUT ALSO HORRIBLY-MANAGED FINALE.
The show is about a female warrior, that wears men's cloths and travels around the world selling her abilities as an exorcist in exchange for money. In the first ep she encounters the spirit Qi Ye and forces him to be her servant. The 15 episodes have a fast pacing (sometimes too fast) and show their adventures killing bad spirits. In the 6th episode we also see the development of the real plot with the main villain, that will have its 'conclusion' in the finale. But here we need to use the brackets, because the real problem of this donghua is that is doesn't have a proper conclusion. Everything ends up in a cliffhanger that leaves you waiting for a never-coming season two. Years have passed and people still lament it. But, in my opinion the problem is not the cliffhanger itself: if you have seen Hannibal season 4, you know that a cliffhanger-finale can also be considered art and an ultimate expression of creativity that doesn't require anything else. Cliffhangers can have value when there is the need for a 'silent' ending that leaves space to the imagination of the public because everything that had to be said has been said already. This is not the case. Too many things have not been said. Too many things have not been shown and there is no foreshadowing that can set the right mood to lead to this conclusion.
[SPOILER AHEAD]
I am no writer or producer, but what I'm trying to say is this: cliffhangers are a powerful weapon, especially if you use them as a series finale. But you need to prepare everything in order to reach that moment. You have to make the public feel the tragedy coming. You can't show the mc dead for seven seconds and then an unexplained change of color in the hair of the male partner. That is no tragedy and no ending: the pace is completely wrong and it would be wrong even if there was a season two scheduled for the following year. That can work at least as the ending of a standard episode (and even in this case the pace of the scene is completely wrong). I think there could be little changes here and there that could prepare the audience to this final moment and make it a worthy ending to watch. For example, what is the reason behind the change of hair color? If someone had explained that it was a consequence of a state of absolute despair, linked to the acceptance of a demon to pursue vengeance renouncing to the chance of rebirth, then we could have interpreted the ending as the male lead becoming exactly what Mu Chunyang is. This would have led to the beginning of a new cycle of revenge, which would be perfect with the main message of the plot that you "are no Law no God to decide who lives and who dies, who is right and who is wrong"-to quote Hua Jiu. It would have been a cliffhanger, yes, but the audience would have had the tools to reflect on it and think that the 'good guy' was about to become like the 'bad guy' and the entire process of murder-revenge would start again with an action always having consequences on others.

[END OF SPOILER SECTION]
Of course I made up my previous explanation of the finale, just to explain my position about this cliffhanger-conclusion.
BUT if you really want to know how the story goes on, you can check the manhua fom here (chapter 47): https://ac.qq.com/ComicView/index/id/525535/cid/108?fromPrev=1 . It is in Chinese, but you can guess what happens. You can also see some of the amazing characters that appear later in the story and that the donghua has done major changes in the storyline. Unfortunately, the mannhua has also been interrupted in 2019 and I heard someone was doing a petition for season two (closing in August 2021) but they only had 400 participants/10, 000,000, so I don't think that's happening.


[OVERALL: 6]
To make it short: should you watch it? If you are stressed and want to relax with something you don't have to concentrate on, please go on. Except for the delusion of the finale, the show is pleasant and enjoyable, definitely a nice distraction.

I've just finished the first season, because I know the second season should be airing now/soon. Well, let's start with the (not too) 'negative' aspects.

CHARACTERS (6/7). Judging the characters is a bit difficult. I think the two brothers, that are the main male leads have a well defined personality; their choices and their opinions are coherent with their psychological evolution. The spirit guardians are also nicely scripted, and they have a sense of loyalty that makes me fell the historical Chinese warrior-lord relationship and which makes them more interesting than some narcissistic/stubborn/selfish servants of the Fate series (but I don't want to compare them ... cause I love the Fate franchise and they are different things, it's just something I was thinking right now). It would be a 7 for them. What I didn't like is the villain and the female lead. I'm not going to spoiler, let me just say that I think the villain has a bit of a cliche-personality, that could have been more acceptable IF there had been a deeper psychological analysis or development (like their relationship with their guardian spirit). The female lead is also a cliche and she disappointed me. Since in several occasions they pointed out her idea of gender as an obstacle to find her place in society etc, I was expecting a development of the character; instead, in the end she is literally useless. I understand that she is new to this world, but even her dialogue make her seem like a complete idiot. I mean, c'mon, give her something interesting to say...she has only a passive role of running away, being treated as a nanny, being scolded, repeating what others tell her. She literally doesn't have a personality. For these last reasons, I would give 6 to the characters.

ART (7) cannot compete with most recent Japanese productions, but it has nothing to be ashamed of compared to some American and French productions that have been aired on European TV channels. It is not my first donghua and, considering the current stage of development of the Chinese donghua market, this is a full 7 for me. 2D animation is absolutely enjoyable, but some fighting scenes switch to a cheap 3D animation, that kinda ruins the mood. But, again, overall this is a good product.

SOUNDTRACK (9). I want to talk about the ost right after ART because the soundtrack is what made a lot of lower quality scenes enjoyable and powerful. I am really sensitive towards good soundtracks. I have to recognize it: I think I heard only 5 pieces throughout the donghua and they were perfect for the scene and helped setting the pace of many fights. The opening is short and gave me this 'yeah, let's rock and be strong together'-vibe. The ending is also well played and I love the integration of a few traditional opera notes.

STORY (8). I can't say too much, because I want to avoid spoilers, but the last episodes set some turning points and reveal some unexpected truths that bring the plot to the next level, transforming an otherwise good but banal action in something a bit more intriguing.

ENJOYMENT (8). I binge-watched it in three days during my lunch and dinner breaks from studying. It has been really entertaining and 'light' . The episodes are shorter than the usual 20 minutes ep, so you really want to go on to know what happens next. After the first episodes, the pace gets better and the past-present narration keeps your attention and interest high.

OVERALL? I would use a 9 if I were being listening to my personal tastes and to the feelings I have after the last few episodes about the past (who knows will know), as well as to my recent desire to get to know Chinese donghua better, trying to be open-minded with cheap products or ONAs, and to the freshness this anime gave me. But, summing up all the marks I gave before and trying to be more objective, I would say an 8 is a fair grade.

Sorry, that's my first review and I'm not good at being brief...Hope it was helpful! Bye bye!