Xian: the state of immortality that all cultivators strive to achieve. However, there is a dark energy that lies underneath—the forbidden Mo Dao, or demonic path. Through an unfortunate series of tragedies, this is the path that cultivator Wei Wuxian experiments with during his teachings. His rise in power is accompanied by chaos and destruction, but his reign of terror comes to an abrupt end when the cultivation clans overpower him and he is killed by his closest ally.
Thirteen years later, Wei Wuxian is reincarnated in the body of a lunatic and reunited with Lan Wangji, a former classmate of his. This marks the beginning of a supernatural mystery that plagues the clans and threatens to disrupt their everyday life.
Mo Dao Zu Shi follows these two men on their mission to unravel the mysteries of the spiritual world. Fighting demons, ghosts, and even other cultivators, the two end up forming a bond that neither of them had ever expected.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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Comentários
-Heika
I usually write reviews either because I hate it or love it. In this case, it’s the latter. I’m so in love with Mo Dao Zu Shi in general, (not just the animation) and I’ve started reading the novel and caught up on the currently translated Manhua. [SPOILER-FREE] Story: 10 If you haven’t read the novel or Manhua, (like me—because I started with the anime/donghua) then it might be a bit confusing at first but you’ll get the gist of it. I personally started reading the novel and Manhua, and they give more explanations and you’ll appreciate the story more. This is a BL/Shounen Ai Story, soif you’re not into that, then watch something else. (Spread love, not hate)
The story is, so far, heavily focused on flashbacks. Only the first 2 episodes are set in “the present”. I am currently on episode 9 and it’s still a flashback, so it’s a bit slow-paced. However, all the episodes are action-packed and it’s hard to look away.
[Also, Mo XuanYu and Wei Wuxian look VERY similar and I got confused as well, but I believe Wei Wuxian’s body has a longer ponytail.]
Character: 10
Everyone has a distinct character, despite some characters looking the same—you can tell them apart. Wei Wuxian is very fun protagonist to watch—he’s a troublemaker who likes to tease people and isn’t afraid to speak his mind.
Art: 10
This was what attracted me. The setting is in Ancient China and I’m in love with their clothes, architecture, etc. (All were flawlessly animated.) Everything was smooth and literally everyone is beautiful and eye candy.
Sound: 10
Although the Chinese voice acting is a bit new to me (this is only my second Chinese Animation), I got used to it and it actually sounds nice! The voice actors were very expressive in their tone of voice, which I sometimes found lacking in some Chinese voice/actors.
The background music, OP & ED were like heaven to my ears. The main characters also play instruments (flute/guqin) which sounded so badass.
bootlegaristotle
I never really write any reviews on anime but this time I felt like I had to. This anime is truly a masterpiece. The plot is outstanding and it doesn't get tiring at all. Although it is a bit confusing at first it's not hard to understand and follow it. All the characters are very well drawn and portrayed. The animation is beautiful too, their movements are so smooth and it's almost hypnotizing to watch. The voice actors have done an amazing work showing the characters feelings (especially in the last episode). The music is truly magnificent as well. I really liked the fact thatthe opening and ending were both created specifically for this anime but the music during the episodes is absolutely perfect as well. I thoroughly enjoyed this anime and the novel a lot more since the plot is explained more and a lot more has happened which has not been animated (yet, I hope). Definitely a great anime, worth watching
Njut
Hi, I'll make it short for you guys, put some headphones, and dive into it, the music, art and plot will do the rest. You'll get hooked, and get sadder and sadder as the prospect of the end of the season approaches. The ancienT China lair, and character development are really sofisticated, voice actors are great and it deservs its reviews. The 3 best points are for me : the main character , the music, and the art and smoothness of the animation, the combining of ccg and drawings is really well done, and immersive, I know really few japanese studios that could rival with this levelof dedication. Pay attention all along to the backgrounds and number of frames used.
That's all for me have a try, it's tagged shounen ai, but it's clearly from someone that didn't read the novel or understood the anime, only brotherhood is displayed, and later passion will be shown elsewhere ♥
asckj1
Where do I begin with? I was doing a search on pinterest for some traditional media pictures and some fanart of chinese illustrations and some pictures with long haired guys that looked like anime images would pop up again and again. So I finally decided to do a reverse image search. And I can't believe what a gold mine I stumbled across!! This anime... first and foremost there are breathtaking landscapes in almost every frame of each single episode. I kept on imagining how ancient China must look like before its modernization but I feel that most part of China (probably the central parts) mightstill be as breathtaking to look at as they have been depicted in the anime. The backgrounds in this anime are simply heavenly!!!
The story... It has a solid base- an action, adventure, fantasy story, very good pacing and very good narration. For me, watching this story was like imagining the lives of ancient people of China even though there are lots of fantasy elements. But the way the towns, or transportation, the temples and school ground has been shown, there's something really captivating about it. A jolly troublemaker protagonist, the hardships he goes through and how in all this he's unconsciously drawn towards someone again and again. It's just a treat to watch. The story of Wei Wuxian's past has been animated in these 15 episodes. In this how, he's sent to study the cultivation arts, what tasks are given to these young students where they can use these arts to slay the dark forces is shown.
The animation and sound... It's really lucid. CGI used in this anime doesn't disturb the scenes. The background music throughout and opening and ending songs are beautiful and have traditional Chinese musical instruments in it of course. Very harmonious. The voice actors have done a very good job. Since this is the first time I've heard dialogue in Chinese, I can't really say much, but I liked hearing how each person spoke. Their way of saying sentences reminded me a lot of how Korean is spoken.
Characters... The most important in the anime after the story and the best part all male characters are long haired handsome boys and men!! <3 <3. The two main characters, Wei WuXian and Lan Wangji have been fleshed out very well. They both are really adorable but I must say I like Lan Wangji a tad bit more than Wei Wuxian. Simply because he's such a tsundere character who deeply cares for Wei Wuxian. If you read the novel you'll probably fall deeper in love with this character. Since this anime is going to have another season, maybe we'll see more character development for other characters as well.
All in all, I can;t get this series or the two main characters of this series out of my head. And am impatiently waiting for S2 (schedule in July 2019). Please do see these 15 eye candy episodes and also read the manhua and novels.
alquimistablanco
Long ago, the cultivation clans lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Wen clan attacked. Only the Yiling Patriarch, master of harnessing negative energy, could stop them. But when the world needed him most, he went kinda batshit crazy, killed a bunch of his friends and exploded. Now, my brother and I have found the new Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, a lunatic named Mo Xuanyu. And while his fluting skills are great, he's got a long way to go before he's ready to save anyone. Ok, I promise I'll try to keep the ATLA comparisons to a minimum from here on out, but youget the picture. While this series has the bones of a good story and some awesome art and sound, its plot languishes unnecessarily for almost the entirety of the series. All the information in the paragraph above is revealed within the first 2 episodes, and the next 16 or so are exclusively flashbacks retelling those events in incredibly long detail, meaning that there is little actual progress or character development happening in those episodes beyond what is already revealed early on. The end result is that the vast majority of the series (stretching into the second season) is written as its own unnecessary prequel with all the subtlety of a 16-ton weight dropping from the ceiling.
Story/Characters: 5/10. The story had a lot of possible directions it could go from the start: starting a new life without the baggage of notoriety, hiding one's identity from former friends/frenemies, learning how the art he invented has grown and changed in the years he's been dead, observing the social changes that occurred after the overthrow of both the Wen and the Yiling Patriarch, living as a freelance demon-hunter, etc. etc. The story chooses to explore none of these and instead re-tell what it already told in the opening episodes. While toward the end of the second season we do get a glimpse of things going on behind the scenes, unfortunately most of the episodes are spent telling us stuff we knew from the get-go: Wei really likes his sister-figure. His relationship with his adoptive brother soured. He developed a way to harness negative energy, which makes him a hero to some and a heretic to others. Various miscommunications, misunderstandings and petty partisanship have cast him as a villain when really he is just trying to protect his people. etc. About 10 hours of the series is spent slapping the audience in the face with things they already know, while what was introduced as the main plot (Mo Xuanyu) is abandoned. The length of the exposition steamrolls any nuance out of the plot and twists itself in circles to justify the purity of its characters rather than exploring their flaws. Most of the characters have fewer than 2-3 character traits, one of which is almost always "loyal to family/clan" so the vast amount of time spent expounding on just how justified Wei Wuxian was or how much of a major asshole Wen Chao is was a vast amount of potential for actual storytelling in a fascinating setting wasted.
Minor gripe: the character designs are far too uniform, especially Mo Xuanyu and young Wei Wuxian. I suppose since basically everyone immediately recognized Mo as Wei Wuxian anyway, it's a bit of a moot point, but it felt lazy. I don't know if they were TRYING to make the Wen clan leader look like Fire Lord Ozai, but they did. The ubiquitous sun and flame motifs among the Wen does not dissuade this comparison.
On to the good parts:
Art: 9/10. Docking a point for lazy character design, but the art and animation were incredibly compelling. There's a good amount of noticeable-but-not-terrible CGI interspersed throughout, which works effectively with the storytelling in parts. The art really makes me wish it had a more compelling story to fill it out.
Sound: 9/10: Music is used as both theme and symbol throughout the series, with the guqin and the bamboo flute offsetting each other. Both are traditional Chinese instruments, but their use in the series underlies the difference in tone of their characters: the guqin's music is usually calm and resonant, while the bamboo flute instrumentation is often high-pitched and frantic. It was a masterful way of showcasing the light side/dark side interactions as the characters became closer entwined. Unfortunately, because the main plot spent most of its time flashbacking, the audience gets a very limited amount of the most compelling musical dynamic in the series. The VAs were generally good, although I have a feeling that they gave about five too many people the voice direction "You are an angry but scholarly middle-aged man," though that would arguably be a problem with character design.
Enjoyment: 5/10. I went into this series and loved the first few episodes, so I was incredibly disappointed to spend almost the entire rest of the series waiting for something new to happen. The art and music kept me afloat long enough to reach to the end, but ultimately it never gets far enough away from its starting point for me to have enjoyed it.
youkayouka
I am utterly disappointed by this adaptation. I must make it clear that I watched this series AFTER I read the novel Mo Dao Zu Shi, which this series was adapted from. I had my expectations when this series came out: it was adapted from an extremely popular novel and was made by a rather experienced studio. I realize that I cannot ever get the same enjoyment as I had when I first went through the story, but at least this adaptation should present the story in its full glory. What did I get? I got a long 15 episodes of... fancy animations and good voiceactors and beautiful art and... the studio did not disappoint me in their willingness to spend money on this show. It was well made and impressive compared to low-budget series.
But they missed out on one key aspect of what differentiates between a good adaptation and an adaptation that was MADE JUST BECAUSE THE NOVEL NEEDED THE EXISTENCE OF AN ADAPTATION.
This is a problem you see with a lot of series made by chinese studios, especially adaptations: they are too focused on making a series that looks fancy and has a lot of episodes. Looking fancy attracts viewers, and having a lot of episodes means earning more profit (the more episodes you have the more money you earn). And to make matters worse, this show is really only gaining popularity because of the novel it was adapted from. The story is the exact same but presented in a worse manner: it was made with money and for the purpose of money. There was no consideration of the pace, character development, mood, or just in general, how the story was presented. I sat through 15 episodes of draggy plot development and special effects that look fancy but are just there as fillers. It's like in magical girl animes where the transformation takes 5 minutes. This series did the exact same, but with more fancy looking fillers. The episodes dragged on and on and on. I could literally skip 5 minutes of an episode and they would still be stuck on very unnecesarily detailed CG animations.
What I am even more confused about is why this series is even popular in the first place. One element could be the fact that the novel was popular. Yeah, but why exactly was this adaptation popular other than that?
It's controversy.
This show presented yaoi, or shounen-ai at least, to a market that was not very welcoming to homosexual elements presented in entertainment (there have even been instances where chinese boys-love writers have been arrested and put to jail for presenting homosexual elements). This series was cut mid-way as a result: homosexual elements was not something the higher officials wanted people to see. A series like this, that becomes more than a web novel, and is actually being advertised and presented to the general audience was something new, and new things are exciting. While the web novel itself even had controversies regarding its popularity, the fact that this adaptation actually came to air sparked even more debate. Now when an adaptation like this is advertised and promoted everywhere on the internet, THAT was boom, popularity. This show was not popular because it was good, but because the lack of similar materials available for its target audience.
The story portrayed in this adaptation was the same, but something feels lacking in this series. The novel gave me chills, but this adaptation was nothing more than a series of pretty but meaningless motion images. Like terrible products that are so overly advertised with layers of packaging and labels that it becomes "a hit", this adaptation was essentially rotting in its core. There was no story. And even if there was, the advertisements, the controversy, and the excessive detail on making this adaptation an expensive and fancy adaptation, robs the show of its true gold.
Now, for those who have never read the novel before, this is acceptable to the eyes. If you enjoy beautiful CG animations with brilliantly coloured backgrounds, with sexy looking/sounding characters and boys love elements, go for it. The story is slow moving, but it allows time for viewers to fully enjoy the art of producing motion images. The art is very pretty and there are a lot of places where you can stop and screenshot a wallpaper. It is beautiful and impressive, a very high quality production.
Recommended if you do not care too much for the presentation of the story and simply want a well made anime to bring peace to your eyes (and ears).
Jairus_Kersey
I was amazed to my "Golden Core" ! [SPOILER-FREE] This is undoubtedly the most beautiful anime I've ever seen in my life! It's much better than any other anime in the year of 2018, I would dare to claim. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who loves anime as I do. I have mostly great things to say about this anime with a couple of complaints. First of all, the arts, style, music and character design in this series absolutely amazed me to my "Golden Core"! The artistic portrayal of ancient China is breathtakingly beautiful. Every frame seems like a picturesque poem. In fact I would call theanimation style in this series as "Visual Poetry".
The music and all the ancient instruments appeared in the series are out of this world. The opening theme instantly brought me into this fantasy world where cultivators can fly so effortlessly on their swords and perform stunning arts of cultivation as one does.
The voice acting is great and gave each character a distinguishable persona and made the characters more relatable. Their struggles and the dynamics of their relationships makes me feel like I'm part of it. On the other hand, I did notice that some of the background characters' faces look more generic, bland and indistinguishable.
The plot of all the 15 episodes in season 1 did not quench my thirst for more content in this fantastic world. I want more stories in this beautifully animated world. I can't wait for season 2. I hope season 2 would be more epic and more ambitious than the first one.
Additionally, some people have assigned this anime into the Shounen Ai category, which I beg to differ. For my viewing experience, I didn't even realized this anime is adapted from a Shounen Ai novel until I looked it up on the internet. Since this anime is produced in China, I seriously doubt there would be an overarching theme about Shounen Ai. The Shounen Ai element would be very subtle, if there's any to begin with. I seriously pity those who decided to not enjoy this anime simply because it's labeled as "Shounen Ai".
I would even go so far to claim that this show can be a huge hit not just with avid anime lovers, but also with general audience, that is if Mo Dao Zu Shi is ever gonna be marketed properly here in US.
My only complaints lie with the sub translation. There's a heavy load of info dumped on me when I started the first few episodes. All the names are in Chinese which felt like a heavy task to me, although I did catch on with what is going on shortly after I dived into the series. When it comes to the mythologies and concepts in this anime, I very much prefer interpretation over direct translation. I would understand many concepts much better and quicker if it were not badly translated into weird English, which also slightly takes me out of this anime's artistic world. With all that said, I still appreciate all the hard work by the fan sub community, without whom I wouldn't have the privileged to enjoy this anime.
Overall I would give this anime a 10 out 10.
This is my first non Japanese anime. And I really hope it can get a second season produced smoothly. I'm very worried about the fate of this anime production since this anime did not go viral around the world as it should be. I honestly don't know what to do if season 2 production doesn't go as planned. I call for more support to this anime. And to all the fans in China, please tell Tencent to give whatever cash is needed for this anime production.
sepid_96
so i watched this chinese ONA because one of my friends recommended it :D i came to watch this for a first try and never would have thought that i would like it to this point :) everything was perfect for me...i watched spirit pact but i watched the japanese dubbed ver of it so it seemed like an anime and it was so beautiful with a good enough story...i hope chinese animation industry will bring us more and more ONA's like these :D i personally adore them...they are so good *~* STORY 10/10 :i watched the first episode and i was like whats happening...i watched chinesedramas before so i got used to their language but everything was so messed up but it got better and better until i fell in love with Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji after 5 or 6 episodes :D
i love these kinds of stories tbh....historical...dramatic...fun...dark...it has all i wanted so i loved it...i wish we could have seen more of these two main characters :( i was so desperate to watch the rest of it...i'm so happy that its gonna air in 2019 again :D
ART 10/10:this really deserve 10/10...art is really beautiful and stunning...characters are really well drawn and animated :D ~~
SOUND 10/10 : i loved the sound no question about it...opening and ending were so beautiful
Character 10/10 :the story is like a real chinese drama so the characters were beautifully made in my opinion...
Wei Wuxian:a happy character :D :D he is the one who is always looks at the bright side of everything,he seems like an idiot but he is the most brilliant one...he thinks fast and acts fact but he is a bit careless sometimes and he breaks the law all the time(yeah...these kinds of characters are so lovely and energetic :D)
Lan Wangji:the smart and cocky yet shy one :D he seems cocky because he is SHY i guess :D
he is the one who plays by the rules all the time but he gets a little soft after meeting Wei Wuxian...Wei Wuxian calls him his friend...he thought that he didn't need any but he gets attached to Wei Wuxian somehow and they become friends :D :D
Wanyin Jiang:so he is Wei Wuxian cousin....more friend than cousin tho...they were so close like brothers...he doesn't think straight and that becomes the cause of his failure...he rush things so much...he is a trouble tbh...but Wei Wuxian loves him and respects him :))))
P.S:he is a lucky bastard :|
Xichen Lan:he is not the main character and does not appear that much but i remember him because he is sooooooooo good...kind..handsome...gentle...a perfect man and Lan Wangji's older brother :D *.*
the rest of the characters exist to play the part in Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji's story...the head of their own families and their friends :D
Enjoyment 10/10 :i enjoyed it so much obviously...i was all eyes and ears during watching Mo Dao Zu Shi...i was so focused to understand whats happening because if you lose focus you should re watch the scene to understand whats gonna happen next :D
Overall 10/10:i really loved Mo Dao Zu Shi that i put it in my list of favorites to rewatch it again someday :D
from the Mo Dao Zu Shi manhua i checked this fact that it is a shounen ai story somehow but nothing is this ONA shows that its a shounen ai...there are some sweet moments(yes there are :D ;D)but there is nothing out of ordinary so for those who doesn't like shounen ai good news is you can watch this because the story is so good and for those like me who likes shounen ai stuff...there are some sweet moments and the story is so good so try it!
if you like historical,dark and fantasy genres then this is one of the best ones for you :)
asalich07
Now, I have never written any reviews on any anime whatsoever. However, Mo Dao Zu Shi has me sister stoked in such a good way that I cannot hold myself back from writing a review on this masterpiece. Story (9.5): The reason why I'm not giving this a 10 is that the story starts off quite confusing. That being said, the pacing of the story will definitely give you enough time to clear off all your confusion and misunderstandings about the world, the characters and whatnot. The show starts off with more comedic scenes that are funny and exciting. Yet, the anime will turn an entire180˚and move you to tears when it needs to.
Most of the story is not predictable, and even if it is predictable, you'll still enjoy it. The ending (or at least, the last ep) is satisfying and ties the entire anime together after going on an emotional rollercoaster for most of the episodes.
Art (10): The animation is slick. The characters and backgrounds (when needed) are drawn with so much detail; the fight/battle scenes are hypnotizing and smooth. The CGI will not hinder your enjoyment of the anime...in fact, I think it will improve the experience of watching this stunningly animated masterpiece. And for once, the animation style actually stays the same.
Sound (10): Combined with the animation, it certainly does make the anime so much better. Most of the background music includes Chinese instruments that rarely make an appearance in Japanese anime. It's quite unique, and I actually found myself looping the opening on youtube when I feel like it. The OSTs create a mood and atmosphere that further conveys the message or emotion for that scene. The voice actors did a really good job, delivering exactly what is needed for each character in each scene.
Character (10): The characters are great. Most of the MCs will experience an obstacle throughout the anime that help them grow as a person, and even some side characters get development. The "shounen ai" aspect does grow stronger, however, it's more like a development from "I do not like you" to "I still find you annoying, but you're now tolerable" instead of "I do not know you" to "I will envelop you in hugs and kisses every day".
I know some of you think it's a shounen-ai, and decided not to give this a shot. In my opinion, it is definitely not prominent in this anime (for now), and you should probably watch around 5 eps before you decide it's not worth your time.
P.S. If you are hooked to this anime like I am, season 2 comes out this year (July 2019).
wappeul_nrt
Watched the donghua after reading MDZS and watching The Untamed and although I know the story and the characters, the donghua makes little to no sense to me. Nothing is explained and I really wonder how someone who starts by the donghua might even understand anything. You've got to know about cultivation and the plot, I guess. I would really, really not recommend watching it without reading the novel or at least watch the drama adaptation that is The Untamed. Why does Meng Yao appear so late? [SPOILER] Why is nothing explained about Jiang Cheng's golden core? [/SPOILER] Why adding filler scene but putting the plot tothe side? ... I had so many questions.
Some characters have a different personality, too. Like Jiang Cheng sounds more composed as an adult, compared to his original or drama version (he looks so damn cool as an adult, ngl).
I'd say it's eye candy for the already fans of the novel a/o drama? The characters all look similar but they're all very well designed. And we get extra cute scenes that are very delightful. Also, Lan Wang Ji has more tender expressions and, eh, that's a nice bonus I guess.
So it's not bad per se, it's just extremely confusing and I would not recommend watching it without knowing the plot.
kogimp
I cannot imagine going back to Japanese anime after this show. It has obliterated all current standards. The worldbuilding, storytelling, music, ART, plot....everything has surpassed my expectations. I watched the donghua before moving on to the novel, and suddenly realised there are tons of easter eggs hidden within the show, waiting for me to grasp the meaning of. And when i did, ho boy. I fell so fast and so hard. It is rare to empathise with more than a handful of characters in shows - but not for this. You don't finish this series without having strong feelings for close to 20 characters. Youwon't even find it a burden that some of the main characters have up to 3 names each.
I digress. Please do your eyeballs and soul a favour and watch this.
ayeitzanime
I personally really enjoyed this show. The art was amazing the soundtrack was amazing and not only that but the story telling was extremely well done. Although most people will tend to avoid this show because it contains BL. I really think that people who usually avoid BL, can actually watch this because the story is so amazing and you can somewhat ignore the aspect of it being BL and pass it more as bromance. So whether you are into BL or not I think this donghua was very well made and I really enjoyed it(literally got me obsessed lol).
Viest
The art is realistic but not to a point where it's annoying or far-fetched. The story is extraordinary with its tearful moments that brings jabs to the heart and overjoyed moments that make you want to jump off your seat. Mo Dao Zu Shi contains plenty action, some BL, comedy, drama, and heart-felt scenes that brought myself to tears. The sound is even greater than any anime i've ever watched in the past years with its exquisite music. Not just the music, the sound effects as well. The characters were my favorite of course due to the development of Wei Wuxian's character and the relationshipdevelopment between Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji. Overall, this anime is the best i've ever watched. I highly recommend anyone who has not seen this anime or read up on it to do so. I cannot wait for season 2 to air in July 2019 and am waiting patiently for the return of Mo Dao Zu Shi and its exciting story to tell.
Anjin77
Mo Dao Zu Shi is absolutely awesome! The story is very interesting with amazing plot structures. The setting of fiction ancient China creates a tons of charming experiences to the audience. And the most importantly, the characters are SO CUTE! Speacially the main characters, Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji. They kind of have the opposite personality, but their inside are the same...I don’t know how to describe it. Just pls, watch Mo Dao Zu Shi! Another thing is Mo Dao Dao Zu Shi is actually very deep. Each of the character is so wrong when you only think about it in one perspective. But atthe same time, each of the character is so right if you think deeply in that chracter’s perspective. To be honest, I cried for a least 10 times when I was reading the novel (I personally love to cry for anime and novels...As a M, I recommend MDZS lol)
I won’t say the animation of Mo Dao Zu Shi is perfect because there are still many things should be improved. But Mo Dao Zu Shi is really a great example of Chinese animation’s improvements and a wonderful show to watch.
Finally, thank you so much for reading this. I hope this is helpful lol......Words can’t describe how much do I love it, so pls pls pls go watch it...(The Music in Mo Dao Zu Shi is also very nice. I just learned the opening song on piano.....And I am learning the character song of Mo Dao Zu Shi on my clarinet lol.....Oh sorry I talk too much....Can’t control myself every time when I talk about Mo Dao Zu Shi..... ）Pls watch it!(///▽///)
Haruko_Miya
Im going to start off by saying, this is the first review i've ever written, you'll surely find grammar mistakes along the way and maybe silly reasonings, but bear with me! I got recommended this anime by a friend of mine who's really into Shounen ai, and i know what you're thinking "shounen ai, this doesn't look like ai" At first i was hesitant to why it was tagged as specific. So i got curious and decided to give it a watch... And OHHHHHH Boy! was i surprised. I guess this is one of those things where "Dont judge the book by its covers" Same thingcan apply anywhere honestly.
The scenary of the places shown in the series is spectacular, This kind of art i would say is able to rival most, if not all artstyles drawn in "Japanese Anime" and others.
Story: 8.5
Personally i've not read the novel, however i would adivice in most cases if not all, reading the novel/manga etc of series while you watch the animes simply because there's always information that's left unissued in anime, and better portrayed with a stronger backstory etc.
It is a Shounen Ai, so either you watched this knowing that or you were simply curious like me.If not well i guess here's a way to get into BL or well, can't really call it that is its more based on "Brotherly love"? im not sure what to call it, only thing i can say is dont expect your "Average" Shounen ai, you might be left disappointed. The story is very heavily based on flashbacks pointing back to what i mentioned about reading the "Novel/etc" earlier that the anime explains mostly what happens during these flashbacks etc, but for 100% accuracy i'd read the novel as well. Atleast if you're one of those with "ferfectionist disorder" ... Not even sure if that's a thing or maybe just me. At the start its abit slow im not gonna lie, however it picks itself up quite quickly.
Character: 9
The main character of the series is called "Wei Wuxian" he's a young man with quite the playful impish side, he isn't afraid to speak up about things, he often comes out as "THE" troublemaker. However he's a loveable MC, and for the rest of the cast we've got "Bi shounen" characters everywhere, its impossible to dislike how alot of these characters portray themselves, they've all got their unique ways of living as well as quirks who makes them what they are. Oh and just to throw it in there "Wangji Lan" is well, a damn hot guy not gonna lie.
Art: 10
To me the setting portraying a old China is exceptionally well drawn, nature, effects, architecture and clothing (Speaking of which kinda reminds me of alot of "JRPGS". Everything, and i mean everything looked goregeous and insanely tasteful.
Sound: 10
Coming to a "Chinese" anime as a newcomer is an experience that's kinda similar to watching anime for the first time, you come in not knowing what to expect, just ending up being blow away, and i mean literally "BLOWN AWAY" The voice acting is very professionally done and quite soothing to listen to. As for the music chosen for this anime in particular was spot on, im sure if they had chosen any music but the one played it wouldn't have been nearly as good as is. Its hard to explain, but the sounds are of such quality fitting the scenary of the anime just being played out before your eyes. I would compare it to the "most succulent of steaks" But i'd be scared of potential vegetarians.
Hatul
In the summer season of 2018, while everyone was busy watching Attack on Titan season 3 or Overlord season 15, China was making its own gem of a series that was presumably broadcasted on the Chinese equivalent to Netflix. Mo Dao Zu Shi is a Chinese anime based on a fantasy manuha and novel of the same name. Chinese anime are normally known for having low production values and a cheap look but this one is quite the opposite - it's fluidly animated, has very expressive characters and is filled with big and long action set pieces accompanied by (mostly) stunning visual effects and exotic looking cgibackgrounds of ancient China that don't clash with the 2d character models in the foreground.
Speaking of character designs, while I appreciate the subtle differences between them (they're mainly made up of handsome and semi feminine looking men), some of them do look kinda samey in terms of faces and hairstyle that it's hard to tell some of them apart. Also I'd argue that the action set pieces are a little too long and filled with weird angles, lots of camera movement and a frantic pace of editing to the point it made my eyes a little sore. Plus some cgi effects are more wonky looking than others. Though with that being said, overall this is definitely a stunning looking show that obviously had a lot of effort put in to it. Just not quite my cup of tea and some aspects of it might not age that well.
The audio in this series is just as good. Most of the soundtrack is made up of what sounds like traditional Chinese music that's very relaxing and meditative as well as epic tunes for whenever the situation calls for it.
Since the series is in Chinese (a language I'm not used to hearing) it's very hard to tell how good the voice acting is, but to my ears it did sound fine from the main characters and kind of wooden coming from some of the secondary ones. But maybe that's just me.
Production aside, the story begins with a bunch of narration in which we learn a little about some of the different clans of demon culitivateres inhabiting this world and most importantly we learn that the main character, Wei Wuxian is dead. killed by one of his own allies. We then flashforward to about 20 years ahead to foreshadow future events in which the main character possesses the body of some dude who deliberately summoned him to do just that. We spend the first two episodes in this flashforward time period where we get a disorienting and confusing set of character introductions, clan introductions, magic mumbo jumbo, and epic action set pieces.
This beginning was enjoyable and quirky enough to keep my attention. It's clearly a serious story with a serious tone but at the same time, it had such endearing looking characters as well as comedy that felt very authentic for its time period. There are no chibi deformities or modern talk, it all comes from witty dialogue exchanges that are actually funny and never feel jarring. It all ties in to the main character's campy personality. On the other hand these first two episodes were also a chore to follow since it kept jumping from one thing to the next with very little explanation, no clear objective and each of them was 34 minutes long. so it might be a turn off for some.
Thankfully it starts to ease you in more smoothly in episode 3 where the series uses some framing device to take us back to the past to when this whole thing started.
The episodes that follow up to about episode 8 are slower, a lot easier to follow and are a lot more focused on binding us with its main characters that are a part of the Yunmeng Jiang sect as well as building its world, establishing its themes and foreshadowing future events involving the big bad Wen clan and the power struggles among the different clans in general. Episodes 9-15 is where the big conflict takes place and bigger events start to take off.
You see, the world in this series is kinda weird. You have zombies, ghosts, demons, moving statues as well as human clans that hunt these creatures with a complicated magic system. And each of them seem to have their own customs and rules.
Which brings me to one of the series weaknesses - this world seems so all over the place to the point where it's hard to imagine all these elements existing side by side. Normally this isn't a problem but the show seems to insist that there's some logical explanation for all this and how this will ever be explained is beyond me and potentially might make the series convoluted and filled overly long explanations. Another thing that's troublesome is the magic system the humans use. While we do get info about how it works (very gradually throughout the series) we never get a sense of how powerful any of the characters are in relation to one another and the abilities each one has don't seem to be defined very clearly so battles tend to seem like random chaos sometimes.
Also one of the lead characters Lan Wangji is very powerful and is used as a dues ex machina on several occasions where he saves Wei Wuxian's butt. Whenever he's around you know the battle is probably gonna be over very quickly.
And without giving away any specifics, even the final confrontation against the villains felt kinda cheap, but for different reasons.
Moving on from that I do find the way this series presents its themes to be interesting. The theme that seems to stand out the most is whether certain traditions and strict rules do more good or harm. You see This sect we spend most of the series learning about has many rules for its followers and even the useless looking ones are enforced with an iron fist by the sects leaders.
This is demonstrated at a certain point on our two lead characters who find themselves in trouble - the previously mentioned Wei Wuxian who's a flamboyant and rebellious person (who's also bi sexual? I think) and Lan Wangji who's more of a traditional "by the book" type.
While this series could've taken the easy route of demonizing these clan leaders and traditions, it has a more interesting approach and through the story we experience the good and bad that these traditions bring and we realize that these rules, while draconian, are there for a reason. We see Wei Wuxian's journey of indirectly breaking these traditions to the point where by the end of series he may have been helpful in resolving a huge conflict, but his soul was corrupted and he's no longer the same person.
I'm pretty sure the homo-eroticism is not just there for flavor and does play a role in this theme, though I can't be sure because from what I hear this adaptation toned down the gay content considerably because - (ironically) there's laws against it in China...
So what you're left with is just subtext between the two lead characters (which I'm sure will still please fujoshis regardless).
Anyway, these polar opposite leads are the heart and soul of this series. Their relationship is homoerotic as hell which is either a plus or a minus depending on who you are. But they really do a great job of making you endeared to both of them even if you're not in to the gay stuff (which I'm not). They have some of the best interactions as well as powerful dramatic character moments.
There's also another main character as well as supporting ones, some of which do get fleshed out by playing different roles in the story. Shout out to Madame Yu, her character took a turn I was pleasintly surprised by.
The villains from the Wen clan on the other hand are pretty shallow and their motivation just comes down to being power hungry. The main villain of this season is just a hedonistic brute. And While they're not nearly as interesting as the protagonists, I guess they still make for an entertaining bunch to watch and some of the members of that clan aren't all bad.
Lastly, the show ends incomplete but nearly all the plot threads that were opened were resolved and we arrive at our destination which is the flashforward from the beginning . A second season is planned for summer of 2019 and a third season for summer of 2020 which I hope will live up to the first.
All in all this is a weird but terrific show with a complicated lore and setting but a relatively simple story and likable characters. And of course outstanding visuals and music. I found it very entertaining though I may not have enjoyed it as much as I should have and I'm a little skeptical on where the story is headed.. But that's probably just me.
istarninwa
Watch this watch this watch this! First, the bad: There are three seasons, and the first one is by far the weakest, but necessary: it has a lot of painful exposition and A LOT of names. I had to take extensive notes to keep track of everyone across five clans. The dialogue also flies by very quickly, so I was constantly pausing to read the subtitles. Speaking of the story, it's phenomenal! There are a lot of mysteries that build up over time, and they get gradually resolved, especially in the third (the best!) season. There is so much resentment, pathos, and euphoria -- all mixedinto a very cathartic and meaningful fashion. Main ideas are friendship, loyalty, and ambition, all explored in exquisite, brutal, and satisfying way.
The BL component is very tame and isn't the focus here. It seems very natural, like a very nice addition to an intriguing plot. The main protagonist also becomes less annoying once he drops the act (following the story). I got to like him more and more, and by the end, I was completely enamored by both.
I fully expect a lot of the detail from the novels to be lost in the donghua -- I've read the author's other series, some hefty 8 volumes of Heaven Official's Blessing, which was just as convoluted, albeit with slightly fewer names and a gentler exposition.
But the donghua is definitely a wild, beautiful ride. One of the best BL stories put into this format.
terwa
I liked the manga and the novel ,but the anime was a big disappointment the art and Chinese voice actors were good ,but what the use As the story filled with ugly and boring fillers , twisted of events ,and skipping important details ,focusing on other unimportant details ,and they made a short past long story (longer than the present) while in the manga and novel it focus more on the present than the past ,and that how it should be And I don't know why they skipped all the ai shounen light cute love between the 2 mc? it was pure ,funny ,enjoyable and cute ,not tomention that some of it was deeply related to the story in an important way
And the most important thing they made Wei Wuxian is wrong and being possessed by evil power, which is not!!!
Wei Wuxian is a great character and the writer showed us how he is been accused of falsely sins in the manga and novel , and he would always use any power in his hand to help any person in need through the past or present ,putting anyone before himself ,even if it harmed or killed him ,he seek power to protect not to be great
and all the close people were to him abandons him for power the only one stayed in the 2 times period with him was Lan Wangji
Which also was ruin in the anime by making him stand against wuxian , while he never done that on the contrary he would always take wuxian side no matter what was the other side ,as he was sure of wuxian good intention
AND THAT MY RIEVIEW FOR THE 3 SEASONS AS THEY RUIN A MASTERPIECE
And ruin a great arc which was the left hand body tracking , and made a chaos speedy ver, which was filled with half assed explained events and flashback of important events or ignoring them ,adding silly scenes which doesn't make sense ,like the anime staffs didn't know what they were doing or didn't read the novel or manga thoroughly
This was really a bad commercial for the novel and manga
People who didn't like the anime ,don't judge it and try to read the manga or novel as mystery and cultivation was a masterpiece ,and overall it is a masterpiece
Neolavender123
I heard nothing but good things about Mo Dao Zu Shi (hereinafter referred to as MDZS) that in spite of having never seen any donghua (Chinese animation) before, I was willing to give this one a shot. Reading the MAL synopsis, I would have guessed that this show would mainly be a slow-burn romance between two ancient dudes with a touch of supernatural/fantasy. I mean, probably nothing new in the BL fandom, right? Wrong. If you were a viewer who avoided the genre like a plague or just merely someone who was turned off by reading that synopsis (hey, I was skeptical too!), chances areyou might’ve thought “Huh, I think the synopsis was miss-described,” by the time you finished the show.
[STORY: 8]
I’m going to be frank here. My experience watching MDZS was divided into two: before and after episode 9. The first few episodes actually confused and bored me out at the same time. My problem with the first few episodes of MDZS is that… albeit there was several action scenes, the rest of the episodes were set in a VERY slow pace with little to no key-plots happening. I was underwhelmed. At the same time, I was also /overwhelmed/ because of the time-skips and because of the abundant information thrown in a form of footnotes (cultivation terms, Chinese honorifics, the MANY aliases of MANY side-characters, etc). It was frankly difficult to keep up. It took me around 2 weeks trying to get through eight episodes and I was almost content at giving this show a score of 6 or 7.
However, a few hours ago, I picked up the show again from episode 9 and I couldn’t NOT finish everything. Without spoiling anything, episode 9 onwards was an animated Chinese Game of Thrones. To reduce MDZS to simply a romance-heavy BL story was a mistake and these last few episodes should’ve proven why. In fact, when I recall everything again, there was little to no romance seen at all unless you’re looking for it. I checked the website of the scanlation team that did the synopsis and apparently, the synopsis was for the completed light novel where the romance was concentrated more in the arcs that were NOT included in this donghua. So, if you refrain from watching this show because you’re turned off by the BL or sho-ai tag, don’t be. It would be the least of your worries.
[CHARACTERS: 7]
Most of the characters’ personality seemed to be 2-dimensional. But I blame it partially because they didn’t have enough time to flesh the characters. The only time I think they did pretty well with this was with presenting the Yunmeng Jiang family’s dynamic. But other than that, the only other credit I can give to is to the strong female cast (more specifically Yu Ziyuan, Jiang Yanli, and Wen Qing).
Another problem I have with the characters is their design. The elders might have some moustache or other special features to distinguish them, but most of the other characters’ facial features are the same (medium eyes for males and doe eyes for females, all have the same pointed nose, and all have the same mouth shape). The only way I could tell everyone apart was through their eye color and their hair style; and with that huge amount of cast, it was STILL hard. But the biggest sin of all was for them to make Mo Xuanyu be the exact replica of Wei Wuxian.
[ART: 10]
Art and animation were SUPERB. For art, there is nothing to critique. The art in the opening credit, the way the locations were drawn, the art in the ending credit, everything was great. In terms of animation, this show combined 3D and 2D animations so seamlessly. And not only how the characters and creatures moved around, the way the camera shot moved were also very dynamic and enjoyable especially during the fighting scenes. The only two instances where I was troubled by it were:
1) When there were awkward chest-to-head side shots of a character walking (I can only remember one being in the first episode and the other in the eighth episode);
2) When the blend of 3D and 2D were not compatible enough that it looked weird (like when the Turtoise came out).
[SOUND: 9]
Sound effect-wise, they were the kind that you would expect from watching a movie in the cinema with a Dolby surround sound system. I’m not kidding. My favorite was the sound that always came out whenever Lan Wangji attacks using his guqin. The background music in all of the scenes as well as the opening and ending songs were beautiful too. They were perfectly in tone with the atmosphere of the show.
Voice actor-wise, it took me quite a while to adjust with Chinese audio because this is my first time watching donghua and I rarely watch Chinese movies. But for some reason I found Wei Wuxian’s voice to be… quite annoying? I’m not sure if it’s just me or if other viewers feel the same way too.
[ENJOYMENT: 8]
Due to the extreme polarizing experience between the first and the second half of the show, I can’t give MDZS a better score than 8. But I certainly can’t give it a lower one either because MDZS is entertaining enough for me to be so curious to want to read the manhua and watch the second season that would come out in a few months. I would certainly look forward to it.
[OVERALL]
Average score of 8.4 rounded to 8.
