Shenlong Xing Zhu

Another welcome Donghua surprise, for those who watch with undivided attention, it's an experience that rewards your wholehearted attempts to engage the mind. The main character is exceptional here, so much so that you can learn from him, every issue, how he handles conversations, how he moves etc. There’s so much of his personality in this show and he really captures the true nature of this experience. The side cast, well you definitely can divide them into who’s on the MC’s good side as opposed to who’s on the MC’s bad side. Despite this dividing line, there are some border gate, it's quite fluid so don't expectanyone to be trapped on any side forever. My brethren, I present to you the donghua classic of story-telling; the escalation ladder. This time around a lot of the structure is maintained, so you’re rarely thrown a curveball. What’s very charming about it is that the scale of conflict matches interestingly with the MC’s current influence. This creates a very immersive atmosphere as well as demonstrating wisdom in the Author. Another thing I found interesting is the dialogue, which does very well in emulating reality, it doesn’t try to dumb itself down and was consistently smart enough to invoke laughter and amusement from me. The MC is also wise in choosing his words, persuasion and controlling emotion which creates much needed tension in areas where you wouldn’t think possible. He has enough power to quell these matters instantly, but cleverly, doesn’t. He finds work-arounds that confer nicely with his own social status, the orders of hierarchy at hand and the realistic concept of face. There’s truly a lot to learn if you focus whilst watching this show. As for the story? It’s a lot of fun, I enjoyed particularly the development in people who got closer to the MC. The big problem is that after 48 episodes, whilst a lot of plot-positive events have happened, it definitely seems like we took just a dip of our feet in the Lake of ‘Dragon Star Lord”. The greater secrets of this world are seldom revealed. The main plot-line/premise growing ever fainter since the opening couple of episodes. Unfortunately we are let down in the animation and soundtrack department. I can’t really recall any memorable tunes, some of them fit the bill but they never truly elevated the experience. They stuck to mostly atmospheric tracks, but I missed that type of track that tends to overpower the scene at times. On the Animation side, I report that the models are up to standard but the shaders are weak. This setup results in a video game like presentation. To add to its woes general animation feels stiff, making the impact of various levels of combat-oriented conflict suffer. Observing the fights, there’s effort showing off the diversity of abilities, techniques and powers but it lacks the finishing touch. There’s an absence of that enchanting and powerful visual bloom that are charactristically in the capability of many 3D works from China. The choreography is okay, but not adventurous enough for me. I'm so spoilt by the donghua norm of insane fight choreography. Contrary to my displeasure, having less complex choreography probably suits the narrative as well as the plot. Interestingly, this show presents as a god-send for resourceful production in animation studios, this world is such that any model possible is allowable in this show. It’s quite the uncanny experience in both good and bad ways, as you view a range assets from all their previous projects. After the conclusion of these admittedly quick 48 episodes, honestly. can i even say that there's about 7 minutes of real content in each episode. It's Akin to watching a 16 episode - 20-24 minute - season. If there's one thing that went against this experience was that i pressed the next video button 47 times, longer episodes would very much be appreciated. Ending is in our donghua classic of a woeful climax, so if you’re looking for a resolution it’s not coming till a second season, which was a shame but I suppose they’ve got to keep you hungry for more in this industry. Final Rankings Music and Sound 6/10 – Did the job, nothing more, nothing less. Plot and Story 7/10 – Main Plot was dodged for several side plots, but still enjoyable Characters 8/10 – Great MC, Enjoyable Main cast, Animation 6/10 – Good models, everything else was unremarkable Enjoyment 8/10 – Every time I put it on, I couldn’t stop until something urgent came up. 35/50 – Recommended to Enthusiasts Want a decent binge in some downtime? This show is for you. Hope this helps.