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.
HaHaruko_Miya
October 14, 2018
Recommended
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.
Recommended
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.
