Huang Yan

I'm going to have to put this up there with Link Click and Mo Dao Zu Shi as shining masterpieces of donghua. I was left after the end with that clammy empty feeling when all emotions are completely wrung out. This is criminally underrated at 6.72 at this time. I can only imagine it is due to a strong bias against donghua and against 3D CGI, and against adult drama in favor of pretty fight scenes. (The stats show a very anormal distribution. This is probably due to dishonest voting.) The visuals here are not the strong point, but I think people rate visuals toohighly. The screenplay, story and direction is pretty much flawless. The story remains tense and nail-biting over the entire series. Nearly every episode feels like a cliff-hanger, and the unease never really goes away even during the most peaceful or romantic parts. It doesn't feel cheap, because the direction is such that the tone is very consistent and there is a lot of foreshadowing. It is incredibly well-paced, always on edge. Though the episodes are short, there is enough development of characters and plot-lines that it does not feel rushed. I love the character development on both the MC Han Yuxi and the doctor Ling Huantao. Han is at times timid and at times resolute, and it makes her feel like a full human, and makes her even more brave (bravery isn't the absence of fear, but when you are afraid and determined anyway). She grows as she faces challenges and through introspection. Doctor Ling is a complex character who can't be reduced into a hero or a villain. The donghua is chock full of social commentary, without compromising the hero's story. Some parts are obvious as given in a speech by the MC, but some is up to the viewer's interpretation. Is Han living a lie by changing herself, or she asserting control of her own life? It's important to have a good view of yourself and not only look at what others see you as. But that doesn't mean you can completely ignore what others think. The animation is not bad, but does detract from the overall quality of the work. Unfortunately, the 3D models aren't able to convey the same level of emotion through their movements as live-action. I'm not quite sure why they didn't make this a live-action, as it does feel more appropriate for this kind of work. Maybe filling a cast with similar looking beauties would have been hard. I think that the semi-realistic 3D style used here is definitely a better match for this story than some 2D bishoujo style, because the 3D style gives it a certain verisimilitude which makes the story feel more real and scary rather than fantastical. Some of the shading looks too plastic, and some of the backgrounds look too simple, which detracts a little. It doesn't look as good as something like Yuan Long. But it's leagues better than Berserk. The soundtrack is amazing. The OP and ED play pieces of the same song, which is both extremely unnerving and exhilarating, and it is blended into the episode seamlessly such that the emotional effect of the story combines with the powerful song. A portion of the song will play during the episode. The story-boarding must have been very clever to reach that compatibility. Several other songs play, like a beautiful insert song "Love You", the soulful "茧", the powerful "來者是我". They stand alone well but also fit the theme of the story. Quite packed for a short series.

The story was well written. Ups and downs but sheds light on alot. Give it a try if you are into emotional anime. Very unpredictable I should say. The MC's reactions is something people do regularly which I always felt was dumb but im glad I sat through the whole thing to see how her personality changed. The art style was unique I was skeptical at first but ehh got over it. The last episode was animated lovely and will please whoever sits through it. I dont review anime often but I had to review this one because I almost dropped it. I am justrambling on now. I would recommend it.

Face on Lie was a very tense, fascinating series, my first donghua and a good introduction to the medium as it's an underappreciated gem. The themes of the story are a bit on the nose but I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing. Even though it was unsubtle with its messaging it was still consistently the animation equivalent to a page turner; I just couldn't stop watching to see what happened. You really come to care for Han Yuxi and want to see her make it through and get away from those trying to hurt and abuse her. The animation was a bit of a hitand miss situation, when it looked good it looked really good but it did have a tendency to slip into some awkwardness here and there. Some character models were distracting in their proportions, like 2D designs not meant to be seen in three dimensions.

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