Huangshen Lu: Linglong Shan

The Ruins of KunLun LingLong seems to be NiceBoat Animation's first official digital 3D (well, 2.5D actually) project and it did not hold back. The style of the series is absolutely gorgeous and fits the story like a glove. Animation is great and supports the style very well. This series could be a great gateway for more 3D donghua for people that are skeptical of it. The series starts slow and leans into its worldbuilding rather than constant fights which felt like fresh air. The atmosphere of the series is rather quiet and calm. The story is great in that it doesn't endlessly infodump at youlike a lot of other fantasy animations do. It's a simple fantasy adventure that doesn't try too much and that's enough. I'm sure a lot of the symbolism flew right over my head as I'm not that familiar with chinese culture, but that did not stop me from enjoying the more spiritual aspects of the story. The humour in this fell often flat, but felt charming nonetheless. The characters were charming and cute from the start and have very light character arcs. Nothing major or mindblowing, but they really don't try to be that. The voice acting was great and fitting for the characters. You get the jist of the characters from their voices even if you don't speak the language. I'm sure it can sound jarring for people that aren't used to chinese, but it is not bad at all. I thought this was just going to be a cute little miniseries, but the end really opened up a whole new world and storyline that made me want more. They beautifully wrapped up season 1 and made me excited for season 2. Solid cute series that I'd recommend to watch if you have two hours to spare and want to calm your mind for a moment.