Oops, had another one week break in between entries due to travelling despite this being planned as a weekly blog… Maybe at this rate I should just let it officially be every two weeks, but that probably isn’t a smart way to run a blog haha. Ah well, guess we’ll see now that I’m settled back at home. But yes, my graduation convocation has officially passed, and it was really nice having it at long last! Hearing my name called, walking across the stage, taking pictures, seeing my campus one last time (especially after doing my fourth year of undergrad completely at home online in quarantine), wearing a cute dress, seeing my friends, celebrating with family… It was really lovely!
I also got to meet some of my friends who lived around the area, including online friends I actually got to see in real life for the first time ever, so that was another huge plus! And despite it being tiring, travelling is always fun~ Although I have been absolutely exhausted since getting home, and I’ve been sleeping a lot but barely eating as a result. Hopefully that gets fixed soon ahaha.
But yes, let’s continue with the topic for today! This is actually a continuation of the last blog entry, which was about danmei donghua (specifically the Mo Xiang Tong Xiu adaptations). This week, we’re discussing some of the donghua adaptations outside of her works!
Shanhe Jian Xin aka Qian Qiu (Thousand Autumns):
Let’s begin with this one, because it was just announced a few days ago that Seven Seas has officially picked up this series, written by Meng Xishi, for an official English translation! This is awesome news, obviously, but wow I am seriously mind-blown about how good my timing always is for these entries and the news about the series I’m writing about haha.
First thing to note is that while I was making this heading, I realized that while in Chinese the donghua has a different name from the novel, in English it’s just called Thousand Autumns either way, which is its novel name. The Chinese title for the donghua (Shanhe Jian Xin) literally means something like “Mountains and Rivers (representing the world); Heart of the Sword.” I won’t pretend to be a good enough translator to be able to explain all the nuances behind the title, but I did think it was something worthy of mentioning!
Now to discuss the donghua itself, this is another one that has only completed its first season so far. It’s also another one that just so happens to be done in 3D CGI, although it arguably has a higher budget than Chuan Shu Zijiu Zhinan (Scumbag System). Shanhe Jian Xin is also actually quite popular for a donghua, and it has a modest but active fanbase if you guys want to join! It also has some of the arguably best promotional art for donghua. I mean, just look at this! Isn’t it gorgeous!?
As to why you should be a fan: it really is a pretty donghua! There are a few times some of the movement looks a bit awkward, but for the most part, the 3D animation is done really well, and characters feel both solid and look quite nice. Shen Qiao and Yan Wushi, our main characters—and main couple—both look amazing, and it isn’t a secret that many people are drawn to the series due to Yan Wushi’s…assets. What? He’s just got a more powerful, stronger build than most donghua men designed to appeal to female fans, and it has worked to be indeed appealing to fans! 😆
The story of Shanhe Jian Xin can be rather confusing at first due to it opening with some very fast exposition about the series’ politics and lore, but it does get easier to understand as the donghua goes on. And when it is confusing (for example, I remember mixing up some background characters every now and then), a few rewatches or a reading of the novel or a checking of online info will help clear that up. Essentially, Shen Qiao is set to become the sect leader of Mount Xuandu, gets poisoned while fighting against someone of Tujue (Beimu in the donghua), and it causes him to fall off a cliff, become blinded, and get amnesia. He is saved by Yan Wushi, leader of Huanyue Sect (one of the major demonic sects), who decides it would be fun to try and turn him evil. He begins by acting as his shizun, although this doesn’t last very long in the donghua. There’s even more politics besides just this; for example, Shen Qiao worries over the decisions of his martial brother, Yu Ai, who has become the new sect leader. The other sects also work together to sabotage Yan Wushi, and there’s the whole thing with Tujue/Beimu that Shen Qiao and Yan Wushi have to contend with.
The animation overall flows quite well, and there’s some rather smooth fighting scenes in it. I also enjoy the character designs a lot! The romance between the two leads is subtle yet still there, and it really is fun seeing how Yan Wushi annoys Shen Qiao, always following him and asking him why he is so kind. The romantic tones of their relationship is expanded even further in the Mini Theatre, a bonus series that features chibi art of Yan Wushi and Shen Qiao. It’s very minimally animated, but the style is nonetheless adorable (the art is by gundudugun, who you can find on Twitter. They draw all the official—and some non-official!—chibis for Shanhe Jian Xin). I assume since it’s a bonus series, it can get away with being a lot more obvious in the nature of Shen Qiao and Yan Wushi’s relationship. It adapts some details from the novel and is just in general a lot of fun, with some quite cute jokes. I actually translated some of the Mini Theatre here, mostly because I love how shameless Yan Wushi is in it haha. Since then, other, more skilled translators have picked it up so I haven’t tried translating more, and you can find theirs here!
Part of what makes the Mini Theatre and the main series itself so good is the power of the voice actors, who are all incredibly skilled. I already shouted about Wu Lei, the voice actor for Yan Wushi, in my entry on Chuan Shu since he also voices Shen Qingqiu there, but let’s say a few more things about him! He’s just got such a good range, and his voice as Yan Wushi is admittedly very addicting—it’s so smooth and deep and suave! Shen Qiao’s voice actor, Xia Lei, also has a beautifully gentle voice that is very befitting of the character’s kind nature. I’m a huge fan of how perfect their voices are for ASMR, and I constantly wish we could get ASMR episodes featuring them. Because hey, the Mo Dao Zu Shi audio drama did it, so why can’t Qian Qiu!?
And speaking of audio dramas… Yes, there is one for Qian Qiu, and yes, Wu Lei and Xia Lei play Yan Wushi and Shen Qiao there as well! That’s how you know their voices are perfect for their characters haha. So if you want a more uncensored version—that also happens to have gotten further in the plot—you should totally check out the audio drama!
This will vaguely enter spoilers territory, but it’s only for a moment: I just wanted to mention another example of Wu Lei’s amazing range, because in the audio drama, you get to hear him play as Xie Ling and A-Yan, which are Yan Wushi’s younger selves, and oh my God… The way his voice gets so cute and high for Xie Ling seriously melts my heart! Shen Qingqiu and Yan Wushi are already such different characters, and Wu Lei even sounds different when voicing Shen Jiu (the original Shen Qingqiu before Shen Yuan took over his body), and then he comes out swinging as an even more different role in Xie Ling.
Also, I’d be remiss to mention that Genshin Impact has officially hired Wu Lei to play the role of Dottore, and I’m really excited to hear more of him—and to have more people discover him! Chinese voice actors are very skilled yet remain quite underrated internationally, so it’s always exciting learning about the growth of the industry.
And okay, I think that’s most of what I wanted to discuss about Shanhe Jian Xin! I know it was a lot, but hey, that just goes to show how good the donghua (and series as a whole) is~ I totally recommend checking it out, especially if you love opposites attract, questions about good and evil, grey morality in protagonists, rich and interesting lore, and more!
Tianbao Fuyao Lu (Legend of Exorcism):
Here we have our first donghua adapted from a danmei made by an actual gay man! Tianbao is originally by Fei Tian Ye Xiang, who has written a number of danmei (there’s actually a prequel to this one that also got a donghua adaptation, and I will discuss it below). His trademark is focusing on friendships along with the romance(s), and from what I’ve been able to glean, these groups of friends tend to all be quite gay haha.
Tianbao Fuyao Lu’s main couple is Li Jinglong and Kong Hongjun, the latter of which is a half-yao prince, whose father was a yao king and who has since passed. Having been raised by his father’s sworn brothers, one of them gives Kong Hongjun three tasks: to eliminate the yao that have infiltrated Chang’an, find his father’s killer, and send the Heart Lamp to a descendant of the Chen family. The last of these tasks immediately go wrong when the Heart Lamp is actually absorbed into the body of general Li Jinglong during a skirmish. This binds their fates together, but even more so when Li Jinglong is made leader of the Court of Exorcism, which Kong Hongjun becomes a part of in his attempts to fight other yao. He tries to figure things with the Heart Lamp out while hiding the fact he himself has yao heritage, and he and Li Jinglong grow closer…along with everyone else in the Court of Exorcism.
The donghua is animated by Sparkly Key Animation Studio, who are well-known for a variety of 3D CGI animated donghua, including the incredibly popular Duolu Dalu (Soul Land). The designs for the Tianbao Fuyao Lu donghua really show how it’s Sparkly Key’s handiwork: they’re intricate and beautiful, with a clear xianxia (fantasy that is deeply inspired by traditional Chinese culture) influence. These designs do feel more fantastical than other Tianbao adaptations, including the manhua and audio drama.
The animation itself is quite good as well! Sometimes some of the movement can look slightly awkward, but Sparkly Key demonstrates both their experience and skill in their work, with fast-paced action scenes and fun comedic moments where the characters get to really express themselves, despite them being designed in a more realistic style. I do find some of the action hard to read sometimes, but the emotional and funny moments are all done quite well, and some of the action is also really cool. The romance is fairly obvious, albeit more subdued than say, Tian Guan Ci Fu or Jie Yao, and the dynamics between the characters all feel natural and real. Li Jinglong and Kong Hongjun form a really cute relationship, and season 2 has that same sweetness developing nicely between Mo Rigen and Lu Xu.
The donghua is set up in a sort of monster of the week nature, with the Court of Exorcism handling various cases of yaoguai each episode, with an overarching plot that builds steadily as the seasons go on. I found season 2 especially intriguing, considering the smooth progression towards a climax with the ghost army.
The voice actors for the donghua also play the same roles for the audio drama, which I have heard is amazing, and comes with some very lovely artwork. The voice actor for Li Jinglong is actually Bian Jiang, who also plays Lan Wangji in the Mo Dao Zu Shi donghua!
Additionally, there is a manhua which the fans love a lot, with a very cute art style. Unfortunately…I believe the manhua has been put to an end, as the artist had health issues. I’m glad they put the artist first, but a discontinuation of something fans love will always be a little sad. Still, there is quite a bit of food to enjoy if you are a Tianbao fan!
The lore behind Tianbao has plenty to offer, and I know the characters are all quite popular. This would be another great one to check out if you enjoy well-developed characters, found family, and an expansive world!
Dinghai Fusheng Lu (Epic of Divinity Light) aka Dinghai Fusheng Records:
Okay, these titles are really throwing me for a loop. First Shanhe Jian Xin whose Chinese name differs from the original title of Qian Qiu despite the English remaining the same for both, and now we have Dinghai Fusheng Lu where the Chinese names stay the same for the donghua and the novel, yet the donghua’s English name is completely new. I hope it isn’t too confusing haha.
I actually don’t have much to say about Dinghai right now due to me not being too familiar with it, although I hope to check it out when I get the chance! It’s the prequel to Tianbao, and is also written by Fei Tian Ye Xiang, and it has a manhua and audio drama adaptation as well. You don’t have to check out both since Dinghai is set hundreds of years before Tianbao, but there are some connections to probably enjoy if you do! Dinghai follows Chen Xing, the last exorcist, who’s trying to bring spiritual qi back, along with his protector, Xiang Shu. Unfortunately, he only has four more years to live, and of course roadblocks fill the journey.
The donghua adaptation blew up slightly for a mouth-to-mouth scene between the male leads, which is certainly noteworthy considering the growing popularity of danmei has resulted in stricter regulations on web media, so we haven’t really had animated gay kisses featured on-screen since Beryl and Sapphire and Spirit Pact (which I suppose I should discuss as well!). The animation itself seems okay—a tad awkward and unnatural at times, with some textures lacking, but it nevertheless looks decent!
I haven’t seen much of it yet myself, but I’m excited to visit more of Fei Tian Ye Xiang’s world, and the donghua could definitely surprise me. I’m not picky hehe. I hope you enjoy it if you check it out as well!
Can Ci Pin (The Defective):
Ah, here we have our first Priest adaptation on our list! Priest is a very popular and prolific danmei writer, whose works have been turned into donghua and cdramas alike. Can Ci Pin is another 3D-animated series, but the animation really does look stellar (does that count as a pun? Hehe). This one is also our first non-xianxia yet also non-modern series on the list! That’s because Can Ci Pin is actually scifi—it features a dystopia run by mind-link technology called Eden. Those who cannot connect to Eden are labelled as “defectives,” and our protagonists, Lin Jinheng and Lu Bixing, come together to fight back against this unfair system. Lin Jinheng is the ex-commander of the universe’s top space fleet, and can be rather cold and stoic. In contrast, Lu Bixing is a sweeter character, who also happens to be a scientist and the headmaster of the Starry Sea Academy.
I myself have yet to be too familiar with Priest’s works despite them often blowing up online and I have enjoyed adaptations of her works in the past (Word of Honour and Guardian come to mind!) as well as me having friends who enjoy quite a few novels of hers. I hope to check out more of her work soon!
This does mean I don’t have a lot to say about Can Ci Pin yet, but I’ve heard good things about both the novel and the donghua, and there’s also a manhua and audio drama. The donghua looks quite intriguing and well-made from what I have seen, and you can hardly go wrong with the opposites attract trope!
Lie Huo Jiao Chou (Drowning Sorrows in Raging Fire):
Another Priest work! This one is sort of xianxia but with a modern twist, as it is set in the world today. Here people may have special abilities, which are managed by a special office. Xuan Ji is one such person, who becomes acquainted with the tyrant Qi Zheng Emperor Sheng Lingyuan after he has slumbered for a thousand years. They seem to have shared a connection in the past, which is explored along with a bigger threat to the world.
This one is one of those fun 3D-animated donghua in the sense that it is more stylistic, and I always enjoy that since a lot of 3D-animated donghua—as I mentioned in the Mo Xiang Tong Xiu donghua adaptations entry—feature a more realistic style. Series such as Lie Huo or You Yao (Are You Okay) and Liang Bu Yi (No Doubt in Us) capture my attention due to their more unique designs. Lie Huo itself certainly looks quite stylish, with slick, sleek character looks and a pretty colour palette that often evokes sunsets—which feels fitting, considering the darker design of Sheng Lingyuan and the more fiery design of Xuan Ji.
The donghua itself features some really cool action and an intriguing story, and while I remain quite new to this world (as in I haven’t seen all of it yet and I haven’t read the novel or the manhua or listened to the audio drama—the latter two of which I believe are still ongoing), I already recommend it!
Bonus: it helps that the donghua has an absolutely killer soundtrack, which you can listen to on Netease or QQ Music. I listen to the full version of the theme song on repeat constantly!
Conclusion:
Alright, I think that’s all I’m going to—that I can—cover for today. All this typing and researching has tired me out, and it’s already late into the night (or really early in the morning?), despite me starting this entry a little while before the clock struck 12:00 am.
Of course this is barely scratching the surface of China’s danmei series, especially since if I had included queer-coded ships, this list would’ve been even longer ahaha. I touched on those a bit in this entry on queer-coding versus queer-baiting in Chinese media, but I might talk about some of my favourites in more detail in the future! For now though, I tried to cover as many donghua adaptations of danmei as I could! Hopefully this served as a helpful listicle to some of you. I know danmei is exploding in popularity more than ever before, but donghua can still be rather underrated sometimes, so I try to be helpful with my lists and writings to welcome new fans.
Speaking of…this list got way too long, so I’ve broken it up. That means you’ll get a part 3 next week, which covers some more underrated danmei donghua, and then part 4 next, next week, which covers upcoming danmei donghua!
Good night everyone, and see you all next time!