Today’s entry is a continuation of last last week’s, because that week’s entry got way too long lol. I am relieved that that happened though, since splitting it up means it’s easier for me to schedule my posts (and yet, I still missed last week due to not feeling too well…). But here we are now!
Anyway, I hope this list helps introduce you to some new danmei donghua that you’ll end up enjoying~! And without further ado, let’s jump right into it!:
Jie Yao (Antidote):
I have a soft spot for this one hehe. It’s a bit simple, with the animation looking a tad awkward at times, but it’s nevertheless quite cute!
The story follows Cheng Ke, a rich young man who has officially left his family to pursue his dream of art. He ends up becoming the tenant of the scary-looking Jiang Yuduo, who is a leader of a sort of gang. Despite them getting off on the wrong foot, Cheng Ke and Jiang Yuduo get closer due to various factors—these range from sillier ones such as Cheng Ke’s lack of knowledge of the real world and more serious ones such as the darkness of the pasts they’ve both left behind.
Honestly, as simple as this series is, it has a warm, cozy feeling to it, kind of like a guilty pleasure—although not quite that bad ahaha. I know it’s not much to write home about, but I enjoyed it for tackling some intriguing topics. For example, Cheng Ke wants to do art, but not just any art—he wants to do sand art, which I thought was so interesting! Also, Jiang Yuduo suffers from PTSD and other mental health issues as a result of his past as a child on the streets who was exploited by those around him, and I found it really refreshing that a Chinese series would tackle issues like that. Mental health isn’t discussed as openly in China yet as it is in the west, so I appreciated this series for showing Jiang Yuduo’s struggles and his road to recovery.
While it is obviously censored as a Chinese donghua adaptation of a danmei novel, it’s nontheless got some really sweet, romantic moments in there. Despite its short run-time, you really come to see how much Jiang Yuduo and Cheng Ke end up caring about each other, with the former always protecting the latter, and the latter trying to help the former in his mental health. Cheng Ke even stands up to his family when they judge Jiang Yuduo as dangerous, and part of the reason he is able to do that is because Jiang Yuduo helps him establish limits with his family, who can be rather abusive.
It’s just…a charming, simple donghua with a cute happy ending, and even though it isn’t perfect, I can’t help but recommend it. If you want a feel-good series or want something light (like, I love that many danmei series have deep, rich lore, but sometimes you just want something straightforward, right?) that still explores some interesting topics, then this is the series for you! Plus, it does have a manhua and I believe an audio drama as well as the original novel, and they all seem quite good!
Ling Qi (Spirit Pact aka Soul Contract):
This is one of the earlier donghua that got a sizeable audience outside of China, and as an early danmei donghua, it has some more explicit scenes. It’s also a bit more cheaply made, since donghua series back then were still finding their footing. From what I know, this was a Japanese and Chinese coproduction, so it also got a Japanese dub—and it probably also helped with those explicit scenes, as well as Ling Qi being released when web media was less censored. It actually continues to drive me a little nuts to this day that many fans who discuss it use the characters’ Japanese names, since most anime fans will flock to Japanese dubs for that…well, anime feel, despite the original being Chinese.
Our main character here is Yang Jinghua, a down-on-his-luck youth who is a descendant from exorcists…who ends up even more down-on-his-luck after he meets Duanmu Xi, who he sees fighting an evil spirit, mostly in the sense that he literally dies. He becomes a spirit shadow of Duanmu Xi, and the two get closer despite their personalities being complete opposites. Yang Jinghua comes to care for the quiet, blunt, and somewhat spoiled Duanmu Xi—the latter of whom has turned out this way due to his past.
Interestingly enough, this donghua improved a lot in quality in its second season, but since it featured actual kiss scenes and was pretty obvious with how close Yang Jinghua and Duanmu Xi are, and considering Haoliners (the studio behind it) hasn’t been doing as many collaborations with its Japanese branch lately, I believe the series ends rather abruptly and it’s unlikely we’ll ever see a season 3. Despite that, it has some intriguing concepts behind it, even though it could get kind of messy at times!
The donghua is adapted from a manhua by Pingzi, which has a pretty art style—though I do think it looks awkward in certain areas, but Pingzi has improved a lot as the series continues! I do remember reading once on Tumblr about how someone was mad at Pingzi because they described the series as “not boys’ love” despite all the amounts of obvious romantic undertones and very very obvious kissing; they even accused Pingzi of queer-baiting, and that statement never sat right with me. Now I know why—because Chinese creators can’t afford to queer-bait, which I’ve discussed in this blog entry here. I assume Pingzi said that simply because they are more than aware of how precarious the status of danmei can be in China, considering censorship, so even if they have every intention of writing danmei, they do have to tread cautiously. It does suck, but I’ve already discussed why China is the way it is when it comes to depictions of gayness in its media (spoilers: a lot of it has to do with the colonization and westernization of China).
To finish up though, Ling Qi is not a perfect series, but it has its merits, and the more explicit scenes will obviously be a huge draw for many fans. As one of the earlier donghua, it gained some popularity as a result, so while it is kind of past its heyday, you can still find fan works to enjoy from it! The Japanese dub is solid, but I do recommend the Chinese dub as well, if only because it’s rather underrated!
Wo Kai Dongwuyuan Naxie Nian (Those Years I Opened a Zoo):
Here’s another rather simple donghua—it’s in a similar vein to Jie Yao in that regard, so if you found Jie Yao enjoyable enough, I think you’ll like this one too!
Duan Jiaze, our protagonist, has a zoo thrust upon him once he’s graduated university, and now with an app that gives him tasks to build his business from the ground up, he has to restore Ling You Zoo to some form of glory. This is made more complex due to the fact his zoo contains mythical animals, and one such animal is Luya, the last three-legged golden crow in the world. Luya is thus arrogant, blunt, and harsh, which makes him rather hard to get along with, but as the series wears on, Duan Jiaze’s pleasant and caring nature softens Luya.
The donghua isn’t very explicit with the romance, but it has some cute scenes, such as Duan Jiaze cooking for Luya; a character assumes Luya and Duan Jiaze have a romantic relationship during an episode that focuses on photography; Luya having a nightmare yet within it, Duan Jiaze is kind to him while everyone else laughs; and Luya and Duan Jiaze share a lovely moment during a party. I do think it’s even subtler than Jie Yao, but that doesn’t take away the fact that the series is indeed quite soft, and even then, it’s fun overall. The other characters outside of our main pairing are also quite adorable!
I assume this donghua was stuck in a kind of production hell, as I remember a trailer that released which featured very different designs from what we ultimately ended up with. I kind of lament this since I actually enjoyed the trailer designs quite a bit, but the final versions are quite nice too! The animation itself is also simple, but not at all bad quality. This is even fluffier and lighter than Jie Yao, so I totally recommend it for those of you who have a sweet tooth.
I’m not sure if this one will have a second season, but since it’s more slice-of-life despite also being fantastical, it’s not so bad if it only has the one season, as it’s not like it ended with a cliff-hanger or anything. The last episode was enjoyable, working well as a finale, and we got some shippable moments between Duan Jiaze and Luya. If you do want more of it, however, there is a manhua—which I do think has a rather pretty art style!—and an audio drama, along with the original web-novel.
Huangli Shi ([Chinese] Almanac Master aka The Chronologist):
Alright I’m realizing just how many danmei donghua there are out there, which means these next few ones will have to be written very quickly—and shortly! This won’t be too hard for this one though since uh…I haven’t watched or read this one ahaha.
I don’t know a lot about it as a result, but I can gather it features magic, with the main character, Xiao Nanzhu, taking on the role of Fangshi, who can change the solar terms and seasonal solstices, as well as predict people’s fortunes. It’s harder to find much about it online since it’s one of those more underrated donghua, and I’m not sure how obvious the donghua is in its gayness. It was adapted from a danmei novel of the same name though, written by Shitou Yang.
The animation looks pretty good overall! It’s by BC May, the studio behind Mo Dao Zu Shi, which I’ve discussed a lot more in detail in my entry about Mo Xiang Tong Xiu’s danmei donghua adaptations. While BC May probably does split the talent and budget depending on how big a donghua seems like it’ll be—so I have no problem believing that Mo Dao Zu Shi is BC May bringing their A-game—the studio itself is overall of good quality, so even if Huangli Shi doesn’t have the amount of time or polish put into it that Mo Dao Zu Shi does, it doesn’t look bad! BC May has also worked on Min Diao Ju Yi Wen Lu (Bureau of Paranormal Investigation) and Yi Nian Yong Heng (A Will Eternal), both of which also have their merits. Although…again, I do lament that BC May struggles with same-face syndrome, but I do enjoy how fluid and distinct their style is!
I’m sorry I don’t have much more I can say here, but if this piques your interest enough to check Huangli Shi out, I hope you enjoy it! I myself am quite curious about it… Part of this is because I like the character designs (like this guy with the mask just looks really cool), another reason I want to go watch it for myself. So yeah, hopefully we both enjoy it if we do go watch it ahaha.
Di Wang Gong Lue (The Emperor’s Strategy):
I admittedly almost forgot this one because it’s not one I watched, but here’s another early danmei donghua! From what I know—based on Cuchallain’s review before he left the donghua/danmei review fandom—it’s fairly cute with an interesting enough plot, although the animation isn’t very high-budget. It’s based on a novel by Yu Xiao Lanshan—actually the fourth in a series about strategy and the Jianghu, but from what I can gather, it works as a standalone even while featuring cameos from other characters. It also has a completed manhua.
The series focuses on Chu Yuan, who has become the new emperor of the Chu state, which obviously comes with a lot of responsibilities and stresses, as he has to prove himself to the people around him. There are also skirmishes occurring within Yunnan, except…Duan Baiyue, the king of Xinan, ends up handling those, and his influence eventually spreads. This is a cause for concern for Chu Yuan, but there is also the fact that he and Duan Baiyue are childhood best friends…
While I missed this one when it initially came out, I might check the series and its adaptations out! Hopefully it’s enjoyable~
Wei, Kanjian Erduo La! (Hey, Your Cat Ears Are Showing!):
Quickly adding this one since it has light gay vibes to it. The donghua for this one is another coproduction with Japan, so there is also a Japanese dub! It’s very light and fluffy with a cute, soft art style, and as you can probably guess, it features a man and his cat…except the cat is a cat-boy, so you know, romantic undertones and all that ahaha.
Da Shu is the human and A-Miao is his cat-boy. The former is a manhua artist hard at work at trying to make it in life, and the latter is the more naïve, carefree, playful type. Both of them try to disguise A-Miao so people don’t realize he’s a cat (hence the title’s name), but as it turns out, he’s not the only cat-boy out there!
This is a fairly fun, slice-of-life series, based on a manhua by Telexihu. It was also released earlier on, and I have to say the donghua is quite adorable. If you want something very, very light and fluffy and cute, then this may be the series for you!
Feng Ling Yu Xiu (Spirit Wind Elegance aka Sunflowers aka Soulmate Adventure):
Phew, this one has a lot of English names! And okay, this isn’t danmei—it’s actually baihe, but look, it’s a donghua and it’s gay. Let me include it, okay!?
The story behind this series is actually pretty interesting too. Rather than be adapted from a novel or a manhua, it was originally a music video on Bilibili that became popular enough it was turned into an entire donghua. It updates rather slowly as an independent animated web-series, but it is quite cute, with some fluid action scenes. I will say though that the slow updates means the style does fluctuate somewhat between certain episodes, and since it’s a small team working on it, sometimes it can look a little wonky, but overall it’s quite well-done.
In the donghua, a mysterious, powerful girl with white hair teams up with the famous thief Feng Ling’er, and while there are questions about which side they stand with, the girls don’t mind. They simply wander together, facing enemies with their friends.
Since this started as a donghua, I doubt it’ll ever get too explicit, but the relationship between the main characters really is adorable, and there are other baihe novels and manhua out there that can be more obvious in the romance (although yes, baihe is a lot more underrated than danmei). It’s a fun series that I think more people should check out!
Xiao Lü he Xiao Lan (Beryl and Sapphire):
Last but not least, here’s Beryl and Sapphire, which remains one of my favourite donghua after all this time!
And okay, it’s not exactly danmei, but it can be, and…well, it’s kind of complicated. Let me explain quickly ahaha. Basically, this donghua is based on a manhua of the same name by Ocarina, where the characters are stick figures and can get into any situation—so essentially, it’s like having multiple different AUs be canon while any genre is possible, which of course includes some not-so-straight plots. So that’s why I’m including it here—but also, hey, for a simpler explanation, this is my list and I can do what I want! As shown by the donghua’s super cute OP, it’s kind of like Beryl and Sapphire are actors who can enter any role.
Of course, they maintain basic personalities—Beryl is mild-mannered and Sapphire is less so, but their traits can fluctuate depending on what the story is about. For example, sometimes Beryl is the more playful one, like in the Demon King storyline where he is—you guessed it—the aforementioned Demon King and Sapphire is the righteous knight who comes to slay him until he discovers he isn’t such a big threat. Most of the time, however, Beryl is the more level-headed one. Meanwhile, Sapphire’s personality can range from clueless and peppy to brash and so on.
And I cannot emphasize enough how there’s some…really gay storylines in the series, although again, it’s not always gay. I’d argue, however, that despite Beryl and Sapphire not always being romantically involved with one another, there’s a general gay undertone to the series as a whole, which means yeah, Beryl and Sapphire are very shippable. And of course, even though not every story is gay, many of them are!
My favourite storyline has always been the Robo-Beryl one, where easily embarrassed and shy Sapphire creates a robot in the likeness of his crush, Beryl. Of course, this goes pretty awkwardly for him once Beryl finds out, but the adorable, naïve robot does bring the two of them closer together. The donghua will break longer plots up with episodes in between that feature other scenarios, so for the bigger stories, you build them up as the episodes go on, and the Robo-Beryl arc’s growth was just quite strong, in my opinion. It was actually strong enough that its conclusion ended up being the series finale!
This is one of the explicitly gay storylines, and I should explain a little about just how gay Beryl and Sapphire could get. As another donghua that was released fairly early on, it got away with more since censorship was more lax, but this is also a Haoliners production like Ling Qi, and from what I can gather, occasionally making some of the content in Japan helped some donghua skirt censorship.
One trick Beryl and Sapphire often pulled is having a survivor’s cut and a director’s cut—the former would be censored while the latter would not be, so the latter featured stuff such as kissing and confessions between our titular main characters. There were some subtler gay scenes that were allowed in the donghua though without needing this split in cuts, such as this very cute confession scenario that was one of many different relationships and worlds Beryl and Sapphire could share. Another one featured an actual kiss, in a heart-wrenching story where Sapphire befriends Beryl despite knowing that he will forget their time together.
That’s the thing about Beryl and Sapphire… It draws you in with the cute, silly plots, and it really does have some good comedy, but God it can hit you where it hurts with some of its more serious plots. Almost every fan I know of the donghua has expressed how they never expected the show to make them so emotional!
I can’t even begin to discuss all the scenarios the donghua (and manhua) covers here, although I’m already thinking about some of the my favourite and some of the more iconic ones. I might have to cover it as its own blog entry one day, but for now, all I can really do is heavily encourage you to check this series out! It’s so cute and animated well enough, and it can really get you in the feels sometimes. It’s also quite underrated, and I would love it if more fans could join me!
Conclusion:
Okay, I think that almost does it for our danmei-focused blog entries (there’s just one more)! Man, I sure have been discussing gay Chinese media a lot lately…but then again, what else is new? 😆
Oh, and wait, I have to make note of this fact, because it’s too funny not to! My piece on Jie Yao originally featured the line: “Ah, here we have our first non 3D-animated donghua—and first modern donghua—for this list!” because it was the first of those two in the last entry, but when I moved all these more underrated danmei donghua into this list, I realized I had to get rid of that line because all of these donghua are 2D-animated! In contrast, in the last list, all of the series were 3D-animated! How crazy is that? Idk, I just thought that was kind of amusingly interesting lol.
This part of the list of danmei adaptations was mostly written for myself, since a lot of these series are—as the title clearly claims—lesser-known in the danmei fandoms, and it makes me a bit sad, since a lot of these have their own charm to them. Sure, not all of them are masterpieces, but I promise you there’s some hidden gems in there, even in the series that don’t seem as high quality!
And hey, if you like danmei…then the more the merrier, am I right!?
Wow, that list got long again! And yet it’s not even the end of the parts yet… I’ll see all of you next week for the last part of this series, which covers all the danmei donghua that aren’t out yet!