Introduction
Luo Xiaohei is a young monster who normally takes the form of a small black cat. Living freely in the forests, gradual deforestation and human development force him to flee and find a new home. Wandering the city streets, the black cat struggles to survive until he encounters Feng Xi, a fellow monster who takes Xiaohei to an isolated island inhabited by a small group of monsters. Excited to find what he thinks is his new home, Xiaohei lives with the monsters for only a short time before Wuxian, a human Guild Executor, arrives on the island in pursuit of Feng Xi.
Feng Xi and his companions manage to teleport off the island, leaving Xiaohei and Wuxian alone. Though Xiaohei refuses to cooperate with the man who attacked his friends, Wuxian forces the black cat to travel to the Guild along with him. Embarking on an uncertain journey, Xiaohei is exposed to a new perspective on the relations between humans and monsters in a rapidly changing world.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
Audience reviews
14 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
Quinsey
TLDR
Story 10/10
Characters 11/10
Action 10/10
Animation 10/10
I've never felt so guilty about not seeing a movie sooner than this one. What an amazing movie. I had it on my list for a long time. I had a feeling it was decent. But given my passiveness towards a lot of Chinese anime and seeing it wasn't very popular I slept on it for a long time.
I had to stop and think about if I'm over glazing. Lots of people are quick to give things they like 10s and things they don't like 1s. I am not one of these people. This movie blew me away. Truly the definition of hidden gem.
Read at the sourceJohn-O-Mon
This is perhaps the most amazing and heartfelt film I have ever watched. The way the animation plays out is truly breathtaking. I nearly feel like crying in most parts of the film. And the fights are insanely action-packed and seeing the city getting decimated is really great. There's no flaws at all, I think this is my most favorite film thus far.
The art style fits really well in the film. The characters have great designs and well played out. Even though they barely have any screentime, they still have great impacted other than Luo Xiaohei and Wuxian who at first have a bad encounter slowly but surely grew on each other as Master and Student. Especially at the end.
The plot which shows that how human's population kept on growing, where spirits have to adjust and assimilate into human…
Read at the sourceNo_H0RNY
This anime or donghua you could say, is by far the most visually stunning in terms of action , storytelling and the dialogue itself also not awkward. i watched back when it was released globally it surprised me how colorfull it was.
Story goes well with the animation, the plot doesnt need to be complex to be a good show just need a better direction at all time just like this show did. almost every other anime out there its plain simple direction and choreography , this show just exceed my expectation with the fight scene. the complain i had was the music and composition of the show makes it more like repetitive , but its very watchable.
I do recommend you watch in native languages at all time with subs. the chinese dialogue in this show its not like others, very natural like it was a dis…
Read at the sourceKabukiChouNights
The Legend of Hei (2025) is a visually stunning masterpiece that blends traditional Chinese artistry with thrilling modern animation, earning it a solid 8/10. Studio MTJJ delivers breathtaking scenes—from misty mountain forests to spellbinding battles—with fight choreography so dynamic even minor clashes feel epic. At its heart is Luo Xiao Hei, an endearing cat-demon whose journey of self-discovery and his evolving bond with the immortal Feng Xi create a deeply moving found-family narrative. The story excels in nuance, exploring themes of humanity vs. nature and coexistence without villainizing either side, set to a soundtrack that merges traditional instruments with contemporary energy.While pacing stumbles mid-season with exposition-heavy moments and some side characters like Infinity ne…
Read at the sourceZoxsRoxs
Eye catching animation paired up with lots of action scenes leaves just enough space to flesh out the main characters.
The story follows a cat/spirit named Hei as he is thrown in a conflict between 2 factions of spirits and humans.
At first the main plot might seems like nothing special, but the line between good guys and bad guys quickly gets blurry as both side have fairly convincing motivation for their goals.
The main characters might seem overpowered at first while actually being fairly evenly matched against each other.
If you like fight scenes then you can not miss this one.
Read at the sourceKhashishi
It's basically X-men, except mutants are replaced by spirits and Magneto is a good guy. Some people compare this to a Ghibli film but I think it's much closer to a Marvel film in style and plot. This is action-driven and takes an unambiguous moral stance to a tricky issue. It's good, but feels a little childish. The resolution is a bit cheesy, but that's what you get with a superhero flick.
The animation is clean and fluid, with nice backgrounds. The character style is cartoonish and unlike anime. But it looks really good. The music is fairly forgettable though.
They throw in a few jokes here and there, and it's funny. There are some endearing bits, but overall it doesn't evoke very deep emotions by movie standards. That's probably my biggest issue--it doesn't hit hard enough to be one o…
Read at the sourceKleckskind
What a Masterpiece - thats all there is to say!
I realley enjoyed every single moment.
Somewhere I overheard "it might be the chinese version of a ghibli film" an I think thats quiet fitting, looking at the artstyle - especially the backgrounds. But the story unfolds so many marvelous-animated action scenes and tips of humor witch makes that film about nature, spirits and encounters with humans unbelievable charming in addtion. The major plot questions (miyazaki alike) whether nature and humans can coexists and in witch way. The little endearing protagonist has to find his own answer, stuck between differnt parties packed with intersting charakters, despite their partly short screentime.
As a fan of studio ghibli films I loved it none the less because of its fuzzy warm feeling that made…
Read at the sourceGadric_Gadwin
Home and what makes a home is the central theme of this movie. It's in the subtext in every scene, with the intro, with the character motivations, and even with the central and subplots. The action and the worldbuilding are nice, but this movie's true heart is in understanding that.
There are many details that are easy to overlook. The plot won't dumb itself down by shining a spotlight on things that will be important later, such as character motivations or powers that are more important than the watcher might think at first. Because of this, there are probably lots of people who weren't paying attention who will be confused by the ending.
I personally love the attention to detail and leaving certain things to be revealed when you think back on them later. coincidences and random things…
Read at the sourceqwqpwp
【Sub or dub?】
• original > Jap dub >>> Eng dub
Ger, Kor and Viet dub sound decent but no idea how they are to native ears
If you can understand Japanese without subtitles, you'll definitely have a better experience with the JP dub. Otherwise, CN voice rules because it does have the most accurate character presentation.
• Eng dub is CENSORED, because that segment (very mild, really) is considered child abuse.
• But EN sub has some mistakes where the original meaning is clearly misunderstood. Dub has stuff lost in translation too but not as bad.
• Eng dub has an all-Asian cast, yay for effort?
【Recommended watching order】
episodes 1–13 (not as interesting but 5 minutes each!) → movie → the rest of web series (ep. 37–40 is the BOMB) & webtoon
【TL;DR】
• derivative in spirit, original in exe…
Read at the sourcecameronrb24
Quick Thoughts:
Much like the main series, the main appeal I got of this movie was its art and animation. Between its more well-defined characters, rich backgrounds, and smooth animation, it's a very noticeable improvement visually. That's about it though, the story hardly made sense to me. It's supposedly a prequel to the web-series, but I had a hard time this movie is even related.
Story:
I think the story was supposed to show us how Xiaohei gets over his hate of humans. It starts with him displaced from his home in the forest by humans, and shortly after he meets another group of spirits with similar circumstances. He's then kidnapped a powerful human who works with larger group of spirits who are attempting to maintain a peaceful balance between humans and spirits. The rest the seems…
Read at the sourceJimmyDoe
It would not be to much of a stretch to call this an Chinese attempt at a Studio Ghibli style animated story. All the little notes that one attributes to Ghibli are there. The vague, yet familiar story; the grandiose reveals of scenery; relatable yet other worldly characters; and a musical score that's both supportive of the art and at the same time having an immense presence of its own.
The studio made masterful work of color, and the absence of, to dictate the mood of certain scenes. Similarly, sound and silence is used to great effect with some scenes being all the more impactful thanks to the feeling of one holding their breath before releasing a thunderous finale. I never really had a complaint during slow points in the movie. There weren't really too many but there was more than eno…
Read at the sourceKalowellElendor
This movie is a prime example of what anime should be like. Exceptional character development, the animation is astounding, it's simple yet so crisp. The story line is so nice. I actually enjoyed every second of the movie. Would highly recommend for everyone.
And here I am writing out my disappointment about mal actually telling me that I have to write a how long review they want. Without any spoilers or story summaries. Even though there are so many reviews already. I have bought up the subject already in the suggestions @ mal so if u agree, help me make it shorter.
Read at the sourceWdaCdaShdaDid
A gorgeous, adorable, sweet, fun film.
The story is heart-wrenching and funny. Perhaps the only issues it has is that things are kept overly vague for the entire story. You can imply what the mysterious organization does, but it's probably not a full picture, and the story doesn't attempt to clear things up, giving the audience obscure hints and teases like they have more to show without making good on the promise. I guess it helps build up this sense that Hei is rightfully conflicted, and the characters demonstrate through actions rather than overarching dogma which is the side to choose, but it still leaves you wondering what the organization is. Maybe this is supposed to lead to another film or another animated series or more graphic novels, and I support that idea. It just has the do…
Read at the sourceKhalfanii
Absolutely amazing animation! I think now it’s one of my personal favorites! Story isn’t that unique here but it’s the way that it’s done makes up for it well. The art style itself may be a bit basic but Animation is outstanding and cinematic. One particular thing that stood out to me was the timing and realistic character reacting in this film, there’s no lagging anime cliches to be seen here.
Characters are all pretty much lovable, even the side characters. It feels like they all have their own stories and like they’re not just there to fill up space. Highly, highly recommend!
Read at the source