Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
daylilyyy
This anime is a masterpiece in its genre and theme and I watched 15 episodes of it without a break.
It's a captivating, visually stunning anime that masterfully blends fantasy, drama, and a touch of mystery. The animation is absolutely breathtaking, with fluid fight sequences and beautifully designed landscapes that immerse you in its mystical realms.
The series brilliantly balances action-packed moments with heart-wrenching emotional beats, making it impossible not to feel invested in their journey.
With its strong storytelling, unforgettable soundtrack, and rich world-building, Mo Dao Zu Shi Donghua is a must-watch for anyone who loves a gripping tale of redemption and love against all odds.
Read at the sourcestarvore
I got hooked the moment I started watching the first season when it released, to the point where I chose to read the book it's based on just to know how the story continues.
I've since invested lots of time into Mo Dao Zu Shi/The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation as I've read the entire novel, re-watched both the anime and the live action multiple times, read the manhua and even listened to the audio drama (as much as I could find on youtube).
The animation is stunningly gorgeous, the CGI and 2D flow into each other very well, especially in later seasons. The music is wonderful as well, every intro and outro and the music played by the characters throughout the story.
What really stands out to me though, is the complexity of the story and all the characters: every character feels realis…
Read at the sourcejoemaamah
Donghua has stepped forward this decade, and here we have a prime example. It might not be perfect, but it's bettter than 90% of the crap coming out of Japan any more.
The art work is stunning. color pallets and background usage is masterful. The animation is all CGI, and it was kind of a mixed bag. At the core, sedate scenes are skillfully rendered. But some of the action is marvelous, and other action scenes are clunky as hell. Still it all comes out in the wash as a mostly fine job.
There are a lot of characters portrayed here, and they all are skillfully drawn and written. I'm not much of a fan of Mandarin subs, but the VA work here was so well done, it rounded out the characters' emotions nicely. While I liked the MCs immensely, my favorite character was Apple the Donkey. If you h…
Read at the sourcesleeqyxtea
Loved it!! Typical masterpiece from my darling Mo Xiang Tong Xiu, I hope to see more of her masterpieces released soon. Another anime to my favourites!
The anime had me rushing to the manga and oh, it was spicy ;)
Shame that chinese restrictions don't allow romance between two ppl of the same gender in the anime, Ik it'd be heart throbbing.
I actually really liked the character's designs, especially Hanguan Jun hehe, and their personalities complimented their overall appearances very well. The anime watch order and plot is a little confusing but overall it really alluded me into the story line. I'm not gonna lie, I did have trouble keeping up with names and which parts were in the present but besides that everything else was phenomenal -- in my opinion ofc.
I'd definitely recommend this a…
Read at the sourcehappayweeb
MDZS is the perfect intersection between mystery, romance, Chinese historical drama, and tragedy.
Plot (10/10)
MDZS is based off of MXTX’s novels of the same name. This author has a gift for weaving complex worlds and storytelling between past and present. I liked the structure of the 3 seasons - it made it easy to follow for such a complex story. That said, I will admit I had a notebook of all the characters and places (each character has both an official character and courtesy name). It may require a little bit of effort on the viewer’s part to keep track of everyone, but again this is because the world building is complex and layered - making it totally worth it. It’s largely centered around a beginning mystery, but as the characters get further along the world is expanded to one of f…
Read at the sourcekrispygabu
This show was adapted from the work of someone whos the chinese equivalent of a Wattpad story author. They toned it down quite a bit but the BL undertones still felt uncomfortable since they're meant to be martial brothers , but thats just me.
The plot was seemingly simple but actually incredibly complex when coupled with subtle switches in timelines , the barely noticable changes in appearance don't help many to notice the switches either.
Pacing is very fucked. There was one comment I read about the pacing that was fucking hilarious how accurate it was.
"Yo want to hear about this badass demonic sorcerer who is betrayed, then reincarnated back years later and will seek his revenge? Before we tell you about that, let me tell you the story of how he wound up betrayed in his previous…
Read at the sourceistarninwa
Watch this watch this watch this!
First, the bad: There are three seasons, and the first one is by far the weakest, but necessary: it has a lot of painful exposition and A LOT of names. I had to take extensive notes to keep track of everyone across five clans. The dialogue also flies by very quickly, so I was constantly pausing to read the subtitles.
Speaking of the story, it's phenomenal! There are a lot of mysteries that build up over time, and they get gradually resolved, especially in the third (the best!) season. There is so much resentment, pathos, and euphoria -- all mixed into a very cathartic and meaningful fashion. Main ideas are friendship, loyalty, and ambition, all explored in exquisite, brutal, and satisfying way.
The BL component is very tame and isn't the focus here. It…
Read at the sourceMr_Socialite
This show is exceptionally Chinese, with themes and historical knowledge necessary for the whole story and beauty. If that is not your thing, do not bother; however, if you are willing to work to understand the Lore and world the characters are in, I could not recommend a show more. I genuinely loved this show, and after getting the hang of the sub-stories necessary to understand the premise better, I began to love it even more. The story is hard to grasp at first, but that does not mean it is not worth understanding. It is confusing, and some things feel rushed or unintentionally missing from the novel, but if you work to find out the missing piece, it only grows from there. I genuinely loved this season and look forward to binging the rest of the show soon.
Read at the sourceSapphiRubyCrys
First and foremost I would like to say:- Highly Recommended. Even if you don't prefer BL I recommend this donghua since it is censored and it's story is worth watching along with the depth of each character in this story.
If you love Fantasy, Adventure, An Amazing Story, Great Characters, Mystery, Your Heartstrings getting Tugged, then this donghua is the right one for you.
I can't believe I forgot to review this in Myanimelist till now. I couldn't stop binging every season and every fanfic I could find of this true masterpiece. All the hype is well deserved.
Every plot point, every character and every scene animated is just so perfect. I actually prefer this over the Chinese Drama because of the Visuals we get to see in every scene. From the character introductions, to the fight scenes,…
Read at the sourceLadydove121
Listen you want some ancient gays pining for each other in intense slow burn as you watch their past and their present at the same time? If yes this is the story for you.
The story telling and music are both amazing and compelling and the author didn't skimp on this. psst between you and me the author went to jail for her books so watch them to stick it to the Chinese government. This story has a satisfying conclusion and very heart tugging. 10/10 always recommend.
The art style is amazing and the dramatic flourishes within the fights and kookiness during comedic parts is so satisfying. The story is amazingly unique and always an enjoyable thing to watch with this creator and studio.
Read at the sourcelunattia
"Sounds: Chinese" really?
This is a chinese piece. There will be elements from chinese fantasy movies just like super coreographic fights, a lot of chinese mythology, traditional chinese soundtrack and that's okay! All of this elements make sense here! Even if we pause the episode a few times to see what some terms meaning, that's okay, it's another culture.
I wasn't expecting anything great because I didn't like the dorama, but I was suprised here. The animation quality - I really don't care about a bunch of 3D, that's OK to me because its well done in the most of time - the soundtrack was perfect for its purpose, the voice acting it's absolutely perfect.
The character development is nice, easy and, of course, there is some exageration, but it's an animation. Isn't a problem in anime,…
Read at the sourcemeworai
amazing, fantasic, wonderful. not much to say, yknow?? i'd just like to point out that this story does not go into depth as much as the live version did, which is understandable considering this only has 15 episodes!! the artstyle isn't really my favorite but the animation is just;; amazing!! the fight scenes are animated very well. the characters were literally my favorite in this story, they were done so well. even through such a short period of time, i was able to understand what most of the chara's personality was. although some of them were complex, they were also understandable.
Read at the sourceAjoymurmu126
Ok so this is my first time writing a review
So let's start with things I liked....
1. THE VISUALS :
those visuals are god damn amazing (especially the water).......like U can take a Screen shot of any scenes and it would look amazing. Also the character design was good too
2. MUSIC :
I'm just sucker for classical music and I loved the ones it has.....also op and ed are good too
Now let's talk about problems.....
1. DUB :
Now this not something I specifically didn't liked or hated but if U r not comfortable with watching Chinese......then it might be a let down..... (Japanese dub is available......if U can find that)
2. CHARACTERS :
now even though I didn't hate any character......I didn't like most of them either.......*objectively speaking* MC's behaviour sometimes could be felt…
Read at the sourceName_of_the_Wind
Mo Dao Zu Shi is quite an outstanding work of fiction, displaying exceptional story-telling, suspenseful writing, and a lovable cast of characters.
Story: 10/10
The story is unique and cleverly crafted. Mo Dao Zu Shi utilizes a unique style of double-linear story-telling, one plot follow's the protagonist Wei Wuxian's past life and the second follows his current life as Mo Xuanyu. Mo Dao Zu Shi is a story of love, regret, betrayal and despair which creates a memorable and lasting impression.
Art: 9/10
Although it may be difficult to distinguish the difference between characters sometimes due to them all having long hair. The art is quite outstanding in many cases. Mo Dao Zu Shi in-captures a beautiful scenery of ancient China, the landscape and background is breathtaking. It may take so…
Read at the sourceKhashishi
This donghua is my life now. I'm reading the book and listening to the audio drama now since I have been sucked in by the story and don't want it to end. I'm searching for MDZS memes. I'll probably watch the Untamed even though I don't expect it to be as good, because it's based on the same book.
This review includes my feelings after watching the whole 3 seasons.
Nothing is wasted; every shot has a purpose, as does every line. Though, if you haven't read the book or experienced another version of the story, it's unlikely you'll understand everything the first time. Is that a bad thing though? You'll probably enjoy it enough that you'll want to watch it again. Some people will say that it's rushed (in how they condensed the book into 2.5 seasons or so, but I disagree; they managed to get…
Read at the sourceterwa
I liked the manga and the novel ,but the anime was a big disappointment
the art and Chinese voice actors were good ,but what the use
As the story filled with ugly and boring fillers , twisted of events ,and skipping important details ,focusing on other unimportant details ,and they made a short past long story (longer than the present) while in the manga and novel it focus more on the present than the past ,and that how it should be
And I don't know why they skipped all the ai shounen light cute love between the 2 mc? it was pure ,funny ,enjoyable and cute ,not to mention that some of it was deeply related to the story in an important way
And the most important thing they made Wei Wuxian is wrong and being possessed by evil power, which is not!!!
Wei Wuxian is a great character and the wri…
Read at the sourceEbisugawa
This anime made me love chinese culture !
Besides the story, art, sound, character being all flawless the dedication put in this one made me curious about China! Their clothes, the crown they use on the head, the thing about courtesy name and there's like 5 different ways of addressing one being rude or intimate, their instruments, guqin and etc it's all so rich and beautiful !
The instrumental background, the opening and the ending are so great ! The flute and guqin and the way they sing is enchanting. By the way, how the ending talks about all the sects and the strong point and how the name of the song is 'no envy' is so touching. Even remembering makes me tear up.
It was based on a novel, and in my opinion novels are slightly more complex plots. All the characters are well developted…
Read at the sourceinsert_name
I absolutely love this donghua!!!! I started with the novel, and when the other versions came out one by one, I watched/read all of them (there's the manhua, the drama and audio drama).
Some of my non-Chinese friends found it kind of hard to understand at times, but overall, the reviews have been positive. The art is absolutely amazing, as expected of B.C May.
The voice acting is on point, I found it very clear and easy to understand. The music is also really amazing, I absolutely love ending 2.
The plot is really good (as expected of MXTX) and overall pretty easy to follow. The original novel is a BL, but because of censorship reasons, this is more of Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation: Brotherhood. The relationship between the main characters is lovely. The side characters don't ge…
Read at the sourcewiltingtoast
Just watch it man. Just do it.
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Loved this to pieces. Great mix of action, comedy and the tiniest bit of horror. Wei WuXian is a badass and super interesting main character which makes everything all the more exciting. I'm usually a sucker for main characters so maybe i'm biased but honestly, I can't imagine someone not loving this manz. On top of that, the world building is fantastic as well, and I haven't felt this in love with a universe since maybe.....avatar the last airbender?? It's just so solidly constructed or maybe I just love shows that have to do with clans lol.
The only reason i'm not giving this a 10 is because I found somethings at the end of this season to be quite fast paced and skipped over. Really was hoping to see how Wei WuXian died but oh we…
Read at the sourcelightbud13579
The only downsides to this anime I'd say personally are that it takes a couple episodes to get use to the Cantonese dub(I think that's what it is) All I could find online was "Chinese" lol... But it sounds Cantonese? So it's choppy and a little weird at first, but the story was sublime... Had me connected to almost every character in it's own way... An anime done very well surprising... I hope the next season is even better... Not to even mention the opening and bgm... Ending was eh... I was left thirsting for more of that amazing sword fighting... Great concept of how the world works (magic ect.)
Solid Anime
9/10 would recommend
Only not 10 cause it felt a little... rushed... and also felt like a little gay sometimes
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