Douluo Continent (2021)

A true hidden gem, we need another season!

I must admit I enjoyed this adaptation much more than I expected. From a production perspective, this drama is nothing out of the ordinary. Its settings look a bit shabby and the background music can be out of place at times. I almost gave up after 8 eps but I'm glad I didn't cause the story really picks up from there.

I'm genuinely surprised how this small-budgeted drama was able to attract so many pros, I mean we got the Joy of Life's screenwriter, The Untamed's costume designer and last but not least Xiao Zhan. I know this was before they all blew up but still... the INSANE luck.

While I do like the manhua, the characters in the drama are much less... sparkly and fantastical. They seem more down-to-earth and human with raw emotions and short-comings. I LOVE all of the new Shrek students and teachers, I feel like their unique personalities and quirks stand out a lot more in the drama. The casting is absolutely amazing! They're really complementary to their roles, especially the bubbly Xiao Wu and the goofy Ou Si Ke. There are many big-budgeted dramas that just flop because of bad chemistry.

And Xiao Zhan, what can I say? I'm even more in love. I think this role is perfect for him since Tang San is caring and gentle but also very determined and righteous. His acting has really improved from filming The Wolf and The Untamed. While the character here is not as dramatic and complex as Wei Wu Xian, it has its own charms. And yes, I'm obsessed with Xiao Zhan's new hair and his OST has been on repeat ever since it's out.

Overall, I think you need to have an open mind when approaching this adaption. Sure it might be tough to get through the first few eps since Xuanhuan might not be everyone's cup of tea as we're more familiar with Wuxia and Xianxia but the reward is totally worth it. Based on enjoyment alone, this drama is already in my hall of fame. It's a modest drama that leaves you begging for more, a true hidden gem indeed.

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Une aventure fantastique dans tout le sens du terme!

Douluo Continent

Cdrama 40 épisodes.

Dès les premières secondes, nous en sommes tombés amoureux. Une aventure incroyable menée de main de maitre et pour cause!
- Le scénariste Wang Juan. Loin d'être un inconnu, il a entre autre contribué à l'excellent drama (qui fut notre plus gros coup de coeur de ces 20 dernières années "Joy of Life". Mais pas que. Il y a aussi "Young Blood" (dont il est l'auteur original aussi) et "Eagles Youngster".
- L'auteur Tang Jia San Shao, connu dans toute la Chine (et en dehors même) pour ses webnovels.
- Le casting : Par ce que Sean Xiao tout d'abord. Nous ne le présentons plus, son rôle inoubliable dans "the untamed" ou encore "Joy of Life". Un acteur qui devient incontournable. Mais il faut le dire, tout le reste du casting a été excellent.
Cela nous a donné envie maintenant de :
- lire le webnovel
- lire le manhuwa
- jouer au jeu
- et participer à une pétition pour qu'un RPG, de type FF, puisse voir le jour!
Le synopsis n'est pas à première vu complexe. Tang San découvrant ses pouvoirs peu de temps avant le départ de son père, intègre une école qui forme ses élèves à devenir des maitres Douluo et rencontre ainsi ses futurs compagnons. A travers leur aventure, le groupe vont se solidifier au fur et à mesure, grandir ensemble. Tang San comprend petit à petit que le départ de son père et la mort de sa mère ne sont pas aussi simple que cela.
Je n'ai ni lu le webnovel, ni lu le manuha. Je ne serais pas aussi critique que les fans de première heure. Et bien que je puisse comprendre que certains d'entre eux aient pu être déçu, mon regard reste celui d'une néophyte.
L'histoire est intéressante et on suit avec plaisir les tribulations de Tang San avec Xiao Wu et le reste de l'équipe. La narration est fluide et les nombreux rebondissements et intrigues savamment dosés. Les indices nous sont donnés suffisamment au compte goutte, assez pour que l'on se pose des questions sans pour autant sentir de frustration.
Le système des anneaux et de la montée du niveau des personnages est ingénieux (la fan de RPG en moi qui parle ^^).
C'était super cool de voir les anneaux, de différentes couleurs apparaitre sur les personnages, nous indiquant ainsi leur niveau de compétence (je vous raconte pas les nombreux "Whaou, il a 9 anneaux!!!!" excités pendant le drama). Nous avons aussi aimé le principe d'absorption de l'âme des créatures spirituelles et de ce fait la question qui se posait aussi, absorber ou pas les âmes d'être vivants afin de devenir un maitre, leur ancienneté apportant ainsi la couleur de l'anneau en question. L'univers RPG y est forte et c'est avec un réel plaisir que nous évoluons avec Tang San et ses amis.
Je vous assure qu'à plusieurs reprise nos doigts fourmillaient à la recherche d'une manette ou d'un pad afin de pouvoir contrôler les personnages et partir de ce fait à l'aventure à leur place! Oui, nous sommes tous des RPG gamer dans la famille, vous l'auriez sans doute compris.
La réalisation, sans atteindre le niveau de certain drama comme "Ever Night" (oui, ma référence) est très bonne. Les couleurs nous font penser à une BD ou un jeux vidéo ( ah, vous saviez que j'allais dire ça??). C'est vivant et dynamique. Les scène d'actions sont prenantes et entrainantes.
L'OST est sympathique. C'est tantôt dramatique, tantôt drôle et parfois épique. La chanson de l'opening tourne d'ailleurs en boucle ici. Surtout quand on sait que le trio qui nous la chante n'est autre que Dai Mu Bai, Ou Si Ke et Ma Hong Jun.
Le point fort (le meilleur pour la fin, n'est-ce pas?) est la relation (cela devient redondant en fait hahaha) qui lie les personnages. De prime abord, l'impression que j'ai eu n'était pas bonne. Seul Tang San ( peut-être par ce que j'aime l'acteur hihi) m'intéressait. Je trouvais que les autres protagonistes manquaient de charme et de piquant. Mais la suite des épisodes allait (encore) me donner tort. Au fur et à mesure de l'avancé du drama, les personnages prennent de l'importance et avec cela de la profondeur. Chaque personnage a son histoire, une histoire qui le connecte aux autres et qui au final les rassemble tous ensemble. C'est vraiment un bonheur de les voir combattre tous ensemble, main dans la main.
J'ai particulièrement aimé les professeurs de l'école Shrek (Shri-Lan-Ke). La relation entre Yu Xiao Gang et Liu Er Long a été la surprise de ce drama. Sincèrement, je ne m'attendais pas à "shipper" à 100% pour ce couple adorable et tellement drôle! J'aime beaucoup le couple Tang San-Xiao Wu, un couple solide et mimi, mais Xiao Gang-Er Long leur ont volé la vedette dès l'apparition de Er Long, du moins à mes yeux.
Mais pour être honnête, j'ai aimé tous les personnages, car ils sont attachants, même les antagonistes.
C'est donc avec beaucoup de tristesse que nous avons quitté ce groupe de combattant, d'amis et c'est aussi avec beaucoup d'impatience que nous attendons la saison 2, qui devrait arriver en 2022.

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I don't know what to say. Firstly, this show was very interesting, it took me three days to finish and it was wonderful. It wasn't slow at all. Just on ep one a lot of things happen. I love the storyline, and I just love Tang San. He is a guy you don't or you wouldn't normally meet. My favorite character would be Ma Hongjun, he's like a Wen Ning, in the untamed. My favorite scenes are the fighting scenes and when they kill monster to collect soul rings, I found them very fun. The animals are all unique, scary, and cute. I really want a season two so bad, the show is so good. I'm normally very strict when it comes to rating shows but this was a 10 for me. I also didn't like the fact tht we didn't get to see the big fight with Bi Bi Dong, and Tang Hao, I think that would be a really interesting fight.

What I think happened at the end (read if you want to)
So in the comic, Xiao Wu dies, but I think since it left us with a cliffhager, I think that Xiao Wu might have killed herself, so Tang San could get anothersoul ring.

My questions:
Is it possible for a person to have like 5 soul rings, and lets say they have 2 yellows, 2 purple, and 2 blackish-blue, is it possilbe for them to like get rid of a yellow one, and get a better soul ring? Cause when we saw Bi Bi Dong's rings, she had 1 red one on the top, and the rest were all the blackish-blue ones, so how was she able to not have a limit?

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The pure joy of natural fantasy

Knowing nothing about the novel and the anime, I tried this drama only because they started translating it in my mother tongue. What a pleasant surprise! Absorbing, refreshing, beautiful fairy tale for all ages, approximately fast growing without useless scenes.

Absolutely adorable and sympathetic cast combined with their great acting, both building up memorable characters - this is what gives this drama its unique charm. Exceptional team work, girls and boys! In addition, there are perfect and perfectly fitting visual effects, very good background music and excellent cameramen work. All these turn up this fantasy drama to look so natural.

Eagerly waiting for Season 2.

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Good pacing! finally!

TLDR: A well paced wuxia drama with flawed characters, rare for the genre! (this review contains spoilers)

I should say first that this review will be very biased since the manhua this show is based on was one of my favorites back in 2015. I was familiar with the story going in, but it had been a while since I had read it so I had forgotten a lot of it. Overall I really liked this series, it's in my top 3 for sure. When I watch a show I mostly pay attention to the characters and their arcs, and less to the plot, so my review will also be mostly about what I thought of the characters in this story (and how it differs from what I remember from the manhua). This is my first review, so feel free to tell me if I write something wrong ^^

CHARACTERS:

TangSan:
Major main character plot armor, and reckless to a fault. He's super trusting of people, and so he quite the colorful collection of friends over the course of the story. He is also a lot more flawed in the show than he is in the manhua, and I felt that this was handled appropriately by the script writer and I enjoyed it. The reason he overcomes so many obstacles so quickly is because of his parents, and the practical treasure trove they left him as far as magical items go. The only reason he even survives the last boss encounter in the last episode is because of his dad. I love all the characters in this story, but I would've enjoyed his character arc more if he didn't give of rich boy vibes.

XiaoWu:
Best Girl ^tm. I love her, and all her character stands for. I'd say shes a good example of a flat character arc, and when it's just as important for a character to stick to their values even when they encounter plot obstacles. I just hope she gets more development in the second season. Some people probably think her relationship with TangSan is weird, but it's pretty much the same in the manhua so I was already used to it.

The other Shrek Seven Devils:
All with justifiable flaws according to their characters. I especially enjoyed the drama's interpretation of MaHongJun, giving him visible trouble with his anxiety in stressful situations. Often characters with fire powers are shown to have issues with anger, so I thought is was interesting to see his fire control be rooted in not feeling overwhelmed/threatened.

Spirit Hall:
For the first half of the show I was pretty disappointed with the series's portrayal of the spirit hall organization. Towards the end though, I enjoyed the interactions between TangSan and HuLieNa. I really liked how the issues they have with their parents are mirrored, and they have this unspoken understanding even though they don't know each other's real identities.

TangHao (TangSan's father):
A horrible father >:( I wish we got to know more about him, but since the story is from TangSan's perspective, he doesn't show up very often. His exact ties to spirit hall was actually a twist I didn't see coming, I hope we get to know his backstory more in the second season.

DuguBo (aka poison master):
My personal favorite character. I can't help but love those hard to deal with, overly truthful characters I guess lol. The interactions between him, TangSan and XiaoWu are really funny to me. I liked him even more in the manhua, since he shows up more.

The other titled douluo masters :
Props to the author for making this world seem so big with so many different levels of characters. One of my favorite parts of this story is how many unique power sets there are, from your basic fire manipulation, to animal-inspired fighting characteristics, to an especially good hammer lol. I thought that chrysanthemum master specifically was a really charming character and his powers were super interesting, though it sucks that he's a bad guy.

PLOT:

The first plot really only exists for the three main characters to meet, its not really addressed in any plot points later on. It's whatever. The part of the show I enjoyed the most was when the Shrek Seven Devils are forming and training together, I could feel the chemistry between all of them and the pacing was good. The tournament arc was more boring because you knew that they were going to win the entire time, the stakes weren't that high. I wish there was more time spent with DuguYan and in the inter-layer space, since that was a really interesting part of the manhua, and helps explain TangSan's past a bit more thoroughly. The last two episodes were pretty drawn out, but other than that, my only real complaint though is that there isn't more! I'm not a fan of cliffhanger endings >:(

COSTUME / MUSIC / SETS:

This was pretty average compared to other recent wuxia dramas I've seen. I don't really like the opening or closing songs, but the instrumentals that played during the episode were effective. Their costumes were more fantasy rather than historically accurate, and each character had a very distinct style. This made the costuming seem kind-of disjointed, but made it easier to memorize all the characters. I would say that this is not the most realistic or convincing drama as far as the art direction goes, but I can forgive that since the original story takes place in a loosely earth-based fantasy world.

RE-WATCH VALUE:

I generally don't re-watch series so I can't give a fair judgement of this category, though I think I might re-watch this in a couple years once I've forgotten some of it. I'm definitely going to watch the donghua though, since I hear that the story is interpreted differently in it.

Thanks for reading my ramblings, Here's hoping for a season 2!

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A Variety of People forming the most Formidable Team + I Lost it when Calvin Chen went Topless~!!

Definitely on my Top 10 BEST Chinese costume drama EVERRR~

I will never get enough of this. I honestly need the S2 as soon as possible, as in, 'A.S.A.P'~!!

I never really thought I would enjoy this drama to this great length. I mean, it started really interesting with a rather mysterious yet usual fantasy-wuxia concept and as time passes by, issues and negative stuff arises but this show is on a completely different level compared to those I've watched so far.

It may look similar or even identical to some but 'the-hell-I-care'. This drama has its own spice that keeps it on top of the rest of its kind. I can't exactly explain how it is better than other dramas but one thing I know is that it completely catched and locked my attention into it. It's probably just my personal preference after all, but, who cares? what's important is that it was able to cater and satisfy my liking beyond expectation.

In terms of story phasing and progression— I admit, it was a bit slow-paced at first and I felt like many sequences were wasted just to build things up but then after a while you'll just realize that it was created for a purpose. Mostly those scenes were setup as a way to give us proper intoduction for the main cast and I just learned to appreciate and accept them as it goes on.

The whole vibe of the drama is really light and entertaining; Probably the reason why I was so indulged and fascinated by it and of course, who even wanna watch a heartbreaking and complicated story when you can have something light and this entertaining?

Some of the scenes may look ridiculous and the power scaling may not make sense at times but it was able to fill those flaws by how efficient and tactical they are in presenting fighting scenes and story build up. Up until the very end it was able to keep my interest so alive even when it off screened the most hype fights. I will definitely wait for the next season to come and I just wish for them to keep the same cast as much as possible.

Story - 10, I contemplated so much about this but after so much consideration I still decided to give it a full mark. Story may not be completed and we're left with a cliffhanger but it was understandable because S2 was expected and planned in the first place. Slow-pacing should've affected my rating as well but they were able to redeemed themselves by giving us impressive fighting and entertaining scenes. Although towards the end it has become a bit fast-paced and they off-screened lots of things but as I mentioned in my bio some of these things doesn't matter as long as I got extremely entertained by it.

Acting/Cast - 10, Outstanding set of Artists! I can never ask for more. It feels like they are created for their characters and they just owned it. I'm very satisfied with everyone's execution and performance and god know how I wish for them to retain their roles when S2 happens.

Music - 10, Refreshing choice of Music. I really commend how this drama went with a Fantasy-Journey theme and sounded song as an opening. It reminded me of Fushigi Yuugi's opening theme. I really love the songs used in this drama.

Rewatch Value - 10, Of course!! I might even rewatch it once the next season comes out. Come on! This drama is just a cut above the rest for me. No discussions needed!

Overall - 10, Despite all the negative things I still commend this drama for making my 'watching experience' one of the best. It may have struggled when it comes to pacing overall but they were able to turn those around with all the other great stuff they incorporated in this production. Highly Recommend!

If you find my review helpful please let me know

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I think like most other people, I watched this drama for Xiao Zhan after seeing him in The Untamed. I'll be as transparent as possible and not just say how great it was of a show because I'm a XZ fan. If you're someone who has seen hundreds of dramas and shows, one right after another, then I'm sure you know it's hard to commit to a drama since after a while nothing seems to be intriguing anymore. I must have to say that this is me for the past year. I've constantly started dramas and put them on hold one after the other however this was different for DC. Originally I never wanted to watch this because I knew that I would speed through this drama I would feel empty inside afterward.

Here's my breakdown:

Story: Strong yet weak. I think that the story was fine how it was but some parts were weak. The Seven Devils fought their way from the bottom to the top. Throughout the course of the story, they only had a few setbacks. And as for battles I loved their scenes and such however after a while it seems a bit impossible to just you know advance. One of the big lessons is to "never give up even if it's hard" and "to always preserve even though there is such little hope" which is a really good theme. As the story focuses on Tang San and Xiao Wu, there are a few side stories that aren't explained clearly. (SPOLIER ALERT!! SKIP IF YOU WANT TO WATCH) Even the ending was a bit vague. Like screen goes back and sudden we're here in the forest and no explanation of what on Earth happened. Which leaves room for the second season. (I've heard rumors that the second season focuses on the later generation. I don't know how on earth that's gonna work when this story hasn't even been wrapped up yet but we'll see.) (END OF SPOILER!!)

Acting/Cast: I honestly love the look of the entire cast. I love their similar yet different colored outfits. But seriously, someone needs to get Ma Hong Jun a partner. Poor guy just being a lightbulb (iykyk) literally every inch of the way ever since his appearance. Now I know that there are some arguments about Xiao Wu but I honestly think she did a pretty good job. Her Martial Soul is a bunny/rabbit. Therefore the way she acts resembles a rabbit. Cute. That's all I can pretty much say for her. And yes, Tang San is protective of her because he treats her like his sister and lover. (SPOILER AHEAD!!!) The last part wasn't necessary and it wasn't mentioned until the very end. I know a lot of people were disturbed about this but I just want to make it sure that he treated Xiao Wu as his sister when his father left him. He felt lonely and so they decided to become "siblings". They are in no way related to each other. Therefore it's not really disturbing.

Music: This is probably the most problematic. There's a problem with audio depending on what platform you're watching from. For those who are planning to watch on youtube, I recommend that you don't and just either download the Tencent Video (WeTv) app instead. On youtube, there's this weird thing in nearly every episode where 2-3 minutes of the audio goes out and is completely replaced with music. On the app or website, there's no audio cut.

Rewatch Value: If you've seen some of my other reviews, you know that I usually put a rewatch value that is very low. The reason being is I never rewatch something I've already seen unless it's necessary.

Overall: If you find yourself wanting to give up after the first couple eps, I'd stay just carry on, you'll end up liking the story.

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I am writing to Douluo Continent season 2

I like this season it's a romantic, Fantasy, Thrille, Story, Historical and Action
It's a good story line.
My English not good but I am writing to in English Please Director read my comment full please
The story of Tang San who overcomes many difficulties to protect his loved ones, bring honor to his sect, help his country and become the strongest soul master.
I am after watching episode 40.I think Bibi Doung is great soul master but Tang San's father is a very powerful master on howtiyan hammer
I think season 2 Director show how Tang San's father he save him and his friends.Tang San's father says his mother truth she a soul best and his home town.He Says his story how she come in his life. After listening her father's story Tang San say who's kill my mother and Tang San say again where is Xiao Wu tang San's father says before you are sleeping Xiao Wu go to home town After she strong she come again but Tang San Tell

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Teamwork is a source of strength

The setting of "Douluo Continent" is a magical world where people can grow in their powers by killing magical beasts. The more you kill, the greater you grow in power level. Yet, this way of life offends the conscience of the main characters. Is there a way to grow in power that doesn't exploit innocent creatures? Peaceful methods are explored as they climb the hierarchy and realize that the closer you get to the top, the more brutal the nature of the people you find.


Conspiracy abounds as they traverse the world, fighting corrupt gangs with the power of their team work. There are many secrets about this world that could affect the entire paradigm about the ethics of power. What if the magical creatures are just as sentient as humans? What if the line wasn't so clear? What if the people abusing power are actually those most near and dear to your heart? Is loyalty the highest virtue, or is a commitment to justice and honor even more important?

More reviews: https://transcendentphilos.wixsite.com/website/post/the-philosophy-of-chinese-dramas

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