#Don't be fool by my renditions she's actually quite nice

[reksink]

Instincts are Hard to Suppress. Yes?

Gift for @/EternalStarstorm 💚

[llycaons]

ep1: okay. huh. interesting. this was good?

the art was actually gorgeous. the backgrounds and landscapes and villages are richly detailed and atmospheric, moreso than in the drama, which sometimes had a bit of a cheap look in the set and costumes. I don't like a lot of the animation - I dislike how things move with cgi in general - but the op is beautiful

the tone was consistent and engaging, both visually and in terms of music and action. this is such a fucking relief because a big issue in cql was that the tone was all over the place

I didn't love the music because I'm not really into music but it was fitting for the scene it was in

every visual adaptation of this story has the unenviable task of presenting the first scene in a way that's engaging, not too confusing, and enjoyable, but also in a way that imparts a whole lot of information about the character's background and the worldbuilding

I almost wondered if this might have been a mistake on the part of the author to try to jam in so much crucial information at the very start of the story, but it reads a lot more smoothly than it's been adapted in either show, and it doesn't seem to have hurt readership. I mean, I really liked how it opened in the novel. it was unique, definitely ambitious, and I do think it paid off, it's just hard to adapt into a show where everything has to be verbalized naturally or shown on screen

regardless, this intro is so much more coherent than the one in cql. this mini-arc has never been my favorite (in fact, it's probably my least favorite given the misogyny and my low investment in the mxy disguise, the mos, the modern-day plot, and the juniors, relatively speaking) but they put a lot of effort into making it faithful to the book while putting their own spin on it. and it's fun! the action scenes dragged a bit for me but overall it was done really well - I love that they included little details like protection wards sewn into lan clothes

and they just explain things! they just explain what's going on and what they're doing! out loud! can you believe?? it's that easy???? hmmm??? my first time watching cql I was googling so much...that was a rough opener and not a great first episode, but the intro at nightless city interested me enough to stay watching. but literally they did not explain SHIT

half of my "novel details and explanations" posts could probably be covered by watching the donghua. cql is so long and came after the donhua there is NO excuse to make things this confusing for potential watchers unfamiliar with the novel! (did they assume their audience would be mostly novel fans??? then why did they change so much?? did censorship restrict cql more than the donghua???)

character-wise, wwx is naturally a lot closer to his novel counterpart than the drama was. he's careless, easily amused, a troublemaker, not afraid to make a fool of himself, cut losse from any of his former commitments, loves alcohol. grabbing a bottle while chasing mo ziyuan was a nice touch. he does edge into annoying gremlin XD territory but that's almost counterbalanced by his darker moments of necromancy. almost

but really, this is a spot-on rendition of novel wwx

they gave a lot more personality to little apple, funnily enough, though not quite the personality she had in the book. (also, can donkeys gallop?)

I wasn't revolted by the character designs <3 in fact some of them looked okay! I really dislike the juniors' designs (what are those white paper-looking things on their headpieces?) but I'm almost used to wwx at this point. even if some of his expressions suck

I saw lwj at the end there and it's like. oh he's a tree with a tiny head huh. okay. that bothers me more than the yellow eyes at this point

his opening was very impressive otherwise. I loved how the power of the guqin was conveyed through the music and animation!

lsz's voice is also a bit deep but that may be because I'm used to the drama

it was a very clear and cohesive opener, all things considered. as a first-time watcher, I don't know how invested I would be in this annoying guy but I definitely would have been able to follow the action, realize when wwx was acting up his facade and when he was helping the kids, and figure out his backstory and what his deal is with the lans.

well the very first opener with the yllz was a tad confusing. I think having the kids listen to a story was a really good intro for cql to implement (was that in the novel? I'll find out soon I guess

I don't know if I'm enjoying this but it's better than I expected and it's a remarkable relief to watch a loyal adaptation

honestly if the donghua was so loyal I don't understand why fans were so upset with the drama doing its own thing. the novel story has already been told on screen, they want it to be told again? with less of a special effects budget? no I think they made the right choice to tell a more character-centered story

having wwx not remember lwj until he starts worrying about lwj finding him...I wonder how that's going to play out for the romance. making them close friends in the flashback really helped cql because they couldn't be explicit about the ending so idk how well the donghua can communicate a novel-accurate romance without being explicit

okay enough procrastination it's time to watch the donghua