#demigods and semidevils

[yibennianyaji]

Janice Man as Wang Yuyan in Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils

[jolioiseau]

there’s nothing more encouraging than a stupid idiot protagonist. we love and support u and ur fails, duan yu

[eigwayne]

Guess who’s accidentally watching a Zhang Tianyang show again?

I end up seeing him so often when I’m not expecting it, and I kind of love it.

[areys-of-house-nin]

watching demi-gods and semi-devils for the first time and like...

does anyone else see the queer coding on the Tibetan adviser like his whole "i must fulfill my promise to my very close 'friend' " thing feels kind of like him and murong bo were a bit closer than friends. plus the dude looks pretty gay. either way i ship it.

[makapatag]

my ongoing bladepunk dharmacore new weird fantasy web serial THE KNIGHT VAGRANT just updated and it's got a good chunk of reading material to get through now. its slow going: the maximalist maritime asia inspired fantasy world system of WANDERING is filled with physics and concepts that must be unraveled, and i'm drip feeding info like an elden ring item description

check it out here!

here's the blurb if you're interested!

Death held them, once, for the quickest second. Until the Adamantine Path reaped its due.

Raxri Uttara the Once-Dead walks again, rejuvenated by the Medicine Awoken. Arisen, without memory, they must wander again this Wheel of Wandering. They must seek revelation from their past, understand again the vaunted world of the Utter Islands, and choose, ultimately, between vengeance or enlightenment.

And within that moment, let their enlightenment be that such a duality is delusion.

Follow now RAXRI UTTARA, a once swordgendered swordstress and mystic now shorn of their accumulations. Now they must needs wield the God-Dissolving Darkness to flense away the forgetting's dirt, so that they may arrive again at the truth. In so doing they must recover their lost magicks and martial arts... and attain yet more to enact vengeant enlightenment upon those that wronged them.

If they could remember who or what wronged them...

Upon that peak, will they choose the right blade? The Termagant Buddha watches closely.

Giant cats turned into apartment complexes, ghost horse steeds that tire not, walking giant mechanical armors turned into public transportation, charnel wizards summoning the long-dead, witches wielding the Pureflame of Creation, the Machine God beginning its slick advance into forever progress... the Age of Furor is upon us.

The Latter Day of the Law.

As you walk your Path, Kill God Yourself. Until all beings are free.

THE KNIGHT VAGRANT is a new weird progression fantasy web novel in the universe of WANDERING, a world wrought from Highest Fantasy, Esoteric Buddhism and Maritime Asia.

* Follow warriors who cultivate good merit and meditate upon deities so that they themselves can gain access to paranormal powers, ritual magics, and other means to exercise power over the phenomenal world through enlightenment to their Awoken Nature.

* Inspired by the likes of Abhorsen, Demigods and Semidevils, Return of the Blossoming Blade, Florante at Laura, Elden Ring, Breath of the Wild, Wuxia, Westerns, and Vagrant Story.

* The web novel explores themes of vengeance, memory, being, violence, peace, forgiveness, and emptiness in the face of betrayal, wrath, and war.

* If you liked Dragon Ball Z, Naruto, Jin Yong, China Mieville, Return of the Blossoming Blade or Thousand Autumns, you might enjoy this!

[myu21]

Hello, do you have any recommendation of a good wuxia drama? I really love wire work in word of honor and would like to see more of nice action scenes in dramas. Thank you!

Hello~ Thanks for trusting in my judgement, and also my apologies that I've taken so long to get back to you. I don't know whether or not you can speak Chinese, so I'll try and give you ones that have Eng subs, and also try to cover all bases. Disclaimer: I love wuxia, but mostly old wuxia. I gave up wuxia after a certain someone butchered wuxia dramas year after year. So WOH was an absolute surprise to me. Therefore, I haven’t watched most of the recent productions I am recommending and I’m relying on other people’s judgement. 

If it's purely the wire work that you like from WOH and want something similar, then I recommend checking out the other works the WOH martial arts director has done. In particular, "Ultimate Note 终极笔记" has the best reputation among fellow WOH viewers. I've heard a lot of VERY good things about this show even though it's not wuxia. 

Most of the best wuxia is old, but not everyone is used to the old wuxia aesthetic. So I'll start with the recent production recommendations.

When I first began watching WOH I was SO drawn to the wuxia. I then started bemoaning the lack of good wuxia all over c-social media, and then was promptly reprimanded by some wuxia fanatics who told me there is good wuxia, just that people don’t know about it. The shows that were again and again recommended to me are: “Ancient Detective 侠探简不知" and “Love in Between 少年游之一寸相思”. I’ve only just begun watching these two myself, and I don’t want my experience to colour yours too much (though so far I'm liking "Ancient Detective" more as a successor to wuxia). Each have their pros and cons, and I reckon give them both a try and see which ones floats your boat more. They’re both relatively smaller productions, but I can tell good effort has been put into both and they aren’t just cash grabs by studios. 

Ok. Now onto a recent production of a canonical wuxia story. We are entering into Louis Cha or Jin Yong territory, the godfather of wuxia, the author to wuxia stories that get readapted every 5-10 years.

THE classic wuxia story is "The Legend of the Condor Heroes". Just how canonical is this text? It's the only Louis Cha novel to be translated into English. The recent 2017 production has a solid reputation as being faithful to the text, as opposed to some of the butchered adaptions of recent years. So it received good reviews. I haven't found any official eng subs, but a quick youtube search gave me the following fan sub:

Annnddddd now I'm going to recommend two of my absolute favourite wuxia stories, both by Louis Cha. There are many adaptions of these and I have spent way too many years of my youth (fiercely) debating which one is better and why. So without getting into that, I'm just going to tell you what I like.

The first is "Laughing in the Wind 笑傲江湖". It is both a layered look at the nature of good and evil as well as functioning as a political allegory. You will see WOH being influenced by ideas in this text re jianghu. This is the 2003 version I like. The music and cinematography and costumes. *Chefs kiss* Fan subbed version I found:

The ending theme song deserves its own spot in this post:

The second is "Demi-gods and Semi-devils 天龙八部". My absolute favourite. I spent years obsessing over the character of Qiao Feng. He remains my favourite wuxia character. I have also read and watched this story... too many times. Again, lots of philosophical and religious allegory in this story, lots of commentary on the nature of ambition and desire.

The 2003 version I have watched way too many times: fan subbed version I found:

Once you've got these names feel free to find the best fan subbed versions for yourself.

Needless to say, any Louis Cha story is guaranteed complex plot, complex characters, endless intrigue. Goes without saying.

The other biggest contenders to best Louis Cha adaptions are the even earlier ones from Hong Kong. However I was not able to find any eng subbed versions.

I've only mentioned one of the three titans of wuxia writing. So you can go crazy by looking into the works of Gu Long and Liang Yusheng too.

Happy viewing and do let me know how you go. 🙂

[psychokangaroo]

Wuxia round up, which let's be honest is just me ranking my favorite Louis Cha/Jin Yong works.

1. Demigods and semidevils (Tian Long Ba Bu/天龙八部)。The 2003 version is still my fave, I think, mostly because the dude who plays qiao/xiao Feng NAILED it. (Incidentally, the same actor also plays the major big bad in Ever Night 1, and he fucking nailed that one too). Although the bizarre harem (sub?)plot ruins it a little bit, but overall I loved the stories of brotherhood and found families and defining for yourself who you are while making best of circumstances. Im a huge fan of "freedom of choice" theme in wuxia. Plus, all 3 sworn brothers are very compelling as characters with interesting growth and development.

2. The Legend of the Condor Heroes (She Diao Ying Xiong Zhuan/射雕英雄传). Frankly, I debated between this one and The Smiling Proud Wanderer (XAJH), and this one only narrowly edged over XAJH because I love me a likely neuroatypical main character who is sympathetically portrayed (I will fight anyone who claims Guo Jin is not NA with all my cultivation and liu mai shen jian). The main villain is an incredibly well written tragic character who is both despicable and somehow also worth your sympathy because ultimately, he never stood chance if you really think about it. The foils between the hero and villain are masterful (and also further support my theory that GJ is a neuroatypical genius) The cameo by historical figures like Genghis Khan and his family is a plus. Also the Eastern Heretic is 1000% DILF. 2009 version is my personal favorite because I think they really captured the essence of guo jing.

3. The Smiling Proud Wanderer (Xiao Ao Jiang Hu/笑傲江湖). I'm 90% sure that MDZS is like... a queer xian xia au of XAJH, or like a fanfic where WWX and LWJ are the old men mentioned at the beginning of the story. Unfortunately, I'm gonna slap a HUGE "this work is majorly transphobic and questionably queerphobic" warning sign here. As a GNC queer, the only reason I dont hate it is because this is my parents' favorite work and I love the key themes raised in this piece, and Linghu Chun is a very very likeable character who is stupidly self sacrificing and an independent thinker with a drinking problem and strong moral boundaries (so...... like WWX but like less gay). lots of stuff thematically similar to MDZS, but story telling is in a very different style.

Honorable Mentions:

- romance of the condor heroes: main characters journey is interesting, but the whole marrying the girl who raised you and who you literally called auntie is little on the weird side.

- heavenly sword and dragon saber: again loving the whole "there is nuance and gray between black and white" theme here. Again loving the cameos by historical figures like zhu yuanzhang and yuan dynasty emperors. I wish that the focus was more on the ladies, rather than the main dude. He's, despite being my ultimate favorite trope of genius doctor fighter guy (zong yue, anyone?), is kind of boring. But Zhou Zhiruo's character development and her inner struggle is well done. The foil between her and Zhao Min is also really fascinating. Xiao Zhao and Yang Buhui and The Ugly Girl are also terrific characters. Zhiruos master is a fun villain.

Best Louis Cha work to start with: DEFINITELY legend of the condor heroes. All the cool wuxia stuff without the frankly weird and borderline squixky relationship shit in the other ones.

[foxghost]

I just found all 45 eps of the 1997 cantonese version (there are ... 5) of 天龍八部 / Demigods and Semidevils on youtube, complete with traditional chinese subtitles

You know

Modern special effects have spoiled my brain and the sound effects are really bad

but the fight scenes are somehow BETTER, or at least there are way more of them

btw, in case you want to read a wuxia classic, there’s an english translation of the novel here.

[yourhealthmattersblog]

We see additionally frequently

Shoujo Suggestions:

I can't believe I located it while searching for mangas that I 'd not read yet. So I came to this manga online. I was not really wanting much, from the minute I search the manga there have actually been only simply ten phases in the lad listing. But afterwards, I entirely transformed. As well as I simply wan na say that: - It's STUNNING !!!

- Story- INCREDIBLE Ok this isn't such as the many special tale actually created, nonetheless for a shoujo manga it isn't cliche. A female that lives within the nation of Japan is followed by the story. She never ever believed she ultimately winds up residing in Tokyo, as a result of her moms and dads going although she likes food that originates from Tokyo. Although she's dropped in the various city's center a looking guy assists her technique to be discovered by her to her dad's home, where she'll live. This male that is strange exercise to be always terrible and a tiny discouraging, and also he comes like a normal client, by her papa's place a large amount. However make as it occurs he is her trainer! And also in addition to that, he is truly preferred amonst the pupils! She's attempting to interact socially, that isnot working out if from another duration, he's the main one sustaining her because she looks like she. He ended up to not be so strange in the end.

I like the account development, it isn't predictable, as well as it definitely has obtained the humor it must have.

- Art- PERFECT The-art is, in one single word: PERFECT. I seldom see excellent artwork in manga, so it makes me satisfied quickly run into manga like these. The-art is great like I discussed. It's clear, contemporary, not unusual as well as also radiant like some shoujo art is, and also it's truly ... Great. It offers an usual feel like the art work of Ao Haru Trip off. Perhaps better yet. Yes, the-art is surely a great area right here. You can review demigods and semidevils and also see it yourself.

- Character- AMAZING Today the very initial point I really liked may be the heroine. Simply significantly, exactly how uncommon is it to acquire the heroine to not be taken into consideration a lady which discovers she appreciates the character in 2 sections or only one after which admits to him quickly the adhering to area. After that as it takes place the youngsters she confesses to doesnot like her, but, she doesnot quit as well as preserves pleading her emotions for him after which the kid does not have additional choice than to like her since or even it's not going to be thought about a pleased finishing like in most shoujo. THIS GIRL ISN'T LIKE THIS. Value God the Father! She is actually among the a number of feminine kinds sweet I enjoy, organic, only a little thick as well as naive, & the majority of like an ordinary person does, producing her emotions of love-in an average method, all. She tries to interact socially in an approach that is positive, she is most and only a little bold of a person that is great without shouting for interest or sobbing every one of the moment.

Enough concerning her, consider the remainder? Well, the remainder is great. The character, that will be the teacher is outstanding. Directly, I enjoy instructor-pupil link manga, therefore I enjoy him previously. He is not our adage tsundere devil-like teacher with black and cups her. Conversely, he is just a little awkward & most of excellent as well as just humorous, while being eye-catching as well. He is sweet although for the good friend of our heroine. Their actions with ladies (blushing if any person touches him) is far as well entertaining, and never anything we see additionally frequently. He is only a little cool, but hey, that is why is him adorable. Although I am a little bit extra destructive of our heroine's feminine close friend. She obtains eventually although she's a bitch, but I just think it is a tiny stereo-typed. A great deal of manga have the "bad bitch" inside, which I rarely really liked them. However probably that is simply me. If you want the "bad bitch" you'll like her.

- Entertainment & general- FANTASTIC I liked manga online and I believe it's a lot. It is a refreshing manga, and that I can not wait to determine the intimate renovation between the heroine along with the teacher. I simply absolutely love instructor-pupil associations. Examine it out and find your very own heroine vitamin. Why do not you offer it a try right now and also love it like lots of others that such as shoujo manga. Be sure to visit https://themangablog.sitey.me/a6ek2ibfind31pvbwmwyj1636334732 and learn more about manga books

[yibennianyaji]

Janice Man as Wang Yuyan in Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils

[themangaguide]

There actually wasnot one whatsoever

Manga a Review:

I genuinely enjoyed not simply the shingan no yuusha manga idea but additionally the art-style. I actually did not expect much, thinking about the fact that I believed it to turn into one of these manga you couldnot really consider seriously and it'dnot in fact come to be something more than only a cutesy little factor, but when I continue reviewing I kept thinking about just how much far better it 'd have already been if it were really extra serious than it had been, as well as consequently my assessment is simply a substantial one.

Allow us start with the account, after that. There actually wasnot one whatsoever, there have been several ideas of anything heading down having an occasion (that finished on anything with possible however fundamentally the manga did refrain something with-it), along with summertime break bicycle guideline as well as likewise the swimwear choice, however aside from that everything is merely anecdotal. Independently when I review a manga that's relevant to education, I typically cherish with the college go through numerous events, ie different months as well as celebrations, neither which the background in fact profited from it a lot more after I might be absorbed. There was one show although chairs boosted but absolutely nothing really ended up. General though my primary issue using the tale is the truth that it coincides task nearly every single-time: Woman teases kid, young boy obtains distressed, attempts to ruffle her back, as well as at some point falls short at it usually having a little touch of love in the female the guy neglects or does not completely react to. That is truly it, in addition to in my estimation the parts that may have absolutely advanced the link between your male as well as also the lady might have been possibly the swimwear areas (which can be where the manga occurs to be at), the horoscope/blood-type phase, or even the event phase. Those all existing from the following areas its typically the exact same again, although the connection in between your two of these might establish.

With demigods and semidevils allow me enter the characters. I've a love/hate connection together conveniently genuinely were to tell the truth. All of the duration he is just a slow down, although the primary guy does anything aggressive. Her feelings can occasionally attempt to share towards the man, however at some point she just attempts to tease him since that is what she suches as. I donot realize both of these, I make sure it is excellent to finish the things they do yet could being in a link from doing the important things they do today quit them? I truly donot visit a cause why the girl would certainly not desire to be in a connection using the guy, although that sometimes tried to display him that she enjoyed him. Just how could she not obtain irritated? Irritated? I am aware being great making use of the here and now conditions nevertheless it really feels as though she is pointless regarding this which troubles me. For the guy, he appears to not absolutely share some of his authentic feelings till he is kind of unacquainted with it and also merely gets actually shamed a lot. He verified SOME character growth using the event picture, yet prior to that actually went no place in order much when Iam worried as I stated he is similarly via the entire manga. This is the key issue that I've utilizing the numbers, they create or do not advancement. They are normally precisely the very same, there is absolutely nothing distinct concerning them. They just keep carrying out exactly the exact same ridiculous shit repeatedly once more and also complying with the 14 sections the numbers start to seem like a document. I do wish to state this: I in fact donot believe both of these are poor characters fixated how they're within the manga, it is just the fact that they wont develop that makes me unable to believe they're useful as well as consequently troublesome, that will certainly be the reason behind my low-scoring of the numbers.

The-art about the hand is totally exceptional. I can not find any mistakes, and also it would certainly be among the very uncommon things that happens when I did so. Identification styles totally superb linework, and also it is only general great to take a look at when you review manga online. For other related details, you could also visit http://publish.lycos.com/bestmangasites/2020/08/27/affsinm9bclveb355pafzn1598569842/

[yibennianyaji]

Janice Man as Wang Yuyan in Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils

[makapatag]

The big ol' first Arc of the dharmacore bladepunk Maritime Asia/Monsoon Marketplace/Nirvana Path inspired fantasy web serial THE KNIGHT VAGRANT is out on the patreon. if you're into nonstandard genders, wuxia/xianxia/xuanhuan, elden ring, breath of the wild, or slick buddhist violence, perhaps you will enjoy this one

here's a spiel

Death held them, once, for the quickest second.

Until the Adamantine Path reaped its due. Raxri Uttara the Once-Dead walks again, rejuvenated by the Medicine Awoken. Arisen, without memory, they must wander again this Wheel of Wandering. They must seek revelation from their past, understand again the vaunted world of the Utter Islands, and choose, ultimately, between vengeance or enlightenment. And within that moment, let their enlightenment be that such a duality is delusion. THE KNIGHT VAGRANT is the first volume of THEY WHO DANCE AGAINST THE HEAVENS, a highest fantasy web novel set in the weird dharmacore bladepunk world of WANDERING, arising from mindbending Esoteric Buddhism and Maritime Asia. Inspired by the likes of the Abhorsen Series, Jin Yong's Demigods and Semidevils, Florante at Laura, Elden Ring, Tears of the Kingdom, Wuxia, Westerns, and Vagrant Story, the web novel explores themes of vengeance, memory, being, violence, peace, forgiveness, and emptiness in the face of betrayal, wrath, and war. THE KNIGHT VAGRANT follows RAXRI UTTARA, a once swordgendered being now having forgotten all their accomplishments in the past. They must needs wield the flame of remembrance to burn away the dirt of forgetfulness, so that they may arrive again at the truth. Upon that peak, will they choose the right blade? Giant cats turned into apartment complexes, ghost horse steeds that tire not, walking giant mechanical armors turned into public transportation, charnel wizards summoning the long-dead, witches wielding the Pureflame of Creation, dancing celestial avians who provide background soundtracks for events too epic to imagine, the Machine God beginning its slick advance into forever progress... the Age of Furor is upon us. The Latter Day of the Law. As you walk your Path, Kill God Yourself. Until all beings are free.

[makapatag]

Goblins have been in these fields for kalpas. They have helped rebuilt, and have been incalculably integral to the once again growth of life. Settlements teem and thrive upon Goblin ingenuity, seemingly able to make any business flourish. They have helped herald new technologies and bring forth advances in housekeeping. They also tend to sport two pairs of arms, which help a lot.

Goblins are part of the Mindstream, of the Realm of Demigods and Semidevils. Goblins are not born, but reincarnate: they go through a colored life cycle:

Mute Goblins are the youngest, barely a year or two old. They are colored in shades of monochrome.

Azure Goblins are the children, wide eyed yet impish and prone to troublemaking. They are colored in shades of blue.

Scarlet Goblins are the troublemaking teenagers, nearing 20 years of life in this world. They are more prone to making trouble and are sometimes malevolent. Scarlet Goblins are almost always violent. They are colored in shades of red.

Viridian Goblins are the adults, usually having learned from their life’s mistakes. Viridian Goblins tend to be good in administrative tasks, in keeping finances, and other housekeeping services indispensable in the pastoral life now wrought upon Lotus.

Gilded Goblins. Gilded Goblins are elder sages, who tend to become the shaman-healers, sorcerer-philosophers, and sages of their settlements.

At the end of their life, depending on whether they lived a life of war and fighting and excitement and constant growth, or a life of horrible stagnancy, they turn into different kinds of Goblins:

Indigo Goblins represent the highest stage of Goblins. These are the ones set to become village elders and leaders, if not Philosopher Kings of vast civilizations. A scant few Goblins have reached Indigo. If Merit accumulated here is good, one can be reborn as a God. Often Indigo Goblins are mistaken for Gods, and often Indigo Goblins can achieve Blossoming as well.

Pastel Goblins are goblins of stagnancy, of ones that did not undergo painful change. Thus, they become devil statues, that stay in one place and rarely move. They become witnessers, cursed by complacency. At the end of the day, they die due to old age, and a new Mute Goblin walks out of them, curious about the world. Pastel Goblins are stuck within this cycle.

Gobmasks. Gobmasks are the faces the Goblins wear, usually colored by their current Goblin stage. When these Gobmasks are shattered and destroyed the Goblin will go on an uncontrollable rage. If they are young when they lose their Gobmasks, they simply wither and die, and then become a Mute mask once again. If they are older, however, they can grow into veritable countryside threats, killing and vanquishing life itself as they turn into uncontrollable, many armed lumps of darkness.

[makapatag]

THE KNIGHT VAGRANT is out now on Royal Road! though patrons will always be at least 1-2 chapters ahead.

Below is the synopsis.

Death held them, once, for the quickest second. Until the Adamantine Path reaped its due.

Raxri Uttara the Once-Dead walks again, rejuvenated by the Medicine Awoken. Arisen, without memory, they must wander again this Wheel of Wandering. They must seek revelation from their past, understand again the vaunted world of the Utter Islands, and choose, ultimately, between vengeance or enlightenment.

And within that moment, let their enlightenment be that such a duality is delusion.

THE KNIGHT VAGRANT is the first volume of THEY WHO DANCE AGAINST THE HEAVENS, a new weird Bladepunk fantasy web novel set in the dharmic fantasy world of WANDERING, grounded on concepts from Esoteric Buddhism and Maritime Asia. Inspired by the likes of the Abhorsen Trilogy, Demigods and Semidevils, Florante at Laura, Elden Ring, Tears of the Kingdom, Wuxia, Westerns, and Vagrant Story, the web novel explores themes of vengeance, memory, being, violence, peace, forgiveness, and emptiness in the face of betrayal, wrath, and war.

THE KNIGHT VAGRANT follows RAXRI UTTARA, a once swordgendered being now having forgotten all their accomplishments in the past. They must needs wield the flame of remembrance to burn away the dirt of forgetfulness, so that they may arrive again at the truth.

Upon that peak, will they choose the right blade?

Giant cats turned into apartment complexes, ghost horse steeds that tire not, walking giant mechanical armors turned into public transportation, charnel wizards summoning the long-dead, witches wielding the Pureflame of Creation, the Machine God beginning its slick advance into forever progress... the Age of Furor is upon us.

The Latter Day of the Law.

As you walk your Path, Kill God Yourself.

over on the patreon I've released the first few chapters of THE KNIGHT VAGRANT, a new weird bladepunk fantasy web novel I've been outlining and researching for years now, stemming from a fascination of the pan-Asianness of Buddhism. It centers an amnesiac non-binary sage knight on the path to vengeant enlightenment

it has some exploration of how buddhism fused into local traditions, seasian buddhist ethics, the interconnectedness of maritime asia, the plausible intersection between esoteric buddhism and anarchism

though, really at its core, its a wuxia-silat-chivalric romance vengeance story drawing from water margin, new weird, clark ashton smith, jin yong, westerns, and even florante at laura