#wo jia dashixiong naozi you keng

[best-underrated-anime]

Are many of the animes here on crunchyroll? Or netflix? I know a bunch are but I also wonder if it's a good suggestion list ^^

Considering the numerous times I had to find alternate trailers because a lot of Crunchroll’s YouTube videos are blocked in my country… yes, a lot of the shows are on Crunchyroll. A few are on Netflix, and some are on Funimation.

As for donghua (Chinese anime), most can only be watched legally through Iqiyi or Bilibili. For the latter, it might be hard to access when you don’t understand Chinese. But fret not, these two also have official YouTube channels, so you can try checking there too.

While I’m at this, I might as well just list the sites where you can watch certain donghua...

Are You Ok - Iqiyi

Beryl and Saphire - Bilibili

God Troubles Me - Bilibili. I think some seasons are also on the official Bilibili YouTube channel

Legend of Luo Xiaohei - There are no official subs, but there are numerous fansubs on YouTube. The Legend of Hei prequel movie is on Crunchyroll, though. (Please watch the movie in Chinese… They literally translated the characters’ names to English in the dub, and it’s so cringe 😭)

Link Click - Funimation (S1 only), and Crunchyroll and Bilibili (both seasons). Link Click S1 official subs were awful, though, so I suggest looking into fansubbed versions. I think there are 2-3 different fansubs for it.

No Doubt in Us - Bilibili, Netflix

White Cat Legend - Bilibili, and I think YouTube too. @whitecatlegend also made some good fansubs for S2

Wo Jia Dashixiong Naozi You Keng - Bilibili

This is not a comprehensive list, btw. Just listing what I know off the top of my head.

As for aeni (Korean anime)… I’m not as familiar. There doesn’t seem to be any legal way to watch Mignon at the moment because of issues the creator had with Vimeo, but I could be wrong… Another aeni is Flowering Heart, and a quick search says it’s officially available on YouTube.

Trese, the lone Filipino anime on the list, is available on Netflix.

[evangelineiiimoscovia]

Sure Wo jia dashixiong naozi you keng is cool and full of slutty twinks but Wo bu shi jiaozhu also has tigerboys and a dragon woman and a love triangle that could've been a perfectly functional double couple in another universe and as far as trashy manhwas go, I can't pick between the two of them.

[kukuandkookie]

WOOOO yes hello I am just as excited!!! 😳 🙌 💕

Definitely really looking forward to this one because I’ve always felt like it’d be a feast for the eyes, but Li Haoling has also proven with his older work that he has an abundance of cool, pretty unique ideas, and even recently proving with Link Click and Ringing Fate that he can tell a good story with pretty strong emotional beats. 👀

I can’t say for sure I know more about this one than some fans, mostly because I’m a bit behind on some of the promotional info due to it being mostly in Japanese on this side of the Internet—as Bilibili has been pretty quiet about it on its western social media accounts. But that seems to be just how the donghua industry can be lol. They only occasionally release tidbits when they have something to share, and info on plots can be scarce, and info on release dates even scarcer—like I think Aniplex and Crunchyroll are the ones that revealed it will release in April 2025. x’D

That being said, I do have some stuff about it that might be new info to some people!:

When we all first heard of it, most of us assumed it would have a connection with two of Li Haoling’s earlier donghua (also co-produced with Japan), To Be Hero and To Be Heroine.

But even from the first trailer, my assumption was that the connection will be in name only—or that at most, we’ll maybe see a reference/cameo/Easter egg from these other two similarly titled series SKFSJJS. The former is known for being kind of crude, while the latter is known for being kind of chaotic at points. But both had some solid animation, and the latter also interestingly had a Japanese and Chinese combo for just the Japanese dub?? (it’s technically a transmigration story and the new world is in Japanese while the real world is in Chinese. Some anime fans find it jarring, but I think it’s a neat experiment). Iirc though, the Japanese version of To Be Heroine did kind of butcher it by splicing it up weirdly, but the Chinese original is quite hard to find outside of China??

Anyway, the reason I think the connection is in name only is both because we haven’t seen any sign of a tie-in in the promotional material for To Be Hero X, but also because it seems to be a “proper” and “dignified” animated series with its own set world-building and rules that don’t really intersect with its predecessors. Specifically, said predecessors were known for their slightly more indie but also bawdy presentation, as both kind of…focused on underwear (?) a bit more.

That probably sounds really weird ALDJSKDJ, so to try and explain a bit: in To Be Hero, the main character gains superpowers that turns him “unattractive,” and he himself is kind of vulgar and to top it off, he even befriends a perverted older man KSDGFJSD, while in To Be Heroine X, the main character enters a world where there are near-naked superpowered babies and her different articles of clothing can turn into warriors if not on her body.

…Yeah, okay, maybe explaining only made it weirder. 😂

But now you may see what I mean about To Be Hero X appearing to have its own self-contained lore! Not that To Be Hero or To Be Heroine were ever even that closely connected either ahaha. Maybe the connection here is just that Li Haoling likes exploring the concept of superpowers and how that can affect humanity, both in terms of the population and our humanity as people??

Speaking of To Be Hero X’s lore though, I can talk a bit about the premise!:

I got this information a while back and it is in my donghua recommendations list, but we also did get a new tidbit from the OP uploaded by Aniplex. 👁️

So in To Be Hero X, superheroes obviously exist, but only via trust. The more trust you have, the more powerful you are (and what I read back when the first trailer came out was that trust points are displayed on one’s wrist, but I’m not sure if this still applies), and it also means that if you lose the people’s trust, you will lose your powers. And the strongest one of all is the titular X, with his ability to change reality at the snap of a finger. And now the Aniplex trailers have led to me finding out that apparently a tournament—perhaps a bit similar to the one in Ringing Fate—is also held every two years to determine the rankings of top heroes, so I assume the donghua itself will follow one such tournament or something similar as we see heroes perhaps try to challenge X’s spot. That, and some character-driven stories about humanity in general, because that seems to be what Li Haoling likes to explore. 😆

And speaking of exploring…

X’s superpower is evidently a great reason for the really cool blend of both 2D and 3D animation!! 🔥

I’ve seen people claim it’s obviously received influence from Into the Spider-verse and even Arcane (which did work closely with China, it seems), and while I can’t confirm it, I can potentially see it. There does seem to be a rising trend in experimental 3D, which is very fun to see—and while I’ve enjoyed more hyperrealistic CGI donghua too, in Shaonian Ge Xing, The Island of Siliang, The Young Brewmaster’s Adventure, Ling Cage, Slay the Gods, etc, I do really like the experimental ones like Rescue Eternal Desert, No Doubt in Us, Chen He Ti Tong, and You Yao!

So speaking of animation, the studios we know are involved are:

Studio LAN—already famous for Link Click but also an old household favourite for their work with Li Haoling’s studio Haoliners, including some of my favourites like Beryl and Sapphire:

And I guess as this photo from their office showcases, they really do work so closely with Li Haoling, as this banner features quite a lot of his studio (Haoliners)’s donghua, including Beryl and Sapphire. 😳

Paper Plane Animation Studio—which I think have only worked on a few projects, but they may be doing a lot of the 3D CGI scenes, since they’re most famous for this League of Legends short:

Pb Animation Co., Ltd—another one with not quite as many works under their belt, but a bit more than Paper Plane. They’re listed as having been the driving force for Daily Life of the Immortal King season 2 and 3, but also for Light Catcher, one of my favourite donghua shorts of all time that is meant to showcase the beauty and growth of donghua overall—and with a 白鲨JAWS song too!!:

If the above video shows anything, it’s that we can obviously see a pretty solid blend of animation styles too, so that should contribute nicely to To Be Hero X!

And oh boy, putting all these together, I do in fact see the pattern of how we’re probably also in good hands action-wise, as all of these donghua studios have done some form of “superpower-based action donghua”—although I guess a lot of donghua in general place an emphasis on strong action sequences. 😆

For To Be Hero X specifically, we can also see the behind-the-scenes locations and distributions of work in this video from Aniplex:

Speaking of Aniplex, they’ve definitely been more active in promoting it on western social media lol. I do have the social media links in my donghua recs list, but I’ll leave them here too for anyone who wants it:

Official Chinese Twitter account

Official Weibo account

Official Japanese Twitter account

Li Haoling’s official Twitter account

As you can see from the Chinese Twitter account, it’s mostly done promotional and celebratory artworks for like…holidays and stuff, which does seem to be how donghua prefer to promote their stuff?? That’s why we see new illustrations every major Chinese holiday, yet the Twitter account isn’t nearly as active as the Japanese Twitter account in posting actual introductions to the characters and voice actors ALDJDKS.

The info on Chinese VAs does seem to often be delegated to Chinese social media mostly, as seen by Hoyoverse games like Genshin Impact. x’D

Hell, Crunchyroll has such a bad habit of completely snubbing and/or forgetting to promote the Chinese originals of donghua they have—like how Aiyou’s Secret Room aka X&Y was only promoted on Crunchyroll Brazil or All Saints Street is only promoted in Japanese because of Crunchyroll’s ties to Aniplex and Sony... Tian Guan Ci Fu is the luckiest odd one out, but a lot of its marketing on Crunchyroll still focuses solely on its English dub. So the fact they have To Be Hero X and now Mo Dao Zu Shi too, we may soon see more ignoring of Chinese VAs even in official material because they have the Japanese dubs (at least Mo Dao Zu Shi’s Chinese cast is already well-established!) otl.

Apologies to rant a bit there, but with that out of the way, I’m petty about Chinese VAs not getting enough attention—to the point it is technically a pet peeve of mine for them to be completely ignored; although, in my defense, sometimes the ignoring does stem from sinophobia or ignorance (eg those not realizing a donghua is a donghua, especially with anime looks and Japanese voice acting)!—and since I can be the one who shares their Chinese voices...let’s do it! This is for them, but also for everyone who wants to appreciate the Chinese VAs to have easier access to this info. 💪

My information on who the Chinese VAs are comes from this Weibo post, at least for the 10 characters we know most about right now—the top 10 heroes in To Be Hero X, both in people’s trust of them and power:

10. Nice (奈斯 (Nài sī))—VA: Gu Jiangshan: character song PV on YouTube, character song PV on Bilibili

Other notable roles by Gu Jiangshan (谷江山), as confirmed via Baidu:

Yuan Yang in Beloved Enemy aka Tit for Tat

Huiyu aka Raven in Beryl and Sapphire

Jin Zixuan in the Mo Dao Zu Shi donghua

Xia Mingxing aka Jesse in Light and Night

Wangquan Baye in Fox Spirit Matchmaker

9. Hundian (魂电)—VA: Yang Kaiqi: character song PV on YouTube, character song PV on Bilibili

Other notable roles by Yang Kaiqi (杨凯祺), as confirmed via Baidu:

Geely Shrimp and Lamb Paomo in The Tale of Food

Elysium in the Chinese dub of Arknights (lmao you know what, I always struggle to find the Arknights Chinese version and this video is titled “I won’t allow anyone to have not heard the Chinese voice acting for Elysium!!!!!!!!!!” and I’m just like, “You go girl (gender-neutral); what a mood” DGJDSD)

8. A-Hu (阿虎) (literally the diminutive prefix “A-” plus “Tiger”*)—VA: Zhang Fuzheng: character song PV on YouTube*, character song PV on Bilibili

Other notable roles by Zhang Fuzheng (张福正), as confirmed via Baidu:

Xue Yang in the Mo Dao Zu Shi donghua

Sikong Changfeng in The Young Brewmaster’s Adventure

Diting in You Shou Yan aka Fabulous Beasts

Jayce in the Chinese dub of Arcane

*I explained his name since I think official English content will just translate it as “Hu” (or his Japanese name) without the “A-” in front… Oh and I’m crying lmao; Aniplex YouTube forgot to add A-Hu to their To Be Hero X playlist so it took me a bit longer to find it KSDHGDS

7. Xingyu Qing (幸运青) (literally Lucky Green/Blue)—VA: Zhang Shuang: character song PV on YouTube, character song PV on Bilibili

Other notable roles by Zhang Shuang (赵爽), as confirmed via Baidu:

Xiaoyao Xinghe in Wo Jia Dashixiong Naozi You Keng (if not sure which girl she plays, it’s the one with blue hair!)

Sapphire (female form) and Flax in Beryl and Sapphire

Dongfang Qinlan in Fox Spirit Matchmaker

6. Loli (罗莉)—VA: Qian Cheng: character song PV on YouTube, character song PV on Bilibili

Other notable roles by Qian Cheng (钱琛), as confirmed via Baidu:

Furina in Genshin Impact

Robin in Honkai Star Rail

Bu Suantian in Wo Jia Dashixiong Naozi You Keng

Little Spirit (Xiao Jingling) in Beryl and Sapphire

5. Xiao Qiang (小强)—VA: Jinli (Koi): character song PV on YouTube, character song PV on Bilibili

Other notable roles by Jinli (锦鲤), as confirmed via Baidu:

Kong Hongjun in Tianbao Fuyao Lu, both the donghua and audio drama

Lyney and Freminet in Genshin Impact

Lan Sizhui (voice only) in The Untamed (for those who don’t know, cdrama roles can get re-dubbed by not the actor for a variety of reasons, such as vibe, accent, and/or background noises because many dramas film in the same giant area at the same time)

Yue Zhishi in Lovely Allergen

4. Mosha (默杀) (literally “silent kill”)—VA: Chang Wentao: character song PV on YouTube, character song PV on Bilibili

Other notable roles by Chang Wentao (常文涛), as confirmed via Baidu:

Jin Chenyu in Inferior by Nature (goes officially in English by The Selfish Gene on MaoEr FM, but that’s confusing because the author has another novel that translates more accurately into The Selfish Gene—anyway, I recommend this audio drama a lot!!! If anyone’s unclear, Jin Chenyu is the arrogant-sounding guy who shows up partway through, gets called “Gege” by the little boy, is eventually yelled at by the little boy to leave, and laughs at the little boy, aka his brother lol)

*Sadly a lot of his roles do not seem big enough so far for fans to have clipped them, so I only have this one sample!

3. Lianglong (梁龙)—VA: Chenzhang Taikang: character song PV on YouTube, character song PV on Bilibili

Other notable roles by Chenzhang Taikang (陈张太康), as confirmed via Baidu:

Lan Sizhui in the Mo Dao Zu Shi donghua

Hua Cheng in the Tian Guan Ci Fu audio drama

Xiao Xingchen (voice only) in The Untamed (same deal as with Jinli for cdrama voice dubbing)

Lin Yutong in Don’t Say You Love Me (yes, I subbed this clip lmao. No, this role of his isn’t actually on his Baidu page, but I’m biased because I enjoy this manhua/vomic so I’m including it anyway hehe)

Wei Yanzi in I Ship My Rival x Me (Bilibili version here)

Gong Changsheng in Wo Jia Dashixiong Naozi You Keng

Jiaoqiu in Honkai Star Rail

*Sorry for adding way more roles in here than necessary lmfao. But again, I am (very) biased here!!! He may be most famous for Lan Sizhui and Hua Cheng and Jiaoqiu and arguably even Xiao Xingchen, but I love him—and first fell for his voice acting—for Wei Yanzi, Lin Yutong, and Gong Changsheng ehehe. 🥺

2. Queen/Nüwang (女王)—VA: Liu Xiaoyu: character song PV on YouTube, character song PV on Bilibili

Other notable roles by Liu Xiaoyu (刘校妤), as confirmed via Baidu:

Tushan Susu and Tushan Honghong in Fox Spirit Matchmaker

Kang Jinlong in Black Myth: Wukong

Caitlyn and Jinx (see second half of the video; the first half is Jinx’s voice in the League of Legends game) in the Chinese dub of Arcane

1. X—VA: Wei Chao: character song PV on YouTube, character song PV on Bilibili*

*This song was one of the first things to come out of this donghua, so it is out there and it is definitely catchy!!

Other notable roles by Wei Chao (魏超), as confirmed via Baidu:

Lan Wangji in the Mo Dao Zu Shi audio drama

Wangquan Fugui and Wang Fugui in Fox Spirit Matchmaker

Qiongxiong in Tianbao Fuyao Lu, both the donghua and audio drama

Wang Jiexi in The King’s Avatar

*Fun fact: I didn’t list all of them, but while checking everyone’s Baidu pages, I found a surprisingly high amount of Fox Spirit Matchmaker. 👀

I would playfully suggest you take a guess/make an assumption as to the number, but you may spot the answer down below lol. And well, it is definitely a very long donghua with a giant cast, but I was still taken by surprise! Because 8/10 of the top 10 heroes in To Be Hero X also share a voice with Fox Spirit Matchmaker characters!! 😆

Anyway, I think that’s everything I know—and everything I’ve learned while writing this post!!

I hope it was insightful, and I’m sorry for how long it is...! Of course, I could put it under “read more,” but also...I spent so long on this (to the point I discovered a Tumblr limit to providing external links before the draft would stop saving lmfao oops) and I’d love for everyone to know more about this donghua, especially of the Chinese VAs, so...I’m going to be obnoxious and leave it as KSLDGJDSH,,, double sorry!! 🙈

You know what, I might actually turn this into a post for my donghua blog, which I haven’t updated in foreeeeeever ahaha. But yes, I hope this was worth the wait!! ^^

OMG OMG THIS LOOKS SO GOOD

The animation is smooth as fuck and that switching from 3D to 2D and back again??? Holy shit. And the colors! This looks so good, and most of all the guy is so hot 😳

So excited for this donghua aaaah

[thesparkthatlightsthemoe]

Happy 8th Anniversary~

Source

[kukuandkookie]

The end of 2024 has proven that 2025 seems to be a huge year for donghua and I’m gripping everyone to give all these donghua besides just the most popular ones a chance!!!:

Link Click, Yingdu arc: releasing December 27, 2024

Nezha 2, sequel to Nezha 2019 aka Nezha zhi motong jiangshi, confirmed for January 2025

To Be Hero X, likely April 2025 release (I hope people will also support the version with Chinese VAs! 🙏)

Lord of the Mysteries, 2025 summer release—accompanied by more good news: the novel has officially entered the British Library and it will also be translated into English by Yen Press

False Memory, series version, confirmed 2025 release

I am making this post because False Memory just released its new trailer and I am very much so looking forward to it! The series started as an indie short before growing into a bigger thing, much like Fog Hill of Five Elements and The Legend of Luo Xiaohei and Alita’s Trial. We’ve thus been waiting a couple years for news so this is really exciting, especially after it recently got a Twitter account!!

Bonuses:

Ya She, released a couple months ago but late enough into 2024 I’d still love for more people to check it out!

Scissor Seven, another one that’s had its newest season out for a while now, but I assume that for those who have Netflix, it hasn’t been officially English subbed or dubbed yet. We’re also still getting trailers for its game!:

I Am What I Am 2, released Dec 14, 2024 in China!

Reminder that Mo Dao Zu Shi is now on Crunchyroll! They may have removed it from Tencent’s donghua YouTube channel for this, so definitely go support it if you do have Crunchyroll!

Some children’s donghua have also recently released, including news of the new Balala the Fairies season and the other magical girls show, Rainbow Crew! The latter is confirmed for an official release in English.

The Yi Ren Zhi Xia game is also coming soon to global, and Fox Spirit Matchmaker even updated their OP recently after quite a long time of silence.

And speaking of silence, even the long-awaited SVSSS donghua saw some movement recently!?

Now if I could get a confirmed 2025 release for White Cat Legend season 3 (and maybe God Troubles Me and Lie Huo Jiao Chou and Fei Ren Zai and All Saints Street and The Legend of Luo Xiaohei and Wo Jia Dashixiong Naozi You Keng etc…)), I could die a happy man (gender-neutral)—after watching all of these newly released donghua shows and films and seasons, of course ahaha. 🙏

For more news and info on donghua, you can check here:

There’s a bunch of new donghua information in the above document that came from 2024, even though they don’t have official release dates yet! Including but not limited to:

The announcement and PV of Call-Up Girls, based on a baihe manhua

The announcement of a Nirvana in Fire donghua, based on the danmei novel with a famous cdrama adaptation (with the manhua having recently gotten an official English license via Aloha Comics)

Trailer and announcement for 《向火而生》, based on Shui Qian Cheng’s danmei novel Blazing Armour

More announcements for Jing Wei Qing Shang, based on the popular baihe novel

Trailer for The Story of Rong Song, a spin-off of the famous Big Fish and Begonia movie

and many, many more…!

Hope everyone can join me in watching more donghua for 2025!! :D

[bitterflames]

list the first line of your last 10 (posted) fics and see if there's a pattern (tagged by @sunriseverse on main, tyty! 💛)

...i've only got 9 posted fics so we're gonna have to make do lol. talk about inspiration to get off my arse and finish some of my wips >.>

1. how to deflower your martial brother (wo jia dashixiong naozi you keng, dongfang wuqiong/gong changsheng) Gong Changsheng had noticed this when he was younger, the way Dongfang Wuqiong would sometimes press a hand to his chest as though in pain, the recurring cough he’d shrug off as a minor seasonal affliction. 2. what's in a name? (mysterious lotus casebook, di feisheng & fang duobing) He didn’t mean to keep it, but something about the helpless little bundle of cream-coloured fur had stirred his heart. 3. no takebacks (mysterious lotus casebook, fang duobing/li lianhua) Li Lianhua is teasing him about his supposed upcoming marriage to the princess again, in that way he does sometimes that’s more of a defensive mechanism than anything. 4. to gravity and the unknown (elder scrolls online, verandis ravenwatch/prince naemon) It’s cold. 5. you and me and a bottle of wine (baldur's gate 1, player character/xan) Beregost is a welcome sight after weeks of trudging up and down the Sword Coast at the mercy of the elements, the wildlife both mundane and monstrous, and the seemingly endless roving gangs of bandits. 6. hold me tight and fear me not (baldur's gate 2, player character/xan) The dark elves are not much for merrymaking, Ceru thinks as she sips at her second tankard of black mead; in all her travels, she’s never seen a tavern so quiet. 7. snow and repetitions of snow (elder scrolls online, mannimarco/vanus galerion) Vanus Galerion sank into his bathtub wearily, the troubles of the day weighing heavily upon him. 8. a light that does not flicker (elder scrolls iv: oblivion, hero of kvatch/martin septim)

Nevos could only watch, mute and uncomprehending, as Martin was enveloped in a blaze of light so bright it hurt his eyes to watch.

9. into the abyss (elder scrolls iv: oblivion, hero of kvatch/martin septim) Blue, all around him is blue, a placid calm sky that stretches on in all directions as far as he can see. taking "first line" as the first full sentence, which... lol. if there's any consistency in these it's that i am very inconsistent! past tense, present tense, rambling run-on sentences or just "it's cold"? no pattern no rhyme no reason baby!!!

tagging! @shararan @strandedchesspiece uhh i think i've seen this one around a bit, i'm not sure who else has done it! any writer friends who are interested pls feel free to do the thing and @ me about it 💛

[kukuandkookie]

Psssst if you search “bl ” (recommended with a space after so you don’t get terms like “black” or “blue”) in this document, it will turn up some donghua!! 👍

Based on your tags of series you have watched, my personal recommendations though would be to try Jie Yao, Those Years I Opened a Zoo, even Spirit Pact, and also one of my all time favourites, Beryl and Sapphire.

The fun thing about Beryl and Sapphire is that it’s based on a manhua with stick figures (although they do also have set human designs) that can be put in all kinds of situations, whether it’s a one-off gag one chapter or an overarching narrative that spans multiple chapters. They can even switch genders! And the donghua adapted it accordingly for the first season, even cleverly showing Beryl and Sapphire as actors in the OP.

Like Spirit Pact, it’s an older donghua so it also got away with more explicit gay romance. Both even have scenes where the men kiss. For Beryl and Sapphire specifically, a couple episodes even have a “director’s cut” as well as a “survivor’s cut,” where the former is very gay. 👍

Oh, and the first season is already 72 episodes!!

The later seasons (which came back as a shock to most of us fans because the donghua had been dormant for like 5 years) adapt longer running arcs with coherent narratives that follow through every episode, rather than doing the old shtick of new situations every episode.

Beyond these, while they may not be explicit, because of China’s reliance on queer-coding, you can also enjoy subtle gay ships in donghua.

This can be as canon and intended as the (mostly side) gay ships in No Doubt in Us and White Cat Legend and You Yao; or the queerness of Wo Jia Dashixiong Naozi You Keng (no canonical ship but lots of gay characters); or the relationships that are as up to interpretation as in Link Click and Land of Miracles and Villain Initialization.

Finally, if that kind of subtlety isn’t enough to satiate you, you can also visit the world of manhua, which is a bit less censored than donghua!

I know obviously it’s not animated but it’s still a visual medium that uses sequential storytelling, and some manhua are so pretty it can feel like you’re watching a series anyway (a popular example is Little Mushroom, but even underrated stuff like I Ship My Rival x Me; How’d I Get a Heroine’s Script?; Pixiu’s Eatery, No Way Out; Kiss the Abyss; Don’t Say You Love Me; Rejoice in Your Enemies; I Have to be a Great Villain; Salt Friend; The Trapped Beast; Forced Strategy 100%; any of the 188男团 series; The Guy Inside Me; and many many more are all great reads).

Some of these even have vomics, which are manhua with voice acting (voice comics), and some have a bit of motion or animation! Like Pixiu’s Eatery, Kiss the Abyss, Don’t Say You Love Me, and more… I’ve even subbed bits of it myself here and here, plus trailers here and here. 😆

I have danmei/bl and baihe/gl manhua in my donghua and manhua recs list that I linked above, but I have even more in this additional list made just for danmei/baihe (because some bl tropes make normies uncomfortable lol):

I’d also recommend audio dramas since they feel like enjoying a whole show, although of course they’re harder to navigate if you don’t use Chinese. It’s not impossible though! Google for example can translate the MaoEr FM website pretty well, and MaoEr FM currently accepts both Apple and Google Pay, and some fans will subtitle certain audio dramas.

One of my favourites is 《秉性下等》, which adapts the novel popularly known as Inferior by Nature (it goes officially by The Selfish Gene, which is a bit confusing since the author has another novel fans know by The Selfish Gene lol):

(The second YouTube channel above, BL Galaxy, is actually a great way to discover audio dramas as they upload all the audio drama songs and even vomic ones too. 🫶)

The last option is cdramas, and sure they’re not animated and they’re even more censored, but they’re still bl and you can feel the love on-screen, so if you need even more things to enjoy, I’ll link my list anyway:

And with all those suggestions, I hope that helps tide you over!! ✌️

I miss all the bl donghuas.... Give me something to watch :'(

[best-underrated-anime]

Group F Round 4 Winners

Standings:

A Place Further than the Universe is staying strong at first place, while Welcome to Demon School and Sleepy Princess now tie for second

There are still 3 rounds left, so fans of the shows in the lower ranks need not fret. You can still catch up!

[best-underrated-anime]

Best Underrated Anime Group F Round 3: #F4 vs #F7

#F4: Young boxer in futuristic Japan fights in tournament

#F7: Transmigrator heals a reincarnation revenge story

Details and poll under the cut!

#F4: Megalo Box

Summary:

Follows the story of a young man that only goes by his ring name “Junk Dog”, set in the late 21st century. People live in a large metropolis, those without citizenship forced in slums called the Restricted Area. Junk Dog fights in fixed matches in the Restricted Area in a sport called Megalo Box, which is boxing augmented by metal exoskeletons.

One day, Junk Dog almost crashes into the CEO of the Shirato Company on his motorcycle, and he tries to pick a fight with her guard, Yuri. Yuri ends up fighting Junk Dog in a match, beating him and challenging him to fight him in a tournament called Megalonia. Forging an ID and taking the name Joe with help from his coach, the young fighter only has 3 months to win enough matches to rank high enough to get into the tournament and face Yuri. Not just for his pride, but also because of threats from the mafia, who wants money from Joe and his coach that they don’t have.

Propaganda:

Megalo Box is a series that got some recognition during the Crunchyroll Awards. It even aired on Adult swim’s late night anime block, even gaining a second season. But it seems like after the initial season, all interest of the show evaporated. It’s rarely talked about in fandom spaces or in anime video essays.

Which is a shame! It's a solid watch. The music is stellar. The characters are enjoyable, even if the plot of the main character Joe being a massive underdog that claws his way through a boxing tournament is a little predictable. But to be fair, this show was created to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the boxing manga Ashita no Joe.

Still, the anime keeps things fresh. It has added political commentary about class and race dynamics. Joe is brown-skinned, looks mixed, and is an undocumented citizen in the city he lives in. He has to fight in illegal fixed Megalo Box matches in the slums in order to make ends meet. Even that provides little protection, as he and his coach Ganbu get threatened by the mob for more money that they can’t produce. It also touches upon how children are abandoned and abused by the system with Sachio.

Joe is the ultimate underdog story. He ends up going by “Gearless Joe” because he fights his matches without wearing any Gear—aka the metal exoskeletons use in Megalo Box. He’s essentially boxing old-school style against others an unfair advantage with tools that augment their punches and movements. Joe did this in the first place because he was too poor to buy a new Gear, his old one falling apart, so he felt he was better off training and using his natural body in matches.

The second season also explores Joe's struggles with depression and drug addiction as he trains another Megalo Boxer, which is interesting and adds another layer to him.

Plus, the show also has racial diversity in the side characters. The English dub cast voice actors of the same ethnicities for Pepe, Chief, and Maria. Also, Kaiji Tang voices Joe, the lead.

Trigger Warnings: Child Abuse, Graphic Depictions of Cruelty/Violence/Gore.

The anime is about boxing, so characters get beaten up quite a bit (even in fantastical ways). However, there’s also some other violence threats (like Joe’s coach Nanbu getting his eye cut and threatened to earn money by the mafia). Also, a kid named Sachio joins the group to help Joe and gets beaten by thugs and threatened a few times through the series.

#F7: There’s a Pit in my Senior Martial Brother’s Brain (Wo Jia Dashixiong Naozi You Keng)

Official English title: What’s Wrong With My Big Brother Alt Title: My Dashixiong Has a Pit in His Brain

Summary:

Dongfang Xianyun transmigrates as the eldest disciple of the Care-free sect. But the only thing that goes through his mind is to make sure he doesn’t end up dying by the hands of the “main character.” He believes he’s just a side character. He just wants to relax and survive all the mayhem surrounding him while dealing with one of his jealous sect teammates, who grew corrupted in the past life.

Propaganda:

This series is kind of insane but also just a lot of fun! The thing is, the shidi (junior martial sect brother), Yin Feixing, felt betrayed by his dashixiong (eldest senior sect brother), Dongfang Xianyun, after he was seemingly rejected for ending up studying the demonic arts. After he dies, he decides to take revenge in the next life, and this is where our story starts off…

The only problem is his dashixiong has been replaced by a transmigrator. And our new Dongfang Xianyun is not as cold or uptight as the past dashixiong (but as the story unravels, was he even that bad?); rather, this version is silly and goofy and fun. And because he believes wholeheartedly that Yin Feixing is the protagonist, he doesn’t act the way a dashixiong is expected to—but it’s in this silliness that one can find sincerity…

So as Yin Feixing exacts his revenge, turning Dongfang Xianyun into a demonic arts practitioner, Dongfang Xianyun’s new soul means he won’t follow the same path as Yin Feixing. Rather than fall to ruins like Yin Feixing, his empathy and creativity means he challenges this entire world by making his fellow demonic practitioners into law-abiding heroes, even as people hate him for the demonic arts. So as multiple plots unfurl, we get a pretty emotional, thematically interesting story, even amidst all the (very funny) crazy comedy, and a clever parody of xianxia* and other transmigration stories. 😆

(*Xianxia (仙侠 xiānxiá) – literally means “Immortal Heroes”. Fictional stories featuring magic, demons, ghosts, immortals, and a great deal of Chinese folklore/mythology. Protagonists (usually) attempt to cultivate to Immortality, seeking eternal life and the pinnacle of strength. Heavily inspired by Daoism. Source)

Oh, and Gong Changsheng is best puppy! He’s such a good sunflower boy with the biggest crush on Dongfang Xianyun, and I love them so much. I think lots of others will love them too if they gave this series a chance. 🥺

The slightly evolving names for each season are fun too:

S1: 我家大师兄脑子有坑 (My Dashixiong Has a Pit in His Brain (aka “he’s really dumb/ridiculous”))

S2: 我家大师兄是个反派 (My Dashixiong Is a Villain)

S3: 我家大师兄有点靠谱 (My Dashixiong Is a Bit Reliable)

(Plus, besides the original manhua, there’s a fun chibi OVA where the cast are like actors!)

Trigger Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Cruelty/Violence/Gore. The donghua isn’t as intense as the manhua, but there is one character who flirts in a somewhat creepy manner.

When reblogging and adding your own propaganda, please tag me @best-underrated-anime so that I’ll be sure to see it.

If you want to criticize one of the shows above to give the one you’re rooting for an advantage, then do so constructively. I do not tolerate groundless hate or slander on this blog. If I catch you doing such a thing in the notes, be it in the tags or reblogs, I will block you.

Know one of the shows above and not satisfied with how it’s presented in this tournament? Just fill up this form, where you can submit revisions for taglines, propaganda, trigger warnings, and/or video.

[kukuandkookie]

I have a host of manhua (and donghua) recommendations in this list!:

Anything that is boys’ love is also clearly labelled. ^^

My personal favourites include White Cat Legend, Fei Ren Zai, All Saints Street, The Silver Wolf, Saved the Public Enemy by Mistake, Wo Jia Dashixiong Naozi You Keng, Blades of the Guardians, Brainless Witch, Lanxi Zhen, Once More, Protect My Star, Beryl and Sapphire, Chang Ge Xing, Bu Tian Ge, Fox Spirit Matchmaker, Hidden Love, All My Classmates Are So Weird, No Doubt in Us, and many others—because technically, almost every single manhua I’ve included on that list is one I’m happy to endorse.

If you need more details or descriptions or even images of any of these manhua, you can find them in that list linked above!

I’ll also add a couple additional notes:

Some of these have English translations, but a few may not… In that case, it might even be easier to find Japanese translations of some of them instead…?

Quite a number of these manhua also have donghua (animated) adaptations, if that’s your thing!

Since Chinese boys’ love can get pretty censored, some are much more plot-heavy than other boys’ love stories, and the boys’ love may not be a prominent focus, so you can still enjoy all the self-sacrificing etc without too much romance. Like Poyun and Little Mushroom are both boys’ love stories, but it’s so plot-heavy and angsty with the romance actually being pretty subtle, that you might enjoy it! Some are in fact so subtle it’s not even really obvious, like in Guwei Nanting, where the biggest focus is on the plot!

Any manhwa/novel recommendations?

I'm looking for some manhwa/manga/manhua or novel recommendations. I love self-sacrificing MC stories, but more importantly I prefer story with strong friendships/familyship, not solo-raid MC.

Bromace is welcomed but not BL story please. English preferred, but Japanese also okay.

Please let me know if you have any recommendation! Thank you!

[best-underrated-anime]

Was nobody gonna tell me that the Dashixiong show is actually based on a BL novel, or was I just supposed to find out while browsing NovelUpdates in search of yet another danmei to read...

Like, it was not mentioned anywhere in the propaganda at all...

[best-underrated-anime]

I see the voting has been fierce in the Talentless Nana vs Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun poll, so I just wanna inform the voters of that poll, since many of you are new to this blog, that this tournament is a round robin, with a group stage and a final stage. Whoever wins in the Nana vs Iruma poll won’t necessarily make it to the finals. One has to be in the top 2 of Group F in order to proceed to the finals.

Currently, A Place Further than the Universe is ranked first, while 3 different shows tie for second:

Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle

Talentless Nana

Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun

Notably, Talentless Nana was beaten by Sleepy Princess in Round 3 of the group stage, while Demon School was able to beat Sleepy Princess back in round 2:

(refer to matches 5 and 12)

This means that, for the Nana voters, winning against Iruma in round 4 is crucial. In the case there is a tie between Nana and Sleepy Princess by the end of the group stage, Sleepy Princess’s win against Nana in a previous round will be a deciding factor on who proceeds to the finals.

Whereas for Iruma voters, winning round 4 would help cement its position in second place for Group F.

Of course, these scenarios are only given if these 3 continue to be the sole contenders for second place and the first place remains the same. Who knows, A Place Further than the Universe might lose its winning streak this round and give the underdog Megalo Box a good chance to make it to the finals. Or, Sleepy Princess could lose to Senior Brother, which has lost every round before, giving the former a dark stain on its record and completely knocking it off the battle for second.

There are a total of 7 rounds in the group stage, and we are only on round 4. There are still lots of chances for the underdogs to catch up.

So, what I’m trying to say is that, don’t just focus on the polls involving the shows you like. Vote in every poll because how the others win or lose would heavily impact your fave’s chances of making it to the finals

[best-underrated-anime]

Best Underrated Anime Group F Round 4: There’s a Pit in my Senior Martial Brother’s Brain vs Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle

#F7: There’s a Pit in my Senior Martial Brother’s Brain (Wo Jia Dashixiong Naozi You Keng)

Transmigrator heals a reincarnation revenge story

#F5: Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle (Maoujou de Oyasumi)

Tiny princess torments an entire castle of demons for sleep

Details and poll under the cut!

#F7: There’s a Pit in my Senior Martial Brother’s Brain (Wo Jia Dashixiong Naozi You Keng)

Official English title: What’s Wrong With My Big Brother Alt Title: My Dashixiong Has a Pit in His Brain

Summary:

Dongfang Xianyun transmigrates as the eldest disciple of the Care-free sect. But the only thing that goes through his mind is to make sure he doesn’t end up dying by the hands of the “main character.” He believes he’s just a side character. He just wants to relax and survive all the mayhem surrounding him while dealing with one of his jealous sect teammates, who grew corrupted in the past life.

Propaganda:

This series is kind of insane but also just a lot of fun! The thing is, the shidi (junior martial sect brother), Yin Feixing, felt betrayed by his dashixiong (eldest senior sect brother), Dongfang Xianyun, after he was seemingly rejected for ending up studying the demonic arts. After he dies, he decides to take revenge in the next life, and this is where our story starts off…

The only problem is his dashixiong has been replaced by a transmigrator. And our new Dongfang Xianyun is not as cold or uptight as the past dashixiong (but as the story unravels, was he even that bad?); rather, this version is silly and goofy and fun. And because he believes wholeheartedly that Yin Feixing is the protagonist, he doesn’t act the way a dashixiong is expected to—but it’s in this silliness that one can find sincerity…

So as Yin Feixing exacts his revenge, turning Dongfang Xianyun into a demonic arts practitioner, Dongfang Xianyun’s new soul means he won’t follow the same path as Yin Feixing. Rather than fall to ruins like Yin Feixing, his empathy and creativity means he challenges this entire world by making his fellow demonic practitioners into law-abiding heroes, even as people hate him for the demonic arts. So as multiple plots unfurl, we get a pretty emotional, thematically interesting story, even amidst all the (very funny) crazy comedy, and a clever parody of xianxia* and other transmigration stories. 😆

(*Xianxia (仙侠 xiānxiá) – literally means “Immortal Heroes”. Fictional stories featuring magic, demons, ghosts, immortals, and a great deal of Chinese folklore/mythology. Protagonists (usually) attempt to cultivate to Immortality, seeking eternal life and the pinnacle of strength. Heavily inspired by Daoism. Source)

Oh, and Gong Changsheng is best puppy! He’s such a good sunflower boy with the biggest crush on Dongfang Xianyun, and I love them so much. I think lots of others will love them too if they gave this series a chance. 🥺

The slightly evolving names for each season are fun too:

S1: 我家大师兄脑子有坑 (My Dashixiong Has a Pit in His Brain (aka “he’s really dumb/ridiculous”))

S2: 我家大师兄是个反派 (My Dashixiong Is a Villain)

S3: 我家大师兄有点靠谱 (My Dashixiong Is a Bit Reliable)

(Plus, besides the original manhua, there’s a fun chibi OVA where the cast are like actors!)

Trigger Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Cruelty/Violence/Gore. The donghua isn’t as intense as the manhua, but there is one character who flirts in a somewhat creepy manner.

#F5: Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle (Maoujou de Oyasumi)

Summary:

The Demon Lord Tasogare’s castle is a dark and frightening place, filled to the brim with various monsters. Any soul unfortunate enough to be imprisoned here is sure to be terrified by the horrors within. However, the human princess Aurora Suya Rhys “Syalis” Kaymin is a different case. Rather indifferent to her situation, Syalis worries about one thing and one thing only—sleep. Ever since the demon lord kidnapped her from her kingdom, she has not had a single good night’s rest.

To alleviate her dozen dozing issues, the princess makes do with what she can find in the castle. Whether it be the fur of fluffy demonic teddy bears or the silky, blanket-like bodies of ghost shrouds, everything is but a means to ensure a peaceful slumber. With so many potential materials to craft items that can help her sleep at her disposal, nothing will stop the sleepy princess—not even death.

Propaganda 1:

This show is probably the single most charming parody of a fantasy RPG setting I’ve ever seen. It takes an extremely generic premise and flips it on its head with a simple shift in protagonist. The characters are all fun in their own right, but Princess Suya steals the show through extreme slapstick violence against her captors and a nonchalant attitude towards literally everything that isn’t immediately related to sleep. While it’s easy for a plot like this to quickly become comedically stale, the show is careful to avoid exhausting its premise by introducing new characters that serve as unique obstacles to Suya’s goals as well as by ramping up the audacity of her actions. Additionally, we get occasional glimpses at the hero’s party as they quest to ‘rescue’ the princess, scenes that serve both as story progression as well as a nice change of pace from the princesses antics. While the premise may not be for everyone, this show executes on its concept flawlessly for anyone who finds the premise amusing.

Propaganda 2:

The art style is cute and the character designs are quite pleasant and even the side characters are entertaining. the main character is tiny princess with purple hair and pronouns who’s actually glad to have been kidnapped by the demon king because she gets sleep but oh no, the bedsheets suck and the pillow feels cheap. She goes to find material for new bedding and pillow and ends up tormenting several demons.

Trigger Warnings: None.

When reblogging and adding your own propaganda, please tag me @best-underrated-anime so that I’ll be sure to see it.

If you want to criticize one of the shows above to give the one you’re rooting for an advantage, then do so constructively. I do not tolerate groundless hate or slander on this blog. If I catch you doing such a thing in the notes, be it in the tags or reblogs, I will block you.

Know one of the shows above and not satisfied with how it’s presented in this tournament? Just fill up this form with your revisions, and I’ll consider adapting those changes.

New: Starting round 5, screenshots will be included in the poll post. You can submit screenshots through the form linked above, or through here, via ask or dm.

Guidelines in submitting screenshots:

No NSFW or spoilery images.

Pick some good images please. Don’t send any blurry or pixelated ones.

You may send up to 9 screenshots, but not all may be used.

[kukuandkookie]

Oh hey welcome to the world of donghua! I can definitely be of help here. 🥰

I have a whole list of recommendations here, which has also sort of become a donghua-tracking list (of things I personally find interesting), so there’s summaries, links on where to watch, and images!:

Obviously a good place to start is with movies, and in there, Dahufa is one of my favourites—and the director behind it also recently released The Storm. Similarly, 30,000 Miles from Chang’an was another very recent release that saw some hype even on the western internet, and the studio behind Chang’an has the New Gods and White Snake film series as well. Then of course we can��t forget about Nezha (Nezha zhi motong jiangshi, 2019) and Jiang Ziya…

Deep Sea and I Am What I Am are also Chinese animated films that made a bit of a splash but still get often overlooked.

CW for blood and gore for Dahufa though!

And I have to say if you like Legend of Luo Xiaohei and All Saints Street, you may be interested in the sister series of the latter, Fei Ren Zai and You Shou Yan! They’re very similar premises, except the former features Chinese gods in the modern day, while the latter features Chinese mythical creatures. You can tell they are sister series since they all have OPs sung by the Chinese Vocaloid (known as a VSinger), Luo Tianyi. ^^

Another popular, well-beloved yet still decently underrated-in-the-grand-scheme-of-things series is Scissor Seven, which is actually on Netflix.

But if you want to get more underground, I’d recommend White Cat Legend; God Troubles Me; You Yao; Wo Jia Dashixiong Naozi You Keng; Bai Yao Pu; A Will Eternal; Shaonian Ge Xing; The Young Brewmaster’s Adventure; Tales of Dark River; Blades of the Guardians; No Doubt in Us; Psychic Princess; Cinderella Chef; The Demon Hunter; Throne of Seal; The Land of Miracles; The Island of Siliang; Ling Cage; Fog Hill of Five Elements; any number of danmei donghua (Thousand Autumns, Those Years I Owned a Zoo, Jie Yao…); and so on!

Now if you want to get really underground, here’s some series I enjoyed that not many people seem to know of in the west!:

Salted Fish: super playful and comedic with a bit of heart to it. The newest season just came out on Bilbili! Also just as a piece of trivia: in modern Chinese slang, “salted fish” means someone who is lazing around, because 咸 (xián, salt) is a homonym of 闲 (xián, laze/leisure). And the main character of this series…is definitely rather lazy/leisurely. 😆

Cat’s Tea and its AU spin-off, Dog’s Tea: a very cute chibi series that features transmigration and animal/tea-based tribes!

Rescue Eternal Desert: I admittedly didn’t get to finish this one but I really dig its style; it’s got that dystopian, desert set-up where the main characters are doing their best to survive!

Aiyou de Mishi: a horror-esque donghua about an escape room… Available on Crunchyroll!

Watt’s Up, Girl: a cute, fluffy series about a guy whose refrigerator becomes a human girl (yes, really lol).

Ringing Fate: from the director of Link Click and Tian Guan Ci Fu, we have a more scifi-esque story about an underdog in a fighting arena!

And okay I hit the 10-video limit on Tumblr mobile—which I might edit later when I’m on desktop since desktop lets you put in way more content, but for now I’ll still leave a few other recs with links below:

Losing Money to Become a Tycoon: a man gets a mysterious System that leads to him trying to lose money to earn money, all thanks to a technical issue. This one’s currently “airing” on Bilibili and has received a pretty warm welcome!

God of Deception: an older donghua and not exactly a perfect one by any means, but I still find it charming. In this world, there are judges for those who do bad, and the protagonist is one such person (specifically for lying), which opens up a whole new world to him.

Face on Lie: a story about looks and obsession; a woman seeks plastic surgery after her boyfriend cheats on her, but her doctor turns her into the spitting image of his comatose wife.

The Dining Room of Link Lee: a feel-good story that addresses deeper issues all through the bonding power of food!

War God System! I’m Counting on You: a transmigration xianxia donghua in the most classical sense!

Legendary Twins: another adaptation of a very classic novel, where twins are separated at birth due to a tragedy. One is raised by a proper xianxia cultivation sect while the other is raised by “evil” yao. This is about what happens when these two long-lost brothers cross paths.

Fox Spirit Matchmaker: honestly a much harder one to recommend despite it being quite popular and also decently “old” at this point, but that’s also why I’m putting it here. This is based on a manhua of the same name and features a heavy, continuous plot about reincarnation and love. Essentially, the Tushan foxes and their magical tree are the go-to place for soul mates to pledge their feelings for one another, allowing you both to meet again in your next lives. What this means, for this series at least, is that yao and humans who often fall into more unexpected, forbidden, and/or even tragic romances with one another go to this tree to make this pledge. As such, the Tushan foxes have to help the lovers’ reincarnations remember one another, and this often means we start in the modern day and get flashbacks to explain any of the lovers’ heartfelt pasts. In this way, Fox Spirit Matchmaker is sort of like Bai Yao Pu, which I mentioned before…as both really tug on your heartstrings (although Fox Spirit Matchmaker is much more comedic). And speaking of heartstrings, the main characters are also a case of this kind of reincarnation and tragedy romance, despite being agents of Tushan that help other couples get back together. This series used to update pretty regularly and since it started early on in the donghua scene, the first few seasons have some rough animation, but there’s still some good stories in there, and the animation improves a lot after like season 3 or 4. There’s 9+ seasons now, although I think production has slowed down a lot recently due to some issues with the studio.

And if you want to go for really really truly underground, any of the shorts/indie series I listed would obviously count, such as False Memory or Alita’s Trial or Daddy Loong or Lostreak Chicken!

And just as a bonus: if you’re into media that leans toward a younger demographic, I’d recommend Great Warrior Wall; Xi Yang Yang Yu Hui Tai Lang (but only really the seasons after the Mighty Little Defenders season); Jing-Ju Cats; Ori-Princess; and so on~ In fact, I have some childhood favourites in there I’d love to recommend, even though obviously it’s less sensible to do so due to the time since they released but also the lack of English subtitles.

Finally, there’s also upcoming donghua that I would say to look forward to, even though they’re not out yet. You’ll probably see a bunch of them in the list I provided that you may find interesting, but since China is much more lenient about production timelines than Japan, there’s never a clear set date for how long a donghua will take, so if there’s any series that catches your eye (such as Guwei Nanting; Liu Yao; Shuofeng: Po Zhenzi; Yashe; To Be Hero X; Jing Wei Qi Shang; Zi Jin Yu Miao Fang; etc), you’ll have to wait patiently. 🥲

can someone give me donghua recommendations plsplsplspkspksplsplspsl i need to watch more donghua. im not picky as long as its good my fav donghua so far are link click and beryl & sapphire which are just… the basic ones lol. i also like legend of xiao hei and all saints street. uhhh i DONT like kings avatar i think the writing is boring af sorry (watched like.. 8eps). i know i could just browse thru bilibili til i find something interesting but bilibili has TOO MUCH STUFF!!!! id much rather get smth recommended. pretty please😢

also what i failed to mention is mxtx works. i do like them & their adaptations but im not looking to (re)watch them. id rather watch something much more underground as long as its good. or hell doesnt even have to be underground just something good but not from the echochamber of the same 3 series that get mentioned (dont get me wrong i fucking love link click as much as i could rewatch it again and again but i think we all know thats literally the most popular donghua outside of like, tgcf or mdzs)

[best-underrated-anime]

Best Underrated Anime Group F Round 2: #F7 vs #F3

#F7: Transmigrator heals a reincarnation revenge story

#F3: Daily lives of tiny forest women

Details and poll under the cut!

#F7: There’s a Pit in my Senior Martial Brother’s Brain (Wo Jia Dashixiong Naozi You Keng)

Official English title: What’s Wrong With My Big Brother

Alt Title: My Dashixiong Has a Pit in His Brain

Summary:

Dongfang Xianyun transmigrates as the eldest disciple of the Care-free sect. But the only thing that goes through his mind is to make sure he doesn’t end up dying by the hands of the “main character.” He believes he’s just a side character. He just wants to relax and survive all the mayhem surrounding him while dealing with one of his jealous sect teammates, who grew corrupted in the past life.

*Transmigration = similar to isekai, but the world where the characters get isekai’d to is not always a western fantasy type. And a transmigrator is one who transmigrates.

Propaganda:

This series is kind of insane but also just a lot of fun! The thing is, the shidi (junior martial sect brother), Yin Feixing, felt betrayed by his dashixiong (eldest senior sect brother), Dongfang Xianyun, after he was seemingly rejected for ending up studying the demonic arts. After he dies, he decides to take revenge in the next life, and this is where our story starts off…

The only problem is his dashixiong has been replaced by a transmigrator. And our new Dongfang Xianyun is not as cold or uptight as the past dashixiong (but as the story unravels, was he even that bad?); rather, this version is silly and goofy and fun. And because he believes wholeheartedly that Yin Feixing is the protagonist, he doesn’t act the way a dashixiong is expected to—but it’s in this silliness that one can find sincerity…

So as Yin Feixing exacts his revenge, turning Dongfang Xianyun into a demonic arts practitioner, Dongfang Xianyun’s new soul means he won’t follow the same path as Yin Feixing. Rather than fall to ruins like Yin Feixing, his empathy and creativity means he challenges this entire world by making his fellow demonic practitioners into law-abiding heroes, even as people hate him for the demonic arts. So as multiple plots unfurl, we get a pretty emotional, thematically interesting story, even amidst all the (very funny) crazy comedy, and a clever parody of xianxia* and other transmigration stories. 😆

(*Xianxia (仙侠 xiānxiá) – literally means “Immortal Heroes”. Fictional stories featuring magic, demons, ghosts, immortals, and a great deal of Chinese folklore/mythology. Protagonists (usually) attempt to cultivate to Immortality, seeking eternal life and the pinnacle of strength. Heavily inspired by Daoism. Source)

Oh, and Gong Changsheng is best puppy! He’s such a good sunflower boy with the biggest crush on Dongfang Xianyun, and I love them so much. I think lots of others will love them too if they gave this series a chance. 🥺

The slightly evolving names for each season are fun too:

S1: 我家大师兄脑子有坑 (My Dashixiong Has a Pit in His Brain (aka “he’s really dumb/ridiculous”))

S2: 我家大师��是个反派 (My Dashixiong Is a Villain)

S3: 我家大师兄有点靠谱 (My Dashixiong Is a Bit Reliable)

(Plus, besides the original manhua, there’s a fun chibi OVA where the cast are like actors!)

Trigger Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Cruelty/Violence/Gore. The donghua isn’t as intense as the manhua, but there is one character who flirts in a somewhat creepy manner.

#F3: Hakumei and Mikochi (Hakumei to Mikochi)

Summary:

In a world inhabited by people only a few inches tall, young women Hakumei and Mikochi live together in a house built into a tree. Hakumei is an energetic and tomboyish carpenter, while Mikochi is a feminine and calm tailor. Despite their differences, they get along well and spend their days having fun living their lives in the woods. The two of them spend their time working, going on sightseeing adventures, and taking shopping trips into Tsumiki Marketplace by the ocean. They make many friends along the way, be they sentient woodland creatures like Iwashi the Weasel or fellow miniature people such as the songstress Konju and the inventor Sen. Hakumei to Mikochi is a relaxing look into the day-to-day lives of its titular characters as they explore and interact with their tiny world which seems to be straight out of a fairy tale.

Propaganda:

It really is super adorable, and the art is gorgeous. Every bit of the world is rendered lovingly with a great level of detail, from the characters to the environments. The anime has this really cool effect where they use paneling to emulate the manga’s style while also making the characters visually smaller on-screen, which works because they’re tiny.

For a slice-of-life show, there’s a good amount of continuity. They introduce the swamp necromancer Sen in one episode, and she keeps showing up later on, helping rebuild their house when it explodes, then Mikochi repays her for that by designing and making a dress for her. The show gets really into the intricacies of everything, like how dying fabric is a multistep process that is similar to chemistry, or how soap is made with aromatics.

Every character is well-realized, with their own set of quirks, profession, the tricks and tools they use in that profession, and they make pretty consistent re-appearances. And the writing is very dry and witty despite the whimsical setting. It’s cute, but it feels very adult, all the characters are adults with jobs who get drunk sometimes. Everyone is very professional and responsible, and it’s a nice change of pace from teen shounen.

Trigger Warnings: None.

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[best-underrated-anime]

Best Underrated Anime Group F Round 1: #F2 vs #F7

#F2: 90s maid girls with guns

It’s the year 1999 in Akihabara, Tokyo, Japan. 17-year-old girl Nagomi excitedly moves there to work in a pig-themed maid café. Once she starts working, though… she realizes that the world of Akiba maid café is darker and more violent than she thought...

#F7: Transmigrator heals a reincarnation revenge story.

Dongfang Xianyun transmigrates as the eldest disciple of the Care-free sect. But the only thing that goes through his mind is to make sure he doesn’t end up dying by the hands of the “main character.” He believes he’s just a side character. He just wants to relax and survive all the mayhem surrounding him while dealing with one of his jealous sect teammates, who grew corrupted in the past life.

*Transmigration = similar to isekai, but the world where the characters get isekai’d to is not always a western fantasy type. And a transmigrator is one who transmigrates.

Titles, propagandas, trailers, and poll under the cut!

#F2: Akiba Maid War (Akiba Meido Sensou)

Propaganda:

It was animated by P.A. Works! As far as I know, they also worked on Buddy Daddies, Angel Beats, Ya Boy Kongming, etc. Cygames also contributed to this anime!! The story is creative as well. Who would’ve thought of a cute maid mafia anime? Keep in mind, this is a P. A. Works ORIGINAL. They went SO crazy on this anime. There’s also 12 episodes, which means that you can binge it all on one day and still be satisfied :D The OP and ED are also catchy, creative and unskippable. Despite its dark themes, it can sometimes get a little more “lighthearted” and silly, even in the most violent scenes ;P

Trigger Warnings: Flashing Lights, Graphic Depictions of Cruelty/Violence/Gore.

Just like what I explained, it’s violent. A lot of guns. And a lot of blood. Yes, they kill fellow maids in like every episode ever lol. Also, since Akiba is known to have flashy street signs, like every city ever…. And the guns, of course…that’s why I put the Flashing Lights warning.

#F7: There’s a Pit in my Senior Martial Brother’s Brain (Wo Jia Dashixiong Naozi You Keng)

Official English title: What’s Wrong With My Big Brother

Alt Title: My Dashixiong Has a Pit in His Brain

Propaganda:

This series is kind of insane but also just a lot of fun! The thing is, the shidi (junior martial sect brother), Yin Feixing, felt betrayed by his dashixiong (eldest senior sect brother), Dongfang Xianyun, after he was seemingly rejected for ending up studying the demonic arts. After he dies, he decides to take revenge in the next life, and this is where our story starts off…

The only problem is his dashixiong has been replaced by a transmigrator. And our new Dongfang Xianyun is not as cold or uptight as the past dashixiong (but as the story unravels, was he even that bad?); rather, this version is silly and goofy and fun. And because he believes wholeheartedly that Yin Feixing is the protagonist, he doesn’t act the way a dashixiong is expected to—but it’s in this silliness that one can find sincerity…

So as Yin Feixing exacts his revenge, turning Dongfang Xianyun into a demonic arts practitioner, Dongfang Xianyun’s new soul means he won’t follow the same path as Yin Feixing. Rather than fall to ruins like Yin Feixing, his empathy and creativity means he challenges this entire world by making his fellow demonic practitioners into law-abiding heroes, even as people hate him for the demonic arts. So as multiple plots unfurl, we get a pretty emotional, thematically interesting story, even amidst all the (very funny) crazy comedy, and a clever parody of xianxia* and other transmigration stories. 😆

(*Xianxia (仙侠 xiānxiá) – literally means “Immortal Heroes”. Fictional stories featuring magic, demons, ghosts, immortals, and a great deal of Chinese folklore/mythology. Protagonists (usually) attempt to cultivate to Immortality, seeking eternal life and the pinnacle of strength. Heavily inspired by Daoism. Source)

Oh, and Gong Changsheng is best puppy! He’s such a good sunflower boy with the biggest crush on Dongfang Xianyun, and I love them so much. I think lots of others will love them too if they gave this series a chance. 🥺

The slightly evolving names for each season are fun too:

S1: 我家大师兄脑子有坑 (My Dashixiong Has a Pit in His Brain (aka “he’s really dumb/ridiculous”))

S2: 我家大师兄是个反派 (My Dashixiong Is a Villain)

S3: 我家大师兄有点靠谱 (My Dashixiong Is a Bit Reliable)

(Plus, besides the original manhua, there’s a fun chibi OVA where the cast are like actors!)

Trigger Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Cruelty/Violence/Gore. The donghua isn’t as intense as the manhua, but there is one character who flirts in a somewhat creepy manner.

If you’re reblogging and adding your own propaganda, please tag me @best-underrated-anime so that I’ll be sure to see it.