Dai Zhan Tian Shi

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I jumped into this with very low expectations, but it turned out to be a big surprise. It seems to have been influenced by Japanese works of that time and it delivers a basic, yet interesting fantasy story.

My experience with manga of that era (around ‘80s-‘90s) has been mostly with narratives about space and various adventures of that sort with some direct storytelling, accompanied by stereotypical of that time art. Dai Zhan Tian Shi follows that direction to a T having an Earth with humans, which is protected by an angel, while there is also another race with supernatural powers that looks like humanity.

The tale ... is divided into two timelines, the one in current time and the one in the past, yet the past works more as a flashback to fill in the blanks and it honestly works pretty well! For its length, the development is always going forward introducing key players left and right at the right timing with enough exaggerated flair and straightforward story telling; there is the initial mystery, but everything seems pretty forward. That being said, the pacing is steady for the most part and apart from some twists or turn of events that are a bit too much/fast (such as the romance between the main cast), it can keep your interest going until the end. Thankfully, it does not drag on and as for the ending, I guess it fits with the trend of that era.

Character-wise, there is not much surprise in the sense that everyone has a very specific role that is expected. The storytelling plays a big role here, since everyone is really straightforward, yet there also is that dramatic knack in everyone’s actions, so it is kind of like a soap-opera. They are not really realistic characters because of that, but the story is not about realism either way. On the other hand, they can be relatable, at least the likable cast and so you can get invested in them a bit.

The art also was very detailed and unexpected! There were various pages that were more fantastically drawn and the detail can be amazing from hair to clothes to objects, although in simple panels, sometimes the drawing can be basic. Yet again though, I felt Japan's influence since it really resembled some other works of that time, for example that trope of having blank eyes when someone is shocked/angry.

For my low expectations, I am truly happy I stumbled upon this manhua and I want to give a special mention to the Dragonbird, which was pure comedy relief in the work and it hit the mark most of the time.