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What started as a Chinese text was ported to the Korean manwha format and finally graced our screens in English, so why miss out?! Exactly, what started off as a peculiar reincarnation story, slowly transformed into a battle heavy sojourn that felt like one extended stream of leveling up and unraveling abilities.

In my personal opinion, it was quite enjoyable. A concoction of romance and action with hints of comedy, a deep rapport is quickly built between character dynamics as well as the readers. Initially, I was startled and, to be perfectly honest, intimidated by the amount of depth of the spirit chart that labelled the ... levels of the practitioners, however it quickly became clear that the reader is reacquainted with each person’s levels almost every chapter. To date there are no obvious omissions of time that present the story to be fractured, allowing for greater enjoyment and immersion.

The art is truly breathtaking and the innovation on an already saturated genre of manwha/manga brings with it a sense of exhilaration as the story relies on expedience and tension to launch the reader into a page-turning piece of fiction.

For an amazing story with great characters and even better art, look no further than...Douluo Dalu.

To start off, this is a review (my 1st) based entirely on the anime, as I have not read the manga. Throughout the course of anime history, there have been many anime's that have peeked my interest and then others who have disappointed me entirely. I am thankful to say that this particular anime is the former.

The narrative was seamlessly constructed so that I never got bored, in the beginning it took a more comedic approach to the shounen genre, focusing mainly on observation comedy and gags. However, once the first arc had properly started, I was enthralled in the world of the supernatural mafia. ... Unlike recent mafioso series such as Arcana Famiglia, the main character is weak and the story follows his progress to become stronger, this not only builds up tension and anticipation, it also offers great fight scenes between himself and the enemy. Furthermore, this anime is made all the better by the protagonists entourage who supply the story with whimsical entertainment and refreshing but still captivating morsels of slice-of-life/comedy gold. I also noticed that as each arc was aired the plot just seemed to improve triumphantly.

The art style of this show is very good, for a show that aired in the year of 2006. It is very vibrant and brings a refreshing look to all episode. However, there were some still scans thrown in every so often, but most of the animation was fluid and the art was quintessential to the show's shounen ambiance. Th character design was memorable for each character as they all, had their own individual style and didn't fall into the generic look that some anime's suffer from.

The sound or 'audio aesthetics' complimented each scene perfectly, although some were played repeatedly and then some were forgettable. On the contrary, the openings of each of the arc seemed to fit retrospectively with its place in the story, adding a further layer to the series greatly received plot.

The character designs and development were integrated perfectly into the program, each individual becomes a likable person for different reasons. As soon as I started watching this anime, I immediately thought that it was to insane, for example a chibi carrying a gecko that could transform into a gun. It reminded me of Soul Eater, on the basis that each character had a different yet equally intriguing story that had me captivated from beginning to end.

The enjoyment factor, was beyond comprehension. It brought twists and turns; character development; action packed fights; unique powers and budding romance (but only a tiny bit). It kept me captivated so much that my dreams were effected.

Overall, I would rank this in my Top 10 (with no particular order). It is an essential for a shounen lover or an 'animaniac' in general. Thank-you for reading and I hope you found this helpful.