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Oct 9, 2023
“The one standing in infinite glory is you; the one fallen from grace is also you. What matters is ‘you’ and not the state of you.”
TGCF was a journey, a beautiful one, to be very honest. I can very honestly say that this is one of the most beautiful stories I have read. I love the protagonists, and I love the supporting cast, especially Shi Quingxuan. TGCF is a beautiful blend of romance, mythological fiction, and fantasy, with very good character dynamics. A banished God and an overpowered Ghost king, who should ideally be enemies, but they are absolutely devoted to each other.
I will break
...
down my ranking based on various parameters.
World-building - 8/10
I loved the world-building! It was a little difficult to grasp at the beginning of the manhua and the donghua but the novel delivered it well. The history and story gradually unfold into layers.
Characters - 6/10
I must say, although I love the character dynamics, I wish the characters were a bit more fleshed out. The only focus was on XL. We understand everything that happened, and why XL is the way he is. It was beautifully narrated, but I wonder why the same treatment wasn't given to our other protag, HC. Don't misunderstand, I absolutely love HC, he is the perfect partner, the greenest of green flags (even tho he is adorned in red clothes). But, he never changes, from the first chapter to the last, we see the same HC, ever-confident, cocky, but I wish we saw him being vulnerable too. For example,
SPOILER HERE - HC is hesitant that XL would think his original form is beastly and ugly. We see XL being happy that HC is as handsome as ever and hardly looks much different than his 1st skin. But that fear is never acknowledged and completely forgotten. They totally forgot that it happened, and never addressed it. We see HC being a pillar of strength to XL and accepting all his flaws and insecurities. I wish HC got the chance to depend on XL the same way.
SPOILER OVER
We also see some minor developments for Feng Xin, Mu Quing, and a few others, but not very fleshed out. The conclusion of each character I'm happy with, however. Even our biggest antagonist, White-no-Face, I am still not convinced by his reasoning. It felt very random and forced.
Character Dynamics - 10/10
No matter how many reservations I had with the characters, I absolutely loved their interactions.
Shi Quingxuan-Yi Ming (cry cry cry) but it was just so funny whenever they appeared at the same place.
Hua Chen/San Lang - Xie Lian. What do I even say? They are perfect!
Mu Quing - Feng Xin. They were as annoying as they could have been with their constant banter. Never growing up :D. I wonder how these 2 remained the same even after being 800+ years old.
Literally every scene with Pei Ming, since book 4.
I have zero complaints about their character dynamics.
Story - 7/10
The story is simple and I am neither flabbergasted, nor am I disappointed.
I focused mainly on the relationship development of our protagonists and not the nitty-gritty of perfect storytelling. I must say it was dragged for quite a bit in a few arcs, unnecessary drama that can be completely ignored and nothing in the story would change. I hated every bit of Qi Rong, it was so dragged, absolutely unnecessary.
I'm also very upset with the final battle with White-no-Face. I already mentioned that I am not convinced by his reasons, but even the way it concluded felt very anticlimactic. I wasn't satisfied with it.
The mystery was very well done. Especially in the final arc, where XL starts doubting everything around. The murals, the rats, the mask, voices, I got chills reading these chapters.
There are a few things that I'm very upset about. There are so many small things that were completely ignored just to keep it so-called "open-ended" for no good reason. My biggest upset was the huge deal with HC's password. Why make such a big deal about it and never reveal it?
Romance - 8/10
I will reiterate what every TGCF fan has been saying for years. "Hua Cheng and Xie Lian invented Love."
Their devotion and faith in each other are unparalleled to anything. Although I do love their relationship, I do wish there were valid vulnerable, and real moments that brought them together and not just because they were good to each other and the moment called for it. The insecurities need to be addressed, and they need to be open about their feelings.
Well, I loved it, even though there were a few things I was unhappy with. But overall, I would recommend anyone who loves good love stories to read it.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Feb 18, 2023
I don't usually write reviews but I will for this one for 2 reasons
1. I am only focusing on the story and not how it was adapted (I'm not so stuck up with production houses and animation style unless it is downright awful to look at)
2. Loved a few stories, disliked a few stories
I'll follow this format: Each story synopsis with my rating
Ep1 -
The Strange Hikizuri Siblings (2/5)
A family of siblings who has lost their parents are squabbling away with each other and their encounter with a photographer who's interested in the supernatural.
Didn't really enjoy it much
...
Ep2 -
The Story of the Mysterious Tunnel (3.5/5)
A tunnel that people once enter keep returning to and end up disappearing.
I really liked the premise and the eeriness of the whole story
Ice Cream Bus (4/5)
A father-son duo in a new neighborhood comes across an ice cream bus that takes the kids on a tour every week while giving a treat of mountains of ice cream
Sounds picture perfect, but in reality, it isn't. I read the Ice Cream Bus earlier and really loved watching it on screen
Ep3 -
Hanging Balloon (5/5)
A popular idol commits suicide followed by mysterious deaths all over the town.
Absolutely loved this episode. I was on edge the entire time! One of my favorite episodes.
Ep4 -
Four x Four Walls (3.5/5)
In one of the Soichi mini-stories where the brother, fed up with Soichi's pranks, wants to study in peace
Liked this episode but looking at the room I myself felt suffocated
The Sandman's Lair (4/5)
Tormented by his dreams, Yuji asks his friend to keep him awake so that the "thing" doesn't awaken.
Amazing story and I love open-ended premises
Ep5 -
Intruder (3/5)
Oshikiri lives alone in a huge mansion and hears someone's footsteps. Meeting up with his friends they try to find the reason for it and they end up finding things better left unknown during their investigations.
Although I did enjoy it, the story felt rushed and as I haven't read the Oshikiri series, I had zero context. Therefore, Intruder as a standalone felt off.
Long Hair in the Attic (4/5)
A girl with exceptionally long and beautiful hair is dumped by a guy after being together for years. This is followed by a lot of horrifying events with respect to her hair.
Although the reason is known for the events, and how they are connected... I loved this one
Ep6 -
Mold (4.5/5)
Akasaka returns to his new apartment after renting to his former teacher for a year. But the house is a mess.
Loved this! It was sinister, disgusting, and extremely eerie.
Library Vision (5/5)
Goro is obsessed with the books in his library. He keeps reading and re-reading them until he knows the books word for word. He's afraid that the books will run away from him.
I absolutely loved this one. I could see myself in this one if I ever lost my sanity (Just kidding). The ending of the story was somewhat predictable but didn't reduce the enjoyment. Another favorite episode.
Ep7 -
Tomb Town (4.5/5)
The siblings drive through the mountains to visit their childhood friend. An accident on the way and they end up in a town full of tombstones.
Another exceptional episode. During the entire episode, I was on edge and worried about what might happen.
Ep8 -
Layers of Terror (5/5)
I don't think I can write a synopsis for this without giving out spoilers. During an excavation project, a man finds a child's skull buried under layers of soil. Years later, his daughters had something tragic happen to them. His wife's obsession with the younger daughter.
Fantastic episode. Another favorite
The Thing that Drifted Ashore (2/5)
A sea creature is found at the beach. Cutting it up led to a devastating find.
Didn't really like it as much.
Ep9 -
Tomie Photo (3.5/5)
One of the mini-stories from Tomie, where Tsukiko takes pictures to sell around the school. She discovers something unpleasant when she shoots Tomie's pictures.
I read Tomie earlier, and the anime did a good job of capturing the creepiness.
Ep10 -
Unendurable Labyrinth (4/5)
Two girls find themselves lost in the mountain and end up spending the night at the Tantrik Buddhist temple where they discover a lot of disturbing things.
Great story, but no closure. It was extremely terrifying and creepy but I did not get any answers.
The Bully (5/5)
Kuriko is asked to take care of Naoya while his mother is at work, but she keeps bullying her every single day. They meet again as grown-ups, and things aren't as they seem.
Another favorite episode. The scenes with bullying were difficult to watch, and the ending, although expected, was extremely satisfying.
Ep11 -
Alley (5/5)
A young man boards a room but discovers something he shouldn't have about the alley adjacent to it.
Another favorite of this series. Karma at its finest.
Headless Statue (4/5)
The art teacher creates headless sculptures for his exhibition. Things take an unexpected turn.
Although I loved this episode, I found the characters extremely annoying.
Ep12 -
Whispering Woman
A woman becomes the caretaker of a young girl who is mentally unstable and questions everything.
Fabulous episode. Another favorite
Soichi's Beloved Pet (2/5)
The kids find a cat and take it in, but Soichi has other plans.
I realize that I don't really enjoy Soichi's stories.
I know it's pretty long, but thank you if you read this.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Nov 21, 2020
I'm not sure of what to think about it. I think the story was unique but mediocre because there are a lot of questions that remain unanswered. Like why was Suliman after Howl, why was the Witch of the Waste after Howl as well, I mean yeah for the heart but why? And more importantly why did the Witch curse Sophie? And why/how did the curse get lifted off of her at the end of the movie with just no difference to her hair... And why did the Witch turn into a vegetable ever since her visit from the King! I mean what the hell
...
was all that about? So I'm kinda confused about what to feel about this whole thing.
The art is good and beautiful, the music and sound is also pretty good. The characters were somewhat the same throughout and I don't think that's there's any development.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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