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Zhen Hun Jie, also known as Rakshasa Street, is an anime adaptation of a manhua by the same name. As with any other adaptation, the producers tread a fine line between taking artistic liberties and staying faithful to the source material.

Preamble: (some background for confused anime watchers)

If you are reading this review, you were likely attracted to this series through the huge success of Season 1, which presented a unique Yin-Yang style of storytelling which showcased the deep bond between two brothers. Season 1 was hugely experimental, but it was successful in that it retained the basic feel of the manhua, while adding more ... depth of emotion through flashbacks, new characters, and the cutting of some unnecessary details from the manhua. It was successful precisely because it adapted the single weakest arc from the source material (in which the author Xu Chen was still developing his style and trying to gain popularity), and made certain strategic changes that, while being somewhat controversial in the manhua community, were generally well received in light of the anime’s overall success.

It was in this atmosphere of success that Zhen Hun Jie Season 2 Part 1 was announced. Both anime-onlys and manhua-readers had high hopes for the series, and it certainly seemed to be living up to expectations. While the excessive CGI for fight scenes was a little off-putting, I think most watchers would agree that the general flow of the story in the first two episodes was definitely on par with Season 1. The anime-onlys were pleased by the new setting and story, while the manhua-readers were curious to see how the removed details that were supposed to be in Season 1 would be added to enhance Season 2. What nobody expected, however, was an abrupt break after only 5 episodes of the series, and the return of a Remake (or Part 2) that baffled everybody.

This, Zhen Hun Jie: Bei Luo Shi Men Pian Part 2, is that Remake of Part 1. The first three episodes are entirely old content, which presents a condensed version of Part 1. Episode 4 marks the point where the director gave up halfway through his original draft and decided “screw it, I’m out of good story ideas, let’s just go back to faithfully rendering every frame of the original manhua.” Whether that is in response to disillusioned manhua readers who grew displeased with the development of the story in Part 1, or whether it was due to something else entirely, I do not know. In the review below, I will focus on my thoughts on the quality of the remake, and what I personally think could have been done differently.

Body: (actual review starts here)

Story 6/10 - If the first arc of Rakshasa Street showcased the bond between “blood brothers”, then this second arc develops that tension to “found family”. The story is action-packed, with good inclusion of flashback scenes for emotion building and conflict/intrigue to entice the viewer into wanting more. If you look at the first 3 episodes alone or the last 6 episodes alone, they would both be solid 7-8/10. However, the problem arises in that the initial 3 episodes have very little to do with the remaining episodes. Because while the initial episodes showcase anime-original content, the later episodes are entirely verbatim from the manhua, and the resulting plot holes that come out of the discontinuity are TERRIBLY explained.

Art 7/10 - Similar to the story, the art style of the first 3 episodes is very different from the remaining episodes. Personally, I actually enjoyed the later art style better because it is more faithful to the manhua that I originally fell in love with. I also think it was a good choice to ditch the 3D animation, because while it was very flashy, it was overly distracting. The animation suffers a bit from budget limitations, as there is decent proportion of resting/panning shots in which the only thing that distinguishes the anime from a PowerPoint presentation is a single set of moving lips or a few strands of flowing hair. However, I think given the difficulty of the adaptation, the animators did a fairly decent job.

Sound 6/10 - The sound is a bit of hit-and-miss. While there are some moments where I thought “wow, the BGM is an amazing fit for the action”, there are other parts where I cringed at the choice. The producers recycled the original three theme songs from Season 1 to use for Season 2, which I thought was a good choice since they convey the right motifs of “baddassery”, “melancholy”, and “the journey continues”, respectively. I was less impressed by the other musical inserts, because they were a very strange blend of eastern and western music that just don’t go coherently together. In one scene, you would get a cover of “Silent Night”, a classic Christmas carol, while in the following scene you would get an OST taken straight from the 1997 version of the Monkey King. Normally, I would not be so picky about the sound, but since it is the one thing that could easily be changed to unify two otherwise completely disjoint segments of animation and storytelling, I cannot help but be disappointed by the lack of attention to detail in this matter.

Character 7/10 - In terms of main characters, I personally love Bei Luo Shi Men. He’s a great character with a well developed backstory and clearly explained motives. I also like Cao Yan Bing for his bravery and pigheadedness. Xia Ling is the only main character I never felt much for, but she gets some character development here that makes her easier to tolerate. Unfortunately, the character development was not treated well due to the random addition and subtraction of plot points, which means I can’t give more than 7/10 in this category. There’s also the issue of the “Guardian Spirits” not having enough screen time outside of fight scenes which makes them seem more like mecha robots than dead historical figures...but that is another can of worms. Does anybody else feel like this season turned into Three Kingdoms x Evangelion?

Enjoyment 7/10 - Overall, I think I enjoyed this season. While it suffered from numerous problems, it ended on a strong note that makes me hopeful for Season 3. If you are reading this review and have yet to watch the series, I recommend reading chapters 1-26 of the manhua first before starting Part 2. A lot of the abrupt changes will make more sense, and you can get a relatively enjoyable experience.

Overall: (concluding rant)

As a faithful manhua adaptation, the second half of Season 2 is strong and enjoyable. As an anime-original, the first half of Season 2 has its merits. However, blended together, the two halves just DO NOT go well together. The character I feel the most sorry for is Bai Shuier, who was given a horrendous treatment due to having two conflicting backstories that imposed dissociative identity disorder on an individual who already has enough mental trauma on her plate.

I really believe what would have made this season so much stronger was to remake the entirety of the Bei Luo arc. Not too much was changed in Season 1, which the director could have easily explained in half an episode AT THE BEGINNING of the arc. Then they could have gotten away with doing a full faithful manhua adaptation from that point forward with limited problems and I wouldn’t have to write such a huge review just to establish the context of everything I’m talking about.

Hopefully you found this review to be decently informative. Thank you for taking your time to read my thoughts on the matter.

As of the time of this review the movie has already reached 4.7 billion in box office, making it the second most popular film in Chinese history just after Wolf Warrior 2. Given all the problems that have plagued the animation industry in Mainland China, this is an unprecedented milestone that will hopefully bring us many more quality animations for all audiences.

Being a devout supporter of Chinese animation, I took the first opportunity I got to watch this film, if only to experience renewed pride for my home country. As someone who grew up with Chinese legends and folk tales, this film brought an overwhelming ... surge of nostalgia. I have to acknowledge my potentially biased standpoint on the quality of this film, as my excitement over its mere existence is enough for me to give it 10s all around. However, having watched it twice now (once emotionally and once more analytically), I believe I am capable of enough rational thought to give a fairly balanced review.

Story (9/10) - The film tells the tale of Nezha, a child originally destined for greatness who becomes victim to a scheme that drastically alters his fate. Having inherited a monstrous power, Nezha becomes ostracized by the people in his home community. In an attempt to save Nezha from his demonic nature, his parents and master/teacher train him to do good deeds through fighting monsters. Unfortunately, a series of misunderstandings make their plans unsuccessful, and even Nezha’s only friend is forced to turn against him. Nezha also learns that he is destined to die via a calamity spell on this third birthday, a secret that had been purposefully kept secret from him so he could live a fulfilling life.

I enjoyed the story not because of its plot but because of the powerful messages that it conveyed. Despite all of the problems that he faces, Nezha chooses to fight - against fate, against prejudice, and against anything that stands in his way. He teaches the audience that anything is possible, and that regardless of what anyone else says, one’s own actions are the ones that count.

Art (8/10) - I was initially very put-off by Nezha’s design, as it was so contrary to all of the other depictions of him, traditional or modern (possibly with the exception of Shi Wan Ge Leng Xiao Hua). But about 30 minutes into the film this quirky unconventional design became my favorite, as I fell in love with his expressive face and adorable mannerisms.

The character of Nezha was super well animated, and definitely a highlight to the art. While there are a few characters that I didn’t like much, the overall art style was surprisingly pleasant. In terms of the special effects and background art, I feel that they may have been excessive at times, especially with the water animations. However, I am of the opinion that having too much is better than not having enough, and at this stage in Chinese animation I’m more than satisfied with what was produced.

Sound (8/10) - The voice acting for Nezha, his parents, Ao Bing, and most of the side characters was superb. I hold mixed feelings about Taiyi’s Szechuan accent, and there’s this one muscular villager whose high pitched screams I honestly cannot stand. But overall I really enjoyed the voice acting, enough that I actually looked up the main voice actors since I loved their performance so much.

The weakest point of the movie, though, is the background music. There is a main theme that plays pretty much every time Nezha is on screen (which is frequent considering how he’s the protagonist), and at some point it just got really repetitive. The emotionally moving scenes also could have benefited from better sound.

Character (10/10) - I don’t think there’s a single character I hated in the entire movie, which is pretty unusual since I’m not one to love people easily. I adored the way that both of Nezha’s parents were portrayed, which consisted of a slightly more modern twist on more traditional characterizations. For instance, I expected his father to be a very stern man. While he was strict in the film, he also had a caring side that moved me to tears near the movie’s climax.

I also loved how none of the characters were truly good or evil. Even those who played an antagonistic role had justifiable reasons for doing so, which strengthened the thematic complexity of the movie. Nezha, especially, is the epitome of this, as his edgy/punk/tsundere exterior is really just the armor used to hide a soft, caring, cinnamon roll. While he smiles like an arsonist and speaks with words sharper than knives, all he desires is companionship and belonging. (My inner Bakugou Katsuki fan was squealing so hard when I saw Nezha on screen. I think he’s my new favorite character.)

Additionally, I really loved the beautiful and unlikely friendship that blossomed in this film. It was equal parts magically adorable and heart-wrenchingly depressing. My inner fujoshi may have enjoyed it a little more than necessary.

Enjoyment (9/10) - I’m going to borrow a phrase from our lovely Chinese internet buddies for this section, because it summarizes the movie so nicely: “魔童降世将笑点最后都化为燃点和泪点”. The movie has so many humorous moments, some of which require a decent understanding of the Chinese language to get, but most of which can be enjoyed by all audiences (though westerners may find it strange that there are so many jokes about peeing, drinking, and farting). But what makes the film truly special is how it revisits many of those initially humorous moments later in the story, and deviously twists them to hit the audience with the feels train. And you'd really have to be a brick to not feel the passion and the sadness.

Overall I rate the movie 9/10. I admit that it’s far from perfect, but I also believe it’s one of those films that’s really worth watching if you get the chance. Hopefully my review has convinced you to at least consider giving it a try.

At the end of this review, I just wanted to say thank you to all the 1000+ people who worked on this film for 5 years to make it a reality. Because it was truly a masterpiece that reminded me of all of those childhood days spent obsessing over that 52 episode Nezha kids cartoon, waving around a red Christmas ribbon and shouting at invisible enemies. It was a indescribably profound experience to watch the same story, 15 years later, reimagined as something even greater than it was before. Somehow, Ne Zha Zhi Mo Tong Jiang Shi retained all of the key features of the Nezha films that came before it, and yet synthesized them together in fresh and engaging ways. I left the theatre feeling empowered and inspired.

Ahh the movie that no one over the age of 40 should watch unless accompanied by a young person (quoted directly from one of the preliminary trailers). Shi Wan Ge Leng Xiao Hua (Shi Leng/十冷 for short) originally rose to fame as a web comic infamous for corrupting readers’ childhood memories in irreparable ways. As a continuation of the “99980 End of the World Arc” this movie is no exception to that rule.

Story: The story begins in media res with an unnamed protagonist facing the consequences of his actions from the previous arc in which he essentially blew up the Earth. In taking what ... seems to be a quick solution to his problem, he only deepens his dilemma, and the only way to resolve things is to work with a team of other rather quirky characters to restore order to the universe before it is too late. Meanwhile, in addition to fighting some ever-persistent antagonists, the protagonist also has to confront his own self-confidence issues. Overall, while it’s certainly not the most original, the storyline is quite decently executed.

Art: This is perhaps one of the weaker aspects of this film. Given the budget and the fact that much of the 2D animation industry in China is still stuck on the mindset that they should only make stories for children, it’s understandable that some of the action sequences are little on the stiffer side. Overall though, it’s definitely quite watchable, and I enjoyed the expressiveness of the characters as well as their designs.

Sound: What do I say? I love Chinese voice acting. I never knew it was possible to express so much passion while ranting at a rate of 10 words per second, but somehow the ShengYou/Seiyuu make it work. While the music department is a fair bit weaker in comparison, the existence of the Time Machine Chicken alone probably makes up for it many fold.

Character: Another quality that I love about the series - the characters have such interesting settings! Take for instance General Li/李靖, who, despite being an amazing swordsman, can never engage a fellow human in a duel because any blade he wields will inevitably end up caught in someone else’s hands (百分百空手接白刃). Or the unnamed protagonist who collects power in his ahoge based on the amount of ranting he does about the stupid actions that he perceives (吐槽能量收集). All of the characters have some quality about them that, when brought together, generate very humorous dynamics. In addition to fun interactions, I also really appreciate how each character is able to resourcefully utilize his/her unique skill, sometimes in rather creative ways. Overall, the movie is very strong in this area.

Enjoyment: The movie is arguably more enjoyable than the short monthly anime episodes. Sure the episodes contain more inappropriate content which contribute heavily to the humor. However, the movie manages to be pretty funny even without those elements, so I count that as a pretty big success. I also really like the fact that the movie actually has a theme that is emphasized throughout, and how it ends full circle from where it started. There’s even a little bit of character development, which is rare for this series.

Overall, I definitely recommend this movie. It may be best to watch the first two seasons of Shi Leng before this, because while this movie can be enjoyed an independent unit (it certainly recaps everything important), there are many references to the ONA/manhua that you might miss out on if you don’t watch/read it first. (That being said, I discourage watching season 3...which in my opinion really only existed to promote movie 2).

Finally, I will end with a quote from the second Shi Leng movie that I believe gives a good taste of the flavor of series. “At the origin of the universe there is a point if infinite mass called the laughing point/笑点. When poked, this point explodes into two kinds of energy: the energy of pointless stupidity/犯二 and the energy of pointed mockery/吐槽, which together form the basis of all matter - the 梗. And when the mass and density of this 梗 increases to an overwhelming size, it can form a Brain Hole/脑洞 with the potential to both create and destroy the entire universe.”

I had a bit of a falling out with U17 Comics a few years back due to their new VIP policy, so I didn’t get around to watching this movie until yesterday. But damn, it brought back so many memories!

First off, I’m going to say that a series like Shi Wan Ge Leng Xiao Hua (lit translation: 100 Thousand Bad Jokes, abbreviation: Shi Leng/十冷) cannot be objectively rated. The reason is that the main premise rests on humor, specifically in making parodies out of anything and everything. From traditional fables like the Honest Woodcutter, to classic children’s cartoons like Hu Lu Xiong Di, to popular ... Japanese anime like Detective Conan and One Piece, I don’t think I’ve seen anything that’s not been poked fun at in some way, shape, or form. Oh and if course there’s always the occasional stab at mainland Han Chinese stereotypes of the dialects/accents of other ethnic groups, which...well just remember that it’s all meant to be interpreted in a humorous light.

Now, on to the actual review.

Story: Very simple and straightforward. The main objective of the protagonist is to bring back the creator’s staff from the hands of the Southern God who stole it, in order to stop the war brewing between the other three gods. For this endeavor, he is accompanied by a band of three misfits who at times make things more challenging for him. A few straightforward plot twists are inserted along the way, such that the ending, while certainly expected, still holds some interesting surprises. Thus I give it 8/10.

Art: Compared to the original series that aired one 5-minute episode on the first day of every month back in 2012, there’s been a massive amount of improvement. I’d say the animation is even better than the first Shi Leng movie, as the characters’ movements tend to be less stiff. Of course there’s always room for improvement, and while the galactic setting certainly allows room for stunning visuals involving massive spaceships and destructive weapons, there may have been a little too much CGI for my tastes. Later on in the series, there is a part where the art breaks down to just uncolored base sketches and in my opinion it’s one of my favorite deconstructions ever so I’m adding a bonus point in the art category for this. My score is 7+1 = 8/10.

Sound: As expected, very solid voice acting. We see a lot of Tu Cao/吐槽 moments, in which one of the more levelheaded/reliable characters freaks out and spews out a massive string of comments about how nonsensical some of the other characters’ actions are. Without the talented VAs this series would not even have 1/4 of its appeal, so this is definitely a strong department. The music/sound effect side is a little bit weaker, mostly because there were so many random insert songs that, while meant for humor, weren’t always the most humorous. My score is 8/10 (average between 9/10 voice acting and 7/10 background sound).

Character: This second movie saw the introduction of some new characters like Athena (pun for Argon Iodine Sodium) and Thor, and the return of some fan favorites like Xiao Jin Gang and the River God. All the characters have very quirky personalities that, when thrown together, create endearingly hilarious dynamics. I really like how each of them showcases his/her own strengths at some point in the series (the River God especially, I love him so much more now you have no idea). For a perfect 10, I would’ve like to see a little more character development (I also don’t really like how Athena was portrayed), but I think I can give a solid 8/10 in this category.

Enjoyment: Hands down 10/10. I laughed the whole time. I think that’s a good sign that the movie lived up to its standards and did what it was supposed to do. In summary, I give the series 9/10 overall, because while there are some pitfalls the strengths far outweigh them. Case in point: I’m always impressed by the way they insert all those sponsored advertisements in a way that adds to rather than detracts from the humor.

I’m sure by now if anyone is still reading this incomprehensible monstrosity you’re probably wondering “do you recommend the movie to me”. If you’re a hardcore Shi Leng fan like I once was, I’d say definitely yes. Don’t get turned off by the slightly unfamiliar cast of characters like I was - I promise you that everything will make perfect sense at the end (and, while it’s nice to have a big Nao Dong, you don’t need quantum physics to understand it!).

If you’re unfamiliar to the series, I still think this movie can be very enjoyable as a stand-alone comedy to watch on a gloomy evening. You may not catch all the jokes, but there’s enough universal content in there that it should still be pretty funny. Plus, it’s available on YouTube =D

I'm both surprised and unsurprised that there aren't any reviews for this. I watched this series twice but could not figure out what the film producers were trying to do with this animation, exactly.

Despite being 12 episodes long, the entire anime reminds me more of a trailer than anything else. Every episode ends on a note of suspense, and by the end of the last episode viewers are left with many questions and almost no answers. Sure, the concept of a game coming to life is interesting, especially when mysterious criminals with supernatural abilities are also included, but that's pretty much where the show ... ends.

So yeah, I wouldn't exactly recommend thus series, but at the same time, it's not so terrible that I would dissuade everyone from viewing it. I guess it all depends on whether you enjoy watching trailers to movies you'll never get to see...?

Ahh, the wonder of an anime that is Duan Nao...I don't really know where to start with critiquing this piece, so I guess I'll start with a bit of history. At the time of creation of the anime, the manhua off which this is based was considered one of the "big three" shounen-type pieces on u17 (alongside Chu Feng and Zhen Hun Jie). Out of these three, Die Now is the only anime that has stuck to the original storyline with only minor alterations.

The premise of this story is quite simple. Once you look past the initial layer of suspense, the series becomes about a ... virtual reality gaming platform with high stakes. This makes the show very plot-driven, dedicating a lot of screen time to the game rules and gaming content. Thus, if you love seeing a highly competent male lead solve puzzles and play mafia-type games with inhuman wit and intelligence (kind of like Sora from No Game No Life but with a damsel-in-distress girlfriend instead of a cute sister), then this series is definitely recommended for you.

Apart from the plot, the show does a fairly good job with suspense-building, as is expected from works by the original manhua author. So the first few episodes especially will leave you on-edge with unanswered questions. This was what drew me to the show initially and prompted me to binge watch everything in one sitting. Unfortunately, the original author is not just known for his suspense building. He is also notorious for his treatment of female characters and slightly perverted sense of humor. Fortunately, though, these factors are not too prevalent in the anime. However, I understand that viewers might not be very happy with the characterization of females. There is also a rather perverted older male character, which you will either really like or really hate.

In terms of sound and animation quality, both are pretty decent. There aren't any stunning illustrations or music that tugs at your heartstrings, but it's certainly up-to-par with your average Japanese anime, so no criticism there. The voice actors...eh...I guess it all depends on whether you're used to listening to your typical group of mandarin voice actors or not. But I'd say it's fairly decent.

A final warning is that I haven't watched the series since 2015, so my impression of details are purely from memory. I was upset at how few comprehensive reviews this show has on this site, though, so I just had to write one as soon as possible.

Although subject to debate, this anime was one of the main influential works in recent developments in Chinese young-adult animation. On the original airing platform of Tencent, the series quickly rose to prominence, which was quite rare to see around that time given the sheer number of well-developed Japanese animations that are on that site. So, I guess for Chinese viewers it has a bit of historical significance.

Shi Xiong is, at heart, a humorous parody, meant to poke fun at certain qualities of modern Chinese society and the state of the world as a whole. The main character makes up for his lack of character ... development with his witty internal monologue, which drips with sarcasm at the end of every second sentence. Given how his cell phone ring tone is "your grandson is calling you", it comes as no surprise that he has quite a definitive personality.

The "zombie" construct is a pretty common one (though perhaps not ones that attend anime conventions and mutate from cannibalism), as is idea of the overpowering antagonist who never seems to die. The story follows the general zombie apocalypse archetype wherein the protagonist tries to survive and save as many people as possible. However, the author does put an interesting spin on everything that does happen - which is often very, very random - so overall the plot remains reasonably exciting. After all, it's not every day that you see a zombie with an obsession with paper currency.

Overall, the quality of illustration is average (still better than most of these current horrendous modern Chinese kids cartoons though, so I guess it was expected given the historical background). The first episode is in a completely different style from the others, so maybe watch the second one if you want an idea of what the art is generally like. I do happen to really like the voice actors though, especially the male lead. He plays the part quite well and adds quite a bit of liveliness to the whole dreary backdrop.

One thing I've noticed about this recent wave of Chinese anime is that they tend to end seasons abruptly at weird places, and Shi Xiong is, unfortunately, no exception. There is a second season of this (which ends at an even weirder spot) that happens to have pretty awkward pacing and is overall a huge disappointment. The conclusion we can draw from this is that, if you're going to watch this series, don't get too invested in it.

Overall, Shi Xiong is a fun series that makes you question the author's sense of moral decency sometimes (some jokes are inappropriate enough that they are now deleted from the online manga due to Chinese government censorship). It's definitely worth watching if you happen to like gore, cute kids dressed as giraffes, damsels in distress, internet language, and middle aged drag queens.

Honestly, I'm kind of sad about how little attention this work gets on this site compared to some of the other Chinese works that started around the same time - like Chu Feng for instance. In my (probably somewhat biased) opinion, this is what a good Chinese manhua should be. That's the reason why I just had to post a review, despite how terrible I am at reviews in general.

The story takes place in the late 1990s in a polluted city with lots of heavy industry. The main characters are in grade five, attending an elementary school which, is, as noted by Ming in ... the opening chapter "the worst school in the entire city". To add to the misery, the students happen to be in "the worst class of their entire grade", namely the 5(3) class.

This class is made up entirely of "sponsored students" who come from family backgrounds of low socioeconomic status. They are viewed with disdain by their fellow peers, and over the course of their elementary education, they have slowly grown to live up to these expectations of being stereotypical problem students that no instructor wants to willingly teach. As such, most of the students have little hope that anything would change in the future. Some even think that if the class were to disband and if the students were distributed to the other four classes in their grade, things might get better.

All of this changes when, one fateful day, a normally quiet and reserved female student by the name of Hua stands up in the middle of her class and announces that she will be the new class president. After a very physically violent struggle, she successfully claims her title and proceeds to crown herself the empress/queen of her class. This change of leadership sparks a chain of events that will empower the students to rise up against their stigmatization.

Thus begins a heart-warming, humorous, and action packed tale about a group of elementary students fighting for change in an unjust society. What initially begins as an innocent wish to become the best class in their grade evolves into a struggle the against corrupt authorities. Friendships are forged, tragic backstories are uncovered, and people are permanently changed. This is ultimately a story about change, growth, and reform.

I really liked this story for how it captured the nature of the school system in the 1990s, which is still true for some poorer parts of the country even today. I also liked the character development that took place. The drawing style could be a little more consistent especially for the first 30 or so chapters (then again, I did read the whole thing online so the published version is probably better). The storyline also starts off a little random and disconnected, but most of it smoothes out very well after the initial chapters. Overall, I have little criticism of the piece as it's quite beautifully done.