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Feb 11, 2025
Ne Zha 2 is a bold, chaotic, and visually overwhelming sequel that takes an imaginative—but often misguided—approach to reinterpreting mythology. It flips the traditional story on its head, making demons the heroes and the heavens the villains, which could have been an interesting subversion if the execution weren’t so surface-level. Instead of enriching the legend of Nezha, the film seems more interested in spectacle and shock value, often at the cost of depth and coherence.
One of my biggest gripes is how the film leans way too hard into slapstick and crude humor, reducing significant mythological figures into rowdy, one-dimensional characters. I lost count of how
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many times the gods just jumped to conclusions without any logical deduction—why is everyone in this movie an idiot? The dialogue was shallow, and the emotional moments didn’t land because the characters simply weren’t written with enough depth to make me care. Critics have praised Ne Zha 2 for its outstanding writing and flawless execution, but honestly, did we even watch the same movie?
Then there’s the worldbuilding—or lack thereof. Unlike Light Chaser’s New Gods series, which weaves in actual historical and cultural references, Ne Zha 2 feels like a purely fictionalized setting with no real connection to Chinese mythology beyond character names. Light Chaser’s team visited real sites like Dunhuang and referenced real historical artefacts to bring authenticity to their designs; here, everything is exaggerated, flashy, and devoid of cultural roots.
Visually, the film is undeniably ambitious, with cutting-edge VFX and animation that must have taken an insane amount of effort. But it often feels like overkill—especially on an IMAX screen. The hyper-detailed effects clash with the cartoonish character designs, creating a visual disconnect that made everything feel slightly off. Instead of being awed, I was overstimulated to the point of exhaustion.
And let’s talk about that reincarnation scene. Nezha and Ao Bing being reborn from snot? I could not take anything seriously after that. Every time an emotional scene played out, all I could think of was, “These guys are literally made of mucus.” It was gross and off-putting in all the wrong ways.
The film’s title, 哪吒之魔童闹海, promises a legendary battle involving the sea (闹海), but where was the 海? It felt more like 哪吒大闹天宫 instead. The dragons were gender-swapped, character roles reversed—by the end, I was wondering if this movie had anything to do with the original legend at all.
Maybe I’m the odd one out, considering Ne Zha 2 smashed box office records within its first week. But numbers aside, I just couldn’t connect with it. It felt like the filmmakers were more focused on outshining their rivals than preserving the essence of Nezha’s mythos. And please—enough with the piss jokes. These are immortals, not middle schoolers. Don't reduce our childhood heroes to mere gaffs.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Dec 1, 2023
“If you watch F1, this one's probably not for you.” I disagree. If you watch F1, you should all the more watch this just to geek out. Because other than Capeta, Overtake is the only other non sci-fi open wheel racing anime series there is. Besides, there are rarely stories in anime about professional sports. Most sports anime revolve around high schoolers and regional games in order to appeal to young audiences who are just getting into the sport. With F4 being an entry-level category to single-seater open-wheel racing, Overtake serves that purpose.
At the same time, the exclusivity of motorsport is not glazed over. It
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acknowledges that not everyone can partake in it - the two most important factors in order to stay afloat in the sport are money and popularity. The anime gives us a taste of the nitty-gritty financial side and keeps it real with the logistics. But that doesn't mean the anime doesn't attempt to connect with regular audiences. At the heart of it all are kids who go to school and lead normal lives, but also put their lives at stake come race day. By highlighting the cutthroat nature of this world through a layman's eyes (the photographer, Madoka Kouya), the level of focus and dedication it takes from all parties involved is brought to light.
No matter which racing series you are a fan of, the behind the scenes is universal - the engineering stuff, the PR hustle, and even the drivers' off-track dramas.
Who knows, maybe there'll be a sequel where they work their way up through the feeder series and gun for F1. But even if F1 isn't the endgame, then at least Japanese Super Formula is on the table. There is potential.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jan 21, 2023
Despite a wildly imaginative modernization, this is surprisingly one of the most faithful portrayals of the character Yang Jian from Investiture of the Gods, a 16th Century Chinese novel. From the character designs to the worldbuilding through meticulously researched historical details, Light Chaser really outdid themselves this time. And with mindblowing visuals that put hollywood to shame, this really is a movie that should be seen on the big screen.
It’s technically the sequel to Nezha Reborn, but you don’t have to watch Nezha before Yang Jian, or even at all, as they are not connected (yet). However, as the New Gods cinematic universe expands, both
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Nezha and Yang Jian's significance will increase, and they are a pretty good introduction into lore of Chinese legends. Investiture also shares canon with Journey to the West and Lotus Lantern, so there may be crossovers.
Mythological beasts straight out of the Classic of Mountains and Seas, quotes from ancient Chinese poets and philosophers, archaic calligraphy and cultural relics, real life locations with historical significance and legendary isles in the divine realm, all help tell this story through a distinctly Chinese lens.
The animation is cutting edge. Each character’s body language is unique, and subtle muscle movements like when Yang Jian clenched his jaw really gave the character depth of emotion. Attention to the smallest details like the different textures of the fabrics and the intricate patterns woven into them breathed life into the most mundane aspects.
The cinematography also produced some of the most stunning scenes in Chinese animation history - Chenxiang walking through the curtains at Duyue Pool and the colossal monuments of the gods at Mount Hua elicit visceral feelings.
Props to the animators for finally depicting an accurate Erlang. I was so sick of seeing the countless TV adaptations slapping a stylized sticker on the actors’ foreheads and calling it a “third eye”. That’s bullshit, they look nothing like an eye. I don’t understand why these modern dramas insist on portraying him this way. So it was great to see him back with a realistic third eye.
Personally, I don’t have much to fault about the movie, but I can see how the 2+ hour duration can be taxing on some. Yang Jian is a movie that demands attention because it is a story that spans millennia. This is a character steeped in over 3000 years of history, so it would’ve been almost impossible to condense it into a single movie, and they had to add the plot of the Lotus Lantern on top of it. It might be a bit too ambitious for the studio, but that shouldn't be a concern for casual viewers.
I would’ve liked to see the story focus on the titular character all the way through instead of Chenxiang, as during the second half of the movie it just felt like Yang Jian had taken a back seat. There is hope for the sequel though, and I’m interested in how the studio would bring the story from the Jin Dynasty to modern day after the timeskip.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Nov 9, 2022
First of all, I don’t hate this anime.
But that Eiji motherfucker is so fucked up. His naïveté killed Ash’s friend, his brother, his stepmom AND his best ally and STILL Ash trusted him... Could he have picked a more useless piece of shit to protect.
Ash’s murdered countless people, and Eiji is STILL hung up about hearing he’s killed. What world is he living in??? And where the fuck is his sense of self preservation? How is he even alive???
And the most infuriating thing is that he NEVER learns. Always jeopardizing the safety of those around him and oblivious to the fact he’s dead weight. Every
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decision he makes is beyond stupid. He foils Ash’s every single plan, consistently setting progress back and STILL DOESN’T GET IT.
No backbone, no understanding of his competency yet constantly stands in the way. If you wanna protect Ash, do it properly. Grow some balls or get out of the way.
It’s like they took all the worst traits of all the moron characters and made him a super moron.
If that isn’t enough, just watch the final scene how Eiji let Ash down one last time.
It’s unfair that Ash will die for Eiji but Eiji never did anything to deserve it, let alone put his life on the line for someone.
Eiji is such a tool. Fuck Eiji.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Nov 7, 2022
The anime comes off as both knowledgable and uninitiated in the sport it's trying to portray. It’s both futuristic and backwards at the same time. Some parts of the show are astoundingly realistic, while other times throws logic out the door completely. One of the main characters (Langa) has been a snowboarder since he was 2 years old, yet he’s never been exposed to skateboarding before. And when he tried for the first time, he lost his balance just standing on the board.
I’m sorry, but I haven’t met a snowboarder that couldn’t skate, let alone a snowboarder that’s been doing it for 15 years.
He said
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he couldn’t even do one push, but snowboarders push all the time when they’re on flat snow. This should just come naturally to him.
And they keep saying how it’s unprecedented if he could switch to being a pro skater as if this hasn’t happened in real life.
Like currently two of the best snowboarders in the world are also pro skaters. Ayumu Hirano - olympic snowboarder and skateboarder - was literally their consultant on this anime, how could they not even acknowledge this fact despite his involvement.
Don’t even get me started on the shoes. I don’t care if this was set in the future or alternate timeline, you can’t wear geta on a skateboard. Do they want to die? Even the guy on Tiktok who wears hanfu on his longboard wears skate shoes when he’s riding. I can’t believe such an important aspect of skateboarding is ignored like that. Shoes are as integral to the culture and the sport as the skateboards are themselves.
I also hate how they just combined all the disciplines as if they’re all the same thing. Freestyle skateboarding (Miya) is not the same as downhill (everyone else in that dumb street race), and neither are park or street (Reki). Racing and tricks are two distinct philosophies in this sport. The ollie that the main character Reki was so proud of (to the point he made a whole monologue about how you could skate your entire life without ever learning to ollie, but when you do, your whole life changes), aren’t even a part of racing, yet that’s the event he partakes in every night.
The lack of understanding of each others’ sports as the source of Reki's feeling of inadequacy is so juvenile. Langa progressed so far in such a short amount of time because he’s been snowboarding for 15 years, and Reki knows that. He hadn't been left in the dust because of Langa's raw talent. Langa was NOT a beginner. He already had years of experience. The skills carry over. How can someone, fictional or not, be so dense about that fact? And how can Langa catch so much air you ask? Because it’s fucking standard in snowboarding. Just replay Ayumu’s Tokyo olympics run, the commentator literally said “He’s riding this thing like a (snowboard) halfpipe.”
How many times did they forget and remember about having fun? Did all those crashes give them brain damage? There’s so much unnecessary angst that’s not conducive to character development at all.
In a sport that has hundreds of amazing tricks, this anime just had to invent ones that don’t exist or are impossible to do. And they haven’t even included one skateboarder that looks like a skateboarder. A topless bodybuilder? A businessman in a suit??? A ninja cosplayer in a kimono????
And then in the very last episode, they introduced this fictional supernatural state called the Zone, which is completely taken from Kuroko’s basketball. BUT there is a real life phenomena common in action sports called flow state that illustrates what the zone basically is, why couldn’t they just call it what it really is?
It’s supposed to be a kids' show, but why do they have to make it about illegal racing, and make it more illegal by adding combative elements to the races and have people get away with assault? Skateboarding is rebellious enough as it is. The part where they got busted for trespassing in the parking lot was one of the most relatable and realistic parts about skateboarding in this anime, and I wish they included more of that instead.
But I’m glad they didn’t downplay the kinds of injuries you get from this sport. I’m glad that action sports is getting representation in anime, the art is great, even though the story is a letdown. I don’t have high hopes for season 2.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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