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I got hooked the moment I started watching the first season when it released, to the point where I chose to read the book it's based on just to know how the story continues.

I've since invested lots of time into Mo Dao Zu Shi/The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation as I've read the entire novel, re-watched both the anime and the live action multiple times, read the manhua and even listened to the audio drama (as much as I could find on youtube).

The animation is stunningly gorgeous, the CGI and 2D flow into each other very well, especially in later seasons. The music is wonderful as ... well, every intro and outro and the music played by the characters throughout the story.
What really stands out to me though, is the complexity of the story and all the characters: every character feels realistic and fleshed out, no one is black and white, everyone has their own life and journey, fears and ambitions and each decision they make feels reasonable and understandable from where they are coming from and who they are. I haven't encountered another anime or story in general that was able to portray so much depth and complexity and growth over rather little time, especially compared to other anime. The story follows an entire lifetime and yet it is only a total of about 35 episodes.

A big point to make though, is that exactly this complexity might not be for everyone: the world is different compared to most anime due to it being Chinese and it might be hard to get into it at first (it was for me). The first few episodes might feel a bit goofy and like nonsense but as soon as the first long flashback comes, it's hard to stop watching. The flashbacks are a topic in itself but I feel like they make sense, they add something to it and while it may seem like an odd way to tell a story, it works wonders here.

If anyone is worried about the BL aspect, it's there but it is subtle (you could think they're just best friends), especially since Chinese series aren't allowed to show this stuff. The main focus is the story and the complex world and characters. It is simply accompanied by one of the greatest love stories of all time (in my opinion). :)

All in all, I can say that this is one of the best stories out there and I recommend everyone to give it a try and see if it captivates them as much as it did me.