u/Icy_Dragonfruit_3513

Decided this was worth a separate post instead of me just commenting in the weekly discussion post.

One of SQC's best non-188 novels finally has a complete TL - and at a glance it looks like dedicated work from the translator, there's a (much needed because there are sooo many characters and concepts) glossary and the translator included screenshots from the manhua version as well.

Here's a good review of the novel for those who don't know about it: https://www.reddit.com/r/DanmeiNovels/comments/1hsov5x/underrated_novel_audio_drama_recommendation_jiang/

Warning for the angst-lovers: be aware that this is perhaps SQC's most wholesome couple. I realized upon re-reading that there's a bit of a Yuan Yang-Gu Qingpei dynamic over them, the ML has brawns rather than brains, while the MC is all brains and skill.

We even get a bit of smut, though I'm not sure there's any in the main story (wasn't in the raws I found when I read two years ago), I only checked out the extras to see if the TL was alright.

I usually struggle with xianxias because of the length and often repetitive plots, but the plot here is really good. Tropes include slow burn romance (IMO the romance between the main couple is as well-developed as in Blazing Armour), found family, inter-species romance (this time sadly no tail play like in >!Dragon Blood!<), cute gong (he's basically selling meng through a lot of the book), smart shou.

It also has one of the best endings of a SQC book, though it might leave you frustrated because probably half your ships won't happen (this book has so many ship-worthy pairings).

The translator included a very useful glossary, but I recommend only looking up each of the divine beasts as they get revealed, since otherwise it's a bit spoilery. This novel uses a lot of Chinese mythology though, so it's useful to look up characters as you read. A lot of characters have two names and this novel has a huge cast.

Link to all the TLs: https://www.novelupdates.com/series/jiang-chao-ge-and-the-spirit-weapon/

I've been sitting on this for a while, been slowly getting into donghuas since last year - I Am What I Am picqued my interest in Chinese animation, while Mo Dao Zu Shi + Nezha 1 and 2 made me a fan.

I had a lot of expectations for To Be Hero X after watching the trailers, and I'm amazed that this show actually lived up to the hype (unlike Link Click, that's been a little disappointing - at least with the fact that 5 episodes in, it hasn't hooked me with neither animation quality nor story).

The fact that this is an original story makes it better - means the creative team is free to take this in the direction they want, and judging from season 1, director Li Haoling has a clear vision of which direction he wants to go.

I always think that ideally, the animated format should be used to play around with styles and create visuals that you can't realistically make in live action, and one of the most frustrating things with some animated shows (not just from China, but in general) is how unimaginative the visuals sometimes get.

To Be Hero X doesn't have this problem. The animation might not be top tier in all 24 episodes, but the playfullness is there along with a willingness to create a visual feast with epic battles in every episode. Not to mention the use of Hero X. You could only play around with the format like that in an animation, and as such the final episode feels most of all like the director's love letter to animation.

It's not a perfect show of course. Especially the female protagonists had rather weak arcs compared to most of their male counterparts, and Cyan's arc was definitely messy and way too rushed. Also, despite being a sucker for 2D (I've avoided pure 3D donghuas so far because I can't stand how 'dead-faced' the characters usually look), I think the 3D episodes in the beginning are more interesting visually than the 2D-centered episodes in the middle, as well as having the strongest character arcs.

But plotwise, TBHX is peak. The non-linear storytelling is refreshing, and while the middle is somewhat boring, once the >!spaceship mission !<brings a bunch of the main characters together, the plot becomes exciting again. Baiting the viewers with X, but not actually introducing him properly until the final couple of episodes worked well to keep me hooked. The OP protagonist is a problem in shows, because once you've established that nothing can be a serious threat to the guy, how do you keep suspense?

TBHX avoids this problem by making the viewers follow - and relate to - a bunch of different characters who each have their individual struggles and flaws. In fact I was slightly surprised how much this show made me care for (or at least feel a tinge of sympathy towards) even the most 'unheroic' among the heroes.

The show clearly takes inspiration from both Sony's Spiderverse, Arcane, The Boys and the superhero genre in general, and as such it feels less 'Chinese' and more international than probably most donghuas. However, there are clearly a lot of references to modern Chinese culture - first and foremost the celebrity/idol system and social media, which the show harshly critiques. And I laughed at some scenes involving Hero X's daily life - retable to anyone who's ever been to a big city in China.

All in all this is a great show for anyone who wants a fresh take on the superhero genre, as well as anyone interested in donghuas who actually push boundaries. Some of the visuals here are stuff I'd expect from animated movies where budgets tend to be bigger, not for shows on streaming.

Personally I can't wait for season 2!

Jiang Chao Ge and the Spirit Weapon/魂兵之戈 has a complete TL:-)

To Be Hero X - just finished watching and wow, this donghua is insane