An entertaining drama for someone who is unfamiliar with the story
First I want to say I'm coming to this drama without prior knowledge of the donhua or novel. So I am coming to this drama with a fresh pair of eyes and no preconceived ideas what the story should be like.I actually very much enjoyed the drama. I was a little worried at first because there was so much complaints from those who have read the source material complaining it wasn't true to the source and I found the first episode was all over the place. I admit almost dropped it after ep1, but by ep 5/6 I was thoroughly enjoying it. So my advice to give it a few eps before making a judgement.
In terms of the story line, it is very much about Tang San's journey to "level up" and the friendships he makes on the way. I found the pacing was good, the acting decent, and good enough character development that I truly cared about each of the main characters. The dynamic of the shrek seven and their head masters had some serious comedic moments that had me laughing out loud. And for all my worries about the ending knowing there was a second season I have to say I was satisfied with how it ended. I found it was a rather natural conclusion (like the end of a chapter) as opposed to something that felt rushed or like the writers didn't sloppily put together, nothing too jarring.
My only real complaint is I didn't really like the audio. Oftentimes there was a lot of unnecessary background noise, or suddenly the actors voices /volume would change. For those Xiao Zhan fans expecting him to sound like his character in the untamed, get ready for a shock! His voice is much deeper here, and it took a little getting used to, but he did do his own dubbing in this drama so that's commendable. And his voice's tone and timber gets way more natural by the midway point (again I blame this more on the sound director).
Overall I found this to be a very enjoyable drama, I hope it gets the greenlight for that season two and they can invite the original actors back. I am looking forward to seeing more of TS and his journey.
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Light, Light-Hearted, and Intriguing to Watch!
Overall + Plot:Douluo Continent was a pleasant drama to watch. It's perfect if you're looking for an interesting enough and light-hearted drama that's NOT packed with gruesome violence, deaths, and betrayals.
The plot was generally easy to follow — and not sure if this was just me lol, but it sometimes reminded me of Pokemon with all the battles, Soul Creature hunting, Soul Rings acquirement (these are for leveling up of power - similar Pokemons evolving), and ultimate tournament for the strongest Soul Master. There was just enough plot, mystery, and adventure to keep you intrigued, and not too much to confuse you. And a side note: I didn't find MyDramaList's plot summary for this drama to be entirely accurate because there was definitely not a lot of emphasis on imperial struggles in the drama, as the summary sort of implied. It was mostly just a journey of gaining strength for the main 7 characters.
I have seen some comments critiquing the romance between the main leads (that the romance wasn't enough or not well-developed), but I actually thought it was a refreshing take. From my understanding, this drama is only the beginning of Douluo Continent's novel and animation storyline. For this reason, the romance may start off slow, and the leads call each other "brother" and "sister" (these terms are pretty common in Cdramas of these genres and are rather indications of their closeness to each other, and not that they're actually siblings). On that note, their relationship with each other is strong and the romance was slow, but it felt more natural to watch.
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Acting/Cast:
Douluo Continent has a wonderful mix of good-natured, determined, and funny characters. The “7 Devils” (main group) all experienced personal growth and development. It was a rough start for them at first because each one of them had different personalities and backgrounds, but their team chemistry gradually solidified throughout the drama. For me, character growth and friendships are just so sweet to watch.
Their acting did not disappoint and the entire cast was very well-assimilated with their characters. I found it quite amusing how physically alike all the characters were to their Martial Souls (kind of like their animal spirits?). So whether it was the makeup team or cast, they did a great job of mimicking these Martial Souls, adding to the coherency of this drama. And for those of you who watched Arsenal Military Academy, I found it hilarious to see Li WenZhong here again. He really added a handful amount of humor and silliness to the drama!
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Other (tiny spoiler alert in the second paragraph of this section ):
The visual effects were so pretty and the computer-generated imagery was smoothly integrated with the scenes. I'm not an expert on music, but the music was always comfortable and suitable for the scenes.
Tiny spoiler alert ahead if you want to know the ending: Yes, the drama does end on a cliffhanger sort of thing, but as I mentioned before, Douluo Continent is only the beginning of the original storyline from the novel and animation, so the ending made sense. It wasn't a sad ending or one that would leave you grieving and miserable, it just keeps you hanging so you'll want to know what happens next.
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Last comments:
The lightness of the drama and its plot charmed me and I definitely would recommend it — especially if you want to take a break from heavy dramas with angst and misunderstandings and betrayals. I'm glad I watched this drama and did not regret watching it at all! It brought me a healthy amount of laughs and was aesthetic to watch too :)
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The story itself is pretty straightforward, not hard to follow along but somehow I felt like it lacked substance. Even with there being mysteries and secrets, the way the story was executed never left me with anticipation. A lot of scenes felt unnecessary to the overall story; they made it seem like it was important at one time but then brushed it aside later on never touching upon it much again, let alone giving it much closure. Even found myself bored many times because of the slow paced or draggy areas, it was like watching paint dry. Instead of engaging the viewers in more fast paced action filled scenes with concise explanations, they seemed to focus more on dialogue, an excessive amount at that. Which is a shame because the only interesting parts to me were the fights and some of the training scenes.
Even though I never fully got invested in this story nor the characters, I must admit a lot of them had great character development, especially compared to the beginning when they were too immature and dramatic. The dynamics and chemistry between the Shrek Academy students were more enjoyable than the main leads! Honestly, even the "adult characters" were more interesting. My biggest complaint is the portrayal of Xiao Wu’s character, her voice & personality annoyed me throughout the show…I’m sorry, I know many loved her but I couldn’t even look at her half the time she was on screen. Her overly high pitched voice and her one expression pouty face just wasn’t doing it for me. Too naive and too clingy. Only during her fight scenes was she tolerable. Tang San unfortunately was also annoying at times but really only when he was with Xiao Wu, always holding her arm, being so overprotective and babied her so much. I understand the wanting to protect someone you care about but he was just over the top…
Thank goodness there wasn’t many scenes with music (at least not that I remember) because when there was, they NEVER played it at the right times. They should’ve played it during the action packed scenes to build up the suspense, but instead they were randomly playing it when they were casually walking or chatting…
The ending was left on a cliffhanger…i wont say much on it but regardless of what happens with the second season, I will not watch it. The only thing that kept me going while watching this was purely Xiao Zhan’s visuals and the beautiful loyalty and teamwork of the Shrek Academy as well as some their fight scenes!!
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Entertaining c-drama with plenty of light-hearted moments
I bumped into this fantasy/wuxia c-drama by accident. Not a fan of Xiao Zhan and hence, have not been anticipating this drama despite all the publicities and hoopla. But the first 2 episodes got me hooked on, and I have been following the series daily. What is so great about this drama that I spent slightly over an hour every day watching 2 newly released episodes? If you go by Douban’s rating score of 6.2 from 700K viewers, then this series is nothing but an average fantasy costume drama production. However, there is a significance of over 700 reviews. It means that this is a popular series with a serious and loyal fanbase from the novel, manga, computer game and anime. Considering Xiao Zhan’s ever growing hardcore fans, you have plenty of interests that kept this c-drama on top of the chart throughout its airing during Chinese Lunar New Year.The first thing that I checked on any costume c-drama is the storyline. Most of the time, the storyline is so crappy that you would think the screenwriters are some of the stupidest people within the television industry. The storyline here is your typical fantasy wuxia where the main protagonist started as a lame duck and transformed himself into an expert fighter/soul master through cultivation/levelling up throughout his adventure. The positive news here is that there is no overemphasis or overdependence on Xiao Zhan and Wu Xuanyi, as the other 5 members of the Shrek Team and the 2/3 teachers get their share of airtime too. This is a plus point because what makes some storylines unbearable is when you see the ML and FL dominates the scenes. Another great news is that romance is not given much emphasis in this series. You don’t have storyline where ML and FL would fall in love, got into some disagreement and separated, fall in love again, separated again, etc.
Another good thing is that there is not much fake studio setting. Where possible, the production team finds real bushes or secondary forests especially for scenes involving hunting of soul beasts. Okay, there were occasionally fake studio setting like in Ep 23 and 24 when the Seven Devils were fighting Fiend battle team in Xi Si City. I can’t understand the need for those mushroom-like structures in the fighting scenes, but they were not particularly hideous.
Tang San/Xiao Zhan is adorable but his character is very much Mary-Sue like. Brave, charming, handsome, righteous, honest, etc with tragic past and revenge mission. The female lead however tries too hard to be cute. Wu Xuanyi/Xiao Wu introduction in Ep 2 as she entered Nuoding Acadamy was so bad, it reeks of overacting. Granted her performances improves as the series progresses but she tries too hard to be cute in some of the scenes. When she acts normally, it looks more natural. Her acting will improve as gets into more drama, and she could be as popular as her “Rocket Girls 101” co-member, Yang Chaoyue, who is now ranked as a Forbes Top-100 Celebrity in China given the right dramas and movies. I don’t like Ou Si Ke’s character – too talkative and his penchant for writing during inopportune time like when they are about to fight left me baffled and confused.
There were numerous light-hearted moments that make this series enjoyable. I love watching Xiao Wu trying repeatedly to kiss Tang San but failed to do so; or DuGu Yan playfulness in claiming Tang San as her husband; or DuGu Bo eccentric humor and quirky common-sense; or Xiao Wu lack of understanding of male/female relationship, or Ms Liu obsession with Tang San’s sifu, etc. Too many instances to list them out but they make this series worth re-watching, albeit on selected episodes. The chemistry between Tang San and Xiao Wu is evident for all to see, because I believe, Xiao Wu’s happy go-lucky character fits Wu Xianyi natural disposition. This couple reeks of cuteness overload. The other couples don’t give me the same excitement as Tang San/Xiao Wu. And how did Calvin Chen as Tang San’s master be that good looking at 40!!
This is a CGI and VFX heavy production. Every time a character uses his/her inner power, CGI and/or VFX is required. I thought the CGI and visual effect were beautifully done and nothing was particularly amiss or looking out of place. The soul beasts are all computer generated too, and their incorporation into the fighting scenes are not bad either. Of course, there are times when the characters’ flying or qingqong seem to challenge the law of physics, but that is to be expected in this heavy-laden CGI/VFX that must have kept the CGI/VFX working overtime during the post production processes. On a related note, Visual Impact Digital Production, the company engaged to provide the CGI/VFX for the series admitted of plagiarism in the drama’s opening title sequene through the use of His Dark Materials and the character Jhin in League of Legends. Luckily this controversy was nip in the bud, and the c-drama was not affected by it.
Now the ending – typical expected ending with a prelude to Season 2 clearly in the minds of the Directors/Producers. There is a cliff-hanger that is designed to whet the viewers appetite for Season 2. Just hope that “Douluo Continent 2” will not suffer the same fate as “Evernight 2” – the sequel could not match the series original success; or “Princess Agents” where the sequel never takes off.
My overall verdict of this series is 8.0/10. A must watch for Xiao Zhan’s fans and those who like video-game type of levelling up. Plenty of funny and enjoyable moments.
Story - 9.0/10
Acting - 7.5/10
Music - 7.5/10
Rewatch value - 8.0/10
Overall - 8.0/10
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Story about friendship and growing up, plot falls flat.
I haven't read the manhua or anything else so this story was completely new to me. I searched some background information about the characters etc. so based on that I was really looking forward to this drama.The story is mostly about comradery between the characters. How they hone their skills, level up, fight together and form a team. There's some love but it's more like affection. If you are planning to watch this because of Xiao Zhan then go ahead but it doesn't necessarily carry through. He has the main role but the side characters with their backstories take a lot of space. That's why I stress the words "friendship" and "teamwork".
The main plot and side plots all fall flat. It was dragging until episode 26 then it kind of picked up. They have these mysteries going on, antagonists.. But nothing really happens. It's very predictable. I felt like everything only began in the last episode. Fighting scenes were kind of nicely executed compared to everything else.
The cast was okay. I think they did a good job with what they got. The characters all stay kind of.. superficial so the team's friendships seem also kind of so-so. Ou Si Ke was my favorite.
Music is just horrible. In some scenes it doesn't fit at all and then when it occurs all the time it starts to bother.
Overall I gave 6 out of 10. I watched it through but at times it was like pulling teeth. I just didn't want to give up. I was waiting for something to happen, the chemistry between them to deepen, to get a better idea of this supposedly magnificent original story but no. But I stayed for the fighting scenes.
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Meager Budget Great Outcome
A lot of people don't know that the production of Douluo Continent start of really really poor, that although the drama was filmed in early 2019 (as earlg as february of 2019), they only had last minute investors since the last quarter of 2020.Having said that, the production still manages to give a really wonderful adaptation of the drama.
They presented a good story line, different from the first adaptations (donghua, manhua). The CGI was really good that you won't even know they got a low budget from the very start if sources won't tell you. The music is refreshing since it gives a differeng vibe from the usual traditional chinese music vibe of costume dramas. The story gives you the feeling of wanting more episodes.
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This review may contain spoilers
THIS DRAMA MAKES ME WANT TO COME SOURCE TOMORROW FOR MORE EPISODES
story: I admit this story is interesting. Lots of puzzles. it's just that, I don't know the reason the producer shortened the number of episodes, while there were still many puzzles that weren't so clear, conveyed to the audience. The beginning of the episode was very neat by introducing the characters one by one so I quickly got to know all the players. mid-episode also made me even more excited because of the intrigue and the climax of the story. but .. the ending really 'spoiled' all that. I hope the second season continues their story, you don't need 40 eps, even 20 eps are enough.character: it's perfect. XZ plays his character nicely and well (he is the best at crying acting!). Even though WXY has made his first debut, it's enough to keep up with his co-stars (even though his voice is quite disturbing because he is too kid), Gao Taiyu is also very suitable to be the leader of a group! even her story with ZZC is so cute :) I love Ning Rongrong's talkative and spoiled character! Ou Si Ka really comforted me, Ao Si Yi too and all the Shi Lan Ke members! I Love You all !!
Music: I like the soundtrack of this drama. The opening song is truly an encouraging song, perfect for the seven of them. the songs sung by xiao zhan really made me melt. and the ending song by WXY is really sweet and calm
in conclusion I like this drama. and I hope the second season of this drama continues the story of the seven of them.
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This review may contain spoilers
So-so
At first I was really excited for this series , excited to know where and how the story going to played out .... however start from the mid of the series the plot just so so :( it is not really good, how the story going to turn out is easy to guess.... also at first I was really liked the FL character she is really cute and fun to watch because the child-like and naive personality but also from the mid the FL began to annoying to watch she just like magnet to the ML... wherever the ML go, she want to go to..... such a parasite character. in my opinion it’s disturb the ML character to show us more about the background stories of his past (family / clan(?) related ) and disturb to grow more his character .For example When the ML enter the interspace that his mother build the FL also enter... it is supposed to be mother-son bonded moment so we feels more about ML character. Idk why from that interspace moment I began to be more annoyed with the FL also there’s many unnecessary scene for the FL (is just my opinion) , this series could be more interesting to watch if unnecessary scene changed to scene that show us the ML lead bond with his father or maybe with the others cast... this series give us vibe “teammates” however why I don’t feels like there “a team” in there:( .
Aside from that, the ML growth in strength so absurd... they don’t give you enough information for the growth so it is safe to call it’s absurd... instead to explaining the strength or ability in ML , they installed the unnecessary scene that I mention above . The battle scene to just SO-SO.... the ML really doesn’t show us how much he capable is . And what give me more furious they don’t really give you “romance” .... the fl is clearly like magnet to the ml but they just don’t give you romance. If it’s like that then don’t give at all at the first place...
I hope at the second series they more focus in the ML character so we can know more about the ability and what the ML capable of. :)
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No spoilers
First of all, I did not read the novel or watch the anime, so this is my impression from the drama itself, regardless of how faithful it was to the source material.Overall I'm really impressed with it. It's not perfect, there are definitely things they could improve on, but on the whole I got the impression that there was a lot of work and thought put into the production.
I liked the general idea of this. It is a very cliché plot, sure, but in a good way. I really like characters like TS and the whole "chosen hero to change the world" thing feels nostalgic in a way.
I liked the pacing and the world building. For someone like me - with no preconceived knowledge - they did the introductory part really well. It was organic and built into the story, instead of a long boring lecture that I usually tune out after two sentences. The story sucked me in from the very beginning and kept me interested until the end. I did not skip a single scene and might even rewatch this when I have the time.
There's a lot of humor, it fit really well. Master and Headmaster are the best comedic duo in the c-drama, I've seen.
The characters are all written well, I understood their motivations (with few exceptions) and relationship development worked for me. There was only one exception: Tang San and Xiao Wu. I had no problems with XW as a character, yes she's childish, but it works for her and I didn't find her annoying. But they kind of went from "Hi" to "I will die for you" too fast, IMO. I didn't feel it. The rest of their relationship worked for me well enough. I do think Dai Mu Bai and Zhu Zhu Qing have a much more natural progression.
The acting is good, no one felt overexaggerated or fake. Acting is rarely a problem in c-dramas, so I have nothing more to say about it.
The CGI here is great. Can it be better? Sure. Are you watching a Hollywood movie? No. Some parts could be improved, but overall it looked like a part of the world, not like some cheap animation inserted into it. The CGI parts of the fights were always great.
The fights themselves, though... It was pretty good in the beginning, when there's hand to hand, but as soon as we get to fights with Marital souls, they flop. The fights (with the exception of the one in the last episode) lack action and end too abruptly, characters just stand around a lot waiting for something to happen.
And speaking of abrupt endings, some scenes are cut so weirdly. There's like a moment of anticipation and then we cut to the next scene and it turns out everything has ended. Sometimes it works, but sometimes it just "hey, what happened here?!".
I didn't have any problems with BGM, I didn't notice it. With one exception: XZ's song. And don't get me wrong, I love the song itself, but it seems like it was recorded after the fact and inserted into the scenes also after the fact, without much care whether it fits or not. The first time, worked ok, but the other two... there are people talking! Why are you adding a loud song with lyrics in the middle of the conversation? *facepalm*
I think, I can talk for hours, but without spoilers those are probably the most important parts. If you are still reading this (doubtful), then definitely give this a chance it's a very light easy to watch drama. All the things that I didn't like are minor and don't spoil the overall impression.
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DOULUO DALU novel series got my curiousity very much. Honestly, I enjoy reading it very much. I don't know how many times I have been re-reading it or replaying its animated counterpart though. Tang San is such a lovely character. His adventures to godhood is really interesting, of course, that includes other main lead characters.
I'm not a critic of some sort; however, since the time I started to indulge myself to Douluo Dalu, I easily have determined some changes to the novel's storyline to its manga or animated series counterpart. Moreover, the changes are still somewhat very entertaining, as they don't go beyond as to what has transpired in the novel itself.
Believe me, I am very excited for this drama adaptation just like you, most especially that Xiao Zhan portrays Tang San. However, just by watching the first episode already made me feel so sad and told myself, "They ruin it!"
The animated series and manga versions of Douluo Dalu series are still on-going. It's pretty easy to determine some flaws in this live-drama adaptation series.
If not because of Xiao Zhan, Calvin Chen, Ao Zi Yi, Shen Xiao Hai, James Wen, Li Hao and Du Jun Ze, I won't heartily finish watching this entire live-drama adaptation.
As for the sound and music, if they adapted Angela Zhang's Broken Cocoon or Jam Hsiao's Douluo Dalu the better. Special Effects and cinematography are still lacking as compared to the animated version.
You may compare the entire 40 episodes to Episode 1-108 of the animated series and/or Chapter 1-135 of the manga version to be able to know what I mean.
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Excellent CGI
It's a really intriguing story, it draws you in as you keep watching. It's fast paced also(or normal, no unnecessary fillers, so it makes you want to watch each episode to discover what happens).I watched without subs(didn't understand anything btw, but wanted to keep going), because I wanted to follow the story. Will watch with subs later when they're all available ?.
oh my God and also each cast is perfect for his/her role.
The chemistry between the 7 students and masters is ?.
...and the CGI, no comparisons. ...so good.
cinematography excellent.
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Charming unlike any other
Tang San is a perfect role model. I read a helpful review that this is good for the whole family. I agree. What I like about this drama is that it holds dear the parent-child bond and the bond between friends and brother/sister-in-arms. There is a clear storyline of having a moral compass, a good heart. So many feel-good moments. It's not fair to compare this to say Nirvana in Fire, which is considered a masterpiece. This one has its own charm.Every one of the characters, other than Tang San, when introduced, had personality flaws that bothered me, but soon I was rooting and cheering for them individually and as a team. Lots of rewatchable scenes. Good casting, good acting as well. Xiao Zhan did a great job portraying Tang San as the filial son, a pure heart. There is also plenty of action and adventure.
I've recommended this to a few, and they come back to me that they love it. My other half right away started binging it. I agreed with him that the Duoluo Continent does have a great "anime" feel to it.
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