The Degenerate-Drawing Jiang Hu (2014)

Synopsis:

The story takes place at the end of the Tang Dynasty, when the situation was turbulent, both the dynasty and the people were terrified. The mysterious organization “buliangren” affiliated with the government have all disappear, and the priceless treasure of the national treasury is also missing. Legend has it that all the secrets are hidden on the Longquan Sword, and those who get the Longquan Sword will have the ability to control the world.

Genre: Drama, Martial Art

Number of episode: 183

Studio: Rocen Digital

Type: 3D Animation

Where to watch?: WeTV, Youtube

Douban Score: 8.4 (season 1), 8.0 (season 2), 7.9 (season 3), 9.1 (season 4), 8.3 (season 5), 9.4 (season 6), 6.0 (season 7)

My rating: A Good Time, But Will Probably Forget It Tomorrow (season 1 -2), Love to Watch (season 3), Must-Watch (season 5), Absolute Cinema (season 4 & 6)

Status: Season 7 complete. Waiting for Season 8

Recommended if you like:

Intricate story about power struggle in empire and kingdoms.
Story inspired by historical events
Story about friendship

What I Like

The story in this donghua is inspired by historical events, although of course it’s fictionalize. The main characters are fictional, but a lot of characters here are historical figures.
I think this is one of donghua where you can really feel the growth of the characters. They have their own flaws and not perfect, but it makes the story more engaging. I like a lot of the characters here, even the side characters are charming.
There’s a lot of comedy in this donghua, although there’s also a lot of heartbreak.
I think this donghua has distinctive character design, which I really like.

My Other Comments

The first season of this donghua was made in 2014 & the 3D animation is not up to the current standard. So I have quite a hard time to finish season 1 & season 2😂. Season 3 is better but still not really good. But starting from season 4, the animation began to be really good. After all, season 4 is in 2021 so the technology has become better.
I feel like they add too many jokes in season 1 & 2, also season 3. While a lot of the jokes here are funny, there’s quite a lot of jokes that didn’t land. Some of the jokes also outrageous/ in a bad taste. But I think starting from season 4, this problem is minimal.

Other Fun Facts

The Degenerate-Drawing Jiang Hu is an award winning animation that has win CACC Golden Dragon Award, China (Jilin) Animation, Golden Spider Awards, Golden Dolphin Awards & Beijing Television Arts and Literature Innovation Awards
The director and screenwriter for each season of this donghua are different (although there’s also some where it’s the same).