Synopsis:
This is a beautiful and magical legend. To escape the war-torn world, the warm and cheerful Miao girl, Nasheng, embarks on a long and arduous journey in search of her dream homeland—Yunhuang. But is Yunhuang truly the paradise of legend? With every step she takes into this mysterious land, a series of bizarre and thrilling tales of storm and stress unfold. One after another, legendary figures with distinct and extraordinary personalities make their appearance, weaving together poignant and beautiful mythological tales
Genre: Fantasy
Number of episode: 16
Studio: Foch Film
Type: 3D Animation
Where to watch?: WeTV
Douban Score: 6.9
Tencent rating: 9.0 (with > 35k raters)
My rating: Love to Watch, casually
Status: Season 1 complete. Not sure if there will be continuation.
Recommended if you like:
- A fantasy story with fantastic world-building
- Story about war, enslavement, betrayal, revenge, and reconciliation
What I Like
- I like the world-building of this story. It feels like a fantasy epic, the kind I usually really enjoy. However, despite this fascinating background, the execution left something to be desired.
- Na Sheng is very cute. I also like Crown Prince Zhen Lan.
My Other Comments
- I feel this donghua doesn’t sufficiently explain the story’s background. It had the potential to be a profound exploration of war, enslavement, betrayal, revenge, and reconciliation, but only if it had elaborated on the conflicts between the Merpeople, Kongsang, and the Ice Tribe. Instead, the narrative downplays this deep-seated hatred and racial enslavement. It wasn’t until I read a summary of the novel that I understood that 7,000 years ago, with the help of the Merpeople’s Sea Emperor, Lang Xuan and Bai Wei unified Yunhuang and became the founding emperor and empress of Kongsang. Lang Xuan then betrayed the Sea Emperor and enslaved the Merpeople, subjecting them to a living hell. Then, about a hundred years ago, the Merpeople helped the Ice Tribe overthrow Kongsang. However, after their victory, the Ice Tribe proved to be even worse than Kongsang in their treatment of the Merpeople.
- Su Mo is likely far more compelling in the novel, but the donghua make me feel that he is not interesting enough. How he gets a crucial role as the Merpeople’s hope is unclear, and the narrative provides little insight into his mentality and internal struggle. So despite his tragic past as a slave, the donghua’s oversimplified characterization makes it difficult for me to feel any attachment toward him.
- On the other hand, Zhen Lan is portrayed as “perfect” in the donghua. But since he is the crown prince of Kong Sang (a racist tribe that enslave the Merpeople), I wonder what his reaction was to his father’s regime. He appears to be a righteous and kind person, so I’m curious how he reconciles that with the fact that his tribe is evil.”
My Donghua Review 
Leave a comment