The Swords (2024)

Synopsis:

The world is vast and full of wonders. In the mystical realm of Lizhu Cave, a destitute youth destined for greatness finds his fate upended when his life-bound porcelain shatters. Though fortune beckons, it remains tantalizingly out of reach. As a result, powerful figures begin weaving intricate schemes around him, turning the boy into the linchpin of their designs. While those around him reap extraordinary opportunities, the youth himself is left standing alone at the eye of the storm…

Genre: Action, Fantasy, Adventure

Number of episode: 26

Studio: Cloud Art

Type: 3D Animation

Where to watch?: WeTV, Youtube

Douban Score: 8.8

Tencent rating: 9.4 (> 4 million raters)

My rating: Absolute Cinema

Status: Season 1 complete. Season 2 is airing.

Recommended if you like:

Intricate story with scheming, action & fantasy
Story that dabble in oriental philosophy
From Zero to Hero
Visual. The graphic is visually stunning with ink-wash aesthetic

What I Like

I really like Chen Ping’an & Ning Yao. Chen Ping’an is probably the unluckiest protagonist of donghua that I ever watch. His life-bound porcelain shatters, make him almost can never grasp any opportunity. But his strong will to survive, his persistence & determination despite having such a hard and unlucky life, moved the “greatest opportunity” to acknowledge him. Chen Ping’an is just an ordinary boy, but he’s able to fight immortals with high cultivation using his brain & agility. Ning Yao is kind, strong & loyal. Really my type of girl
There’s a lot of plot twist in this donghua. Basically, all scenes that seemingly just trivial matter here are part of scheme & Go game between powerful immortal. I read the novel and the villain in the 1st season is not really the mastermind. You probably will be shocked to know who actually is the mastermind of season 1 story.

My Other Comments

I think people who isn’t familiar with donghua or Chinese culture might have a hard time to understand it. Tbh, it’s very hard to adapt the novel. There’s a lot of intricate scheme here. Many scenes that you thought just a random one actually means a lot more later. So to understand this donghua, you need to think a lot & pay attention to detail. Not to mention a lot of cultivation concept in this donghua might seems foreign for people. While I actually like this aspect, some people might feel lost.
There’s quite some translation mistake in the English subtitle of this donghua.
There is a live action version with title “The One” where my favorite actor, Wu Lei, will star as Chen Ping’an.

Other Fun Facts

The Swords is an award-winning animation. It won Golden Monkey King Awards, Golden Screenwriter’s Night, Golden Swan Awards, and Golden Penguin Awards. It won Animation IP of the Year in 2025 Weibo Culture Night. Recently it is nominated in the Golden Panda Awards Animation and 22nd CACC Golden Dragon Award.

Link to watch The Swords season 1:

WeTV (season 1): https://wetv.vip/en/album/4ewnyu4xzukwknv

WeTV (season 2): https://wetv.vip/en/album/mlz46dus64wwr4y

Youtube (Season 1):