I’m really enjoying this donghua more and more. The pacing has slowed down a bit but this is just the calm before the storm. For me, in terms of the story development and the animation quality, it’s definitely in the same tier as BTTH and SL. It’s a pity that it’s not well-known and so much less popular. This lower realm arc, especially after SH became the emperor until his death, is one of the best arcs although it only makes up the first 30% of the novel. Sadly, the last30% of the novel is where it goes downhill. I guess this is the curse of all Chinese online fictions where most of them have horrible endings. I can only pray that the production studio will tweak the last bits and give it a happy ending. But that will be at least 3 years later.

In the meantime, let’s hope they up their game for this season’s finale or at least maintain this decent quality.

I am waiting for Zhe Tian and which is part of it's trilogy to come out kek

Anyway for those Stellar Transformation fans, season 5 will be out on the 26th Dec

Can’t wait

it must be pretty well known.....at least where it matters ........because it has been airing for 2-3 years every week......which is saying something in a world where things get outdated pretty fast

Just curious but have you ever read the novel 'Versatile Mage or Quanzhi Fashi' ?

Sorry, I haven’t. Are you recommending it to me? I usually only start a light novel if I really like the donghua. Sadly, I don’t find the time to read other stuffs.

The novel is top tier . Just read it and you will find it to be a great story

The donghua may disappoint you because of the animation . But I think the novel will impress you

SL is C Tier at best. BTTHs is around B-Tier. This one C+ Tier

That’s your ranking, not mine! But yes, SL has taken a turn for the worst and it has dropped out of my top 5 but Tang San remains one of my favourite MCs of all time.

I know you’re a big fan of BTTH, and I don’t refute that its popularity is well-deserved but to each their own. IMO, if I were to rank them, Fanren would remain at the top, BTTH is only the runner-up. And no, none of them deserves a “C” rating (even if you compare them with Disney or Pixar)!

agreed my number 1 is also DOUPO CANGQIONG as overall but a ranking system for these shows is tuff because you would have different number 1's in many catagories... for example fight scenes #1 BTTH and Perfect World with perfect world slightly better.....animation #1 Fenren but they need to do something with the eyelashes asap....you know what i mean.... Story #1 swallowed star Fenren and Btth based on animation out so far only .....dont know about the novels....just a few examples and you can break it down even further like story for example....unique story swallowed star overall story many believe fen ren or btth however depending on how you rate story they could fall far from number 1 because they both are pretty much the classic cultivation based storylines so if you rate story by original storyline as a deciding factor the latter may fall down the list alot further then ppl realize but yeah overall it all depends on the viewer

I'm not comparing them with those big names. I'm comparing with the actual good Chinese novels. Bear in mind that many of Hollywood, Disney and Pixar's productions have budgets in the hundred millions while a lot of these Chinese products have significantly lower budgets and they sometimes use interns.

Fanren Anime deserves to be in the A Tier. Despite there are some flaws and the technological limitations, the animation studio are fans who truly understands the novel and have the author himself to consult.

If you actually understand what I was saying, it should be quite obvious that I'm not a fan of BTTHs considering I only give it B.

SL is ranked D - Failure by some people in the Chinese community and Tang San is just a hypocrite who happens to be the author's self-insert and a Mary Sue.

TF you are doing here? This is Perfect World series not A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality, if you don't like other series then what are you doing here? Stay in A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality's pages then, stop being a Dave!

I think his more of a Billy no mates than a Dave and rather over imposing :P

If you think Tang San’s a Mary Sue then you probably haven’t been reading the novel seriously and didn’t understand his character. But then again, Han Li doesn’t even give me a chance to understand him because the novel is so boring, flat, singular and one-dimensional. I had to drop the novel after reading 40 chapters. The donghua not only gave Han Li a face lift but also a 180 degree character upgrade.

Even after the changes for Han Li, I still found that show rather boring. Perfect world is more enjoyable.

I definitely understand Tang San's character. He is an author's self-insert that was done more discreetly, but nonetheless, a Mary Sue
Considering you said you don't even understand his character from the novel and dropped it after 40 chapters and only noticed the most superficial face lift and saw all the changes as 180° character upgrade shows how little you understand the novel and why all the changes done in the donghua by the animation studio are so reasonable and hence I give Fanren's donghua A Tier.

But this particular one C+ and SL C or less.
Perfect World Donghua's changes doesn't express the characters and what happens better. It makes up for extremely pretty 1v1 fights, but honestly, the fights aren't as good as BTTHs.
Soul Land donghua was good at first, but it gets worse over time (a few good episodes doesn't automatically make the whole thing good) and is especially glaring recently. It also doesn't express the characters and what happens in the novel better either.
BTTHs has been dropping lately, but combined with past few seasons, it is still better overall.
Fanren's donghua I give A Tier simply because the animation studios understood why Han Li is like a heartless Cultivation Drone who trusts no one and heading down a cold hearted machine path if he had not met Nangong Wan, Yuan Yao and Wang Ning/Ziling. It is also clear that all changes they make to Donghua also makes sense, believable and did after taking consideration with understanding.

I can't go into details without spoiling so the reasons sound vague.
This is just my opinion, why are you acting like I cannot voice my opinion?

You’re funny. You came to Perfect World’s discussion to diss every donghua except for what you think it’s the best in a very domineering and assertive way and you accuse me of “acting like you cannot voice your opinion”? Now who is imposing his thoughts and judgement on who?

Btw, this whole Tang San Mary Sue’s discussion is just subjective to begin with but you’re downright judgmental when you keep harping that Tang San is the author’s self insert without even analysing the real character in the novel. While I agree that TJSS can be arrogant and full of himself but he actually wrote Tang San in such a way that justifies his brilliance by giving very technical and tactical explanations to his actions and thinking. Does that mean every author who writes about a smart and talented MC is a Mary Sue? Actually there’s nothing wrong with the author idealising themselves in their own story if they could develop their character in a justifiable and logical way. I’m sure deep inside we all have/had this little desire in us hoping that our lives are like the fairytale. Furthermore some readers treat reading fictions as a form of escapism. They don’t want to read about a struggling MC who is just mediocre like everyone else.

Back to TJSS, I don’t deny that in his later sequels, he takes to the extreme of immortalising his late wife in his story and even started idealising a fairytale happy ever after. But that is the sequel(s) and DD did not start of like that. His wife was still alive and kicking when he wrote DD. And strictly speaking, his pseudonym TJSS came from an entirely different meaning than what is commonly perceived as the “third young master of the Tangs”. It was actually his homonymous wordplay from his childhood memory “add three teaspoons of sugar”. It just so happened that he achieved fame after DD and the name Tang San soon became synonymous with the author himself. Of course, he was realistic or should I say, materialistic enough to use this to his advantage and later he even exploited his wife’s death and their sad sob love story to further expand his DD sequels. I’m explaining all these to show that although I’m fully aware of the author’s history and his controversial works, the first DD if we exclude the current state of the donghua (for the most parts) still has its merits and deserves its name or fame.

As for Han Li, I believe I have enough understanding to say that the donghua Han Li and the novel Han Li are almost like two different persons but all in all, he’s still a rather bland character albeit relatable. And no, I did not just read only 40 chapters but I’ve watched videos and read tons of synopsis and summary of the whole plot progression from neutral sources, some are even from fans’ reviews. As i mentioned in my previous comment, I fully acknowledge the distinctions of Fanren donghua but that doesn’t mean other donghuas are not comparable. Motion capture alone does not make up for other inadequacy and every other donghua that garner the top 5 or even the top 10 spots in China all has its own merits and attractions. But you on the other hand, came in here to assert your very subjective opinions and diss everyone else’s likes and preferences. It’s fine if you like one and not the others, just try not to put others down. To quote @Dase: one man’s trash is another man’s treasure! Yes i swapped it around because what you view as trash can be another person’s treasure.

Agreed, fanren number 1

One man's treasure is another one's trash (yeah I swapped it around kek)

Fanren fanren

IDK about any tier system and how any of you base things... if it is from reading the novels and then watching the animation then I would consider it a flawed system as animation is "based" on the novel and almost never going to follow them exactly....I dont read any of the novels and I am glad I dont because it allows me to watch the animation with no expectations...If I happen to read a novel it would be after viewing a animation that completely captivated me....there are a few but honestly dont have the time to read... As far as Perfect World......it was fun in the beginning although the translation wasnt as good as now but ever since MC fought his cousin (double Pupil) this show has left almost every other in the dust and set a standard for colossal attack scenes, especially in a 1 v 1 or 1 v many situations. Would love to see this studio remake some Dragonball Z fights because they are def number 1 when it comes to showing the power of godly cultivators...

Bruh, you're clown 🤡 to say DD is C tier donghua, what about fanren is so unique, you're just bunch of clowns who started watching donghua some months ago

More like you're the 🤡 here since DD is getting from bad to worse and the sales aren't great because people are so done with his Tang San mary sue shit, subtle or not.

another thing about perfect world i dont really see anyone commenting on and no other donghua really has is the deity and beasts fighting....I like that not all the deity's decide to take a humanoid form... or have to in order to fight...Im watching this and im like the fcking pagoda gonna fight a mountain wtf and then they fight epically... Now idk about you but you have to be pretty clever to think of a way to give a fcking pagoda fight techniques thatll impress anyone....but they did....cudos to them..... love all the weird flaming trees and 9 headed lions fighting and sht..... flaming tree guy had his own clan lmfao

You forgot about the divine striking stone! Lol!

You’re absolutely right, PW‘s world building and characters diversity is simply amazing. Imagine the MC is alone throughout his life and his best friend is a stone! To top that, his teacher is a tree, the assistant is a pagoda and his buddies put a circus to shame.

Yay stellar transformations are back on monday i cant wait . This donghua is really amazing and i cant wait for martial universe also xddd

I see in the comments that BTTH, SL, and PW are people's number 1 favorite donghua. I don't see Fanren, and I'm quite surprised. Fanren is my all-time best show; storyline, animation, and mc. The most realistic donghua I've ever seen.

Yep, me personally I would rate Fanren number 1 as well. I like SL but I just hate cringey as childhood relationships that Chinese animations and shows tend to do. I would also rate mdzs and btth top tier as well.

Unfortunately, as you probably read in the comments, others close their minds to the purpose and direction of the story (Fanren) and say it's trash just because the mc is aware of his current dilemma and is intentional about his priorities.

animation is about the best thing fenren has atm..... if the other 3 mentioned got a fanren animation makeover they would smoke fanren....They already place above it in many categories like fight scenes... I happen to like Han Li as an MC and can feel the humanity in him and like the fact that he cant just dig deep and win every battle.... however Han Li not having plot armor is a joke...I mean he literally has walking plot armor of his dead bro who died in the first season but is somehow stronger then the Mc to date....he also killed a guy he should not have been able to..any Mc not having plot armor is a joke they are the MC it goes hand in hand. However Fanren has been slow and just as things picked up Han Li lost his cultivation and had to start over which slowed things back down again

If you think animation is all Fanren donghua has, you didn't understand the whole story enough to notice the attention to details which is primarily the reason why I put it in the A tier. Not because the animation is good. Motion capture sure, but in terms of animations, Perfect World and Swallowed Star (called Tunshi Xingkong here) are just as strong and Fanren's animation alone isn't enough to let me place it so high in my book.

They understand the characters and the big picture, then add details that are believable, possible, very often better than novel. Very often you hear things like 'Oh read the novel, it's better than the lousy animation'

Fanren's case is quite different, among the Chinese community, they view Fanren donghua as a completely different beast from its novel.

The only story I know is from the animation released so if the animation is killing the novel (in a good way) then I can understand the hype as it would def be 1 of the few where the animation outdoes the written source material....not just in donghua but in all forms of entertainment

Yes Fanren is one of the rare case of the animation outdo the written source material.

I totally concur with you. Fanren is top (in my ranking) mainly because of the motion capture animation. In terms of the storyline, it’s very linear and unidirectional. I also like Han Li in the donghua very much. His character is more realistic and relatable but the real character in the novel is a direct opposite. The production studio really put in their A-game in Fanren but that doesn’t mean it tops other donghuas in everything. Just for the storyline, i like BTTH the most but in terms of the coolest and the most likeable MC, Shi Hao takes the crown! And yes, PW’s battle scene depiction is definitely top class.

Maybe it’s a blessing that you don’t read the novel, I’m the exact opposite. When I really enjoy a donghua, I’d read the novel to have a deeper understanding and “appreciation” for the characters and the story itself. Of course, the drawback is that I might be completely disappointed with either the novel (like in Fanren) or in how the donghua is adapted or butchered (like in Soul Land).

The reason why Han li was able to defeat that Core Formation dude is because the guy used up most of his true essence to defeat his close friend who was also as strong as him, in one strike. So, you'd see that he was severely injured and weakened after that. Also, Han li did not defeat him with shear cultivation power. First, he tricked him psychologically into thinking he had the upper hand causing him to underestimate Han li and later used his most powerful formation. (I hope that's the opponent you were referring to)

Don't forget when Elder Gu escaped from the weakened Nascent Soul Lightning Peng's rampage with Wu Chou, he was coughing, hinting that Elder Gu was injured in the process.

So Elder Gu was not just exhausted of Core Essence, he was injured and throughout half the fight, he was blinded by greed, still trying to convince Han Li to surrender and not going for the kill.

If he was at 100%, hell 80%, he would've been able to subdue Han Li with relative ease. He was like in 50% from exhausting large amount of core essence, then he got injured from escaping nascent soul level Lightning Peng's rampage. Even less than 50%.

Even from early episodes, the skills Han Li practiced are established as extremely time consuming but condenses their Spirit Qi (God Qi) which will make them stronger thus increasing chance of successfully Core Formation, the Cyan Sword skill was also stated although incomplete, is insanely powerful.

Then before the arena, it was established that Han Li had dispersed his powers (due to Nangong Wan) and condensed his powers already! Then Han Li is pinnacle of Foundation, often called False Core Stage.

Both Han Li and Qu Hun are at Peaked Foundation stage ganging up on 1 weakened + injured + greedy + underestimate + fell to deceit + fighting in enemy's territory.

Yeah, Elder Gu and his friend was weak. No wonder he can't make it to Nascent Soul on his own, no wonder he fell to Han Li's traps so easily.

I hope they put in as much effort on Han Li's 1v1 with his antithesis - Han Li work hard on his own, you go no nut november, Han Li literally no nut 20-40 years, sometimes 100-200 years! While his antithesis the guy specializes in fucking a different woman everyday to boost his power.

Han Li and his Antithesis are equal cultivation level when they fought, same level spiritual strength, magic artifacts 50/50 throughout the whole fight. That would be the most difficult fight to animate!

Oh look great motion capture fight scenes, A+++++, oh look great realistic CGI but looks fake A++++++, oh look all the girls look about the same A+++++. oh look same story Han Li always runs away, good guys cant seem to catch a break A++++++ oh a boring novel made slightly better by the two studios involved A+++++

lol

Although I dont doubt Fanren is made BETTER by the two studios the novel is so boring that the author had to write the second novel to fix the first lol

Han Li is not talented like Shi Hao or Xiao Yan. He has to put in absolute focus in his cultivation otherwise the effects of the passage of time will catch with him, so he has no time to waste on building romantic relationships in the beginning (you of all people should know that).

Xiao Yan reached godhood (dou di) at age 35. Look at that! At that age, Han li was still at Early-Stage Foundation Establishment, with only 110 years of life, and you want him to go after women?

You'll also see that the girls he met in the beginning did not have much interest in achieving immortality like Han li. They just wanted to live a simple and peaceful life. Their goals greatly differed from his, following them will only hold him back.

Other mc's are protected by plot amour in times of danger, but Han li doesn't have any cliche hidden power, so it is reasonable for him to avoid conflicts as much as possible.

In reality, a smart/talented student can spend majority of his time watching anime or doing other things and still ace his tests, but an average student must resist or greatly limit the time he spends on all those things before getting a good grade.

his dead brother got all the hidden power.. Han Li def has plot armor he walks with him everywhere although he been dead since the first season he somehow is still stronger then the MC to date...but the first time Han Li left him he wasn't nearly as strong as now....a lifeless corpse shouldn't be able to cultivate and even if you animate the corpse it should only be as strong as the guy at death or perhaps the level of the animator.... this my friend is plot armor

Sure, he had a few things that helped him in his journey but it's nothing compared to what we see in other cultivation donghua's. I hope you've already watched the latest episode of Swallowed Star; you'll know what I'm talking about.

Every MCs are more or less protected by plot armor. This is why I've never mentioned plot armor. Everyone is the same.

I've never talk about animation either. Apparently people don't seem to get what I was saying. Fanren... no, Chinese animations were never known for their quality. If they want quality, go watch AAA Pixar OR Japanese Anime

I don't recall saying it should be everyone's favorite show. I was only "surprised" no one mentioned it.

lol

Has anyone ever read against the gods?

Lol what happened to the brother, talk about doing a 180" for a character. Not complaining I prefer him not being a whiny brat but say something already, stop with the grunting responses.

just a small village but there's Strong ancient Beast and a God willow tree the Village have a very long story even the God Willow didn't abandon it but instead transported the entire land of the village that covered by her aura there's something in that village that the series didn't show yet. I think it came from the upper realm where comparable to the world tree that can create it's own domain and become a new world the Perfect World

While I didn't read the novel I got a lot of spoilers from tik tok. The reason why the series is called perfect world is cuz the main character will sever the connection of this world(including the upper realm and other worlds) with a higher realm(the race there is invading and sacrificing other realms), leaving behind a ''perfect world" for the future