Original: Tiān Guān Cì Fú
Where to find it: YouTube, Netflix
No. of episodes: 11 (+2 special episodes on Netflix)
The adaptation of a novel by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu
Other versions: Manhua
This drama is a Donghua (Chinese animation) with two protagonists, Xie Lian and Hua Cheng
(also known as San Lang). It is produced by BiliBili animation studios and also is on Netflix. To give some context, a lot of Chinese novels have a theme of Taoism, where if a man or a woman is fit, they can ascend to heaven and become gods. In this novel, there are two levels in heaven, the upper court and the middle court. The gods reside on the upper court whereas the demi-gods reside on the court below. Xie Lian ascended to heaven when he destroyed a monster at 17. He was originally the Crown Prince of Xianle. It is important to understand the element of magic and spiritual powers in this drama because they are seen everywhere throughout the series. Xie Lian tries to meddle in mortal matters after he ascends, but fails and is then banished. He was banished twice, the first time lasting only 30 minutes in heaven, but he ascends one more time as a winner of a one-time contest. This is already fishy and not a lot of emphasis is given to the reason why he ascended after 800 years.
To pay for the troubles he caused to the gods after he ascends, Xie Lian is made to go on an expedition to subdue a ghost in the mortal realm. This is where he meets Ghost King Hua Cheng.
The entrance of the second protagonist does not occur until the second episode, and even in the novel, it takes some time until he is introduced. Those who read the book already know about HC’s (Hua Cheng’s) silver butterflies, this appears when Xie Lian enters the mortal realm. I got goosebumps watching this scene. The art is flawless. The cuts are also pretty elegant, and the music does give a majestic vibe to the drama. There is also plenty of humour in the drama brought in by the characters Feng Xin and Mu Qing, (spoiler alert: they are Nan Feng and Fu Yao, the demi-gods sent to help Xie Lian) these two used to be the assistants of the Crown Prince but later also ascend and become martial gods (gods of the various martial arts).
There is quite a bit of build-up to the scene when San Lang (Hua cheng’s alter ego)is introduced, and it is also different from the novel. Although the novel did contain some build-up to the ‘vicious’ character that is Hua Cheng, the drama included scenes of Ling Wen (administrator of the upper and middle court) advising Xie Lian to keep away from Hua Cheng. This hints at the fact that the teenager, San Lang is actually Hua Cheng. They are surrounded by falling maple leaves, this is a superstition, when two people catch the same maple leaf, they are meant to be tied together.
There are many occasions where San Lang uses his powers as the Devil King to ward off evil spirits and ghosts. He is also extremely lucky, contradictory to Xie Lian who has only faced some
sort of bad luck throughout his life. There was a time in his life where he collected scraps for money after he descended back to the mortal realm. Yes, he is more than 800 years old, but still lacks any sense of the world. He still did not know how the upper court functioned, who was in the upper court and the details of the ghost kingdom. Seeing this gap in His highness’ knowledge, Hua Cheng swoops in and helps. This builds up their friendship.
Along the way, Xie Lian figures out the fact that San Lang is the alter ego of Hua Cheng but he couldn't care less. His principle is that no matter who it is if they like him and he likes them, it's ok. (I would hate him though he is a king, I would love him though he is a beggar) This showed that he gave no value to mortal titles. He was a crown prince and a god, but he was reduced to a beggar due to just one mistake. Although he now became a god, he has experience being on all walks of life.
In Conclusion, this drama is 11 episodes of adventure, fun and mystery. It is very engaging and also deep in terms of meaning. There are small details everywhere that you should try not to miss. If you ask me if you should read the book or watch the drama, I will say do what you want. I read it first, so I enjoyed watching how it was visualized. You could also read the manhua (Chinese comics) online. There are other dramas of MXTX’s novels, ‘The Untamed’ live-action remake of ‘The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation’ and a Donghua of The Scum Villain’s Self saving system. Don’t be thrown off by the names because they are Chinese novels that are translated, so some bits may be lost in translation. They are really fun to watch and explore.
Season two comes out in December or in January (2022) Stay tuned!
Thank you for reading!
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