Continente Douluo (2021)

Good pacing! finally!

TLDR: A well paced wuxia drama with flawed characters, rare for the genre! (this review contains spoilers)

I should say first that this review will be very biased since the manhua this show is based on was one of my favorites back in 2015. I was familiar with the story going in, but it had been a while since I had read it so I had forgotten a lot of it. Overall I really liked this series, it's in my top 3 for sure. When I watch a show I mostly pay attention to the characters and their arcs, and less to the plot, so my review will also be mostly about what I thought of the characters in this story (and how it differs from what I remember from the manhua). This is my first review, so feel free to tell me if I write something wrong ^^

CHARACTERS:

TangSan:
Major main character plot armor, and reckless to a fault. He's super trusting of people, and so he quite the colorful collection of friends over the course of the story. He is also a lot more flawed in the show than he is in the manhua, and I felt that this was handled appropriately by the script writer and I enjoyed it. The reason he overcomes so many obstacles so quickly is because of his parents, and the practical treasure trove they left him as far as magical items go. The only reason he even survives the last boss encounter in the last episode is because of his dad. I love all the characters in this story, but I would've enjoyed his character arc more if he didn't give of rich boy vibes.

XiaoWu:
Best Girl ^tm. I love her, and all her character stands for. I'd say shes a good example of a flat character arc, and when it's just as important for a character to stick to their values even when they encounter plot obstacles. I just hope she gets more development in the second season. Some people probably think her relationship with TangSan is weird, but it's pretty much the same in the manhua so I was already used to it.

The other Shrek Seven Devils:
All with justifiable flaws according to their characters. I especially enjoyed the drama's interpretation of MaHongJun, giving him visible trouble with his anxiety in stressful situations. Often characters with fire powers are shown to have issues with anger, so I thought is was interesting to see his fire control be rooted in not feeling overwhelmed/threatened.

Spirit Hall:
For the first half of the show I was pretty disappointed with the series's portrayal of the spirit hall organization. Towards the end though, I enjoyed the interactions between TangSan and HuLieNa. I really liked how the issues they have with their parents are mirrored, and they have this unspoken understanding even though they don't know each other's real identities.

TangHao (TangSan's father):
A horrible father >:( I wish we got to know more about him, but since the story is from TangSan's perspective, he doesn't show up very often. His exact ties to spirit hall was actually a twist I didn't see coming, I hope we get to know his backstory more in the second season.

DuguBo (aka poison master):
My personal favorite character. I can't help but love those hard to deal with, overly truthful characters I guess lol. The interactions between him, TangSan and XiaoWu are really funny to me. I liked him even more in the manhua, since he shows up more.

The other titled douluo masters :
Props to the author for making this world seem so big with so many different levels of characters. One of my favorite parts of this story is how many unique power sets there are, from your basic fire manipulation, to animal-inspired fighting characteristics, to an especially good hammer lol. I thought that chrysanthemum master specifically was a really charming character and his powers were super interesting, though it sucks that he's a bad guy.

PLOT:

The first plot really only exists for the three main characters to meet, its not really addressed in any plot points later on. It's whatever. The part of the show I enjoyed the most was when the Shrek Seven Devils are forming and training together, I could feel the chemistry between all of them and the pacing was good. The tournament arc was more boring because you knew that they were going to win the entire time, the stakes weren't that high. I wish there was more time spent with DuguYan and in the inter-layer space, since that was a really interesting part of the manhua, and helps explain TangSan's past a bit more thoroughly. The last two episodes were pretty drawn out, but other than that, my only real complaint though is that there isn't more! I'm not a fan of cliffhanger endings >:(

COSTUME / MUSIC / SETS:

This was pretty average compared to other recent wuxia dramas I've seen. I don't really like the opening or closing songs, but the instrumentals that played during the episode were effective. Their costumes were more fantasy rather than historically accurate, and each character had a very distinct style. This made the costuming seem kind-of disjointed, but made it easier to memorize all the characters. I would say that this is not the most realistic or convincing drama as far as the art direction goes, but I can forgive that since the original story takes place in a loosely earth-based fantasy world.

RE-WATCH VALUE:

I generally don't re-watch series so I can't give a fair judgement of this category, though I think I might re-watch this in a couple years once I've forgotten some of it. I'm definitely going to watch the donghua though, since I hear that the story is interpreted differently in it.

Thanks for reading my ramblings, Here's hoping for a season 2!

Leia Mais

A Variety of People forming the most Formidable Team + I Lost it when Calvin Chen went Topless~!!

Definitely on my Top 10 BEST Chinese costume drama EVERRR~

I will never get enough of this. I honestly need the S2 as soon as possible, as in, 'A.S.A.P'~!!

I never really thought I would enjoy this drama to this great length. I mean, it started really interesting with a rather mysterious yet usual fantasy-wuxia concept and as time passes by, issues and negative stuff arises but this show is on a completely different level compared to those I've watched so far.

It may look similar or even identical to some but 'the-hell-I-care'. This drama has its own spice that keeps it on top of the rest of its kind. I can't exactly explain how it is better than other dramas but one thing I know is that it completely catched and locked my attention into it. It's probably just my personal preference after all, but, who cares? what's important is that it was able to cater and satisfy my liking beyond expectation.

In terms of story phasing and progression— I admit, it was a bit slow-paced at first and I felt like many sequences were wasted just to build things up but then after a while you'll just realize that it was created for a purpose. Mostly those scenes were setup as a way to give us proper intoduction for the main cast and I just learned to appreciate and accept them as it goes on.

The whole vibe of the drama is really light and entertaining; Probably the reason why I was so indulged and fascinated by it and of course, who even wanna watch a heartbreaking and complicated story when you can have something light and this entertaining?

Some of the scenes may look ridiculous and the power scaling may not make sense at times but it was able to fill those flaws by how efficient and tactical they are in presenting fighting scenes and story build up. Up until the very end it was able to keep my interest so alive even when it off screened the most hype fights. I will definitely wait for the next season to come and I just wish for them to keep the same cast as much as possible.

Story - 10, I contemplated so much about this but after so much consideration I still decided to give it a full mark. Story may not be completed and we're left with a cliffhanger but it was understandable because S2 was expected and planned in the first place. Slow-pacing should've affected my rating as well but they were able to redeemed themselves by giving us impressive fighting and entertaining scenes. Although towards the end it has become a bit fast-paced and they off-screened lots of things but as I mentioned in my bio some of these things doesn't matter as long as I got extremely entertained by it.

Acting/Cast - 10, Outstanding set of Artists! I can never ask for more. It feels like they are created for their characters and they just owned it. I'm very satisfied with everyone's execution and performance and god know how I wish for them to retain their roles when S2 happens.

Music - 10, Refreshing choice of Music. I really commend how this drama went with a Fantasy-Journey theme and sounded song as an opening. It reminded me of Fushigi Yuugi's opening theme. I really love the songs used in this drama.

Rewatch Value - 10, Of course!! I might even rewatch it once the next season comes out. Come on! This drama is just a cut above the rest for me. No discussions needed!

Overall - 10, Despite all the negative things I still commend this drama for making my 'watching experience' one of the best. It may have struggled when it comes to pacing overall but they were able to turn those around with all the other great stuff they incorporated in this production. Highly Recommend!

If you find my review helpful please let me know

Leia Mais

I think like most other people, I watched this drama for Xiao Zhan after seeing him in The Untamed. I'll be as transparent as possible and not just say how great it was of a show because I'm a XZ fan. If you're someone who has seen hundreds of dramas and shows, one right after another, then I'm sure you know it's hard to commit to a drama since after a while nothing seems to be intriguing anymore. I must have to say that this is me for the past year. I've constantly started dramas and put them on hold one after the other however this was different for DC. Originally I never wanted to watch this because I knew that I would speed through this drama I would feel empty inside afterward.

Here's my breakdown:

Story: Strong yet weak. I think that the story was fine how it was but some parts were weak. The Seven Devils fought their way from the bottom to the top. Throughout the course of the story, they only had a few setbacks. And as for battles I loved their scenes and such however after a while it seems a bit impossible to just you know advance. One of the big lessons is to "never give up even if it's hard" and "to always preserve even though there is such little hope" which is a really good theme. As the story focuses on Tang San and Xiao Wu, there are a few side stories that aren't explained clearly. (SPOLIER ALERT!! SKIP IF YOU WANT TO WATCH) Even the ending was a bit vague. Like screen goes back and sudden we're here in the forest and no explanation of what on Earth happened. Which leaves room for the second season. (I've heard rumors that the second season focuses on the later generation. I don't know how on earth that's gonna work when this story hasn't even been wrapped up yet but we'll see.) (END OF SPOILER!!)

Acting/Cast: I honestly love the look of the entire cast. I love their similar yet different colored outfits. But seriously, someone needs to get Ma Hong Jun a partner. Poor guy just being a lightbulb (iykyk) literally every inch of the way ever since his appearance. Now I know that there are some arguments about Xiao Wu but I honestly think she did a pretty good job. Her Martial Soul is a bunny/rabbit. Therefore the way she acts resembles a rabbit. Cute. That's all I can pretty much say for her. And yes, Tang San is protective of her because he treats her like his sister and lover. (SPOILER AHEAD!!!) The last part wasn't necessary and it wasn't mentioned until the very end. I know a lot of people were disturbed about this but I just want to make it sure that he treated Xiao Wu as his sister when his father left him. He felt lonely and so they decided to become "siblings". They are in no way related to each other. Therefore it's not really disturbing.

Music: This is probably the most problematic. There's a problem with audio depending on what platform you're watching from. For those who are planning to watch on youtube, I recommend that you don't and just either download the Tencent Video (WeTv) app instead. On youtube, there's this weird thing in nearly every episode where 2-3 minutes of the audio goes out and is completely replaced with music. On the app or website, there's no audio cut.

Rewatch Value: If you've seen some of my other reviews, you know that I usually put a rewatch value that is very low. The reason being is I never rewatch something I've already seen unless it's necessary.

Overall: If you find yourself wanting to give up after the first couple eps, I'd stay just carry on, you'll end up liking the story.

Leia Mais

I am writing to Douluo Continent season 2

I like this season it's a romantic, Fantasy, Thrille, Story, Historical and Action
It's a good story line.
My English not good but I am writing to in English Please Director read my comment full please
The story of Tang San who overcomes many difficulties to protect his loved ones, bring honor to his sect, help his country and become the strongest soul master.
I am after watching episode 40.I think Bibi Doung is great soul master but Tang San's father is a very powerful master on howtiyan hammer
I think season 2 Director show how Tang San's father he save him and his friends.Tang San's father says his mother truth she a soul best and his home town.He Says his story how she come in his life. After listening her father's story Tang San say who's kill my mother and Tang San say again where is Xiao Wu tang San's father says before you are sleeping Xiao Wu go to home town After she strong she come again but Tang San Tell

Leia Mais

Teamwork is a source of strength

The setting of "Douluo Continent" is a magical world where people can grow in their powers by killing magical beasts. The more you kill, the greater you grow in power level. Yet, this way of life offends the conscience of the main characters. Is there a way to grow in power that doesn't exploit innocent creatures? Peaceful methods are explored as they climb the hierarchy and realize that the closer you get to the top, the more brutal the nature of the people you find.


Conspiracy abounds as they traverse the world, fighting corrupt gangs with the power of their team work. There are many secrets about this world that could affect the entire paradigm about the ethics of power. What if the magical creatures are just as sentient as humans? What if the line wasn't so clear? What if the people abusing power are actually those most near and dear to your heart? Is loyalty the highest virtue, or is a commitment to justice and honor even more important?

More reviews: https://transcendentphilos.wixsite.com/website/post/the-philosophy-of-chinese-dramas

Leia Mais

Great Drama Have Rewatched 3x already

I absolutely LOVED Douluo Continent. I am a huge Marvel and DC fan so this drama catched my eye. I heard it is the most viewed and most popular drama of 2021 so of course I had to give it a shot and it exceeded my expectations. I’ve also heard only good things about the lead actor, Xiao Zhan and his acting abilities and he did not disappoint. Between the acting quality, the cgi, the production, and the action scenes, this was a fantastic drama. It was fun for the whole family as both my parents and my nephew really enjoyed watching Douluo Continent with me. I really hope they make a season 2. They can’t just leave us with that cliffhanger. 10/10, I highly recommend.

Leia Mais

Enjoyable Fun watch and Interesting too !!!

I've read the novel but still will analyze the drama in its own way.

Plot: The plot of this drama is finely written but it required more attention and more emphasis on story development. Like over the period of 40 episodes the amount of knowledge and revelations are only a handful. None of the plot twists surprises you the most and does not leave a long-lasting impact on you. But it's never boring or slow-paced, the story progresses pretty fast and also has elements like humor, friendship, squad goals, etc.

Acting: I would all the actors were amazing in their given roles. They were the main strength of the drama who carried the drama throughout. Especially Xiao Zhan did it so well, portraying the right amount of expressions and emotions in the given scenes. Characters like Dai Mu Bai, Ou si Ke, Ma Hong Jun, etc have a special place in my heart. You'll get attached to each one of them.

CGI and Music: The CGI was top-notch, all the graphics including the action sequences were so much fun to watch, some even brought me to the edge of my seat. It was definitely mindblowing. The music was my biggest worry as it did not even suit the situation which was going on. The flute music still irritated me a lot.

My biggest conscience was I expected a lot from Tang San's character but we did not see much of his abilities and power being utilized, moreover did not feel his character was much developed in any manner, I feel they might have planned it to focus on season 2. Still, we've got a long journey to go as there are still many issues to be settled, many things to be unveiled.
Season 1 was a fun one-time watch. Do not expect anything just watch for the experience the drama gives.

Leia Mais

Interesting journey that may teach you a lot if you allow it

Ahhh, I'm done! I loved it. And I liked the ending, it gives so much future opportunities.

What I liked:

The casting is very good, there are unique characters and the actors did a great job. I understand that the drama is different from the book and the anime, but since they had to comply with censorship, I think they did a very good job. It was a wonderful adventure about growth (and about the formation of human principles in the process), about friendship and loyalty.

I want to say a few words about the difference from the book and anime. Can you really, really imagine anime Tang San on a drama? Yes, he would be strong, powerful and perfect and then what? After 5-7-10 episodes with perfect, powerful, ever winning Tang San, how his character can develope further? The drama Tang San make viewers to relate to him. He starts from zero, he grows and makes his own way. He teaches people behind the screen to not give up, to be loyal, to keep getting better. I find him interesting and real. I like him a lot.

I liked the costumes and the styling.

The effects were very good: colors, spaces, weapons and beasts. I was very pleasantly surprised, I did not expect them to be so good.

I like the 3 songs: in the beginning, in the end and Xiao Zhan song.

What I didn't like:

Apart from the songs mentioned above, which I like, the background music itself was not always used properly. There is definitely room for improvement here.

Some battles were great, some were not finished, they left the viewers to guess exactly what happened.

There were some more details, which I noted in my mind, but they were minor things.


So I want a 2nd season. I want to see them again, how they got wiser and better, as well as their new adventures.

Leia Mais

Good to BINGE ON.

Xaio Zhan's performance is purely a joy to watch , not too dramatic or out of character. He played the role of Tang San quite nicely compared to most up & new comers in hi peers.

Yes!~There were some cliché plots/line here & there but still good enough to binge watch for a whole weekend.
Yeah! There fights 7devils combat story could have been better than that, given the fact the anime was quite influential.
Yup!~ if you want to complain you can but I won't.
S01 is more about Tang San finding his way/mom/dad & embarking on a new journey to become a Soul Master & find him self . But with this new generation they might redefine a whole new way of becoming one with the "Soul Beasts".
Well because this series was made before Xaio Zhan's rapid fame or the fact it was a small budget production.
With the very limited recourse they did pretty good.

The only downfall might be the scene between BiBi Dong & Tang Hao fighting in the finale , which felt a little to sort and they cutout the whole fight sequence . Which might be have been awesome if we could see.
The in depth story of each character might be to much but at least we got the jest of it.
I could watch series again, if the casting was any different things might not be the same. So I hope they keep the same cast for the next season possibly or at least better new supporting cast, except leads.

They better make a S02 cause the story feels so rushed in the end. I would love to see the same cast to reappear in the next season too. With more dynamic characters and honestly it might be awesome to see locations too like the Island Tang San's mom was form.

Leia Mais