Tag: heaven official's blessing

Review: Heaven Official’s Blessing Volume 7

On By E. A. SolinasIn reviewsLeave a comment

The malevolent White No Face has returned, forced Xie Lian to relive the most horrifying experiences of his long life, and locked him inside the Kiln. Amazingly, that is nowhere near as bad as things are going to get for the good guys.

But one thing that can’t be denied is that the seventh volume of “Heaven Official’s Blessing” is the most insane and wild volume to date, with Mo Xiang Tong Xiu unleashing her fertile imagination in all sorts of grandiose, sometimes bizarre ways. At the same time, she reveals the series’ most shocking plot twist, and explores the horrifying backstory of just what White No Face is, what shaped him into the monster he has become, and why he’s so obsessed with Xie Lian.

Trapped in the Kiln, Xie Lian faces off against White No-Face – and ends up breaking free in an awesome, spectacular manner that I won’t spoil here. He’s reunited with Hua Cheng and his friends and tries to escape the erupting Mount Tonglu – but the tormented souls of the people of Wuyong escape the volcano, threatening a new plague of Human Face Disease on the world. Xie Lian, Hua Cheng and their allies – along with a few familiar faces from along the way – are all that stand between the human world and horrifying mayhem.

But that’s nothing compared to what happens when Xie Lian learns the terrifying truth of who White No-Face really is, and how and why the ghost has been stalking him for hundreds of years. Furthermore, his enemy has even more power than he ever suspected – enough to topple Heaven and overwhelm even the most powerful of gods. Xie Lian will need some help to even hope to defeat him and save humanity from a plague – not just from Hua Cheng, but from friends, enemies and total strangers.

It’s very difficult to praise “Heaven Official’s Blessing Volume 7” in specific terms, simply because it requires me to praise its colossal plot twist and the immense payoff of… well, the entire story so far. It’s hard to do that without giving away White No-Face’s secrets and identities, as well as the question of why he dedicated so much time and energy to tormenting Xie Lian, because MXTX did a masterful job of surprising audiences with the many answers to the questions raised over the course of her story. It’s exceptional, and it should be read blindly so you can be surprised.

That also applies to some of the massive, imaginative developments in this extended climax, worthy of a blockbuster movie scripted by a crazed genius. While a lot of it involves sneaking around, mass curbstomps and a very long exposition scene involving Xianle’s state preceptor, MXTX throws in some gloriously over-the-top, wildly imaginative scenes. Like the fiery city-mechan. Or a Statue-of-Liberty-sized divine statue flying into space, fueled by kisses and drawn by butterflies and lanterns. I am not making that up. It actually happens. It’s glorious.

At the same time, she spins up a web of lies, answers, complicated backstories, bloody action, a very sad seeming-death, and some bursts of slightly frenetic comedy (Quan Yizhen beating up Qi Rong with his own statue). Everything comes to a climactic boiling point as just about everything up until now – corpse-eating rats, ghost garments, fetus ghosts, volcanoes and magic evil-revealing swords – comes back into the story with a distinct purpose. Same with the characters, reintroducing everyone from Pei Ming’s crazed stalker to Xie Lian’s eccentric mentor.

With all this stuff going on, the romance could have easily been lost in the shuffle, but MXTX mixes in countless little tender moments between Hua Cheng and Xie Lian, made all the more endearing by Hua Cheng’s mischievous flirtations and Xie Lian’s giggling nervousness. It’s very cute, and MXTX stuffs a little fluff into every crevice in the story where it can fit, even if it’s just Hua Cheng sitting next to Xie Lian while he listens to exposition.

“Heaven Official’s Blessing Volume 7” hurtles towards the grand finale like a freight train – full of wildly apocalyptic action, charming romance and explanations for just about everything. And the ride ain’t over yet.

Review: Heaven Official’s Blessing Volume 2

On By E. A. SolinasIn reviewsLeave a comment

Xie Lian has ferreted out another god’s dirty laundry… but he had no idea that someone would reveal his own past misdeeds.

In fact, a great deal of “Heaven Official’s Blessing” Volume 2 is dedicated to Xie Lian’s past, both recent and ancient – Mo Xiang Tong Xiu (hereafter referred to as MXTX) delves into a situation that threatens to stain Xie Lian’s reputation, before diving back eight hundred years to his days as a mortal prince. There are a heavy load of unexpected twists, a loathsome new villain, and some gripping insights into how Hua Cheng came to be so enraptured by the prince of Xianle.

The heavenly emperor Jun Wu gives Xie Lian a new mission: enter Ghost City and find out what happened to a Heavenly Official who sent out a distress call. Accompanied by the exuberant, gender-flipping Wind Master Shi Qingxuan and the earnest Lang Qianqiu, he heads into what qualifies as enemy territory… except that Ghost City is also Hua Cheng’s demesne. And Hua Cheng is very, very pleased to see him there, which unfortunately doesn’t make Ghost City any less perilous.

To make matters worse, Lang Qianqiu discovers that Xie Lian is a figure from his own past – the state preceptor who murdered his family. Even more shocking, Xie Lian freely admits his guilt. But Hua Cheng knows there’s something more than meets the eye, and invades Heaven itself to take Xie Lian away from captivity. Alongside this mysterious ghost, Xie Lian will find out exactly what happened centuries ago… and rediscover a terrible figure from his own past.

Speaking of his past, we then get bounced back in time eight hundred years. Back then, Xie Lian was a kind but naive teen prince who believed he could do anything – like abandon a ritual fight during a parade to rescue a child from a fatal fall. To the dismay of the state preceptor, he steadfastly refused to accept any kind of blame. When his cousin tries to murder the child for the second time, Xie Lian takes the boy under his wing – with no idea how the boy will affect his future.

If the first volume of “Heaven Official’s Blessing” was devoted mostly to unraveling supernatural mysteries, then the second one is devoted mostly to exploring some of Xie Lian’s backstory. Obviously a character who’s eight hundred years old can’t be summed up that quickly, but we see a little of how he used to be – especially the glimpse of him as a mortal teenager, still recognizably kind and good-hearted, but also kind of spoiled and arrogant.

It stands in stark contrast to the Xie Lian of the present, who is much humbler, more self-deprecating, and happy to live in a shack-turned-shrine. At the same time, we see the scars that his past actions have left on him, and hear about some particularly nasty run-ins he’s had. Conversely, we get glimpses of Hua Cheng from the past – seriously, it’s abundantly clear who the little boy in the flashback is – that contrast sharply against the confident, powerful, seductive figure he is now.

We also encounter an array of new characters – we see more of Mu Qing and Feng Xin, Xie Lian’s former servants, both in the present and the past; the powerful and promiscuous Pei Ming; the friendly and unembarrassable Shi Qingxuan; and the vaguely paternal Jun Wu.

MXTX also shows off her ability to combine twisty, cleverly-plotted story arcs with amusing, warmer moments for the characters (Xie Lian and Hua Cheng nerding out over a room full of rare swords) and the occasional laugh-out-loud moment (Xie Lian publicly faking impotence to escape a prostitute). She also demonstrates a talent for weaving romance into the story, such as when Hua Cheng “teaches” Xie Lian to roll dice. Nothing obvious, nothing explicit – just the characters gazing at each other and touching one another’s hands. Very sensual.

ZeldaCW also deserves credit for the interior illustrations, black-and-white pictures of both detail and delicacy. Particular highlights includes Xie Lian stroking Hua Cheng’s sword (no, not a euphemism), Shi Qingxuan doing battle in a sexy dress (while male), Xie Lian being swarmed by butterflies, and his teenage self in his God-Pleasing Warrior garb.

The second volume of “Heaven Official’s Blessing” delves a lot deeper than the first one did, revealing more about the self-deprecatingly pleasant prince and the mysterious ghost who loves him. And it leaves you poised to dive right into the third volume, just to find out what happens next. Beware – it’s going to get dark.

Review: Heaven Official’s Blessing Volume 1

On By E. A. SolinasIn reviewsLeave a comment

Once upon a time, Xie Lian was the beloved crown prince of a beautiful kingdom, who ascended to godhood in his teens. But then he interfered in mortal affairs, made things worse, and was cast out. He ascended to godhood a second time… and was kicked out again.

And in “Heaven Official’s Blessing Volume 1,” we find out what happens when this unfortunate godling ascends to deityhood for the third time. Mo Xiang Tong Xiu (pen name, to be hereafter referred to as MXTX) digs into Xie Lian’s story with a heady mix of timeless romance with a uniquely Chinese brand of high fantasy, where the powerful or virtuous can become deities, but the tormented and tragic may become something else.

Upon his third ascension to godhood, Xie Lian discovers that nothing has really changed – he’s deeply in debt, and none of the other gods like or respect him. The usual way to pay off his debt is by receiving merits from the worship of mortals… except people stopped worshiping him eight hundred years ago. But there is another way – he can investigate a certain mysterious problem on a rural mountain, where seventeen brides have been abducted by a mysterious “ghost groom.”

With the assistance of the sulky, combative Fu Yao and Nan Feng, he goes undercover (as a bride) to find out what is abducting the girls – and ends up being escorted up the mountain by a handsome, mysterious stranger dressed all in red, who turns into a swarm of silver butterflies. But that man was NOT the ghost groom – which leaves Xie Lian to uncover the horror that lives atop the mountain. To make matters worse, the locals are also searching for the ghost groom, which only makes things more complicated when things inevitably go pear-shaped.

After that, Xie Lian decides to set up a shrine to himself in an abandoned shack, with the help of a young man named San Lang, who is very obviously not what he pretends to be. But trouble finds Xie Lian again when someone tries to trick him into going to a haunted pass in the Gobi desert, near the dead city-state of Banyue. Even weirder, the other gods seem to avoid talking about this.

Along with San Lang, Fu Yao and Nan Feng, he sets out to the pass to find out what’s going on there, and ends up encountering a sandstorm, a few dozen merchants… and a cave full of scorpion-snakes. But that’s only the beginning of the undying terrors that still dwell in Banyue, killing anyone unlucky enough to pass through. And soon Xie Lian realizes that someone in Banyue has a very strong connection to him.

I personally like my romance stories with a heavy dose of plot, which makes “Heaven Official’s Blessing” perfectly balanced – even if the slow-blooming romance weren’t part of the story, it would still be a solid fantasy-horror series with gods, ghosts, goblins, zombies, and a really freaky undead face in the ground. The exalted and elegant world of the gods is a stark contrast to the nightmarish creatures that lurk in the mortal world below.

It’s also a fantasy that feels distinct from its western cousins – its world and cosmology are uniquely Chinese, drawing heavily from Taoism and other Chinese beliefs. The two supernatural mysteries are pretty well-developed, both horrifying and yet tragic, and the stories occasionally slow down a little for either some mild comic relief (the entire “Tremendous Masculinity” story, which is thankfully explained in full) or an ethereal romantic moment between Xie Lian and his mysterious red-clad man of the silver butterflies.

MXTX’s writing is bright and evocative, with a casual omniscent narrator (“One might ask, if there was an Upper Court and a Middle Court, was there a Lower Court? … No.”) that makes it feel like you’re sitting in the room with her and explaining her story as she tells it. There are also a number of very nice interior illustrations by ZeldaCW, delicate and evocative, of such things as Xie Lian and San Lang surrounded by snakes and riding in a cart, Xie Lian in a wedding dress, and an adorable chibi drawing of the four with the broken sword.

Xie Lian is an easy character to like – perpetually unlucky and unpopular, yet unfailingly earnest and kind to everyone around him (as long as they don’t beat up girls). But MXTX gives us broad hints that he hasn’t always been so upbeat about his unfortunate life, and of past struggles yet to be explored. On the flip side, we have the mysterious Hua Cheng, a supposedly terrifying figure that treats Xie Lian with flirtatious kindness that hints at deeper emotions; and the cast is rounded out by Fu Yao and Nan Feng, a couple of clashing, abrasive young men who actually do care about the disgraced prince.

“Heaven Official’s Blessing Volume 1” is a solid beginning to a webnovel series that perfectly balances out a slow-blooming romance, a solid blend of fantasy and horror, and some supernatural mystery. A great place to start.

Review: Heaven Official’s Blessing: Season 1

On By E. A. SolinasIn recommendations, reviews, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Once upon a time, Xie Lian was the beloved crown prince of a beautiful kingdom, who ascended to godhood in his teens. But then he interfered in mortal affairs, made things worse, and was cast out. He ascended to godhood a second time… and was kicked out again.

And in “Heaven Official’s Blessing: Season 1,” we find out what happens when this unfortunate godling ascends to deityhood for the third time. This donghua series (think anime, but Chinese) based on Mo Xiang Tong Xiu’s novels of the same name, is a slow-burn that mingles romance with a uniquely Chinese brand of high fantasy, where the powerful or virtuous can become deities, but the tormented and tragic may become something else.

Upon his third ascension to godhood, Xie Lian discovers that nothing has really changed – he’s deeply in debt, and none of the other gods like or respect him. The usual way to pay off his debt is by receiving merits from the worship of mortals… except people stopped worshiping him eight hundred years ago. But there is another way – he can investigate a certain mysterious problem on a rural mountain, where seventeen brides have been abducted by a mysterious “ghost groom.”

With the assistance of the sulky, combative Fu Yao and Nan Feng, he goes undercover to find out what is abducting the girls – and ends up being escorted up the mountain by a handsome, mysterious stranger dressed all in red, who turns into a swarm of silver butterflies. But that man was NOT the ghost groom – which leaves Xie Lian to uncover the horror that lives atop the mountain. To make matters worse, the locals are also searching for the ghost groom, which only makes things more complicated when things inevitably go pear-shaped.

After that, Xie Lian decides to set up a shrine to himself in an abandoned shack, with the help of a young man named San Lang, who is very obviously not what he pretends to be. But trouble finds Xie Lian again when someone tries to trick him into going to the Half Moon Pass in the Gobi desert, near the dead city-state of Banyue. Even weirder, the other gods seem to avoid talking about this.

Along with San Lang, Fu Yao and Nan Feng, he sets out to the pass to find out what’s going on there, and ends up encountering a sandstorm, a few dozen merchants… and a cave full of scorpion-snakes. But that’s only the beginning of the undying terrors that still dwell in Banyue, killing anyone unlucky enough to pass through. And soon Xie Lian realizes that someone in Banyue has a very strong connection to him.

I personally like my romance stories with a heavy dose of plot, which makes “Heaven Official’s Blessing” perfectly balanced – even if the slow-blooming romance weren’t part of the story, it would still be a solid fantasy-horror series with gods, ghosts, goblins, zombies, and a really freaky undead face in the ground. The ethereal beauty of the lead characters and their sparkling heavens is a stark contrast to the nightmarish creatures that lurk in the mortal world below.

It’s also a fantasy that feels distinct from its anime cousins – its world and cosmology are uniquely Chinese, drawing heavily from Taoism and other Chinese beliefs. The two supernatural mysteries are pretty well-developed, both horrifying and yet tragic, and the stories occasionally slow down a little for either some mild comic relief (Fu Yao and Nan Feng’s constant fighting) or an ethereal romantic moment between Xie Lian and his mysterious red-clad man of the silver butterflies.

The animation is quite lovely for the most part, with some really beautiful moments standing out in the Puqi Temple or when the red-clad man escorts Xie Lian up the mountain. The only area where it falls down is when CGI is inserted, usually where it’s not needed. It’s very clunky.

Xie Lian is an easy character to like – perpetually unlucky and unpopular, yet unfailingly earnest and kind to everyone around him (as long as they don’t beat up girls). Howard Wang gives him a low-key, soothing kind of voice even when he’s upset. The mysterious Hua Cheng (whose identity is blatantly obvious) makes for a solid love interest, and the cast is rounded out by Fu Yao and Nan Feng, a couple of clashing, abrasive young men who actually do care about the disgraced prince.

“Heaven Official’s Blessing: Season 1” is an animated show that perfectly balances out a slow-growing romance, beautiful animation, and solid fantasy/horror. For those seeking an alternative to anime, this might do the trick.