You Shou Yan

Fabulous Beasts (You Shou Yan) is a donghua based on the manhua of the same name published on FENZ. Like most short comedy donghua, the episodes are 5 minutes long or less, and the first season gradually introduces the cast as they become relevant to the story. I actually really, really like Pixiu (Tianlu), the main character. He is super super cute and I personally can't get enough of him. Sibuxiang is a close second. You'll notice a recurring theme on the show where characters are based on (typically) traditional Chinese folklore, while others come from famous ancient literature and texts. There are also cross-series character references occasionally snuck in which you will notice IMMEDIATELY if you're very familiar with a lot of donghua. The visuals are cute and soft with visible and detailed brushstrokes make up the outlines. It's very appealing to watch in motion, and makes me personally very excited to watch each new season. All of the episodes are available with English CC officially on Bilibili's YouTube channel. Without spoiling anything, if you end up enjoying the first season, it's definitely worth going ahead and watching the rest!

(This review wasn’t written that well, so i’ve redone it) Fabulous Beasts is a mostly episodic donghua with a primary focus on comedy, though the episodic plots stretch between multiple episodes that only last a few minutes. While I’ve had some fun watching the 5 currently uploaded seasons of this donghua, there are a lot of aspects that could’ve been a lot better, as to make it a lot more enjoyable. Starting with… The Story (4): There isn’t really a consistent story to Fabulous Beasts, though that’s really the last thing anyone should watch it for, as it’s an episodic comedy, after all. The only real underlying story is told through flashbacks that connect one of the MCs, Tainlu, to his older brother Bixie, which begin in the later seasons. This plot is alright enough, but nothing all too interesting on its own. There was potential for the worldbuilding to be really interesting, but every addition from most episodes really just creates a pretty confusing mess of a setting, as these additions only exist to create some new conflict in a singular episode. The Characters (6): The characters are fine, charming enough to be likeable. Unfortunately, their personalities tend to boil down to one specific trait that’s used to tell the same joke over and over again. Most comedy anime utilize this trope, though it works well because of how flexible it can be for different situations. However, Fabulous Beasts simply lacks a lot of this creativity when it comes to its comedy, which means that the characters feel really one-dimensional most of the time. This is really unfortunate, since there are a few great moments where the characters actually show some personality, even if they’re rare to see. Asides from this, the relationships between characters aren’t all that strong, as they’re only really present at the same time as when real personality is shown. Because of all of this, by the 5th season, there are so many different side characters that end up feeling uninteresting, with no room for actual character growth. The Art/Animation (8): Nothing much needs to be said here. The artstyle is very unique and well-drawn, while the animation is also done pretty well. And even if the characters are uninteresting in terms of personality, their designs are all great. The Sound Design (5): The most average part of Fabulous Beasts. The voice actors don’t have the most memorable performances, but they’re good enough at playing their characters. On the other hand, the music and sound effects are very lacking, with the former rarely playing in the background at all, and the latter being very quiet, despite how few there are. Most scenes can end up feeling very empty because of this. This does not mean that the sound design is “bad”, it just means that the show could be better if there was more effort put into it. The Comedy (3): None of the jokes land at all, nor are most of the wacky situations that the characters are thrown in all that humorous. Luckily, most of this humor isn’t awful, at the very least. It’s just unfortunate that a donghua with such a focus on comedy does such a bad job at it. Overall Enjoyment (And Final Score) (5): Fabulous Beasts is really just average. It can grab one’s attention long enough for a few seasons, though it could get stale really quick if nothing is improved upon. There are quite a few people who really love this show, so you should absolutely watch at least some of it for yourself to see if you’re one of these people. Much appreciation for Studio Fenz, who clearly have a lot of passion for their work. I hope that they can keep improving over time.