Wanjie Zhuzai

What a surprisingly good donghua. I was ready to drop it at first. The animation is rather poor, the protagonist didn't grab me and overall it seemed pretty bad. I persevered through the first few episodes and I got hooked. The story begins with a young male cultivator who has, through self sacrifice over many years, finally cured the girl he was betrothed to. Only for her to immediately dump him because he's not good enough as she found someone else, more powerful, to marry. With his heart in shambles and in utter disbelief he is promptly ambushed by a relative of his now ex-fiancee and is dealt a killing blow. The killing blow didn't actually kill him though, but instead it awakened a sleeping power inside of him. A futuristic AI android girl but also an ancient dragon power.... It's a whole package. This newfound power gives the main character the ability to learn very quickly, read minds and call upon ancient strength. He uses that power to fight against injustice against him and his clan. He smashes through any obstacle and keeps getting stronger and stronger. The story is actually really interesting. It's not just another mindless action filled donghua with a predictable plot. It's very creative in the world building and always had me keen to see what's next. The main character is a no-nonsense man who just wants to right every wrong he comes across, and he comes across a lot since everything seems to be fueled by vengeance and pride. The side characters are better than in most other donghuas, with plenty of screen time and development to get the viewer feel attached to them. The animation is not great, at first it's pretty bad but it does get better over time. Some characters look downright creepy in an uncanny valley kind of way. I got used to it though. The fight scenes are decent, and again get better with time. It's like the animators got better and better at their job over the course of making the anime. Music is pretty good and always on point. Voice acting is great. Overall I really enjoyed this donghua and felt very sad whenever I got to the end. It's nowhere near finished, as always, and there is plenty to look forward to if we are graced with a second season. Maybe in 2027 according to some websites. Definitely worth the watch if your standards aren't too high. 7.3/10