Zi Jin: Yu Miao Fang

Paws and Palaces follows our six kitties as they disguise themselves in the Wuhua world to prevent the timeline from being altered by the big bad, combining fun action with a sort of mystery where the MCs must figure out whose been corrupted and defeat them in time, with "episodic" conflicts stretching between 8 episodes to give just the right amount of time for these mysteries to develop properly. The first thing that becomes obvious when watching Paws and Palaces is its animation, which is amazingly well done and utilizes a rather unique style that's very visually appealing. There are quite a few shots and sequences that aren't common in anime, especially during the fight sequences, which take place often, but aren't overwhelmingly present. Although this action is very much worth watching for, there could definitely be more done with both the story itself, and more importantly - the characters. Even if the story isn't all too complex, there are a few times where it can be just a bit confusing, one example being the characters' ability to somehow communicate with each other at all times (through spiritual walkie talkies, I suppose), which wouldn't be much of a problem if the characters didn't insist on meeting up with one another physically simply to relay information, seemingly only happening when it's convenient for the story. Honestly, none of the characters really stand out too much from one another, through they are all fun and likeable. Either way, however, there should generally be more moments of real character development, as the most the viewer gets is some sad backstory that gets glossed over rather quickly. There are also a few very minor nitpicks with the animation, as good as it is, with cgi being apparent when its used for some objects and background characters randomly. And in some moments, it looks as though objects have been inserted and quickly traced over, though there are really only one or two times that this could be pointed out upon a first watch. All in all, Paws and Palaces is a Donghua worth watching, especially if it gets more seasons in the future.