First forum review
Another Asian led show with Ali Wong in an unrecognizable lead, Bowen as a captured jiangshi, plus cameo appearances by Jimmy O Yang & Lucy Liu. I wouldn’t have recognized Ali. She sounds much different than her stand up (I’ve seen her shows and am not really a fan but follow her because she’s so Asian relevant). Bowen’s voice is very distinctive and vacillates from annoying to spot on because his character is an annoying jiangshi who doesn’t hop.
I liked that it got the yaoguai world right and the Chinese weapons. It was better than expected in that way - the nod to Nezha’s Wind Fire Wheels slapped. This show has done its research with the yaoguai world. That’s refreshing. It nails its representation of Chinese myth well. I’m into it for the yaoguai stuff and even learned a new term - nugui (female ghost I think) which refers to female ghosts who weren’t seen in life like in The Ring.
The animation is simple, not very good. It’s got a style that just isn’t working for me.
E2 had Horsehead & Oxhead, the gatekeepers of hell aka Diyu. They’re like Cerberus in their role, or door guardians.
E3 unravels some of the backstory with Jentry’s parents. Lucy Liu voices the mom.
E4 goes to the Alamo (this show is set in Texas) which just happens to be full or the spirits of the fallen there and they can possess students on their field trip.
E5 is a big reveal on one of Jentry’s suitors (this is a teen drama). And it starts to get a tad creepy with his parents.
Zhongkui also appears. He’s one of my fav antiheroes of the yaoguai world. I wasn’t bowled over by his interpretation here, but glad to see him.
There was also a 5 tailed fox. Shoulda been 9. And 2 bakeneko, but they are from the Yokai world. That lost some of authenticity cred with me.
I’m also into it for the K-pop references. Katseye does the opening theme
It’s somewhat muddled by the same old teen romance tropes and weak animation in an era when animation is so much better than its ever been. I’d say the only reason to see this is to get an education on the yaoguai world and how mystical qi works within that world. There’s some decent storytelling but the animation is lacking. It’s be great in live action - might even be terrifying because the bad animation softens the yaoguai. But some of the netherworld concepts are horrific when you imagine them in cgi. There was a snake spirit, which I always enjoy. But then there was a chimera, and like the bakaneko, I wish they’d just stay within the yaoguai world. Ali & Bowen are doing good.
There was some good stuff in here in terms of representation and storytelling, plus the K-pop soundtrack slapped, but the animation undermined it for me. It was garish color schemes and crude renderings - I kept thinking this would be a great horror show in live action because what was being represented was ghastly.