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Heaven Official's Blessing//TGCF: Episode 12 FULL LENGTH Reaction! (Patreon)

Published:
2022-07-18 13:01:04
Edited:
2023-02-01 05:01:42
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Content

**SLITHERING HEADPHONE WARNINGS**

I could LITERALLY gush all day about this episode, the questions answered, and the mysteries STILL remaining! One thing is for certain: Xie Lian can stand under San Lang's umbrella-ella-ella-a-a-a....

But in all seriousness, I'm glad we still have an OVA, because this did NOT feel like the end of a season! I am SO hyped to start the manga (and Audio Drama aahhhhh) alongside the manhua -- but we still have more HOB content to get through first! The hype is REAL!

Link to Reaction: https://share.vidyard.com/watch/8QFPaoSEjH8fB1zm2Qw1xY?

Thanks for Watching With Me and for the Support!

Files

Heaven Official's Blessing//TGCF: Episode 12 Reaction! MORE MYSTERY! MORE SNAKES! MORE SHIPPING!

LINK TO REACTION (starts at 11:36): https://share.vidyard.com/watch/8QFPaoSEjH8fB1zm2Qw1xY? **SLITHERING HEADPHONE WARNINGS** I could LITERALLY gush all day about this episode, the questions answered, and the mysteries STILL remaining! One thing is for certain: Xie Lian can stand under San Lang's umbrella-ella-ella-a-a-a.... But in all seriousness, I'm glad we still have an OVA, because this did NOT feel like the end of a season! I am SO hyped to start the manga (and Audio Drama aahhhhh) alongside the manhua -- but we still have more HOB content to get through first! The hype is REAL! Thank you for watching with me and for all the support! Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/RomaniaBlack My Anime: https://myanimelist.net/profile/RomaniaBlack Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/RomaniaBlack You can mail me a letter or anything (except food, please) at this address: Romania Black PO Box 768 Harrisburg, IL 62946 USA

Comments

PM

There may have been a little mistake in your notes because you said Nan Feng is with Mu Qing, but it's switched around. Nan Feng is the deputy god for Feng Xin and Fu Yao is the deputy god for Mu Qing.

Ivan is Yda

MDZS has A-yuan, TGCF has Banyue.🥺 Hua Cheng is a cat, confirmed. Ok but in all seriousness, Hua Cheng's mascot is a fox with red-orange fur.  Ruoye is Xie Lian's baby—the way he just talks to it is so sweet🥺 There are more details about General Pei Junior in the books, and the revelation of his involvement in Half-Moon Kingdom but I won't spoil that here.  You can see just how much Hua Cheng disdains the Heavenly Court. I don't blame him. From what we've seen throughout the season, Heavenly Courts only cared more for glamor and themselves. If you look at episode7, I believe? When Xie Lian was asking for help to investigate Half-moon Pass, they cared more about gathering merits from Wind Master than hearing what he had to say. They're corrupt, and even Wind Master acknowledges this (though they're not exactly helping, what with all the "giving-away-merits" thing they do). I love how Hua Cheng catches Banyue without hesitation, mainly because she's someone Xie Lian cared for in the past and still does. I always feel so bad for Nan Feng here, he looks so tired.😂 It's cute how Wind Master calls General Pei Junior, "Xiao Pei" (Little Pei), and scold him like you would a child, with a gentle tone, but a strict voice. The writing on Wind Master's fan, by the way, reads Wind. I think that's just a cute little thing she has. They really do look like girlfriends—they really do! Like Song Lan and Xiao Xingchen, but as women. The way Hua Cheng and the lady in black look at each other is important, extremely so. Just keep them in mind. 👀 To be honest, I felt like Pei Xiu wanted to excel as a soldier, and somehow used Banyue to get there. In the end, he paid the ultimate price. The life of his only true and loyal friend. I think, in a way, he regrets it.🥺 The way you pointed out that Banyue was following Xie Lian’s advice about not fighting back, it just puts it more into perspective that Banyue really wasn’t the fighting type. She would have only had the courage to do so with the proper backing, and when Xie Lian “died” in battle, Pei Xiu became that backing. XIE LIAN, THE GHOST BUSTER😂 That little inching closer alshdfkajgfahd and then that flirty "call me San Lang"--PLEASE HUA CHENG JUST KISS HIM ALREADY😂 The way Pei Xiu handled the whole Half-Moon Pass situation could have gone better. And the way Wind Master scolded him for it, it shows that there were other ways he could have dealt with it. I totally see how Xie Lian is like Banyue’s parent😂 but in all honesty, it does seem like Banyue helping the war effort was forced, especially with that flashback of Pei Xiu’s past during the war. There’s much to see in the books, and I’m so excited for it! I can’t give much insight into this, mainly because it’s mostly spoilers stuff if I did say more. But when the Live Action comes out, titled “Eternal Faith”, it will basically be like giving reviews the way we did with The Untamed, cause you reacted to it after the Donghua. I can’t wait for the ads, and the OVA especially 😂 the Audio Drama, I still have to get it, but I can’t wait for that too! 🥰

C

Please watch the OVA first first before the commercials. For spoiler-y reasons that’s hard to explain 🙏

Kamryn

This episode reminds me of the TikTok audio, “This is your man? And I’m gonna stick beside him”, when Xie Lian is defending San Lang

sqqlbh1314

Danmei Monday let's go! 'Heaven Official's Blessing Season 1: the BS done by the Pei's' is coming to an end and general Pei jr.'s back on stage by pretending to be Zhao the travel guide. I know it's the donghua team wanting to spend less time on his alias, but from us who knows who Zhao really is, dude isn't disguising AT ALL! He put on a middle east outfit with a turban and just decide to go with that? At least remove those eyeliners next time! Using some blood to activate/enforce magic is common in CN mythology, for example a male's blood coming from fingertips is supposed to be filled with yang energy so Yao can use it to make loads of fire, and back in MDZS when wuxian's activating all the puppets in Yi City he also cut his hand and cast those spells. San Lang's just chilling there watching this drama...until Pei jr. dare target Xie Lian, then hell break loose as a red ghost king goes "hold my umbrella" before charging into the darkness and using his full power and true self to beat up lil Pei. And he just adores everything of his beloved god, even happily taking in his daughter as his own! He did nothing last episode when Ban Yue was punched by Ke Mo but as soon as he knows his highness cares about this wrath girl he'd also extend his caring onto her, he'll do everything to please his god. Pei Xiu super racist if you ask me, those kids bullying Ban Yue are more likely Yong An kids judging from their size but he just goes "those must be bad Ban Yue kids and one day I'll kill them all!". And I know that he says himself in this episode that he recognized Xie Lian just now but I'll always keep my headcanon: him being super chill when Xie Lian greeted him in a girl's wedding dress during the ghost bridegroom case is because he's already seen "general Hua" doing all those street performances and being a weirdo who got constantly demoted. Lady Wind Master and Mysterious Lady master are here! Judging from San Lang's face, at least the lady in black is not his friend...but why? who knows, maybe he just cannot stand other girls showing their cleavage in front of Xie Lian! Only he's allowed to do that in his true form! Tian Sheng's gonna build a temple for our cinnamon bun! that's a BIG breakthrough! Finally a temple from someone else! Not only Ban Yue back when she's still human, even Nan Feng the deputy god admits his defeat in front of Xie Lian's cooking without even the courage to face it! Guess both human and gods are out for this contest, maybe ghosts can do better? (shoves microphone under San Lang's nose): what do you say, Hua Cheng? Ready to face your god's blessings? a literal holy meal? Next week will be the OVA! OMG I can't wait for your reaction for a certain this and a certain that! Good day to you Romania and may the heaven official's blessings shatter all taboos!

Einery

That last conversation was worded quite differently in this translation, huh. The version I was watching explicitly stated that Wind Master is basically safe because she has 'guanxi' i.e. the right connections, you can read it like 'social capital' if you're generous or like 'someone is covering all her blunders for some reason' if you're not. I guess your version also narrows he meaning down in the next few lines but still.

Dorian K

Loved the reaction! Just wanted to ask, are you also going to watch the season 2 trailer next week? Sorry if u mentioned it somewhere in this resction, my Internet was being weird and some sections just wouldn't load, so i had to skip it, like most of the discussion in the beginning.

Peichuu

did I become a patron just for the future mxtx reactions and analyses? why yes, yes I did btw loved all of your reactions and how you theorize about the plot and characters! also I just want to mention - one of the other 4 Elemental Masters was mentioned earlier in the donghua

romaniablack
>>87859855

Hahahaha, thank you so much for joining us on Patreon! Happy to have you here!! Thanks for the kind words, too! And ahhh, interesting -- I'll hold off and see if I notice in the novel which of the other ones were mentioned, but thanks for the heads up on that! :D

Anime Annie

I'm with you on not calling an OVA an episode, mainly 'cause I count episodes as within a season but OVAs are separate and don't typically fit within a certain season. Xie Lian's reply never fails to make me laugh so hard! "Well his side didn't have any snakes" poor Fu Yao. He just can't win with our cinnamon roll! New personality trait to add to Xie Lian: the man is a comedian! 🤣 That fight scene between Hua Cheng and A-Zhao? One of my favourite scenes from the donghua. Even though you don't get to properly see the action it's such a great scene. And the little sneak glimpses of Hua Cheng's true form is so good 🥰😍 I loved your complete confusion of "wait, Pei Jr.?!" But yeah only with brain power like Xie Lian's do I feel you could easily put that all together. Gotta love San Lang taking the moment to get his little dig in at the Heavenly Officials. He really doesn't have a good opinion of them, and they aren't helping themselves with ignoring/covering up things like this. Ban Yue blaming herself for Xie Lian's "death" hurts, but seeing her decide to become stronger so as she can try and bring about an end to the fighting (like 'General Hua' had wanted) makes me so proud of her. Just if only the end was a happier one 🥺 Hualian really are very Ying and Yang with being complimenting opposites to each other. I love it because it shows that two people can be friends (or more) without needing to agree on every little thing. Though talking things out over beating the sh*t out of each other might not be such a little thing! THE WIND MASTER!!! And her black-clothed friend! Poor Nan Feng. Of all people to have to try and distract. The tassle thing the Wind Master waves I believe is called a whisk. The look shared between San Lang and the black-clothed female...👀 The Wind Master sounds like such a Mum the way she scolds Pei Xiu. I love it. Yes it's very hypocritical. Xuan Ji got arrested and immediately detained and locked away. But a god does it and then they take them back to the Heavenly Realm and report to the Emperor instead of an immediate punishment. I love though that we get a glimpse into how she has a very similar mindset to Xie Lian (especially in comparison to the other gods we've met). I said in the last episode how Fu Yao showed how the Heavenly Realm typically consider ghosts to be liars/evil. But the Wind Master believes Ban Yue's words and judges her on her actions alone, not simply on the fact she's a Wrath Ghost. Romania: Who's the other girl? Tell me! Donghua: One answer for fifty more questions I love getting insight into Pei Xiu's background and how he came to hate the Banyue people. Though with the repeated mentions of his background, and issues with being recognised for his efforts in the war, it makes you question if he had pure intentions working with Ban Yue, or did he coerce her with careful words so that he could finally gain recognition for his actions. But my heart does hurt for him when Pei Xiu arrives too late to save Ban Yue 🥺 Nan Feng's ears immediately prick up upon hearing that Fu Yao got something wrong and has gone off with his tail between his legs embarrassed by getting it wrong. He definitely wanted the dirt so as he'd have more ammunition against his fellow Deputy God! 🤣 Tian Sheng actually pointing out that, yeah they weren't doing sh*t for hiding the fact they're Gods. It's very unusual for that kind of thing to be called out, at least in any anime or donghua I've watched. As the audience we're typically meant to suspend our belief that the other people didn't actually see or hear what was going on...right. next. to. them 🤣 For the Wind Master having support, it could be that there are other Heavenly Officials that can protect her from Pei Ming. Whereas Xie Lian is not well liked in the Heavenly Realm and doesn't appear to have any other Gods that can support him if he goes up against another Heavenly Official. Yes Nan Feng and Fu Yao have aided him, but they're only Deputy Gods and won't have the same kind of pull within the bureaucracy that is the Heavenly Realm. The Gods they are linked with (Feng Xin and Mu Qing respectively) have yet to show that they'd be willing to stand on Xie Lian's side if he was up against another member of the Heavenly Realm. Mo Xiang Tong Xiu really likes making one of her main characters being a complete disaster in the kitchen. Nan Feng being aware of this trait of Xie Lian immediately pretends to get a call and skedaddles right on out of there...Looney Tunes-style. It's hilarious! 🤣 Now when I say this final moment made me breathless when I watched it...ooooh such a great way to finish the Season. The close up of Xie Lian saying "Hua Cheng", San Lang's smirk, the slow lean in, and then the way he says "I prefer that you call me 'San Lang'"? Yeah, sorry I am deceased 💀 Fantastic reaction as always! Looking forward to next week's. But even though we have the novel, manhua, and now the audio drama to look forward to, it does feel somewhat bittersweet that that'll be us done with the donghua! 😭 (At least until you've finished Volume 1 of the novel and are checking out the trailer for Season 2)

Anime Annie
>>87852123

She said she'll wait to watch it until after finishing the first volume of the novel.

FourSunsets

When Xie Lian said “Thank you” to Fu Yao, a better translation might be “Thank goodness we have you.” When Fu Yao said to Xie Lian “Please come to your senses”, the correct translation is “Don’t pretend to be ignorant when you actually know”. When Fu Yao said “Watch out for her tricks!” a better translation is “Be careful! She might be luring you towards her.” When Fu Yao said “Maybe the person you hit is her.” a better translation is “Maybe she’s the one you are fighting with right now.” When Fu Yao called Xuan Ji and Banyue “traitors”, the original Chinese used is “叛国”, which specifically means “traitors of (their own) kingdom”. When the characters said “massacre”, the original Chinese is “屠城” which specifically means “massacre of a city”. When Fu Yao said “man in red”, a better translation is “youth in red”. When Ke Mo said to Pei Jr. “weren’t you dead?” a better translation is “haven’t you fallen to death?”. When Ke Mo said “I want him dead”, the original words were “偿命”, meaning “pay for (his) sins with death”. When Banyue said “All of you are mistaken” a better translation is “You are all misunderstanding him”. When Pei Xiu said “These bastards” the correct translation is “They are going too far/They’ve bullied you too much”. When the Wind Master said “I just want to take my time” a better translation is “The more you want to rush, the more I want to take my time talking”. When the Wind Master said “Let’s go back”, the correct translation is “Let’s talk about/handle this matter properly when we get back”. She wasn’t going to let things slide, she just didn’t want to give verdict and punishment while standing on the edge of a pit full of corpses in the middle of ruins. When ever I get into trouble outside, my Mum would say this as a veiled way of saying she’s gonna ground me when we get home. Poor Fu Yao, I feel that the subs make him sound more callous and cold-hearted than he really does in Chinese. Of course him being already rather blunt and catty doesn’t help. Personally, I feel that Pei Xiu keeps stressing that Banyue is his subordinate and did everything per his orders is actually him trying to shoulder all the blame for her. Like saying “I’m the big bad evil boss who took advantage of this girl for my own gains”, but very indirectly so it seems more convincing than straight up saying “it’s all my fault”. Also, he doesn’t believe that his actions during the war were wrong. I haven’t read the novel after the ghost groom arc, but my guess is that Banyue willingly let Ke Mo hang her out of guilt and Pei Xiu massacred the city in revenge for Banyue. I don’t think he planned on killing all the civilians before seeing Banyue dead. I mean he only had 2000 soldiers, it doesn’t seem reasonable that he planned to massacre the whole city of ten billion people from the very beginning. Just breaching the city walls and winning the war would be epic enough for promotion. 200 years later (still my guess), Pei Xiu is luring the merchants to the haunted city in attempt to appease Ke Mo and his soldiers’ resent so they won’t keep hanging Banyue anymore. Banyue keeps letting them hang her after she throws some of them into the pit because she still feels guilty. Pei Xiu didn’t let Banyue know that he ascended to heaven and is keeping tabs on Banyue Kingdom because he’s ashamed that he wasn’t able to protect her. I also really love the Wind Master’s spunky and teasing voice! She sounds like the type that can get along with everyone.

romaniablack
>>87852123

No worries! Like Annie said, I'm going to wait until I finish reading volume 1 before reacting to it! :)

Serralinda

Oh, you're going to love the OVA. No spoilers! So now we know the whole story - mostly. And it's complicated, the way MXTX always makes it. Everyone has legit motivations for what they choose to do but no one really had an obvious "good" choice. Banyue wanted to stop the violence but the only way she could see to do that was to make the difficult choice to...remove one of the players from the game board. They were never going to stop or find a compromise. Pei Jr. definitely had multiple motivations - winning the acclaim and respect he was due, hating the Banyue soldiers/people, and wanting to help Banyue herself (and use her as well for his goals). KeMo...when your back is to the wall, it's almost (almost) understandable to think, "Fuck it! I'm going to make my death count and take as many enemies down with me as I can." then he convinces the entire populace (including women and children) to suicide bomb the Yong'An people. No one is going to "win" and they're all going to pay some kind of terrible price. So that's the Wind Master, who got "wind" of the situation (sorry, not sorry) in Banyue and decided to investigate on her own (with her friend in black). She even tried to keep Xie Lian away with her sandstorm. Isn't she fun? And San Lang exchanged a knowing little nod with the one in black. Hmm. The Wind Master seems to have more pull in the Heavenly realm, enough that she's not concerned with insulting or irritating Pei Ming or Pei Jr., and some powerful support up there. Up there, where it's a bureaucracy - and those always end up being a mess of corruption, complicated connections, loopholes, and influence (or lack of). Ahh, our darling weasel is so smart. But it's not just smarts - he's logical AND objective. He doesn't jump to conclusions based on rumors or expectations. He listens, he judges from his own very compassionate yet realistic views on life and people, which must have come from experience over his hundreds of years of wandering around. He has wisdom, not just intelligence. On top of that, he's so very brave, selfless, and strong. But...why get dirty or break a sweat when he has San Lang there, willing and able to do the hard work? "Hold my beer! I got this, bae!" I will almost always use "San Lang" to refer to our smitten Mr. Smirk, because "Hua Cheng" is just one of his personas, while it feels like San Lang is who he really is. And that's what he prefers to be called by Xie Lian. Isn't he fantastic in this episode? So suave, so smooth, so damn cool! And yet, there is a playfulness to him at times, even a bit of childishness. It makes him even more fascinating and alluring. Xie Lian's little gasp at the end, when San Lang leans into him, is just...everything. He may not realize it yet, but Xie Lian is falling in luuuuuuuuvv! Time for dinner, maybe? Nan Feng peaced out, yo. Maybe he's tasted the helmet slop before? Hahahaha. And Banyue is resting in a pickle jar in Xie Lian's magic sleeve - it's just so perfectly MXTX.

romaniablack
>>87847290

Thank you for the kind words and advice! I appreciate it! I'll make sure to watch the OVA before the commercials, then! :)

romaniablack
>>87849434

Interesting!! Thank you for the correction! Good to know that the Windmaster has "friends in high places." ;)

romaniablack
>>87847685

I love that these two are totally whipped for one another but also totally committed to each other as well! :3

romaniablack
>>87846185

Oooh, thank you! I confuse those a lot -- I'll make note to keep the FENGS together! :)

romaniablack
>>87846450

Yesss, MXTX giving our couples their own traumatized children, woooooo! At least Banyue seems in a much worse position than A-Yuan. And Xie Lian also has a bandage baby…seems fitting for this story. :3 But also, YES, Hua Cheng being a FOX is PERFECT! A weasel and a fox; I love it! And yessss, Hua Cheng does NOT like the Heavenly Court. They definitely seem a bit corrupt! But at least Hua Cheng is loyal to not only Xie Lian, but anyone he truly cares about. Ooohhh, that has me VERY excited to get into the book with General Pei Jr.! Thanks for not spoiling me –that will be SO fun to hear and read when we get to it!! I do hate that he does seem to deeply regret losing his one true friend in advancing himself and his ambitions. Awww, Nan Feng definitely seems exhausted after all this! And the Wind Master being motherly is so interesting to me. I love her design and that fan! YES, I did mention in the discussion that Hua Cheng and the woman in black seem to have history, so it’s pinned in my brain for later, no worries. But yes, this episode gave me Ghosbuster Xie Lian and San Lang “just kiss him already” flirting? YES, PLEASE. ^^ I am SO excited to see what was left out of the novel! :D And ooohhh, “Eternal Faith” seems perfect as a title for the live action series! ^^ I’m so excited for next week! Cheers and thanks for the comment!

romaniablack
>>87848708

HAHAHA, that title for Season 1 is so fitting! Seriously, though, these characters should remove their eyeliner if they don’t want to be suspicious! Ooohh, and I hadn’t thought about the idea that Pie was judging those bullying kids as possibly from the wrong place! @.@ And wow, now that we know what we know – him seeing Xie Lian in a wedding dress maybe WASN’T that surprising! That makes sense with the blood being used to activate the magic and yessss, I do remember that from MDZS, now that you mention it! I do find it interesting that San Lang is willing, once he knows that his beloved loves/cares for that person, to go all out to protect them as well! Hahahaaha, if you’re suggesting Hua Cheng has cleavage in his true form, imma head out right now. :P Kidding, but yeah, there’s something between he and the lady in black – gonna file that away for now! :P And YES! A temple from someone else! Our cinnamon bun is moving up in the world! Even if his cooking is deplorable (though HC/SL doesn’t seem to mind)! But yes, I’m so excited for the OVA!!! I can’t wait! Thank you for the comment and cheers!!

romaniablack
>>87867154

Xie Lian, our funny, sweet cinnamon roll. Poor Fu Yao; he didn’t stand a chance, and San Lang is over here eating popcorn with snake tail bites on the sidelines. And yessssss, all the TEASING with Hua Cheng’s true form shown off against A-Zhao! And YES, San Lang’s opinion seems to be somewhat supported by what we learn in this episode about the “possibly corrupt” Heavenly Court. I love how Xie Lian tries to “scold” San Lang throughout this Donghua and San Lang just “yeah yeah yeah” heart-eyes’ him. The reveal of Pei Jr. was so out of left field I wasn’t expecting it! Hooray for surprises! I agree, I felt bad for Ban Yue; despite how she tried to grow stronger to end the fighting as she felt General Hua would have wanted…her death was really sad in this! Yeah, it’s clear that San Lang and the lady in black have history – we’ve all filed that away, haha! But a WHISK – thank you! It reminds me of what Song Lan and XingChen had in MDZS! She is super maternal towards Pei Xiu, too, which is really cute! And yeahhhh, the double standard of the Heavenly Realm. No wonder San Lang has issues. But it doeeeees make sense that the Wind Master has friends in high places that would protect her from Pei Ming’s wrath compared to our poor Xie Lian. That is a fair point, too, to show the differences in the Heavenly Realm, from how Fu Yao views ghosts to the Windmaster. And yes, MORE QUESTIONS! MXTX, doing her thing! I love that we get both Nan Feng and Fu Yao continuing to want dirt on one another so they can flir–I mean, get at one another, but then Tian Sheng being the audience equivalent and saying, Yeah….y’all sucked at hiding you were ghosts and gods. Telling things like it is, and I’m here for it! This isn’t a theater production, Xie Lian! :) But yes, the fact that San Lang sticks with Xie Lian despite his terrible cooking, the reveal that we all knew about Xie Lian being onto Hua Cheng, and Hua Cheng leaning in like that? SWOOOOOON. Thank you for the kind words and comment! I”m SO ready for the OVA and to dive into the novel, manhua, and audio drama! :)

romaniablack
>>87867880

Ahhhh, thank you once again for all the translation edits! You are doing the deity’s work getting these out here! :3 I’m grateful for you taking the time to re-translate those! Ahhh, and that makes much more sense with the Windmaster wanting to take things back to the Heavenly Realm and not pass judgment on the edge of a corpse-ridden pit…makes sense, haha! That part about her sounding like the mom is SO true! “We’ll talk about this when we get home” - OH, I heard that as a kid, haha! I like what you said about Fu Yao maybe not being as cold or callous in actual Chinese over the subs, but you can tell he’s very blunt. Those eye rolls! :P That is a good point that Pei Xiu was wanting to shoulder the blame for her – I will definitely be excited to see these scenes in the audio drama and novel to get more content between them! But I agree with your theory, there! And YES! The Windmaster seems so motherly, but also spunky! I like her design and her character already! :) Thank you for the translations and the comment!

romaniablack
>>87894501

Yesssss, I am getting excited as I get closer to watching the OVA! :) Thank you for not spoiling, hahaha! And yes, we know…more…than we did before, right? So that’s good, right? :P MXTX just weaving that mystery and tangling us into it further! It’s so sad to see Banyue make such a sad, tragic choice…and have to suffer because of it. T_T It’s sad to see Pei’s motivations, too, as well as Ke Mo’s thinking, and see how sad and complicated it all was. The Windmaster punnsssssss…I’m so excited for them, hahaha! I do love her design and character so far! And yes, filing away that San Lang and mysterious lady in black have history. Hmm, indeed! I mean, if the Windmaster flaunts merits around long enough, I’m sure she has friends in high places. ;) I love that Xie Lian is a ferret/weasel and San Lang’s animal is apparently a fox. It’s PERFECT. Xie Lian and San Lang are slowly becoming my favorites, maybe; I feel I’m cheating on WWX and Lan Wangji, so I’ll stop. :P And that’s a great point, San Lang is what he prefers Xie Lian to call him, while HC/Mr. Smirk is a persona – that’s a really cool way to think about it! And YES, so darn swoon-worthy on MULTIPLE occasions in this…him and Xie Lian balance each other out well! And I laughed out loud at your last line! A dinner date with their would-be-pseudo daughter locked in a “pickle jar” in Xie Lian’s magic sleeve – Only MXTX could get away with a plot point so bizarre and yet so normalized we don’t bat an eye at it. But also, yessss, could Xie Lian be falling in love? *cough* I’m sure San Lang would be okay with that! I’m so excited for the OVA! Thanks for the kind words and comment!

Serralinda
>>87894501

Oh, Xie Lian and San Lang are definitely my favorites (though I haven't read SVSSS yet). I watched the first two seasons of MDZS, then HOB S1, then I decided to read HOB first and just...I love them - all of the characters of HOB but especially XL and HC. WWX and LWJ are an amazing couple (and great characters on their own) but I just adore XL and HC. While I think MDZS is the better/tighter plotted story, HOB appeals to me on a different level. Maybe it's the amount of whimsy and absurdity mixed in with the pathos. Everything in HOB is on a grander scale, considering it's about gods and ghosts rather than "normal" humans. It's like MXTX just let her imagination run wild - or as if XL and HC and the rest of the gang took over and ran her ragged trying to keep up with the story, lol. You're going to love it.

romaniablack
>>87894501

They're slowly starting to be mine! I definitely agree that so far, MDZS seems to be a "tighter narrative" (makes sense as it's a shorter story), but there IS something fun about the sprawling scale of HOB so far and that it has more fantastical elements and you can TELL, like you said, that MXTX is letting her imagination go wild with this tale, and I'm so excited to see it all unfold! :D :D