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Honestly, as a Chinese person, I've never found much draw in period Chinese dramas/animations. I just tend to find the idea of ancient China and notions like sworn brotherhoods over-romanticized... but Mo Dao Zu Shi drew me in easily. The music is fantastic. I don't think I've ever come across any show that made music instruments seem so cool and believable as "weapons". The consistent emphasis on the idea of "cultivation" grounds the possibility that sounds created by instruments can have that power. This "cultivation" affects one's personality, status in society, sense of identity etc. And instruments having powers isn't treated as a whim in ... a overdramatic action packed anime. Not only that, the theme songs and interludes creates the sense of a sweeping romance transcending time.

I have to say, it was a struggle at first to tell the characters apart from each other. Hence the art score rating of 8, although just based on aesthetics and appeal, it certainly deserved a 10. It adds complexity to the task to understanding the layered storyline, when some of the characters in similar clothing also look so similar... buuut, I still gave this show a high overall score of 9 because:

- The two main characters are fantastic. They're layered and flawed and aware of their own flaws. There isn't this tendency for them to be always right just because they are heroes and protagonists. The voice actors are amazingly expressive with a wide range of nuanced emotions.

- The relationship between the main characters are beautiful and believable. They don't suddenly abandon all their duties because now they've found a soulmate that they want to spend their lives with. There are so many hurdles, it almost seems impossible for this relationship to flourish, but it does... and the audience is painfully aware of the cost of that.

- You don't totally have to understand the exact chronological sequence of everything that unfolded to really enjoy this show. It's beautiful, and pacing is great, the character relationships are fascinating and complex. The timelines are still unfolding but it doesn't bother me. I mean it's a reincarnation plot. Even the characters are figuring things out.

There's only so much you can do with 1 OVA episode. It is impossible to capture the full complexity of the manga's plot and character development in just 20 minutes. Vassalord's OVA does not try to do that. Instead it focuses on simply capturing the mood and tension of emotions in the story, and that, it does extremely well. The opera-inspired music score is juxtaposed with a lot detailed, blood-stained scenes, to very memorable effect. Some might find the music somewhat melodramatic. But for me, it takes away the 'gore' effect of the blood, and transforms it into something beautiful, melancholic, full of lost and ... longing.

Having read the manga, I found this very enjoyable. But I think, even for someone who has not read the manga, this OVA is a good first taste of what the rest of the story would feel like.

I can't believe no one has written a review yet. This is definitely a must read for shounen ai fans!! I must say that I'm only on chapter 10 currently, so I may not be a good judge of the entire storyline but I thought I'll write a review on what I've seen so far.

First of all, the characters are very interesting and believable. One of the main characters is actually bordering an oyaji-type, and that's very refreshing in the ocean of bl mangas that frequently revolve around high school/college students only. Every character has many layers that are revealed slowly through the course of ... the story - this keeps you hooked and wanting to find out more.

There is nothing overly dramatic about the plot development. The story progresses naturally. The build ups leading to turning points or climatic moments are very well thought out, so nothing appears forced. For once, it isn't about two guys who jump into each other's pants and are suddenly head over heels in love/lust... The emotional development is well-paced and its easy to empathize with the characters.

Some moments of tension are conveyed simply by a few frames and no dialogue at all. But you really feel the implication of a single glance or a shake of the head.

There are also a lot of really cute moments *3* too

This is one of the best yaoi mangas I've read by far. The most impressive elements were 1) the very well written and thought out dialogues 2) the plot, with just the right balance of foreshadowing, suspense and twists.

As many of us would know, yaoi mangas have involve quite a bit of explicit scenes have a tendency to just become smexy and illogical. I feel that in this manga (and its prequel) almost every sex scene is justified and either 1) contributes to the emotional build up or 2) propels the storyline forward.

I've read many other great bl mangas such as Fake, the ... View Finder Series, Super Lover etc. But this manga that manages to be a very exciting, suspenseful and moving love story in itself, without involving guns, action and the mafia.

I admit that I was skeptical at the time of reading this manga too. The art and the character design was really not that impressive or appealing, but the story is one of the best that I have read. Initially the manga may seem to be rather dark, twisted and depressing, but read on and I assure you that there's much more to this story than that.

I hardly read shojo, school-themed mangas because there are just so many cliches, but this manga has almost none of that. The plot twists are really unexpected (especially beyond the halfway point) and they really keep you hooked. ... More importantly, despite appearances, this is actually a deeply heartwarming and motivational manga with precious scenes that you'll want to remember for a long time to come.