Ling Qi 2

Finally, a shounen-ai with a plot.

I dropped season 1 of this series after watching the first episode (which wasn't great), and ended up taking it up again out of boredom. While the first season got better and was actually pretty good in the end, season 2 just completely exceeded my expectations. If you like drama and supernatural genres in your bl, chances are you will enjoy this show. The plot is unique, the characters have good chemistry with each other, and the story actually goes somewhere. It is full of juicy drama and written well.

People complain that the story moves slowly, and this is because ... proper time was allotted for character backstory, which was a major part of this season. That being said, the pacing feels just right throughout the show.

This series may not be the most amazing bl you will ever see, nor is it without flaw, but it's pretty dang good, and especially considering constraints involved in making it, since China has strict laws against homosexual depiction within productions.

This series sits very well with me for many reasons. They took good care in making it, and it shows. I highly recommend for shounen-ai consumers!

Plot: 6/10

There's a bit improvement from the first season plot. I can see the goal in the second season. It's not face paced unlike the first season, which is good. Plus point for that. It's a solid plot but is it extraordinary, definitely not. I especially do not like the few last episodes because I feel like it drags the story.

Characters: 6/10

I still have problems with the characters. I couldn't love the characters back in season one and I still couldn't love them till now. If I still have to choose a significant character in this anime, for season one I would choose ... Ki in a heartbeat but for season two, it will definitely go to Jiun, the minor character.

You Keika- still the same as ever though a bit stronger than the previous season.

Ki- Definitely the problematic character in this season. First of all, his character in the past is definitely out of character. If I correctly recall, when we dived into Ki's fiance's past in the first season, we could definitely see a cold Ki when he was a child. However, in this season, suddenly Ki is portrayed as someone extremely kind and carefree back when he was still a child. Somehow I felt uncomfortable watching how his character is drastically changed. Not a fan of that so a huge minus point for Ki. Plus, he is supposed to be the most powerful Youmenshi in the world but in season 2, he seems weak. And please, can someone count how many times Ki coughs out blood for me throughout the episodes?

Shouken- He gives me the same vibe as Suzaku from Hangyaku no Lelouch and I don't like this either.


Comments: There's definitely something wrong with the tomanku family. It's clearly wrong for what they did to Shouken. Binding his soul and used him as a blood bank for Ki are definitely inhumane acts yet this family did not pay the price for their wrong doings which bothers me a lot.

Overall: 6/10

This anime has a solid plot, a good foundation yet missing the important pieces which halts it from being one of the best anime. The fighting scenes aren't that great, the mystery is predictable, the struggles Ki and Keika have to go through is too long which makes the audience (me) bored halfway throughout the story.

And please, Shouken, for the love of God and for the sake's of Keika and Ki's happiness, please do not return to the world.

it's good but.... i'm a bit disappointed. First of all, half of the episodes are just flashbacks. i get that it's important to the story but from what i see on the season 1 flashbacks, none of these flashbacks look like they're connected. on season 1, it looked like tanmoku ki's personality was already like this and didn't care about anything. For the story itself, is quite difficult to watch. I myself even started to doubt who was actually the main couple. There are also unanswered questions like how his hair turned white or what happened to the ancestor and why they aren't metioned at ... all in the new season but even so, it's quite interesting to watch how things will go in the new season. it's still a good watch (except the end... that cliffhanger is gonna haunt me). Feel free to watch it if you want, but i actually kind of regret watching it so.

"Master, a relationship with a person is like a kite. It won't fly high if you hold it too tightly. Loosen your grip too much and it falls, and when you pull strongly on a kite flying high in the sky, the string will snap and it will never come back."

I wish I could like this anime. I wish I could write nothing but good things about it, especially since it seems to have a cult following with fans. But I can't.

I'll start with the most glaring issue - This doesn't feel like Shounen Ai. This feels like queer baiting and people clutching at straws. ... This was produced in China, which you probably know has a strict censorship law over gay relationships being shown in the media. I believe this show only got away with what it did show because its producers were Tencent - a very well-known Chinese conglomerate. But even they had their limits.

Let me start by saying every kiss in this has a purpose. Much like Mahou Sensei Negima!? and Yamada-kun and the seven witches. Each kiss is an "exchange of energy" or forming a contract between the two characters. There is never any mention of love and each kiss has a clear purpose to it.

Which is fine. We're watching Shounen Ai, not smut, right? But that's where it falls apart. The characters are unlikeable and never really develop from their initial introductions in season 1, and therefore their emotions never really develop. They're never shown to love each other beyond this sould connection, and it's never even explained why Ki makes the connection with Keika in the first place. ~Sure~, we're given backstory and how they're fated, but Ki doesn't know this at the time he makes the pact and he never shares this information with Keika.

And sadly, there is no season 3, so we can expect to never know past the webtoon as this anime has been cancelled. If there was a season 3 - I might've spared this anime such a harsh review, but the entire plot was just all over the place. There was no pacing, scenes felt awkward, places that were supposed to make you cry just left me sighing and wishing I could fast forward to the resolutions. I couldn't connect with these characters or their emotions, and the emotions felt by most of them seemed flimsy at best - or had overarching, massive conversations and conflicts between them go unspoken or even straight up forgotten about and ignored.

So I couldn't even go "at least this is a good anime, even if there's not any real romance." Because there wasn't any real plot, and any plot was quickly abandoned for the new, shiny plot line they decided was better the next episode. In fact, 5 episodes in the second series were dedicated purely to a flashback between a character introduced 4 episodes into the season within these flashbacks. And the 5 episodes weren't even needed - it was two perspectives of the same events, and by the second run-through, I really didn't care anymore.

I think a portion of this criticism can also be attributed to the Japanese dub. They tried to match the lip animation to what the original Chinese dub said, but Chinese is incredibly fast compared to English and Japanese, and I feel like a lot of what was ~supposed~ to be said was lost in translation and lost it's impact. Instead, scenes flew by unnecessarily fast, littered with sentences and statements that made me go, "uhh, and?" where I'm sure they were supposed to shock you and add tension.

I was going to let this all slide, because "at least the art is good" but it's very sloppy in some frames and scenes, and for some reason, Keika's eyes are retconned and made purple in the second series instead of yellow. Which really doesn't help when Ki and Shouken also both have purple eyes, so every important character just looked the same in the flashback scenes. I wouldn't have cared if they'd even explained it. But there's zero explanation, and Keika's eyes are purple in flashback scenes, so the fan theory that they "changed when he got closer to his ancestor's power level" is redundant because he has them as a child.

I feel like this entire show was trying to do too many things at once, and spread itself too thin as a result. It prolongued the scenes it should've shortened and missed the big picture involving the things it should've prolongued instead.

I can't hate it. It has guys kissing in a CHINESE piece of media. That's nigh impossible to achieve ordinarily and I'm certain Tencent's production was the only reason this was given a second series. It's paving the way for more acceptance in a culture that desperately needs it. And it wasn't a horrific anime. There was semblance of a plot here, and it tried. It just didn't try very hard.

this is the 1st time i watched shounen ai anime nor i interested in this genre. so i'll try to give my honest point here. This is about love from the present & the past.
The backstory is too long to be told (took 4-6ep or maybe the whole season). it depends on what you like. if you're originally is a shoujo person, you probably not enjoy much (considering love triangle until the end). but if you like drama, this is for you. the main character (tanmoku ki) also become so weak different from the 1st season. the plot is lagging. too long for a backstory ... of tanmoku ki. the other main character (keika) become lesser. basically, this season is about the past love of tanmoku ki & shouken. also, there is the episode that keeps rewinding the same scenes.

A BL with actual plot and fantasy! This season was way better than the first and there was actually an arc. I just wish they had more character development for Jing hua/ You Keika however we got to find out about Duanmu Xi/ Tanmoku Ki and that was quiteeee good. I wish there was a season 3 however doesn't seem like it. Overall I quite enjoyed it though it has some shortcomings!

So pros:
- their relationship
- exploration of Duanmu Xi's character
- the overall pacing was much better except for the flashbacks

Also I would recommend chinese dub over the japanese because Jing Hua's character is so much ... better in the chinese dub and of course we get the meaning that the creators wanted to convey.

Cons
- I really thought that if the soundtrack was used better then it would add more tension and gravitas to a situation but they played a lot of melodramatic background music which definitely killed the vibe for me
- not enough Jing Hua focus later on. Disappointing because it was hinted that we would find out more about him but !

It's been a few weeks since I found this anime and tbh I found it very interesting. I finished the 1st Season in two days and I'm still watching Season 2. I get that it's a shounen ai, and I'm really into this genre, but I don't like Shouken meddling into Tanmoku Ki and You Keika's love affair {even though he's *almost dead* Tanmoku Ki can't get him out of his head... (-_-#)}. Sometime, I get annoyed over Shouken and sometimes over Tanmoku Ki because he can't seem to get over him. But, I like cliffhangers such as these. I'm still watching it and look ... forward to every episode which comes out every weekend.
P.S: Looking forward for Season 3

What an IMPROVEMENT from season 1. It was almost like a completely different series. We still have the comedy, but now with longer episodes to truly flesh out the ideas and execution of the story. It's kind of danmei/BL, but I don't think that's really the important part.

STORY - 9/10 - Hello? The plot came back and said it's flashback time. We have some cute moments between Jinghua and Duanmu Xi, but the focus is mainly surrounding Duanmu Xi's character and his past. And boy, is it traumatizing. I asked for fluff, not angst like this. Why did they do this to me? I want ... off on this roller coaster ride right now. Regardless, I was glued to my seat and further blown away as the drama unraveled every new episode. Real talk though, when are we gonna circle back to LuoYue? Can we please get a season 3 even though it will be censored like no tomorrow? Please come back to the negotiation table, donghua team and Pingzi!

SOUND - 8/10 - Ehhhhhhhh the Chinese OP is nice. I never skip it. It fits the vibe of the story. Sad. Angst. Longing. The visuals are also very beautiful underwater. Most of the show soundtracks are the same as last season. Battle theme 2 is always a bop given how the rapping makes it so lit. I don't really have an opinion on the JP opening though.

CHARACTER - 9/10 - Jinghua has a minor role this season. That's ok. I still enjoy the development between him and Duanmu Xi as they get closer together. Their intentions towards each other is very pure and heartwarming. You can feel the genuine concern that they have for each other and I breathe every single one of those heartfelt moments. It is selfless. It is not asking for anything of the other in return. It is just wanting to make the other person happy. I think that's what really resonates with me, because that is what love is, whether platonic or romantic. Their relationship is always joked about as a married couple, but the subtext is overtly there. Also pretty sure the author can't straight up state it officially given the censorship issues in CN right now.

Zhangxuan also grew on me as a character as well. He appears in Duanmu Xi's life as a mentor, a meaningful force that developed Xi into the person that he is today. I found his motivation and story to be an intriguing part of the season. He was not "competing" for screentime with Jinghua, but rather, he had an important role throughout the season that enriched every thing else coming down the pipeline.

ENJOYMENT - 9/10 - This did me in. I'm ready for more angst. I can no longer get off this ride. I am reading the manhua now. The English version only has 160 / 500+ chapters translated. Oh boy.

OVERALL - 9/10 - If you've already made it through the hot mess that is Season 1, you might as well start Season 2. It is SO much better.

Although I haven't finished this anime yet (since only 10 of the episodes are out) I wanted to make a review since there's only like one right now. This is the second season to 'Spirit pact' and personally, I think it's much better than the first season, although I enjoyed/am enjoying both immensely. This season two has very good opening and ending themes, great character development, and lots of drama that adds to the show nicely. This season two focuses more on romance and drama then season one did, and less on the supernatural elements. The story is a bit drawn out in parts, which ... was frustrating at times, but not enough for it to ruin the enjoyment. Definitely watch season one first, or it wont make any sense. This is a boys love anime. If you're are new to the genre, I'd say this series is a fairly good place to start. I think that the romance(s) presented in this are very good and sweet. It doesn't just focus on the romance either, so it's not completely something just "female viewers"would enjoy. All in all, it's a very good anime, especially this second season. New characters are introduced, there's some humor mixed with the drama, and some very adorable moments. I would definitely say this anime is worth the watch if you're interested in supernatural, romance, and/or somewhat dramatic anime's.

This show really exceeded my expectations! With beautiful animation and entrancing opening music (I really like the Chinese one), I knew I was in for a good time, but wow! It really built off the previous season and took it over the moon!

The plot built up more naturally than the previous season. Not as fast paced and really focused on the characters in a way that I was always wanting to know what was going to happen next. The characters also felt more developed and flushed out than they were before. I found myself caring about characters I didn't really have an opinion on in ... the first season and started caring more about the leads than I did before. Speaking of the leads, their relationship is built up nicely over the season and didn't feel forced. I don't want to say too much in fear of spoilers, but I really like how they grow together!

The only qualm I have is that some sections are flashback heavy. Though it's done tastefully, it goes on for a bit and I found myself skipping forward at parts. Additionally, there's a bit of a cliffhanger at the end that had me really disappointed when I found that the plans for a following season was canceled. I hope it gets picked up again because I want to see if Duanmu Xi (Tanmoku Ki) can complete his goal.

Though I prefer the Chinese dub with how the voices fit the characters better in my opinion, the Japanese dub is still good and it doesn't shy away from as many scenes as the Chinese dub does. I'd try both, but if you're looking for the more BL scenes, go with the Japanese dub.

Again, this was a really good show! I'd highly encourage giving it a watch!

This anime is sooooooo good! It got me into chinese animation and I have zero regrets. However... I am so sad about the fact there won't be a third season. As amazing as this show was, the cliffhanger is the worst!! I suggest you don't watch the post-credits scene of the last episode of this season; if you don't do that, you will be super happy. Just skip the post-credits!

Otherwise, the cliffhanger will hurt your soul.

Seriously, this second season is even better than the first season which is rare in anime! The characters are just as amazing and the BL is swoon-worthy!!!

Story - 10/10
i Love the story of ki and keika their trust and love are the best they support each other and help each other and i like their relationship very much that's not all even the abilities are interesting and the story is amazing its pleasing and warm to watch.

Characters 10/10
I love the characters and ... their development is outstanding and the art is well made

Music 10/10
I love the songs especially I"LL be there by roys it my all time favorite I like it because it is warm and relaxing the melody is good


it is somewhat predictable but its unique
the artstyle is fitting the story
they will enjoy this anime because its unique and the story is interesting of course it is relaxing

I have to disagree with many of the other reviewers of this work. First, it is a complete misnomer to label this as shouen-ai. The male characters are under 18. This is a stupid reason to dismiss this anime. So, that label is false. Secondly, for me this work is all 10's. The story is quite good - derivative, I suppose, but show me any anime, any show, any story that can't be traced to some source. Derivative? That is not enough to dismiss Spirit Pact. Further, where are your examples people? ...

The characterization is quite rich. We are shown the ties that can influence and sometimes bind us. Spirit Pact is very relatable. We go about doing what we must and others have ulterior motives to further themselves.

The philosophical perspective is worth watching the show again and again. The music is catchy and soothing. The art is beautiful. Great Show. Top of the list. 10's, 10's, 10s