Ling Feng Zhe

The Leader is a work with the ability to set any revolutionary's heart alight with pride. It is not often that these kinds of cartoons carry with them such weight, but this is no ordinary cartoon. It is a work designed to inspire a new generation of Marxists to carry forth the torch of Communism to a brighter tomorrow.

I was deeply impressed by the characterization of Marx and his comrades. This show is not just a picture of Marx, it is a mirror in which the audience can see themselves reflected in the actions of Marx and the revolutionaries of ... the past. The Leader makes Marx more than just a face in a textbook, it makes him human.

Technically, the show is lacking in many aspects. The art is sub-par, with the transition between 2d and 3d being quite jarring at times. The sound design also leaves much to be desired. However, it would be improper to place as much weight on these aspects as the true meat of the story. This show needs neither impressive visuals nor immersive sound to draw the viewer in with its powerful message of revolution.

Overall, I was astounded by the degree to which this show moved me. As a show produced under the direction of the Communist Party of China, I was suspicious that it would dilute Marx's revolutionary character, but it seems even the revisionist CPC recognizes his great contributions to the world.

I understand that to one ideologically opposed to Marx, this show might be rejected on its basic premise. However, I believe that even a reactionary can be moved by this humanization of Marx. Too many people understand Marx only by "Marxism." They understand him only by the number of deaths that are falsely attributed to him. But to truly understand Marx the philosopher, one must understand Marx the revolutionary.

The leader is a masterpiece. It tells the life story of the great philosopher Karl Marx in painstakingly personal detail. It tells how the immortal science of Marxism got its roots, and how the life around Marx impacted his conclusions and decisions in the making of mankind’s greatest scientific work, Das Kapital.

Besides the pursuit of knowledge and answers to stop the bourgeoisie exploitation, The Leader also tells the personal life of Karl Marx in detail. We have deeply emotional situations and humane relationships. If this piece of art doesn’t make you cry your heart out at least once, you have no soul. Even if you ... are deeply indoctrinated into an imperialist capitalist system, if you still feel no remorse towards these characters, Marx, Engels and Jenny among them after what they’ve gone through and what situations hit them, then you truly are a lost cause.

One could however critique the art direction that has been going here. If you are a 2D purist the 3D is going to put you off. Did it put me off though? No. It blended in seamlessly, and besides, I would not have cared if this was fully 3D either. It’s the end result and the story that matters the most. The cause and the beautiful art in general. Not the amount of dimensions it’s in.

This piece of art was funded by the Chinese government. Because let’s be honest, an imperialist company would never fund or publish something like this. Though one can have doubts about the Chinese government, surprisingly enough, this series doesn’t push down Chinese market socialism or any such ideologies for that matter. Which is a relief. Instead we got a majestic piece of art that holds very truthful to the historic source material through an objective lens.

Happy late 200th birthday Karl Marx!

I’ve never thought that the first Chinese anime I watch would be a two hours worth of CCP funded biography of Karl Marx. I’ve also never thought that I would ever reccomend any communist propaganda before but in the end, here I am.

If you're history guy (or paid the slightest attention in history classes) you would’ve probably known Karl Marx and his ideals already, but this seven-episode series covers the chapters of his life, which are unsurprisingly quite augmented (especially the narrator, who often praises excessively), we all know that Marx is ... a famous leftist philosopher but I'm certain that some events in his life didn't resolve the same way it did in the show. But afterall, this is obvious communist propaganda and they had to squeeze in lots of communist aspects into a couple minutes of Marx’s speech, in terms of that and dialogue writing, they just did a fair job.
(I swear Jenny’s lines are very much contradictory from what a mother would say when loosing her son , It seemed unnatural)

Storyline and political drama aside, the voice acting is well done, it's not the best but it conveys the message. Though the official dub is Chinese, you can easily find English or other languages dub on YouTube.

The animations isn't the best, but it's far better than the other people might have reviewed. The problem is that aside from the main characters, everyone else looks plain and copy pasted, sometimes even Marx himself speaks without moving his lips, explosions and gunshots are quite terrible but personally, the worse part is the ending’s Chinese propaganda part, Mao Zedong’s face is plain and low res and the Chinese flag on the forbidden palace is but a red gif banner (Though the real ones at the palace are also red banners, the ones in the anime kinda fly unnaturally). The good things though are that there are often 3D aspects in play and the graphics are quite stunning actually, overall I think they did a job well done.

While others would refused or hesitate to recommend this anime due to it being a communist propaganda, while I’m not claiming it isn't, in fact I'm claiming it is. I’d still recommend this to everyone, especially history lovers who wishes to hear about Karl Marx’s life from the perspective of the Chinese. Just keep yourself aware and fact-check often, believe in the facts and kindly ignore the propaganda part. To end this review, a quote from Marx himself (someone who you’ll easily get bored of upon finishing the series)

“Ignorance never yet helped anybody.”
― Karl Marx