Tian Guan Cifu Special

As a big fan of the novel, the manhua and the donghua, this episode was ‘Heaven’s blessing’ in and on itself.
It was so satisfying and such perfect ending for this season, and, at the same time, is also a new beginning that leaves you feeling desperate for the second season.
To finally see the MCs facing and interacting with each other, with the best of the best of the soundtrack, playing in the background, was priceless.
And, to finally see ‘that’ face, in particular, was an unexpected and amazing surprise, i must have played that part in repeat 10 times already.
Looking forward to english sub ... which apparently is coming out this year

This special is a direct continuation to the 12 episode Tian Guan Ci Fu series. It is a slower paced episode based on character development and oh boy, does it do this in spades. Watching this was like watching a flower start to bloom, petal by petal, unfurling in slow motion. Conversations fully laden with meaning. Restraint. The slow unveiling of a mystery. And then ... the montage with the revelation that you might or might not miss towards the end, is like the flower blooming in full. I was stunned at the beauty and the realization of what it meant.

I had debated whether I ... should give this a 10 because it is only one episode. The slow unveil leading to a climax has rarely been done half as well in other series. This might be the best one I can recall in recent anime watching history. The face reveal, I had to make sure and rewind it several times to re-watch it. My emotions were in a roil after (I have not read the novel). It makes sense, my heart was singing at the "rightness" of it. If anything can generate this kind of feeling and emotion, it deserves a 10.

HOB/TGCF was great, but this special is even better!! It was very enjoyable and so much fun to watch.

Tha story was amazing, it really highlights the romance between -you know who- and Xie Lian. There is no backpeddling, no making them brothers, no hostility. This is unlike other shows from China which can be censored to high heaven.



None of that happens, they just...flirt. They don't kiss or makeout or have any ecchi but that does not mean they aren't flirting...it truly illustrates the love felt bu the charachters.



Now, I will avoid spoilers however the story is amazing! It truly displays everything fans ... could want. This is so satisfying it is crazy!



The sound is just as good as the original, however the visuals are better! They do not use any of the bad cg used in the show itself, so it looks very good throughout!



Finnaly, the charachters are as they are in the show itself. I WILL say the way they display 'that persons' face is gorgeous! the extra details are so fun and watchers can tell the animators took care when showing the side-by sides.



I reccomend watching this after seeing TGCF!! 10/10!!

“It’s brave but dumb to have such ambitions when you were young. It’s dumb, but also brave”

- Hua Cheng

This special episode is a really nice way to wrap up the first series of Tian Guan Ci Fu, focusing more on the relationship between the two main characters and acting as a tie-up for the main plot threads that were started.

The more relaxed nature of this episode really highlights the strengths of the series, most notably the animation style and the music which are allowed to shine a little more than in the main episodes. The main issue ... with this special is that, due to its focus on concluding what has happened, it can feel a little bit repetitive. However, it doesn’t affect the rest of the episode and it is an understandable necessity.

This episode is definitely a great way to wrap up the series and makes me hopeful for the next season.