Youxia Zhanji

"The Battle of the Rangers" is adapted from the novel "Nightcrawler: Twenty Years of Ping Yao". It tells the story of Hou Mo, an aspiring young man who stimulated the potential ability of genes in his body in an accident. chivalrous. He overcomes his own shortcomings, transcends himself, and gradually grows into a new youth with a sense of responsibility and responsibility. With a group of partners "Ranger Alliance" who also have special talents, he fought wits and courage with the evil organization "Ferryman", and completed his righteous mission as a member of the Ranger Alliance organization. As a sci-fi and adventure-themed anime with urban characteristics, "Ranger Wars" takes urban life as the background and genetic sci-fi as its focus, explores unknown scientific mysteries, and promotes that ordinary people can become extraordinary and positive through hard work. significance. The protagonist Hou Mo will always be high-spirited, always hopeful, and always insist on a just choice in the face of the drastic changes in his own destiny and the oppression of external forces. This film conveys to us a new era spirit of fighting against fate, seeking from top to bottom, self-improvement and bravery.

(Source: v.qq.com)

Ma, Yiao Main

Qin, Lilou Main

Hou, Mo Main

Halberd Demon Supporting

Staff

Reviews

Dec 15, 2021

Fyrebirdi

Recommended

I'm writing a review on this donghua as there is currently not even a synopsis on MAL.

Youxia Zhanji is a 3D animation adaption of the novel "Nightcrawler: Twenty Years of the Pingyao" by Nan Wujiao Science and Buddha. Its a story about a young salesman, Hou Mo, who inadvertently gets caught in the middle of a war between nightcrawlers. These are group of people who have special abilities enhanced by various animal genes depending on their bloodline. In the process he discovers he has the Lingming Stone Monkey bloodline. Of course this bloodline comes with a unique set of problems and he must go on ... a quest in order to survive his fate and improve himself... while around him all hell breaks lose.

It's a simple plot of overcoming tribulations while upgrading the MC from zero to hero. It's fast paced with lots of action, creatures, cultivation and superpowers. The episodes, however feel a bit rushed and it is sometimes difficult to follow the story due to translation issues. Humor was also sometimes lost, or scenes that were not intended to be funny were hilarious due to bad translation... like when someone throws a sugar-coated cannonball.

The MC, Hou Mo, in his normal form is a little boring, but his transformation design is super awesome. I suspect a lot of the animation budget was spent on making him look OP. At times it's a mix of the great special effects and his monkey character design that carries the donghua. There is a variety of interactions between other characters, but not enough time is given for relationships to feel developed.

As is typical with limited budget Chinese animations, the overall quality of animation, sound and translation is, in places, lacking. Fight scenes are energetic, and any flaws were hidden by the superb special effects. I love the opening soundtrack, but feel they ran out of steam for the closing.

It is a fun watch, full of action, great creature designs, somewhat scantily dressed woman and an MC (when transformed) that is eye candy... excuse me... brave and heroic to look at. I'm sure there are deeper messages behind the donghua, but that, to me at least, was lost in translation.

I'd recommend it to anyone who likes action, mythology and has an open mind towards Chinese animation styles.

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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Jun 15, 2024

ST63LTH

Not Recommended

Youxia Zhanji follows ordinary salaryman Hou Mo, who is thrust into the world of Night Crawlers—individuals said to possess powers that mimic ancient Chinese mythological creatures. Inheriting traits from the Monkey King Wukong, Hou Mo embarks on a journey to discover the extent of his powers, unravel the mystery behind the Night Crawler factions, and confront the conflict surrounding special orb artifacts. Along the way, Hou makes many friends and enemies, turning his journey into a trial of endurance.

Story & Characters: 3/10
The story begins with great promise, featuring an ordinary protagonist with a special affinity for a legendary power, who is thrown into a chaotic ... world. However, after the initial setup, Youxia Zhanji loses focus on its original plot of Hou learning about his powers and the Night Crawlers' mystery. Instead, Hou explores tombs, fights villains, and engages in a shallow romantic subplot. The narrative lacks motivation and direction, feeling whimsically developed with no clear goals or substantial events. Hou meets a special character who accompanies him, but their adventures feel dragged out with unnecessary conflicts and minor enemies.

The characters are slightly better developed than the story but still lack depth. Hou possesses amazing power, yet rarely has the opportunity to showcase or improve it. There is little effort shown in his development or struggle beyond a few scenes, making him as shallow as a typical shounen side character. His closest aide, Ma Yiao, has a cliched pacifist personality. They avoid conflict whenever possible, and their adventures lack conclusive rewards, making their development feel wasted. The villains are underwhelming, often sending weak lackeys to interfere, while the main antagonist lurks in the shadows, manipulating pawns without clear goals or substantial plot friction.

Art & Sound: 5/10
The art is mediocre, with fight scenes lacking proper choreography. While the characters are designed fairly well, considering the series’ blend of martial arts and cultivation in a modern world, it falls short overall.

The sound is unremarkable, with music and sound effects used to a decent degree but nothing noteworthy or extraordinary. The voice acting is bland, with characters lacking expression in their dialogues. Scenes with laughter or grunts come across as amateurish.

Overall & Enjoyment: 3/10
Watching this series was a struggle due to the lack of clear story goals, despite the initial promise that Hou would get stronger to seek revenge (implied). The tomb raiding segments were somewhat enjoyable, but the stereotypical traps and monsters left much to be desired. Characters were decently developed but lacked depth and conviction in their roles. Overall, a 3/10 rating seems reasonable.

Reviewer’s Rating: 3

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Fantasy 3D (Donghua)

by zongxina

50 Entries · 40 Restacks

Recommendations

	Poll: Youxia Zhanji Episode 20 Discussion bushman66 - Dec 13, 2021	3 replies	by ST63LTH »» Jun 15, 2024 12:52 AM
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