Zhan Shen: Fanchen Shenyu

Jaw-droppingly good. Production and storytelling are extremely impressive, perhaps it is the only 3D Chinese animation that I feel comfortable to watch. Most of the Chinese 3D animations feel awkward to me still, even those highly rated ones. Yet, this particular one doesn't disappoint as every episode has movie grade quality. The music especially the OP is a chef kiss, there's no vocal but beats that are captivating and setting the mood well. It is a typical story of a powerful male protagonist's journey to "kill" gods with his awakened and growing abilities. Though I am not exactly fond with this kind of overpowered MC ... style of story, I would still highly recommend it for the splendid experience of the awe-inspiring production.

The story is based of a very extended novel with a whooping 2038 chapters! I was enchanted by the first two episodes of this anime and went ahead to read almost 200 chapters of the novel. With that, I realized there some differences in part of the story if compared to the novel, which I think the anime producers made the right refinements. Those modifications made the story complete and help to encapsulate the strong feelings better. The story has an unique and mysterious settings that slowly reveals the answers as the MC grows. The highlights of the story are well-animated, and there are times I felt chills watching those scenes. I didn't rate this any higher as the story and characters lack depth.

This anime is a hidden gem. I think anyone who appreciate well-produced animation should definitely give it a go. Beware that you might get hooked with 3D animation, but I have yet to find other 3D anime of this quality. Side note, I wouldn't recommend reading the novel, it's too long and became quite predictable.