Jan 22, 2022
Story- 6/10
The story of Yingxiong Zai Lin (Hero Return) isn't anything special with regards to how it portrays its power fantasy elements. All the arcs follow a pretty standard formula of the side characters defeating the minor villains but inevitably loses to the main antagonist, only to have the protagonist, Lin Jie come in to save the day with a new weapon or technique, albeit there are a few exceptions. At the beginning of the story, the arcs feel rushed and a little messy but as the story moves on, it becomes more refined and the pacing improves and becomes less confusing.
However, even in
...
the latest few arcs, the story still suffers in that there is little time between arcs with sometimes the next arc starting as soon as the old arc ended with there being little to no downtime. As a result, each arc does seem forced as each villain or unfortunate event happens right after another one gets resolved. The arcs also feel disconnected as rarely does elements, plot points or characters carry over to the next arc as they disappear for a while, only to then suddenly reappear a few arcs later.
Art- 8/10
At the start of the manhua, the colours were muted and dull, the drawings looked rough and the faces looked generic and a bit weird at times. A character was even re-designed during the story. It simply did not look very appealing. If the art had continued that way then I would not have given an 8 for the art. This is because the art drastically improves as the colours become a lot brighter as well as many different shades being utilised and as a whole, the colours more creatively used. The drawings also look much more cleaner and the fight scenes were easier to follow.
Character- 5/10
The side characters are definitely the weak point of this manhua because while they do develop within the arc they feature in, they are not all that complex with their ambitions or goals being fairly typical and one note. Many of them also disappear for a long time after their featured arc ends and we move on to the next troubled character. As a result, they mostly do not continue to develop after their arc ends and instead remain stagnant, this is especially true with the original trio who followed Lin Jie. Though, I do like that the characters who have personal issues and problems do end up solving them themselves and even takes the spotlight away from Lin Jie. There are also a few irrelevant, useless characters who are here for who knows why.
The villains are also fairly typical and one note in their motivations and ambition, save for a few and many villain groups which are built up end up becoming a disappointment as it is revealed that they are actually not at the top of the hierarchy and eventually forgotten despite never actually having a proper end. Though there are exceptions. However I will say that Lin Jie is not a stagnant character as he does continue to grow and develop throughout the story as we learn about his past and newfound motivations.
As a whole, the cast is rather likable.
Enjoyment- 9/10
Despite the major negatives I have said about this manhua, it is incredibly enjoyable and entertaining. This is not supposed to be an insightful story which tackles heavy and complex themes but is rather just a comedic, fun story. The jokes may or may not connect with you but I will say that I have laughed out loud a few times. This manhua definitely does improve a lot and become more entertaining as the story progresses.
Overall- 8/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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