First off, I’m going to say that a series like Shi Wan Ge Leng Xiao Hua (lit translation: 100 Thousand Bad Jokes, abbreviation: Shi Leng/十冷) cannot be objectively rated. The reason is that the main premise rests on humor, specifically in making parodies out of anything and everything. From traditional fables like the Honest Woodcutter, to classic children’s cartoons like Hu Lu Xiong Di, to popular Japanese anime like Detective Conan and One Piece, I don’t think I’ve seen anything that’s not been poked fun at in some way, shape, or form. Oh and if course there’s always the occasional stab at mainland Han Chinese stereotypes of the dialects/accents of other ethnic groups, which...well just remember that it’s all meant to be interpreted in a humorous light.
Now, on to the actual review.
Story: Very simple and straightforward. The main objective of the protagonist is to bring back the creator’s staff from the hands of the Southern God who stole it, in order to stop the war brewing between the other three gods. For this endeavor, he is accompanied by a band of three misfits who at times make things more challenging for him. A few straightforward plot twists are inserted along the way, such that the ending, while certainly expected, still holds some interesting surprises. Thus I give it 8/10.
Art: Compared to the original series that aired one 5-minute episode on the first day of every month back in 2012, there’s been a massive amount of improvement. I’d say the animation is even better than the first Shi Leng movie, as the characters’ movements tend to be less stiff. Of course there’s always room for improvement, and while the galactic setting certainly allows room for stunning visuals involving massive spaceships and destructive weapons, there may have been a little too much CGI for my tastes. Later on in the series, there is a part where the art breaks down to just uncolored base sketches and in my opinion it’s one of my favorite deconstructions ever so I’m adding a bonus point in the art category for this. My score is 7+1 = 8/10.
Sound: As expected, very solid voice acting. We see a lot of Tu Cao/吐槽 moments, in which one of the more levelheaded/reliable characters freaks out and spews out a massive string of comments about how nonsensical some of the other characters’ actions are. Without the talented VAs this series would not even have 1/4 of its appeal, so this is definitely a strong department. The music/sound effect side is a little bit weaker, mostly because there were so many random insert songs that, while meant for humor, weren’t always the most humorous. My score is 8/10 (average between 9/10 voice acting and 7/10 background sound).
Character: This second movie saw the introduction of some new characters like Athena (pun for Argon Iodine Sodium) and Thor, and the return of some fan favorites like Xiao Jin Gang and the River God. All the characters have very quirky personalities that, when thrown together, create endearingly hilarious dynamics. I really like how each of them showcases his/her own strengths at some point in the series (the River God especially, I love him so much more now you have no idea). For a perfect 10, I would’ve like to see a little more character development (I also don’t really like how Athena was portrayed), but I think I can give a solid 8/10 in this category.
Enjoyment: Hands down 10/10. I laughed the whole time. I think that’s a good sign that the movie lived up to its standards and did what it was supposed to do. In summary, I give the series 9/10 overall, because while there are some pitfalls the strengths far outweigh them. Case in point: I’m always impressed by the way they insert all those sponsored advertisements in a way that adds to rather than detracts from the humor.
I’m sure by now if anyone is still reading this incomprehensible monstrosity you’re probably wondering “do you recommend the movie to me”. If you’re a hardcore Shi Leng fan like I once was, I’d say definitely yes. Don’t get turned off by the slightly unfamiliar cast of characters like I was - I promise you that everything will make perfect sense at the end (and, while it’s nice to have a big Nao Dong, you don’t need quantum physics to understand it!).
If you’re unfamiliar to the series, I still think this movie can be very enjoyable as a stand-alone comedy to watch on a gloomy evening. You may not catch all the jokes, but there’s enough universal content in there that it should still be pretty funny. Plus, it’s available on YouTube =D
