To fans who haven't read the books: The beginning will feel a bit slow and confusing, but it's like that to establish a backbone for the story and start foreshadowing major events to come. Everything in TGCF happens for a reason. If you stick with it this season, then when the later arcs are adapted you will be in for a treat.
Also, the way Haoliners put most of their budget into the character's expressions is a brilliant move. This highlights the extremely layered and complex personalities of the majority of the cast, but especially Xie Lian. You can really tell this was animated by loving fans, with the level of care and detail they put into every movement characters make.
All in all, I absolutely adore this adaptation and I hope that the popularity of this sets a precedent for more novel-to-anime adaptations in the future.
