Reviews

Jun 15, 2021
This show is about two grave robbers who search for an impossibly large tomb from a lost civilization. It's an adaptation of one of the stories in Daomu Biji, a famous web novel series. As someone who never read the original novels, I found this show to be thrilling and immersive. Its pacing is tight, and tension often runs high as the characters slowly uncover the mystery behind the tomb. The tone is quite dark and gritty, so expect the story to be serious, especially since the characters are all adults. There are some moments of humor, though; while they mostly seem to serve character interactions, one hilarious sequence shows a character hallucinating about monkeys wielding machine guns. Wild.

I really like how the show doesn't explain every detail. Some moments are more subtle and left for the viewer to figure out. This is good if you don't want exposition shoved down your throat, but it can also be problematic when you happen to miss a detail. An example: when the main character enters an underground passage, he sets the timer on his watch. At first, it's unclear why he does this. Soon, he's being chased by vengeful zombies who very nearly capture him. But suddenly, the timer sets off its alarm, causing the character to snap back to reality and realize that he was just hallucinating. This entire scene is silent, except for the alarm. If the character had explained out loud what he was doing, the suspense would be lost. By doing this, the show effectively presents a pivotal moment and reveals the character's cautiousness.

Nevertheless, there are some minor details that aren't explained. While the mystery behind the tomb isn't fully explored, it isn't a big issue. It's the stuff like the hallucinations about people pointing at the main character and the weird voices on the walkie talkie that should have been explained better. I suspect they are fully explained in the original novels, but this adaptation just forgot to include them.

I also want to mention that the background art is insanely detailed. Many of the landscape shots look like real paintings. The motion of characters and the paths of objects look realistic. On the other hand, the frame rates are inconsistent from time to time, and there is some noticeable CGI.

Overall, if you are interested in a grave robbing adventure with maybe some plot twists along the way, be sure to consider watching this.

Adjusted score: 7 / 10. Personal score: 6 / 10.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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