Story (8/10):
I really like the story. It feels unique and I also really like the humor in the series. Just the premise that you get transported into a novel you hate so much and then also turned into the villain is just hilarious. The series is clearly a parody with many clichés and standard tropes. Unfortunately, I feel that the donghua don't express this as well compared to the novel. Because in the novel you read about Shen Qingqiu's constat critique to the story and characters, which is serve as entertainment but also as world-building and understanding of the series.
What I feel were missing in the donghua were Shen Qingqiu's comments and reactions. There are quite many comments from Shen Qingqiu that did not get adpated in the donghua, which is fair because it would probably have ruined the pacing. Still it's Shen Qingqiu's comments and reactions that makes SVSS so entertaining. I just think they didn't catch the tone of the novel so well. I probably would not have enjoyed the donghua as much if I hadn't read the novel beforehand.
The story in its whole stick close to the novel and is well adapted. Something that I did not like in the series were The Immortal Alliance arc. They focused more on side characters instead of Luo Binghe and Shen Qingque. I also felt like the animation dropped a bit. The action scenes were not that well made. I also found it odd how they just ended the season in the middle of a scene? I would be so mad if I did not already know what would happen afterwards.
Animation (5/10):
Now, I'm definetly not used to this type of 3D animation. This is the first donghua I have watched with this type of animation. Needless to say, I think the animation quality varied a lot. Some scenes were actually really impressive and well animated, while others (the majority of the scenes) were poorly made. The character design for Shen Qingque and Luo Binghe were, compared to the majority of the other characters, remarkably well done and they were also well animated. Their clothes, hair and facial expressions were of so much higher quality than the rest of the characters.
Sound (5/10):
The soundtrack were nothing special. It wasn't bad, but it's not something you really remember. I did not have a problem with the soundtrack, however the sound effects were quite poorly made. I reacted multiple times to how poorly the sound effects were at times. I feel like the quality of the sound effects dropped during the last episodes in The Immortal Alliance arc.
Characters (7/10):
I really like Shen Qingque as a character. He is one of the most dynamic characters in the series. His comments and thought process are always entertaining. I think the donghua did a pretty good job in catching his character, but he does not have as much depth compared to the novel.
Many of the characters lack depth, but its also a bit of the point of the series because the characters were poorly written in the universe the series take place in. I do feel like the donghua does not convey this as well compared to the novel though. I have to say that most of the characters feel much more flat in the donghua compared to the novel, but I still enjoyed watching the characters in the show because I already had some background to them.
Enjoyment (8/10):
Even though the donghua lacks in many way I still enjoyed watching it. It's quite possible I enjoyed it more just because I had the novel as a foundation. It was entertaining to see visuals to what I had read.
Overall (7/10):
I think this was completely fine adaption of SVSS. The story is really entertaining and I will definitely watch the next season. I think this donghua is worth watching, but I would strongly recommend reading the novel beforehand if you want a better experience.
