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DONGHUA REVIEW: “The King's Avatar”
Written by: Polaris_Tae
Disclaimer:
@Kyon wrote a review on the web-drama adaption of 'The King's Avatar' several months ago. This review, however, will focus on the first season of the donghua adaption.
-----
'The King's Avatar' is a Chinese donghua produced by BC May Studios (the team behind Mo Dao Zu Shi) based on a web novel of the same name. It is about Ye Xiu, a chain-smoking elite gamer and labeled 'god' of the fictional MMORPG video game 'Glory' . He often displays a sarcastic and indifferent personality to those around him. He has been playing the game throughout his whole adult years and is recognized as the 'battle god' of the game but was pushed out of his professional team, 'Excellent Era', by their manager due to his low commercial value, as Ye Xiu refuses to accept any commercial sponsors or endorsements. Subsequently, he is forced to retire early and despite knowing that he cannot compete professionally for a year, he still accepts the conditions and leaves the team and the professional scene voluntarily. However, due to the fact that he's been supporting a number of his friends following their retirement, he does not have enough money to afford the breaking of contract fees and is forced out onto the streets. It is here that he finds himself at 'Happy Internet Cafe', which is run by Chen Guo, who is Ye Qiu (Ye Xiu's professional e-sports pseudonym) and Su Mucheng's (Ye Xiu's friend and former teammate) avid fan and a casual player of 'Glory'. Following this encounter, she hires him as the night manager for the cafe and offers him a spare room in the staff dormitory, thus solving his living arrangements.
During his first night at Happy Internet cafe, he overhears that the 10th server of 'Glory' will be opening and decides to transfer there with an antique account. Due to Ye Xiu's refusal to show his face in public, no one outside of the professional scene knows what he actually looks like. Therefore, he is spared the pandemonium that a popular pro-gamer would face if they were to just randomly waltz in such a public place. Joining the 10th server under the account name Lord Grim as an unspecialized player, he equips himself with a transformable weapon and grinds his way through the multiple levels in an attempt to regain his rightful place at the top once again until his year of forced retirement is up and he can rejoin the professional league once again.
Ye Xiu following his retirement at 'Happy Internet Cafe'
Throughout the first season of 'The King's Avatar', we see Ye Xiu start from scratch, slowly building a team and gaining allies and supporters. We see him start out as a hated member of the server following a conflict during his first raid mission, to redeeming himself to his fellow gamers when he proves his skills multiple times throughout the course of the story. Su Mucheng, his former 'Excellent Era' teammate and one of his only true friends, would willingly quit her team if Ye Xiu asked her to. Huang Shaotian, a rival from the professional team 'Blue Rain', constantly trash talks people into the ground so much that he has caused teams to lose entire tournaments from that skill alone. Qiao Yifan (Ashen Moon) is always faithful to Ye Xiu after the latter helped to guide him when he was undecided about what class of hero he wanted to specialise in. All of them ally themselves with Ye Xiu as his professional backers ― under dupe accounts of course. He also creates an alliance with a number of relatively new or casual gamers such as Bao Rongxing (Steamed Bun Invasion), who looks like a street thug but has an outgoing personality; Tang Rou (Soft Mist), who never gives up from a challenge; and Chen Guo (Chasing Haze), who is always there to support the others when needed.
Through the accumulation of a number of allies, we can see that Ye Xiu is creating a league of his own that will follow him into the professional league once he is able to return to competitive e-sports, even though the majority of his allies do not know that the avatar of Lord Grim belongs to the legendary king of 'Glory'. We also see the lives and experiences of professional players such as having to worry about being recognised while out in public and the commonplace advertisement and sponsorships that they have to partake in. The latter of which is the main reason that Ye Xiu was booted from his team, as he preferred to enjoy his privacy. Due to commercialisation and sponsorships, players who may have initially joined the professional competition for the love of the game transform into overnight celebrities and lose themselves to the desire of money.
One of the greatest aspects that I enjoyed about Ye Xiu is the fact that the character is not just OP for the sake of it, but that he actually has the knowledge and background to substantiate his overpowered abilities. He has both in-game knowledge and strategy insight from his 10 years of experience playing 'Glory', and when he doesn't have the answer to a question, he does what most other players wouldn't think of doing ― reading the manual!
Steamed Bun Invasion, the avatar of Bao Rongxing within the game 'Glory'
'The King's Avatar', in terms of story setting, does not play out like the most prolific style of Japanese video game-centric animation ― which mainly relies on isekai tropes and having the user transmigrate into a gaming platform. Instead, the user sits in front of a computer table in the real world and our point of view follows the user's avatar, where the camera pans into the computer screen and the majority of the gameplay is seen through first-person point-of-view. I found this to be a great way to utilise the gaming platform, without the story having to use isekai as a plot device to explain why the point-of-view is in first person the entire time (a la SAO). However, this format can also be jarring at times, as the point-of-view often flicks back and forth from inside the screen to outside in intense battle sequences. But this is balanced through the use of strong dialogues as well as the subjects' intense keyboard movements and actions that help to get the intensity across to the audience.
Going into the story of 'The King's Avatar', one does not have to be well-versed in terms of gamer knowledge and logic, as the animation studio has utilised off-side inboxes for users who do not know the subject matter. They also include an exposition that further details topics related to the game that the general audience may not know about, without causing the story to deviate and also further adding to the intricacy of the narrative.
The animation style is extremely advanced, considering this was aired in 2017, and shows elements of their experimentation with 3D rendering that BC May studios perfected in the production of their current powerhouse, 'Mo Dao Zu Shi'. The use of 3D objects and backgrounds within 'The King's Avatar' is a bit more rudimentary compared to later animations from the same studio, considering this was one of their earlier productions. It is mainly applied to objects such as doors and backgrounds within the PC Room that the majority of the players work at and visit.
Moreover, the character designs for 'The King's Avatar' do not go over the top in their styling but rather display the avatars with minute differences in features with their users, such as a slight change in hairstyle or hair length. However, they keep the characteristics of the subject from the real world mostly similar, while adding elements of fantasy and guild culture seen in most gaming-centric anime in the clothing and weapons choices for the avatars, further giving each cast member a separate personality via certain design choices. One of the only characters within the central cast of season one of 'The King's Avatar' that I found difficult to identify was Tang Rou, whose bizarre hair styling and features somewhat contrasted with what she sported every day outside of a computer screen.
Chasing Haze, the avatar of Chen Guo within the game 'Glory'
In conclusion, 'The King's Avatar' is a great show that will immerse you into the world of e-sports and the players that compete both professionally and as a hobby. It shows the love and dedication that gamers have for their sport, where they are willing to grind just as much as any athlete in a traditionally recognised sport to achieve their dreams and goals. The second season of the show was initially set to be released in 2019, but was delayed in order to release the film, 'The King's Avatar: For The Glory'. However, both the aforementioned film and the upcoming season 2 of the donghua (set to release in 2020) are now no longer under the production of BC May but will likely be produced by Coloured Pencil Studios. Therefore, they will likely have an entirely different animation style when compared to the first season.
__________________________________________________
Story: 8/10
Characters: 9/10
Animation: 9/10
Voice Acting: 8/10
8.5/10
__________________________________________________
PROOFREAD BY: KYON
GRAPHICS BY: RINOA
Written by: Polaris_Tae
Disclaimer:
@Kyon wrote a review on the web-drama adaption of 'The King's Avatar' several months ago. This review, however, will focus on the first season of the donghua adaption.
-----
'The King's Avatar' is a Chinese donghua produced by BC May Studios (the team behind Mo Dao Zu Shi) based on a web novel of the same name. It is about Ye Xiu, a chain-smoking elite gamer and labeled 'god' of the fictional MMORPG video game 'Glory' . He often displays a sarcastic and indifferent personality to those around him. He has been playing the game throughout his whole adult years and is recognized as the 'battle god' of the game but was pushed out of his professional team, 'Excellent Era', by their manager due to his low commercial value, as Ye Xiu refuses to accept any commercial sponsors or endorsements. Subsequently, he is forced to retire early and despite knowing that he cannot compete professionally for a year, he still accepts the conditions and leaves the team and the professional scene voluntarily. However, due to the fact that he's been supporting a number of his friends following their retirement, he does not have enough money to afford the breaking of contract fees and is forced out onto the streets. It is here that he finds himself at 'Happy Internet Cafe', which is run by Chen Guo, who is Ye Qiu (Ye Xiu's professional e-sports pseudonym) and Su Mucheng's (Ye Xiu's friend and former teammate) avid fan and a casual player of 'Glory'. Following this encounter, she hires him as the night manager for the cafe and offers him a spare room in the staff dormitory, thus solving his living arrangements.
During his first night at Happy Internet cafe, he overhears that the 10th server of 'Glory' will be opening and decides to transfer there with an antique account. Due to Ye Xiu's refusal to show his face in public, no one outside of the professional scene knows what he actually looks like. Therefore, he is spared the pandemonium that a popular pro-gamer would face if they were to just randomly waltz in such a public place. Joining the 10th server under the account name Lord Grim as an unspecialized player, he equips himself with a transformable weapon and grinds his way through the multiple levels in an attempt to regain his rightful place at the top once again until his year of forced retirement is up and he can rejoin the professional league once again.
Ye Xiu following his retirement at 'Happy Internet Cafe'
Throughout the first season of 'The King's Avatar', we see Ye Xiu start from scratch, slowly building a team and gaining allies and supporters. We see him start out as a hated member of the server following a conflict during his first raid mission, to redeeming himself to his fellow gamers when he proves his skills multiple times throughout the course of the story. Su Mucheng, his former 'Excellent Era' teammate and one of his only true friends, would willingly quit her team if Ye Xiu asked her to. Huang Shaotian, a rival from the professional team 'Blue Rain', constantly trash talks people into the ground so much that he has caused teams to lose entire tournaments from that skill alone. Qiao Yifan (Ashen Moon) is always faithful to Ye Xiu after the latter helped to guide him when he was undecided about what class of hero he wanted to specialise in. All of them ally themselves with Ye Xiu as his professional backers ― under dupe accounts of course. He also creates an alliance with a number of relatively new or casual gamers such as Bao Rongxing (Steamed Bun Invasion), who looks like a street thug but has an outgoing personality; Tang Rou (Soft Mist), who never gives up from a challenge; and Chen Guo (Chasing Haze), who is always there to support the others when needed.
Through the accumulation of a number of allies, we can see that Ye Xiu is creating a league of his own that will follow him into the professional league once he is able to return to competitive e-sports, even though the majority of his allies do not know that the avatar of Lord Grim belongs to the legendary king of 'Glory'. We also see the lives and experiences of professional players such as having to worry about being recognised while out in public and the commonplace advertisement and sponsorships that they have to partake in. The latter of which is the main reason that Ye Xiu was booted from his team, as he preferred to enjoy his privacy. Due to commercialisation and sponsorships, players who may have initially joined the professional competition for the love of the game transform into overnight celebrities and lose themselves to the desire of money.
One of the greatest aspects that I enjoyed about Ye Xiu is the fact that the character is not just OP for the sake of it, but that he actually has the knowledge and background to substantiate his overpowered abilities. He has both in-game knowledge and strategy insight from his 10 years of experience playing 'Glory', and when he doesn't have the answer to a question, he does what most other players wouldn't think of doing ― reading the manual!
Steamed Bun Invasion, the avatar of Bao Rongxing within the game 'Glory'
'The King's Avatar', in terms of story setting, does not play out like the most prolific style of Japanese video game-centric animation ― which mainly relies on isekai tropes and having the user transmigrate into a gaming platform. Instead, the user sits in front of a computer table in the real world and our point of view follows the user's avatar, where the camera pans into the computer screen and the majority of the gameplay is seen through first-person point-of-view. I found this to be a great way to utilise the gaming platform, without the story having to use isekai as a plot device to explain why the point-of-view is in first person the entire time (a la SAO). However, this format can also be jarring at times, as the point-of-view often flicks back and forth from inside the screen to outside in intense battle sequences. But this is balanced through the use of strong dialogues as well as the subjects' intense keyboard movements and actions that help to get the intensity across to the audience.
Going into the story of 'The King's Avatar', one does not have to be well-versed in terms of gamer knowledge and logic, as the animation studio has utilised off-side inboxes for users who do not know the subject matter. They also include an exposition that further details topics related to the game that the general audience may not know about, without causing the story to deviate and also further adding to the intricacy of the narrative.
The animation style is extremely advanced, considering this was aired in 2017, and shows elements of their experimentation with 3D rendering that BC May studios perfected in the production of their current powerhouse, 'Mo Dao Zu Shi'. The use of 3D objects and backgrounds within 'The King's Avatar' is a bit more rudimentary compared to later animations from the same studio, considering this was one of their earlier productions. It is mainly applied to objects such as doors and backgrounds within the PC Room that the majority of the players work at and visit.
Moreover, the character designs for 'The King's Avatar' do not go over the top in their styling but rather display the avatars with minute differences in features with their users, such as a slight change in hairstyle or hair length. However, they keep the characteristics of the subject from the real world mostly similar, while adding elements of fantasy and guild culture seen in most gaming-centric anime in the clothing and weapons choices for the avatars, further giving each cast member a separate personality via certain design choices. One of the only characters within the central cast of season one of 'The King's Avatar' that I found difficult to identify was Tang Rou, whose bizarre hair styling and features somewhat contrasted with what she sported every day outside of a computer screen.
Chasing Haze, the avatar of Chen Guo within the game 'Glory'
In conclusion, 'The King's Avatar' is a great show that will immerse you into the world of e-sports and the players that compete both professionally and as a hobby. It shows the love and dedication that gamers have for their sport, where they are willing to grind just as much as any athlete in a traditionally recognised sport to achieve their dreams and goals. The second season of the show was initially set to be released in 2019, but was delayed in order to release the film, 'The King's Avatar: For The Glory'. However, both the aforementioned film and the upcoming season 2 of the donghua (set to release in 2020) are now no longer under the production of BC May but will likely be produced by Coloured Pencil Studios. Therefore, they will likely have an entirely different animation style when compared to the first season.
__________________________________________________
Story: 8/10
Characters: 9/10
Animation: 9/10
Voice Acting: 8/10
8.5/10
__________________________________________________
PROOFREAD BY: KYON
GRAPHICS BY: RINOA
Last edited:
I liked your review, very well made points. Perhaps in this quarantine ill check it out