China’s newest donghua,Lord of Mysteries, has been released to popular acclaim, raking in high numbers after only two episodes. But there are a couple of small problems that are holding it back from reaching a broader audience and achieving perfection across the board. Between storyboarding changes and translation issues, the donghua has a way before resonating with all viewers.
Lord of Mysteriesis based on the webnovel created by Cuttlefish That Loves Diving, published on the site Qidian back in 2018. The donghua, produced by B.CMay Pictures, is adapting the first novel in its entirety within the animation’s first season, comprising 13 episodes plus two special side episodes.
First Few Episodes in Lord of Mysteries Are Moving Fast, Maybe Too Fast
Fans Old and New Aren’t Overlooking How Speedy Events Are Coming and Going
When adapting a novel into an animation, there are going to be changes that don’t translate well, given the difference in mediums. ForLord of Mysteriesin particular, this comes in the form of adapting as much of the material as the studio can without breaking out of industry norms,leading to packed episodes of ongoing events.
The director of the donghua, Ke Xiong, would take to the internet to talk about how the creatives weren’t entirely happy with how fast the pace felt for thefirst three episodes ofLord of Mysteries. Since the series only has 13 episodes for the novel, certain changes had to be made to properly adapt the full novel into animation.
By focusing on the visuals and presenting the story in a way that requires the viewer to pay attention to character placements and background details, the donghua presents a new way of experiencingLord of Mysteries.
Fans of the original webnovel have also noted that there isn’t as much inner dialogue being voiced by the main character, Klein Moretti. This has led to some moments not quite making sense, such as his thought process when summoning the Grey Fog for the first time and encountering the other members, Audrey and Alger.
The scene is meant for Klein to play a fake god in front of two strangers; however, much of that nuance is lost due to limited dialogue, whereas readers would have the advantage of picking up on it. For people viewing the donghua for the first time, that kind of revelation may only be clarified in later episodes and additional interactions.
“The director didn’t alter the main timeline of the story. He simply shifted around certain plot points that don’t affect the core storyline, placing some earlier and pushing others later. That may result in delaying some slice-of-life moments or character introductions, but I think the logic behind it is sound.”
-Cuttlefish (Author)
Cuttlefish and Xiong have both come forward to acknowledge fans' concerns by revisiting the premise that the donghua is adapting as much of the novel as it can, even if it has to rearrange certain events to make it fit. As two different mediums, the donghua is going to adapt the same work differently to allocate its stronger points.
By focusing on the visuals and presenting the story in a way that requires the viewer to pay attention to character placements and background details, thedonghua presents a new way of experiencingLord of Mysteries.Xiong also shared that it was the first three episodes that garnered concern, hinting that the rest of the donghua could be much smoother.
Lord of Mysteries Has Only Been Released With Chinese Dubbing And English Subtitles
Crunchyroll’s Translation Also Appears to Have Errors or Isn’t Translating Certain Sections
With only a few episodes,Lord of Mysterieshas only debuted its donghua with the Chinese voiceover; however, thanks to Tencent and Crunchyroll, the series is subbed with English subtitles for overseas viewers. This is still a point of contention for a small part of the fanbase who prefer Japanese or English dubbed.
Lord of Mysterieswas originally meant to releasewith multiple other language options for the dubbing, including English, Japanese, German, Korean, Spanish, and more. Given the donghua’s recent release, it may still be a few months until the other versions arrive, though Cuttlefish and B.CMay Pictures confirmed that they were working on it alongside production.
Problems also arrive in the form ofpoor translation on Crunchyroll’s part, with audiences reporting that there were either errors in terms of places and parts of the dialogue or visuals not being translated at all. This has led toviewers only growing more confused about the plot of the donghuaafter relying on the English translations to fill in the gaps.
Errors in Crunchyroll can be reported to the website by pointing out the translation error and submitting a ticket to technical support. AsLord of Mysteriesgarners popularity, closer attention may be brought to the donghua’s accuracy.
The Donghua’s Current Problems Are Small But Impact Its Growth Among New Audiences
Lord of Mysteries’ Current Issues Are Relatively Easy Fixes
All in all, for its first debut, these are small issues for the donghua to start out with. Thanks to its innovative animation and powerful storytelling, which is largely a hit with current audiences,Lord of Mysteriesis a resounding success within its first few episodes.
Cuttlefish and B.CMay Pictures are actively working on the current issues the donghua is facing, as later episodes will take more time to expand the world and plot. Dubbing has been confirmed to be in production, although a release date on when that’ll be available has not been shared yet.
Though the road ahead for the donghua is long and will involve many more hurdles to pass, its fanbase has showcased its appreciation with high ratings and overall praise.Lord of Mysterieshas proven itself to be the newest animation to keep an eye on this summer.
