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That was the cutest scene! It was kind of like "OMG FINALLY!!!" a true sigh of relief. I also really liked the little smirk he gave when Hong Jun fought him off a few times. I love me some team bonding!

So far, I've been watching more of the donghua only because it's easier to consume. I'm usually more of a fan of the original source when it comes to any adaptation so I think I'll actually read the novel after I'm done with the donghua xD

I'm up to ep15 in the donghua and I can tell why people are unhappy not just with Tang San but most of the characters'. I think that they should've also kept the admission process into Shrek vs what they did with the drama since that would've shown cooperation/introduced the characters and displayed Tang San's intelligence in an easier way but alas, the drama is what it is.

I know a lot of book fans like to comment on the obvious differences between book!Tang San and drama!Tang San but as someone who has just started reading the manhua & watching the donghua, the biggest personality change to me is actually, Xiao Wu??? Lol, she's much more witty and sarcastic, and actually thinks a lot for herself vs the drama version of her.

As much as I enjoy Ou Si Ka's comedic relief, I think they spent a lot more on his dialogue than was necessary, especially since they haven't touched upon his actual soul power so there's still more bg introduction to be done for him. Like you, I don't want them to rush things and have everything happen in the second half of the drama.

Tencent announced a S2 but I wonder if that's a continuation of this or a new story altogether. I know the NRTA announced earlier on that they "encourage" dramas to air no more than 40ish episodes to keep the dramas from becoming too "draggy" but then some dramas randomly decided to just split their seasons into two instead of actually condensing and making their plots tighter, lol.

We're in the same boat, I can't stop even thought I know I should let some episodes build up before I continue. The previews keep giving me hope that things'll happen too!

NGL, I expected more to have happened by now as well. I think the pace can be picked up for sure. Also...I think this drama would be better if marathoned vs watching episode by episode because it feels sort of like a beginner learning how to drive with one foot on the accelerator and one foot on the brake.

Rong Rong shows up half-way through ep12 and I would even say that a majority of ep13 is dedicated to her.

As an avid shounen anime fangirl, I'm enjoying the fact that the last two episodes were dedicated mostly to the team's chemistry and bonds being built. I think the pace has slowed a tad, not considerably and since we're still at about 1/3 of the way through, it's understandable. The drama seems to be in the "setting up" stage still. From the previews for 14 & 15, it seems like the plot will be moving onwards and that Tang San will be powering up soon as well.

I think that Douluo the drama can be considered an adaptation in that it contains similar themes/essence of the original novel, but the events that take place in the original are being switched around in order. I think Tang San has been turned into a more stereotypical MC in the sense that he's kind, understanding and wanting to "change the world" for the better. It seems like they've taken out the more vengeful aspects of his nature and made him more sympathetic. And he's not the same powered up figure but I think it's obvious that he's clearly gaining more use of his powers, becoming more adept at using his abilities in different ways and able to think quick on his feet.

Going to wait till the halfway point because it sort of feels like there's going to be a change coming soon!

It’s Xiao Zhan’s own voice and actually, I’m pretty impressed with his voice acting. I have no complaints when it comes to his voice. I’m a natural Chinese speaker and I have zero issues understanding what he’s saying and he’s doing fine conveying his emotions. Of course, an experienced voice actor might do a better job but I have no issue with XZ’s voice. To each their own I guess.

What a lovely compliment! Deku, the kid who always did his best to protect those who were weaker and couldn't help themselves, even when he himself wasn't super strong. The kid who is kind, considerate and caring towards his friends and family members. The kid who overcame his own insecurities to become a hero! Deku, who always tries to persevere no matter the circumstances and always tries to better himself, never settling for just being "good enough". I have no idea how Tang San is in the books, but if the MC of any drama is like Deku, then that's a good enough reason for me to watch!

I can't wait for the action to ramp up! I know training arcs are required and they all need to power up, but I'm anticipating the fights and strategies going into them!

Well, CCP would most definitely not allow the head of any organization, especially a religious one, be referred to as an “emperor” in any sense of the word. They’re extremely sensitive to religious groups in general as in the past, they’ve denounced the use of spreading religious as a means of recruitment to try and overthrow the current CCP government. If you realize, even the current head of China is a “president” and not an em emperor.

The NRTA has been quite cautious with depictions of legitimate emperors of the past as well, so it’s not surprising they would change the title of his position to something that still means the head of the organization but not call him an emperor, lol. I think since you said it’s not really got anything to do with religion, it was simply swatched to avoid any sort of confusion whatsoever. There’s actually quite a lot of maneuvering dramas, esp fantasy and historical fantasy, need to do in order to get a TV license x.x

Yep! I’m enjoying the journey along with Tang San at the moment so I have no complaints! I’m learning with him and experiencing things as he does.

I’ve only just started to read the manhua because of watching this drama, and wanting to know more of the origin story so I can’t comment on how “authentic” this adaptation is. However, I do think that Tang San from ep1 to ep 9, has already matured quite a lot. As seen from some of the investigation work he was putting in, he thinks a few steps ahead and he’s capable of listening to others, which IMO, makes him a good candidate as a leader. Unlike Dai Mu Bai, he’s not ignoring the others’ opinions or trying to take over by brute force. I think it’s quite clear that Tang San is evolving as we go through the series.

I also want to note, cdramas have quite a strict rule about good and bad characters. They want their good characters to be good, and even slightly grey good characters aren’t allowed much as seen from CQL. Wei Wuxian in the drama had quite a few things changed about his history with death etc as well.

I’m not trying to excuse any character changes, if you’re a book fan and you’re dissatisfied, then that’s valid since it’s how you feel. (I can see how certain characters have changed as well). However, there’s also a lot of fans here who haven’t read the book, like me, who are slowly learning about the universe. If anything, I think that the drama can earn new fans for the original novel itself. Not that Doulou needs it, since it’s a big IP and all, but it’s always a good thing when an adaptation earns the original a new fan. I went from watching JoL to reading the entire chinese novel as well much like how I’m now reading the manhua.

As with all things, I don’t think insulting the drama repeatedly, will make anyone like the original book. Just like how dismissing book fans’ opinions is rude as well. I will say that the author of Douluo was actually involved with the drama and hand-picked XZ as the actor for Tang San. I would like to think if he was truly unsatisfied with the drama, he’d say so just like many, many other authors have distanced themselves from their adaptations. Perhaps, have some faith in the author and in the script writer. There’s still 30 episodes to go. A lot can happen in 30 episodes.

He appears in ep6! He's actually a student at Shrek Academy

It took 5 minutes for Ou Si Ka to become my favorite. He's a car salesman, a gossip mag enthusiast, a "thespian", and a fanfic writer wrapped into one. I love him.

I agree with you! JoL was done extremely well. I do think that for both JoL and Douluo, the original material was rich enough (in plot, characters and themes) that adaptations have more to work with. Basically, JoL was why I was excited for Wang Juan's screenplay for Douluo. He really improved on Fan Xian's character in JoL although I think the rest of the series was fairly true to the book.

Well, to all the antis who gave Douluo a watch just to comment here, thanks for your view! Douluo has gotten above 2% ratings every day that its aired so far, thank you very much for your contribution to that stat :)

And to all those that are genuinely watching and willing to give this a shot despite it not being 100% faithful to the novel (as an avid book reader who almost always hates movie adaptations, I sympathize), thanks for hanging in there and not rushing to make a judgement.

The comment section for this drama is very nearly as entertaining as the drama itself, lmao.

Ou Si Ka is my favorite already! He's the humorous type of character that really makes you lol. Also really liking the headmaster of Shrek Academy as well.

I just started reading the manhua and I think for fans of the original work, it's prob because the author presents Tang San as super OP from the start. The way the drama presents him is fine and like you, I prefer it because as an audience that hasn't read the book, I am learning everything about the universe with Tang San as he does. I think by ep7, Tang San has also matured and his personality has settled so I hope that appeases some of the IP fans as well. He's clearly getting smarter the more he learns about his abilities.

I end every episode thinking "I wish there was another episode!!!"

I feel like there's a catch somewhere still but it'll happen when it happens I guess. Meanwhile, I'm very much excited to meet the other five Shrek Devils! I already have a favorite, lol. Because of the drama, I've also started to read the manhua which is the best compliment one can pay to the source material, imo.