Reviews with content warning for Body horror - Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation: Mo Dao Zu Shi (Novel) Vol. 1

I really like the characters of Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian and how they interact with each other, but it's so hard to keep up with all the other characters considering they have two and sometimes three names, and the sheer number of side characters mentioned. The story is interesting enough and I am intrigued to find out what happens in the next volumes, but the writing is a bit of a drag. I've read other reviews explaining the situation with the Seven Seas translation, so I think I'd rather read the fan translation online from now on. The writing overall feels quite juvenile, especially the description (or lack thereof) of the scenery, but I can't fault the author if it is truly just a badly translated work.
The other issue is that at times it feels a bit fetishy and like a real caricature of gay men- I understand that Wei Wuxian was putting on an act, but the whole thing was so strange when he was still pretending to be the Mo guy and it was quite uncomfortable to read.

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rtaire's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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emzhay's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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katsintrees's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny lighthearted mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

These books are a lot of fun upon rereading, after the flashbacks reveal more and more about the characters and their relationships and unique motivations. The mood whiplash between lighthearted to suddenly heart-wrenching emotional beats are super interesting, but also exhausting.

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particledamage's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

I decided to give the novels a try after watching the drama, CQL.

And after reading just volume 1, I will say, I appreciate the novel for expanding and clarifying the lore, but I think my "canon" will be the drama.

MXTX truly struggles to relay exposition in a smooth manner, instead choosing random info dumps that derail the plot and make it very unclear who knows what. I have no idea what information Wei Wuxian knows (or how he knows it, after coming back) and what information is included just for me, with him unaware.

This story is a diamond in the rough. Knowing what I know about how this ends (and also how much has been changed from original text to adaption, as I have also read the manhua and also several posts comparing the drama to the novels), I think the drama improved this story which lays down an amazing foundation. Great ideas, intriguing characters, but so much mess in between.

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i_island's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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