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A review by breaktheshell
Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation: Mo Dao Zu Shi (Novel) Vol. 1 by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
i cannot explain the hold this series has on me. i've been thinking about wei wuxian and his self-lubing manic pixie dream boy butthole & lan wangji and his stoic horniness non-stop since 2019. i know it's baby's first danmei but so far no other c-novel has matched mdzs's brilliance. it's honestly so good in terms of character, relationships, plot, themes, structure, worldbuilding, everything. i could not praise it more.
however. i'm not being entirely honest in giving this edition five stars because the translation is horrid. the five stars are for mxtx. seven seas' handling of this work is honestly despicable. beyond the shoddy editing of what is essentially an amateur translation (possibly relying on machine translation software? i don't understand how they managed to omit entire paragraphs otherwise), i unironically think these books could have broken into the mainstream of western fantasy readership, and every single choice seven seas made deprived mxtx of that. it's genuinely depressing that i am too embarrassed to recommend the officially published translation of my favorite novel to my friends. i am going to buy the next volumes out of sheer insanity, but i'm going to resent everyone involved forever <3
however. i'm not being entirely honest in giving this edition five stars because the translation is horrid. the five stars are for mxtx. seven seas' handling of this work is honestly despicable. beyond the shoddy editing of what is essentially an amateur translation (possibly relying on machine translation software? i don't understand how they managed to omit entire paragraphs otherwise), i unironically think these books could have broken into the mainstream of western fantasy readership, and every single choice seven seas made deprived mxtx of that. it's genuinely depressing that i am too embarrassed to recommend the officially published translation of my favorite novel to my friends. i am going to buy the next volumes out of sheer insanity, but i'm going to resent everyone involved forever <3