Hana’s Honest Reviews

hello :3

After reading 6+ different danmei novels within the past few months, I have come to realize that I have a lot of thoughts to share about them. Because I have no friends that will listen to me rant about each book for hours on end (that's reasonable), I am taking to Tumblr to start a blog dedicated to my personal reviews of each book I’ve read. For fun of course. But hopefully one of my reviews can pique your interest in a book or a few of them!! 

So, if you’re interested in LONG WINDED (and I mean mini essay length because I cannot shut up)  reviews of each book, where I breakdown my opinions on and then rate the characterization, plot development, and world building, while sharing both what I love and my main   “criticisms” of each novel, you are welcome to follow my page! I’ll start posting reviews very soon hahahahahahah. However, I refrain from rating the books as a whole because honestly I love them all and its kinda hard to do that to me. <3

For references here’s all the novel’s I have read so far ~ so you can look forward to upcoming reviews:

Heaven Official’s Blessing / TGCF

The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation / MDZS

The Scum Villain’s Self Saving System

Golden Stage

Thousand Autumns / Qian Qiu

The Dumb Husky and his White Cat Shizun / 2HA / Era

Fake Slackers 

Global University Entrance Examination

Remnants of Filth / YUWU

Long time no see! I graduated and now with my fresh unemployed brain it’s time to engage back into peak literature and review it. Ever since the official English publications came out I’ve spent the past 3 years rereading my favourite classics and crying again, but NOW I’ve decided to start reading a new one! I’ve heard too many good things about QJJ and the very fun freaky couple it offers so I have now binge read the first two volumes, and have decided to start sharing my thoughts before I continue ^_^. Here is a mini essay on my current thoughts from the first two volumes of Qiang Jin Jiu!!!

(Potential spoilers ahead!!)

op’s note: oh boy this is going to be a long post I am sorry in advance. If you read the whole thing good for you <3. seriously this isn’t even all... I could probably do a presentation about this book.

I. GENERAL OVERVIEW

CHINESE NAME: 二哈和他的白猫师尊 by 肉包不吃肉

GENRE: Chinese XianXia BL Novel 

LENGTH: 311 Chapters + 6 Extras (with multiple chapters)

MAIN COUPLE: Mo Ran and Chu Wanning. 

MY VERSION OF A SUMMARY: Scum tyrannical dictator of the cultivation world, Mo Ran, ends his life bitterly after the death of his teacher, Chu Wanning, and everyone he held dear, only to wake up in is 16-year old body. Meeting his teacher again, as he unravels everything that went wrong in his past life and the misconceptions he had on the people around him (and how they actually protected him), he struggles to come to terms with his sins of the past that stain his hands. As such, he relives his new life and attempts to repent by ‘fixing’ his wrong doings and living honestly. But unfortunately, the stains of blood from the past are bone deep, and catch up eventually.

TW+Spoilers: If you do want to read the text please look at the trigger warnings prior. It is very intense and has multiple horror and suspense elements to it. It is quite a graphic novel Also spoiler warning I talk briefly about the progression of the plot. It is also technically a student/teacher love story if that makes you uncomfortable but the actual relationship starts much later. 

II.  CATEGORICAL RANKING & BREAKDOWN

1. CHARACTERIZATION ~ Rated 1000/10

I am literally in love with all the characters. I won’t be able to talk about them all but I just know Meatbun really took the time to make every single character 3D, with different background contexts and distinct, realistic motivations. All with their own struggles and tragedies. 

This 100000% applies to the two main characters as well. Mo Ran and Chu Wanning both have an incredibly heavily tragic past, and everything that has happened to them bleeds into their personalities in the present. They are both so deeply flawed, but acknowledge that. The character development each of them, but especially Mo Ran underwent throughout the story is written so naturally. Moran starts off as the main scum, the ‘villain’ in the reader’s pov,  but by the end of the book, you realize he is one of the biggest victims of the whole book. Purity corrupted by the schemes of people. Just another powerful chess piece on a board controlled by people blinded by their own goals. 

The book really plays with the idea that first impressions are usually a mask for much more deep and complex thoughts. It explores morality, as all the characters have their own actions that aren’t necessarily in the ‘right’, but it is up to each person and society to determine whether they are right or wrong, and sometimes this requires a full picture (which isn’t always shown). I felt that each character’s actions were all justified in terms of their motivations and personalities. Even the main ‘villains’ actions came from a set of circumstances and struggle in their life that led to this change. It played into the idea that ‘no one is born evil’, and that they believe in their own actions due to their environment. But even (SPOILER) Hua Binan had regrets and reflected on his actions. Even more hated characters like Rong Jiu and Nangong Liu felt ‘justified’ to me, as people with personalities adapted from their circumstances. The purest character, tiny child Xue Meng, is actually the one who suffers and is wronged the most - forced to grow up and adapt due to his circumstances changing within the events of the book. 

I can’t move on from this rant without talk about the development of the relationship between Mo Ran and Chu Wanning. Their fates have been tangled between two lifetimes and to see them go from intense misunderstandings and hatred to the purest form of love was so gut-wrenchingly sweet. Power couple to the max, I love them very much. Oh to be that in love with a person you would go to hell to save their soul. 

2. PLOT ~ Rated 10/10

The plot is GENIUS. It’s the type of book that always keeps you guessing; where there are small, scattered pieces of information fed to you, creating an intricate spider web that is only fully revealed in the final arc. Every flashback, every character no matter how insignificant is somehow tied to this string that is the greater plot. This leads to some EARTH-SHATTERING plot twists that made me literally put the book down and scream. Genuinely, there was one point around chapter 243 where I had to stop reading for a few days to DIGEST the twist that had just taken place. Instant headache and how completely unexpected it was. But no matter how insane each revelation one, they all logically made sense within the progression of the book. Meatbun is a master of this, and she somehow manages to build the puzzle that is the plot from many different points within the picture, and only when these parts are finally connected by these revelations the reader finally understands the full picture. I think that analogy is the best way I could possibly describe it. 

Another thing to point out about the plot that I personally found very interesting is it involves two timelines; the past life and the present (both of which intersect and become tangled together (oop spoiler) by the end of the book. But, at every single point in the book I was never confused between the two. While the book is incredibly long, the pacing is great.

MY FAVORITE ASPECT OF THE NOVEL: The most masterful part is that Meatbun is able to utilize very small, subtle moments of intimacy and embed very deep emotions into that one action. There were many times where she was able to use an ‘action of little significance’ to truly showcase the layers of emotions between the two main characters especially. It lead to a lot of tears being shed, and a lot of very touching moments. Spoilers ahead but some of the most impactful ones for me: The pear blossom wine, the handkerchief, the letters and Chu Wanning’s flashbacks about Mo Ran, Mo Ran’s memories about his mom, Chu Wanning and Moran eating together, the candy, the desserts, the earthworms ++++++++. There were so many small, but incredibly touching moments that held great significance. 

3. ENTERTAINMENT ~ Rated 10/10

Oh boy this entire book was a roller coaster. It is the longest book I have ever read, but every moment was entertaining and engaging in one way or another. The book itself has a lot of horror and suspense elements, as well as comedy and tragedy. Meatbun is able to so expertly flow through these different genres that it was almost disorienting. But it made the book all the more entertaining. For example, in the middle of tragic and extremely dire circumstances, Mo Ran would have a horny thought that completely juxtaposes it - which is FUNNY haha. However, the book is really tragic; the author is able to evoke the very strong emotions each character feels so skillfully. Hence, I did cry A LOT. I could physically feel the heart-wrenching pain each person felt in reaction to the events that had occurred. Meatbun was able to utilize such small nuances and details to make some of these scenes especially touching, yet heart-breaking. 

There was also amazing use of symbolism throughout, and some of the imagery is recurring to remind the reader, like the pear-blossom wine and the handkerchief. There are also the repeating themes of warmth, loss, abandonment etc. NOT TO MENTION THE UMBRELLA METAPHOR. 

III. RECOMMENDATION

THIS BOOK IS INCREDIBLY WELL WRITTEN and honestly even with reading half of it in MTL, I can confidently say it is one of the best books I’ve ever read. I’m not only talking about the plot here, but the writing in general is so poetic, and there is so much depth and complexity in the emotions the characters feel. It’s hard to describe but there are a lot of hard-hitting lines. Some honorable mentions: 

“Please, hell is too cold. Just let me go back, okay... I want to go home.”

“’No matter how good I am or how hard I work, you won’t even look at me.’ No. Between you and me, there was once a gentleness, there was also once a pot of wine between the flowers, there was also an umbrella in the rain, a moon in the middle of autumn, But you’ve forgotten, and I can’t bring it up now.”

“Mo Ran wished he could cut open his won chest and give him his heart, just to hear his heartbeat again. He wished he could drain his own blood to fill his veins, such to see color on his face again. He would do anything to make up for his mistakes.”

“Goodnight Mo Ran.” (honestly i’m leaving this one at that).

I. GENERAL OVERVIEW

LENGTH: 112 Chapters and 3 Extras

GENRE: (BL) Slice of Life, High School Romance

MAIN COUPLE:  He Zhao and Xie Yu

BRIEF SUMMARY: Xie Yu, a repressed genius playing dumb in school (2nd last place) and kicking ass otherwise, becomes desk mates with another famed rebel He Yu, who has grades that are dead last in ranking. The two navigate high school in an elaborate game of imposter, fooling their peers, their teachers, and each other, only to develop a romantic relationship through their solidarity. 

LINK: https://fake-slackers.carrd.co/

II. CATEGORICAL RANKING & BREAKDOWN

I read this novel fairly recently, after reading multiple with historical settings, including the famed Dumb Husky and his White Cat Shizun (2ha), so this was definitely a breath of fresh air. The novel itself reads like a slice of life story set in high school, with small snippets of life and no “proper plot with an end goal”. The only real development throughout the book is that of the relationship between He Zhao and Xie Yu, their ever evolving closeness with their classmates, and He Zhao/Xie Yu’s ongoing battle to keep their secret identity as geniuses from everyone around them. Because of this, the book is quite “nostalgic” and reminiscent of what its like living life in high school and falling in love over the accumulation of small gestures and connections. While I ended up laughing my ass off over some parts, overall, reading the book made me feel how listening to “Mystery of Love” Sufjan Stevens makes me feel, which is probably the best way to describe it. 

1. CHARACTERIZATION ~ Rated 10/10

I greatly adore the characterization of every character in the book, from the teachers, the ridiculous classmates, Xie Yu’s “found family” in Black Water Street, to the two main characters themselves. The characters in the book all have their own distinct personalities and motivations that might otherwise clash, but all the relationships in the book demonstrate how they can fit together rather harmoniously due to circumstance. By the end, the friend group He Zhao and Xie Yu created included people who usually would have no relation to each other, but their bond was built over the years they had spent “suffering” through thick and thin together within the four walls that was their classroom. You could really label their friendships as “unlikely” ones, but the author really displays how meaningful each of these interactions between the characters are, especially during times of adversity where one or more are struggling. Its really sweet and heartwarming to read. 

With the two main characters, both are characterized at the beginning to be “rebels” who behave badly, with low grades and picking fights every other day. They both garnered a reputation within the school as two rivals who rule their respected “half of the territory”, intimidating all students and frankly becoming inapproachable. But being in the same class together as deskmates, on the contrary to everyone’s preconceived notions, they get along extremely well. This leads the people around them to see both of them in a different light, and befriend them as two classmates who are subject to the exact same school related struggles. The dynamic between the two characters and the development in their relationship just feels so natural and smooth, with small gestures building up to a very straightforward, non-chalant confession, to then dating. Its quite nice and mellow, in comparison to a lot more grandiose and overdramatic confessions and love stories we see commonly in the romance genre. Its also quite refreshing to see two people who are both shameless in their affection, not easily flustered. Their relationship is sweet, in the way that warm water with lemon and honey is sweet; gentle and warm, but not tooth-rotting. 

2. WORLD BUILDING ~ Rated 9/10

Because it is a slice of life, there is not really the necessity for there to be intricate world building like in the case of any xianxia genre novel. However, in terms of the ability for the author to create a world in which has a bidirectional relationship of influence with the main characters, the author does this very well. The author is able to create a clear juxtaposition between Xie Yu’s previous life in the poorer Black Water district, and his life as the second son of a wealthy business man, and how his environment ultimately plays into his relationships, characterization, and some of the major decisions he makes such as hiding his true abilities. Because of this type of juxtaposition, the book is also able to touch on more heavy, “angsty” themes, such as classism and the portrayal of people divided between classes, as can be seen from the relationship between Xie Yu’s mom and the people from Black Water Street who were with her when her and Xie Yu were hiding from debt. While the themes prevalent tend to be more serious, the author maintains a balance and still adheres to the bright and warm “slice of life” style, making the book really easy to follow, and frankly quite relaxing to read. 

3. PLOT DEVELOPMENT ~ Rated 8/10

The direction the story takes is fairly obvious from the first few arcs of the book, which generally makes the plot development quite predictable, but this is NOT A BAD THING. While I knew what was going to happen anyway, the suspense and tension created prior to the “big reveal” was done so well I was basically screaming and laughing for those 6 or so chapters. It made me giggle, and also slam my fist into the table. I loved the interesting concept and how their two lives were able to intertwine by a shared secret common to both of them. The game of “cat and mouse” as they attempted to fool each other and everyone around them that they were indeed the two worst students personally gave me a death note-esque vibe, without the unnecessary drama and a more mundane goal. Hence, I found the plot EXTREMELY ENJOYABLE to say the least. The book was more comedic situationally, but it was definitely the type of book that makes your face hurt from smiling too much. 

III. FINAL THOUGHTS

I. GENERAL OVERVIEW

LENGTH: 81 Chapters and 20 Extras

GENRE: (BL) Chinese Cultivation Novel - Historical Period

MAIN COUPLE:  Luo Binghe and Shen Qingqiu

BRIEF SUMMARY: After binge reading legendary harem stallion web novel “Proud Immortal Demon Way”, Shen Yuan (a millennial increasingly frustrated by the story’s outrageous and senseless plot) dies choking on food and transmitigates into the novel... as the villain shizun of the main protagonist, Shen Qingqiu. Shen Yuan, now Shen Qingqiu, must navigate through the original PIDW’s plot points to gain the favor of the original protagonist, Luo Binghe, to avoid being tortured and cut into a human stick. However, in doing so, Shen Qingqiu eventually finds that the original plot changes, awakening new feelings in the protagonist previously unexplored. 

II. CATEGORICAL RANKING & BREAKDOWN

This was my second danmei novel I had ever read, and one that really helped. familiarize me with the ins and outs of the typical cultivation novel tropes. With Shen Qingqiu’s unfortunately relatable inner monologging complete with millennial, largely inappropriate vocabulary AND emoticons was undeniably very entertaining, and I spent the majority of the book laughing along with his misfortune. It was a book in which the reader got to experience the stereotypical romance, adventure, and fantasy tropes through the lens of a character living out these tropes with a mindset not so dissimilar from our own. With that, let’s move on to my personal categorical rankings for this novel.  

1. CHARACTERIZATION ~ Rated 7/10

With every single character within this book, I can confidently say I really liked their characterization. Each character’s personality was constructed in a way that did not adhere to one stereotype, and the interactions between characters never felt stale or forced (especially in a book where Shen Qingqiu has a sudden change in personality, I was worried these interactions with characters such as Yue Qingyuan and Liu Qingge would be strange, but it was indeed quite cute and funny). Even with the minor characters that seemed to be the main antagonists Tianlang Jun, their characterizations and relationship still had a familial sense of warmth that made them feel a lot more human. However, due to the length of the book, not all the side characters were really flushed out in terms of backstory. 

With the main protagonist, Luo Binghe, as to deviate from the original “black hearted protagonist” of PIDW, his back story and past abuses led to his motivations as a person being a lot more complex, deeper, and especially tragic. Through the novel we are able to see that the original protagonist crafted from resentment started out as a boy too naive, with a heart full of warmth and kindness, only to be bludgeoned and abandoned over and over again. Even by the end of the book, in interactions with Shen Qingqiu, we can still evidently see Luo Binghe’s past emotional trauma within his feelings of inadequacy and his villainization at the peak. I personally really liked this new depth of character that gave me a new perspective on his actions and motivations. Generally, I also love the change in Binghe’s demeanor when he’s around Shen Qingqiu vs. anyone else, and one can easily forget how manipulative, cunning, and overpowered he is as the “protagonist”. He is endearing and I love him so much, but that’s deviating from the original point.

As discussed previously, Shen Qingqiu’s character, while having a. fairly distinct personality, is almost a self-insert character that the reader can. project on directly. While I THOROUGHLY enjoyed his narration throughout (which served as much needed comic relief), I personally wished there to be a little more character development, especially regarding the paradigm shift that occurred in his mindset and attitude towards the other characters in the book. At the beginning of the novel, there is a certain subconscious wall Shen Qingqiu creates, where he thinks of the other people as strictly “character from PIDW with concrete fates and personailites”, which is especially evident in the way he treated Luo Binghe post-Immortal alliance conference. But overtime, there is a subtle shift in which by the end of the book, we see Shen Qingqiu resolve some misunderstandings (to an extent) and see him start to regard the characters around him as true people that he can build deep relationships with. I personally wanted this aspect to be highlighted a little more and that this had good potential in being an essential piece of plot could have led to more resolution (discussed below). 

2. WORLD BUILDING ~ Rated 9/10

From my perspective, especially in cultivation novels, world building becomes exceedingly important in order to aid the reader in understanding the power structure and dynamic of the cultivation world, which reflects in the interactions between characters of different factions. Because of Shen Qingqiu’s commentary as a “reader of PIDW”, I felt the author was able to do a stellar job in explaining the different dynamics within the sect and between the different peak lords, as well as major conflicts between demons. Hence, it was really easy to understand and follow how the world revolved around each of the conflicts, as well as justify some of the characters’ motivations within SVSSS. 

3. PLOT DEVELOPMENT ~ Rated 8/10

What I found extremely compelling about the plot of this book in particular is that it is a lot more complex and darker than the audience originally grasps. With my first read, I found the book hilarious through and through, and couldn’t get enough of the comedic aspects and commentary that seemed to seep through to even the most serious moments. But as I started to think back on some of the events that ended up transpiring, I came to the realization that the plot itself is extremely tragic. If one were to think about the book from Luo Binghe’s perspective, as a child abandoned with no one to care for and love him, to then finding someone who cherishes him and believes in him, only to have that very same person push him off a cliff and have him experience hell for the next 5 years; frankly the plot is really devastating. That’s also what makes it such an interesting book to read and then reread. 

Another aspect of the plot that is notable is how outrageous some of the events are, especially when thinking from a logical perspective. From Shen Qingqiu dying and growing a new body underground, to the thousands of elephant demons (?) that Luo Binghe gathers, one is simply overwhelmed by how random the book is sometimes. Even better, we get to witness this exact reaction through Shen Qingqiu, as someone to transmitigated into this nonsensical book. Hence, somehow the book manages to be completely unrelatable, yet also very relatable, hitting both extremes in a perfect equillibrium.

My main reservation/criticism of the plot is personally~ I felt that it lacked a little bit of resolution in some of the major plot points, such as “Bingge”, as well as the Bingqiu relationship. A lot of the original misunderstandings and misgivings between Shen Qingqiu during and after the 5 years (pre-relationship) weren’t really resolved. It sort of left me wanting some more development from Binghe where his is able to heal from his past to a certain extent. Regarding Shen Qingqiu, I also wanted to see more development with him in terms of his obvious shift in mindset from viewing the people around him as characters from the original PIDW, to actual people whose fates aren’t predetermined. It could be a fun idea to explore more. But these are just small things that really don’t take away from the experience that is reading SVSSS. 

III. FINAL THOUGHTS