I am currently watching Douluo Continent and I am loving it! I didn't read the novel, nor watched the anime on purpose, because I didn't want to build up expectations, and as a fresh viewer I am liking the drama so so much - it's cheerful, funny and positive, and exactly my favorite kind of fantasy. The cast is great, Xiao Zhan is both super gorgeous and very convincing as smart, capable, kind and brave Tang San. :) I really love his character, the way he's keeping low-key, while being true bad-ass, the way he is nice and good, but not a pushover, but brave, strong-minded and principled. I like the main female character too, she's cute and bubbly, but very good at taking care of herself, a total oposite of usual damsel in distress, and I love it :) I like the story so far, it is intriguing, pulls you in and you can't wait for more, so I am really excited about it. As for the cgi - it depends, some are awesome (like purple demon eyes and soul powers), some not so much (like the spider monster), but too me it is more than passable and honestly, as a fan of fantasy dramas, I am used to it. It also occured to me that monsters could have been done like that on purpose, not to look too real, since it is aired on national TV at noon, when kids are watching, so I guess if monsters looked too real that could have been a problem with younger audiences... I love that Xiao Zhan did his own dubbing, but the sound overall (not just for him) isn't the best, I think that sound management could have been a little better, but it is not too distracting. Overall, it's interesting, funny and beautiful, and I enjoy it so much, I hope novel and anime fans will give it a chance and have understanding for the necessary changes. Afterall, the novel writer himself participated in development of the drama and was satisfied with the results, that should be telling enough. And, after the drama is over, I will definitely read the novel and watch the anime too :)
