yuexuan

[yuexuan]

[Review]七天七夜

Title: 七天七夜 Seven Days, Seven Nights

Author: 春风遥

Length: 165 chapters + 6 extras

Tag: Unlimited flow, supernatural, comedy

Summary [taken from novelupdates]:

‘Seven Days, Seven Nights’. Initially, he had thought it was forbidden due to explicit rated contents (er*tica). In order to survive, he behaved so unrestrained he was basically flying. Later — I’ve already flown out of the sky and only now you tell me it’s an ‘unlimited flow’ horror novel?!

Novel | Novel [translated]

Comments *contains spoilers**

There was a rumored book called ‘Seven Days, Seven Nights’ that was banned for allegedly explicit content. Strangely, despite how viral it was, no one had actually read the book. Except perhaps Su Er (MC)’s deskmate. One day, said deskmate went missing, leaving him with nothing but a mysterious taser. Upon touching the taser, he was transported into the world of Seven Days, Seven Nights. Turns out this wasn’t an erotica novel, but a series of games. The mechanics of the games were simple: each game had a ghost boss and a host that oversaw the rules of the games, and players had a maximum of seven days, seven nights to complete the game. Follow along as MC flew through the games with flying colors, much to the horror of the game bosses and hosts.

Main highlights of the novel include:

The MC. I freaking love the MC. He can best be described by the words: 浪 and 贱, just someone full of chaotic energy. He wasn’t afraid of being cringe and his approach to each game was basically taking the unconventional route and finding loopholes in the rules. Where other players shied away from the bosses and hosts, he married or adopted them. And when none of these worked, he opted to destroy the games. At one point the hosts became so afraid of MC that they developed an insurance package to cover the risks of MC ruining the game lol.

Due to MC’s unconventional ways of handling the games, the novel was highly entertaining, despite all of its shortcomings. Despite being an unlimited flow novel, the story was light-hearted. Sure, players do still die, but in terms of the overall tone and plot outcomes, it stayed pretty comedic throughout. So if you want to try out an unlimited flow story that doesn’t require too much brain power, I’ll say this might be an entertaining read.

Aside from the MC, I also enjoyed reading about the different hosts. Unlike game NPCs, they were all so full of personalities and had their own methods of maintaining the rules of the games and dealing (or failing to) with MC’s antics. Their exasperation, frustration, and pure despair were fun to read about. My fave would have to be Mr. Chinese Rose. He seemed like such a stern host but was a big softie, adopting the numerous little mud people that MC created~

Things I don’t like

Now as much as I found the novel entertaining, there was also a lot to nitpick about. One thing that irked me was the writing style. The scenes tended to jump from one to the next without being fully elaborated on, making for a disjointed reading experience. There were many moments where I went “wait, how did we get here from the previous scene??”. That said, it got easier to read later on, though I’m unsure if it was because the writing got better or that I got used to the writing.

Of all the unlimited novels, this one has a weaker worldbuilding. Most of the games didn’t have a very coherent setting and were composed of random horror elements. In one game you might have parasitic invasion, ghosts, taoists, buddhist monks, and mummies all put together. It’s just very random and the full potential of the game mechanics were not explored. For example, all players have spiritual, martial, and seductive points. But beyond the initial mention in the story, these points barely played a role in the latter parts.

Also as a heads-up, if you are entering into this for romance, there is practically none lol. Generally I’m used to romance being a more subtle and secondary element in unlimited flow stories. But this novel barely had any romantic plot points and ML didn’t have a prominent role other than being a conveniently strong teammate for MC.

#danmei #review #七天七夜 #seven days seven nights

[yuexuan]

[Review]如何投喂一只深渊!

Title: 如何投喂一只深渊! How to Feed an Abyss!

Author: 江为竭

Length: 124 chapters + 12 extras

Tag: apocalyptic, sci-fi, slice of life, romance

Summary [taken from novelupdates]:

【if you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back at you】

The abyss, the most feared thing by the human race today. The animals infected by the abyss mutate into monsters, and humans are reduced to walking corpses.

Lu Tinghan is an abyss watcher. He has been guarding the world’s most terrifying abyss for ten years.

This abyss is not only scary, but also strange.

Throw the garbage down, after a few days, the garbage will be buried safely next to the abyss – like someone took a shovel and tossed it all night to bury them.

Throw hazardous waste down, after a few days, the waste will be thrown back with unbridled fury.

Lu Tinghan: ?

Ten years later, he left the post and became the youngest general in the Alliance.

The next day, the abyss was also gone.

——The whole thing disappeared and turned into flat land.

The whole world was shocked.

Until one day, there was a knock on Lu Tinghan’s door.

A boy with little devil horns stood outside the door, with delicate features and bright eyes. Obviously, he was scared to death, but he still plucked up the courage to say: “Hello, I, I am Abyss, can you continue to stare at me? QAQ”

He added: “I have helped you bury the garbage every day, oh!”

During their long time together, Lu Tinghan learned two things:

1. Staring at your abyss every day, the abyss will be happy

2. When the abyss is happy, it will purr toward you

Novel

Comments *contains spoilers**

If I have to describe it, this novel has stories centered around individual characters like Link Click S1, but set in a Little Mushroom-esque apocalyptic world. A bit more about the premise of the story: the appearance of abysses around the world had resulted in the contamination and mutation of wildlife and humans. Surrounded by monsters, the people within the Federation were largely constrained to a handful of cities. Yet time and time again, the cities were lost to an onslaught of monsters, particularly during peak periods of the abysses’s activities. 

There was, however, one special abyss - Abyss 0, which had the strongest and most feared potential for contamination, but which had thus far not contaminated anything. One day, Abyss 0 simply disappeared…only to reappear as a young man in search of the Federation’s general - Lu Tinghan (ML). All Abyss 0 - also known as Shi Yuan (MC) - wanted was to find his human again and have the general stare at him. But in the course of doing so, he gradually learned more about humankind and fell in love with them.

For those of you that like Little Mushroom’s world-building, this novel is likely a treat for you since it shares many similarities. Examples include the setup of a monster coming from the barren lands into a human city, a monster x military main couple, the utilization of famous quotes (e.g. “Do not go into that gentle night” vs “if you stare at an abyss, the abyss stares back at you”), the existence of protestors against the ML, monsters attacking from underground causing the eventual fall of the city, and the overall desperation for survival. Need I say more? :3

Highlights

In a way, this novel feels like an ode to humanity. It highlights many tragic, but nevertheless hopeful, stories of humanity’s struggles in an apocalyptic world. In fact, many scenes evoke the beauty of humanity: From the lone deserted soldier dancing with his cardboard lover in the setting sun, to the theatre group performing despite an ever diminishing audience, to the people hiding in the underground bunker witnessing the blooming of the Federation’s flower. At every corner, people nevertheless try to make the most out of their daily lives despite the dangers surrounding them and honestly, I can see why Shi Yuan eventually fell in love with humankind.

There is also a nice blend of humor to balance out the dark tones of the novel. Shi Yuan’s naivety regarding human culture lends opportunities to make jokes in the most unsuspecting moments. For example, he was tricked into believing that ‘1’ meant people that are very powerful, thus he went about telling others that he was searching for his ‘1’, much to the other’s shock and chagrin. 

Structure-wise, I really like how the theatre group’s performance at the start was used as foreshadowing for Shi Yuan and Lu Tinghan’s roles in the novel. Over and over, we are reminded of this performance in Shi Yuan’s dreams, where he stood on stage in front of all the monsters. It’s a recurring element that helps to keep the narrative focused on the ultimate ending.

In terms of pacing, it can be slow in terms of revealing Shi Yuan’s identity as an Abyss. However, the sub-stories focusing on different characters help to ease off some of the wait by directing my attention away from the imminent reveal. When the reveal finally came, I like how mellow it is with how quickly Lu Tinghan adapts to the situation. 

Of course, as a sucker for worldbuilding, this story just hits in the right spots. I cannot emphasize how much I love that each Abyss has their own contamination characteristic, and how each city has their own industry focus. There is a city in charge of growing most of the food crop, another in charge of fabric production, and another with electric production. It does seem like putting all the eggs in one basket (i.e. one city going down = shortage in certain products), but at the same time specializing the cities ensures a steady supply for all population. Also, the way that the author describes so many scenes so vividly and beautifully - ugh. I just want to draw all these scenes.

As a final note…a few tissues on standby might be a good move. I find myself tearing up every so often during the novel :’) Just so, so many touching or tragic scenes.

Things I don’t like

If there is one thing I can nitpick about, it is the ending - specifically the last chapter. It seems superfluous in the grand scheme of things and an attempt made by the author to force a happy ending. Personally, I would have been fine with the penultimate chapter where Lu Tinghan eventually passed away after working from the bottom of the abyss for multiple years. It makes for a bittersweet and honorable ending, instead of the ambiguous final chapter where Lu Tinghan is somehow alive again. I can only assume that Shi Yuan used his abilities to reverse time, but without clearer explanations, it leaves one more confused than satisfied.

#review #danmei #recommendation #如何投喂一只深渊! #How to Feed an Abyss!

[yuexuan]

I-

*incoherent screaming*

#I don't usually like live action version of characters #but hei xiazi is another matter #goddamn #him and sha hai wu xie and wang meng are just ugh

[yuexuan]

These are relatable lol

I remember my brother texting me one day: "mom is watching MDZS.(She was actually watching Untamed then)." She was praising the series until I told her about the novel extras.

Also one time my brothers were going to an anime con and they said there was a midnight panel on MDZS. I wasn't able to attend so I asked them to attend in my stead and see what it was about. One of my brothers' text after the panel:

He didn't elaborate but I think I got a good idea of what they heard and saw...

*Global Examination has the characters 高考 (gaokao) in the title, the same name as China's national university entrance exam

**All of these are Chinese BL

[eng by me]

#relatable #I'm quite open about reading danmei

[yuexuan]

[Review]大世界

Title: 大世界 Great World

Author: 颜凉雨

Length: 61 chapters + 5 extras

Tag: Modern, sci-fi, slice-of-life

Summary:

130 years ago, the mysterious fog that covered the Earth brought about a ‘Wild Awakening’. Humans have thus entered the ‘Animal-morphing Era’.

A hundred years ago, the climate suddenly changed. Natural disasters became frequent, extreme weathers became common, leading to a sharp decline in food supplies and the lapse of technological advancement.

Humankind used 30 years to adapt to the change, evolving half-creature, anthromorphized etc. forms. But they didn’t expect to be faced with the crossroad of survival, instead of a new era.

But the 19 year old Tong Xiaonan (Family: Penguin) and Nie Bingyuan (Family: Polar bear) haven’t started considering the fate of humankind yet. As the freshmen of the century-old No. 4 Creature Awakening University--

Tong Xiaonan’s greatest trouble was: my friend thought I saw him as a brother.

Nie Bingyuan’s greatest trouble was: my friend spoiled and tolerated me, but he always looked at me like a dummy.

Novel

Comments *contains spoilers**

Set ~100 years after the second book, the third book focuses on the school life and world of Nie Bingyuan and Tong Xiaonan. Unlike the first two books, the third book builds a more apocalyptic world, where humankind is slowly moving towards their demise. Despite this, the tone of the book is still largely light and the first half of the book is centered around smaller scale events in the school. The second half of the book deals more with the antagonist’s ploy to change the genetic makeup of humankind so that they can awaken mythological creature attributes. MC and ML resolve this by bringing the main couples from books 1 and 2 to battle with the antagonist.

Highlights

Similar to the previous books, the main couple have pretty silly personalities. Nie Bingyuan is super smart, but at the same time superstitious and completely obtuse to his feelings for Tong Xiaonan. Oftentimes he would get jealous at other people who got too close to Tong Xiaonan. Tong Xiaonan, on the other hand, embodies the physical awkwardness of penguins, oftentimes slipping and falling while walking. He has a crush on Nie Bingyuan, but doesn’t dare to voice out his feelings. However, the other students are fully aware of their feelings for each other and basically couldn’t stand them constantly doting on one another.

The evolution of human’s abilities to turn into animals from the previous books provide a nice continuity in the trilogy. The first book depicts the start of humanity’s exploration towards their newfound abilities to attain animal traits; the second book showcases ongoing struggles as new societal hierarchies are created related to the different animal traits; and the last book explored how, aside from animal traits, humanity also obtained additional superpowers in a quickly declining world. It’s kinda sad - but also cool - to see the progression of human civilization - by the third book, conditions have deteriorated so much that people no longer have the internet and they rely only on seafood and potatoes for their staple.

Since I liked the main characters from the previous books, it is cool to see old characters making a debut again. I suspect that the author’s favorite child is Hu Lingyu, given the important role he holds for two books.

In the last part of the book, characters obtain the abilities to transform into mythological creatures. I like the added detail about how the origin of the characters determine the type of mythological creature they are (e.g. western characters turned into western mythological creatures, and Chinese characters turned into Chinese mythological creatures). This is despite the fact that their animal type had nothing to do with the region they live in lol.

Things I didn’t like

The two sections of the story don't quite flow into one another. It’s a bit jarring to read about the daily lives of the main couple and their classmates in the first part, only for those classmates to take on a very peripheral role in the second part of the story. In particular, the second pairing started strong, but quickly became forgotten in the latter part of the story.

And perhaps this is just me, but the ending of the story seems strangely nationalistic, touting China as the only country that had ever done any agriculture research in harsh conditions of the world. Which doesn’t make sense, because anyone could see that agriculture is a natural course of action for ANY country to ensure food security when food supplies are low.

#danmei #review #大世界

[yuexuan]

[Review]幸存者偏差

Title: 幸存者偏差 Survivorship bias

Author: 稚楚

Length: 161 chapters + 10 extras

Tag: infinite flow, mystery, psychological, sci-fi, apocalyptic setting

Summary [taken from novelupdates]:

On the server “Altar,” an upper-class survival game was officially launched. Survival was the only logic in the human game of alliance, betrayal, and human-natured games of deceit and treachery. After the smoke of gunpowder ends, only the survivors can speak.

As soon as he opened his eyes, the amnesiac An Wujiu saw a person at his side killed. While in confusion, a floating green typeface appeared before him.

Variable Name: An Wujiu

Attributes: Male, 20 years old

Game Rounds: 5

Win Rate: 100/100

Danger Rank: SSS

No wonder they were afraid.

The first time he saw An Wujiu, Shen Ti felt curious. The kindness and fragility in those eyes were not fake, so how could he survive in the Altar? It was until he saw the man had a sudden personality change. He recklessly gambled regardless of the cost, casually estranged people, grew further excited on the verge of death, and even calculated against himself to win. Only then did Shen Ti realize that it was his own cognitive bias.

Fortunately, he wasn’t a normal person either.

Novel | Novel[translated] | Audio drama

Comments *contains spoilers**

MC woke up in the middle of a survival game with amnesia. The only clue of what happened was another player who seemed to fear him. Through a series of survival games, MC uncovered the reason behind his memory loss, his background, and his relation to the overall “Altar”. At the same time, he also came to learn more about the mysterious ML and his identity.

I have read two of the author’s novels previously. To be honest, I wasn’t confident getting into this novel as I recall dropping one of the author’s novels and feeling mweh about the other. In some ways ‘Survival Bias’ has overthrown some of my preconceptions about the author’s works, but on the other hand, I still struggle with liking their writing. First, with the highlights:

I enjoy MC and ML’s characterization at the start of the novel - the former not only suffers from amnesia, but has a darker personality that only comes out when he is in danger; the latter is a mysterious if not unconventional player who does strange things. I’ve always had a penchant for characters who can balance the two extremes of ruthlessness and kindness in infinite flow settings, which the MC embodies at the start of the novel.

Some of the games are based on real life events, such as the use of Agent Orange in Vietnam, and it’s fun to recognize the original inspiration for these games.

Most of the games rely more on psychological tactics rather than brute force. It is interesting to watch how the characters set up their strategies to win the games, with occasional unexpected twists and turns.

Things I don’t like

Ngl, I had a hard time finishing the later part of the story, for a few reasons. First, I don’t like how the MC is portrayed as this saintly character and how morally preachy the whole narrative became. By doing so, the whole plot and other characters are forcefully framed in such a way that the MC can do no wrong, despite how implausible it is. For example, in the ‘find the wolf’ game, somehow all of MC’s close friends are placed on the good guys’ side. This is so that MC doesn’t have to be responsible for voting his friends to death. 

Second, in some of the longer games (e.g. the survival banquet and find the wolf game), the rules get really complex without proper elaboration, hence there are times I couldn’t follow the characters’ reasoning and actions.

Third, while I do think it is a refreshing take to combine cult actions with sci-fi technology, it is done in a way that is unnecessarily convoluted. There is a lot of strange ‘evil god’ talk at the end and Marvel-esque booms and bangs, plus time loops and parallel worlds. All of these elements are placed together in a very haphazard way that detracts from the story rather than add to it.

#danmei #review #survivorship bias #幸存者偏差

[yuexuan]

i want to coin a phrase that's the opposite of writer's block. call it the muse's fire hydrant. thirty thousand story ideas are being beamed directly into your brain and if you don't write them all at once you will die.

#love this #the two states of writers/artists #relatable

[yuexuan]

✨🧡🌙SEND THIS TO OTHER BLOGGERS YOU THINK ARE WONDERFUL. KEEP THE GAME GOING ✨🧡

omg I don't know how I missed this, but thank you so much~ (´• ω •`)

#ask

[yuexuan]

Do you know 落池? I think it's good, what do you think?

I only know 入池, but not 落池 - Do share what you like about it, would love to hear more about it!

#ask

[yuexuan]

[Review] 大觉醒

Title: 大觉醒 Great Awakening

Author: 颜凉雨

Length: 166 chapters + 6 extras

Tag: Modern, school, slice-of-life, sci-fi

Summary:

Hu Lingyu, Animal Control Bureau North China Branch General Administrative Office, Civilian Clerk, length of service: three years, family: red fox. 

Lu Qi, Animal Control Bureau North China Branch Operations Brigade, Captain, length of service: three years, family: sika deer.

A red fox working as an office clerk = a normal path in life.

A deer working as the captain of the operations brigade = are you fucking kidding me!?

Lu Qi was just such a dazzling existence. 

After the establishment of the Animal Control Bureau, he was the first deer in the operations brigade, and the first one to be promoted to captain within just three years. Not only that, he had established his authority among subordinates from ferocious families (including but not limited to jackals, wolves, tigers, leopards, raptors, and venomous snakes).

As a fellow graduate from the same year and same university, Hu Lingyu was proud of this, despite the two of them not having any interactions in university or in the Animal Control Bureau, so much so that Captain Lu didn’t even know who he was. 

During an operation to arrest a criminal group responsible for drugs related to genetic modification, Hu Lingyu was transferred there to help the operation brigade in the outer perimeter. However, he accidentally found the escape scene of a key criminal member. Then, he was hurled into the ocean from a clifftop.

No one knew what he saw before he died.

Would you believe the captain of the operation brigade was helping the criminal escape!?

Would you believe that the group of key criminal members were acting respectful towards Lu Qi!?

Hu Lingyu: A perfect character does not exist in this world. If there is a deer, and his appearance is extraordinary, his temperament refined, he is gentle and peaceful, and he has incredible combat power, then he must be a criminal.

Upon waking up from falling into the ocean, Hu Lingyu had returned in time by seven years.

North China Branch Fourth Wild Awakening University, first year student, Hu Lingyu: ???

What would I do if I was accidentally reborn?

Of course it was to seize the opportunity to catch the criminals in one fell swoop, so that the light of righteousness can shine…

Wild Awakening teacher: Hu Lingyu, you’re the only one in your grade who didn’t pass your Wild Power Examination.

Biology teacher: Hu Lingyu, you’re the only one who didn’t submit your review of the movie “the Awakened Planet” that I have assigned.

Wildlife tracking teacher: Hu Lingyu, about your assignment regarding “the similarities and difference of fox and wolf paw prints”...

The office fox who was used to drinking tea everyday and doing nothing: I don’t want to be the light of righteousness, please arrange my graduation immediately (Tired).

Novel

Comments **contains spoiler**

This is the sequel to “Dense Fog”, sharing the same setting where humans have awakened animal abilities and traits. By this time, the world has gotten used to these new changes and developed courses that are relevant to each animal family. Hu Lingyu is transported back in time after he is thrown off a cliff during an operation, whereupon he begins to approach Lu Qi while in university to prevent the other from walking down the path of criminal-hood. 

Part slice-of-life (with all sorts of weird animal-related examinations and after school activities) and part crime and mystery, the novel follows Hu Lingyu and Lu Qi’s developing relationship and their efforts to root out the members of the criminal organization. 

Highlights

As with many of Yan Liangyu’s novels, this is another comedic read. The first part can be a bit slow, focusing mainly around Hu Lingyu returning back in time and trying to remember what happened during his university years. But once the examination starts, the pace of the story picks up and becomes more engaging. Also, as with many of the author’s works, the supporting cast of characters are fun to read about. From a bully jaguar who secretly harbors a crush on Hu Lingyu, to the latter’s best friend who has the best notes in class, each of the characters are goofy and likeable. 

I prefer this to the prequel since it has an element of mystery in it too. Just who is the mastermind behind the development and distribution of the illegal drugs, and the murder of Lu Qi’s parents? And just where did they get the ingredients for developing the drugs? For the longest time, I suspected Hu Lingyu’s parents of being scientists who work on stones harboring remnants of the Great Fog, given the secretive nature of their work. But turns out they are pretty insignificant to the story lol. 

Another thing that I like is how witty Hu Lingyu is. He might not have the physical prowess to excel in his class, but he has the streets smart and wit to help him through different challenges.

Overall an enjoyable read and would highly recommend to anyone looking for something light with a smattering of mystery in it.

#danmei #recommendation #review #great awakening #大觉醒

[yuexuan]

#relatable

[yuexuan]

from the combined power of JademoonDee's brain and my editing skills, i bring you this.

(not pictured: pangzi slowly backing out of the room)

#dmbj #nooooo #wu xie my baby

[yuexuan]

Happy Year of the Dragon!

#xicheng #曦澄 #myart

[yuexuan]

[Review] 去前男友婚礼上讲鬼故事

Title: 去前男友婚礼上讲鬼故事 Telling Ghost Stories At My Ex-boyfriend’s Wedding

Author: 花间二狗

Length: 13 chapters

Tag: Supernatural, reincarnation, comedy

Summary [taken from novel updates]:

A diary of a ghost who is back from hell to get revenge on his ex-boyfriend. The story unfolds over a 7 day period.

Novel | Novel [translated]

Comments **contains spoiler**

The summary pretty much sums it up. MC dies from sickness and comes back as a ghost to haunt his ex-boyfriend Su Yu upon hearing rumors from another ghost that Su Yu is marrying on the seventh day of his death. In the process, he accidentally possesses the medical skeleton replica that he keeps at home. Ensues a series of events where MC tries to find out who ML is marrying - including a hilarious scene where he secretly follows ML using the skeleton replica, only to be chased down by ML. Eventually, after ML lives his life to the fullest for the sake of MC, he dies and finds MC in the underworld. Together, they reincarnate and find each other in their next life.

A very simple and short read, but surprisingly enjoyable and did bring a slight prickle to my eye when the seventh day for MC is up :’)

#danmei #review #去前男友婚礼上讲鬼故事 #Telling Ghost Stories At My Ex-boyfriend’s Wedding

[yuexuan]

The daily life of husbands part 10 and final part~

Just wanted to finish this project before the official start of the dragon year~

#xicheng #曦澄 #myart

[yuexuan]

https://www.eco-business.com/opinion/cli-fi-might-not-save-the-world-but-writing-it-could-help-with-your-eco-anxiety/

#perhaps I should start incorporating more climate stuff in my fics

[yuexuan]

[Review]大雾

Title: 大雾 Dense fog

Author: 颜凉雨

Length: 87 chapters + 7 extras

Tag: Fantasy, school, slice-of-life, comedy

Summary [taken from novel updates]:

A spell of dense fog awakens the animal inside.

Under a heavy fog seen only once every century, the whole university had stopped classes and was under lockdown. Yet, there would still be disobedient classmates.

For example, Lin Wu who climbed over the school fence.

For example, Wang Ye who was receiving a confession from the prettiest girl on campus.

As a result, Lin Wu, straddling the top of the fence, heard the most awe-inspiring reason for rejection in all of history—

The school flower: “I like you.”

Wang Ye: “Sorry.”

School flower: “Why?”

Wang Ye: “It isn’t your fault. It’s mine”.

School flower: “You can’t possibly be using that overdone excuse, like ‘I don’t like women’?”

Wang Ye: “I don’t like humans.”

Three days later, the fog cleared up. Lin Wu discovered that he suddenly had overwhelming urges to run around. Moreover, every nightfall, he wanted to sing loudly towards the moon.

Students and teachers alike all experienced different changes in their bodies. This strange phenomenon of “wild awakenings” accompanied a chain of foggy spells across various regions and began to spread to the rest of the world.

Lin Wu: “Thanks to the power of your lucky words, all the humans in the world now aren’t quite human anymore.”

Wang Ye: …

Novel | Novel[translated] | Audio drama

Comments **contains spoiler**

As the summary suggests, the story revolves around the lives of two students after a dense fog left the world with awakened animal traits. It is a light read with tons of comedic moments, mixed in with a tiny bit of family drama. This is part one of three stories, hence it focuses more on introducing the world when the fog initially came.

Highlights

The author is known for her comedic style of writing and crafting of characters. For example, MC and ML first meet after ML confessed to not liking humans, only for his words to backfire when the whole world attains animal traits. If you want to read anything light-hearted, her stories are a definite go-to.

The side characters in the story - i.e. the 333 and 509 dorm mates - are pretty fun characters. E.g. in the 333 dorm, one of the dorm mates is constantly worried about everything in life, another has the standard dongbei style of giving long-winded talks, and the last one is constantly occupied with odd jobs. Together with the MC they make an indomitable rag-tag group of friends.

Family drama-wise, both MC and ML have their own family issues. If the author’s intention is to make us angry at some of their family members’ actions, then they have done a good job of doing so, because some of these characters are truly detestable in their neglect of their children.

Shortcoming

I am personally not a fan of how ML’s family drama is resolved - after having built up all the tensions, Wang Ye just lets the past hurt slide. Even though it is a realistic approach to family feud, as a reader, it sure isn’t satisfying!

#danmei #review #dense fog #大雾