MeinMMO editor Marie Friske has fallen shockingly in love with the Chinese anime Heaven Official’s Blessing, which completely convinced her with a mystical fantasy world, charming main characters, and a gripping story.
What is Heaven’s Official Blessing about? The Donghua (Chinese anime) takes place in ancient China.
Xie Lian is the crown prince of the kingdom of Xianle. After being demoted several times, he ascends to heaven for the third time. In the process, he accidentally destroys a golden palace.
Since the god does not have any temples on Earth and is therefore not worshipped, he has to earn divinity in other ways to make amends for the damage.
So Xie Lian descends into the human world to exorcise ghosts and settle his debts in heaven. While doing so, he meets the mysterious ghost king Hua Cheng, who shows great interest in the crown prince…
Heaven Official’s Blessing is the anime adaptation of the boys-love story by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu, which was first published as a novel and later as a manhua (Chinese comic).
The author is also known for The Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, which has both an anime and a live-action adaptation titled The Untamed (one of my absolute favorite series!).
Both stories belong to the Xianxia genre. This term describes fantasy that incorporates elements from Taoism, Buddhism, and Chinese mythology.
A note: You can watch the first season of Heaven Official’s Blessing on Crunchyroll only in Chinese Mandarin or English. If you watch it in its original language, English or Arabic subtitles are available.
In the 2nd season, however, there are also German subtitles. Here you also have the Japanese dubbing as an audio option.
Here you can see a trailer for the 2nd season of Heaven Official’s Blessing:
Exciting fantasy world full of hauntings and legends
Heaven Official’s Blessing throws you into a mystical ancient China, where gods, ghosts, and demons walk among mortals. I really enjoy this legendary world and it creates the perfect setting for plenty of puzzles, surprises, and magical moments in the anime.
The story begins directly with the mystery of the ghost bridegroom, who kidnaps women shortly before their weddings. Xie Lian then has the brilliant idea of disguising himself as a bride to uncover the haunting.
However, upon arriving in the dark forest, the atmosphere quickly changes. While the characters are joking one moment, the next moment a creepy feeling arises, reminiscent of listening to ghost stories around a campfire:
Suddenly, a woman’s cryptic singing resonates and shadowy figures flit through the bushes, too quickly to recognize what is lurking in the forest – moments like these keep me glued to the screen as I immerse myself in the story.
In addition to the captivating mystical situations, I also particularly enjoy the spectacular fight and action animations in which gods and ghosts showcase their supernatural powers and create cool moments.
For example, they can summon a whirlwind, throw fireballs, or use hordes of silver butterflies as a distraction.
Xie Lian and Hua Cheng as a lovable character pair
Xie Lian is just too good for this world with his enormous heart
The main character Xie Lian has quickly won my heart with his clumsy but kind-hearted nature, and I often feel the urge to just hug him when he looks at the chaos (which he often unintentionally contributed to) with puppy eyes.
The god is not worshipped on Earth and therefore always has to ask his heavenly companions for some strength. Moreover, he is a huge unfortunate, so he is quite unpopular in heaven due to his unintended potential for destruction.
He is really just trying to bring peace among the people, selflessly throwing himself into battle, and has a special gift for caring for lost souls.
Hua Cheng is by far the coolest character in the anime
Next to him, the character Hua Cheng is simply fantastic. He is a cunning ghost king with the ability to change his form and approach his enemies unnoticed.
He is extremely powerful and gives me chills when he demonstrates his full strength in epic moments.
Hua Cheng knows no scruples and appears reserved and cold to the other characters. Only by Xie Lian’s side does the stoic ghost king suddenly become a gentle and emotional protector who wants to delight his companion with little gifts and favors.
This contrasting duo, which is so understanding and supportive of each other, moves me to tears more than once and is one of the sweetest pairs of characters I have ever rooted for.
Gripping fantasy story that won’t let me go
The anime features not only a beautiful romance between the character duo Xie Lian and Hua Cheng, conveyed through small gestures and indirect love declarations, but also a captivating fantasy story that immerses you in a legendary ancient China.
Moreover, the episodes usually end with such an exciting cliffhanger that Heaven Official’s Blessing practically begs to be binge-watched on far too long anime nights, even though one should actually be alert in the office the next day.
However, I can conclude that watching Hua Cheng and Xie Lian uncover the secrets of heaven and the ghosts was worth every sleepless night.
If you are looking for more anime with a heartwarming romance and fantasy elements, then check out this recommendation: An anime on Netflix initially sounded purely cheesy – After episode 1, I understand why it is so popular
