| Episodes: 13 | Score: 8.6 (55050)
Updated every at | Status: Finished Airing
Type: ONA
Producers:Tencent Video | China Literature Limited
Streaming: Crunchyroll
Synopsis
In a Victorian world of steam, dreadnoughts, and occult horrors, Zhou Mingrui awakens as Klein Moretti. He walks a razor's edge between light and darkness, entangled with warring Churches. This is the legend of unlimited potential...and unspeakable danger. (Source: Crunchyroll)
Voice Actors
Reviews
AIC01
I honestly dont get why people keep saying Lord of the Mysteries is too hard to understand The clue is right there in the title It literally promises layers of mystery hidden truths and mind bending twists You pick up a book called Lord of the Mysteries and then complain its mysterious? Thats like ordering the spiciest dish on the menu and being shocked that it burns. Thats why its called Lord of the Mysteries not Lord of the Obvious.///Lord of the Mysteries is a unique story that stands out with its mysterious plot intriguing world and clever twists i think most people will enjoythis anime.
Anderfit2301
I usually don't do this; I barely use my MAL account, but I felt I needed to put this review due to the misunderstandings I've seen in the reviews. First off, filter out the reviews that haven't finished the show. The studio made the choice to do an info dump in the first three episodes. This caused a bunch of people to dump bad reviews at episode 3 or 4. Again, this is not the case after episode 3 or 4. My recommendation is to pay more attention to what the characters are saying in the first few episodes, and after that, you can watchlike normal and enjoy the show. Honestly, my only other disappointment in the show is the lack of a proper opening. However, to me, this wasn't enough to drop the show down to a 9. If you're worried that the show is being boosted by the novel readers, and the score will drop, don't worry, based on what I saw in the show, I think it will probably level out at an 8.5 or so. TLDR: The first 3 eps were an info dump, so look at reviews that finished the whole show to get an accurate review.
1stDecame4Danime
This show is creatively bankrupt. Visually high-budget, but creatively it's mostly just a ripoff of Bloodborne, (mind you the source material was apeing Bloodborne, but the show took that and decided to just make entire scenes ripped straight out of Bloodborne.) The whole thing feels artificially generated from direction to design. The ED literally sounds like someone gave it a prompt of "generate a song in the style of a James Bond theme song like Skyfall mixed with Moonlight Sonata with dark and mysterious lyrics adlibbed from the text of Lord of Mysteries": "Stirring or delay, rebirth or be same." These are definitely words. Every sceneis entirely spectacle noise at the expense of any substance. It's effectively a high-strung trailer (much like the pointlessly thrown in opening scene of ep 1) that just keeps going. Scenes are full of: overdone BWUUUUA sound effects like I'm watching Dark, AI-generable renditions of classical music tastelessly thrown in, endless sky-opening-up dream bs spectacle for no reason, bs action asspulls devoid of choreography in preference to shaky closeup flashes of inscrutable noise and aura farming filler around every corner. All that noise never accomplishes anything beyond "10/10, I like it when the pretty colors go by." Now allow me to quote 𝓵𝓸𝓯𝓽𝔂 sounding words loquaciously at you in a deep and resounding voice while saying nothing of substance to aura farm even harder. There's no mystery plot so much as a random series of contrivances and asspulls. The main way the MC solves every 'mystery' (aside from the answer immediately falling upon him by pure contrivance) is by literally divining the answer to every question with divination magic: "Where is the missing person? ... Oh, he's over there." Why doesn't he just immediately ask for the answers to all the big mysteries like how to get home? Well first he'll have to drag the story out a bunch and then wait for the big bad to coincidentally fall into his path, and then and only then, when the writer is ready will he solve those mysteries... using divination no doubt (wait, no, they actually did it oh god, Moriarty expy noooo). 1/10 (where 5/10 is average) Now allow me to summarize some invalid critiques of this show: Different bad. (Ehehm, I read the source material and achktually, this is a bad adaptation because in the book Dong is supposed to do this scene earlier and with as much redundant monologuing as possible, and therefore this is bad. The only correct adaptation is a 2D medium of text-based characters to reproduce the book line for line into another edition which is why you should buy more copies of the book this is advertising.) (Frankly I have actually tried the source material and it is wordcount pumping garbage, I wish they would've actually improved on it here). Tacit racism/nationalism. (Ew, I only listen to Japanese voice actors say things I don't understand, I don't need to understand anything to tell how great they are. The Chinesians can't make an an-i-may, they will always be inferior to the great Niponese delegation of animation-production factories and outsourcing. For you see, this animation is not an an-i-may but a dong-hua for nationalistic reasons of my being a pedantophile therefore you must stop calling it a shortform of animation and instead speak Chinesian in reference to this filth.) I don't understand anything that isn't literally spoonfed to me through explainlikeimfive level exposition dumps. Even the exposition diagramatic opening of every episode of this show could not possibly be enough for me to understand such basic concepts as: generic RPG logic skill trees of the cultivation cliche in every Chinese fantasy anime, or the generic isekaing into a fantasy world cliche of every isekai ever to then have memories of both lives as someone from beyond who transmigrated. This mystery show expects me to think for myself? I can't do that. Where are the child-friendly exposition dump waifus to overexplain everything with the subtlety of a brick to the face just hard enough for me to vaguely understand what is happening? Easter Egg: "Somehow, Dong returned." just in time for season 2 of The Lord of All Contrivances
Bleiser13
It's like playing elden ring for the very first time. It's fresh, doesn't baby sit you with the plot and feels epic and beyond yourself. You don't immediately know everything that is happening like in 99% of anime. True to it's "lord of MYSTERIES" name. It's seriously a world of its own unlike all the other slop that relies on bad humour and fan service to keep you watching. To really understand it, you have to watch all the way from the 1. episode until the last 13. episode. Totally worth it though. Only watching first few episodes will leave you confused if you decide tostop watching and it's a good thing.
spills_colors0w
I specifically created a MAL account to rate this series as an anime only. The problem these days is that many people have developed an attention span of a child. People complain about the story being disjointed and confused but you’re supposed to watch the whole thing or at least until episode 7 to even begin to understand the structure of the story. The plot is phenomenal. Everything is building up to the conclusion but people drop it way too early and then complain about it being confusing. ITS A MYSTERY SHOW, YOU ARE NOT GOING TO FIND THE ANSWER ON THE FIRST EPISODE. Jesus. Ignorethe bad reviews about people saying they dropped it because they were confused because most of them drop it in the first 3 episodes when the plot hasn’t even begin to coalesce. All I will say is have faith and keep watching. It has got serious Attack on Titan potential. Definitely the next genre defining anime. Well, I will go read the novel now since I have never seen a world soo unique.
ErrorAmon
Lord of the Mysteries Season 1 is nothing short of a masterpiece and a new gold standard for donghua adaptations. It masterfully brings to life the intricate, gothic, and lovecraftian world of the beloved novel. The animation by Tencent is stunning. The art deco and steampunk aesthetics are beautifully rendered, with a muted color palette that perfectly captures the story's grim tone. The character designs are distinct and faithful, and the action sequences are fluid and impactful, especially the use of mystical seals and rituals. In short, Season 1 is a flawless introduction. It's a thinking person's donghua that prioritizes atmosphere, intellect, and mystery over mindless action,delivering an unforgettable and utterly unique viewing experience. A perfect 10.
Nikforreal
Overall: 10/10 Lord of the Mysteries is such a fantastic donghua that it not only does the hype justice but also proves that even an adaptation of that enormous novel can be done. Story: 10/10 Pacing is quick, particularly in the opening three episodes, dropping viewers into a world of mystery, steampunk, and supernatural energies. Though quickness may come off as overwhelming at first, the show does a great job of answering many of its questions by the end, rewarding close listening and repeat viewing. The story is multi-layered, tense, and cosmic-horror-filled, faithful to the spirit of the original novel yet surprisingly mainstream-friendly. Characters: 9.7/10 Klein's development is handled withsubtlety, so he is a very relatable and interesting protagonist of donghua. The cast of supporting characters is similarly well-developed, all of whom make their own lasting impression and contribute to the sense of foreboding and menace. Art/Animation: 9/10 Atmospheric, dark, and superbly detailed. The steampunk world is lively, with memorable character designs and backdrops that capture the tone of the book to the letter. Action sections are sharp, but it's the tense and brooding presentation that is the strength. Sound: 9.5/10 Voice acting is at its best and the OST is top-notch. It creates tension at the appropriate times and provides substance to the softer, mysterious sections. Fun: 9/10 Few donghuas reconcile loyalty to the original with production as good. Each episode has you at the edge of your seat, with answers and yet more mysteries to solve. Final Thoughts: Its quick pace and enormous body of material to accommodate notwithstanding, the donghua does it all superbly. It's loyal, fashionable, and remarkably fascinating. Both novel buffs and first-timers need to watch it.
RussianPolyglot
Lord of Mysteries — Spoiler-Free Review Lord of Mysteries is nothing short of an unfathomable masterpiece. It defies easy categorization, weaving together elements of mystery, suspense, and cosmic depth into a narrative that grips from the very beginning and never lets go. Every episode radiates precision and purpose, with a story that balances complexity and accessibility in a way few works ever achieve. In terms of assessment, it earns nothing less than a 10/10 or higher in every category I measure — plot, character, pacing, worldbuilding, atmosphere, emotional impact, etc. The series demonstrates remarkable consistency, never faltering in quality or vision, and continually surpassing expectations as itunfolds. I cannot stretch this enough: every episode was a stand-alone masterpiece, and this series has been the only series to ever — I mean ever — get a 10/10 in the animation category. What elevates Lord of Mysteries beyond excellence, however, is its conclusion. Without revealing specifics, it is the best ending I have ever witnessed in any narrative medium. It brings the journey to a close with both inevitability and transcendence, leaving the audience in awe of the brilliance behind it. To call Lord of Mysteries extraordinary feels like an understatement. It is an experience that lingers, reshapes one’s expectations of storytelling, and sets a standard so high that few works will ever match it. To put it plainly, Lord of Mysteries is PEAK fiction. Every element — the writing, pacing, atmosphere, and worldbuilding — hits with such precision that it’s hard to imagine a series doing it better. It isn’t just good; it’s transcendent. I can say without hesitation that I need another season right now, because the standard it set has left everything else in its wake feeling lesser. What makes the series especially gripping is its unique power system. At first glance, it appears rigid, structured around a hierarchy of “Sequences” that must be advanced in order, beginning from the lowest rank. Yet as the narrative progresses, it becomes clear that the system is far more flexible and mysterious than it first seems. Exceptional circumstances can defy expectations, allowing characters to ascend or bypass the established order in ways that reshape our understanding of progression itself. This mixture of order and unpredictability gives the world a sense of depth and danger, making every advancement feel both meaningful and perilous. Together, these elements establish Lord of Mysteries as a landmark achievement. It isn’t just an excellent story — it’s the kind of series that redefines what “masterpiece” means. Once the entire series is fully available in English dub, I will rewatch it in its entirety. Then, once the Japanese dub is completed, I’ll rewatch it again — and after that, I know I’ll return to it yet again. Few stories demand repeated viewings the way Lord of Mysteries does, not because it is confusing for the sake of being obscure, but because its complexity rewards patience, curiosity, and deep attention. This series is challenging to fully comprehend, and that is precisely one of its strengths. In a landscape oversaturated with narratives that spoon-feed their plots or lean on predictable clichés, Lord of Mysteries dares to expect more from its audience. It asks us to connect threads, wrestle with mysteries, and accept that not every truth is handed over plainly. I believe that’s one reason why some people dislike it — not because the story fails, but because it refuses to make itself easy. The second reason is because some people are mindless droids who always review-bomb a show simply because their favorite lost its ranking; yes, I’m looking at you, One Piece fans — after all, you all are always in the works when it comes to review bombing and hating on shows. Its storytelling reminds me strongly of FromSoftware’s Soulsborne games (Dark Souls, Bloodborne, Sekiro, Elden Ring). As a Soulsborne veteran, I can say that style of narrative — fragmented, cryptic, yet profoundly meaningful when pieced together — is my favorite kind of storytelling in any medium. While the Soulsborne games may be even more elusive in how their worlds and histories are revealed, that doesn’t diminish Lord of Mysteries in the slightest. In fact, it underscores just how rare it is for a series outside of Fromsoft to strike a similar chord. I am not, by any means, a natural reader. It’s not that I can’t read or that I find it too challenging — I’ve enjoyed stories like Tower of God and The Brothers Karamazov, both undeniable PEAK fictions — but reading has always felt more like an effort compared to watching. For me, the difference isn’t engagement or difficulty, but preference: I simply gravitate toward visual storytelling more naturally. And yet, with Lord of Mysteries, I sincerely believe I will read through all of the available novels in a short span of time. The series is just that phenomenal. Its world, characters, and mysteries are compelling enough to break through my natural resistance toward reading and make me eager to dive into the source material. I’m not sure whether the Lord of Mysteries manhua is still ongoing or if it has already ended — but regardless, I am more than ready for the full ride of the novels. I intend to refine and expand this review with each rewatch of the series across its various versions. Inevitably, doing so will strip away the spoiler-free nature of this reflection, as deeper analysis will demand direct engagement with the pivotal revelations and intricate narrative turns. Overall Rating: 14.654/10 Overall Plot: 15/10 Pacing: 10/10 Plot twist: 10/10 Plot progression: 10/10 Plot consistency: 10/10 Depth precipitin: 10/10 World building: 12/10 Main character: 10/10 Side Characters: 10/10 Protagonists: 11/10 Antagonist/s: 11/10 Character designs: 10/10 Character development: 10/10 Notable characters: 12/10 Animation: 10/10 Enjoyment/Entertainment factor: 20/10 Mc’s Morals/ Ideals: 10/10 Backstories: 10/10 Outline idea/s: 10/10 Concept/s: 13/10 Cringiness: 0/10 Voice actors: 11/10 Art Style: 11/10 Music: 10.65/10 World design: 10/10 Conclusion: 19/10 Lore: 11/10 Complexity/Depth: 20/10 Moral obligation: 10/10 Power system: 16/10 Abilities: 13/10 Genre Execution: 14/10 Innovation: 14.542/10 Season One overall rating: 19.2/10 Movie overall rate: N/A
Skillam
Lord of Mysteries makes you fall in love with Anime again! With recent times people fall out of love with animated shows and have been reading manga, manhwa and novels. However, Lord of Mysteries makes a person fall in love with the medium again because this is what it can achieve. Something so beautifully crafted and handled with the utmost care. It's a very personal show that pushes boundaries of parasociality with the characters, they are brought to life with how they are handled. It is so emotional and hard hitting... it is simply phenomenal. Give it a fair chance and it'll blow expectations out of thewater. The music, the animation, the plot, the characterisations, the emotions... This is one of the best anime of the decade.
Rom-Com_lover
Lord of the Mysteries is a truly fascinating show that kept captivating me throughout the season—one of the best I’ve ever seen. Living up to its name, Lord of the Mysteries offers the intrigue of a true mystery show. The story is carefully crafted, with every puzzle arranged so meticulously that it demands intense attention to keep up. The world of LOTM is so intricately built that you’ll find yourself completely engrossed in it. It isn’t limited to mysteries alone—the character interactions, depth of storytelling, and emotional moments are all executed brilliantly. The animation is stunning, with every scene beautifully rendered. It’s not just the focused objects;even the backgrounds receive great attention. The soundtracks are also excellent, each fitting the respective scene perfectly. Hats off to the animation team for their outstanding work. While the first few episodes struggled to pull much interest, the series quickly took an excellent turn in every aspect. Overall, Lord of the Mysteries is an amazing show that I thoroughly enjoyed. It easily stands out as one of my favorite anime of 2025.
Jomiar
I came into this show with no expectations. Never heard of Lord of Mysteries Before. Right off the bat, a dark, brooding voice explains the basics of the magic system in this world - essentially drinking potions to grant you abilities. You progress through different levels until you basically become a god. Youre then thrown into a room with a guy who shot himself in the head. Don't worry - he's our MC, and he got better. Head wound closes up. He soon finds that he has a strange extra power (I mean beyond healing mortal damage to his brain - that's just the start). MCthen find himself involved with folks who drink those potions and act as a sort of police force. He then goes on to develop both his extra power as well as his potion powers in a very interesting world. The first episode was so beautiful that I had to stop watching on my phone and pivot to a larger screen: the gorgeous, fully rendered city reflected the sunset in puddles as far as the eye could see into the background. A beautifully orchestrated, emotional soundtrack throughout the show significantly heightens the experience, and the overall tone - mysterious, serious, dangerous, and lighthearted all at once - leave me delighted and deeply invested. The show builds off the world's history, includes historical languages, ancient architectural sites, and is filled with schemes on schemes. We're along for the ride as we learn with our MC how the world works, how to appeal to the gods for power and protection, and how to make a comfortable life despite risking his life every couple weeks or so. This show came as a serious surprise to me, and I'm very hopeful more will come!
Jabberwocky69
Lord of Mysteries is a fantastic show, but after finishing the finale, feels slightly difficult to recommend it to the average watcher. The show is filled with the eponymous mysteries all around, like dangling keys in search of a suitable lock, but the detail is lost in adaptation somewhat. The show does its best to bridge some of that gap by adding exposition text in the mid-episode breaks, but some of the hints come too late into the series, and are prioritized weirdly. This makes the show's pacing both breakneck, and simultaneously drawn out. Lord of Mysteries has incredible vision, and direction. Scenes have incredibly tightframing, with a clear intent behind them, and the colour palette and aesthetics really elevate the show's overall atmosphere. The 3D-CG elements in this series is bar none, looking incredibly well integrated in every scene. The "camera work" is also phenomenal, but I've also felt sometimes they go a little extra. Speaking of going extra, the animation and fight scenes go a little extra for my taste, and somewhat take away from the true appeal behind the series, which is restraint. Focusing on the glittery and shiny action scenes moves the focus away from the slowly building tension, but I'll admit they do nail fights in a few crucial scenes. But the show could have benefited from fewer action-heavy fights, and put more focus on explaining the world itself—this is what drew the majority of the source readers into the series. By slowing down the pacing and cutting down on some action pizzazz, people new to this series could have had a better time understanding the world than the meager breadcrumbs the current version has left us with. It also doesn't help that Crunchyroll's Translations suck: they obfuscate and reduce so many important pieces of information or dialogue, or have straight up ignored translating multiple Lore pages that appear throughout the series, which had to be fan-translated on Reddit. I just wish the writers had more faith in the source material enough to give it breathing room instead of packing all the sakuga bells and whistles, that add little but window dressing to the true heart of the series. But despite my complaints, I still strongly recommend watching this show. The vibes of the show are immaculate and perfectly represent the mental image that 'Cuttlefish that Loves Diving' (author) helped conjure with his words. The score is fantastic, it raises the stakes perfectly, with its gothic/Victorian orchestral themes. Overall, it's a strong first entry in a hopefully better paced Mystery thriller series.
RC_Seeker
Most of these reviews are coming off of the first three episodes. And as an anime only lets just say the first 3 episodes are rough. Extremely fast, the changing between different pieces of the story felt choppy and they used minimal effort to actually consolidate these things in between these points. Overall the first three episodes were enjoyable but really did feel like they were hurting your own comprehension of what's happening. I stuck with it though and progressively if you are able to grasp everything it throws at you early on the building blocks to the concepts that follow are quite easy tokeep track of and sometimes later on (episode 10) I think they might've went overboard with how they explained what was happening and what is to come which contrasts how the series had started. But this show despite having an extremely fast start was able to hook me in and deliver one of the greatest experiences I've ever had with a show. The finale to season 1 was amazing, might be my favorite episode out of any show ever and they did a really good job setting up and making you care for a select few of the sizable cast in only 13 episodes. Klein Moretti is an interesting main character however it's quite clear the focus wasn't directly on characterizing him in the season at least not until the grand finale. Great show, but i recommend making sure you grasp what the show needs you to understand in episodes 1-3 before trekking forward as they are an important foundation for the great ride to come.
Hrosan
As a anime only I've only heard about lotm novel so I decided to watch donghua which is my first donghua and the first episode captivated me swiftly maybe because I watched too many generic animes now days but the premise of lotm got me hooked instantly. As a mystery show it lives up to its name. After the 6 episode it become my favourite completely and ep 7 was most intense. ep 8 and 9 were rollercoaster of emotions and 11-13 were truly cinematic. I watched them sailing seas since I couldn't wait for the anticipation. Tho, I plan to rewatch it again indub. Imo, this show deserves rewatch since the fast pacing of initial 3 episodes gets a lot easier after rewatching, viewer can also notice many foreshadowings and details of this show. This shows have all my favourite genre and elements which are rare in most animes The director and team obviously put their heart while making this so my gratitude for them. I think this show may not be for everyone but I pity those who are missing out without giving it a chance. Review rating: 9 - Personal rating: 10, since it was one of the rare show to grasped my attention completely and I am sincerely looking forward for new season.
Frostychicken32
LN reader here The first few episodes are fast paced and gloss over details which are thoroughly covered in the book. At first, I thought the series would be a failure due to its incomprehensibility. Characters weren't well fleshed out and watchers couldn't really understand them. However, as soon as episode 6 came out, this all changed. If you're gonna watch this, you will need to pay very close attention during the first 5 episodes and may even need to rewatch some of them to fully understand everything but it's worth it in the end. 9/10 because even though the latter part of the season was a10/10, the first part was a 7/10. Also, for anyone unaware, LOTM has gotten 5 seasons confirmed because of its popularity in China and this is well regarded as the worst book in the series (so there's much, much better to come).
ReMightyRon
I'll tell you the truth about this Anime adaptation of Lord of Mysteries that people don't accept, it's very simple, basically the anime was made mainly for fans of the Novel, which doesn't necessarily mean that those who haven't read the original can't enjoy the anime, but as the original is extensive, deep and detailed it becomes an impossible task to add all that amount of information and elements present in each chapter. Many events were done in a different order than in the novel or simply cut and shaped differently, so to put it simply, is it worth watching as a mystery anime with abit of supernatural action? YES! WITHOUT A DOUBT, but those who haven't read the original will be able to pick out all the nuances of the plot between the lines? NO DOUBT THAT NOT! But I recommend that anyone who watches until the last episode reads the novel afterward, because you will not only read a masterpiece, one of the best novels ever made, but also depending on your time and reading, you will be ready for the second season of Donghua, That's it...
heirofDeath
This series requires you to trust the process and have patience. Anime-only. I watched all the donghua episodes and it was truly a cinematic experience. It’s more like a movie rather than an anime. Also, it’s best to binge-watch it since you will remember a lot of the context from before. Now, about the series, I watched the first four episodes and I was just confused and decided to drop it. Everything felt disconnected; I couldn’t make sense of the information being thrown at me and I was confused about half the things. Well, I went to the novel readers and spoke to them aboutit and gave my complains. Often they said, “have patience and trust the process.” I was like cool. Sure, the world is intriguing—I am not even going to bother talking about the cinematography, art design, and sound track since it’s best experienced and on god level; lord of mysteries has set an unrealistic benchmark for other anime to reach—and had me wondering about it, also the power system seemed good but I felt, “what’s the point of watching something that I do not understand?” But, trusting the novel readers, I gave it a shot and thought, “let’s decide at the end of the season.” I was already curious, just lost. Sure enough, it delivered. Furthermore, I realized that you’re not supposed to know everything. It’s a tendency for an anime to explain you things in the introductory episode, and walk you through it. This series is not that. It’s a MYSTERIES series and in hindsight, I feel stupid to be confused about the mysteries. It will be explained in the later season. I highly recommend it, AND atleast give it a try until episode 7. Furthermore, try the English dub(I did not need it since subs were fine). I am also okay with pausing and rewinding. Lastly, I want to thank the novel readers who were patient enough to explain me things when I felt lost. I just picked up the novel since the world and the power are so interesting and I plan on finishing the novel(Vol 2 for anyone who wants to read it from the end.)
Ishawdee
My first review on MAL lol. I’m kind of excited, so here we go! So, I’m kind of an anime-only when it comes to Lord of Mysteries. I tried reading the novel while watching the donghua, but since the donghua is fast-paced and the novel is slow-paced, I eventually gave up on trying to follow both. By the time I finished the entire donghua, I had only read about 60 chapters of the novel—which basically covers the equivalent of just 3 episodes of the donghua, or even less. So, I think I can confidently still call myself an anime-only and tell you, as an anime-only, that thisdonghua is AMAZING. You might wonder: how can this adaptation be amazing when it’s so darn fast compared to the novel? Well, the thing is, the novel isn’t exactly what you might expect. It’s not that the donghua is doing a bad job by being fast-paced—it’s just different. From what I’ve read (60 chapters), the novel is basically slice-of-life. It starts with Klein’s morning routine: going to Old Niel’s classes, maybe meeting Captain Dunn, heading to the divination club, then coming home to have long conversations with Melissa and Benson—often about economics or cooking. You even get pages of Klein cooking dinner, as if it were a food novel. And the next day, most of this happens all over again. That’s not a bad thing. In novel format, this kind of detail works—it can be relaxing, immersive, helpful with the world-building, and only a little boring at times. But just imagine if the donghua adapted all of that: Klein and Benson’s lengthy discussions, every single one of Klein’s classes with Niel, every mundane detail of his job. Let’s be real—you’d probably be more than “a bit bored.” See what I’m getting at? The adaptation makes sure not to drag. Sure, they could’ve explained more, but they didn’t need to make it a word-for-word copy of the novel. As an anime-only for most of the series, I did understand what was going on. Could it have been easier? Sure. But it wasn’t impossible either. Rewatching episodes, pausing at key scenes, and Googling a few things really helped. And honestly, that’s nothing new—haven’t we all done that with other anime? I had to research a lot to fully understand Neon Genesis Evangelion, JJK fights, AOT, and many more. If you care enough about a show, you’ll be willing to put in that effort. Lord of Mysteries is such a unique adaptation. It’s enjoyable, it makes you think more than your typical anime, but never to the point of being incomprehensible. I’m definitely not a genius, and if I could enjoy LOTM as an anime-only, you can too. One last thing: remember, this is a mystery series. You’re not supposed to understand everything right away! Some questions will (probably) only be answered once the entire story is complete (I think it’s planned for 6 seasons). So complaining that certain things aren’t explained yet is kind of absurd. If you’re an anime-only who doesn’t mind pausing episodes or rewatching scenes to understand them better, then this is a masterpiece you should absolutely check out. If you’re not willing to do even that, then this show probably isn’t for you.
Shineix
Lord Of The Mysteries is one of the greatest fictional stories of all time and the Donghua did not disappoint being an absolute masterpiece as well. This review will go over the entire Donghua as a whole and talk about it's flaws and positives. First the flaws, the only main issue of the LOTM Donghua is the first 3 episodes, I'm not even joking. The truth is that LOTM starts of extremely slow paced and since it's trying to appeal to many viewers which most are only seeking short, fast and brainless entertainment, the studio decided to dump exposition and information with fights to hook viewerson. However this was a mistake and caused a lot of outrage. Besides the bad directing and pacing of the first 3 episodes there are really no other flaws besides what your personal preference might be. Now the positives, first I'll talk about the character cast. Klein Moretti or Zhou Mingrui are the protagonist of the story, with the desire to return home and search for a way back the main character goes through many encounters. From these he is forced to adapt to this cruel and harsh world for just a chance at survival, seeing him struggle through his time in this world and develop as a person not only externally but internally. Over time we also see Klein bond to these characters and the connections between them aren't shallow either which allows for many beautiful and emotional scenes. Next the cast, LOTM has a decently big cast of characters, due to this not every receives equal screen time, some are talked about in passing while others are always on screen. However, this was perfect as it allowed for every character to shine on their own, rather than forcefully showing each character we can see how they act and their dialogues. This slowly built the characters each episode and allowed for amazing writing through showing not telling the viewers. Next the story, while at first it feels like a simple and boring mystery with no actual reasoning behind it, that couldn't be further from the truth. What we slowly see as lucky or coincidences all make logical sense, the characters try to solve their problems but are only part of the puzzle. It honestly stunned me how interesting it was while also keeping it entertaining. Quite literally everything comes together and makes for an amazing story and plot. Being honest, there isn't a way I can describe it, it's more of a feeling you get as you watch the episodes, you feel uneasy, curious, suspenseful or even eerie from how or why this is all happening. Now the emotions, this deserves it's own category as I got completely stunned by this, as someone who doesn't usually get emotional from fiction or stories LOTM managed to make me completely invested into it and had me even feel for the characters. This is obviously personal however I don't think anyone can watch this series and not feel something from it. Thirdly the animation, I think I speak for everyone when I say LOTM is arguably the best overall animated media from Asia, just the backgrounds are enough to leave me speechless. On top of that the quality doesn't drop throughout the season at all and even gets better. From the characters, lighting, monsters, camera angles, etc, LOTM delivers on all of this and makes the viewing experience stunning and unbelievable. Finally the entertainment, here is the big problem, this Donghua isn't for everyone. No matter how much I would recommend this and call it a masterpiece I know deep down not everyone could like it. The main issue is personal enjoyment and comprehension First enjoyment is subjective, many people might like repetitive and slop isekai while others only watch Shonen or strictly Shoujo and copy and paste romances, because of this many people can't exactly find fun in a mystery where things aren't presented to you directly in words or need a fight every episode to keep your focus however I will always say to try anyways, perhaps you'll like it and it'll broaden your horizons. Next comprehension, I'm not trying to act condescending when I say this but some people simply aren't smart enough for this, this doesn't mean you need to be intelligent to watch LOTM but at least have basic media literacy and comprehension, the amount of stupid questions I saw on social media within the first few episodes told me enough that this would get hated online. In conclusion, Lord Of The Mysteries is a masterpiece, it takes a lot for me to praise something this high but LOTM easily shattered any expectations I had and is one of my favourite fictions of all time. 11/10
Xcerft
Anime only here, Lord of Mysteries is a fascinating show with a compelling story revolving around a unique steampunk setting in a world full of magic and dangers. I have some disclaimers though, this anime is not for everyone. Like a lot of Chinese source material, they do not spoon feed you answers. They will only drip feed you with hints. If the MC is confused, chances are, you are going to be confused as well, that's just how it works. Now hold your questions and prepare for a journey of twists and turns. While the pacing in the first three episodes is indeed fast, this show is definitely notmeant for you to watch in one go. In fact the more I paused, replayed and confirmed my suspicions, the more I enjoyed it. The people who like to theorize and solve mysteries are the ones who are truly going to enjoy this. There are episode extras' that I enjoyed and helped in my digestion of information but are featured separately. (Good job Crunchyroll) Putting other viewers' skill issue aside, The animation is fluid and crazy good looking, with amazing background art that truly immerses the viewer into the world's setting. The eerie, yet beautiful powers, send a chill to my spine. Each location is displayed cinematically providing a sense of dimension to the world. The sound direction and quality makes for tense and exciting moments and the ending itself is pure ecstasy. The world building is godlike, if this is season one, then I can't wait for what season 2 has to offer. Every detail was carefully crafted to provide a moving story to my eyes. A rollercoaster of emotions. I haven't truly enjoyed a show for quite a long time and I can say this one is a true masterpiece. 10/10 would rewatch.
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