Heaven Official's Blessing//TGCF: Episodes 1-2 FULL LENGTH Reaction!
Added 2022-05-09 13:00:12 +0000 UTC*Possibly a Headphone Warning*
Technically, this was Episodes 1-2 on Netflix's version, so really Episode 1, but still -- we're FINALLY here! I'm so excited to be starting this series, and what a start!
Gods, ghosts, and a cinnamon bun protagonist -- this should be a fun ride, eh? These first two episodes definitely set up a lot of mystery and it seems our "bridegroom" has quite the history with our main man already, huh? Even if Xie Lian is unaware...I already want to protect him and his two fellow "deputy gods" Yao and Yeng!
Also...did Xie Lian just get unknowingly married?!
Thanks for watching with me and for the support!
Comments
Gushing about the characters is ABSOLUTELY okay! :D Xie Lian is already winning me over! I like the idea of a gentle protagonist and I can't wait to get more into his character! And hahahaha, the Deputy gods are going to be so interesting following alongside Xie Lian -- they're such a dynamic, already! And thank you for no spoiling me on Mr. Smirk -- I cannot WAIT to get more into his character as well! :D So much mystery, but I love that! :) Thank you so much for the kind words and comment! :)
Romaniablack
2022-05-16 17:31:57 +0000 UTCIt is almost a week since this has been posted and I finally have the time to comment on this reaction XD I also don't really ahve anything usfull to add so i am just going to gush about the characters for a moment here. As i already said in the discord i love xie lian so much? There is just something about having just a gentle protagonist. He's not Good in a way a knight in shining armor is, he's justt good and kind and gentle. Though it is very clear already in these two episodes that there is so much more going on with him than just that. And i think that' just wonderfull i really can't compare him with any other protagonist i have read or seen in my recent memory. Fu yao and nan feng? I love them so much as well though in a completely different way. They're just so funky, they're a good comedic duo without being annoying, just by being so... Crass??? Or i don't know how to word it but you've seen them you know what i mean. And yes people ship them, and in this case i am people. Though them being there does raise some questions like the very simple... Why? They're intriguing in there own right. An than we have res smirk man, i could gush about him for paragraphs as well but i am to afraid of accidently spoiling something so i will just keep it at i love him as well. I just love evryone we meat in this first episode they're jsut all so imedietly intresting in tere own way and they all have so many questions connected to them. I am just so happy and excited about this!!!!
Floor H
2022-05-14 19:17:05 +0000 UTCHahahaha, I’m so excited, too! And no worries! I’m fine with wordy comments! :D And yeah, I feel I’m going to keep a name Cheat Sheet as we go! :D That’s a good idea! :) Thank you for helping to explain some of the worldbuilding in this, too! It’s going to be fun learning about this world as we go and seriously, already, the animation and soundtrack is so gorgeous! Oh woooowwwww, yeah, 8.8 million incense sticks? That’s. A LOT. @__@ And hahahaha, I love everyone’s explanations of the communication arrays – it’s great! Thank you for that! :D Ling Wen just has had it with Xie Lian, but he’s too precious to turn away, like when a puppy drags toilet paper through the house…hahahaha! Ahhhh, and thank you for the clarification with Zhen and Yang with Xianle! :) Xie Lian is ADORABLE so far, and very different from WWX! Except for the gossip, though, both our boys seem victims of that. That’s good to know he “technically” didn’t lie and for the world-building, throughout here. But thank you for not spoiling me!! The butterflies DID remind me of Bleach, absolutely!! And telepathic communication? I’m here for it! I can tell I’m going to like Feng and Yao and their dynamic with Xie Lian already!! :) And yessss, Xie Lian showing a badass side behind the adorkableness?! I’m HERE FOR IT! And I’m glad y’all ship them!! :D It’s squeal-worthyyyyy indeed! Okay, so there IS an OVA episode! Good to know about that and the OP/ED business! The ghostly elements in here are so beautiful but SO creepy! The animation and soundtrack was great, too! And Mr. SMIRK – definitely not ready for him, I can tell already! And yeah, basically a wedding despite the censorship! At least WE KNOW what’s up! Thank you for not spoiling me, though!! SO MANY QUESTIONS, THOUGH! Thank you for the comment and kind words!! I’m SO HYPED!!
Romaniablack
2022-05-12 00:45:57 +0000 UTCOh wow!! EIGHT volumes...that's a lot to get through!! I'm really excited to start this series though!! Thanks for the comment!! :D Definitely planning to read the manhua with the story chapters, too! :D
Romaniablack
2022-05-12 00:31:09 +0000 UTCOh, the happiest AND most cruel?! **nervous laughter** Fun times ahead, eh?? Oh, thank you SO much for this information! This is perfect – just some world-building info without any plot/character spoilers! Thank you! :D I’ve taken notes and I will definitely be referencing in the next episode, hahaha!! I’m glad I’m not the only one that ships Feng and Yao! :) And it’s neat to see that this story is quite different than MDZS – now that you mention it, there really isn’t much talk of “gods or deities” in the story with the exception of Guanyin Temple at the end. Hm. Interesting!! Thank you for all the info and comment!
Romaniablack
2022-05-12 00:30:28 +0000 UTCThe flashback part here is GORGEOUS! It has me so excited for what’s to come and with the novel! 244 chapters….hoooooo boy! @_@ and in two-three DAYS! THAT is a binge read! @.@ That’s awesome! A fellow Patron sent me a video of name pronunciations, so I’m going to watch that right before watching the next episode, so hopefully that will help! :) Ahhh, the communication array makes a lot of sense! @Serralinda on here referred to it as a “mental discord server” and that makes soooo much sense, now! Hahahaha! Thank you for the clarification on that! And ahhhh, the ED is the OP – I’ll definitely watch it in the next episode! That’s good to know about the ED/OP! But yesssss, I’m SO excited to be starting this! We can always talk about MDZS in the comments and on Discord, but I’m sooooo excited to get into this story! And ooohhhh, Mr. SMIRK definitely has my attention and I’m ready for hilarious Xie Lian! :D Thank you for the comment!!
Romaniablack
2022-05-12 00:12:34 +0000 UTCThank you so muuuuucccchhh! I'm so happy to finally be here! Thank you for not spoiling and offering some information, though! :) :) That is very helpful about the three realms and what the title comes from and OOOHHH!!! thank you for sharing that artwork! I love that! Yes, not quite as "handsome" as our cinnamon bun, but it's still beautiful! :) I really appreciate that there's artwork that connects to the elements the story is based off of! Thank you for that and the comment!
Romaniablack
2022-05-12 00:05:21 +0000 UTCThe bridegroom's entrance is sooooo dreamy but also creepy?! It's GREAT! But yes, we're HERE!! This whole series is full of "pretty people!" Haha, Len Wing, the Bridgegroom, and our sweet boy, Xie Lian! :3 Thank you for not spoiling! I love the dynamic of Feng and Yao already! And yessss, just under the surface, you can see that there's something up with Xie Lian...and I have a feeling I'm going to find it horrifically sad! **sad choo choo noises** I did notice the necklace! :) Don't worry, it's tucked away in muh brain for now. Ooohhh, it's going to be interesting to see parts of this with those that haven't read the spoilers and story all the way through! I'm sooo excited to talk with you all about this story, the references, and with the analysis! :D Thank you so much for the comment! :)
Romaniablack
2022-05-12 00:00:44 +0000 UTCOohhhhh, that is good to know about the ED being the OP! Good deal -- I'm glad that'll be resolved when I watch the next episode! This series is already setting up so much MYSTERY! I'm really intrigued to see the past with these characters (they seem to have history, even if Xie Lian doesn't remember hahaha), sooooo....yay! :D Thanks for the comment!
Romaniablack
2022-05-11 20:12:43 +0000 UTCThank you so much! I'm so excited!! :D
Romaniablack
2022-05-11 15:35:18 +0000 UTCFINALLY, right?!
Romaniablack
2022-05-11 15:35:05 +0000 UTCThank you so much! I'm so excited as well! :D
Romaniablack
2022-05-11 14:13:31 +0000 UTCThank you for the kind words! I'm so excited to be here for this toooo! :D
Romaniablack
2022-05-11 14:13:23 +0000 UTCWE’RE HERE OMG!!! The way I scream at the bridegroom’s entrance 😭 I love him so much😭 Ling Wen is super pretty. I love her and she’s one of the people here who has a lot of respect for Xie Lian. Nan Feng and Fu Yao, I love them both so much. They always seem reluctant to be working with each other and Xie Lian, but they always stick it out and help each other anyway. There’s a reason to that, but again, spoilers. All I can say is that, they’re like those annoying brothers/cousins who always bicker but care deep down. Xie Lian is a tragic character. I’m not gonna spoil it but as you can already see here, he’s gone through some things and it’s been just hard. I want you to take a look at the offering table, and notice the necklace. Keep that necklace in mind, that’s gonna be something huge later on. To be honest, I didn’t watch all of Heaven Official’s Blessing. Mainly because Twitter has filled me in through spoilers so I get the whole idea of where this story is going. I also read the novel but only up to book 3 cause they deleted the fan translations before I could even read the whole thing. I won’t be as useful in terms of giving explanations BUT I will try to do some analysis with you as we walk through the episodes together and help you out on some Chinese references, as well as Asian concepts of it in general.🥰
Ivan is Yda
2022-05-10 08:50:30 +0000 UTCAHHHHH WE’RE HERE
Ivan is Yda
2022-05-10 03:24:39 +0000 UTCWe're HERE! So happy that you're enjoying your first dive into TFCF. I'm so ready and hyped for this new journey :) Fellow patreons have mentioned a lot of background. I think I will just add two: They keep mentioning "Three Realms", which in the context of TGCF, should refer to the fact that the universe consists of three realms, the Heaven Realm (where these gods live), the Mortal Realm (where we humans live), and the Ghostly Realm. Of course the boundaries between these three realms are permeable so that we get our TGCF story! Tian Guan Ci Fu is a Chinese idiom saying in Daoist/folkloric religions. There are many Daoist deities that MXTX mentioned in this novel, and they basically form a heavenly bureaucracy not so different from the human one under the leadership of the Heavenly Emperor. BTW (I have to mention this because I'm all nerdy) Boston Museum of Fine Art has in its collection a twelfth-century triptych painting of Three Daoist Officials, one of which is the Heaven Official! It's for sure not our cinnamon bun Xie Lian, but I think it would be cool to check out! https://collections.mfa.org/objects/28123
goldmund
2022-05-09 17:13:00 +0000 UTCThe flashback sequence of this “first episode” is actually what made me go read the novel. Only the first two (first three in the Netflix ver.) episodes were out, and the flashback sequence was just so beautiful I needed the CONTEXT. I then proceeded to binge the entire novel (all 244+ chapters) in about two-three days; I just couldn’t put it down. This was also my first dive in the MXTX works/danmei genre—I’ve heard about MDZS, but like I mentioned previously it was difficult for me to get into MDZS since I had no one to help explain things to me. With this series, I feel like it’s a little easier to get without needing Chinese lore context. The name pronunciation is going to take some time getting used to, don’t worry. Just when you think you have it down, you find out there’s a ton other things that don’t make the same sounds as you think XD I, too, have a western tongue, and I never even attempted to say any of their names until I heard them in the donghua a couple of times. So, like you said, it’ll take time, so I believe in you! I won’t go too in detail on how to say what since I don’t really know Chinese pronunciations well either, so I’ll leave that for someone with more expertise to explain. You can also check the end of the TGCF volume one, they have a pronunciation guide for Xie Lian’s name. I would just be careful because I know some of the character guides has spoilers for certain characters. But Xie Lian’s name pronunciation should be at the very beginning of the pronunciation guide. As I’m writing this, I don’t have the book on me, but I’m at least 97% sure the main couples of each book are at the beginning. Oh! One thing I did want to mention that I don’t think they’ll really explain it, but the big golden forum where all the gods are seen talking to each other in, the “spiritual communication array”, this is just the donghua’s visual representation of it. In the novel, the communication array just happens in their heads, we don’t necessarily see it. So having a visual representation of their mind communication was such a nice touch for the donghua to include. Lastly, the “ED” of episode one on Netflix is actually the OP. We didn’t get your reaction for it fully, but next reaction we probably will, but I will just say this—the song and visuals of the opening are so beautiful. It honestly makes me want to cry listening/seeing it. There’s a lot of details put into it that you don’t really notice if your watching it for the first time, but it’ll all make sense eventually XD Also, I’m still so obsessed with the flashback sequence song, but, unfortunately, it’s not the official ED. It’s more an insert song than anything. In the next ep, I think they have a different ED that stays for the rest of the season, but the visuals are the same (excluding the flashback). Ahhh, I’m so excited that you’re finally starting the Heaven Official’s Blessing/TGCF journey. MDZS will surely be missed, but TGCF is just as fun and agonizing of a time. I also can’t wait for you to get into the novel because let me tell you, Xie Lian is a cinnamon bun but he’s HILARIOUS in the book. And when you get to our mystery man’s official introduction, just you wait. That smirk says it all 😏😏😏😏
Kixkay
2022-05-09 17:10:54 +0000 UTCOh my goodness I can’t express enough how excited I am to see you start this journey!!
Cucumber
2022-05-09 17:08:04 +0000 UTCYay for starting a show with most happiness and most cruelty among MXTX works XD You've gathered right, all the gods in TGCF universe do ascend from humans. Some do it through cultivation (close to the type MDZS cultivators strive to though there are no such gods we know of in MDZS and very little immortals), some through glorious deeds and devotion or masterful things. And from there, your worshippers are your basic source of power and "godly credits" i.e. merits, through their prayers and offerings, . That AMV with past history teased so much! Not so much spoiled but still! The names are a bit difficult here. Basically, every god gets a title after ascension, and a palace named similarly. So, Mu Qing is a "real name", "General Xuan Zhen" is his godly title, his palace is Xuan Zhen palace, and gods mainly call him Xuan Zhen. Ling Wen is also a name of palace, she has another name but revealed very late in the story. Xie Lian's title is Xianle since he was crown prince of Xianle kingdom once. Martial gods are not all the gods of war, mostly they ascend through, uh, sword and martial arts cultivation I think, just like MDZS cultivators, again, do seek perfection in sword techniques and monster killling. Their role in Heaven is mainly slaying those monsters and other evils. Ling Wen is of the other branch, the "Literary gods", meaning they excel in humanitarian arts. And since Xie Lian has been a cultivator in mortal life, he still has some powers that can be called "magic", even if not godly ones. In truth, there is not much difference between many kinds of powers in TGCF which is deeply philosophical. 'Xiao' means "Little, young, lad", so those two are not siblings, just young low-class people without a surname said aloud. Do people ship the two deputy gods? YOU BET GIRL! Also, kudos to the translator, General Dick is a hilarious rendition of a Chinese joke. "Ghosts" is kind of an umbrella term for dead but lively things in TGCF. "Demons" is another term that mainly refers to strongest ghosts.
Anastasia -
2022-05-09 16:14:52 +0000 UTCTime for the weeks of Soft Trash God hours. Heaven Official’s Blessing is slated to actually be published into eight books if I remember correctly, so there’s going to be a LOT of content. And volume 6 of the manhua just finished recently (which covers the early parts of book 2/season 2), which has a beautiful art style, highly recommend it. Gotta say, Xiè Lián really lucked out of his child saving, getting Butterfly Boi out of it. I mean, you save a child and then 800 years later, boom, hot guy. Have to say, all this Chinese media really hits for me as I grew up learning Chinese for a good part of my childhood, so they’re really comforting. And being able to watch and rewatch them with you has just added to the experience. Happy to be back
Moth (GreenAppleSause)
2022-05-09 16:08:46 +0000 UTCFantastic reaction as always and I'm so excited for your Tian Guan Ci Fu journey. I got wordy, as usual. You might need a cheat sheet to keep track of all the names here too; mainly because some people are referred by their titles or get new names over time. For the ascension to godhood, using Mo Dao Zu Shi as an example if Lan Wangji carried out some meritorious services and increased his Cultivation level he could ascend to the Heaven Realm and godhood. Though he could also ascend just by improving his Cultivation or simply due to performing some outstanding deeds and being recognised for them. None of this is a spoiler, this is just what I've picked up from reading wuxia/xianxia-based manhua/novels. The gods of Heaven Official's Blessing by performing certain deeds they could gain more followers. The more offerings/worship given at their temples the gods can become stronger and more powerful. This show is seriously too beautiful, and the music is perfect. We love Ling Wen. Her deadpan responses to Xie Lian are fantastic. A merit I believe is equal to a single incense stick. So yeah it's *a lot* The Spiritual Communication Array just think of it as the Ancient Chinese version of Zoom! There's a password to enter an array. Ling Wen and Xie Lian were physically there but (as you see with Xie Lian later on in the episode) the other gods it's only their consciousness that visits in that moment. Provided they have enough power to access the array, the gods are able to enter it even when they aren't in the Heavenly Realm. Not a spoiler as it does briefly get mentioned with several remarks made. The two General gods (Xuan Zhen/Mu Qing and Nan Yang/Feng Xin) Xie Lian knew when he was the Crown Prince of Xianle, i.e. prior to his first ascension. Hence why the other gods make a fuss about Xie Lian not recognising Mu Qing. Xie Lian really is our adorable sweetie. Such a contrast to Wei Wuxian as the main protagonist, right? (I will say this though, he's apparently voiced by Hiroshi Kamiya in the Japanese dubbed version and that blows my mind a little). Though yes the other gods really do be hating on our precious prince. I really do love this aspect of Mo Xiang Tong Xiu's writing. Some other authors I've read multiple series by sometimes their main protagonist for a new series is basically a copy/paste version of a previous character. Of course some aspects of certain characters overlap with others within Mo Xiang Tong Xiu's works but from what I've read so far none are a carbon copy. *Technically* Xie Lian didn't lie. He doesn't have the power to be able to use the Heavenly weapons Ling Wen is talking about, but that doesn't mean he can't do some things (think similar to Wei Wuxian being unable to wield Suibian after the Golden Core removal and in Mo Xuanyu's body due to the young man's low Cultivation level). Like he says later, there are exceptions and the bandage Xie Lian can use is his exception. Again not a spoiler, just some background for the Chinese beliefs. As far as I'm aware they believe that the heavens have a similar construction to society on Earth. Therefore there is a Jade Emperor who rules the Heavenly Realm, and the place is run like a bureaucracy with different administrations being in charge/responsible for specific domains. You gotta love when you get the title mentioned! The phrase: tiān guān cì fú, bǎi wú jìn jì! is basically a way of saying good luck, and that for the gods of the Heavenly Realm anything goes (i.e. there are no taboos for such officials). So the butterflies are something else but no spoilers on that. They really reminded me of Bleach's jigokucho/Hell Butterfly when I first watched it too. Communication is performed through a sort of telepathy. Reminds me so much of James McAvoy's Professor Xavier! I just love Nan Feng and Fu Yao's introduction. Cracks me up every time. Their relationship is so great. I love that moment of Xie Lian defending xiao Ying. Up until this point we've just seen him as somewhat dorky, slightly awkward, and very self-depreciating. And then we get this badass moment where the animation and beauty just goes off the charts. The 'ED' for Episode 1 on Netflix is actually the OP for the whole series. It did not need to be as beautiful as it actually is. So damn gorgeous! Also the song itself is almost ethereal to me. The ED in Episode 2 on Netflix the visuals I vaguely remember stay the same but there's a different song from the next episode until Episode 10 on Netflix, and then 10, 11, 12, and the OVA episode (Episode 13 on Netflix) have a different song. I just love they managed to include the mis-naming of the temple. A nice bit of light-heartedness to start before things get creepy. Can I just say I squealed when you said that you just want to go "now kiss" with our squabbling duo! We do love to ship Nan Feng and Fu Yao. For the classification of ghosts they're different from fierce corpses in Mo Dao Zu Shi. But you could easily make it a crossover with fierce ghosts being the lowest classification for the gods to deal with but highest for Cultivators (who are mortals just with qi and some abilities). The ghost child singing is so eerie but so damn perfect. Really adds to the creepiness. Especially with Xie Lian being the only one to be able to hear it. The fighting scenes are really well animated. Especially for how they had to censor the more violent/bloody aspects. Hence why we only see the blood splatter the trees when Xie Lian uses his bandage to kill all the Base Slaves. Xie Lian showing his quick mind with that little tumble out of the sedan and into the other man's chest. I think it's a spoiler for why he did it, but just know that that 'stumble' was purposeful. Your mention of Xie Lian's sword he has (prior to his first ascension) made me smile. You will get answers on that one. The height difference! (You're not ready for the manhua with that trope) The mention of Feng Xin and Mu Qing when discussing the fall of Xianle; these two are now the two Martial Gods Xuan Zhen and Nan Yang. Yeah we're back with the learning multiple names for people. Tian Guan Ci Fu I believe has more censorship than the other two, yet at the same time introduction of the main ship is basically a wedding. Lips are sealed on your questions and theories regarding the child Xie Lian saved when he was just the Crown Prince of Xianle. Same in regards to our smirking man in red. Not one word about him! They honestly did so well with the start of this. It gives you so many glimpses into Xie Lian's long past and leaves you with so many questions. With Mo Dao Zu Shi the story pretty much spanned over thirty years (if we include Wei Wuxian as a child). Tian Guan Ci Fu is *hundreds* of years.
Anime Annie
2022-05-09 15:31:14 +0000 UTCThe last sequence made everyone in the fandom cry when it aired, the entire fandom in shambles. I could talk about that scene where they walk through the bloody forest with the umbrella and the wedding robes and holding hands and the utter audacity of the smirk and the little jingles on his boots I could just go on and on about the aesthetic and symbolism. I got into mdzs first just like you and then started reading tgcf and the chapter where this scene happened is what hooked me so much, I had no visuals but my god I could imagine how beautiful it would be and the donghua and manhua did not disappoint. Oh and btw the ED is actually the OP, it’s just Netflix cut it up really weirdly since episode 1 and 2 is supposed to be one episode, you skipped the OP in episode 2 so you didn’t realise!
Jenny V
2022-05-09 14:33:01 +0000 UTCOMG I'M SO EXCITED FOR THIS
Brithany Bonilla
2022-05-09 13:02:32 +0000 UTCYayyyyyy! I’ve been waiting for this ♥️
LaliLove
2022-05-09 13:01:44 +0000 UTC
