Heaven Official’s Blessing (Tiān Guān Cì Fú), the beloved danmei (BL) fantasy webnovel by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu (MXTX), has captured the hearts of countless readers worldwide. Its rich world-building, complex characters, and poignant story of gods, ghosts, and undying devotion have spawned a massive fandom. For newcomers eager to dive into the world of Xie Lian and Hua Cheng, adaptations like the donghua (animated series) and manhua (comic) offer exciting entry points.
But if you’re standing at the threshold of this vast universe, you might ask: Which version should I experience first? The visually stunning animation or the exquisitely drawn comic? Let’s break down what each adaptation offers.
The Donghua: An Immersive Visual and Auditory Feast
Produced by Bilibili and animated by Haoliners Animation League (Season 1) and Production I.G (Season 2), the Heaven Official’s Blessing donghua is arguably the most accessible entry point for many.
Strengths as a First Experience:
- Breathtaking Animation: The donghua is renowned for its incredibly high production value. The animation is fluid, the character designs are gorgeous, and the environments are lush and detailed. It perfectly captures the ethereal beauty of the heavenly realms and the gritty reality of Ghost City.
- Exceptional Sound Design and Music: The voice acting is top-tier, bringing the characters vividly to life. The original soundtrack is hauntingly beautiful and effectively enhances the emotional weight and epic scale of the story. It creates an incredibly immersive experience that pulls you right into the narrative.
- Accessibility: If you’re already a fan of anime or animated series, the donghua provides a familiar format to ease you into the story. Watching is often less intimidating for newcomers than reading a long comic or novel.
- Emotional Impact: The combination of animation, voice acting, and music can deliver powerful emotional blows, making key moments incredibly impactful and memorable.
Potential Downsides as a First Experience:
- Pacing: The donghua takes a relatively slow and deliberate pace, allowing moments to breathe but covering less ground from the novel per episode compared to the manhua or reading the novel itself.
- Coverage: As of now, the donghua has adapted only a portion of the full novel (roughly the first two books out of five). While the arcs covered are significant, starting here means you’ll eventually need to switch to another medium to continue the story once you catch up.
- Adaptation Changes/Censorship: Due to censorship prevalent in Chinese media, certain aspects, particularly the romantic relationship between the leads, are portrayed through subtext, lingering glances, and symbolic gestures rather than overt declarations or physical intimacy present in the original novel. While still very clear to those paying attention, it’s a more subtle approach.
The Manhua: Detailed Art and Deeper Dive (Initially)
Illustrated by STARember, the Heaven Official’s Blessing manhua is published weekly (or bi-weekly/monthly depending on platform and artist’s schedule) on Bilibili Comics. It’s celebrated for its stunning, highly detailed artwork.
Strengths as a First Experience:
- Exquisite Art Style: STARember’s artwork is universally praised. Each panel is a masterpiece, with intricate details, beautiful character renderings, and stunning backgrounds. It’s a visual feast in a different way than the animation.
- Closer Detail & Pacing (Relative to Donghua): While still an adaptation, the manhua often includes more dialogue and smaller moments from the novel than the donghua might due to its format. It generally moves through the story arcs at a slightly faster pace than the donghua.
- Further Along in the Story: The manhua has been ongoing for longer than the donghua and has adapted a larger portion of the novel’s story than the animation currently covers. If you prioritize getting further into the plot quickly, the manhua has more content available right now.
- Control Over Pace: As a comic, you control how quickly you read, allowing you to linger on the stunning artwork or breeze through dialogue-heavy sections.
Potential Downsides as a First Experience:
- No Sound or Animation: You miss out on the immersive experience of voice acting, music, and fluid animation that the donghua provides. The emotional impact relies solely on the static artwork and dialogue.
- Reading Format: For those not used to reading webcomics (which can involve vertical scrolling), it might take a little getting used to compared to the familiar TV episode format of the donghua.
- Still an Adaptation: While arguably closer to the novel’s moment-to-moment detail in some ways than the donghua, it’s still not the full, unadulterated experience of the original text.
The Verdict: Which Should YOU Start With?
There’s no single wrong answer here, as both are fantastic adaptations. The best choice depends on your personal preferences and what kind of experience you’re looking for in your initial encounter with Heaven Official’s Blessing.
- Start with the DONGHUA if:
- You prioritize a truly immersive audio-visual experience.
- You are used to and prefer watching animated series (like anime).
- You want a high-production, visually breathtaking entry point.
- You don’t mind a slower pace initially and are comfortable knowing you’ll need to switch mediums to continue the full story later.
- You want to experience the widely acclaimed soundtrack and voice acting first-hand.
- Start with the MANHUA if:
- You are a fan of detailed, exquisite comic artwork.
- You prefer reading comics/webtoons over watching animation.
- You want to get further into the story’s plot more quickly (relative to the donghua’s current coverage).
- You enjoy controlling your reading pace and examining intricate panels.
- You appreciate a slightly more detailed depiction of events from the novel (within the constraints of a comic).
A Common Path:
Many newcomers start with the Donghua because of its high production value and accessibility as an animated series. They fall in love with the characters and world through the motion and sound, and then transition to the Manhua to continue the story once they’ve caught up with the animation. From there, some dive into the Original Novel for the complete, unedited, and most detailed version of the story.
Ultimately, both the donghua and manhua serve as wonderful doorways into the world of Heaven Official’s Blessing. Whichever you choose first, you’re embarking on a journey filled with adventure, mystery, heartache, and profound love.
So, take a look at screenshots or trailers for both, consider your preferred media format, and trust your gut! Your unforgettable journey with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and San Lang awaits.