雾山五行
Fog Hill of Five Elements
Five clans, one barrier and some of the most beautiful ink-wash fights in donghua
Synopsis
In ancient times, when demon beasts ravaged the world, a mysterious Taoist gave five families the power of the five elements. Each has since provided an envoy to guard the barrier of Fog Hill.
Wenren Yixuan, the Fire Envoy, opens the barrier to save his mother, whom he wounded by accident. The demon world falls into chaos, and the young prodigy, disgraced and banished, must face the consequences of his choice.
An original work directed by Lin Hun and produced by studios Samsara (六道无鱼) and Haochuan, the donghua streams on Bilibili. The first season (3 episodes) was released on 26 July 2020, the second (4 episodes) on 26 July 2023.
World
The world draws on mythical China and the theory of the five elements (metal, wood, water, fire, earth). The Xuanyuan, Rongcheng, Shentu, Wenren and Gongyi clans each hold one, and their envoys watch over the barrier separating humans from beasts.
Power system
Each envoy commands their clan's element, combined with high-level martial arts. The series relies on exceptionally fluid 2D fights, with an aesthetic inspired by ink painting.
Reception & popularity
With just three episodes, the first season passed 100 million views and scored 8.8 on Douban, hailed as a benchmark of Chinese 2D animation. The second took three years of work for four episodes.
My take
Fog Hill of Five Elements probably contains the most beautiful fight scenes in all of donghua: ink-wash 2D whose fluidity rivals the best Japanese studios.
The flaw is obvious: seven episodes in total over six years, and a story that advances in fragments. You come away dazzled, but always frustrated and wanting more.
Who is it for?A must-see if you love 2D animation, martial-arts fights and the aesthetics of Chinese painting.
Main characters
More character profiles are coming.
Trivia
- Fog Hill of Five Elements is an original creation, with no novel or manhua behind it.
- Director Lin Hun co-wrote the series with Shiqi (十七).
- Wenren Yixuan was the subject of a collaboration with the game Onmyoji Arena (决战！平安京).
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