Michelle Topham 
The ongoing donghua Tales of Herding Gods (aka 牧神记 or Mu Shen Ji) has captured the interest of many animation fans since it premiered on October 27th, 2024.
So much so, the fantasy action adventure has earned a substantial number of international fans due to its superb animation and cool character/background designs, and is constantly being brought up on Internet forums by fans as a “must watch” this year.
With 14 episodes out so far, and a total of 26 episodes currently planned, there is definitely a decent amount of material to sink your teeth into too.
Here then are some of the reasons why Tales of Herding Gods is worth watching.
Animation quality of Tales of Herding Gods
The donghua adaptation by Sparkly Key Animation Studio is being lauded for its solid animation and unusual and quite beautiful art style.
Viewers have been praising the consistent quality of both of these things since the first episode of the donghua premiered, while always mentioning Tales of Herding Gods is definitely one of the best-looking series of its season.
The detailed and unique character designs, along with the vivid portrayal of the fantastical world, contribute significantly to its appeal.
Some fans also point out the ending segments of each episode are particularly cool, as Sparkly Key gives more information about the design of a particular scene, and that then makes the donghua even more interesting to watch.
Storyline and world-building
The plot, based on the popular novel by Zhai Zhu (in Chinese 宅猪), offers a rich world filled with mystery, magic, and complicated cultivation elements.
The story follows the teenage Qin Mu who, since he was a baby, has been raised by nine elderly people in a village full of secrets.
Outside that village dangers reign supreme, with Mu being told from as long as he can remember that he must return home before it goes dark or he may not survive the night.
This setup provides a deep, engaging plot with layers of intrigue around gods, demons, and the struggles of a mysterious group of elderly people who appear to be hiding from the world.
People who, as the donghua progresses, turn out to be some of the most powerful people in the world.
Character development
The main characters in Tales of Herding Gods are well-developed and unique, with Qin Mu’s journey from an orphaned baby to a young man who is becoming stronger and stronger by the day being particularly compelling.
The relationship dynamics between Mu, his “grandparents” and the people he meets as he ventures out into the world, the character backstories, and Mu’s growth over time are parts of the donghua fans point out as making it well worth watching.
Especially as it all takes place within a very well-written story.
Cultural and mythological elements
The donghua series does an excellent job of blending traditional Chinese mythology with modern storytelling.
The integration of cultural elements like the discovery of ancient texts, highly involved cultivation techniques, and mythical creatures who are much more important than they initially seem add both depth and authenticity to the narrative.
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Due to this, Tales of Herding Gods is likely to appeal to anyone who is interested in Chinese history, mythology and culture.
Community buzz for Tales of Herding Gods
There has been a substantial buzz around Tales of Herding Gods since it premiered, with donghua communities on platforms like Reddit, X and Facebook showing huge excitement as new episodes release, and then discussing plot points, character arcs, and animation details.
There is also a lot of anticipation for a potential second season, which is likely to happen, and which indicates the donghua has earned itself a strong fanbase that has then stuck around.
Faithfulness to the original novel
While some fans of the novel have had reservations about adaptation changes, the general reception is that, overall, the donghua maintains the spirit of the original work while introducing engaging visual storytelling elements that work really well in an animated series.
This balance between faithfulness to the original source material and innovative animation techniques has garnered more praise than scorn.
Criticisms of Tales of Herding Gods
Like any donghua though, Tales of Herding Gods has its critics, with some commenting on pacing issues (something I agree with in several of the episodes beyond Episode 9, where the animation studio’s enthrallment with the animation and the art style seems to have taken over from the telling of the story).
Other viewers of the donghua mention the challenge of translating a novel that features extremely complex narrative elements from the novel to the screen.
Still, for those who enjoy an interesting fantasy, intricate world-building, unique characters, and high-quality animation, Tales of Herding Gods is definitely worth watching.
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