Why is Chinese donghua Fabulous Beasts so popular? It’s hilarious, cute and adorably fun
Michelle Topham 
While I am a huge fan of a slew of Chinese donghua, probably my all-time favorite from over 10 years of watching the genre is the long-running Fabulous Beasts (aka 有兽焉 or You Shou Yan).
It’s a show with four seasons currently out, with Season 5 on its way next month, its episodes are short so an easy watch, and its characters are wonderfully drawn, cute-looking and absolutely hilarious.
Of course, I am not the only donghua fan who adores the series (if I was, five seasons would never have been made), but just in case you have not yet discovered the adorable characters in this beautifully-drawn mythical world, here are just a few reasons why Fabulous Beasts is so popular.
And why you will probably love it.
After all, the Chinese animated series is popular with viewers of all ages, and from a huge number of countries, due to a mix of entertainment value, cultural education and promotion, a cute style and even social media sharing reasons.
1. Cute Art Style + Mythology = Mass Appeal
The show takes actual ancient Chinese mythological beasts (from famous Chinese texts like Shan Hai Jing aka The Classic of Mountains and Seas) and redesigns them as round, chibi, pet-like characters.
Even if they are simply drawn.
This contrast is key as it gives mythology both cultural depth and familiarity, while its cute designs make it accessible to even western audiences, and also make scenes/characters from the donghua brilliantly meme-able.
That’s why Fabulous Beasts appeals both to older fans of traditional Chinese culture, and to younger audiences who just love a fun animated series — both in China and outside.
Just look at its first ever episode (watch video below), which features Pixiu, an auspicious beast being chased by a mob of people who think he can ward off evil.
As yep, while poor Pixiu’s life is definitely in danger, the entire segment is laugh-out-loud funny and very very cute.
2. Short-Form, Low-Commitment Episodes
Fabulous Beasts episodes are very short (usually around 6 minutes in length), which fits perfectly with mobile viewing habits.
You also don’t need to follow a heavy plot, as many episodes are standalone, so you can jump in anytime.
Looking for a quick animated series to soothe your stress after a horrible day at work? Fabulous Beasts and the hilarious creatures in it will have you forgetting all your worries in minutes.
3. “Healing” Slice-of-Life Tone
In China, there’s been a strong demand for stress-relief content, especially among students and young workers.
Fabulous Beasts hits that spot as it offers low conflict stories, relaxed humor and all taking place within cozy daily-life scenarios.
It’s the donghua equivalent of comfort food, and I eat it all up.
4. Clever Humor for Different Age Groups
The comedy also works on multiple levels as its surface-level cute antics are perfect for casual or younger viewers, while the donghua’s subtle wordplay, cultural references, and irony is also brilliant for older fans.
Cultural references, I will add, that even western viewers will understand to some extent.
This makes it highly rewatchable, and great for sharing funny clips on your social media accounts.
5. Strong Bilibili Community & Meme Culture
If you’re in China, you will know that Fabulous Beasts thrives on danmu (ie: live comments).
Viewers react together in real time as each new episode is released and, even after episodes are out, jokes and recurring memes form around specific beasts within the Bilibili community and then off out into the Internet at large.
This sense of shared participation massively boosts popularity as people enjoy sharing the donghua’s funny or even heart-breaking moments with others who are enjoying the same show they love.
6. Cultural Confidence Trend in Chinese Media
In China, there’s a broader trend called “guochao” (国潮), which is a recent cultural phenomena that encourages national pride and the embracing of all kinds of Chinese culture.
Fabulous Beasts fits perfectly into this as its a modern work that uses Chinese cultural elements, and ancient lore, but with a sweet modern presentation.
Each episode is also lighthearted and not preachy, which allows Chinese fans especially to enjoy and promote Chinese culture without feeling like it’s too “academic” or dull.
7. Merchandising Potential
The Fabulous Beasts character designs are ideal for products like plushies, stickers, figurines and emojis. I’ve already seen plushies and acrylic stands of various characters on Weibo that are absolutely adorable.
There were even a group of adorably cute avatars released by Bilibili recently that fans went crazy over. That merchandise/social media graphics also helps the donghua become even more popular.
Now let’s just hope we eventually get it in the west as I am desperate for a plushie of the wonderfully droll Sibuxiang.
In other words, Fabulous Beasts succeeds because it combines traditional Chinese mythology, cute modern aesthetics, sweet and funny characters, stress-free storytelling, and social media-focused design, all of which are perfectly tuned to contemporary Internet culture.
Plus, the donghua is freaking cute and very very funny.
You can watch Seasons 1 through 4 of Fabulous Beasts in the video below (a total of 2 hours and 57 minutes for all four seasons), and keep an eye out for Season 5 premiering on Bilibili’s Chinese Donghua Animation YouTube channel in February.
About the Author
