Steven Reynolds 
As someone who watches as many Chinese donghua as I do anime, I have been saying from its very first episode The All-devouring Whale: Homecoming is one of the best donghua to come out of China all year.
Not just for its plot, as it follows Liu Fengmang (aka Fan Lingxiao) as he is murdered, resurrects and tries to save his old sect from ruin, but also for its beautiful art style and superb 2D-animation.
It is an animated series with characters you empathize with, with pet spirits that are adorable, genuinely funny humor, and animation that is just as good as any of its Japanese counterparts.
RELATED: 3 new cast members join the Japanese dub cast of The All-devouring Whale
So, no, I am not surprised The All-devouring Whale: Homecoming is getting a Japanese dub as, if it is already drawing in slews of western anime fans, there is no reason why the Japanese won’t love it as well.
That Japanese dub was announced yesterday, along with the main Japanese voice actors, a key visual, and a Japanese dub trailer.
And, yep, I am thrilled to say those voice actors are some of the most successful in Japan so, yeah, they are excellent.
That main voice cast for the Japanese dub is:
- Toshiki Masuda (Masahiro in Hitorijime My Hero) who is voicing Fan Lingxiao / Liu Fengmang
- Manaka Iwami (Akane in Oshi no Ko) as Gu Ling
- Rina Hidaka (Filo in The Rising of the Shield Hero) as Bai Liansu
- Takehito Koyasu (Touji in Jujutsu Kaisen) as Bai Tanshu
Watch the donghua’s Japanese dub trailer below, and you will immediately hear how good they are.
The All-devouring Whale: Homecoming production details
The Chinese donghua (aka Kun Tun Tianxia Zhi Zhang Men Guilai) is adapted from the web novel by author Mo.
It is directed by Wei Tainxing (The Super Cube), with actor Shujun Lv the voice of Liu Fengmang, Ge Zirui playing Gu Ling, Chong Chong as Bai Liansu, and Su Wing as Bai Tanshu.
Chinese animation studio Big Firebird Culture (The Super Cube) does a spectacular job of animating.
Its Japanese dub is directed by Taisuke Hinata, with Reiko Torii translating the scripts into Japanese, and Bilibili producing the Japanese dub. Just like they did its original Chinese donghua.
If you haven’t been watching the Chinese original, and you should if you prefer an animated series in its original language, the plot, which is fast-paced and fun, goes like this:
Fan Lingxiao, the young sect leader of Lingxiao Pavilion, once raised a tiny catfish into a world-devouring spirit beast, becoming a legendary tamer revered across the land.
But at the climactic battle for sect supremacy, his own colossal leviathan turned on him, leading to his tragic downfall.
Now reborn, he returns to his fallen sect—still with that same little catfish in hand.
Sworn to uncover the truth behind his betrayal, expose the conspiracy that destroyed his family, and restore Lingxiao Pavilion to its former glory!
Anime fans in Japan can look out for The All-devouring Whale: Homecoming Japanese dub to drop starting July 2nd on Fuji TV.
Meanwhile, if you want to check out its original Chinese release, that is streaming for free via Bilibili’s YouTube channel, with Episode 5 already out for non-VIP subscribers and Episode 6 dropping in a couple of hours.
Source: Comic Natalie on X
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