Review of The King's Avatar

全职 高手 - Quánzhí Gāoshǒu is a thrilling e-sports action anime about a professional MOBA player and the fictional online RPG "Glory". The anime adaptation of the very popular Chinese web novel is great, even if the innovative project was controversial. But in the end, the interaction with the fans created an openness, dynamism and risk-taking, so that the creative implementation broke new ground and some of the typical shackles of Chinese conventions. Story: Set in an online game world; authentic with references to real players (8/10). Based on the mànhuà of Húdié lán (aka Butterfly Blue 蝴蝶蓝), the series is set in the context of e-sportsand therefore falls into the 'gaming' category. The story is also very popular outside of China, as the anime features many visually appealing, energetic online battles with interesting characters. The easily recognisable reference to real-life e-sports players is a highlight not only for the online community and a reason why the show feels so remarkable, authentic and realistic to the audience. It's about a professional who had to end his career and now wants to fight his way back to the top, even though it won't be a walk in the park. I will return to this in the character description. The criticism that Glory's gameplay is not explained in detail may not be entirely unfounded, but games like DotA-2 and their rules are widely known in China. Therefore, it seems reasonable to assume that it was not considered necessary, as the lack of explanation also reinforces the focus on the characters and their personal development.

Characters: Authentic, varied and well done (7/10)
The focus on the main character has been the subject of criticism, but the counterargument is that the other characters are by no means reduced to bland side characters. It is in the interaction between the characters that many important details are revealed. In this way, all of the characters are given a personality of their own. Let's take a closer look at the characters.
Ye Xiu: (Lord Grim; also known as Ye Qui = Autumn Leaf).
A skilled tactician and strong player, he is also somewhat mysterious, not talking much about himself. His professional aplomb, due to his many years of experience in the game, make him the perfect leader and provide a stunningly authentic reference to a real person by the name of Xu Zhilei (徐志 雷). Xu Zhilei (aka "BurNIng"), later known as B-God, is a professional player of Defence of the Ancients II (DotA-2). The most striking parallel is that both have built and captained successful teams from a group of unknown talents. The plot of King's Avatar also hints at the biography of professional gamer Zhang Ning (张宁) aka xiao8.
Su Mucheng (Cleansing Mist):
We learn a little more about Xiu by taking a closer look at his relationship with Su Mucheng. The very attractive young woman who follows him around like a beautiful shadow. Her character is well done, as she never acts like a damsel in distress. For this reason, and because of their long-standing friendship, she is the only one with whom Xiu seems to have a tender relationship.
Chen Guo (Chasing Haze):
Another interesting character, she becomes Xiu's boss. Their relationship is very entertaining from the start, a bit bizarre and reminiscent of an old couple who have known each other for years but still talk past each other. Xiu is honest and tells her the truth about himself and how it all came about. But she doesn't believe him because she can't imagine that her idol just walked into her internet cafe. I like her character because she is a bit hot-tempered. But on the other hand, she behaves great and pretty cool by giving Xiu the basics for his new start.
Tang Rao (Soft Mist):
The next girl to join the small circle. She is a young, talented player and a bit of a headstrong beauty. Her character is best described as: "Success is getting up just one more time than you fall".
Bao Rongxing (Steamed Bun Invasion):
If you think we are still missing one major cliché, you are right! The joker who always likes to present himself as the comedian of the ensemble. This role is played by Bao Rongxing, and he does his job quite well. His comic bits are not annoying, as is the case with many of his comic colleagues in other anime.
Liu Hao:
He is the first opponent, a selfish player who cares more about himself than others, full of hatred, anger and extreme dislike for Xiu. Be curious to see the bigger challengers to come and the exciting storylines based on competing, friendship and rivalry. In the original, each character is developed slowly. This makes the series exciting and is also a factor in its success. The current challenge is to ensure that the show succeeds while still treating the source well and developing the characters, especially the antagonists, as faithfully as possible.

Visuals: Unusual, but not bad (6/10)
The visuals are certainly not bad. They're just a little different from what the audience expected. This is partly because the graphics and art style are based on a mànhuà. Apart from coming from a different cultural background, mànhuà are usually digitised and published weekly on the internet and optimised for mobile applications. No wonder, then, that the visuals don't quite live up to expectations. But the lack of a well-mixed CGI with the regular 2D animations, which make the characters look unnatural, is over the top for me. It is true that some of the backgrounds seem to contrast with the animated foreground. At second glance, this actually underlines the difference with other anime (Log Horizon or Hai to Gensou no Grimgar): The players stay in the real world. While extensive use of CGI isn't my cup of tea, King's Avatar's CGI modelling, while not groundbreaking, is much better than the disastrous experience of Berserk 2016. For another, the way the characters are animated during the fights is very well made. Much care was taken to make the characters move smoothly. However, the choreography in the fight sequences lacks a bit of originality. Some sequences are too repetitive.

Sounds: Different, but not bad at all (8/10)
The background music is a nice accompaniment to the scenario and does a good job of setting the mood. It might be a bit simple at times. But the music does what it's supposed to do. So there is nothing wrong with the BGM.
The OP performed by Zhang Jie (张杰) is called "Xin Yang" (信仰), and if you can get over the fact that it is sung in another language, the sound of the opening is quite pleasant, gentle and even well-balanced..
The ED is called 'Rong Yao Zai Lin' (荣耀再临) and is sung by Da Dan Yin Zu (大胆音组). The sound is a bit slower at the beginning, but soon builds up to a nice beat. Does the ED remind you of something? Yes, it does! Danny Elfman - The Little Things (Wanted Soundtrack 2008) This sounds pretty cool!
In terms of voice acting, Mandarin will be a little difficult for some people. But the voices are very similar to Japanese and remarkably natural. It is just the language that is different. I particularly liked the voice of Xiu, spoken by Zhang Jie, which has a pleasant dark timbre and quiet charisma. Teng Xin also gave a very good performance as the lively and funny Rongxing Bao.

Quan Zhi Gao Shou is a refreshing experience. It will keep viewers hooked, whether they are familiar with online games or not. The plot is logical and faithful to the original. Even if you don't understand the symbolism, references and cryptic allusions to the e-sports industry, you'll still be able to follow it. Come and have a look, it is worth it.

Thank you for reading and have fun watching!