MyAnimeList recently updated their entry for the 3rd season of Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation, also known as Mo Dao Zu Shi, revealing that the beloved Chinese donghua will release its new season at some point in 2021. While we don't know the exact date yet, fans might start to wonder yet again if main character Wei Wuxian and the deuteragonist Lan Wangi will finally end up together.
Japanese anime series and films are becoming increasingly popular in China, but these are not the only animated works Chinese fans consume. China is also known to create its own animated works, called "donghua." These can be a bit of a grey area for the uninitiated, given that they are found in anime databases, whereas Western but Asian-inspired works like Avatars are not – though, of course, using the term preferred by the creators is usually the safest option.
For those who are new to the fandom, Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation or Mo Dao Zu Shi is based on a novel by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu and its mahua adaptation. This was followed by The Untamed, a Chinese series you can watch on Netflix, and, eventually, by a very successful animated series.
Grandmaster of Demonic Cultivation is the story of Wei Wuxian who left the acceptable path of magic known as "cultivation" and went down a dark road: while cultivators in his world – which is often plagued by awakened zombie-like creatures – send the dead back where they belong by granting their wishes or resolving to violence, he instead controls the dead, to save his people from the traitorous Wen clan.
Despite Wei Wuxian's noble purposes, the dark path he chose gets him killed by his own people. 13 years later, a mad man who has always been abused by his family decides to summon the spirit of Wei Wuxian and let him use his own body to reincarnate. Soon after, the reincarnated Wei Wuxian is found by Lan Wangji, a fellow cultivator who went from enemy to friend to potentially something more before Wei Wuxian's death. Together, the two unravel mysteries that will lead them to understand events from their past, including Wei Wuxian's demise.
There's no doubt that the relationship between the two characters was off to a rocky start. When fun-loving, rebellious Wei Wuxian first visited the Cloud Recesses, it was a shock for quiet, rule-abiding Lan Wangji. However, the two soon find out that their goals are similar – and their chemistry is obvious to everyone.
Of course, Wei Wuxian's turn to the dark side and death complicated matters, but Lan Wangji never stopped mourning him, and following his reincarnation, he did everything to protect him. While the animated series hasn't made their relationship official yet, the novel reveals that Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji do end up together. In fact, they get married and become cultivation partners.
Unfortunately, the Netflix live-action, The Untamed, did not explicitly mark the main character's relationship as romantic/sexual due to censorship in Chinese media – although the creator did do their best to code the relationship as queer. It is not yet known whether the donghua will follow the same course, though it would be great if a queer relationship between two great characters could be depicted for what it is.
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