Feng Shen Ji

Big_Bad_Lith

you guys read chinese manhua at all? unlike manga, they are sometimes 100% colored pages, and Feng Shen Ji does not disappoint in the art department.

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the story follows Wu Geng, the son of a king. however, what is a king compared to a God? and in this world, the Gods demand absolute loyalty from the humans, who they treat like dirt. The king rebels, but is crushed. Ah Gou is sent to a labor camp, where he makes important allies and conspires to escape. He meets with a group of outcast gods, and trains with them. And the story just takes off from there.

our hero may not be very likable at first, but stick with it. He gets much better. and the fights are always amazing. seriously, this thing is a visual treat, go read it right now.

MiyamotoMusashi

Don´t generalize, not all manhua are colored though it is much more common than with manga

It´s a very good story, the world is rich, the protagonist has personality enough, the conflict is also interesting and the art is amazing

Big_Bad_Lith

well, I've never seen one that wasn't colored, but I've only read a handful, so that's hardly a good sample size.

anyway, one of my favorite things about this series' art is how there are a few panels that are somehow BETTER arted than the rest, like they were painted. Or like suddenly one panel is in HD grapics or something. It's a really interesting and effective way to give extra emphasis to a shot.

Xi Shing's face in the top left is a good example of what I'm talking about.

MiyamotoMusashi

Just off the top of my head, manhua that i have read and were not colored at all:

http://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=510
http://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=40099
http://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=65281
http://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=27841
http://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=22486
http://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=177

And i am not too sure how that is special. The art level is generally high in Feng Shen Ji but giving some panels priority over the rest and drawing them in more detail is nothing groundbreaking and innovative.

Palpitoad93

Do you have a link for the raw Chinese version of this series?

Kdom

I find that the colour are a bit to much sometime. Especially when warm colours are used (and the blood is completely unrealist but maybe that is done on purpose)
Otherwise the story is pretty entertaining so far.

Friction

This post is deleted!

AfroSamurai

Love it! It's got great characters and a good world! It's a little generic at times but a fun read nonetheless! Read read read! Also, use of colour makes the manhua 3 times more awesome, it's great! Yaaay! (ok, that was not constructive at all, i just fangasmed, but whatever, it's a great read)

Baldulf

It's like a superheroes comic book from the 90s but with an oriental background. Art is very good (except the faces that are a bit bland) and the authors grasped the hability to keep the reader hooked for more. It has this exaggerated epic and gran finale feeling as if each episode is the last on the series.

I dont usually read manhuas but if the rest are like this one its safe to say that they have little in common with japanese mangas and are more inspired in american comics.

mr.french

I just came across this manhua yesterday. I love it. It's not the best comic by any means, but it has entertained me greatly. The art is great in my opinion. The story is fantastic.

I recommend this highly. Gods find faults and errors with how humans operate their daily duties and slave-like obligations given to them by Gods, and rebellions ensue… It's just awesome.

Big_Bad_Lith

RIP Nitian Erxing ;_;

also, I wonder if Xi Shing and that wind-power Sage King are gonna come back to the battle or not? they're floating in the outer stratosphere, but neither one is dead yet, so…

Ukimix

Sure they will come back. Ah Gou needs the phoenix to beat Tyan.

mr.french

I'm getting the feeling that Tian is not the final villain, but Shen will be the final villain. Tian seems to be moved by his loved one (forget her name already), and will not fight against the humans/dark ones in the war. The likelihood that he'll stop the war is much higher now isn't it? Shen seems to be up to something far greater than just following Tian's orders.

I do see Tian fighting his son, Shi Xing. And that will fulfill his worry about a fighter with the Phoenix going against him. Wu Geng has what he needs I think to fight Tian or Shen. His divine power is something his father didn't have, hence the use of the Phoenix armor. And it's a divine power that Tian has. And Wu Geng doing something greater with his smelting skills will probably come to fruition later on.

Is this the final arc though? I get the feeling it could be, but I also feel that it may not end with this war.

Ukimix

@mr.french:

I'm getting the feeling that Tian is not the final villain, but Shen will be the final villain. Tian seems to be moved by his loved one (forget her name already), and will not fight against the humans/dark ones in the war. The likelihood that he'll stop the war is much higher now isn't it? Shen seems to be up to something far greater than just following Tian's orders.

I do see Tian fighting his son, Shi Xing. And that will fulfill his worry about a fighter with the Phoenix going against him. Wu Geng has what he needs I think to fight Tian or Shen. His divine power is something his father didn't have, hence the use of the Phoenix armor. And it's a divine power that Tian has. And Wu Geng doing something greater with his smelting skills will probably come to fruition later on.

Is this the final arc though? I get the feeling it could be, but I also feel that it may not end with this war.

This is not the final arc. Maybe the final one of the season, but in China the story goes in season 3. I also feel some sympathy for Tian now, even more when we saw that he was horribly betrayed by the other gods. The difficulty is that Ah Gou and his friends are completely determined to overthrow the rule of the gods, and even if he is revealed as a 'good' god, I don't see him being indulgent with their enterprise. Besides of it, I'm not sure if the story would resist such a twist, even more if Tyan was the murderer of Ah Gou's father.

My guess is that Tyan's wife will be going killed by someone of the dark ones or even by some evil god that ones to overthrow him. Tyan is going to get mad about it and will going to crush the dark ones. The whole event will turn Tyan in a really 'evil' god. In terms of plot progression that would keep the consistency of the story, I guess.

Ukimix

Happy Chinese New Year comes with some nice gifts: http://read.egscans.com/Feng_Shen_Ji/Chapter_090

Wow!!! What a tremendous battle between Uncle Zi Yu and Tian. What will come next? Maybe Tyan vs Ah Gou? I don´t think so; that should be for the third season likely. And clearly the Shen Yen's current actions will be a factor that will affect the result of the meeting between Ah Gou and Tian. My god, what a great story…. Locking forward to see what happens next...

AlucarDraculA

Hey quick question these both are called chapter one which should I start on?

http://mangasee.com/manga/?series=FengShenJi&chapter=1&index=2

http://mangasee.com/manga/?series=FengShenJi&chapter=1&index=1

Ukimix

@AlucarDraculA:

Hey quick question these both are called chapter one which should I start on?

http://mangasee.com/manga/?series=FengShenJi&chapter=1&index=2

http://mangasee.com/manga/?series=FengShenJi&chapter=1&index=1

Te second link is the first season, so begin there. You also can read the whole bunch of chapters directly in the EGS reader (without advertisement): http://read.egscans.com/Feng_Shen_Ji/Chapter_001

AlucarDraculA

@Ukimix:

Te second link is the first season, so begin there. You also can read the whole bunch of chapters directly in the EGS reader (without advertisement): http://read.egscans.com/Feng_Shen_Ji/Chapter_001

Thanks, does mangasee have ads? I've never seen them because of adblock. I just like it because you can load the whole chapter at once.

Ukimix

@AlucarDraculA:

Thanks, does mangasee have ads? I've never seen them because of adblock. I just like it because you can load the whole chapter at once.

I don't know about mangasee; I only know that EGS reader is the site of the scanlator. Enjoy the reading!

Razh

@Ukimix:

Happy Chinese New Year comes with some nice gifts: http://read.egscans.com/Feng_Shen_Ji/Chapter_090

Wow!!! What a tremendous battle between Uncle Zi Yu and Tian. What will come next? Maybe Tyan vs Ah Gou? I don´t think so; that should be for the third season likely. And clearly the Shen Yen's current actions will be a factor that will affect the result of the meeting between Ah Gou and Tian. My god, what a great story…. Locking forward to see what happens next...

Well, at the moment, I'm not even sure Tian is going to survive. He doesn't really give a final villan vibe any more. Shen Yen, on the other hand, is a complete dick.

Baldulf

But Tian has been dealing with total dicks for thousand of years. He'll manage somehow.

Razh

@Baldulf:

But Tian has been dealing with total dicks for thousand of years. He'll manage somehow.

I'd kinda like it if he did, but since his bride is about to die, I feel like they will go out together somehow. And that bastard Shen Yen wants to get rid of him too, so, if I had to make a prediction, that would be it.

With Tian's power around, I don't see how other parts would be possible. Since he can just go and destroy anyone. But if Shen Yen calls the shots, resistance becomes a possibility.

Ukimix

@Razh:

I'd kinda like it if he did, but since his bride is about to die, I feel like they will go out together somehow. And that bastard Shen Yen wants to get rid of him too, so, if I had to make a prediction, that would be it.

With Tian's power around, I don't see how other parts would be possible. Since he can just go and destroy anyone. But if Shen Yen call's the shots, resistance becomes a possibility.

Yes a question now is: what will be the villain to defeat after this war: Shen Yen or Tian? It's possible Ah Gou beats Tyan. The fight against Zi Yu left him weakened, and Ah Gou will try to smash him much more now that his uncle was killed by him. Still we don't know what surprise Shen Yen has for Tyan, but sure it won't be good neither for him. Fron this point of view it would be Tyan will be killed and Shen Yen will be the next villain, with uncertain result for Ah Gou.

An alternative to it would be that Tyan has such a tremendous level of power that he can overcome to the situation, and he will defeat Ah Gou; but in the final moment, She Yen will enter the scenario with his surprise and will interrupt the fight; Ah Gou will be able to escape, and likely Shen Yen will be killed by Tyan. That would result in the preservations of the main premises of the story: the ancient powerful god subjugating the humans who struggle to gain their freedom, etc… There are other things in favour of this other possible development: Ah Gou's father died using the phoenix and the story has foreshadowed that the phoenix is necessary to beat Tian. Shi Yin has the phoenix, so... I've been wondering how the phoenix is going to end in Ah Gou's hands, and now I wonder if it's going to happen ever.

Anyway, it would a great plot twist, if Tyan is not the final villain. Whatever will be the outcome of the war, it should have to be believable. But the author is that good in keeping the intrigue alive ...

mr.french

Shen Yen will probably try his best to restore his own being as closely as possible to that of the Ancient God's. He probably knows that the current God's ancestry come from selected humans chosen by Tian himself, and given divine powers by the essence left behind the Ancient God's Tian himself killed. So therefore, having inherited the will of those Ancient God's that wanted Tian dead, will take up the task to kill Tian. Or perhaps even control Tian.

Ah Gou? Why not call him Wu Geng? Anyways, I'm a little bothered by that. Ah Gou is not going to go against Tian and win, it's impossible. In general I don't think Tian will be taken down. Although I guess it's possible that Shi Yin could do it, at the cost of his own life though. But seriously, there aren't many opponents that can face Ah Gou/We Geng evenly at this point. Tian, Shen Yen, and maybe the Lightning God that's in love with his wife. There isn't much to look forward to at this point. And personally I didn't like how Zi Yu, the Uncle of Wu Geng was given Dark power's… Why are these authors such in a rush to speed up growth in such cheap manners…

Ukimix

What a moment to end the chapter-… Dammit!

Essam Ismail

Great, I love this manga

Ukimix

Interesting chapter. I wonder if Wu Geng will experiment some development based on this reflection about dignity vs the purpose to survive. It doesn't seem that retreating is something that makes you lose dignity. Rather is strategical move. Anyway, the fact that he remembers now his father as an example of dignity tells much about what the author plans to do with him.

Essam Ismail

Any idea where I can find chapter 55, as for below link only untill chapter 54 available

http://mangasee.com/manga/?series=FengShenJi&chapter=43&index=2&page=3

Ukimix

@Essam:

Any idea where I can find chapter 55, as for below link only untill chapter 54 available

http://mangasee.com/manga/?series=FengShenJi&chapter=43&index=2&page=3

Here all the chapters released in English.

Essam Ismail

@Ukimix:

Here all the chapters released in English.

Thanks but it's the same, in my link they dividide the chapters into season 1 and 2, in your link they have them as bulk

Ukimix

@Essam:

Thanks but it's the same, in my link they dividide the chapters into season 1 and 2, in your link they have them as bulk

Ok, there are no more English chapters. EGS is the group who translate them into English, and they go there.

Big_Bad_Lith

I find it interesting that Ah Gou is the one saying "let's cut out losses and leave". usually the hero is the one who wants to keep fighting against all odds, and his willingness to sacrifice himself is what encourages the chorus to join in, and that one 2kool4skool character to lend a hand, too. But in this case, he's pretty much the only one going "guys maybe we should leave"

Phoenix Zoan

@Essam:

Any idea where I can find chapter 55, as for below link only untill chapter 54 available

http://mangasee.com/manga/?series=FengShenJi&chapter=43&index=2&page=3

http://egscans.com/feng-shen-ji-s2-55/

Ukimix

@Big_Bad_Lith:

I find it interesting that Ah Gou is the one saying "let's cut out losses and leave". usually the hero is the one who wants to keep fighting against all odds, and his willingness to sacrifice himself is what encourages the chorus to join in, and that one 2kool4skool character to lend a hand, too. But in this case, he's pretty much the only one going "guys maybe we should leave"

Could that be a difference between manga and manhua?

Big_Bad_Lith

I don't read much manhua, or manhwa for that matter. Do you notice Ah Gou's archetype in other Chinese works more than you do in Japanese ones?

Ukimix

@Big_Bad_Lith:

I don't read much manhua, or manhwa for that matter. Do you notice Ah Gou's archetype in other Chinese works more than you do in Japanese ones?

I just read some few. But I was told for sharogy, the translator of Feng Shen Ji that the series is different than typical shonen in that it doesn't include the traditional kind of hero, nor common shounen archetypes, which is pretty clear. That's why I was asking if that could be generalized to other Chinese works. It's not the case of manhwa (Korean), which it clearly includes this kind of archetypes (ToG, Noblesse, Ares, Shin Angyo Onshi). …

Talking about manhua this is a nice series to follow: http://www.batoto.net/comic/_/comics/song-of-the-long-march-r9765

pRopaaNS

@Ukimix:

Could that be a difference between manga and manhua?

Well, I can mention Veritas, as imo it's a good example. As during the last chapter focus is on explaining concept of every martial artist having their own veritas(truth) they fight for, imo something similiar applies for most of protagonists in manhwas - what's common for them is having strength gained through training.

Ukimix

Or maybe it's simpler: FSJ is seinen, not shounen. Then, the protagonist doesn't have to be a virtuous guy as it's typical in shounen.

Ukimix

Now it's clear he's an opportunist, and his allies know about it!!

MiyamotoMusashi

@Ukimix:

Or maybe it's simpler: FSJ is seinen, not shounen. Then, the protagonist doesn't have to be a virtuous guy as it's typical in shounen.

Manhua (meaning comics published in China) does usually not have that distinction, not that Seinen-Shounen is a clear distinction in Japan.

Essam Ismail

Any plan anime for that ? Or Chinese manga doenst convert into an anime

Ukimix

New chapter out: http://read.egscans.com/Feng_Shen_Ji/Chapter_095

Any one else likes Hei Long? In his almighty way of rule humans like disposable bugs, he's loyal to his principles. He strikes me like a noble character… The ugly one here is Shen Yen...

Razh

What a great chapter this week.

It's funny how Zongheng calls his enemy old friend all the time.

And Wu Geng running pushing his cannon to attack? Lol

Ukimix

I've just catch up. I was reading it's complete series in China with a 3th season of 80 chapters. So there are still 46 ch to the end. So, maybe somehow the nothingness is connected with the ancient gods who took the throne of Tian… Or we have two separated arcs in this season.

This week chapters memory:

! …at 2:43
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Big_Bad_Lith

Or, the third possibility is that it got axed, and the ending will be unfulfilling. I hope not, I'm really super enjoying this one, and it definitely deserves to see a proper end. Or, deserved. Hard to talk about something that has already come to pass but we don't know the result, haha.

Also is it just me or have the backgrounds of the Phantom Island just been beautiful?

Ukimix

I remember a really nice spread about the smelting aura in which it was explained how the users can create live out of it. The phantom island was drawn there. It was a great page, since not only the art, but the text with the idea about how live is created was beautiful.

Do we know something about the nothingness already? I think that's a revelation of the third season and it surprised me, but it makes sense. Will there be some big boss behind the nothingness? It doesn't seem there is a big boss of the smelting aura and it's nice because doesn't have an impersonation. It's only a force (like in Star war). Maybe the same will happen with the nothingness, like a dark force.

Essam Ismail

It's really disappointed to not have season 4 or 5, this one has the potential for more but let's wait and see the ending, btw the guy start a new series after this one finish but I don't recall the name same art and good story

Ukimix

The author and one of the drawers made a short one, already translated by EGS: https://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=103113 Here the link: http://read.egscans.com/Wolf_and_Mary

Ukimix

That was a fast pace… not even having a moment to celebrate the victory or properly rest.

Razh

I was wondering when we'll see him, considering the guy he fought came back alive. Can't wait to see him in action again

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