''Heaven Official's Blessing'' (
Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of v ...
: 天官赐福,
pinyin
Hanyu Pinyin (), often shortened to just pinyin, is the official romanization system for Standard Mandarin Chinese in China, and to some extent, in Singapore and Malaysia. It is often used to teach Mandarin, normally written in Chinese fo ...
: ''Tiān Guān Cì Fú'') is a Chinese
novel
A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...
series written by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu (
Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of v ...
: 墨香铜臭). A
donghua series adaptation was first released on
Bilibili
Bilibili (stylized bilibili), nicknamed B Site, is a video sharing website based in Shanghai where users can submit, view and add overlaid commentary on videos. Since the mid-2010s, Bilibili began to expand to a broader audience from its orig ...
and
Funimation
Crunchyroll, LLC, previously known as Funimation from 1994 to 2022, is an American entertainment company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony as a joint venture between Sony Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex that specializ ...
on 31 October 2020
and received a positive review and recommendation by
CBR. The novel was first published in 2017 on , a popular Chinese website for publishing and serializing online fiction. It consists of 244 chapters and an additional five stories in eight chapters that take place post-canon. The last novel number 6, was published on 7 March 2022. There also exists a
manhua
() are Chinese-language comics produced in China and Taiwan. Whilst Chinese comics and narrated illustrations have existed in China in some shape or form throughout its imperial history, the term first appeared in 1904 in a comic titled ' ...
based on the novel, illustrated by STARember and published by
Bilibili
Bilibili (stylized bilibili), nicknamed B Site, is a video sharing website based in Shanghai where users can submit, view and add overlaid commentary on videos. Since the mid-2010s, Bilibili began to expand to a broader audience from its orig ...
, with 83 chapters as of 13 October 2022. It has been collected into 2 published volumes as of 18 July 2022.
Synopsis
Eight hundred years ago, Xie Lian was the Crown Prince of the Xian Le kingdom. He was loved by his citizens and was considered the darling of the world. He ascended to the Heavens at a young age; however, due to unfortunate circumstances, was quickly banished back to the mortal realm. Years later, he ascends again–only to be banished again a few minutes after his ascension.
Now, eight hundred years later, Xie Lian ascends to the Heavens for the third time as the laughing stock among all three realms. On his first task as a god thrice ascended, he meets a mysterious ghost who rules the ghosts and terrifies the Heavens, yet, unbeknownst to Xie Lian, this ghost king has been paying attention to him for a very, very long time.
Plot
Novel
Though not chronologically, the novel follows the life of Xie Lian, a once human crown prince of the Kingdom of Xianle in the east who ascends to godhood at seventeen after dedicating himself to cultivation and martial training. During the inaugural years of his divinity, his kingdom experiences upheaval and war, due in part to
drought
A drought is defined as drier than normal conditions.Douville, H., K. Raghavan, J. Renwick, R.P. Allan, P.A. Arias, M. Barlow, R. Cerezo-Mota, A. Cherchi, T.Y. Gan, J. Gergis, D. Jiang, A. Khan, W. Pokam Mba, D. Rosenfeld, J. Tierney, an ...
and a terrifying new
disease
A disease is a particular abnormal condition that negatively affects the structure or function of all or part of an organism, and that is not immediately due to any external injury. Diseases are often known to be medical conditions that a ...
. Going against the edicts of both the heavenly realm and of fate, Xie Lian involves himself in the affairs of the mortals who have always loved and supported him, hoping to achieve peace and relieve suffering in his kingdom. Unfortunately, his appearance in the mortal world only amplifies the conflicts between his people, and their desperation leads to the dramatic and abrupt downfall of Xianle, as well as the downfall of Xie Lian. The people destroy his temples, statues, and shrines, abandoning him as their most respected religious figure and earning him the reputation of a God of Misfortune.
Much later in his immortal life, after being banished twice by the Emperor of the Heavenly Realm, Xie Lian again ascends to the heavens to work as a godly official. Now known as a peculiar, peripatetic scrap-collector with perennially bad luck, Xie Lian is ridiculed or ignored by most other heavenly officials. Nevertheless, he retains his good-hearted nature and only wishes to fulfill his duties as a god.
For Xie Lian's first assignment of his third ascension, he is tasked with solving the mystery of a number of brides who have disappeared during their
wedding processions through Mount Yujun in the mortal world. During his investigation, he is unexpectedly greeted by a ghost whose form resembles that of a young man wearing maple-red robes and silver
vambrace
Vambraces (French: ''avant-bras'', sometimes known as ''lower cannons'' in the Middle Ages) or forearm guards are ''tubular'' or ''gutter'' defences for the forearm worn as part of a suit of plate armour that were often connected to gauntlets. V ...
s, with black boots and attached silver chains. Silver
butterflies
Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The group comprises t ...
and a rain of
blood
Blood is a body fluid in the circulatory system of humans and other vertebrates that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells, and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells. Blood in th ...
also accompany the first appearance of the youthful ghost. He interacts with Xie Lian only to briefly guide him in his mission, by taking his hand and walking with him through Mount Yujun, simultaneously breaking an enchantment array on the mountain that was preventing Xie Lian from detecting the culprit of the disappearances. After his completion of the assignment, bemused by an encounter he describes as "oddly charming to the extreme," Xie Lian learns from heaven that he had encountered Hua Cheng, or Crimson Rain Sought Flower (血雨探花), one of four fearsome ghost kings known as the Four Great Calamities.
Heedless of warnings to stay away from Hua Cheng, Xie Lian continues to cross paths with the nonchalant and intelligent ghost king as he becomes increasingly enveloped in the affairs of the three realms of heaven, earth, and ghost. Their interactions gradually lead to the building of a close, mutually protective relationship. As he unravels his feelings for Hua Cheng, and as Hua Cheng establishes himself as a steady fixture in his life, Xie Lian is yet to realize just how long their pasts have been entwined.
Translation
The novels are being officially translated into English by
Seven Seas Entertainment
Seven Seas Entertainment is an American publishing company located in Los Angeles, California. It was originally dedicated to the publication of original English-language manga, but now publishes licensed manga and light novels from Japan, as w ...
with eight volumes in total. The first was released on December 14, 2021 and volume 4 on September 27, 2022.
Origin
Regarding her conception of the story, Mo Xiang Tong Xiu has said:
Adaptations
Donghua
The
donghua was released on
Bilibili
Bilibili (stylized bilibili), nicknamed B Site, is a video sharing website based in Shanghai where users can submit, view and add overlaid commentary on videos. Since the mid-2010s, Bilibili began to expand to a broader audience from its orig ...
and
Funimation
Crunchyroll, LLC, previously known as Funimation from 1994 to 2022, is an American entertainment company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony as a joint venture between Sony Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex that specializ ...
in October 2020. The production of a second season was confirmed by Bilibili in January 2021. A special episode was released on February 16, 2021.
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...
also began streaming the series (including the special episode) as of April 9, 2021.
The English dub premiered on November 12, 2021 on Funimation.
Episodes
Live-action
A live-action series, ''
Eternal Faith
''Eternal Faith'' is the first studio album by hard rock band Takara. It was released in December 1993 on Now and Then Records.
The album was released to a very receptive audience. This new album entered the ''Burrn!'' Charts at #16 and European ...
'', began production in 2021. Chen Jialin will direct the series.
Characters
Main characters
Xie Lian 谢怜 (The Crown Prince, God-Pleasing Crown Prince, Flower-Crowned Martial God, Scrap Immortal)
:Protagonist. A very unlucky god who collects scraps for a living.
Voiced by:
Jiang Guangtao
Jiang Guangtao () is a Chinese voice actor and voice director of Mainland China, dubbing and directing foreign content in the Mandarin Chinese format. Most of the roles that Jiang dubs for foreign films are considered protagonist or secondary ro ...
(donghua),
Hiroshi Kamiya
is a Japanese voice actor, singer and narrator affiliated with Aoni Production.
He is best known for the voice of Levi Ackerman in ''Attack on Titan'', Trafalgar Law in ''One Piece'', Mephisto Pheles in ''Blue Exorcist'', Izaya Orihara in ''Dur ...
(Japanese dub), Park Yohan (Korean dub),
Howard Wang
Howard Wang (born April 28, 1993) is an American voice actor, known for his work in anime dubs for Funimation
Crunchyroll, LLC, previously known as Funimation from 1994 to 2022, is an American entertainment company owned by Japanese congl ...
(English dub), Non Sepho (Thai Dub)
Hua Cheng 花城 (Crimson Rain Sought Flower 血雨探花, San Lang 三郎)
:Main character and love interest. A ghost king known as the terror of the heavens. One of the Four Calamities.
Voiced by: Ma Zhengyang (donghua),
Jun Fukuyama
is a Japanese voice actor and singer. He played Lelouch Lamperouge in '' Code Geass'', Koro-sensei in ''Assassination Classroom'', Ichimatsu in '' Osomatsu-san'', Yuta Togashi in '' Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions'', Kraft Lawrence in ''Spice ...
(Japanese dub), Jeong Joo-won (Korean dub), James Cheek (English dub), Sakarach Amsom (Thai Dub)
Heavenly Court
Jun Wu 君吾
:The Heavenly Emperor of the Upper Court. The most powerful martial god.
Ling Wen 灵文
:A civil goddess who provides information on assignments through a spiritual communication array.
Voiced by: Huang Ying (donghua),
Yoko Hikasa
is a Japanese voice actress and singer affiliated with I'm Enterprise.
Biography
Hikasa became interested in acting while watching ''Sailor Moon'' and ''Neon Genesis Evangelion''. She attended Nihon Narration Engi Kenkyūjo, a voice actor traini ...
(Japanese dub), Kim Bo-na (Korean dub),
Wendee Lee
Wendee Lee is an American voice actress, writer, and director.
Biography
Lee studied dance and theater and later became a full-time dancer in her teens. According to her interview on the '' Magic Knight Rayearth'' DVDs, she started doing voices ...
(English dub)
Shi Wudu 师无渡 (Lord Water Master, The Water Tyrant)
:The elemental master of water. Elder brother of Shi Qingxuan.
Shi Qingxuan 师青玄 (Lord Wind Master, Lady Wind Master)
Voiced by (female form): Qiu Qiu (donghua),
Ayako Kawasumi
is a Japanese voice actress and singer. She is affectionately referred to by her fellow voice actors and fans as "", "","" and "". She is a skilled pianist as she has played the piano since childhood.
She performed "...To You", the opening theme ...
(Japanese dub), Anjali Kunapaneni (English dub)
Voiced by (male form): Lu Zhixing (donghua)
:The elemental master of wind. Younger sibling of Shi Wudu.
Ming Yi 明仪 (Lord Earth Master, Lady Earth Master)
:The elemental master of earth.
Yushi Huang 雨师篁 (Rain Master)
:The elemental master of rain.
Feng Xin 风信 (General Nan Yang 南阳真君)
:The martial god of the southeast. Was in service of Xie Lian when he was still prince of Xianle.
Voiced by: Wen Sen (donghua)
Nan Feng 南风
:A Middle Court junior official from the
palace
A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...
of General Nan Yang.
Voiced by: Wen Sen (donghua),
Makoto Furukawa
is a Japanese voice actor and singer previously affiliated with Space Craft Entertainment. He became a freelancer in September 2018. He joined the record label, Toy's Factory, in December 2018. He made his solo singer debut under Lantis in Ju ...
(Japanese dub), Choi Seung-hun (Korean dub), Phil Song (English dub)
Mu Qing 慕情 (General Xuan Zhen 玄真将军)
:The martial god of the southwest. Was also in service of Xie Lian when he was still prince of Xianle.
Voiced by: Hu Liangwei (donghua)
Fu Yao 扶摇
:A Middle Court junior official from the palace of General Xuan Zhen.
Voiced by: Hu Liangwei (donghua),
Chiaki Kobayashi
is a Japanese voice actor affiliated with Office Osawa. His roles include Hiroto Kuga in '' Gundam Build Divers Re:Rise'', Deuce Spade in '' Disney: Twisted-Wonderland'', Makoto Edamura in '' Great Pretender'', Langa Hasegawa in ''SK8 the Infini ...
(Japanese dub),
Nam Doh-hyeong
Nam Doh-hyeong (Hangul: 남도형; Hanja: 南度亨; born 24 April 1983) is a South Korean voice actor.
At the age of 23, he began working as a voice actor after joining Korean Broadcasting System's Voice Acting Division. Shortly after, he de ...
(Korean dub),
Lucien Dodge
Lucien Dodge (born June 24, 1984) is an American voice actor who does work in animation, anime and video games. He is mostly known for his characters in anime such as Waver Velvet in '' Fate/Zero'', Maron and Chili in ''Pokémon'', K1-B0 in '' Da ...
(English dub)
Pei Ming 裴茗 (General Ming Guang, General Pei)
:The martial god of the north.
Voiced by: Tu Xiongfei (donghua),
Junichi Suwabe
is a Japanese voice actor and singer from Tokyo. He is affiliated with Haikyō. His popular roles include Omega Zero in Megaman Zero 3 , Keigo Atobe in '' The Prince of Tennis'', Victor Nikiforov in '' Yuri!!! on ICE'', Grimmjow Jaegerjaque ...
(Japanese dub), Aaron Campbell (English dub)
Pei Su 裴宿 (Little Pei, A-Zhao)
:A martial god and an indirect descendant of Pei Ming.
Voiced by: Ling Fei (donghua),
Toshiki Masuda
is a Japanese voice actor and singer previously affiliated with Space Craft Group. He became a freelancer in August 2018. He joined the record label Toy's Factory in November 2018 as a voice actor and solo singer.
Biography
Masuda was born on Ma ...
(Japanese dub), Aaron Campbell (English dub)
Quan Yizhen 权一真 (Qi Ying)
:The martial god of the west.
Lang Qianqiu 郎千秋 (Prince Tai Hua)
:The current martial god of the east.
Calamities
White No-Face/Bai Wuxiang 白无相 (White-Clothed Calamity 白衣祸世)
:The main antagonist of the story. The eldest and the most powerful of the Four Great Calamities. He is the one responsible for the fall of the kingdom of Xianle.
He Xuan 贺玄 (Ship-Sinking Black Water 黑水沉舟)
:One of the Four Calamities. A powerful water demon.
Qi Rong 戚容 (Night-Touring Green Lantern 青灯夜游, Green Ghost)
:One of the Four Calamities. Ranks as a Savage, one step behind the other three Calamities ranking of Supreme.
Banyue 半月
:A Savage-ranked female ghost. Former Guoshi of Banyue Kingdom.
Voiced by: Tao Dian (donghua),
Kana Hanazawa
is a Japanese actress, voice actress and singer. A prolific voice performer in anime, she has amassed several film and television credits since her debut in 1990. She won the Seiyu Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2015, and won the Newtyp ...
(Japanese dub),
Emi Lo (English dub)
Xuan Ji 宣姬
:A Wrath-ranked female ghost. A former lover of Pei Ming before he ascended to the heavens.
Voiced by: Shan Xin (donghua),
Yuko Kaida Yuko may refer to:
* Yuko (judo) (''yūkō''), a score in judo competition
* Yuko (Ukrainian band), a Ukrainian band
* Yūko
or Yuuko is a common feminine Japanese given name.
Possible writings
Yūko can be written using different kanji charac ...
(Japanese dub),
Michelle Rojas
Michelle Rojas (née Pennington; born December 16, 1987) is an American voice actor from Dallas, Texas. Affiliated with Funimation and Bang Zoom! Entertainment, some of her major roles are Tohka Yatogami in ''Date A Live'', Zuikaku in ''Azur ...
(English dub)
Spiritual devices
Ruoye 若邪
:Xie Lian's spiritual device. A sentient strip of white
silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the ...
.
E'ming 厄命
:Hua Cheng's spiritual device. A sentient
scimitar
A scimitar ( or ) is a single-edged sword with a convex curved blade associated with Middle Eastern, South Asian, or North African cultures. A European term, ''scimitar'' does not refer to one specific sword type, but an assortment of different ...
.
Notes
References
External links
Official Website
Heaven Official's Blessingat
Funimation
Crunchyroll, LLC, previously known as Funimation from 1994 to 2022, is an American entertainment company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony as a joint venture between Sony Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex that specializ ...
{{Haoliners Animation League
2020 Chinese television series debuts
2020s LGBT-related television series
Animated series based on novels
Aniplex
Chinese animated television series
Chinese boys' love television series
Chinese web series
Funimation
Haoliners Animation League
Heaven in popular culture
LGBT-related animated series
Mandarin-language television shows
Seven Seas Entertainment titles
Xianxia television series