Fabulous Beasts

有兽焉

7.74(1K votes)

Ranked #1367Popularity #12301

episodes

Type

ONA

Status

Finished Airing

Aired

Apr 14, 2023 to Jun 23, 2023

Studios:Fenz

ComedyFantasy

Synopsis

In the wake of scientific advancement, the once majestic mythological animals can't be compared to the olden days now. The mythological animal Sibuxiang received orders to descend to the mortal world and to help out other mythological animals in dire straits wandering the human world. In the secular world, he met his old colleague Pixiu in a tight spot, his drinking buddy Tuye down in his luck, and the gold and silver Jue brothers who were demoted to the mortal world... what kind of stories will happen between them? (Source: AC.QQ, translated)

2,291 Members

Worth Watching? — Global Verdict

6.5/10

Average Review Score

50%

Recommend It

Reviews Worldwide

International Reviews

Magenta-Magic

Recommended

Fabulous Beasts (You Shou Yan) is a donghua based on the manhua of the same name published on FENZ. Like most short comedy donghua, the episodes are 5 minutes long or less, and the first season gradually introduces the cast as they become relevant to the story. I actually really, really like Pixiu (Tianlu), the main character. He is super super cute and I personally can't get enough of him. Sibuxiang is a close second. You'll notice a recurring theme on the show where characters are based on (typically) traditional Chinese folklore, while others come from famous ancient literature and texts. There are also cross-series characterreferences occasionally snuck in which you will notice IMMEDIATELY if you're very familiar with a lot of donghua. The visuals are cute and soft with visible and detailed brushstrokes make up the outlines. It's very appealing to watch in motion, and makes me personally very excited to watch each new season. All of the episodes are available with English CC officially on Bilibili's YouTube channel. Without spoiling anything, if you end up enjoying the first season, it's definitely worth going ahead and watching the rest!

5 found helpfulJul 26, 2024

Community Discussion

Fabulous Beasts is certainly... alright. That's really the best way to describe it, as it does a lot of things rather decently, but nothing that really catches your attention in a way that can make you appreciate it. There are distinct characters... but they all end up being rather one-dimensional in most scenes. Like the MC (Pixiu) is hungry all the time, which causes all sorts of trouble, but it doesn't really make you care about him. Or any of the other characters, honestly. Their defining traits are just meant to be used for "comedy", I guess, with actually emotional moments being rare and quicklyforgotten about, so forget about any character development. And for an anime made to be just dumb fun, nothing is really that funny. I never came close to laughing once across all five seasons, in the same way I wasn't ever impressed by any other the animation, which even at its best, really only feels above average. Continuing with this streak of "just ok" are the voice actors, who don't really give that much of a notable performance... the worldbuilding, which exists, but isn't dwelled on for too long other then to advance the silly plot of some episodes through some developments that will confuse you more often then provide clearance... and the music, which I can proudly say also is present, at least sometimes. And this soundtrack isn't anything memorable. Though despite everything I don't really like about Fabulous Beasts, I can't really say I hate it. Nothing is offensively bad, and you can tell there is passion behind what had been made here, nor can I lie and say I didn't have some fun watching this anime, otherwise I wouldn't've sat through the 5 seasons of this that have been made so far. And there are some pretty good moments, as few and far between they end up being, so Fabulous Beasts still ends up being a fun little anime that's at least partially worth watching.