Is it possible that a self-published Chinese web novel like Tales of Demons and Gods rose to become France’s best-selling manhua? Meet Nie-Lie, a time-traveling narrator.
THE TALES OF DEMONS AND GODS, often known as TODAG, is a Chinese webnovel that was first published in 2015 on Qidian, a self-publishing platform similar to Wattpad. Thanks to TODAG’s universal themes, engaging plot, and bite-sized chapters, the game gained widespread appeal very quickly.
Tencent Comic published an adaptation of the comic strip, with art by Jiang Ruotai and script by Mad Snail, which was eventually adapted into a webcomic. As of this writing, it has reached the 469th episode in the series. Aside from the Asian market, it was the French market that took notice of TODAG first, with devoted fans propelling it to become a best-seller following the acquisition of translation rights by Nazca, a French comic book publisher, who released the series in 2019.
TODAG is set to take over the world now that a 3D donghua adaption has been released on YouTube. But what is it about the manhua that makes it so unique?
What is the plot of Tales of Demons and Gods?
When the storey begins, it is with the death of Nie Lie, the protagonist of Tales of Demons and Gods. Nie Lie was a valiant young man who had been fighting for his life ever since the last human city on the planet, Illustria, was overrun by monsters.
In reality, Nie Lie does not die; rather, his spirit travels back in time to his 13-year-old body, where he is given a second chance to save Illustria and its population from a magical end-of-days scenario. Because Nie Lie wasn’t a particularly gifted or powerful warrior to begin with, this situation became much more dire.
In Illustria he had many wonderful friends, but he had no links to the prominent families of the land, and his academic performance was below average. All he has going for him is his newly discovered knowledge of his past lifetime, his propensity for alchemy, and his uninspiringly unthreatening physical appearance.
Nie Lie understands that it is critical for everyone to come together in order to save Illustria, but he also recognises that this is a monumental task given the city’s highly stratified nature, with noble families hoarding not only wealth, but also the majority of physical and spiritual powers, which they squander on political intrigue.
While Nie Lie cannot change the destiny of his students, he can offer them a great deal of assistance in doing so — even if some of the changes he makes to the timeline are less than desirable at times.
What is it about Tales of Demons and Gods that makes them so popular?
In comparison to other great manga series such as Naruto, Dragon Ball, Pokémon, and even Attack on Titan (which also inspired the storey), Tales of Demons and Gods is a simple tale that draws influence from traditional Chinese mythology and everyday schoolyard anecdotes.
It’s easy to recognise the connections, and fans of the series like seeing them combined and expanded upon in a completely new storey that illustrates the fundamentals of class warfare in an amusing manner. In addition to its bite-sized structure, TODAG’s plot is full of dramatic plot twists and always ends with a cliffhanger, which makes it easy to keep reading the storey. The full-color pages are also a big lure for many readers.
Tales of Demons and Gods sparkles with bright character designs and eye-popping effects, just as Shadows House did with its sumptuous visuals, which made it an instant smash when it was released. TODAG offers a number of advantages over its competitors, including a rapid-fire publishing schedule, vibrant artwork, and a refreshing reversal of the hero’s journey.
First and foremost, it is unashamedly catering to its target audience, which is predominantly male and ranging from middle school to young adult. It also makes extensive use of the fundamental manga culture.
Second, the progression of the characters is clearly structured in the manner of a video game, complete with “classes” (the Spiritual Essences that define their powers) and “ranks,” which range from Bronze to Legendary in level of accomplishment. In other words, it appears to be pre-designed for drawing people into a complex RPG world.
Is Tales Of Demons and Gods a worthwhile read?
TODAG is a tremendously entertaining show. It is also extremely derivative, but it makes up for it with unbridled passion and character-focused narratives that are both captivating and thought-provoking. While the characters are not particularly complex — this is still a middle-grade novel — all of the female characters are clearly intended to serve as eye candy clichés and accessories to the male characters, which may turn off female readers — not that TODAG was attempting to reach them in the first place.
It is also possible that the art is a little weak at times, which is likely owing to the lightning-fast release pace, but it improves with time and is consistently wonderfully bright. It is certain that fans of traditional shonen will be delighted by TODAG, since it succeeds in transporting the reader back to their first fantasy-adventure manga, which is absolutely priceless.