Best Chinese Donghua Series for Beginners

Key insights

• Like anime, Donghua from China offers a variety of storytelling and animation styles.
• Link Click explores time manipulation in a unique way within the supernatural genre.
• “God Troubles Me” is a laid-back donghua with a sitcom vibe, perfect for new fans.

Anime has been an important part of the entertainment world for ages. With every new series, there is always something new that takes the entire anime scene to the next level and elevates what some consider the “standard.” While most people think of Japan when they hear “anime,” that's not really the case anymore, especially with certain anime becoming very popular thanks to Korean manhwa-likeness Solo leveling And noblesse.

There's one type of animation that doesn't get nearly as much love as anime usually does, despite having some of the best stories and the most amazing animation anywhere – donghua. Donghua is basically an anime that comes from China and usually expresses Chinese culture and traditions. While similar to anime in many aspects, donghua comes in a variety of styles and concepts, sometimes making them even more diverse in terms of animation and storytelling.

7 Link click

Supernatural mystery with a very sentimental undertone

Link click is a 2021 supernatural crime donghua that stands out for having one of the most unique settings on this list. What sets it apart not only from other donghua, but also from most anime, is the way it handles classic supernatural tropes like time travel and parapsychology in a fresh, non-generic way. The story revolves around two friends who run a business called Time Photo Studio where they photograph customers and essentially go in to complete a specific task that the customer requests.

The main characters Cheng Xiaoshi and Lu Guang have strange abilities associated with manipulating time and altering reality. Cheng Xiaoshi can travel back in time by entering a photo and possessing a person's body in it, while Lu Guang has the power to read the photo and predict the exact events that will occur within 12 hours of taking it . Together, they use these skills to help people overcome regret and find closure.

6 Soulland

3D donghua with heavy martial arts and isekai themes

Donghua can be categorized as a series of Chinese animated series, but they're also not strictly classified as anime – mostly because they're not always in 2D. In fact, some of the most popular donghua right now are 2.5D or fully 3D animated, pushing the envelope of what “normal” anime usually looks like. Soulland is a 2018 donghua based on a web novel and can be considered an outstanding example of such a series, considering that it was made entirely in 3D animation rather than the traditional 2D animation.

Soulland is an Isekai story revolving around traditional Chinese martial arts. It follows the journey of a man who loses his life after gaining forbidden knowledge, which inevitably leads to punishment and death. After following his impulses and doing the unimaginable, he takes his own life because he believes he has lived enough. But instead of finding peace, he is reborn in a strange new world and inhabits the body of a 6-year-old child with the power to control supernatural beings called spirits.

5 The Daily Life of the Immortal King

Comedy action with an inherently overpowered main character

The Daily Life of the Immortal King is a 2020 donghua whose narrative shifts from a pure action narrative to a small snippet of life and comedy elements. It tells the story of Wang Ling, a seemingly normal 16-year-old high school student whose biggest challenge right now is, well, high school. While that's mostly true, Wang Ling has a little secret that sets him apart from average students: he's virtually invincible and has powers far beyond anyone's imagination.

At just six years old, he managed to defeat the Demon King and his powers have only grown stronger since then. But for all his unbeatable strength, and because he is the reincarnation of the most powerful being in the universe, his biggest problem and only thorn in his side is high school – which is apparently more difficult than any legendary feat he has achieved before.

4 Spirit Pact

Supernatural action with a BL subplot

Spirit Pact is a 2016 donghua based on a manhua of the same name and, like many other great donghuas, its premise extensively incorporates themes of spirit control. It tells the story of two unlikely people who are brought together by unexpected circumstances and whose survival depends on each other.

You Keika is a seemingly ordinary man with a seemingly ordinary life. He is not very financially stable and spends most of his time working part-time jobs to make as much money as possible. But then, as if things couldn't get any worse, he dies in an accident and comes back as a ghost. Then he meets an exorcist who offers him a deal – he will protect you from people and in return you must help him deal with ghosts.

3 The King's Avatar

A real-life storyline about the journey of a disgraced professional player

Animes that focus on video games tend to lean towards the whole Isekai theme, where the main character is transported into the game world – think about it Overlord, No game, no lifeAnd Sword art online. This is the usual way. Less common, however, is a story where the main character stays in the real world and instead goes through an esports journey.

The King's Avatar is unique in this respect. It's a 2017 donghua based on the web novel of the same name, and there's no fantasy twist where you're drawn into the game world. Instead, it's about an esports player's fall from grace and his attempt to make a comeback by starting from scratch in the wildly popular online game Glory.

2 Swallowed star

Action, sci-fi, martial arts with hardcore animation

For those looking for a very hardcore donghua that focuses heavily on action and science fiction: Swallowed star could be a very good choice. It's a 2020 3D donghua set in a very futuristic post-apocalyptic world with physically advanced humans and gigantic monsters on the loose. But, like most Donghua, Swallowed star Despite the science fiction background, martial arts remains at the heart of his story.

The show tells the story of Luo Feng, a recent high school student who wants to become a warrior in his ill-fated world. Their world has been hit by a virus called the RR virus, which kills people and turns other living beings into violently mutated creatures. These warriors are humans' only line of defense against the mutated creatures and Luo Feng is willing to give his life to become a part of them. What he doesn't realize is that he may be even more important in the grand scheme of things than he realizes.

1 God worries me

A slice-of-life comedy with strong sitcom vibes

God worries me is a Donghua 2019 that is perfect for new Donghua fans, especially because it is relaxed and entertaining. Although it leans heavily on a fantasy plot, none of it feels overly complex or difficult to follow. It's basically a slice-of-life comedy with three completely unexpected characters who find themselves in a strange life situation – a bit like a sitcom.

The story centers on Su Moting, a half-monster, half-god who only possesses the human characteristics of both parents. Her very inhumane parents want her to be more independent and decide to kick her out so she can hopefully learn some independence. This begins her journey as an independent person, which leads to her living with two even stranger roommates: an introverted cat monster and a super-dramatic god who seriously lacks social awareness.