Promotional material for Lord of Mysteries

After making its debut on China's streaming giant Tencent Video on June 28, the donghua, or animated adaptation, of Lord of Mysteries has stunned viewers with its breathtaking animation and fascinating world, quickly standing out among the stacked animated lineup for the summer of 2025. 

Lord of Mysteries is a popular fantasy novel written by Vice Chairman of the Sichuan Writers Association Yuan Ye, who goes by the pen name Cuttlefish That Loves Diving. First published in 2018, the series has become a hit in online literature thanks to its detailed world-building and worldwide releases. 

"The animated adaptation is beyond my expectation with its smooth storytelling and stunning visuals," said Yuan Ye. 

The animated adaptation has delivered a high performance overseas. It has scored a 9.3/10 on IMDb, topping the 2025 list of Chinese animations on the platform. On Crunchyroll, over 40,000 viewers have given it a high score of 4.8 out of 5. On MyAnimeList, a professional animation rating website, it hit with a score of 8.79.

Cui Chao, deputy general manager of Tencent Online Video's Animation Content Production Department, gives three reasons behind its popularity. In essence, Lord of Mysteries tells "a good story, which is the top priority," and this good story is universally understandable around the world. "It can be well comprehended by people everywhere," he said. 

Second, what makes this story particularly special is the Chinese humanistic spirit embedded in it, which is different from Western tradition. There's a saying, "This is a story told by the Chinese to the world."

The third point is its top-tier animation production. Although it's only a 2D work, many of its special effects have left numerous overseas audiences in awe, making them wonder, "How was this achieved?"  

Xiong Ke, director of the animated adaptation, said the secret to its success in going global lies in "showing our sincerity - You need to tell stories with great sincerity and communicate with the audience in good faith. The second is to present our best products to the audience."

Chief screenwriter Liu Xing stated that with the support of Tencent video, the development of China's domestic animation has been extremely rapid. "An increasing number of Chinese animated works rooted in traditional Chinese culture are going global, collectively forming a new paradigm for Chinese cultural exports," she said.

Producer Yan Mengya stated that the second season and special episodes are already in production. "We will pay more attention to the audience's feedback, make adjustments and improvements, and strive to make this IP more perfect," she added.