Recommendations Xianxia Genre

Discussion in 'I'm Looking For...' started by HomicidalApple, Nov 3, 2019.

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  1. HomicidalApple

    HomicidalApple Member

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    The Xianxia genre is something I've always admired. Works in this genre tend to be deeply philosophical. The protagonist begins their journey seeking to quench mortal desires, but as the story progresses they become increasingly powerful and start loosing track of their original goals. It becomes a power to to power's end sort of thing like in 1984, but of course there's an ever shifting status quo. The power to power's end thing dies out like a 1900's fad at the turn of the decade, in its place is an anecdote about the contemporary social struggles in China. Major themes include hierarchy and free will. The question the authors are trying to ask can be summarized with the following sentence: "just how much free will do we really have in a hierarchy?" At first it seems the question is asked literally; there's people higher up in the pecking order picking on those lower than them for arbitrary reasons.

    Soon you realize the question is asked metaphorically as well. Due to the intentionally large divide in hierarchy the supernatural powers act as an unstoppable force. Characters that possess these powers are often fickle and selfish. I paraphrase from Pascal, they are saddened by trifles and delighted by trifles because their existence are like trifles in comparison to the infinite. Their will reflects the worst aspects of nature; they are like natural disasters. So now, what is the point of free will if it results in nothing; what can we do if we're the dust on the floor?

    The protagonist sees this and responds in a particular way. At first it seems like a desperate gamble to the top; achieve true omnipotence in order to impose their will onto reality because they don't think reality is immersive enough. On a second glance, however, you realize the protagonist is seeking a means to end the cycle of arbitrary will. On their quest for immortality the character becomes less prone to change. They become almost stagnant in character. This showcases the static will; a mind unchanging. It can be see in their evidently unbiased nature and their lack of interest towards the materialistic world. They become paragons of objectivity in mind and infinite in power; sort of like the christian god.

    Reading Xianxia made my head hurt. There was way too many ambiguous themes to comprehend and they're all so tightly packed together; there is no room for filler and idle descriptions. Furthermore, each story is like a thousand chapters long, how in the world do the authors come up with these good stuff?

    All this is nice, but I'd like to read something that's less philosophical. Preferably something more plot centric like "Founder of Diabolism". Something that borrows the Xianxia setting, but is really about Chinese mythology. There's just too much culture involved in your typical Xianxia. I need less culture.

    [Edited for word choice]
     
    Last edited: Nov 3, 2019
  2. Bored_Nick

    Bored_Nick Well-Known Member

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    Wow
    Just wow
     
  3. youseiki

    youseiki 『Loves Glasses』

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    All that profound admiration towards that specif genre could've been stated in a simple manner if you're just looking for casual reading.

    Start with I Shall Seal the Heavens, compared to various Xianxia, this should be used as a metric for comparing other stories, other than that, the other work of the author A Will Eternal for comedy, then read Immortal and Legend of the Great Saint for the standard Chinese styled harem.

    Cultivation Chat Group is a good read if you're already familiar with the usual tropes, it's a xianxia themed novel set in a modern world.
     
  4. HomicidalApple

    HomicidalApple Member

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    I've read "I Shall Seal the Heavens", "Cultivation Chat Group", and a couple others some long time ago. I think it should be obvious that I'm not praising the genre, I'm mocking it. I'm looking for a read that's more complex than I Shall Seal the Heavens, hence why I enlisted Founder of Diabolism as an example.
     
  5. youseiki

    youseiki 『Loves Glasses』

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    :blobfearful:
     
  6. HomicidalApple

    HomicidalApple Member

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    I cannot tell if your joking or not.
     
  7. youseiki

    youseiki 『Loves Glasses』

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    It's both...

    Anyway, I can't help you, the only thing in my mind was Sansheng, Wangchuan Wu Shang, but you've probably read it.
     
  8. HomicidalApple

    HomicidalApple Member

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    I haven't. Thank you.
     
  9. Jojofann

    Jojofann Well-Known Member

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    Most are not Xianxia but Xuanhuan. Xianxia like Zu Mountain Heroes, Chinese Paladins and A Martial Odyssey have clearer good vs evil goals. They dont have evil and selfish MCs many Xuanhuan.

    Less power level story will be Wuxia genres.