Many monster-taming series were born in Japan, but China’s latest donghua combines the genre with cultivation to put a whole new spin on it. The All-devouring Whale: Homecoming’s first episode debuted on May 3rd, stunning its audience with impressive visuals and a much more serious tone than the light-hearted comedic nature of its webcomic. Chinese animation is known for encoming a variety of techniques, and its latest donghua does that by masterfully blending in traditional 2D elements to create beautifully fluid movements of its characters, but also utilizing 3D elements to build up the world setting and cityscape. 5i3z7

As several donghua begin to roll out for the new year, anime fans may see more of Chinese animation in the next year alone as the genre begins to shift to adapt to a demand for diversity. What originally started as entertainment for Japan has quickly spread over to the west, evolving anime to becoming a more mainstream topic about the youth of today, to even the older generations who still the classics from their heyday, such as Dragon Ball.

Summer is gearing up with a ton of new, exciting releases for anime, with Dandadan, Fire Force, and Kaiju No. 8 looking to make a return, but that’s not all this season has prepared. China has been looking to get into the anime market, coming out with extraordinary projects like To Be Hero X after years of development to wide acclaim. The country is nowhere near done yet, as its latest donghua has finally received clearance to debut in June.

There’s been a rising trend of donghua suring audiences' expectations as Chinese studios publish increasingly elaborate animated productions within these last few years, and the Lord of the Mysteries adaption is no exception. This online novel was already stated to release in the summer of 2025, but as the days counted down, a third trailer has dropped on fans to expand just a little bit further on what there is to look forward to.

There’s another medium that anime fans need to check out: Chinese animation, or donghuas, which has fallen under the radar of many Western viewers. However, donghuas availability on streaming services like Crunchyroll with multiple dubbing proves the industry is ready to captivate global audiences. Moreover, although Donghuas were known for their focus on mythology and epic adventures, one of the most recent sequels released in the Crunchyroll winter season of 2025 is a hidden gem that sures many animes, and more people need to see.

Heaven Official's Blessing, also known as Tian Guan Ci Fu, is an incredibly crafted story of love and redemption,with mesmerizing art and dynamic characters to satisfy everyone from new queer romance fans to seasoned BL readers. It also has the value of breaking another toxic BL romance stereotype. Beginning as a web novel (since published) written by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu, it has been adapted into both a manhua (comic) and donghua (anime), both being produced by Bilibili. The anime has released its second season with announcements for a third expected to be forthcoming.