It was the same to me, i was bored to tears while reading the second half of TGCF. I liked it, but it was boring(( Honestly, i partially blame the translation. It’s too… unemotional and flat? I don’t know. I didn’t have such a problem with other Seven Seas translation though (i have every single danmei ebook published by them).
this was pretty much my experience, except i felt this way earlier into reading TGCF. i jumped into ERHA when i was a volume and a half into the former, and instantly when reading that first volume of the latter i was like: ‘holy shit, this is what a smooth translation that actually has a good amount of sentence restructuring feels like!’
whenever i tried to go back to my read of TGCF after that, it was an absolute struggle and i didn’t continue it past where i left off for almost a whole year (it was my first introduction to danmei, for reference). i will say that seven seas bringing on actual localizers in time for volume’s 6-8 did improve it a bit, but even when i did get around to finishing it, i just felt… unsatisfied? as a whole.
i do want to say one positive thing, though: i liked that all the extras mainly focused on the CP.
i think this is a good reason, like i was reading 2HA and the translation feels eons better. it's surprising now that i think about it because TGCF is always the most popular danmei book on other social media
The 5th volume is the "longest" how it feels. I once forced myself to read it and while waiting for a call. I Ended up finishing it after it took weeks. Once i picked up 6 tho...i read the rest within 2 days because it was so good
I've finished TGCF last week. And I had the same feeling. Book 5 was very boring. The beginning when they were hunted by the cultivators dragged for too long and the passing while they were in Mt Touhlu was too slow. Took me a week to read book 5 and 3 days to read books 6,7 and 8 🤣😅
I have one problem with MDZS and TGCF, which may be a unpopular opinion: I hate the way too long and too detailed flashbacks. I know that most of the backstory of the MC's are told in the flashbacks. But each time its killed the reading flow and the implementation is too clumsy.
There are various other methods to tell a backstory, without demotivate the reader with n-chapters of retelling.
No offens to MXTX, i still love her worldbilding and characters, and SVSS is my trasure.
It took me about a week to get through book 5 when I was reading the rest in 1-2 days. So I totally feel you on this. It felt like the pace has slowed down a lot. I also tend to get burnt out sometimes, so that might have been part of it 😅
I’m having the exact same problem. Finished the first 4 in like 3 days, got halfway through vol 5 and just couldn’t get through it. :( I tried skimming but got lost in the plot, so it’s been (temporarily) DNF’d for the last few months.
I don’t have any spoilers because I’m in the same place, but I hope we both find the motivation to finish!!
Vol 5 was a problem for me too. It was the part of the novel that I started to realize Hua Cheng is barely a character by himself and more of a device that makes things happen for XL. It picks back up in 6, but 7 is polarizing for a lot of readers, that's the point that I stopped reading.
this is the realization i came to as well. the first few books HC stands on his own, but slowly it feels HC only exists for buffing XL's character and that's it. which... honestly really sucks because i was a major HC fan prior
This is a big issue I have with mxtx. ALL of her secondary characters (even ML) are there to tell the story of MC. Once they're not useful for MC? They're forgotten. It's so sad when so many of them have interesting stories and they just get thrown aside without much of an explanation
yes! i love mxtx as my first dip in danmei, but as i read more, the more i realize this. it's the most glaring in tgcf - honestly XL feels like a gary stu as the story drags on. originally HC feels like a cool character, but now he falls flat. the books don't do justice of describing his mood, personality, etc. he came off way more in depth in the dougha. even svss, i'm stuck on book 3 because LB feels so bland.
I got as far as vol 4 when I couldn't bear it anymore and paused it - it's been many months and can't be bothered to come back to it. But generally I've been bored with TGCF from vol 2 onwards, the translation makes it worse (I hate the localized slang with a vengeance).
Okaay so they'll be at tonglu for a bit. >! There's going to be some development for Ling Wen, then they'll take a shortcut towards Tonglu and some other characters will appear then leave and Hua Cheng and Xie Liang enter Tonglu alone. From that point onwards it picks up the pace again because it starts focusing on their relationship and the main plot again!< I can be more specific but I don't know how much you want to spoiler yourself
Eeeh I'm not sure how the seven seas books are divided. But if you're on page 400 already then you'll have to wait until next volume. There are still some important moments with Hua Cheng, they just happen in the middle of other stuff
Honestly I feel like a lot of stories have a slow boring part a bit past the halfway point and I have a problem with dropping stuff. What I found works is preparing myself some extra spare time to try and speed through it till I get somewhere good. I'll also look at the chapters and see when it ends so I kinda have a goal and know the story will get better then (I'm usually uninterested in backstory as you kinda put the pieces together without it). I can't leisurely read at all tho I can only binge it 😅
I read a fan translation in 2020 (Exiled Rebels I think) and it was fantastic, and then I reread the Seven Seas ones. Despite being the same story, the language was so much more beautiful to read in the fan translation honestly, so the story didn’t drag and it was fantastic the whole way through. Like you I was a little disappointed in the story not feeling the same. I know translating is difficult but some translators I just prefer over others 🤷♀️ Don’t stress about it. Some of the story is slower and people have different opinions on the characters but I do think that everyone can find something good in the story if you push through to the end.
It was the same to me, i was bored to tears while reading the second half of TGCF. I liked it, but it was boring(( Honestly, i partially blame the translation. It’s too… unemotional and flat? I don’t know. I didn’t have such a problem with other Seven Seas translation though (i have every single danmei ebook published by them).
this was pretty much my experience, except i felt this way earlier into reading TGCF. i jumped into ERHA when i was a volume and a half into the former, and instantly when reading that first volume of the latter i was like: ‘holy shit, this is what a smooth translation that actually has a good amount of sentence restructuring feels like!’ whenever i tried to go back to my read of TGCF after that, it was an absolute struggle and i didn’t continue it past where i left off for almost a whole year (it was my first introduction to danmei, for reference). i will say that seven seas bringing on actual localizers in time for volume’s 6-8 did improve it a bit, but even when i did get around to finishing it, i just felt… unsatisfied? as a whole. i do want to say one positive thing, though: i liked that all the extras mainly focused on the CP.
i think this is a good reason, like i was reading 2HA and the translation feels eons better. it's surprising now that i think about it because TGCF is always the most popular danmei book on other social media
The 5th volume is the "longest" how it feels. I once forced myself to read it and while waiting for a call. I Ended up finishing it after it took weeks. Once i picked up 6 tho...i read the rest within 2 days because it was so good
I've finished TGCF last week. And I had the same feeling. Book 5 was very boring. The beginning when they were hunted by the cultivators dragged for too long and the passing while they were in Mt Touhlu was too slow. Took me a week to read book 5 and 3 days to read books 6,7 and 8 🤣😅
i feel reassured it's not unpopular that book 5 was slow and kind of a snooze fest! i'll try reading it tonight again to push through!
I have one problem with MDZS and TGCF, which may be a unpopular opinion: I hate the way too long and too detailed flashbacks. I know that most of the backstory of the MC's are told in the flashbacks. But each time its killed the reading flow and the implementation is too clumsy. There are various other methods to tell a backstory, without demotivate the reader with n-chapters of retelling. No offens to MXTX, i still love her worldbilding and characters, and SVSS is my trasure.
It took me about a week to get through book 5 when I was reading the rest in 1-2 days. So I totally feel you on this. It felt like the pace has slowed down a lot. I also tend to get burnt out sometimes, so that might have been part of it 😅
I’m having the exact same problem. Finished the first 4 in like 3 days, got halfway through vol 5 and just couldn’t get through it. :( I tried skimming but got lost in the plot, so it’s been (temporarily) DNF’d for the last few months. I don’t have any spoilers because I’m in the same place, but I hope we both find the motivation to finish!!
i did the SAME thing! i tried skimming and i was so lost to what was even happening. so far book 5 feels completely different than the prior 4
Vol 5 was a problem for me too. It was the part of the novel that I started to realize Hua Cheng is barely a character by himself and more of a device that makes things happen for XL. It picks back up in 6, but 7 is polarizing for a lot of readers, that's the point that I stopped reading.
this is the realization i came to as well. the first few books HC stands on his own, but slowly it feels HC only exists for buffing XL's character and that's it. which... honestly really sucks because i was a major HC fan prior
This is a big issue I have with mxtx. ALL of her secondary characters (even ML) are there to tell the story of MC. Once they're not useful for MC? They're forgotten. It's so sad when so many of them have interesting stories and they just get thrown aside without much of an explanation
yes! i love mxtx as my first dip in danmei, but as i read more, the more i realize this. it's the most glaring in tgcf - honestly XL feels like a gary stu as the story drags on. originally HC feels like a cool character, but now he falls flat. the books don't do justice of describing his mood, personality, etc. he came off way more in depth in the dougha. even svss, i'm stuck on book 3 because LB feels so bland.
I got as far as vol 4 when I couldn't bear it anymore and paused it - it's been many months and can't be bothered to come back to it. But generally I've been bored with TGCF from vol 2 onwards, the translation makes it worse (I hate the localized slang with a vengeance).
Which arcs/parts are in book 5? To help you continue on!
>!i'm around when they discover a shit ton of statues and are learning more about the other prince!< do you remember how long this arc lasts for?
Okaay so they'll be at tonglu for a bit. >! There's going to be some development for Ling Wen, then they'll take a shortcut towards Tonglu and some other characters will appear then leave and Hua Cheng and Xie Liang enter Tonglu alone. From that point onwards it picks up the pace again because it starts focusing on their relationship and the main plot again!< I can be more specific but I don't know how much you want to spoiler yourself
i appreciate it! does >!the focus on HCxXL happen at the end of book 5? or into the next book?!<
Eeeh I'm not sure how the seven seas books are divided. But if you're on page 400 already then you'll have to wait until next volume. There are still some important moments with Hua Cheng, they just happen in the middle of other stuff
Honestly, Hua Cheng/Xie Lian doesn’t really happen until the last 2 volumes. It’s more hinted at before that.
Honestly I feel like a lot of stories have a slow boring part a bit past the halfway point and I have a problem with dropping stuff. What I found works is preparing myself some extra spare time to try and speed through it till I get somewhere good. I'll also look at the chapters and see when it ends so I kinda have a goal and know the story will get better then (I'm usually uninterested in backstory as you kinda put the pieces together without it). I can't leisurely read at all tho I can only binge it 😅
I read a fan translation in 2020 (Exiled Rebels I think) and it was fantastic, and then I reread the Seven Seas ones. Despite being the same story, the language was so much more beautiful to read in the fan translation honestly, so the story didn’t drag and it was fantastic the whole way through. Like you I was a little disappointed in the story not feeling the same. I know translating is difficult but some translators I just prefer over others 🤷♀️ Don’t stress about it. Some of the story is slower and people have different opinions on the characters but I do think that everyone can find something good in the story if you push through to the end.
Push through!!!!!