The Made by Bilibili X account released a new celebratory visual today to celebrate A Mortal’s Journey to Immortality donghua hitting 2.9 billion views since its first season premiered in July, 2020. (check it out below)
Yep, you read that correctly — 2.9 billion views of a martial arts, cultivation-themed donghua in just over four years.
Pretty damned astounding, eh?
A Mortal’s Journey to Immortality grabbing almost 3 billion views is worldwide views — views via Bilibili’s streaming services in China, on Bilibili in the rest of the world and, of course, via the Made by Bilibili Chinese Donghua YouTube channel.
What is the plot of A Mortal’s Journey?
A Mortal’s Journey to Immortality (also known as 凡人修仙传, or Fan Ren Xiu Xian Zhuan) is a Chinese donghua based on the popular web novel of the same name by Wang Yu.
The Chinese novel was adapted into donghua form by studios Original Force and Wonder Cat Animation, who have done an incredible job bringing this fabulous story to life.
Bilibili produced the series.
The beginning of the plot of A Mortal’s Journey, which goes on for many years after this, starts like this:
Han Li is a humble and seemingly ordinary boy from a small village, but he comes into contact with the world of cultivation after a series of life-changing events, including being sent by his poor parents to a cultivation sect that does not accept him.
In response, a mysterious elder takes him and another boy who has also been rejected under his wing, and teaches them the basics of cultivating spiritual energy.
But Han Li quickly learns that achieving immortality is not as simple as learning a few techniques.
Han Li begins his journey to cultivate the “Dao” (the Way), seeking to ascend to immortality and power.
Along the way, he encounters various trials, including having to win against rivals, fight against incredibly strong monsters, and being in danger from powerful sects. He is often thrust into situations where his wits and resourcefulness are just as important as his growing magical abilities.
As Han Li advances in his cultivation, he learns more about the deeper mysteries of the cultivation world, including ancient techniques, forgotten powers, and the manipulations of larger forces at play. But his path is fraught with danger and intrigue, and with alliances and betrayals shaping his destiny.
That journey began with A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality: Where the Wind Rises in Season 1, then continued with The Battle of Yanjiabao, Invasion of the Devil Doa Sects, Farewell Tiannan, Into the Galaxy, First Foray Into The Star Seas and Speeding Through the Star Seas.
In all, there are currently 124 episodes of A Mortal’s Journey released so far, all of which you can watch via Bilibili’s YouTube channel.
Bilibili has also released a video featuring the first 100 episodes of the donghua that you can watch for free.
You will find that down below — just be sure to put aside over 30 hours to finish it because, yep, it’s that long.
Congratulations to everyone involved in bringing A Mortal’s Journey, which it is often known as, to a worldwide audience. Those of us who love an extremely well-written, well-animated and well-acted donghua are very grateful.