The Donghua adaptation ofLord of Mysterieshas stunned viewers with its breathtaking animation and fascinating world, quickly standing out among the stacked anime lineup for summer season 2025 on Crunchyroll. Still,Lord of Mysterieshasn’t been exempted from criticism. While it’s difficult for audiences to be entirely satisfied, the studio behindLord of Mysteriesis the one that regrets the first episodes the most.
Despite its dazzling animation and intriguing thematics,Lord of Mysteries' introductory episodes have a neck-breaking pacing that has made the story difficult to follow for some viewers unfamiliar with the source material. However, the studio behindLord of Mysteries,BC.MAY, has recently revealed the reasons behind the rushed pacing in the first episodes ofLord of Mysteries.
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AlthoughLord of Mysterieshas undeniably outstanding production values, the pacing in the first episodes may be overpowering for the audience. While that didn’t impact the series' quality entirely, as it is not inherently a flaw, sinceLord of Mysteriescould have taken a more abstract approach to conveying the eerie atmosphere and secrets of the story, it has certainly confused some viewers.
As a result,the creative power system and great world building for whichLord of Mysteriesis well-known are hard to track in the donghua adaptation.However, as shared by@LOTM_WORLD, the head of BC.MAY revealed that the rushed pace of the adaptation’s first two episodes was due to strict conditions imposed by Tencent during production.
Naturally, there are some regrets about the first three episodes—painful compromises had to be made. Personally, I’m more satisfied with Episodes 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13. In terms of difficulty, Episode 1 was by far the hardest.
Tencent specifically required BC.MAY to cover chapter 75 of the light novel up toLord of Mysteriesepisode 3. Due to many viewers adhering to the “three-episode rule” when deciding whether to watch an anime or donghua, adapting the fight with the Clown from the Secret Order was a hard mandate to capture audience interest.
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Furthermore, the author confirmed that certain plot points have been pushed for later and rearranged compared to the novel.This was seen inLord of Mysteriesepisode 4, which adapted several scenes that were omitted in the first two episodes, like the Tarot Club gathering and Klein’s interactions with his siblings. The adaptation is also focusing more on action scenes to leave a lasting impression on viewers.
This highlights that the adaptation didn’t fall down under the weight of its ambition, wanting to cover too much, butis following its own narrative and taking creative liberties while adapting the novel. This decision will allowLord of Mysteriesto have better pacingand give viewers enough time to breathe and process the events of the story as Klein slowly unveils the mysteries of the world.
Lord of Mysteries
Cast
Lord of Mysteries, released in 2025, follows Zhou Mingrui who becomes Klein Moretti in a Victorian era filled with steam, dreadnoughts, and occult horrors. Navigating between warring Churches, he confronts a world teeming with both potential and peril.
