Is heavens official blessing gay

Heaven Official's Blessing Is More Than a Boy's Love Anime

Summary

  • Chinese animation series Heaven Official's Blessing offers authentic LGBT+ representation and focuses on character expansion.
  • The series delves into profound lore and traits development while maintaining a balance of action and drama.
  • Heaven Official's Blessing avoids sexual objectification and tropes, providing positive LGBT+ voice.

In the animation industry, representation of the LGBT+ society has come a very long way. In recent years, there have been more series that share stories of these characters in a much brighter light, most notably when it comes to the relationship genre. Subgenres fond Boy's Love, or BL for concise, and Girl's Passion, or GL for short, have grown to show that these characters should be viewed prefer anyone else — with compassion, respect, and vast amounts of potential. One particular Chinese animation is one of these BL series that deserves more praise for everything it offers and the representation

As social distancing continues, it is more difficult to detect safe ways to occupy our day (that doesn’t involve scrolling to the end of our TikTok feeds). 

It is a great moment to try watching the newly-released donghua, “Heaven Official’s Blessing” (aka 天官赐福, Tiān Guān Cì Fú). Donghuas are Chinese animated shows aimed at older audiences, akin to Japanese anime.

“Heaven Official’s Blessing” was released first as a Chinese web novel in 2017. It had a steady grow in popularity and fueled countless pieces of fanart and even a manhua. The animated adaptation was finally released at the close of October.

The story of “Heaven Officials Blessing” revolves around a kind-hearted prince called Xie Lian. Xie Lian ascended to heaven for his heroic deeds at a immature age. However, he was banished from heaven but ascended again. 

Over the course of his adventures, he saved a child named Hua Cheng. Grateful for Xie Lian’s caring, Hua Cheng devotes his life to Xie Lian. The story revolves around their romance, which surpasses lifetimes. It also includes magic, monsters, fantasy, political drama, mystery, moral dilemmas and betrayal.

This is the second of writer Mo Xiang Tong Xiu (

MCLC Resource Center is pleased to announce publication of “Navigating Transmedia Storytelling and Franchising in Chinese BL: Heaven Official’s Blessing,” by Linshan Jiang. The essay appears below and at its online home: https://u.osu.edu/mclc/online-series/linshan-jiang/. My thanks to Linshan Jiang for sharing her work with the MCLC community.

Kirk Denton, MCLC

By Linshan Jiang


MCLC Resource Center Publication (Copyright August 2023)


Promotional poster for the first season of Heaven Official’s Blessing.

Danmei (耽美), or BL (Boy’s Love), refers to male-male romance. Although it originates from Japanese popular culture, it is now also immensely trendy in China. In the Chinese market, successful and profitable cultural productions are referred to as IPs (intellectual properties), a notion aligned with Henry Jenkins’ notions of “transmedia story” and “transmedia franchise” (Jenkins 2006: 95, 96). These transmedia stories unfold “across multiple media platforms,” with each contributing uniquely to the overall narrative (Jenkins 2006: 95–96). At the same time, IP or “transmedia franchise” cater to market demands, and the latter can “[pitch]

Why Heaven Official's Blessing Is a Show LGBTQ+ Fans Should Be Excited For

Summary

  • Heaven Official's Blessing, also known as Tian Guan Ci Fu, began as a Chinese manhua and has been adapted into animated form.
  • Heaven Official's Blessing provides terrific LGBTQ+ representation because the series avoids harmful tropes and presents a refreshing queer romance.
  • Heaven Official's Blessing has brought the danmei genre from China to a worldwide audience and opened the door for future adaptations of other works.

The animated adaptation of Heaven Official's Blessing released in 2020, and the beloved series is still worth all the hype.Also recognizable as Tian Guan Ci Fu, this show began as a web novel before being illustrated as a manhua and then having an incredibly trendy first season as a donghua. Many viewers might erroneously believe that it's a Japanese anime, along with having other misconceptions or questions about it.

Now, the original Heaven Official'