Lord of Mysteries Review: The Donghua That Had Me Confused But Completely Hooked

Lord of Mysteries might be confusing as hell, but I couldn’t stop watching it!

This donghua drops you into a Victorian world where people drink potions to get superpowers, and somehow our main character Klein is also a god in some weird fog dimension? Yeah, I’m still figuring that part out.

But here’s the thing – despite spending the first half of the season completely lost, I was absolutely hooked. The animation is gorgeous, the music slaps harder than it has any right to, and there’s just something about the whole mysterious vibe that kept pulling me back.

The real question is: can stunning visuals and atmospheric tension carry a show when you need a PhD to understand what’s happening?

Let’s dive in and find out.

At a glance

Field	Info
Original title	Guimi Zhi Zhu: Xiaochou Pian
Studio	B.CMAY PICTURES
Episodes	13 (Season 1)
Season	Summer 2025
Genres	Horror, Action, Fantasy, Mystery, Isekai
Source	Web novel
Streaming	Crunchyroll
My rating	7/10
Best for	Animation and action lovers who don’t mind being confused.

The story that made my brain hurt (in a good way?)

Lord of Mysteries starts with Klein shooting himself in the head – and honestly, that might be the most straightforward part of the entire first episode.

Our MC (a person from the ‘real’ world) wakes up in Klein’s body in a world where ‘Beyonders’ drink specific potions to unlock supernatural abilities. Each Beyonder follows a pathway with 10 sequences, and the higher you go, the more god-like you become.

Cool premise, right?

Here’s where it gets messy: the show throws all of this at you while ALSO dealing with Klein’s mysterious god-complex in this fog world that’s never properly explained. Add in church politics, secret organizations, and a murder mystery, and you’ve got yourself a recipe for maximum confusion.

I’m not kidding when I say I had to Google episode explanations like I was cramming for the Chūnin first exam in Naruto. And I usually pride myself on following complex plots!

A hot tip, though. There are extra episodes of around 3 minutes each with Mr. Neil explaining the main stuff to help you get into the plot. Unfortunately, I only noticed this when I was too deep in the story – they would have helped a lot when I was writing my Lord of Mysteries first impressions.

Either way, things started clicking around episodes 7-8 for me.

The pacing slows down enough for your brain to catch up, and suddenly you can actually follow what’s happening. When the mysteries finally start making sense, they’re genuinely engaging.

The final episodes do a great job tying earlier plot threads together in ways that made me go “ohhhh, THAT’S what was happening!”

Characters that grew on me

Klein starts off as your typical ‘normal guy thrown into a crazy situation’ protagonist, but he actually develops beyond that. By the end, you can see he genuinely cares about the people in this world – he’s not just trying to survive anymore, he wants to protect them.

What I found interesting was his whole dual personality thing.

At first, it felt like a simple split between regular Klein and god-mode Klein, but it becomes more nuanced. Even when he’s playing the mysterious deity in the fog world, you can read his internal thoughts about how he’s basically winging it and has no idea what he’s doing.

It’s kind of endearing, honestly.

The supporting characters get some development, too, though not as much as I’d like. The captain (Dunn Smith) and Klein’s mentor (Mr Neil) both have solid (yet tiny) arcs, but so much time is spent on action sequences that characters sometimes get pushed to the background.

The animation that made my jaw drop

Okay, let’s talk about the real star of this show: the animation. It’s the main reason Lord of Mysteries might end up in my final list of the best Anime of the season.

This donghua is absolutely gorgeous. Every single frame looks like it could be a PC wallpaper. The Victorian aesthetic is perfectly captured, the character designs are beautiful without being over-designed, and the attention to detail is insane.

Now, there’s a lot of CGI, and I know that’s a deal-breaker for some people.

But honestly?

It’s really well done here. Yes, it took me a few episodes to get used to it, but by the end, I barely noticed it. The CGI enhances the movement and backgrounds rather than making everything look like a budget movie trying to play with 3D.

And the fights! Holy moly, the fight scenes are spectacular. The final battle alone is worth watching the entire season for – it’s that good.

The soundtrack deserves its own paragraph because WOW. It genuinely sounds like it belongs in a big-budget movie. The theme song “Dark Dream” gives me serious Snake Eater vibes mixed with James Bond, and it’s been stuck in my head for weeks. I actually added it to my Spotify playlist, and that doesn’t happen often.

How Lord of Mysteries stacks up against other donghua

After watching Link Click and Mo Dao Zu Shi, I was curious to see how Lord of Mysteries would compare.

Link Click focuses on intimate, emotional storytelling through its time travel concept. It’s all about human connections and how small changes can have big impacts. Lord of Mysteries is basically the opposite – it’s all atmosphere, action, and cosmic horror.

Mo Dao Zu Shi has clearer world-building and better character relationships. You understand the cultivation system, you care about the characters, and the story flows naturally. Lord of Mysteries has better animation, but Mo Dao Zu Shi tells a more coherent story.

What makes Lord of Mysteries unique is its blend of Lovecraftian horror with Victorian steampunk. It’s not your typical cultivation story or isekai – it’s trying to be something completely different, and I respect that even if the execution isn’t perfect.

Who should (and shouldn’t) watch Lord of Mysteries

You’ll love it if you:

• Get excited about gorgeous animation
• Enjoy dark, horror-tinged atmospheres
• Don’t mind being confused for a while
• Like mysteries that make you think
• Are curious about high-quality donghua

Skip it if you:

• Need everything explained clearly from episode 1
• Hate CGI
• Prefer character-driven stories
• Want light, fluffy entertainment
• Get frustrated by complex world-building

Give it a shot if you:

• Enjoyed other donghua but want something different
• Like puzzle-box narratives
• Don’t mind doing some homework to understand the plot

Moments that stuck with me

There are several scenes that really impressed me.

The scene where Klein first uses his enhanced senses for the first time to search for the missing kid is pure visual poetry. The way the animation follows his perception, especially that moment with the water droplets in slow motion – perfection.

The first potion-taking scene had me on the edge of my seat. The tension builds so well that I genuinely thought the entire city was about to explode. Great use of suspense.

And that final battle? No spoilers, but it’s an absolute spectacle that justifies every confusing minute that came before it.

Final thoughts: Is Lord of Mysteries worth the confusion?

Look, Lord of Mysteries is far from perfect.

The world-building is a mess, especially early on, and you’ll probably need to Google some explanations. But you know what? I still really enjoyed it.

The animation is some of the best I’ve seen in donghua, the soundtrack is genuinely incredible, and when the story works, it REALLY works. There’s something special here, even if it’s wrapped in layers of confusion.

I’d recommend it to anyone who appreciates beautiful animation and doesn’t mind working a little to understand what’s happening. If you’re into atmospheric horror, gorgeous visuals, or just want to see what donghua can achieve at its best, give this one a try.

Just maybe keep a wiki tab open for the first few episodes. Trust me on this one.

My Rating: 7/10 – Beautiful, confusing, and somehow completely worth it.

Lord of Mysteries FAQ