When a Fanfic Protagonist Transmigrated Review
Danmei Review: When a Fanfic Protagonist Transmigrated into the Original Novel by Zhong Xiaosheng
The Story
There’s a popular cultivation novel about two young men who overcome various trials together. Their relationship is very close. They are portrayed as best friends, but from the beginning to the end of the story there is no romantic relationship. However, the fujoshis (fans of boys love) saw things differently. They wanted romance and a fanfiction writer steps up to give them just that by creating a smutty version of the novel. This writer changes the characters and dumbs down the entire plot using it only as an excuse to create X-rated scenes.
Somehow the sex crazed version of the main character, Zhangsun Zijun ends up transmigrating from his fanfiction world into the world of the original novel. Imagine Yi Xichen’s surprise when his best friend suddenly starts claiming that they’re in a relationship and that Yi Xichen is pregnant with their child. Of course he thinks that the man has lost his mind and rushes him to see their master.
Who’s it for?
It’s a cultivation novel with a ridiculous twist. It’s silly, but it’s meant to be. For fans of adventure who aren’t looking for anything too serious.
The Downsides
It’s an interesting concept. The idea of a fanfiction version of the protagonist ending up in the original story to see what havoc unfolds sounds fun. However, there are two main problems.
The first is that this premise is sort of forgotten as the story progresses. For example, there’s a scene early in the novel where Zhangsun Zijun has to leave the room repeatedly in order to put distance between him and Yi Xichen so that he can think clearly. In the fanfiction all his blood tends to head south because the only thing he can think about is sex whenever he’s around Yi Xichen. Once he realizes what’s going on he starts leaving the room. He comes up with a plan first then goes back and tells Yi Xichen. It's a wacky little moment, but it shows that there are differences between him and the original character. It's the kind of nonsense you'd expect to keep happening if there’s a character so out of sync with the rest of the novel, but this disappears as the story goes on.
Aside from his possibly unrequited love for his friend, and his lingering sexual frustration, Zhangsun Zijun is able to get a handle on the rest of the situation. He’s soon able to figure out which parts of his memory don't match his current reality. Most of the antics related to the fact that he’s a fanfiction protagonist cease to exist and the story becomes more of a typical cultivation novel.
This brings me to the second problem. The fanfiction takes place after the events of the original novel. Zhangsun Zijun retains his memories and his powers from that world making many tasks easier to accomplish. There are a lot of negative changes that come from him no longer being in the fanfiction version of the story, but with knowledge of future events he has a huge advantage. Him being a fanfiction protagonist doesn’t hinder him. It practically becomes his superpower.
The Romance
The friendship is great, the romance is not. It suffers due to Yi Xichen's inability to understand his friend’s emotions. However, I do like the fact that Zhangsun Zijun comes to care more for the original Yi Xichen than the fanfiction version who’s more of a plaything than a person.
Overall, the novel is a light easy read but it’s not memorable in the slightest.