Biao Ren

Biao Ren or Hyoujin: Blades of the Guardians (镖人) also known as Blades of the Guardians, is a Chinese manhua that was written and illustrated by Xianzhe Xu. It was first serialized in the new comics app on July 2015. The manhua quickly attracted a large number of readers and was well received. Since its first publication, Biao Ren has been serialized on online platforms including Tencent Comics. As of March 2022, Beijing United Publishing Company has released eleven tankōbon volumes.

Biao Ren
Volume one cover of Biao Ren, featuring Dao Ma
镖人
Genre
AuthorXianzhe Xu
PublisherNew Comics, Tencent Comics, Beijing United Publishing Company
Other publishers
Original run2015
Volumes11
Biao Ren
Also known asBiao Ren: Blades of the Guardians
Written by
Directed by
  • Hiromatsu Shu
  • Zhiwei Deng
Composers
  • Zoey (Yang Ziyi)
  • Zhu Ruiwen
Country of originChina
Original languageChinese
No. of episodes15 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
  • Wu Mian
  • Xiuyu Niu
ProducerSun Zhonghuai
Production companies
Release
Original networkTencent Video
Original releaseJune 1, 2023 (2023-06-01)

Since its serialization in 2015, Biao Ren has had over two billion readings on 50 mainland Chinese online platforms.

Tencent Penguin Pictures and Colored Pencil Animation Group co-produced an animated (donghua) television adaptation that exclusively premiered on Tencent Video in June 2023. Blades of the Guardians donghua series was animated in Japan.

Plot

Hired fighters called Escorts protect a targets, criminals for whom the government has issued an arrest warrant. On the eve of civil unrest in the last years of the Sui dynasty, a government of fear and terror is gaining power in China, and feelings of hatred and enmity are emerging among some people. A skilled swordsman named Dao Ma travels throughout ancient China with his three-year-old son Qi Xiao and lives with the power of his sword. One day Dao Ma accepts a mission for which he is guided to the city of Changan. He plans to pay off his debt to a therapist named Mo, and when he travels in the western desert, he accepts a simple mission that turns into a critical, dangerous issue.

Production
Xu Xianzhe's was influenced by Vagabond manga artist Takehiko Inoue and Hiroshi Hirata.[6]

Xianzhe Xu wanted to tell a story of the late Sui dynasty by combining martial arts with western elements.[5] Xianzhe Xu had no art training so he began to practice and hone his drawing skills for four years, and researched the weapons, historical items and history of Sui and Tang dynasties.[7][8] The art style of manhua Biao Ren is similar to that of the mangas Vagabond, Blade of the Immortal and Beyond the Heavens. The author paid attention to details to present a story that is about emotions and destruction in a dark, historical era of ancient China.[4]

Media

Manhua

The Biao Ren manhua was serialized on the new comics app on July 1, 2015. The work quickly attracted a large number of readers and was well received. The electronic version is now serialized on online platform Tencent Comics.[9][8][10][11] Since the launch of the manhua, it has performed well in the book market. Many readers have called its exquisite paintings and grand Chinese historical background "the light of Guoman".[12] The series has been praised by many of Japan's top manga artists.[8] Rumiko Takahashi, Tooru Fujisawa and the former editor-in-chief of Crayon Shin-chan visited China to help promote it.[13][14] On April 1, 2018, Beijing United Publishing Company published the first volume of Biao Ren.[15] As of March 1, 2022, eleven volumes have been released.[16] Later, the series was published on Japanese reading platform Mecha Comic.[4] As of August 8, 2019, Shōnen Gahōsha released three volumes Japanese Edition.[3][17][18] On March 18, 2020, Chinabooks E.Wolf (華瑞圖書出版社) in Switzerland published the first volume of the German version of "Biao Ren",[2] and as of May 1, 2023, nine volumes has been released.[19]

Volume list
No. Chinese release date Chinese ISBN
1 April 1, 2018[15]978-7-55-961297-7
2 June 1, 2018[20]978-7-55-961546-6
3 August 1, 2018[21]978-7-55-962275-4
4 October 1, 2018[22]978-7-55-962579-3
5 January 1, 2019[23]978-7-55-962844-2
6 June 1, 2019[24]978-7-55-963030-8
7 July 1, 2019[25]978-7-55-963167-1
8 September 1, 2019[26]978-7-55-943169-1
9 January 1, 2020[27]978-7-55-944162-1
10 July 1, 2020[28]978-7-55-944943-6
11 March 1, 2022[29][16]978-7-55-965914-9

Donghua

On August 10, 2020, an animated donghua television series adaptation was announced by Tencent Penguin Pictures and Colored Pencil Animation Group, and was exclusively broadcast on Tencent Video in June 2023.[4][30][31] Blades of the Guardians donghua series was animated in Japan, and was produced by the Colored Pencil Animation Group (Chinese corporation Chongqing Colored Pencil Animation Design Co., Ltd.; Colored Pencil Animation Japan Co., Ltd.).[32]

Episode list
No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
1Transcription: "Guards Beyond the Great Wall" (Chinese: 塞外镖客)Hiromatsu Shu & Zhiwei DengWen Zhang & Xu XianzheJune 1, 2023 (2023-06-01)
2Transcription: "The Two-Headed Snake" (Chinese: 双头蛇)Hiromatsu Shu & Zhiwei DengWen Zhang & Xu XianzheJune 1, 2023 (2023-06-01)
3Transcription: "Stormy Wind" (Chinese: 风起云涌)Hiromatsu Shu & Zhiwei DengWen Zhang & Xu XianzheJune 8, 2023 (2023-06-08)
4Transcription: "Jade face and beauty" (Chinese: 玉面与红颜)Hiromatsu Shu & Zhiwei DengWen Zhang & Xu XianzheJune 8, 2023 (2023-06-08)
5Transcription: "Transaction" (Chinese: 交易)Hiromatsu Shu & Zhiwei DengWen Zhang & Xu XianzheJune 15, 2023 (2023-06-15)
6Transcription: "Chessboard" (Chinese: 棋与局)Hiromatsu Shu & Zhiwei DengWen Zhang & Xu XianzheJune 15, 2023 (2023-06-15)
7Transcription: "The Children of the Wolf" (Chinese: 狼的孩子们)Hiromatsu Shu & Zhiwei DengWen Zhang & Xu XianzheJune 22, 2023 (2023-06-22)
8Transcription: "The Storm is Coming" (Chinese: 风沙将至)Hiromatsu Shu & Zhiwei DengWen Zhang & Xu XianzheJune 29, 2023 (2023-06-29)
9Transcription: "People of the Desert" (Chinese: 荒漠之民)Hiromatsu Shu & Zhiwei DengWen Zhang & Xu XianzheJuly 6, 2023 (2023-07-06)
10Transcription: "The Great Sandstorm" (Chinese: 大沙暴)Hiromatsu Shu & Zhiwei DengWen Zhang & Xu XianzheJuly 13, 2023 (2023-07-13)
11Transcription: "Flower face group" (Chinese: 花颜团)Hiromatsu Shu & Zhiwei DengWen Zhang & Xu XianzheJuly 20, 2023 (2023-07-20)
12Transcription: "Khan and the General" (Chinese: 可汗与将军)Hiromatsu Shu & Zhiwei DengWen Zhang & Xu XianzheJuly 27, 2023 (2023-07-27)
13Transcription: "the truth" (Chinese: 真相)Hiromatsu Shu & Zhiwei DengWen Zhang & Xu XianzheAugust 3, 2023 (2023-08-03)
14Transcription: "The winner and crown" (Chinese: 胜者与王冠)Hiromatsu Shu & Zhiwei DengWen Zhang & Xu XianzheAugust 10, 2023 (2023-08-10)
15Transcription: "Daughter of the desert" (Chinese: 大漠的女儿)Hiromatsu Shu & Zhiwei DengWen Zhang & Xu XianzheAugust 17, 2023 (2023-08-17)

Reception

The manhua Biao Ren was very popular in Japan; it has appeared three times on NHK, Japan's CCTV, and was praised as "a world-class masterpiece of Chinese comics".[33][8] "Biao Ren" tankōbon volume one sold over 100,000 copies within a month of its launch.[34][12] By 2021, sales of the first ten volumes exceeded one million copies.[35]

The series received overwhelmingly positive reviews for its high-quality production and storyline, and amassed a notable Internet fandom both in China and overseas.[13] [4]The series holds a rating of 9.9 out of 10 on Tencent Video, making it as one of the most-acclaimed manhua series in the world.[10]

On Douban, Biao Ren rated 8.7 out of 10, making it one of the best-received donghua series in China in 2023.[36] Since its first publication in 2015, Biao Ren had been viewed on 30 online platforms over a billion times by September 2018,[8] and over two billion times on more than 50 domestic online platforms by June 2023.[37]

References
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  2. "Biaoren – Die Klingen der Wächter – Band 1" (in German). chinabooks.de. March 18, 2020. Archived from the original on March 26, 2023. Retrieved July 15, 2023.
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