Throwback to the Anime Festival Asia (AFA) Singapore 2025, where Lord of Mysteries quietly drew a devoted crowd. This donghua, based on Cuttlefish That Loves Diving’s beloved web novel, has built its reputation on something slower, stranger and far more intricate.

Lord of Mysteries drops viewers into a Victorian era-esque world where tarot, Beyonders and shadowy churches collide. Behind the dense world-building and philosophical tone is a creative team carefully threading a 4.5 million-word epic into a visual experience they hope will last a decade.

I was curious and took the time to watch it to connect the dots. The scene that really got me hooked and wanting more was the fight scene with Clown and Nighthawk. From the start to finish, the scene was action packed and fast that even any anime love can agree it was one of the best fight scenes. I took time to reflect on what the two geniuses said during Crunchyroll’s segment at AFA 2025.

Director Ke Xiong and scriptwriter Liu Xing sat down to talk about what it actually takes to turn such a monumental novel into animation. Unlike many donghua adapted from manhua, Lord of Mysteries comes directly from a novel. That, Ke Xiong explains, demands a fundamental shift in creative thinking. The novel’s sheer length and density makes it one of the hardest stories to adapt: there are countless concepts, factions and rules, many of which only reveal their true importance hundreds of chapters later.

For Liu Xing, two priorities guided every script decision: preserving the key story beats, and honouring the emotional arcs of the characters. Translating Cuttlefish’s text-based world into a visually distinct anime came with its own challenges. The team began by asking what truly sets Lord of Mysteries apart, then set about collecting references, samples and design motifs to build a cohesive identity.

The result is not a one-to-one recreation of late Victorian Europe, but a stylised blend. Architecture, costumes, colour palettes and props all work together to suggest a familiar era – smokestacks, brick alleys, oil lamps and tailored coats – while allowing for steampunk flourishes and occult details. Horror elements are often expressed through colour contrasts and framing: a slightly off hue here, an unsettling shadow there.

When asked about memorable scenes, both director and writer point to moments where emotion takes centre stage. For Liu Xing, Episode 6 stands out as their biggest creative challenge and proudest achievement. That episode dives into Azik’s story, drawing not just from early chapters but from information spread across multiple volumes. The goal was to capture Azik’s profound loneliness and to mirror it with Klein’s own growing solitude. The line that stayed with them is simple yet devastating: “Happiness is short-lived, but loneliness is long.”

Catch Lord of Mysteries, now streaming on Crunchyroll!

The Fifth Parlour would like to thank Eastwest Public Relations for the invitation to Anime Festival Asia 2025.