Lord of Mysteries finally made its anime debut on June 28, 2025, and it’s already looking better than most isekai released this year. Adapted from the very popular Chinese web novel by Cuttlefish That Loves Diving, this anime had huge expectations before release. The studio behind it, B.CMAY PICTURES, is already known for adapting The King’s Avatar back in 2017, so fans expected a faithful and polished adaption.
The animation of Lord of Mysteries Episode 1 looks polished overall, with good facial expressions and stable character movement. Backgrounds match the mystery theme, but the fog and lighting effects feel a bit overdone in some scenes. Some transitions are too saturated, which might cause discomfort for a few viewers. Still, it follows the source material well visually.
One of the best first episodes i’ve ever seen wow, the amount of details on backgrounds and visuals is just insane
— K1K3 🐈 (@k1k3art) June 28, 2025
Watch Lord of the mysteries pic.twitter.com/pL6WKmy0QB
What is the Beyonder System in Lord of Mysteries?
The anime starts by explaining the Beyonder system. Humans can become Beyonders by drinking special potions to evolve on the Sequence Path. These sequences start at Nine and go all the way to Zero. The lower the number, the more powerful the Beyonder becomes. The end goal is to reach the level of a god. This part was clearly explained in a few frames and helps first-time viewers understand the concept without reading the novel.
Lord of Mysteries Episode 1 Recap
We see Zhou Mingru wake up inside Klein Moretti’s body on September 9, 1349. It is raining, and the setting instantly gives a horror tone to the whole anime. He looks in the mirror and realizes it is not his body. The way this whole scene was animated had a bit of mystery and horror-style to it, which worked better than in the manhwa.
Two deaths happen around the same time, both mysterious. There are hints of suicide or some kind of black ritual. Klein is classmates with the victims, so he becomes a suspect.
The scene shifts back to Klein in his room. He reads a strange notebook written in Hermes language. One line says, “Everyone will die, including me.”
The Ritual Scene and Dimension Jump
Klein later tries the luck ritual again, and this time he is teleported into a foggy dimension. There, he meets two people, Audrey Hall and Alger Wilson. This place looked nice visually, but again, the lighting and fog effects were too much. Felt like it was trying too hard to look mysterious.
Zhou pretends to be someone powerful and names himself “The Fool” from the tarot card he saw earlier. They all sit at a long table and start talking. Alger explains the safest way to become a Beyonder is by joining one of these churches:
- Church of the Evernight Goddess
- Church of the Lord of Storms
- Church of the God of Steam and Machinery
Audrey and Alger form a secret group and choose tarot codenames, Justice and The Hanged Man. Zhou agrees to hold weekly meetings, and that becomes the start of the Tarot Club. This scene was slightly rushed compared to the novel, but nothing too major was skipped.
Towards the end, Klein is taken in by the police after they find his diary. It has the line “Everyone will die, including me” which makes him a suspect. But instead of arresting him, it turns out Inspector Dunn Smith used Beyonder’s power to test him inside a dream. This whole scene was done well, and the pacing was really good.
When Klein wakes up, Dunn reveals he is not a normal cop but the captain of the Nighthawks, a group that handles supernatural stuff. He invites Klein to join them and become a beyonder. That is where the episode ends.
Lord of Mysteries Episode 1 Review
B.CMAY PICTURES handled this episode properly. There were no major frame drops, and character movements stayed consistent. They are experienced with web novel adaptions, and that shows here. Animation during dialogues, facial reactions, and even lip sync looked polished. Horror scenes had better visuals than in the novel.
The dark tone matches the story’s setting, and the Victorian background details are well drawn. But again, saturation and contrast felt off in a few places. Some parts looked too flat or washed out, especially during the foggy dimension scenes.
The camera movements during dimension jumps were rough. The shaky transitions and filters were not needed. Some viewers might feel dizzy watching those scenes. Also, some background layers felt too static. They needed subtle movements to make scenes feel more alive.
The sound design worked well with the horror vibe. The music never felt too loud and matched the tone of each scene. Voice acting was fitting, especially for Klein (voiced by Kaiqi) and Dunn. Emotions came through without overacting.
They cut a few things from the novel, but nothing important. Alger’s potion explanation was shortened, but it still gave the idea. The Tarot Club scene and the dimension shift scene felt a bit fast, but all key points were there. Overall, the adaptation is still loyal to the source material.
Klein’s reactions and confusion were animated well. The mirror scene, in particular, showed what he was feeling without any extra dialogue. Melissa and Dunn also had decent screen presence, and their animations matched their roles.
Good start, decent adaptation, just needs better color balance and fewer motion issues in some scenes. If they improve the fog scenes and pacing slightly, this could easily become one of the best Isekai anime this year.
Lord of Mysteries Episode 1 Review
Summary
Zhou Mingru wakes up inside someone else’s body in a dark, rainy world set in 1349. As he tries to understand what’s going on, mysterious deaths link back to him. He reads a strange notebook and performs a ritual that pulls him into a foggy dimension with two strangers. He acts like a powerful figure called “The Fool” and forms a secret group. Back in the real world, he is taken by police, but instead of getting arrested, he is tested inside a dream. The episode ends with him being invited to join a supernatural team called the Nighthawks.
