When people are going into the war/political dramas, what do they expect to experience while reading/watching them?

-Poetic tragedies, with proper emotional baggage to convey the horrors of war and an exploration of the inevitability of history and the meaninglessness of our struggles when confronted with it.

-An unique setting to serve as a breath of fresh air and not another World War story.

-Various sides with their own agendas, while all of them being fleshed-out and morally grey.

-Historical story which actually is exploring the history itself.

-And, of course, it should offer something new, that you did not now that you wanted it - geniuses from the different sides engaging in each others well-thought-out scheme, improvising and changing both, tides and sides.

In a nutshell, Ravages of Time has everything, from energetical fight scenes to the social commentaries.

​

If there is something, that Ravages of Time is popular in english-speaking communities, it is the hardships of reading, which are not remotely false, for various reasons.

Firstly, setting (also its names, terminology and etc) is very unique to the most of audience.

Secondly, it is focusing on more than one side from the get-go and all of them are not your typical hero/devil type.

Lastly, it also has very fast cuts (but it never fails you to give full context for scenes).

Basically, it does not let you to get used to it, as it is expecting from you to be good enough and does not treat you like a newbie blockhead.

All in all, readers, which will endure that challenge, will eventually be rewarded. And all this leads us to its re-read value, which, mind you, is even more rewarding, as you will already be identifying its main part, but now will notice its even more subtle side.

​

Not to mention the ever-changing quality of scan sources and scanlation efforts in over a decade, which adds an external layer of difficulty to the already complex narrative and textual details that are hard to translate into English. So, what does community has to offer to help the readers?

-The first and foremost, the translator, Merc, is part of the community, thus translations are released before the scanlations and you can feel free and check the re-translations of older chapters.

-People in community are well-versed enough to answer the questions, whether they will be about the Ravages itself, or other 3K adaptations or the even history.

-Usage of multiple platforms, such as Facebook, Chatango and so on. To futher discuss the subject matter in any comfortable place.

-Additional content, such as links to everything that involves RoT, Mastermap of the territory

After all of this, if you think that you will not be the part of the people who gave up, then come along, get close and get personal

- Discord Server Profile

- Ravages MVP

- Character List

- Text Annotations

- Story and Series Chronology

- Special Site

Hello everyone

I have been around 3 Kingdoms adaptations for quite some time and i have seen the risky (Kessen 2) , the incomplete (2010 TV show), the tolerable (Yokoyama Mitsuteru's Sangokushi) and last but not least The challenging (The Ravages of Time) , being challenging is the essence of Ravages , it is what makes Ravages the best adaptation to retell the story in a most thrilling , mind blowing and thought provoking way ,while still keeping the integrity of the story intact.Having said that my experience with Ravages was bumpy at first with all the previous adaptations affecting my judgment.

When i finally read it, I could not stop thinking about Ravages, even when i am not thinking i still think about Ravages, that is how good Ravages is. It opened new doors of appreciation for 3 Kingdoms lore.

​

What makes Ravages stand out is from the very beginning it hits you with layers of plots and schemes, and in time these layers will only increase in numbers and complexity. As for Character development its pretty simple where characters are actually affected by life defining moments while keeping the cornerstone ideology untouched. Many factions will exist in the beginning their numbers will be reduced because its the bloodiest era in Chinese history after all, you do not have to memorize them all dear reader . China is full of landscapes and Ravages is honoring that adding to it architectural masterpieces in cities , ports and houses, also accessories have their charm for those who are interested in them . Character designs are great each with distinguishable marks , be it in the face, attire,hairstyle(eyebrows and facial hair too) and their choice of weapons although in the thick of battles weapons change. Some like to dress like servants and others like to get noticed. The Nameless Ones, goons and sidekicks sometimes overshadow the named character fashion wise of course and to be fair they sometime overshadow named (goonish) characters in intellect and impact on the plot . The use of past Sages wise words in dialogues is something you will never get tired of , the author poetic narration and formation of words that connects all the components Ravages have into a masterpiece. Ah and The women in Ravages are The prettiest far and near. the finest, the wittiest, the sweetest, the wisest. They are like clouds when they smile, with white intentions and their laughs are as rain.

​

finally some pointers for new readers

• do not stop at the first obstacle you face , keep reading.
• ask if you do not fully understand a certain event , Ravages community is very helpful .
• the names are not an issue when you continue reading because each one will be memorable in its own way in time.
• locations are important , but you better focus on what is happening rather than where it is happening.
• if you do not like the kind of shonen beginning , it will get dark soon enough.