Recent advances in magnetically responsive photonic crystals assembled by anisotropic building blocks: Synthesis, challenges and outstanding applications

•Non-spherical nanoparticles as the building blocks of magnetic photonic crystals.•Systematically introduced the preparation and application of magnetic photonic crystals.•We prospected the challenges of magnetic photonic crystals and put forward suggestions.•Anisotropic building blocks will inject new blood into the magnetic photonic crystal.