Aryael

Yes, you will understand the storyline for the second without watching the first. There is some connection but it does not distract from the story in this 2nd season. In fact, I will advise you not to watch the 2015 series coz it's an utter disappointment. The story in this series (2018) is much much better and more addictive. Better character development too.

There's a link in viki.com for it but access is limited and subbers are awaiting full licensing before we can proceed to fully sub this amazing drama. What can I say? Patience is a virtue. :)

Funny! Witty! With lots of jibes and parody made on popular Chinese movies concerning demons and humans. Despite these, there is a story. Pure entertainment! Love it!

Thanks!

Oh no! Yep, they went and did it! They married DFBB off to a woman! *face palm*

Thanks for your explanation. I'll have to read this novel again. Been a long while and my memory of the story is hazy at best! Unfortunately, it's a challenge for me to get a hold of printed copies of the novel in this small western town I live in. Do you know of any web versions of the novel?

Thanks, Erudite for this! Interesting. I read this novel ages ago, so couldn't remember all the details of the story. Maybe I should revisit the novel soon! With LYS, his best work (in my opinion) is Baifa Monue Zhuan. But I'm biased coz I am a die hard Jin Yong fan and has all of Jin Yong's novels but not LYS' novels. Hmm... I wonder if there's a site where I can read Wudang YiJian in mandarin? I do not need Eng translation, plus I find Eng translation not fully accurate or failing to capture the full meaning of certain Mandarin phrases. Reading the novels in their original language is the best. :)

@CrusadingAngel: Thank you for reading my review from eons ago! :) Yes, I am very lenient when rating wuxia movies as they are my love! Unless its' a total desecration of the story and characters, I am usually quite forgiving and will not rate below 7.5. I am also open to creative interpretations of Jing Yong's works (therefore not a "purist fan") but not to the point that it became unrecognizable! So, an 8 rating for the 2013 version is "ok" for me but it's not the best version! The saving grace in the 2013 version is the creative arc involving Dong Fang Bu Bai being a woman and the chemistry between her and LHC. This current 2018 version is hovering at 8 by ep. 6, but if they start to go downhill from here on, my rating for this version may drop.

@Erudite: As of Ep. 5, they start to introduce new arcs for the storyline and character development! Before this, they did little tweaks here and there and re-arrange plot lines but now they start to introduce entirely different plot lines for the main characters which do not exist in the novel! Are they trying to sell the idea of a brotherhood/bromance between Ling Hu Cong and Dong Fang Bu Bai and to develop separate romance stories for both, ending with two brothers fighting each other? Are they going down the line of "do you ship couple A or couple B"? I am starting to be apprehensive about this series now. Still watching it to give it the benefit of the doubt. Please do not further butcher it!!! p.s: i agree with you re. poor editing and screenplay. it would seem the director's good in certain parts (eg: costumes, etiquettes, hand-to-hand combat, music) but sucks at other parts (eg: editing, screenplay, pacing etc). this is probably his style.

I understand your sentiments and I agree on the songs being cut off halfway (poor editing!) etc but I actually quite like the OSTs. Very traditional Chinese mixed with the modern. As for Ling Hu Chong's character... it's too early to pass judgment as he did started out as a 'nobody' amongst big guns quarreling over power and ownership of BiXie Sword Manual. In other words, he started out as a victim. His true story starts after he left Hwa San. Unlike the other main male characters in Jin Yong's classics, Lin Hu Chong wasn't born of famous parents, wasn't the leader of a sect (though later he got shoved that responsibility), wasn't born royal, wasn't the missing child of some union between some big guns from the good and evil sects etc. He's just an orphan, a nobody. Most likely his parents were peasants. It's a journey of a nobody turning into a somebody simply because he's righteous and upright despite living in a world where the Jiang Hu's separated into good and evil sects. I hope by initially down-playing Ling Hu Chong's character in this series, it will leave space for his character to grow and develop into a hero. As for now, I do agree with you that his character's being downplayed. Let's see where he'll go as the story progresses.

There is romance, but the ending is up in the air as it depends on whether the director wants to stick to the original novel ending or not.

It's only 37 eps. It's a condensed version; hence the need to skip, fast-forward and re-arrange certain parts of the novel. Hopefully, this also translate to no dilly-dallying tactics. Straightforward and succinct is something I am hoping for.

Yes, every novel to screen adaptations of Jin Yong's classics need to be treated as separate products. I, however, quite like this version (so far). Although they are using new young faces, at least we do not get the blank wooden pretty looks of idols who can't act staring at the screen. In fact, the novel did not describe Lin Hu Chong as being handsome. He's more of a guy who has a glib tongue, good sense of righteousness and devil-may-care attitude. That's why many of the ladies in the novel fell for him. I love the "rustic" feel of the series so far. More realistic. This is the sort of directing that is inherent to Chinese directors - mix of the modern and Chinese theater/traditional. I love the quality dialogues, the era and clan appropriate costumes, the etiquettes and how they stick to more hand-to-hand combat choreography with minimal (but appropriate) use of CGI. But I can see how many who are used to idol-based, standard-of-the-mill productions will find this "annoying". I, however, find the many idol-based CGI and visual infested products "annoying". To each, their own cup of tea, I suppose.

Ohoho! Hence starts Season 2!

Promising. Hoping they won't butcher this Jin Yong's classic and please stick to the novel as closely as possible, including the ending! Been a while since someone actually does that. So far, I am liking what I saw.

This is a movie made for the big screens. I watched it twice in the cinemas during my tour in Asia. One of session was in a Gold Class cinema as it was a gift. I was lucky to watch it the night before it's officially released. Thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Great CGI and sound effects. After I returned to my home country and saw that it's finally available in streaming sites, I watched it again. The effect was not as good. Hence my comment that this is a movie made for the big screens. Don't watch it streamed. For full experience, buy a ticket and watch it in the cinemas. I can't wait for the second part of this movie, "Along With the Gods: The Last 49 Days"; rumored release mid of this year. It will continue on with the story where it left off with the brother standing trials and the guardian reapers obtaining their privilege to be reincarnated. Maybe we can get more of the captain's story and how the guardian reapers ended up as guardian reapers. :)

Yes and I might take up the translating project once license obtained. So I am watching as it airs to get a feel if it's worth my time to take on as a project. As of Ep. 14, still good.

At Ep. 12, and so far so good. Fingers crossed!
Btw, Nicky Wu is just a supporting character in this drama. Nie Zi Hao should be a main character as he's the love interest of the female lead. Maybe this will change in future episodes, but currently he has more scenes and screen presence than Chen Zhe Yuan.

Thanks to your recommendation, I spent the last 2 days marathon-ing this drama. I finished it at 6 am this morning. Personally, I do not think Ma Ke is the only male lead although he's the female lead's love interest. I think Ma Ke's vampire and the female lead has a mutual love relationship but she cannot openly express her love for him due to consideration for her master whom she loved like a family. I think Fu Xin Bo did an excellent job as the female lead's master. He is the man who had unrequited love for her. He thinks she's his but because her heart belongs to Ya Long (the vampire), his overprotective and all consuming love became a burden for her. This was expressed in the lyrics for the ending OST....where love became a burden even after so many reincarnations. Therefore, my conclusion is there are two male leads in this drama and each play an equally important part....which in itself is pretty rare for a drama because the second male lead almost always has a reduced part, lesser character and story in most Asian dramas, but this is not the case in this drama. Hence, I understand your confusion re who's the male lead. My answer: both of them!

p.s: Fu Xin Bo looks like Bobby Dou's twin!

Exactly!