Less and less interesting characters left in this tale... With Andy On's and He Zhong Hua's characters having sacrificed their lives for the sake of the world, only two or three really interesting characters are left. What for would I feel the urge to watch season three...??? Not many reasons for that left at all...
Just an open ending after an average season two which is meant to make people watch the upcoming season three as well. I didn't even try to understand it.
So, season three starts next week on March, 3rd - but without Wang Yan Lin??? No hint of him in the latest trailer and the new posters... That would be sad. Without him, half of the fun would be gone... Or were they afraid, Wang Yan Lin could outact Elvis Han again like he did in season two where his perfomance was by far the best of the whole cast.
Oh my god..You guys are solely looking at the drama as if it was not based on a novel! Read the novel first! From…
What makes this season two so annoying for me is that (1) at least 1/3 of the important cast got exchanged, which had crucial impact on the portrayal of certain charaters (the Emperor, the Empress, the Princess, Chen Mou, the Sword-Addict, the Flower-Addict and so on), that (2) the glorious cinematography and CGI seem to having gone poof together with the soundtrack, which obviously consists of only two or three pieces of music, now, and that (3) the writers seem to having forgotten everything about how to turn a novel into a drama script (a novel is meant to inspire and feed the imagnation of the readers, a drama should feed the watchers' senses via great images, performances and music)...
In season one, Hu Jun, the villain, was by far the most interesting character and the actor who's immense charisma and intense play carried the whole show. In season two, I like the villains much better than the heroes, too. Chen Tai Shen (Chen Mou), Yu Ailei (Xiling's Leader) and He Zhong Hua (Liu Bai) have this enormous on-screen presence it needs to add weight to a character. They know how to use a smirk, a blink, a gesture to create atmosphere...
...and then we have a bunch of highly cultivated and reportedly well trained disciples running around in battle like the Roman army in Goscinny's and Uderzo's 'Asterix' comics when they try to overthrow a certain Gaulish village... The energy and effort these well trained disciples needed and wasted to help 2nd Brother Jun Mo with putting on his armour just to help him putting it off a felt second later was priceless - like straight from a Monthy Python Movie... (that scene wasn't meant to be taken serious right...???)
The 'good side' in this tale can only be glad that in this kind of story it's always the good side that wins...
But I think, I'd rather pledge my allegiance with the baddies and risk my downfall...
Never thought, I'd really finish it as the first try didn't convince me at all, but, now, a few years later, I think, it's not so bad, at all!!!
Sadly, the over all positive impression gets overshadowed by the useless and unnecessary fanfiction about Linghu Chong and 'Mary Sue' Dongfang Bubai, which almost killed the whole thing off for me. The way they forced an actual minor side-character into a leading one meant a lot of strain for the actual story and took room from the actual leading characters, so, the story about their fate and the tragedy behind, lost its impact. They even granted Dongfang Bubai the last scene at the end of the series, which should definitely belong to Linghu Chong and Ren Ying Ying. Maybe, I could have understood why Dongfang Bubai got a bigger role in this drama, but Joe Chen's boring and expressionless performance didn't justify the whole thing either. I really breathed a sigh in relive when 'Mary Sue' Dongfang Bubai finally fell off that cliff, but, alas, that doesn't kill a Mary Sue!!! How could I forget about that! And so, tada, they made Mary Sue return and, of course Mary Sue had the big sacrifice scene...Blergh... (Hint: Dongfang Bubai can be turned into a main character, but it should fit. How great it can be done, they show in "Swordsman" (2018)...)
As worse as the fanfiction and that Mary Sue turned Dongfang Bubai was the dubbing!!! Horrible!!! Gladly, there is some movement since a couple of years that this awful tradition will vanish more and more...
To begin with: The one, who rocks this adaptation is Han Dong as Tian Bo Guang. He (not his voiceover) deserves a 12/10. He outplays both, male and female leads, single-handedly. Clever, witty, charming, sweet, naughty... Hats off!!!
And now on with my first impressions: Giving it a second try, at the moment, I think, it's not bad at all. In many parts. it's definitely much better than a 7.7 rating: It's full of dynamic, it's vivid, it's well choreographed, the story gets pushed forward in an almost perfect pace, the acting mainly matches the story, (the dubbing is awful as always, though), the cast is well chosen (at least for most of the characters)... Some cast members are sworn brothers (and sisters) ever since they worked together in "Water Margin" (2011), so, good performances are a given.
So, why would I NOT rate it higher than 7.7...??? 1. The Fan-Fiction This dumb and dull made up fan-fiction lovestory between protagonist Linghu Chong and a female 'Mary-Sue'-turned Dongfang Bubai feels forced, totally out of place and it totally belittles the actual love-stroy between Linghu Chong and Ren Ying Ying and the sweet back and forth between Tian Bo Guang and Yi Lin (because, Mary Sue, of course, has to be part of their story, too). This fan-fiction turns Linghu Chong into a stupid womanizer instead of a young man who feels more and more disgusted by the self-declared righteous sects, while 'Mary Sue' Dongfang Bubai has to be in every scene (why so, we'll never get to find out) being the annyoing "OC" many fanfiction writers create to write themselves into the story.
2. Linghu Chong's Age Wallace Huo is slightly too old for the role. Even though Wallace Huo delivers a great performance as Linghu Chong, I don't buy him playing a young lad in his late teens/early twenties.
3. Joe Chen as Dongfang Bubai. Whoever came up with the idea to turn Dongfang Bubai into a female should have made sure to cast an actress as able to fill the character with life as Brigitte Lin had been back then. Joe Chen delivers one of those boring 'I-have-only-one-facial-expression' performances that I started to feel the urge to skip her scenes only a few episodes into the show. She can name herself lucky that the writers wanted a Mary Sue as the second love interest for Linghu Chong and therefore turned Dongfang Bubai into a girl, but I'll never get, why they chose to cast her. There is nothing exceptional about her, neither her looks nor her acting skills. She's just a pretty but average faced girl having caught a Mary Sue role in an adaptation of a Louis Cha novel, that's all.
(While talking about Dongfang Bubai: Ding Yu Xi, having been only 21 at the time where Swordsman (2018) got filmed, delivered a way more believable performance as Dongfang Bubai with his androgynous looks and his incredible talent...)
Why, oh why did they have to change the actresses who played Ye Hong Yu and Lu Chen Jia and decided to keep Mo Shan Shan??? That Crystal Yuan is as boring as watching paint dry or grass grow...
With Andy On's and He Zhong Hua's characters having sacrificed their lives for the sake of the world, only two or three really interesting characters are left.
What for would I feel the urge to watch season three...???
Not many reasons for that left at all...
I didn't even try to understand it.
No hint of him in the latest trailer and the new posters...
That would be sad. Without him, half of the fun would be gone...
Or were they afraid, Wang Yan Lin could outact Elvis Han again like he did in season two where his perfomance was by far the best of the whole cast.
In season one, Hu Jun, the villain, was by far the most interesting character and the actor who's immense charisma and intense play carried the whole show.
In season two, I like the villains much better than the heroes, too.
Chen Tai Shen (Chen Mou), Yu Ailei (Xiling's Leader) and He Zhong Hua (Liu Bai) have this enormous on-screen presence it needs to add weight to a character. They know how to use a smirk, a blink, a gesture to create atmosphere...
...and then we have a bunch of highly cultivated and reportedly well trained disciples running around in battle like the Roman army in Goscinny's and Uderzo's 'Asterix' comics when they try to overthrow a certain Gaulish village...
The energy and effort these well trained disciples needed and wasted to help 2nd Brother Jun Mo with putting on his armour just to help him putting it off a felt second later was priceless - like straight from a Monthy Python Movie... (that scene wasn't meant to be taken serious right...???)
The 'good side' in this tale can only be glad that in this kind of story it's always the good side that wins...
But I think, I'd rather pledge my allegiance with the baddies and risk my downfall...
Sadly, the over all positive impression gets overshadowed by the useless and unnecessary fanfiction about Linghu Chong and 'Mary Sue' Dongfang Bubai, which almost killed the whole thing off for me.
The way they forced an actual minor side-character into a leading one meant a lot of strain for the actual story and took room from the actual leading characters, so, the story about their fate and the tragedy behind, lost its impact.
They even granted Dongfang Bubai the last scene at the end of the series, which should definitely belong to Linghu Chong and Ren Ying Ying.
Maybe, I could have understood why Dongfang Bubai got a bigger role in this drama, but Joe Chen's boring and expressionless performance didn't justify the whole thing either.
I really breathed a sigh in relive when 'Mary Sue' Dongfang Bubai finally fell off that cliff, but, alas, that doesn't kill a Mary Sue!!! How could I forget about that!
And so, tada, they made Mary Sue return and, of course Mary Sue had the big sacrifice scene...Blergh...
(Hint: Dongfang Bubai can be turned into a main character, but it should fit. How great it can be done, they show in "Swordsman" (2018)...)
As worse as the fanfiction and that Mary Sue turned Dongfang Bubai was the dubbing!!!
Horrible!!! Gladly, there is some movement since a couple of years that this awful tradition will vanish more and more...
The one, who rocks this adaptation is Han Dong as Tian Bo Guang.
He (not his voiceover) deserves a 12/10.
He outplays both, male and female leads, single-handedly.
Clever, witty, charming, sweet, naughty...
Hats off!!!
And now on with my first impressions:
Giving it a second try, at the moment, I think, it's not bad at all. In many parts. it's definitely much better than a 7.7 rating:
It's full of dynamic, it's vivid, it's well choreographed, the story gets pushed forward in an almost perfect pace, the acting mainly matches the story, (the dubbing is awful as always, though), the cast is well chosen (at least for most of the characters)...
Some cast members are sworn brothers (and sisters) ever since they worked together in "Water Margin" (2011), so, good performances are a given.
So, why would I NOT rate it higher than 7.7...???
1. The Fan-Fiction
This dumb and dull made up fan-fiction lovestory between protagonist Linghu Chong and a female 'Mary-Sue'-turned Dongfang Bubai feels forced, totally out of place and it totally belittles the actual love-stroy between Linghu Chong and Ren Ying Ying and the sweet back and forth between Tian Bo Guang and Yi Lin (because, Mary Sue, of course, has to be part of their story, too).
This fan-fiction turns Linghu Chong into a stupid womanizer instead of a young man who feels more and more disgusted by the self-declared righteous sects, while 'Mary Sue' Dongfang Bubai has to be in every scene (why so, we'll never get to find out) being the annyoing "OC" many fanfiction writers create to write themselves into the story.
2. Linghu Chong's Age
Wallace Huo is slightly too old for the role. Even though Wallace Huo delivers a great performance as Linghu Chong, I don't buy him playing a young lad in his late teens/early twenties.
3. Joe Chen as Dongfang Bubai.
Whoever came up with the idea to turn Dongfang Bubai into a female should have made sure to cast an actress as able to fill the character with life as Brigitte Lin had been back then.
Joe Chen delivers one of those boring 'I-have-only-one-facial-expression' performances that I started to feel the urge to skip her scenes only a few episodes into the show.
She can name herself lucky that the writers wanted a Mary Sue as the second love interest for Linghu Chong and therefore turned Dongfang Bubai into a girl, but I'll never get, why they chose to cast her. There is nothing exceptional about her, neither her looks nor her acting skills. She's just a pretty but average faced girl having caught a Mary Sue role in an adaptation of a Louis Cha novel, that's all.
(While talking about Dongfang Bubai:
Ding Yu Xi, having been only 21 at the time where Swordsman (2018) got filmed, delivered a way more believable performance as Dongfang Bubai with his androgynous looks and his incredible talent...)