TallestGrass

I finally decided to come back to this drama and complete it after I finished Blood River. I am a huge fan of the Blood of Youth which introduce me to Zhou Mu Nan's wuxia universe. I loved it so much that I rewatched it multiple times that I lost count back then in 2022. Even though I can't read Chinese, I bought all of his books, Blood of Youth, Young Brewmaster, Dark River, whatever was printed and I can get my hands or eyes on (anime wise). I watched all the anime of Zhou Mu Nan's shared universe: Blood of Youth anime, Dashing Youth/ Young Brewmaster anime, Blood/Dark River anime, and Jun You Yun/ A Gentlemen Says anime (Bili Bili's not Youku's. I even paid the official Bili Bili account on Youtube to watch it back then.). It was the first time I started watching Chinese anime and I had to get used to the Chinese anime style. All of the anime felt like a production of Zhou Mu Nan's work, lives and breaths his style of wuxia (new wuxia). All his main characters and all side characters seem to embody Zhou Mu nan's youthful energy and vigor. When I watch his anime, I get so enthralled and excited like I was a teenager again and your blood boil in excitement. And that is Zhou Mu Nan's theme and intention and trademark. But ... the big But... Dashing Youth (live adaption of the Young Brewmaster) was absolutely dreadful to watch. I don't know if it's the director or the combination of a bad directing, editing, and/or scriptwriting the plot is so dull and flat like a piece of paper. I mostly want to blame it on the bad directing, editing, and CGI (which replace most of the fight scenes). Most fight scenes people just stood there or hang in air and CGI did the work. Otherwise it wouldn't make sense that I liked the anime of the Young Brewmaster but something went so wrong with the live adaption... The only saving grace of Dashing Youth were mostly important side characters, like Li Changshou/Nangong Chunshui (loved both actors who played this person. Two different actors were able to make the audience believe they were one and the same person), and Sikong Changfeng which is the character I fell in love with in the Young Brewmaster anime loved his intro and his name. The rest of the main characters were so hard to follow or connect with, Yue Yao, Baili Dongjun, the later half of Yi Wenjun (the script killed this character's soul lol), and the list can go on. I’m not sure why they couldn’t get Yin Tao to directed Dashing Youth if he did I’m sure he could have kept the author’s intentions. With how well the Blood of Youth and Blood River did, as long as Yin Tao is paired up with Zhou Mu Nan the world of wuxia can be lit up yet again. Because this is what it mean's to be wuxia.