Ann

The article that details the true case this movie was based on:
https://www.theargus.org/news/articleView.html?idxno=2535

Painted Skin is one of the most fascinating tale by Pu Songling. All the reviews and comments here made me curious about this movie. Unfortunately, it doesn't quite meet my expectations. You can totally tell that the actors are inexperienced. Sure, they are all great to look at, but they have no charisma nor the skill and talent to make up for it. It also doesn't help that the chemistry between the ML and FL is lacklustre. A shame, as I quite like the costumes and overall vibe of the cinematography.

Most prominent role I remembered her in was in the TV series Man of Greed, which is one of my all-time favourite HK tv dramas (that I can't rewatch very often haha). And I was very impressed by her, she acted the role so well and her final moment was one of the saddest I've ever seen on TV. I didn't realize that she was also in Bride with the white hair. I didn't know about all the horrible things that happened to her, and her passing away in such a state is truly a tragedy, a waste of such a beautiful and talented actress. And what's even more infuriating is, that the ppl who did such horrid things to her went on to have a great life, success and fame (tbh, Eric Tsang always stroke me as creepy and I never liked him).

I started watching it because of the historical theme and the main actresses that I like quite a lot, esp Sheren and Amy. I tried to like the show and forced myself almost half through it. But while the female cast and most of the supporting cast are doing mostly well, the male actors for the main roles are very stiff and at times downright bad in their acting (with Gilbert as the only one being decent at best). Especially the love interest for Kiki is a pain to watch. I find myself fastforwarding through most of the scenes with the male leads alone. Since the romantic relationships and the struggles of the couples are one of the main driving factors of the story, the lack of chemistry and the wooden acting by the male leads make the show feel dragging and tedious (and I say this as someone who usually doesn't mind long shows and slow pacing stories).

Discovered him when watching old Andy Lau movies. I did remember him from the Once upon a time in China series (but his role was that of a comedic relief sidekick to Jet Li's Wong Fei Hung, so you tend to overlook him). Sadly quite underrated. There are only few movies of him that I like, but I appreciate his acting and dedication. He can do comedy, drama and action movies, and also did lots of the stunts himself (got seriously injured shooting Lung Fung Restaurant and almost got crushed by a car too when filming for No Regret No Return). And, he's a pretty good singer too.
One movie I've watched is missing here, the sequel to The Last Eunuch of China (Twilight in the Forbidden City). He was really good in that movie, but it was a hard watch.

I can't say which one I like better, the japanese one or this chinese version (the american was okay but the weakest imo). Great movie!

I'm curious where this is said, could you pls point me to the source of it (not wikipedia, bc that site isn't necessarily a reliable source)? Censorship in China's Entertainment is a subject I'm quite interested in. Thanks!:)

I don't know where you get that, but the emperor is not exactly shown as a hero here, far from it actually.

About the pacing, I was hooked from the first episode in NIF1 and binged it within few days, but it took me nearly 2 weeks to get to episode 6 of NIF 2 when it finally hooked me somewhat and I started to watch more episodes at once instead of always putting it off after finishing one episode.
That being said though, I'm at episode 25 now, but I still catch myself checking the time sometimes. The plotting and twists and characters are not as well written and feel flat overall. It certainly has more romance and I guess this can be nice for most, but as romance is not my favourite genre, this angle doesn't do much for me either. Not to mention that the acting is overall weak and I don't feel the chemistry of the main couple.
Strangely enough, even though I'm usually not fond of Huang Xiaoming, he proved to be on the stronger acting spectrum of the main cast and I was most attached to his character emotionally. Nonetheless, I do think that the show is still worth the watch (I like the references to NIF 1 that give us a bit of insight into the fate of some of the characters), it does keep you interested enough to continue watching.

While more eagerly waiting for the second season of the donghua, I'm quite looking forward to this adaption too. Can't wait for them to announce the cast.

I've watched it on yuesp.com, but I'm not sure if the site still works. And it's all cantonese without sub.

We should also give a huge shout out to the action choreographer, Tanigaki Kenji. He set a high bar of action choreography in Japan's movie industry. I have never seen this high level of action choreography in japanese movies before. But it's not a surprise, given that Tanigaki was part of Donnie Yen's stunt team for 20 years, he learned from one of the best.

I only remember the author expressing his dislike of another OVA's ending, that is Seisouhen, not Tsuiokuhen.
Battousai is the name he got already before he met Tomoe, you're right.

The OVA did show Kenshin's childhood, more of his thoughts and motivation as to why he wanted to leave and join the fight against the Shogunat and how he left his master after disagreement.

A good show. But the romance is one of the most frustrating I've seen, especially due to the character Tse Bik Wah, played by Barbara Yung. She takes the definition of tsundere to a whole other level, and not in a positive way. She often acts like a spoiled little girl that seems to care more about her pride than anything that it borders on ego-centrism. Which is also the reason why there's so little chemistry between her and Kim Hong, their romance seems so one-sided with him doing all the work for their relationship while she never listens nor is she willing to give him a chance to clear misunderstandings between them, dragging the whole relationship conflict unnecessarily. I wouldn't have a problem with that kind of character if there's some character development, but nope. She stays that way the whole show until the end, not able to self reflect, no character growth. It gets very tiresome, not to mention very annoying.

Man, I remember him from all these TVB shows I've watched. Coincidentally, I'm watching some old TVB shows with him again these days... I didn't know that he was sick.
RIP! My condolences to his family and friends.

I've watched Dicky's version first as a kid. I've put this off for years because I rarely watch such old wuxia dramas even though I was curious since it stars two of my all-time favourite HK actors. But now I see why it's such a classic. Age truly doesn't matter. This is certainly the best adaption I've seen. Dicky must've felt quite a pressure and he did his best, but he just can't beat Tony in terms of charisma and acting skill. Plus, the chemistry between Andy and Tony is just wonderful to watch, I can't recall being so enchanted by a couple than these two, seriously! These two actors really do work well together. Even back then when they were still young and inexperienced, they already displayed great acting talent.

So this is Andy's first major role and Tony, albeit in a minor role, caught the eyes of the director through his earnesty which then got him casted in bigger roles afterwards. Tony in his youth looked like an angel, cute as a button. Young Andy was adorable too. Worth watching alone to see how both legends started off.

If you're looking for a typical Jet Li martial art movie, this is not it (although there's still some action). But I'd recommend to any Jet Li fan, still, if they are interested to see that he's more than just a martial arts actor. And to anyone who generally likes a good war movie with a strong cast.

What a talented young man! I can't believe that I never heard of him before. He blew me away in Hikaru no Go and I was initially a bit sceptical, since I love the Anime so much. But he's such a natural! He deserves more recognition! Def became one of my favourite actors now!