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Post by kyc on Aug 30, 2019 14:39:39 GMT
I've just finished Pingzong Xiaying Lu (《萍踪俠影錄》). Since I find most of my reviews long-winded, I'll try to keep this short.
In short, it's as good as The Legend of White-haired Demoness and introduces us to Zhang Danfeng, LYS's favorite protagonist. Some parts are really well-written. Maybe it's me, but I find the last few chapters not as gripping. The ending is expected since I've already read the next book in the series. It's a happy ending.
The plot revolves around Zhang Danfeng, Yun Lei and Yun Chong. The grandfather of the latter two has a feud with Zhang Danfeng's father. Although Yun Lei is in love with Zhang, they cannot get married. Also, the politics of early Ming and the Ming emperor being humiliated by a Mongol kingdom feature prominently in the plot.
Liang Yusheng clearly had planned out most of the novel. It doesn't suffer from haphazard incidents that don't tie together. For most of the book I was enthralled.
The entire novel is 31 chapters.
Rating: 4.5
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Post by kyc on Sept 11, 2019 6:49:00 GMT
This is a review of Seven Swords Descend Mount Heaven (《七劍下天山》, Qi jian xia Tianshan).
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Is it possible to write a wuxia novel with too many fight scenes? I think so, because I think Seven Swords has too many of them.
I have mixed feelings about this novel, which was completed just before The White-Haired Demoness. I like The White-Haired Demoness and Pingzong Xiaying Lu (Wanderer's Chronicles) very much, and feel they deserve their reputation. Seven Swords too is often regarded as one of LYS's best. At least, one of his more famous. After reading this, I now understand why the TV series adapted less from this novel than from Saiwai Qixia Zhuan. The action in Seven Swords can feel relentless; there is not much character development. The story behind Saiwai is more intriguing.
There are two couples plus a love triangle in Seven Swords (i.e. 7 young people in love, 8 if you count in Nalan Rongruo), plus a large number of side characters. Chu Zhaonan (楚昭南) is the main villain; Ling Weifeng (凌未風) is the chief protagonist. Much of the novel follows the martial artists trying to get someone (one after another) out of the prison. Nalan Rongruo (Nalan Xingde) makes an appearance in this book, giving the author the pretext to quote much poetry.
The fact that LYS often shifts perspectives here turns out to be a shortcoming. It gets a little confusing and gives one the impression of untidiness and disorganization. Also, I think there are too many characters being introduced. I regard Seven Swords as a transitional work, somewhat inferior to the two other novels which come after it. Its structure, like in his first two novels, is too loose to my liking. Ling Weifeng is certainly an interesting protagonist, but is given not enough scope to develop. The other characters fare even worse, although they often hog the limelight.
Interestingly, Seven Swords was largely inspired by Ethel Voynich's The Gadfly (1897). I have not read that book and cannot comment on their similarities, save to point the astute reader to their link.
Rating: 3.5/5 (This is a totally personal and subjective rating. Personally, I rate The White-Haired Demoness and Pingzong Xiaying Lu (Wanderer's Chronicles) higher, but you may feel otherwise after reading the book.
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Post by soengyee on Sept 13, 2019 23:24:27 GMT
This is a review of Seven Swords Descend Mount Heaven (《七劍下天山》, Qi jian xia Tianshan). -------- Is it possible to write a wuxia novel with too many fight scenes? I think so, because I think Seven Swords has too many of them. I have mixed feelings about this novel, which was completed just before The White-Haired Demoness. I like The White-Haired Demoness and Pingzong Xiaying Lu (Wanderer's Chronicles) very much, and feel they deserve their reputation. Seven Swords too is often regarded as one of LYS's best. At least, one of his more famous. After reading this, I now understand why the TV series adapted less from this novel than from Saiwai Qixia Zhuan. The action in Seven Swords can feel relentless; there is not much character development. The story behind Saiwai is more intriguing. There are two couples plus a love triangle in Seven Swords (i.e. 7 young people in love, 8 if you count in Nalan Rongruo), plus a large number of side characters. Chu Zhaonan (楚昭南) is the main villain; Ling Weifeng (凌未風) is the chief protagonist. Much of the novel follows the martial artists trying to get someone (one after another) out of the prison. Nalan Rongruo (Nalan Xingde) makes an appearance in this book, giving the author the pretext to quote much poetry. The fact that LYS often shifts perspectives here turns out to be a shortcoming. It gets a little confusing and gives one the impression of untidiness and disorganization. Also, I think there are too many characters being introduced. I regard Seven Swords as a transitional work, somewhat inferior to the two other novels which come after it. Its structure, like in his first two novels, is too loose to my liking. Ling Weifeng is certainly an interesting protagonist, but is given not enough scope to develop. The other characters fare even worse, although they often hog the limelight. Interestingly, Seven Swords was largely inspired by Ethel Voynich's The Gadfly (1897) . I have not read that book and cannot comment on their similarities, save to point the astute reader to their link. Rating: 3.5/5 (This is a totally personal and subjective rating. Personally, I rate The White-Haired Demoness and Pingzong Xiaying Lu (Wanderer's Chronicles) higher, but you may feel otherwise after reading the book. I still prefer the story in the book vs the movie and TV 2006 adaptions. A lot of the characters are missing in there (understandable since there are A LOT of characters in the novels, but like 70% of the characters are not there or mentioned) and I didn't like how they even changed some of the character's personalities. I especially couldn't stomach the combination of Yue Mingke and Zhuo Yihang together in one, that's just ridiculous. Hamaya's hair doesn't turn white in the adaption, and she also dies saving Yang Yuncong's infant child. Since Yilan Zhu remains an infant to the end, her character arc and storyline is completely eliminated; she doesn't get to avenge her parents. Also having the White Hair Demonness whipping Hamaya to teach her not to trust men is way too much for me; she was never this sadistic. None of these events happened in either novels. But the fate of Zhuo Yihang and White Hair Demoness seemed very sad to me in the novel; but in a way they kind of finally got to be together even though technically she had passed away first already. To be honest I didn't ever finish this novel, but I didn't finish Saiwai Qiaxia Zhuan either; I found that one moved at a very slow pace. I had read and finished White Hair Maiden (it is my favourite novel) and I was so excited going into Saiwai Qiaxia Zhuan and I was surprised how boring it was. Will you read the next novel Jianghu San Nuxia and please let us know what you think? I never read the novel, I only know bits and pieces of information of it from online sources. Curious, does Lu Siniang fall in love with Yong Zheng like in folktale stories? I also find Feng Lin to be a curious character.
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Post by kyc on Sept 14, 2019 5:29:41 GMT
I still prefer the story in the book vs the movie and TV 2006 adaptions. A lot of the characters are missing in there (understandable since there are A LOT of characters in the novels, but like 70% of the characters are not there or mentioned) and I didn't like how they even changed some of the character's personalities. I especially couldn't stomach the combination of Yue Mingke and Zhuo Yihang together in one, that's just ridiculous. Hamaya's hair doesn't turn white in the adaption, and she also dies saving Yang Yuncong's infant child. Since Yilan Zhu remains an infant to the end, her character arc and storyline is completely eliminated; she doesn't get to avenge her parents. Also having the White Hair Demonness whipping Hamaya to teach her not to trust men is way too much for me; she was never this sadistic. None of these events happened in either novels. But the fate of Zhuo Yihang and White Hair Demoness seemed very sad to me in the novel; but in a way they kind of finally got to be together even though technically she had passed away first already. To be honest I didn't ever finish this novel, but I didn't finish Saiwai Qiaxia Zhuan either; I found that one moved at a very slow pace. I had read and finished White Hair Maiden (it is my favourite novel) and I was so excited going into Saiwai Qiaxia Zhuan and I was surprised how boring it was. Will you read the next novel Jianghu San Nuxia and please let us know what you think? I never read the novel, I only know bits and pieces of information of it from online sources. Curious, does Lu Siniang fall in love with Yong Zheng like in folktale stories? I also find Feng Lin to be a curious character. Actually, I have not seen the TV series, but everyone says it was adapted more from Sanwai than from Seven Swords. I will certainly read Jianghu San Nvxia and update on what follows. I agree that The White-Haired Demoness is a better novel than Seven Swords. I have Jianghu San Nvxia borrowed but it's a longer novel, probably will finish it in a couple of weeks' time. And oh, I remember... the time scheme of Seven Swords is totally off. In Seven Swords, Reverend Huiming/Yue Mingke is 120 years old, Lian Nichang is 100 years old. But Hamaya is only in her 40s or 50s... which means she taught the latter when she was around 50. Totally untrue from the prequel. So LYS messed up the chronology and ages of his characters again.
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Post by Admin on Sept 16, 2019 3:13:06 GMT
This is a review of Seven Swords Descend Mount Heaven (《七劍下天山》, Qi jian xia Tianshan). There are two couples plus a love triangle in Seven Swords (i.e. 7 young people in love, 8 if you count in Nalan Rongruo), plus a large number of side characters. Chu Zhaonan (楚昭南) is the main villain; Ling Weifeng (凌未風) is the chief protagonist. Much of the novel follows the martial artists trying to get someone (one after another) out of the prison. Nalan Rongruo (Nalan Xingde) makes an appearance in this book, giving the author the pretext to quote much poetry. kyc : wow, there's Nalan Rongruo in the novel. I wonder how's his character and role in the novel. And what poems from Nalan Rongruo that LYS quoted in the novel? It is said that Nalan Rongruo loved his first wife so much, that the wrote many love poems for her, and after she died because of baby delivery, he was so heartbroken. I wonder if the LYS's story about Nalan Rongruo is kinda similar with historical Nalan Rongrup. And what about Kangxi? Does he appear in this novel? I remember at the series Seven Swords, Nalan Minghui - Yang Yunzhong's lover was about to be married to Dodo (Prince Yu), what about in the novel? Does Nalan Minghui has any blood relation with Nalan Rongruo?
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Post by atumiwa on Sept 16, 2019 11:06:40 GMT
so who do you think the prettiest lady in LYS's world? Lian Nishang?
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Post by kyc on Sept 16, 2019 12:06:40 GMT
kyc : wow, there's Nalan Rongruo in the novel. I wonder how's his character and role in the novel. And what poems from Nalan Rongruo that LYS quoted in the novel? It is said that Nalan Rongruo loved his first wife so much, that the wrote many love poems for her, and after she died because of baby delivery, he was so heartbroken. I wonder if the LYS's story about Nalan Rongruo is kinda similar with historical Nalan Rongrup. And what about Kangxi? Does he appear in this novel? I remember at the series Seven Swords, Nalan Minghui - Yang Yunzhong's lover was about to be married to Dodo (Prince Yu), what about in the novel? Does Nalan Minghui has any blood relation with Nalan Rongruo? To answer these questions, there will be spoilers on the novel. If anyone intends to read the book and hates spoilers, it is recommended that you stop reading now. -------- When Nalan Rongruo appears I think his wife is already dead. Or that she hasn't appeared yet. There's no mention of her. BTW Nalan Rongruo is Nalan Minghui's nephew. There are a few poems by him quoted, he also quotes other poets. Mao Wanlian (冒浣蓮) appears to appreciate his literary talents but Mao eventually marries Gui Zhongming (桂仲明). There is a hinted love triangle which doesn't really develop because Mao is aware of Nalan's talents but she is always more interested in Gui Zhongming. Kangxi in this novel is a very bad guy, not the Kangxi you read in Jin Yong's The Deer and the Cauldron. He got someone to kill his own father, Shunzi. Nalan Minghui marries Dodo and lives with him for nearly two decades. It is hinted that Dodo cannot consummate his marriage because of some injury. Nalan Minghui's daughter with Yang Yuncong, Yi Lanzhu, manages to assassinate Dodo and is almost beheaded for this. Nalan Minghui commits suicide because she cannot save Yi Langzhu from execution. Eventually, Yi Langzhu manages to be saved. Yang Yuncong dies in the first chapter. He left Yi Langzhu in the hands of Ling Weifeng who teaches her martial arts.
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Post by kyc on Sept 16, 2019 12:09:39 GMT
so who do you think the prettiest lady in LYS's world? Lian Nishang? Dunno. Most of LYS's heroines are pretty too, but he does not exactly compare one with another. You can probably guess who's the prettiest within a novel, but not inter-novels.
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Post by Admin on Sept 17, 2019 9:01:04 GMT
kyc : wow, there's Nalan Rongruo in the novel. I wonder how's his character and role in the novel. And what poems from Nalan Rongruo that LYS quoted in the novel? It is said that Nalan Rongruo loved his first wife so much, that the wrote many love poems for her, and after she died because of baby delivery, he was so heartbroken. I wonder if the LYS's story about Nalan Rongruo is kinda similar with historical Nalan Rongrup. And what about Kangxi? Does he appear in this novel? I remember at the series Seven Swords, Nalan Minghui - Yang Yunzhong's lover was about to be married to Dodo (Prince Yu), what about in the novel? Does Nalan Minghui has any blood relation with Nalan Rongruo? To answer these questions, there will be spoilers on the novel. If anyone intends to read the book and hates spoilers, it is recommended that you stop reading now. -------- When Nalan Rongruo appears I think his wife is already dead. Or that she hasn't appeared yet. There's no mention of her. BTW Nalan Rongruo is Nalan Minghui's nephew. There are a few poems by him quoted, he also quotes other poets. Mao Wanlian (冒浣蓮) appears to appreciate his literary talents but Mao eventually marries Gui Zhongming (桂仲明). There is a hinted love triangle which doesn't really develop because Mao is aware of Nalan's talents but she is always more interested in Gui Zhongming. Kangxi in this novel is a very bad guy, not the Kangxi you read in Jin Yong's The Deer and the Cauldron. He got someone to kill his own father, Shunzi. Nalan Minghui marries Dodo and lives with him for nearly two decades. It is hinted that Dodo cannot consummate his marriage because of some injury. Nalan Minghui's daughter with Yang Yuncong, Yi Lanzhu, manages to assassinate Dodo and is almost beheaded for this. Nalan Minghui commits suicide because she cannot save Yi Langzhu from execution. Eventually, Yi Langzhu manages to be saved. Yang Yuncong dies in the first chapter. He left Yi Langzhu in the hands of Ling Weifeng who teaches her martial arts. Nalan Minghui was the auntie of Nalan Rongruo...this makes sense, since Nalan Rongruo is around the same with Kangxi, while his father was a high rank official in Kangxi's court. Kangxi in this novel is a very bad guy, not the Kangxi you read in Jin Yong's The Deer and the Cauldron. He got someone to kill his own father, Shunzi. ---> I read in 冰川天女传, and that's a hint that Kangxi ordered someone to kill Shunzi in Wutai Shan. Gosh...that's really bad, historical Kangxi was a benevolent ruler and a kind person I like JY's Lu Ding Ji since somehow that's close to the historical Kangxi. Anyway... to say that Nalan Minghui marries Dodo for nearly two decades...is too much differ from history then. Dodo, died of smallpox when he was just 35 years old. And I believe that Nalan Minghui was supposed to marry Dodo after the Qing already entered the pass which made Dodo exactly 30 years when they entered Beijing. Oh dear... Btw, I like 冰川天女传 as the historical events he mentioned are accurate, and LYS's description of Tibet (Potala, the Geluk Temple, and Namtso) is so close to what I saw in Tibet. I have always eager to read Tianshan Series, but I think I have to skip Seven Swordsmen then. I can't bear reading story where Kangxi is demonized Or perhaps I just have to close my eyes as if I have never read about Kangxi in real history. LOL. Sorry...I'm a fussy reader
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Post by kyc on Sept 27, 2019 13:03:23 GMT
I've just finished The Three Heroines of the Martial Arts World (《江湖三女俠》, Jianghu San Nvxia) and what follows will be a review.
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This novel is the longest from Liang Yusheng that I have read so far (2 volumes) and it's also unfortunately the most slapdash. In all seriousness I cannot recommend it to new readers. Of all the LYS I have read, this book probably demonstrates the shortcomings of Liang Yusheng best.
What is the story about? It is the sequel of Seven Swords--nearly 50 years have passed. Yi Lanzhu (易蘭珠) makes an appearance, but she is around 70 and still has a head of black hair (thanks to the flower she took in Seven Swords). Five of the other 7 swords have died. Only Wu Qiongyao (武瓊瑤) is alive.
In short, Jianghu San Nvxia is about the Yongzheng Emperor and his evil deeds, and the heroes and heroines who try to assassinate him. One of them is the folk heroine Lv Siniang (呂四娘). The other two heroines are a pair of identical twins who were separated as toddlers, Feng Ying (馮瑛) and Feng Lin (馮琳).
Sadly, the novel suffers from serious structural problems and plotholes. I suspect that LYS did not plan this novel before he started it. He merely had a very rough idea. It shows all the flaws of a carelessly written serial. The "adventures" of the martial artists are very impromptu, and there are no major themes or overarching storyline to hold the book together. Very often, the good fighters will meet the team of bad guys, fight them, win or escape, and then the next chapter, something similar will happen again. There are so many characters--I think some six dozen--that the narrative reads chaotically. LYS keeps feeding the reader with new characters.
The really important characters are Lv Siniang, Feng Ying, Feng Lin, Tang Xiaolan (唐晓澜), the Yongzheng Emperor and the wicked general Nian Gengyao (年羹堯). Unfortunately, the villains--Yongzheng and Nian Gengyao--are so stock that they lack character shading. (Also, historically Nian Gengyao was almost the same age as Yongzheng, but in the book Yongzheng is nearly two decades older.) There's a good novel underneath all the structural looseness and incohesion. The happy ending is probably the best thing about it.
As to whether Lv Siniang has any romantic entanglements with Yongzheng, as per the TV series... No. I wish they have, but unfortunately, no.
Rating: 3.0/5. (I don't think I can recommend this LYS novel except to completists. I find it even inferior to Seven Swords, since its structural looseness makes me yearn for Jin Yong's firmer hand.)
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Post by kyc on Sept 27, 2019 13:32:31 GMT
I still prefer the story in the book vs the movie and TV 2006 adaptions. A lot of the characters are missing in there (understandable since there are A LOT of characters in the novels, but like 70% of the characters are not there or mentioned) and I didn't like how they even changed some of the character's personalities. I especially couldn't stomach the combination of Yue Mingke and Zhuo Yihang together in one, that's just ridiculous. Hamaya's hair doesn't turn white in the adaption, and she also dies saving Yang Yuncong's infant child. Since Yilan Zhu remains an infant to the end, her character arc and storyline is completely eliminated; she doesn't get to avenge her parents. Also having the White Hair Demonness whipping Hamaya to teach her not to trust men is way too much for me; she was never this sadistic. None of these events happened in either novels. But the fate of Zhuo Yihang and White Hair Demoness seemed very sad to me in the novel; but in a way they kind of finally got to be together even though technically she had passed away first already. To be honest I didn't ever finish this novel, but I didn't finish Saiwai Qiaxia Zhuan either; I found that one moved at a very slow pace. I had read and finished White Hair Maiden (it is my favourite novel) and I was so excited going into Saiwai Qiaxia Zhuan and I was surprised how boring it was. Will you read the next novel Jianghu San Nuxia and please let us know what you think? I never read the novel, I only know bits and pieces of information of it from online sources. Curious, does Lu Siniang fall in love with Yong Zheng like in folktale stories? I also find Feng Lin to be a curious character. I find the 2006 adaptation quite intriguing from your description. I probably won't like it, but I remember LYS liking this Hamaya (played by Ada Choi) very much. I have to say I find the adaptation of the Singaporean Saiwai Qixia to be quite intelligent. Their Nalan Minghui knows no martial arts, they introduce Yi Lanzhu to the story. It doesn't have the rich character cast of Seven Swords, but I find it a good thing. ( Seven Swords have too many characters to my liking.)
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Post by soengyee on Sept 28, 2019 3:06:55 GMT
I've just finished The Three Heroines of the Martial Arts World (《江湖三女俠》, Jianghu San Nvxia) and what follows will be a review. ----- This novel is the longest from Liang Yusheng that I have read so far (2 volumes) and it's also unfortunately the most slapdash. In all seriousness I cannot recommend it to new readers. Of all the LYS I have read, this book probably demonstrates the shortcomings of Liang Yusheng best. What is the story about? It is the sequel of Seven Swords--nearly 50 years have passed. Yi Lanzhu (易蘭珠) makes an appearance, but she is around 70 and still has a head of black hair (thanks to the flower she took in Seven Swords). Five of the other 7 swords have died. Only Wu Qiongyao (武瓊瑤) is alive. In short, Jianghu San Nvxia is about the Yongzheng Emperor and his evil deeds, and the heroes and heroines who try to assassinate him. One of them is the folk heroine Lv Siniang (呂四娘). The other two heroines are a pair of identical twins who were separated as toddlers, Feng Ying (馮瑛) and Feng Lin (馮琳). Sadly, the novel suffers from serious structural problems and plotholes. I suspect that LYS did not plan this novel before he started it. He merely had a very rough idea. It shows all the flaws of a carelessly written serial. The "adventures" of the martial artists are very impromptu, and there are no major themes or overarching storyline to hold the book together. Very often, the good fighters will meet the team of bad guys, fight them, win or escape, and then the next chapter, something similar will happen again. There are so many characters--I think some six dozen--that the narrative reads chaotically. LYS keeps feeding the reader with new characters. The really important characters are Lv Siniang, Feng Ying, Feng Lin, Tang Xiaolan (唐晓澜), the Yongzheng Emperor and the wicked general Nian Gengyao (年羹堯). Unfortunately, the villains--Yongzheng and Nian Gengyao--are so stock that they lack character shading. (Also, historically Nian Gengyao was almost the same age as Yongzheng, but in the book Yongzheng is nearly two decades older.) There's a good novel underneath all the structural looseness and incohesion. The happy ending is probably the best thing about it. As to whether Lv Siniang has any romantic entanglements with Yongzheng, as per the TV series... No. I wish they have, but unfortunately, no. Rating: 3.0/5. ( I don't think I can recommend this LYS novel except to completists. I find it even inferior to Seven Swords, since its structural looseness makes me yearn for Jin Yong's firmer hand.) What a pity, I was actually looking forward to this novel and storyline because it sets the stage for Yunhai Yu Gong Yuan (雲海玉弓緣) much later. I think I will just forget about it after your review. I know the one armed nun was Lv Siniang's master, was she also Feng Lin and Feng Yin's master as well? Based on my understanding Feng Yin gets married with Tang Xiao Lan and would later produce Tang Jing Tian. I had a feeling there were no romantic elements between Lv Siniang and Yongzheng; he is really evil here. I had no idea Yilan Zhu is in this novel though and her hair remains white. The flower that saved her and prevented her hair from turning white, this was the same flower Zhuo Yihang found for The White Hair Demoness correct? Thank you so much for taking the time to read the novel and let us know kyc; I really appreciate the effort.
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Post by soengyee on Sept 28, 2019 3:25:50 GMT
I still prefer the story in the book vs the movie and TV 2006 adaptions. A lot of the characters are missing in there (understandable since there are A LOT of characters in the novels, but like 70% of the characters are not there or mentioned) and I didn't like how they even changed some of the character's personalities. I especially couldn't stomach the combination of Yue Mingke and Zhuo Yihang together in one, that's just ridiculous. Hamaya's hair doesn't turn white in the adaption, and she also dies saving Yang Yuncong's infant child. Since Yilan Zhu remains an infant to the end, her character arc and storyline is completely eliminated; she doesn't get to avenge her parents. Also having the White Hair Demonness whipping Hamaya to teach her not to trust men is way too much for me; she was never this sadistic. None of these events happened in either novels. But the fate of Zhuo Yihang and White Hair Demoness seemed very sad to me in the novel; but in a way they kind of finally got to be together even though technically she had passed away first already. To be honest I didn't ever finish this novel, but I didn't finish Saiwai Qiaxia Zhuan either; I found that one moved at a very slow pace. I had read and finished White Hair Maiden (it is my favourite novel) and I was so excited going into Saiwai Qiaxia Zhuan and I was surprised how boring it was. Will you read the next novel Jianghu San Nuxia and please let us know what you think? I never read the novel, I only know bits and pieces of information of it from online sources. Curious, does Lu Siniang fall in love with Yong Zheng like in folktale stories? I also find Feng Lin to be a curious character. I find the 2006 adaptation quite intriguing from your description. I probably won't like it, but I remember LYS liking this Hamaya (played by Ada Choi) very much. I have to say I find the adaptation of the Singaporean Saiwai Qixia to be quite intelligent. Their Nalan Minghui knows no martial arts, they introduce Yi Lanzhu to the story. It doesn't have the rich character cast of Seven Swords, but I find it a good thing. ( Seven Swords have too many characters to my liking.) I find the 2006 adaption very boring and slow, even worst than the novel; especially the beginning episodes. Liu Yufang has soooooo much screen time and she is very annoying here. It seems like she was the lead actress because there is no Yilan Zhu. I don't know if she even knows martial arts though; I think she does... Nalan Ming Hui is so sulken, expressionless and boring as well. I don't think it is the actress's fault, rather the script. And she doesn't even know martial arts at all. Chu Zhao Nan is not exactly evil here either like he was in the novel. He was more on the grey side; forced to commit evil acts against his wishes; I think he loved Hamaya. His first love Luzhu was annoying and pointless; why the need for this character I wonder. Choi Siu Fun is still youthful and pretty and her acting is good but she makes Hamaya to be too serious and never smiles and too vicious at times. I guess having a master who whips you would do this to you. She also did this in the 1995 TVB version of the Romance of the White Hair Maiden. I don't think this is her fault, but rather the producer. I prefer the actress in the Singaporean version as Hamaya. The Singapore version is very good in my opinion, I rewatch it all the time. Although it is not faithful to either novels but the storyline does follow Liang Yu Sheng's style. I love the bickering Lian Nichang and Zhuo Yihang in here; although it is totally made up and was never in the novel. And I don't remember her being this close to Yue Mingke as her senior. They respected each other in the novel but here they are like siblings here. Although Nalan Ming Hui doesn't know martial arts but she did disguise herself wielding a sword to get the antidote for Hamaya. One thing I couldn't accept in this adaption was the too few characters; so many people are missing. And having Chu Zhao Nan absorbing all of Reverend Hui Ming's inner power leaving him nearly crippled is unacceptable; he loses all his skills.
But at least Yang Yuncong doesn't die here, and he should have gotten together with Hamaya instead of having them go separate ways. Also Yilan Zhu's hair turns white near the end because she mistakenly believes Huazhao is ditching her for the princess... But they manage to find the flower to cure it for her later. Lanzhu and Huazhao didn't even meet that long, they had such little screentime together; did she really love him that much that her hair would turn white instantly like that?
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Post by kyc on Sept 28, 2019 4:27:48 GMT
What a pity, I was actually looking forward to this novel and storyline because it sets the stage for Yunhai Yu Gong Yuan (雲海玉弓緣) much later. I think I will just forget about it after your review. I know the one armed nun was Lv Siniang's master, was she also Feng Lin and Feng Yin's master as well? Based on my understanding Feng Yin gets married with Tang Xiao Lan and would later produce Tang Jing Tian. I had a feeling there were no romantic elements between Lv Siniang and Yongzheng; he is really evil here. I had no idea Yilan Zhu is in this novel though and her hair remains white. The flower that saved her and prevented her hair from turning white, this was the same flower Zhuo Yihang found for The White Hair Demoness correct? Thank you so much for taking the time to read the novel and let us know kyc; I really appreciate the effort. Spoilers ahead. Feng Ying and Feng Lin have different masters. Feng Ying's master was Yi Lanzhu. Feng Lin learns martial arts from the bad guys (they raised her) and later from a martial arts manual. Feng Ying's martial arts is better than Feng Lin's. Yes, Feng Ying marries Tang Xiaolan who is 15 years her senior. Yi Lanzhu's hair turned black in Seven Swords after taking the flower meant for Lian Nichang, salvaged by Zhuo Yihang. Even at 70, it remains black. You're most welcome. I will read this novel anyway because I would like to complete all of LYS's novels. But this book has proven to be disappointing... my next LYS will be 冰川天女傳. But first, some Gu Long and Wang Dulu to brainwash myself...
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Post by kyc on Sept 28, 2019 4:39:35 GMT
I find the 2006 adaption very boring and slow, even worst than the novel; especially the beginning episodes. Liu Yufang has soooooo much screen time and she is very annoying here. It seems like she was the lead actress because there is no Yilan Zhu. I don't know if she even knows martial arts though; I think she does... Nalan Ming Hui is so sulken, expressionless and boring as well. I don't think it is the actress's fault, rather the script. And she doesn't even know martial arts at all. Chu Zhao Nan is not exactly evil here either like he was in the novel. He was more on the grey side; forced to commit evil acts against his wishes; I think he loved Hamaya. His first love Luzhu was annoying and pointless; why the need for this character I wonder. Choi Siu Fun is still youthful and pretty and her acting is good but she makes Hamaya to be too serious and never smiles and too vicious at times. I guess having a master who whips you would do this to you. She also did this in the 1995 TVB version of the Romance of the White Hair Maiden. I don't think this is her fault, but rather the producer. I prefer the actress in the Singaporean version as Hamaya. The Singapore version is very good in my opinion, I rewatch it all the time. Although it is not faithful to either novels but the storyline does follow Liang Yu Sheng's style. I love the bickering Lian Nichang and Zhuo Yihang in here; although it is totally made up and was never in the novel. And I don't remember her being this close to Yue Mingke as her senior. They respected each other in the novel but here they are like siblings here. Although Nalan Ming Hui doesn't know martial arts but she did disguise herself wielding a sword to get the antidote for Hamaya. One thing I couldn't accept in this adaption was the too few characters; so many people are missing. And having Chu Zhao Nan absorbing all of Reverend Hui Ming's inner power leaving him nearly crippled is unacceptable; he loses all his skills.
But at least Yang Yuncong doesn't die here, and he should have gotten together with Hamaya instead of having them go separate ways. Also Yilan Zhu's hair turns white near the end because she mistakenly believes Huazhao is ditching her for the princess... But they manage to find the flower to cure it for her later. Lanzhu and Huazhao didn't even meet that long, they had such little screentime together; did she really love him that much that her hair would turn white instantly like that? The Singaporean adaptation is fairly faithful, but changes some parts to enrich the characterization or the plot. Most importantly, Yang Yuncong does not die young. There is also a distinct love triangle between Hamaya, Yang Yuncong and Nalan Minghui. In the book, Yang Yuncong doesn't feel much for Hamaya. I have not watched the mainland version, but heard that it was adapted more from Saiwai Qixia Zhuan. From what little I have heard, I prefer Singapore's Nalan Minghui to the 2006's. The 2006 Nalan Minghui is too melancholic to my liking. The Singaporean Yang Yuncong is also preferable to the mainland's. I don't know if anyone else has watched both series and would like to comment.
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