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Post by kyc on Dec 24, 2018 6:22:34 GMT
Director: Lai Shui-ching (HK)
The main cast members:
Wallace Chung as Qiao Feng / Xiao Feng
Kim Ki-bum as Duan Yu
Zhang Meng as Wang Yuyan
Jia Qing as A'zhu / A'zi
Zong Fengyan as Murong Fu
Han Dong as Xuzhu
Mao Xiaotong as Zhong Ling
Zhao Yuanyuan as Mu Wanqing
Canti Lau as Duan Zhengchun
Viann Zhang as Kang Min
Alec Su as Wuyazi
Alyssa Chia as Li Qiushui
Gao Yuanyuan as Li Qiushui's sister (Li Biyun)
This TV series has got poor reviews at China's Douban site, scoring a lowly 4.3. However, later reviews tend to give it better gradings. A lot of the poorer ratings came in during the first few episodes.
I watched 10 episodes of this series and it's enough to make me want to watch more. It seriously isn't that bad... you could nitpick here and there, but then TLBB is never the easiest novel to adapt or cast.
I will update this thread as I go along. I will probably finish watching it by end January 2019. An HD version is available on Youtube for anyone wanting to watch outside China. The English subtitles is not good, but it's enough to make sense of the complicated plot.
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Post by kyc on Dec 24, 2018 6:48:54 GMT
As has been reported here, Hunan TV allegedly stopped airing the series midway due to poor ratings. I say allegedly, because I don't stay in China and thus can't know for sure. The series has 54 episodes, so every 11 episodes or so correspond to one volume of the novel. It's rumored to be based on Jin Yong's new century rewrites--I don't know for sure and we shall see. My thoughts about the first 10 episodes: Wallace Chung puts in effort in crafting his role. Unfortunately, he is at a disadvantage--he is not especially burly an actor and he perhaps lacks the charisma for Xiao Feng, but the series does put in considerable thoughts behind his outfits and mannerisms. I feel that Chung is perhaps a little over-cautious, maybe because he does not want to spoil the character. But it's only the first 10 episodes. Kim Ki-bum is watchable, not as obnoxious as I thought he would be. He has some odd mannerisms, like puffing his cheeks and gesticulating wildly at times. But overall, he does make Duan Yu's motivations at least plausible. It's a long time since I watched Jimmy Lin's Duan Yu and I can't say for certain whether I prefer one or the other. Maybe I'll watch the 2003 series after this, since I have reread the book. Both the 2013 Mu Wanxing and Zhong Ling are decent. However, some of their make-up is a little too 21st century for my liking... Both Murong Fu and Wang Yuyan have make short cameos so far. Wang Yuyan is again decent, but not as astoundingly pretty as in the previous adaptations. Neither stand out much in the first 10 episodes or so. I find the supporting cast to be pretty strong (e.g. Duan Zhengming, Duan Zhengchun, Kang Min, his other lovers, the 4 Evils, the monks from Tianlong Monastery). When I last stopped watching, Jiumo Zhi had already appeared... and he is not the comedy that the 1997 TVB version rendered him. The narration of this series by and large follows the book quite faithfully--so far. The few departures are largely in the first episode, with Wallace Chung's classic skateboarding sequence and a fat Uighur princess (obviously played by a Han Chinese) going after Duan Yu. Xiao Feng makes an appearance in the first episode, but the screenwriters did not spoil the suspense like in the 2003 version by letting us know Qiao Feng is a Khitan from the start. About 1/3 of the first 10 episodes is spent on illuminating Qiao Feng's backstory, starting from just before the last Beggar Chief died. Also, I think the screenwriters make Murong Fu and Qiao Feng meet beforehand during a wulin sect leaders' conference somewhere during the first 10 episodes, which I don't believe is in the book. Generally, the narrative thread of the first 10 episodes is chronological but easy to follow for first-time viewers, with less flashbacks than in the 2003 or 1997 versions (if my memory serves me well). In short, when the series sticks to the book, it's pretty watchable. When it departs from it, it's no good but you can easily ignore it because it doesn't drag.
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Post by Admin on Dec 24, 2018 7:16:31 GMT
Viann Zhang as Kang Min is a good choice. She's a good actor, but I've watched her series many times as a slutty mature woman, therefore she's as Kang Min is just matching what she's supposed to be.
Yes, the fat princess who chased after DY, and Wallace Chung skateboarding...LOL.
It's true that Hunan TV stopped airing it because of the poor rating.
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Post by kyc on Dec 24, 2018 8:58:19 GMT
Viann Zhang as Kang Min is a good choice. She's a good actor, but I've watched her series many times as a slutty mature woman, therefore she's as Kang Min is just matching what she's supposed to be. Yes, the fat princess who chased after DY, and Wallace Chung skateboarding...LOL. It's true that Hunan TV stopped airing it because of the poor rating. Viann Zhang as Kang Min is good here and she is given ample screen time. I have never seen her elsewhere--I watch very few TV series nowadays. The screenwriters gave her more screen time with Wallace Chung which is not in the book. In the book, Qiao Feng only saw her once before the scene in the Apricot Forest. In the first episode or two, Qiao Feng sucks snake toxin from her leg (!) As I said before, when they depart from the book, I don't like it because you can pick out the plotholes--maybe not now, but almost certainly later.
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Post by siuyiu on Dec 24, 2018 18:00:39 GMT
i found the entire series available to watch on YT, so i binged. since i know the overall story, i just watched the bits i was interested in. based on that, here are my thoughts on the series:
- wallace chung does a decent, credible job as xiao feng, though he lacks a bit of gravitas and the melancholy; nonetheless, he isn't bad in the role - i hate that they found another baby faced kid to portray duan yu as a moron - don't like the WYY--don't see how anyone would find her ethereally beautiful - the older, supporting roles were well cast: the previous beggar clan leader, wanyan hongli, the shaolin head monk, jiu mozi - poor choice in duan yanqing--he can do evil (he usually does) but can't do the royalty bit - mediocre duan zhengchun - the actor playing murong fu isn't a bad actor, he just doesn't look the part, so i had trouble believing him - the females are all advertisements for plastic surgery and offer absolutely nothing to the roles they play - the fight scenes, especially the special effects, are ridiculous
overall, i think they follow the source plotline pretty closely, though the changes in the ending are likely from the 3rd edition (which i haven't read). wallace manages to carry the series, and if you turn a blind eye to the idiotic duan yu (or if that's your impression of him anyway), the series is worth a watch. the scenery is lovely, some of the locations (like the palace for dali) are fantastic.
as i was watching the series, i recalled that we'd previously talked about the series when it was in production. i remember us laughing ourselves sick over the phallic beggar clan dog beating stick.
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Post by kyc on Dec 25, 2018 3:14:28 GMT
Maybe I'll play the devil's advocate a bit... Duan Yanqing--I have not watched beyond Episode 10 or 11, but in the book he only appears as a royalty in a short flashback in Book 5. I would think maybe he can't do royalty... but I can't tell with him wearing an iron mask, dressed in black and hobbling all the time. Duan Zhengchun--played by Canti Lau. He plays it differently from the 2003 version, whose Duan Zhengchun is more of a Casanova. Maybe Canti Lau lacks a bit of gravitas and charisma in the role, but the parts when he expresses his love for his two lovers (first 10 episodes) was ok for me. Duan Zhengming--I think this is an easy role to play and I don't have high expectations. Zhong Ling and Mu Wanqing--In all fairness, Zhong Ling is a minor, supporting role and I don't expect much from the actress. So this version is credible. Mu Wanqing, I think the 2003 version might be better (can't really remember) but I won't fault Zhao Yuanyuan. She is decent if not outstanding. Wang Yuyan--Agreed. She is not beautiful enough, but having watched just a few snippets, I can't say much about her acting or interpretation. If she doesn't play Wang Yuyan as an airhead, I'll be satisfied. Furthermore it's not a very meaty role. Murong Fu--I thought his conical hat looks more like Dongfang Bubai than Murong Fu. Azhu/Azi--She has not appeared yet but I do not like the short parts I watched on Azi before. But I will reserve further criticisms until I have evaluated her acting. Plastic surgery--LOL. I have not yet got one , but I agree this current crop of young Mainland actresses all look pretty generic/generically pretty (pun intended). I'd say Mainland China needs more variety in their beauty compartment rather than have all the actresses look like they were bred from the same incubator, using the same Korean brand cosmetics You don't hear people mistaking Brigitte Lin for Maggie Cheung, Cherie Chung for Joey Wong. They have to, in short, look more individualized. The same applies to the guys... I can't even reliably tell some Mainland young actor/actress from another, they look like they are groomed to look the same and I don't really care... The instructors picking them for their academies seem to have some higher instructions from the Party on what kind of look they are after? Fighting scenes--Totally agree with Siuyu. But the trend of wuxia explosions really started with Zhang Jizong, who is/was also a part-time TNT smuggler . I think lots of people like me would prefer more "old style" fighting--wire fu, martial arts choreography and some acrobatics. Currently, Xiao Feng = 10 tonnes of TNT vs Jiumo Zhi = 7 tonnes of TNT. Makes Marvel comics adaptations seem like the epitome of sophistication.
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Post by siuyiu on Dec 25, 2018 3:24:10 GMT
kyc re: duan yanqing i know who the actor is. playing royalty is beyond his abilities. LOL re MRF's conical hat!
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Post by kyc on Dec 25, 2018 3:33:47 GMT
LOL, I was reading some past posts on TLBB 2013 on the spcnet.tv forum and came across this remark:
"Zhang Meng is the EPITOME of beauty."
So everyone has their own gauge of beauty.
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Post by yenchin on Dec 25, 2018 3:44:43 GMT
Yes, this series was brought out and mocked back in the previous board.
Viann Zhang is also Li Mo Chou in the (also ill received) Yu Cheng directed ROCH (2014, Hunan TV).
QF sucking blood out of Kang Min was really a sad excuse to add some fatal attraction between these two, however, in hindsight it seems that this is some kind of trope, as most of the time in Wuxia if a male heals another male both are fully dressed, and when a male heals a female prepare to see either her clothes taken off or some hanky panky going on.
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Post by kyc on Dec 25, 2018 3:47:44 GMT
Yes, this series was brought out and mocked back in the previous board. Viann Zhang is also Li Mo Chou in the (also ill received) Yu Cheng directed ROCH (2014, Hunan TV). QF sucking blood out of Kang Min was really a sad excuse to add some fatal attraction between these two, however, in hindsight it seems that this is some kind of trope, as most of the time in Wuxia if a male heals another male both are fully dressed, and when a male heals a female prepare to see either her clothes taken off or some hanky panky going on. I don't know about what happens later on, but that part when he was sucking her leg, Kang Min was trying to seduce him and got bitten by a venomous snake. Qiao Feng was trying to save her life... so there is some fatal attraction from one direction, not both.
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Post by yenchin on Dec 25, 2018 3:58:58 GMT
Yes, this series was brought out and mocked back in the previous board. Viann Zhang is also Li Mo Chou in the (also ill received) Yu Cheng directed ROCH (2014, Hunan TV). QF sucking blood out of Kang Min was really a sad excuse to add some fatal attraction between these two, however, in hindsight it seems that this is some kind of trope, as most of the time in Wuxia if a male heals another male both are fully dressed, and when a male heals a female prepare to see either her clothes taken off or some hanky panky going on. I don't know about what happens later on, but that part when he was sucking her leg, Kang Min was trying to seduce him and got bitten by a venomous snake. Qiao Feng was trying to save her life... so there is some fatal attraction from one direction, not both. Qiao Feng's Chi is powerful enough to heal people from near death, as well as resist You Tanzhi's poison palm. So a mere venomous snake bite I'd rather choose the "take off clothes and let me give you some chi" to at least make it credible.....
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Post by kyc on Dec 25, 2018 4:09:11 GMT
"take off clothes"? Would that make Qiao Feng a lecher? I do not like this addition (Qiao Feng sucking snake venom from Kang Min's leg) either. It makes no sense in the context of the book. In the original, Qiao Feng cannot remember seeing Madame Ma before the Apricot Forest scene. This makes her later treachery more astounding. Also, we can forgive Qiao Feng for believing her. The way Madame Ma tries to seduce him here, Qiao Feng would have been on guard against her. He might not believe in her since she has a history as a vamp/seducer, certainly he would not believe her as the pure, chaste widow as in the book. So once again the screenwriters try to outwit Jin Yong, and fail utterly.
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Post by siuyiu on Dec 25, 2018 4:38:10 GMT
Viann Zhang is also Li Mo Chou in the (also ill received) Yu Cheng directed ROCH (2014, Hunan TV). QF sucking blood out of Kang Min was really a sad excuse to add some fatal attraction between these two, however, in hindsight it seems that this is some kind of trope, as most of the time in Wuxia if a male heals another male both are fully dressed, and when a male heals a female prepare to see either her clothes taken off or some hanky panky going on. oh, really? i thought she sort of looked familiar, but i have a hard time remembering the mainland actresses both because they look similar after all the plastic surgery and because i rarely watch the productions. yeah, atv was also guilty about the female needing to strip naked when they need to be healed by a male--some is posting PZXYL eps on YT right now, so i've been re-watching. pervy directors.
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Post by Admin on Dec 25, 2018 7:07:29 GMT
Plastic surgery--LOL. I have not yet got one , but I agree this current crop of young Mainland actresses all look pretty generic/generically pretty (pun intended). I'd say Mainland China needs more variety in their beauty compartment rather than have all the actresses look like they were bred from the same incubator, using the same Korean brand cosmetics You don't hear people mistaking Brigitte Lin for Maggie Cheung, Cherie Chung for Joey Wong. They have to, in short, look more individualized. The same applies to the guys... I can't even reliably tell some Mainland young actor/actress from another, they look like they are groomed to look the same and I don't really care... The instructors picking them for their academies seem to have some higher instructions from the Party on what kind of look they are after? Really love this statement. So true...Current entertainment industry is full of plastic faces come up from the same incubator, and also too many photoshop and editing. And almost all Korean actress look the same
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Post by galvatron prime on Dec 25, 2018 7:39:42 GMT
Viann Zhang is also Li Mo Chou in the (also ill received) Yu Cheng directed ROCH (2014, Hunan TV). QF sucking blood out of Kang Min was really a sad excuse to add some fatal attraction between these two, however, in hindsight it seems that this is some kind of trope, as most of the time in Wuxia if a male heals another male both are fully dressed, and when a male heals a female prepare to see either her clothes taken off or some hanky panky going on. oh, really? i thought she sort of looked familiar, but i have a hard time remembering the mainland actresses both because they look similar after all the plastic surgery and because i rarely watch the productions. yeah, atv was also guilty about the female needing to strip naked when they need to be healed by a male--some is posting PZXYL eps on YT right now, so i've been re-watching. pervy directors. siuyiu,What is PZXYL ? I told it was done by double when the female actress strip naked and only it back was show except soft porn Hong Kong movie which show it breast ,am I right ? Which ATV was actress strip naked ? kycHow this Demigod compare to 1996 Felix Wong version? Between Wallace Chung and Felix Wong, Who do you think act better in Xiao Feng?
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