#wuxia — Public Fediverse posts

Just the right amount of tropeiness and batshittery on top of a fairly decent story (For this kind of flick. The bar is not high.). The odd slo-mo and still-frame shots threaten to derail the whole thing. But Alexander Fu Sheng's quippery pushes this from good to excellent.

#wuxia #samurai #review #film
#SamuraiSaturday #letterboxd

https://letterboxd.com/joewells/film/the-avenging-eagle/

Hello and welcome to Samurai Saturday!

First, the serial- Adventures of Captain Marvel, Chapter 2, The Guillotine

Then, more Shaw Bros, The Avenging Eagle

#wuxia #samurai #serial #film
#SamuraiSaturday

https://letterboxd.com/film/the-avenging-eagle/

https://letterboxd.com/film/adventures-of-captain-marvel/

Zhan Zhao Adventures

The “Southern hero” Zhan Zhao is carrying vital evidence from an old friend about an unsolved case, intent on delivering it safely to the capital. But his foes are equally driven to stop him. Fortunately, he meets Huo Ling Long, the daughter of Linglong Villa, and Bai Yu Tang, an eccentric wandering hero nicknamed the “Golden-Haired Rat”. Together, they battle the powerful forces determined to overthrow the kingdom.

Characters

• Zhan Zhao (played by Yang Yang): A fourth-rank imperial guard and Justice Bao’s right-hand man, he is a righteous swordsman who seeks legal justice while unraveling a massive court conspiracy.
• Huo Ling Long (played by Zhang Ruo Nan): The independent and perceptive daughter of Linglong Villa who flees an arranged marriage to find adventure in the Jianghu.
• Bai Yu Tang (played by Alen Fang): A passionate, headstrong, and free-spirited martial artist known as the “Golden-Haired Rat”.
• Ding Yue Hua / Zhang Yue Shi (played by Zhang Yu Xi): A supporting character who forms part of the heroic ensemble navigating the dangerous factions of the martial arts world.
• Si Ming / Qiu Han (played by Yue Yang): A supporting figure tied into the complex web of influence spun across the imperial court and the underworld.
• Jing Yi Ming / He Bo (played by Xiu Qing): The master of the Shangqing sect who is entangled in the drama’s central mystery and conspiracy.

What I liked

• There were many classic wuxia moments, such as the lone warrior confronting a team of assassins in the rain or the blind wuxia matriarch who can kill you with just a flick of her sash. This fed my Wuxia soul. 
• Yang Yang is okay as Zhan Zhao, but then again, the Zhan Zhao I remember—maybe I’m looking through rose-colored glasses—honestly didn’t have much character development. Here, he gets the great character development treatment, and it’s really nice to watch.
• Yang Yang is quite suitable as Zhan Zhao, especially in the fighting scenes. He is exceptionally stellar in them, except that the camera crew seems to undermine that consistently (more on that later).
• It has good camerawork, one of the better ones I’ve seen lately.
• Great wuxia choreography for once! (A lot of dramas actually skimp on that)

What I didn’t like

• The pacing is pretty atrocious. Some cases take too long to solve and linger too much. 
• Some people say Zhan Zhao gets wounded and poisoned too often, to the point that it became a joke. I didn’t mind that because it is part of his character development.
• Bai Yutang, Zhan Zhao, and Ling Long’s characters are supposed to be a tight unit, but I don’t sense any team building, so to speak. Their team dynamics just aren’t good enough.
• Bai Yutang, a playful, gregarious, chaotic character, has been toned down so much. Fang Yilun 100% could’ve played him, but for some reason they didn’t let him play Bai Yutang to his full capacity.
• The fighting scenes are really good, but the camerawork undermines a lot of the beautiful choreography. I feel that with Yang Yang’s skills, you really shouldn’t have to do too many cut scenes. In the beginning, there were so many that I actually got nauseous due to the spins, quick cuts, and more. 
• The mystery and conspiracies are just bland and very predictable. I could see every twist coming my way, including the identity of a particular villain.
• Zhang Ruo Nan who plays Ling Long is so misplaced. I do not know why she’s there most of the time; she’s like a third wheel. Honestly, if you removed her character from the story, nothing different would have happened. That’s how poorly Ling Long is written. I also think Ruo Nan does not portray a wuxia warrior very well. She’s supposed to be highly skilled, but her fighting choreography is lacking.

Conclusion

Frankly, this show should have been a banger. It had all the right ingredients: my favourite wuxia characters, Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang, from the legendary Justice Bao series.

Yet, I I literally crawled towards the finish line because I found it so boring.

I just feel it’s a sad thing because this drama actually had all the right ingredients, but in the end, Zhan Zhao Adventures is just okay. Mid. Ordinary. Unexciting.

This is a disappointment due to the fact that there were so many expectations for this drama because of the IP. Granted, the IP is centuries old, and expectations are through the rooof. (Zhan Zhao has been played by over 80 actors, for one in decades!) It is very tough to beat classic interpretations like Kenny Ho’s Zhan Zhao, for example.

Final rating: 3

2.5 for the story; the wuxia fight scenes gave it a bump up to 3.

A good watch on a very slow Sunday when you just have nothing to do. Yang Yang is also pretty to look at, so 😉

@liztai Appreciate your recommendation sincerely, and the nudge to get to it before the second season premieres.

This one is sitting in my backlist, especially now with the snowballing summer releases. I usually try to only have one wuxia on the go at a time but with my spouse watching Zhan Zhao Adventures with me at extreme turtle pace, I may need to reconsider.

#cDrama #wuxia

The Ingenious One (season 1) review

After 15 years of training by the mysterious Yun Tai sect, Yun Xiang leaves to seek revenge for his massacred family.

What he lacks in martial arts skills, he compensates by his huge intellect and ability to manipulate people to fulfill his plans. On his journey, he meets several people who would become his friends: Shu Yanan, a fierce female warrior, Jin Biao a master swordsman for hire, Su Ming Yu, a rich kid with martial arts skills and dreams of wandering around the jianghu like a hero.

As Yun Xiang investigates what happened to his village, he discovers frightening secrets, and realises that things are not what they seem, including Yuntai itself.

I had a lot of hope for this drama, so much so that I delayed watching it. Let me explain: sometimes there is a drama that you know you will love, but you worry it won’t be as good as you think. You delay watching it, hoping that somehow the disappointment won’t be so great.

Anyway, I am glad to report that The Ingenious One met all my expectations and then some. It had a lot of things going for it:

1. Great actors
2. Great fighting choreography
3. An absorbing storyline

It did stumble a bit towards the middle and the end, but it was a very slight trip and nothing that derailed the drama completely. I watched every episode with great interest and bated breath because it was that good.

The characters

• Yun Xiang (played by Chen Xiao): A disciple of the Yuntai Sect seeking vengeance for his annihilated clan. As he does not have any martial arts skills, he uses his wits to manipulate human hearts and strategize against hidden threats.
• Shu Yanan (played by Mao Xiaotong): A female warrior who joins his mission to navigate the dangerous undercurrents of the martial world and uphold justice.
• Su Mingyu (played by Tang Xiaotian): An rich young master with ambitions to be a hero in the jianghu.
• Ke Menglan (played by Xu Lingyue): A female gambling hall owner. She becomes one of Yun Xiang’s trusted companions, standing with the group to unveil the dark secrets of the past.
• Jin Shiliang / Jinbiao (played by Liu Guanlin): A fighter for hire who initially acts as Yun Xiang’s bodyguard but eventually becomes one of his most loyal friends.
• Mo Bufan (played by Peng Bo): A Yuntai disciple and a bank owner, Mo shares one thing in common with Yun Xiang: He may be a Yuntai disciple, but he has a heart.

What I liked

• The acting is stellar, of course, with Chen Xiao and all the other actors in the group. Everything was wonderful.
• The villains are very unique. Our team has a couple of big bads to take down every few episodes or so, and some of them are actually very intriguing and multi-layered.
• In every wuxia, the fight choreography is key. I am happy to report that it is actually really good and very fun to watch. Our heroes all look the part and feel like badass fighters.
• The team dynamics. In dramas like this, where a group of people find each other, that is a very classic wuxia trope. Whether the drama succeeds or not depends on the dynamics of the team and whether they can gel well together or are intriguing. In our drama, there is enough push and pull between the characters to make it fascinating to watch. Our characters don’t trust each other immediately; they all have their own agendas and are trying to suss each other out. This creates enough tension to keep things interesting for quite a while.
• The script is also very tight. While it doesn’t happen every time, most episodes end with a great urge to watch the next, providing enough momentum to propel the drama forward. Of course, towards the middle part, when everyone is finally trusting each other and they consider each other brothers, there will be a spanner or two thrown in the works to increase the tension. The writers understand that pretty well and knew exactly what to do.
  

What I didn’t like

As for the bad, honestly, I found very little to criticise. There were a couple of episodes where it felt as if it dragged a bit too long, but it wasn’t frequent enough to be a real bother. Other than that, there is very little to complain about with The Ingenious One.

What do I think about the ending?

Although I found the revelation of the Yuntai leader a little bit predictable—or maybe I’ve just seen these things coming because I’ve watched so many Chinese dramas—it is still very devastating for our hero. 
So many characters that we love end up perishing due to the high stakes. Because of how well they established the people in the team, it is really difficult to let them go. However, it is all very logical and meaningful, and I do love the ending. I love that the writers were not afraid to go there with some characters, but I did find Jin Biao’s resurrection a little convenient, though some clues were given that he did survive.

Final rating: 4 out of 5

A classic wuxia tale; if you’re a wuxia lover, you may just enjoy this!

I can’t wait for season two, which is going to come out soon, hopefully this year.

On this week's Samurai Saturday:

Dick Tracy vs. Crime Inc, Chapter 13, The Challenge

Then more from Shaw Bros, The Sentimental Swordsman

#wuxia #samurai #serial #film
#SamuraiSaturday

https://letterboxd.com/film/the-sentimental-swordsman/

https://letterboxd.com/film/dick-tracy-vs-crime-inc/

@liztai I haven’t heard much at all about this one.

There aren’t that many female-led team-up wuxias, despite more female-centred dramas generally, so that is interesting.

I will be looking forward to hearing more from you about it as it’s on iQIYI, which I have recently given in and subscribed to. Will be interested to know if I should add it to my iQIYI backlist to work through.

Here’s the MDL page: https://mydramalist.com/750265-sky-mirage

#cDrama #wuxia #TheMirage2025

the burden of genre savviness! Being a #wuxia innkeeper must suck. From Zhan Zhao Adventures, which I’m planning to watch next after I make myself finish Nanyang: www.tumblr.com/baixue-templ...

Posters for “Se Diu Ying Hung: Dung Sing Sai Jau” AKA “The Eagle Shooting Heroes” AKA “The Eagle Shooting Heroes: Success in Every Direction” (1993) from Hong Kong and China
#TCMParty #TCMImports #TheEagleShootHeroes #SeDiuYingHungDungSingSaiJau #90smovies #wuxia

On this Father's Day edition of Samurai Saturday:

Dick Tracy vs. Crime Inc, Chapter 10, Flaming Peril

Then more from Shaw Bros, The Jade Tiger

#wuxia #samurai #serial #film
#SamuraiSaturday

https://letterboxd.com/film/the-jade-tiger/

https://letterboxd.com/film/dick-tracy-vs-crime-inc/

Well fuck
Thought I'd finally found an English translation of the Iron Crane books, and turns out it's not only edited by a psychopath, it's a fucking AI translation full of "cars" in the Ching dynasty (instead of "sedans" probably) and other nonsense

#ai #books #aisucks #wuxia

What To Watch On YouTube Right Now – Part 142

Welcome back my readers, YouTube viewers and all others who followed this series of articles focused on YouTube videos worth watching.

Have you been searching for something fun or interesting to watch on YouTube? Do you feel bored right now and you crave for something to see on the world’s most popular online video destination?

I recommend you check out the following videos I found.

#1 Retrospective Videos Of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon – Back in 2000, I was fortunate enough to have seen Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in the local cinema here in the Philippines. Directed by Ang Lee, the film was a dramatic martial arts film set in ancient China. Apart from having established Asian actors Michelle Yeoh, Pei-Pei Cheng and Chow-Yun Fat, the movie’s huge success made Zhang Zhiyi an instant star as she carried a very important role. Its importance in the history of global movies was realized when it earned ten Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture. To this day, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is a highly admired film and it is not surprising to see it being featured in many YouTube videos. What I posted below are for your enjoyment and enlightenment. Observe how the film impacts YouTubers in their reaction videos.

https://youtu.be/5dR34L1Kj7M?si=24LYnvQ9rVyDdrd1

https://youtu.be/6KlLH3uTDCM?si=Qc_pJ-Mn6jJYzEAo

https://youtu.be/kkjN4Pu9aOw?si=WoJxFI32-Wt9veQB

https://youtu.be/G7mrjFdFLXw?si=fVIGc5Lg4UZizF_8

#2 EOM Reacts’ Minority Report Video – If you love Tom Cruise and if you want his best collaboration with Steven Spielberg, you cannot go wrong with Minority Report. By today’s standards, Minority Report is still very engaging to watch and it also has Spielberg’s clever approach on storytelling as elements of science fiction, suspense and film noir were blended nicely on-screen. That said, you must see how the movie impacts EOM Reacts’ in his reaction video posted below. Go watch it!

https://youtu.be/Hyn0AhXqP38?si=l8vbX9PzEWtiOjFY

#3 The Resident Evil Trilogy On PlayStation Revisited – When I was very young, I was fortunate enough to play Resident Evil, Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis on the PlayStation. The survival horror genre Capcom started with the first RE game really grew not only in popularity and commercial sales, but also in clever game design that included cinema-like storytelling strongly focused on the zombie apocalypse. By the end of 1999, the RE trilogy on PlayStation positively impacted video gaming as a whole and the characters Jill Valentine, Chris Redfield, Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield became wildly popular with gamers. Considering how old the first three Resident Evil games are, do you think they have aged well and are they playable enough for gamers who born after those games were released? Watch and learn from the retrospective video below.

https://youtu.be/IZb54l7ZIwo?si=qtGsUYIczlOblvIl

#4 Ranting For Vengeance Slams Insomniac’s Wolverine Video Game – Anyone who closely followed the life and times of the iconic Wolverine in comics should be concerned about how he is presented in the upcoming Insomniac-developed Marvel’s Wolverine video game. This early, there are clearly signs of wokeness in the said video game and those are signs that show that Insomniac does not give a damn about the literary legacy of Wolverine. You can learn more by watching Ranting for Vengeance’s video and each time he slammed Marvel’s Wolverine, he backs it up with facts and details. Watch his video now!

https://youtu.be/TnIyE5x251g?si=sFqzbRVB7WdDkk2q

#5 You, Me and the Movies React To Showdown In Little Tokyo – I was a teenager when Showdown In Little Tokyo was released in local cinemas here in the Philippines way back in 1991. I never saw it on the big screen back then but I do remember the aggressive pre-release promotions that include previews and an in-depth behind-the-scenes making on TV. The local buzz in 1991 was this…the film was entertaining and the team-up between Dolph Lundgren and the late Brandon Lee (son of Bruce Lee) was well-received. Considering how old the action movie is, one has to wonder if it has aged well. You can find out by watching the reaction video by You, Me and the Movies now.

https://youtu.be/RI0ygeLC3vk?si=8lqbRG7O9izN4BV5

#6 Tokyo-style Pizza Attracts Many – Have you ever heard of the Tokyo-style pizza? One food joint in Japan started it and already it has attracted a lot of foreigners as customers. Pizza has its Italian origins but in Tokyo, the ways to customize it, cook it and make it truly distinct from the rest of the world have been realized. Watch and learn from the Nippon TV video below.

https://youtu.be/_Qu2oKPkwMA?si=dbm_Y-eRp8xWimz1

#7 Japan’s Military – Under the leadership of Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae, Japan has emerged as a military powerhouse and it will soon export military hardware to nations that need them. Japan is still operating with its pacifist constitution but that will not stop it from becoming a valuable partner to nations that need their military expertise and technologies. The Self-Defense Force (SDF) of Japan is highly trained and very efficient with military operations as seen in the Nippon TV video below. Watch and learn.

https://youtu.be/VpYvX-eFRNM?si=hbgcU__IrTiwfJV_

+++++

Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at @CarloCarrascoPH as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram athttps://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco

《媽祖之海神傳奇》⚔️EP09｜她本是普通漁家女，卻一次次從驚濤駭浪中救人，最終被萬民奉為海上女神！#kongfu #movie #chinesedrama #武侠片 https://www.vivizine.com/1226713/ #ActionDrama #CharacterAnalysis #ChineseDrama #ChineseMartialArts #CinematicEdit #CloudTen #DramaRecap #EpicDuel #FightScene #HeroVsVillain #HiddenMaster #jianghu #KungFu #MartialArts #MartialArtsDrama #MartialArtsMovie #MovieRecap #PlotTwist #RevengeStory #SwordFight #swordsman #swordsmanship #wuxia #WuxiaExplained #WuxiaStory #舩水健佑

《媽祖之海神傳奇》⚔️EP05｜她本是普通漁家女，卻一次次從驚濤駭浪中救人，最終被萬民奉為海上女神！#kongfu #movie #chinesedrama #武侠片 https://www.vivizine.com/1224462/ #ActionDrama #CharacterAnalysis #ChineseDrama #ChineseMartialArts #CinematicEdit #CloudTen #DramaRecap #EpicDuel #FightScene #HeroVsVillain #HiddenMaster #jianghu #KungFu #MartialArts #MartialArtsDrama #MartialArtsMovie #MovieRecap #PlotTwist #RevengeStory #SwordFight #swordsman #swordsmanship #wuxia #WuxiaExplained #WuxiaStory #舩水健佑

I think this is the first time I've read any #wuxia (Chinese martial arts fantasy), though I've certainly seen lots of films in the genre. This novella is so slight and low stakes that I don't think it will stick with me, but some of the banter is amusing and the trans / queer themes are handled well. @bookstodon #ZenCho #bookstodon

I'm reading this book of game fiction now. To be honest, it's more like fiction set in a kind of setting that could happen in the game, with some names to tie it in. Even if you had no interest in Fate or gaming, this would be a pretty good collection of wuxia stories.

https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/552426/tianxia-year-of-the-snake

#wuxia #fiction #Fate #Tianxia

A deluge of Cdramas and I am watching at turtle mode

Currently watching Zhan Zhao Adventures but at turtle speed. It’s a wuxia, and that’s catnip for me but for some reason I am not binging it or watching it intently the way I did dramas like Fated Hearts or Ingenious One, which I just completed.

The fights are stellar, the story solid, but it isn’t addictive like I thought. Not sure why, but perhaps watching Cdramas at turtle mode isn’t a bad idea?

Kung Fu Hustle (2004)

https://www.zdf.de/filme/kung-fu-hustle-movie-100

https://www.imdb.com/de/title/tt0373074

#KungFuHustle #KungFu #Kampfkünste #SchwarzeKomödie #Slapstick #Wuxia #Film #Parodie #StephenChow #WahYuen #QiuYuen #zdf #zdfmediathek #mediathek

I keep trying to watch #BloodRiver but I can't get through an entire episode. I've sort of squeaked through the 1st 2 episodes by falling asleep.

Am I the only person who thinks this #cdrama is that bad? Does it get better?

#wuxia #cdramas #fantasy

Perhaps I shall join in on the #ZhanZhaoAdventures watching! #wuxia

I am in #wuxia heaven with Zhan Zhao Adventures (awkwardly titled #Cdrama notwithstanding). Finally, a wuxia that takes its fights seriously!

Yang Yang is good here, as he was in Immortal Ascension (even though I found the xianxia repetitive and dropped it).

In this Cdrama he plays Zhan Zhao, a popular character in Chinese literature that had been played by 80+ actors! The most iconic being Kenny Ho. Zhan Zhao is the lieutenant of Justice Bao's Kaifeng; the brawn and "beat up the bad guys" enforcer. Taiwan's Justice Bao series is beloved by Chinese everywhere, so Yang Yang has to live up to quite a high bar!

#Cdramas #YangYang

On today's Samurai Saturday...

Dick Tracy vs. Crime Inc, Chapter 5, Murder at Sea

Then more Shaw Brothers with Clans of Intrigue

#wuxia #samurai #serial #film
#SamuraiSaturday

https://letterboxd.com/film/clans-of-intrigue/

https://letterboxd.com/film/dick-tracy-vs-crime-inc/