Legend of Chusen (2016)

Legend of Chusen 诛仙青云志 or Noble Aspirations is a big-budget fantasy wuxia based on a novel Zhu Xian written by Xiao Ding 萧鼎. All the excitement surrounding the drama is largely due to casting where names like Angelababy where thrown into the pot until it secured its leads in Li Yi Feng and Zanilia Zhao Li Ying, two of the most sought after stars today. The genre as a whole is getting a lot of love these days that even c-pop idol boyband TF Boys is appearing in the series, no doubt to cater to younger fans.

Legend of Chusen is about Zhang Xiao Fan, a young man with mediocre skills made up by an abundance in determination to become a martial arts hero of the Qing Yun Sect. Li Yi Feng once again plays a character that has an alternate persona, Sword of Legends much? It really looks and feels like a reboot of himself as Bai Li Tu Su, which is not a bad thing considering the former's success.

On the other hand, Zhao Li Ying hahs been getting flak for not fitting the bill as Bi Yao. I find the backlash unexpected given that she is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful faces in the Chinese entertainment but her first stills with the bangs pretty much says it all.

No wonder people are making comparisons to cosplayer Qiu Xiao Chen and some netizens even took it upon themselves to photoshop their own version of Zhao Li Ying as Bi Yao, the way that it should be. At least the production team seems to be listening since the recent batch of promotional stills have improved by leaps and bounds and this could actually turn out to be good. 

Release Date: July 31, 2016 (eng subs available on Viki) 

If you are a fan of xianxia, you can also check out Chinese to English novel translations on volare.

Source: Newyx, DuiTang, Douban

First Episode Recap: Shine or Go Crazy

Anyone who has seen their fair share of Korean historical dramas would know that these dramas usually revolve around a cursed prince or princess or twins who will be cast away to live in exile until their eventual return as an adult.

Shine or Go Crazy is one such k-drama where Prince Wang So (Jang Hyuk) is born during the night when the Star of War was at its brightest. His birth precludes him from having the privileged life that all royalties are accustomed to and for fear that he will bring forth more chaos and destruction to the palace, Wang So is sent to the mountains to fend for himself.

Years later, the King sends for Wang So reaching out for his help in making a great Goryeo empire that is free from the control of the nobles. The King has found a way to change Wang So's fate via an arranged marriage with a lady born of the North Star. Wang So adamantly refuses and his pain from being abandoned all those years come pouring out in a wave of resentment directed at his father. 

Their meeting is disrupted by a group of assassins and despite everything that has been said, Wang So readily comes to his father's defense. The King narrowly escapes with just a scratch, yet Wang So earns a slap from his mother, the Queen who wants him immediately out of her sight. Determined to track down the perpetrators, Wang So leaves peacefully. 

Wang So and the King's faithful guard follow the group of assassins all the way to China where through an unexpected chain of events, Wang So finds himself in a contract marriage with Shin Yool, a Korean merchant living in China who was desperate to fake a marriage in order to escape an aging general's marriage proposal.

First Impressions: I'm beginning to understand the dynamics within the royal family. The benevolent father king is actually good despite having sent his son away and the mother queen is irrationally misguided for pushing all the blame towards her younger son Wang So.

I almost gave up watching halfway through the episode. The fight scenes were subpar and the plot a repeat of every other period drama out there and don't get me started on Oh Yeon Seo's atrocious wig. As for the acting, I notice historical dramas tend to be different in the sense that it requires actors to over-enunciate their lines but Jang Hyuk was emoting on a whole other level that was way too exaggerated for my taste, which is weird given that I absolutely loved him in Volcano High and many other dramas.

Nevertheless, I powered through and I'm so glad I did. The latter half of the episode was devoid of drama and it showed me what this k-drama can be, which I think is better off focusing on the romance between Shin Yool and Wang So. Their meeting was quick - he was put in a bag and voila, their married. 

Oh Yeon Seo's character as Shin Yool is quick-witted, capable and looks like she's pretty lucky herself, which is just the perfect balance needed to pair up with Wang So's unlucky streak and his uncouth, foul-tempered ways. And Wang So's infectious laughter, it bothered me so much but now it's beginning to grow on me.


For synopsis, cast and other info, see 2013-2015 k-drama recommendations.

Go Princess Go and Monster Killer in hot water

Pardon my far-from-perfect Chinese skills, but if my interpretation is correct, the highly-talked-about drama Go Princess Go has been taken down from video-hosting sites due to a breach of moral values. I have seen a couple of episodes of Go Princess Go and I can see that its quirky humor may not sit well with China's censorship agency known as SAPPRFT.

Go Princess Go would have been your average drama if not for its outrageous over-the-top storyline that you will either love or hate. If you are the former, you probably cannot stop watching. Fortunately, the drama is only blacklisted for the time being as its broadcasting company LeTV announced that scenes are being re-edited to accommodate SARFT's citations.

A second drama called Monster Killer, which I absolutely love, is also temporarily banned in China maybe for violence (again sorry for my weak translation skills). It's not all bad for Monster Killer because it just had a pretty good run in Hong Kong with its final episode ending at an all-time high. While Monster Killer still can't compare to mainstream dramas, it has amassed enough attention to boost the popularity of rising star Elvis Han (Chinese Paladin 5). Seriously, he is a good-looking guy with a six-pack. Who can resist?

Source: cankaoxiaoxi, People

Imperial Doctress (2016)

Imperial Doctress 女医明妃传 is loosely-based on historical events telling the tale of Tan Yun Xian, a physician who lived during the Ming dynasty. At a time wherein women had no place in society, she was able to climb the ranks to become a renowned doctress of the imperial court. 

After a short hiatus from television, Liu Shi Shi is back in a Chinese drama opposite former co-star Wallace Huo. The two have developed a good onscreen rapport from numerous projects together and it will be a treat for fans to see them in tandem once again (myself included). 

Liu Shi Shi reminds me of a classic Chinese beauty with her elegant and delicate features such that I find her particularly convincing as a woman who can capture the heart of an Emperor. She did it successfully in Scarlet Heart with onscreen partner turned real-life husband Nicky Wu, so this should be no different as her character gets caught between two regents vying for her affections.

It premieres February 13, 2016. For more 2016 c-drama recommendations, click here. 

 

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