First Episode Recap: Legend of the Qing Qiu Fox

Legend of the Qing Qiu Fox 青丘狐传说 is like the Monster Killer cast reunion sans Wu Xin. Separated into six arcs, the first part is called Ah Xiu starring Sebrina Chen Yao as Hua Yue.

Episode 1 begins with a Zelda-like sequence of lush greenery and upbeat music as a tribe of nine-tailed foxes sprint across the fields of Qing Qiu. Everyone has gathered for the once-in-500-year harvest and it is said that whoever consumes the sacred fruit can gain immortality. 

Suddenly, something or someone takes over Ying Ning's (Xiao Cai Qi in green dress) body compelling her to warn Hua Yue (Chen Yao in red) that they are under attack. As the tribe moves out in defense, a masked woman seizes the opportunity to steal the sacred fruit and a lone Fei Yue (Kiton in purple) runs after the thief to no avail.

Since the attack was just a ruse, Ying Ning and Hua Yue find themselves in a frustrating position of your word against mine while tribe leader Liu Chang Yan (Jiang Jin Fu in middle white) takes the task of finding the real culprit. A hot-headed Hua Yue cannot stand the accusatory eyes staring her down so she leaves her worries behind and heads back to the human world.

Turns out that Hua Yue is extremely popular, living out her dreams of passion and romance and breaking many men's hearts. 

In comes demon hunter Zhuo Yun gliding down from the sky to capture Hua Yue for all the lives that she has ruined. Seriously thought he was Hu Ge (Nirvana in Fire) at first glance, or at least his silhouette anyway. 

A fight ensues but Hua Yue narrowly escapes after she saves a girl named Ah Xiu. Despite seeing that Hua Yue is a nine-tailed fox, the kind-hearted Ah Xiu returns the favor by giving Hua Yue a place to stay and the two easily become friends.

First Impressions: The weird ears are trending and even upcoming cdrama Ice Fantasy sports the same pointed ears. It's interesting though that the show tries to make a distinction between the nine-tailed foxes when Hua Yue says that she is not a seductive demon nor an immortal fairy but somewhat in between called a fox spirit. 

Legend of Qing Qiu Fox goes out of its way to create a magical realm that's very pretty to look at but it runs the risk of being just that, a beautiful but empty casing. 

The opening scenes are fairly rudimentary with an all too simple plot causing an entire tribe of powerful beings to leave their sacred tree unguarded at the most critical moment. The fight scene that follows is hard to take seriously as well especially amidst all the fake lanterns and computer generated background. 

While I have my reservations, things gets more interesting towards the second half when the drama plays up the life aspect rather than the wuxia. Never mind that the concept has been done plenty and the story likely a cliche, yet what I think can make or break this drama would have to be the characters and so far, Hua Yue and Ah Xiu are really turning up the charm such that I want to see what will happen to the two friends once a common love interest comes along. But then again, it could be my heightened euphoria from a Monster Killer reunion that is clouding my judgment.

For synopsis, cast and ratings, see 2016 cdrama listing. 

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. 

 

Source: 1

Chinese Paladin 5: Clouds of the World (2016)

Chinese Paladin 5 Yun Zhi Fan 雲之凡 is the highly-anticipated third installment of the popular Chinese Paladin franchise. This is the first time that Hu Ge will not be appearing in the series, which is a relief considering his character Li Xiao Yao would have aged considerably since Chinese Paladin 1. 

Yun Zhi Fan's main leads are rising stars Elvis Han (Monster Killer), Gu Li Na Zha (Legend of Nine Tails Fox) and Taiwanese actor Joe Cheng (It Started With a Kiss). Elvis Han caught my eye as the man without a heart in Monster Killer but didn't leave much of an impression as one of Guo Jing's two disciples in the Romance of the Condor Heroes. Maybe short hair just suits him better because something also felt amiss in his Chinese Paladin 5 attire. On the contrary, Joe Cheng is sizzling with charisma. I never imagined that the anti-social genius in It Started With a Kiss would look like that in what I think may be his first period drama.

Much like its predecessors, Chinese Paladin 5 is about be the age old story of a man's journey to become a legendary hero, yet this time around, the protagonist Jiang Yun Fan's bright and positive persona is layered with the stigma from being the son of a murderous villain. 

On a sidenote, I was browsing through articles and apparently, Jiang Jin Fu (Legend of Qin) and Victoria Song (Ice Fantasy) were initially in talks for the lead. I follow k-pop group Fx and their leader Vic umma is drop-dead gorgeous but from the stills alone, the casting change was definitely a good thing. 

For more 2016 c-drama recommendations, click here. Release date: May 2016 (avaliable on viki).

Sources: Bizhi4493, JieMian

Legend of Nine Tails Fox (2016)

Legend of the Nine Tails Fox 青丘狐传说 is a 32-episode Chinese drama based on a collection of stories taken from the Strange Tales of Liao Zhai, a classic text written by Pu Song Ling during the Qing dynasty.

It revolves around a tribe of immortal fox spirits inhabiting Qing Qiu and follows their respective encounters in the human world. I have seen more gumiho-inspired stories than I can count and the one thing that it has taught me is that humans and mythical beings can never be. However, given that it is the month of February and with so many lovelines to root for, surely there must be a happy ending. 

The series stars Gulnezer Bextiyar (The Classic of Mountains and Seas), Gina Jin (Monster Killer), Sebrina Chen Yao (Monster Killer) and Xiao Cai Qi. The four ladies who are all born in the 90's make up the new batch of Tangren Entertainment's homegrown talents and are referred to as the four beauties of Tangren.

Other members of the cast include Wang Kai (Disguiser), Jiang Jin Fu (Legend of Qin), Zhang Ruo Yun (Sparrow), Fu Xin Bo (Sword of Legends 2), Tina Tang Yixin (Rule the World), Qiao Xin (Ode to Joy), Mike D'Angelo, Chen Ruo Xuan (Novoland), Kiton Jiang (Love Just Come) and Di Tian Lin.  

Release Date: Feb 8, 2016 on Hunan TV.

Song from the OST:
Don't Make Me Cry 别惹哭我 by Claire Kuo 郭静.

For 2016 Chinese drama recommendations, click here. 

Source: Weibo