Warriors of the Yang Clan

Genre: History / period drama, Tragedy, Romance, Martial Arts

Main Casts:
Alec Su as Yang Yanlang (Silang)
Chae Rim as Pan Yuyan
Di Long as Yang Ye
Angie Chiu Ngor Chi (Zhao Yazhi) as She Saihua
Hu Jing as Princess Ming Ji
Kou Zhenhai as Pan Renmei
Yu Xiaowei as Yang Yanqing (Sanlang)
Yan Kun as Yang Yansi (Qilang)
Jia Nailiang as Yang Yanzhao (Liulang)
Zhang Yi as Yang Chuchu

Additional Casts:
Wang Yan as Mao Xiaoying
Jeff Bao as Yang Yande (Wulang)
Niu Mengmeng as Wen Yi (Chai Junzhu)
Jiang Hong as Yiyun
Lin Jiangguo as Yang Yanping (Dalang)
Zhang Zichen as Yang Yanguang (Erlang)
Zhao Qian as Pan Bao
Yang Chao as Prince Ming De

Summary of the Plot (Spoiler):
Yang Ye, a former general of the Northern Han dynasty, surrendered to the Song dynasty and helped the Song unify China. He quickly rose up the ranks and became a veteran general of the Song due to his merit in defending the north from the Liaos, which invited envy from Prime Minister Pan Renmei. Pan Renmei tried to discredit Yang Ye as opportunities arose, but to no avail.

However, the situation became complicated as Pan Renmei's youngest daughter, Pan Yuyan, fell in love with Yang Ye's fourth son, Yang Yanlang (Silang). Silang also fell in love with Yuyan despite his father's stern disapproval. The princess of Liao, Ming Ji, also fell in love with Yang Yanlang, though her love proved to be unrequited later. In addition, Pan Renmei's only son, Pan Bao, also fell in love with Yang Chuchu, the daughter of the Yang family's butler. She also happened to be the love interest of Yang Ye's third and seventh sons (Sanlang and Qilang). The conflict escalated with the accidental death of Pan Bao during a fight with Sanlang, Silang, and Qilang.

Upon the death of Pan Bao, Pan Renmei tried to seek his revenge, even collaborating with Yiyun, a spy of Liao. Pan Renmei accused Yang Ye of conspiring with the Liao with a false missive. However, even this attempt was thwarted as Yiyun loved Yang Ye's fifth son, Wulang, who saved her life earlier. Yiyun chose to die and put the blame upon herself to explicate the Yangs. The Emperor resolved the conflict by allowing the Yangs to fight the Liao to prove their innocence as the Liaos had encroached the northern area of the Songs.

During the battle of Jinshatan against the Liao's invasion, Yang Ye and his seven sons were betrayed by Pan Renmei, who acted as their second-in-command, by not sending the required reinforcements. Instead, Pan Renmei murdered Sanlang and Qilang, which soon led to the demise of Yang Ye himself and his other two sons. Just before his death, Yang Ye ordered Silang to surrender to the Liao and marry Ming Ji to help the Song from the enemy's lines. Unaware to this plan, his remaining brothers and his mother, She Saihua, were devastated with the news of Silang's surrender. However, soon enough they realized that Silang only feigned surrender. With the information from Silang, Yang Ye's sixth son, Liulang, with the help of Yang Ye's friends, finally brought Pan Renmei to justice.

Pros:
* Strong casts.
* Lots of tears in this drama. If you are a fan of tragedy, this series might be for you.
* Love chemistry and brotherhood chemistry are built relatively well.

Cons:
* Sloppy editing job might have spoiled the entire series. Music and scenes transition are not smooth.
* The plot of the first half of the series appear to be incohesive and might be boring to some.
* Some plot disorganization is spotted.
* Lack of fights. Martial arts / wuxia fans might be disappointed with this series.

Character Analysis:

* Yang Silang (Stubborn, unsociable, analytical) Rating: 4/5

Overall, Alec Su did fine in the series. However, too bad he didn't bring Silang out to shine. There are playful moments with Yuyan. He should be able to show the playful (but rather awkward) side of Silang, rather than being just stiff and unsociable. For example, when Yuyan revealed herself to be a woman in front of Silang, Silang should've been acting more playful. The dialogue lines were pretty good. Too bad the acting does not follow. On the other hand, when Yuyan sneaked into the camp and visited Silang, Silang did show some playful side, which is very nice.

* Pan Yuyan (Stubborn, persevere, feeler) Rating: 3/5

Chae Rim gives me an impression that Yuyan is a weak woman who will surrender at the first hint of challenge. Given that she went to the border just to find Silang, she should not be portrayed as a weak, cry-baby lady, especially in the first few episodes. This somewhat alleviated as the story progresses, but she should not be so helpless when she fought against the wishes of her father.

In addition, her voice is dubbed by some actress. At times her cry could be pretty annoyingly hopeless.

* Yang Ye (Rigid, Justice-oriented, Shortsighted, Try to be a good father but failed) Rating: 2.5/5

At times, Di Long's acting is over the top. It just feels unnatural. I understand that he has to portray a very rigid and disciplinary general, but he did it very poorly. His acting at the last few episodes is a bit better, but it still feels a bit unnatural. Compared to other rigid characters like Qiu Chuji's actor in Legend of Condor Heroes 2003, Di Long falls way behind.

* She Saihua (Firm, Loving mother) Rating: 5/5

Angie Zhao plays superbly as She Saihua. She's firm, yet not too harsh. She completely looks like a natural mother of the seven sons.

* Princess Ming Ji (Selfish, Stubborn) Rating: 3/5

Hu Jing seems to portray only the rigid side of the Ming Ji pretty well. When Ming Ji married Silang, her consolation to Silang seems to be unnatural. Given that she's a selfish girl, she should be portrayed more childish, and thus can spice up the feel a bit. Hu Jing seems to fail to bring out that side.

* Yang Sanlang (Slow, Impetuous, Tried to be a good guy but sometimes failed) Rating: 5/5

Yu Xiaowei brought Sanlang very well, especially the awkward moments with Chuchu. He is very natural. Sanlang and Qilang's last moments is arguably the best scene in the entire series.

* Yang Qilang (Witty, Playful) Rating: 5/5

Yan Kun also played Qilang very well. He is very witty and playful. He acted very naturally. He should've given more clues when he has given up Chuchu to Sanlang. Otherwise, superb.

* Yang Chuchu (Darling, Self-sacrifice, Loves Qilang) Rating: 5/5

Zhang Yi portrayed Chuchu pretty well. The love triangle between Sanlang, Qilang, and Chuchu, with Pan Bao annoying her at times, is pretty refreshing to watch. She brought the girl-likeness of Chuchu (especially before Qilang) and tear-ladden times (especially after Pan Bao's rape) very well.

* Mao Xiaoying (Stubborn, Playful, Love Sanlang) Rating: 4.5/5

Wang Yan played Xiaoying pretty well. She seems to be able to bring out the playful and the serious side in balance. It's too bad that after Sanlang's death, she seems to disappear.

* Yang Liulang (Lucky guy, Gentleman) Rating: 4/5

Jia Nailiang doesn't get much screen time, but his acting was okay. He showed the awkward moments with Chai Wenyi, which is very nice. Too bad Liulang is an average character.

* Chai Wenyi (Girly, Playful) Rating: 5/5

Niu Mengmeng is gorgeous in the series. She played Wenyi very well, from the playful times (with Liulang, mostly) to sad times (when her brother died). The love story between Wenyi and Liulang is refreshing to watch. Too bad it doesn't get much screen time.

* Yang Wulang (Calm, Religious) Rating: 3/5

Wulang's character should be developed far more. It could be far more interesting. His love to Yiyun and Yiyun's tragic death should be explored more. It's unfortunate that his love story with Yiyun is treated as a tangent, especially when Jeff Bao is in it. For the rest of the series Wulang appears to be an average character. He could've been far more interesting.

* Yiyun (Sneaky, Secretive, Avenger) Rating: 3/5

Yiyun should show more of her soft side toward Wulang. This is an unfortunate development. Jiang Hong's portrayal of Yiyun as a spy is very average. When her cover was broken, she played pretty well. But her repentance seems to be disconnected given her ties with Wulang were not that strong (only her savior, and that's it).

* Pan Renmei (Secretive, Avenger, Scheming) Rating: 4/5

As a villain, Kou Zhenhai's portrayal of Pan Renmei is decent. The series made it clear that prior to Pan Bao's death, he's only envious of Yang Ye and has no intent to betray the kingdom. But given that he could construct some elaborate schemes, he shouldn't be that shallow in betraying the Yangs. It could've been better.

* Pan Bao (Selfish, Bully) Rating: 4/5

Zhao Qian plays very well as Pan Bao. His bullying nature and love to Chuchu fall very naturally.

* Prince Ming De (Gentleman) Rating: 3/5

His character could be developed into far more interesting plot since he also fell in love with Yuyan. He could be put as Silang's adversary, but this man doesn't get enough screen time.

* King/Duke Chai, King/Duke Baxian (Gentleman, Friend of Yang Ye) Rating: 3/5

As supporting characters, Chai Wang and Baxian Wang did relatively well, but average.

* Emperor Taizong Rating: 3/5

It is very strange to see Taizong is such a weak emperor! In real history, he was a very strong and very good Emperor. He made a couple of blunders, but aside from that he ought to be a wise one. Too bad that this series made him look like a stupid king who was controlled by the scheming Pan Renmei. In addition, the actor's voice doesn't sound very majestic as an emperor. Could be better.

* Yang Erlang and Yang Dalang and their wives

These characters don't have decent character development. However, Dalang appears at the first or second episode without any plot tying to his appearance, which shows how clumsy the plot construction is. Their characters could be developed well since they are the right hands of Yang Ye, their father.

Other characters:
* Liao's military advisor

This guy mysteriously appears near the end of the series. This shows how clumsy and disorganized the directors are! He is such an important character of the Liao. However, his introduction was when he was giving advice to Ming Ji when she exiled herself, which is very, very awkward.

Additional Information:
There are two versions of the series. The first one is 36 episodes and the second one is 33 episodes. They differ slightly. I watched the first one and it was very sloppy. The second one is in DVD. So, the editing might have been fixed by then.