The Demi Gods and Semi Devils

Starring:

* Felix Wong as Kiu/Siu Fung (Pin Yin is in Cantonese)
* Benny Chan as Din Yee
* Fan Siu Wong as Hoi Chuk
* Cheung Kwok Keung as Mo Yun Fok
* Lau Kam Ling as Ah Chu
* Carmen Lee as Wong Yee Yan

Plot: The story focuses on three main characters (who become sworn brothers at different times in the story): Din Yee, the mild mannered prince of Da Li who gets tangled up in several love relationships and ends up learning a few powerful Kung Fus, such as "Liu Mai Shen Jian"; a shy Shaolin monk named Hoi Chuk who learns some powerful Xiao Yao Pai kung fu; and the leader of Gai Bang, Kiu Fung who learns that he is of Khitan descent and that his parents were killed unjustly by Han people.

Brief Summary: The main story centers around Kiu Fung. At a Gai Bang meeting, he finds out that he is of the Khitans, a race Han people fear and despise. He resigns his position as Gai Bang Leader after he realizes that his ethnicity would lead to the Gai Bang splitting up. Instead, he goes to find the person who arranged his parents' deaths. On his journey, he saves the life of a maid named Ah Chu, and the two fall in love. However, he accidentally kills her later when she disguised herself as her father, whom Kiu Fung thought was the "evil leader". Kiu Fung then looked after Ah Chu's sister and became a general for the Khitan Emperor. Soon after, he finds out that the "evil leader" was a respected Shaolin monk and that his biological father was still alive. (I know it sounds confusing, but it will make sense if you watch the show). Kiu Fung later commits suicide to show that he wasn't a traitor to the Hans or the Khitans.

Din Yee is the prince of Da Li. He runs away from the palace when his father tried to teach him kungfu. Ironically, he ends up learning an evil kungfu and gets injured because of it. Later, he learns his family's kungfu, Liu Mai Shen Jian, and is captured by a monk. He travels to an island and meets a beautiful girl named Wong Yee Yan (WYY) whom he becomes infatuated with. Unfortunately, WYY loves only her cousin, the power-driven Mo Yun Fok. Later, she realizes that her cousin cares only about restoring the "Yan" dynasty (of which his ancestors were the rulers), and marries Din Yee. Din Yee also becomes the emperor of Da Li.

Then, there is Hoi Chuk, a timid Shaolin Monk who unwillingly learns Xiao Yao Pai kung fu from a dying old man. He then gets tangled up in the affairs of an old lady who has regressed to a 15 years old girl because of her kung fu. She takes advantage of Hoi Chuk's kindness, and makes him her bodyguard. Later, when she dies, Hoi Chuk becomes the leader of her sect. He also marries the princess of Xi Xia, who he met while on his adventures with the old lady.

Cast: I thought that everyone on the cast did a marvelous job (partly because I pay more attention to the characters and the story line than to the acting). I thought that Felix Wong did a spectacular job as Kiu Fung, he gave the character dominance and dignity, even though his physical appearance didn't resemble Jin Yong's description. I love the way he smiles at Ah Chu, his whole face sort of lights up, and I will never forget his expression when he realizes that he had just struck Ah Chu ,in an instant, he managed to shift from a puzzled expression to one of pure horror. Lau Kam Ling did a great job as Ah Chu, but Ah Chu is such a cool character that nobody could mess the part up. Sadly, she becomes a bit flaky and "girly" towards the end (the novel made her mischevious and playful right up to her death). Still, I don't begrudge the actress for that, it was a script error.

Benny Chan was pretty good in portraying Din Yee, but he made the character too funny. Din Yee was supposed to be a rather dull man. As for Carmen Lee? What can I say? She did a great job, matching her performance in "The Return Of the Condor Heroes". Her subtle looks and soft voice fit the role perfectly. The rest of the cast were all pretty good, I could spend hours describing each actor, but I won't. I will end this section with a comment on Rain Lau, the actress who played Ah Chu's evil little sister, Ah Chi. Rain was so awesome as Ah Chi! She captured every annoying aspect of the character. I ended up hating the Ah Chi, which proves that Rain did a terrific job.

Ah Chu: I can't resist putting in an excerpt about Ah Chu, because she is my favorite character. Ah Chu was a maid of Mo Yun Fok and had a talent for disguising herself as other people. She was smart, witty, kind, and it was her personality that made Kiu Fung love her. (This is probably the reason that I like Ah Chu better than all the other female Jin Yong characters). She helped Kiu Fung track down the "evil leader", but that led to her demise. A spiteful woman named Mistres Ma saw through one of Ah Chu's disguises, and told her (a lie) that Din Jin Sit, the brother of Da Li's emperor, was the leader. Ah Chu and Kiu Fung traveled to a lake and there, they find Din Jin Sit with one of his lovers. Circumstances lead to Ah Chu finding out that Din Jin Sit was her father, and that his lover was her mother. By this time, Kiu Fung had already decided to kill Din Jin Sit. Not wanting her father to die, and not wanting Kiu Fung to leave his parents' deaths unavenged, Ah Chu disguised herself as her father and met Kiu Fung at a bridge.

Kiu Fung, not knowing that the man who stood before him was actually Ah Chu, hit her with his "18 Dragons Palm". With one blow, she collapsed on the bridge. Realizing something was wrong, Kiu Fung went to her side, and slowly lifted her mask. When he realized that it was Ah Chu, he wanted to kill himself, but Ah Chu refrained him. She explained to him that she was the daughter of Din Jin Sit, then died, leaving him griefstricken and outraged at himself. Ah Chu's death always makes me cry, even though I've watched the series three times.

Closing: The Demi Gods and the Semi Devils is a wonderful story that deals with power, discrimination, love, and sorrow. It is my favorite of all the Jin Yong novel adaptations. I recommend it for anyone willing to put up with some tears and frustrations.