Taiji Prodigy

Vietnamese Title - Ky Tai Truong Tam Phong
No. of Chinese Episodes - 40
No. of Vietnamese Tape - 32

Warning! Spoilers!

The Cast:
Dicky Cheung
Li Bing Bing
Alec Su
Jacqueline Li
Tae
Rebecca Wang
Ruby Lin

“Taiji Prodigy” is another series featuring a grand cast with a dull storyline. With no exception, this series once again proves that a grand cast cannot compensate for a bad plot. I will not be going into depth especially since it’s long, draggy, and quite complicated.

The Basic Plot
The story takes place during the time when China was invaded by a foreign tribe. One of the greatest generals at the time was murdered and left a book that the villains want. However, Dicky Cheung (Cheung Sam Fung) received this book by accident. From then on, he’s faced with difficult problems and the responsibility to save the book.

The Cast
From the names listed above, this has to be one of the best castings with these promising stars. No doubt, they all delivered adequate performances that really provided the major contribution to the series.

Dicky Cheung is always reliable for bringing laughter and he manages to bring out the humorous side of Cheung Sam Fung. What annoys me is the fact that he has played these similar roles too many times to spark or shine in the viewer’s heart.

Li Bing Bing is good as usual. I am satisfied that her role in here is very different from what she has been given previously. She has a lot of chemistry with Dicky, probably due to their previous series “Smart Kid.”

Alec Su is annoying as heck. His character is love-sick and very immature at times. Even though his character did bring some laughter, I felt Alec is a little exaggerated in his acting.

Jacqueline Li is just as cute and playful as ever. I actually like her character even though it was not very critical to the plot. Her outcome was unexpected – I found it quite dumb because there are surely better ways to end her character.

Rebecca Wang is another character that did not appeal to me. The way she handle her problems is very unsatisfying. She deserves her outcome because she is the one that caused her own death.

Tae is just average with his performance. Ruby Lin’s guest appearance has to be one of the best. I may be biased but I truly enjoy those few scenes with Ruby.

Further Comments
One thing that just stands out is the hair styles. Jacqueline has a thick piece of hair right through her forehead. Li Bing Bing has a blob of hair on the top of her head. These hair stylists are really imaginative.

I am pleased that they did something most series don’t. Cheung Sam Fung did not search or accidentally find a great martial arts skill to beat the villain. Instead, he invents his own – a big getaway.

Fighting scenes were quite poorly done, though special effects were not overdone. Costumes are poor as well with a few exceptions.

Final Comments
Throughout the review, there are compliments as well as complaints simply because it’s not the closest thing to perfection. There are some high points in the series, and no doubt there are plenty of boring, draggy parts. Overall, this series is not as interesting as expected, especially with such a grand cast.