Shao Nian Bao Qing Tian II

Complete review with screencaps: http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-7D82g...3o-?cq=1&p=823

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Main Casts:

Lu Yi as Bao Zheng (Bao Chung)
Ren Quan as Gong Sun Ce (Cong Ton Sach)
Shi Xiao Long as Zhan Zhao (Trien Chieu)
Fan Bing Bing as Xiao Qing Ting (Tieu Thanh Dinh)
Production: Mainland China
Episodes: 64
Broadcast year: 2001


** The quartet's names in Mandarin & Vietnamese:

Wang Chao = Vuong Trieu
Ma Han
Zhang Long = Truong Long
Zhao Hu = Trieu Ho

MediaCorp TV: http://ch8.mediacorptv.com/shows/drama/view/606/1/.html


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The most compelling point of “Shao Nian BQT” was that it never suggested who the culprits would be beforehand, until Bao Zheng unraveled the mysteries one-by-one. As far as I’ve watched Part I, I thought there’s no point to continue to Part II because I’ve given enough frustration by Part I already. But to drive away my boredom and to satisfy my curiosity, I’ve decided to watch some eps of Part II, and in case it didn’t interest me, I wouldn’t commit to watching the whole thing. However, I was compelled to follow till the end! Although I criticized Part I very harshly, now I have to sing my praise for Part II! Let me tell you why:


Unlike Part I that stole so many ideas from DETECTIVE CONAN and DETECTIVE KINDAICHI, Part II had “realized” what was done poorly in Part I and determined to compensate for the mischief: no more prolixity, no more excessive sense of modernity, no more annoying girls! In Part II, we had a chance to see how the bonds of friendship among Bao-Gong-Zhan and Vuong-Ma-Truong-Trieu had overcome many challenges to consolidate! I was also interested in discovering how Zhan Zhao got the sobriquet “Yu Mao” (Ngu Mieu) [just b/c he was fond of chasing mouse LOL]. It also explained how the quartet (Vuong-Ma-Truong-Trieu) met Bao, and how Gong Sun Ce gained Medical knowledge, etc. After all, Part II had done a good job at satisfying the audience’s curiosity!



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** Acting:



Lu Yi surely passed Zhou Jie in the role of Bao Zheng! Although neither of them could demonstrate a perfect Bao Zheng, Lu Yi fared much better in conveying Bao’s flair, calmness and rectitude, yet his weak point was not being able to express Bao’s anger, agony and solemnity to the extent they should have been.


In this Part, Zhan Zhao and Gong Sun Ce distinctly demonstrated their acting talents. I was especially impressed by the skillful 12-year-old Zhan Zhao (played by Shi Xiao Long) as well as by the graceful Gong Sun Ce (Ren Quan). Xiao Long managed to bring life into this character, without displaying disparity in character with He Jia Jin’s older Zhan Zhao. Xiao Long demonstrated very well what I imagined young Zhan Zhao should have been: brave, smart, quick-tempered, highly responsible, straightforward... and most adorably, the humorous side of him!



Though Xiao Qing Ting was careless and haughty at times, but to me, Fan Bing Bing played a much more adorable female character, quite different from the annoying Bang Phi Yen in Part I. Nonetheless, I felt that adding the stories of Xiao Qing Ting’s past and Gong Sun Ce’s fiancé wasn’t necessary and romantic relationships consumed too much time from the movie (aka: made the story boring).



In this series about the young Judge, the quartet (Vuong Trieu, Ma Han, Truong Long, Trieu Ho) were obviously cleverer and stronger, proving to be more helpful than those in “BQT” series 13 years ago.






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Unforgettable moment: when Bao Zheng and Zhan Zhao reunited with Gong Sun Ce (who was blind at that time) as Gong Sun Ce has come to realize his life’s true role. As the monk taught him, a snake led by its tail which possessed neither eyes nor nose would fall into dangers without knowing it, but to be a snake, it could not lack tail or head; it must have both. Gong Sun Ce came to realize that he was the “tail” and Bao Zheng was the “head”; he had to follow Bao Zheng for the rest of his life b/c both needed each other to become perfect – the Best and the only One – as the analogy of wind and leaves had suggested: in order to send melodies into the air, both wind and leaves have to interact.




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No matter how impressive, there were still some stealing from DETECTIVE CONAN in this part for example: the burglar case – when the thief announced his mayhem beforehand and took advantage of smoke bomb to steal the drawing – was copied from one of “The Phantom Thief” cases in MEITANTEI CONAN.




Despite this part, all other cases in Part II impressed me so much b/c they were earnest products of the minds and still left strong impression! The best two cases one at the beginning + especially the one at the end that gave me a throbbing heart: the coup d'etat case involving the Emperor, Bao Zheng’s group was targeted and Zhan Zhao was knighted as “Yu Mao”. What an impressive ending for “Shao Nian BQT”! But... why did it have to end with THIS scene [pic] everytime??

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In general, if you’re interested in watching “Shao Nian BQT,” I would recommend to avoid boredom by watching up to eps 15 of Part I, then feel free to go straight to the more worthwhile Part II


Given the suspense, the shrewdness, actors’ talents, however counting some boring, time-consuming side-stories and awkwardness altogether:


General Rating: 8/10