A key to successfully adapting a wuxia novel into a television series or motion picture is characterization. The series/film should, as closely as possible, depict the character that the author portrayed in the novel. Because of the nature of the adaptation process, the success of this endeavor is usually imperfect. Generally, however, most adaptations get the general parameters correct.
The most notable exception is ROCH's Yeung Gor. Judging from the various adaptations only, he is not a particularly likable protagonist at times. Readers of the ROCH novel, however, often observe that no adaptation has accurately depicted the character as he is described by Jin Yong in the novel. Without exception, it seems, the adaptations tend to accentuate and perhaps overplay the negative aspects of his personality, creating a divisive character.
But why is this character so difficult to portray in other media even when top-notch acting talents such as Andy Lau, Louis Koo, and Huang Xiao Ming are recruited for the role? How could all the different screenwriters from so many different periods and working for different production companies ALL get this character so wrong?