Horizon Moon Knife 《天涯明月刀》

[Easter Lily]

I agree that I'm enjoying GuLong's writing style a lot too - according to Wiki, he's influenced by the wit and mystery plots and action of Western literature like James Bond. I'm up to ep 4 now and Baron's character is my favourite so far, despite my absolute love for Wallace in his previous roles.

Not entirely sure about Fu Hong Xue at the moment since I'm not getting much depth from his character yet. It seems like a mash of emotions (or lack of) which somehow does not come together. Perhaps it's a reflection of his current emotional naivety, so he doesn't really know how to deal with everything. Plus it's hard to look past that quiff Wallace is sporting. Plus I swear he's wearing eyeshadow...

Ye Kai is my favourite character too and I'm 14 eps into it. It could partially be Baron, himself who's looking especially suave in this or just the character's quick wits and acumen. He also seems to have really good chemistry with the girl who plays Ling Er. I'm a bit meh about Ming Yue and less meh about Zhou Ting. I suppose either one of them will end up with Fu Hongxue. That much is obvious.

Don't know much about Wallace Chung... this is the first time I've seen him in anything. I'm watching this mainly on the strength of the story. As long as the leads don't irritate me too much, I can live with whatever shortcomings they might have.

[Easter Lily]

To kill time while waiting for the other episodes, I had a look at the 1976 Shaw brothers film version which surprisingly has dated well. It feels a lot more like a western (in the Clint Eastwood tradition) and Fu Hong Xue is more like a wuxia Sherlock Holmes, which is always a winner with me. I imagine the source material would be much more in that vein as well.
Now that my interest is piqued I may actually read the translations posted on this forum.

[Lady Zhuge]

I'm in the same boat as Easter Lily, having never seen any previous adaptations of this story. I do plan to watch the 1976 Shaw Brother film starring Di Long as Fu Hong Xue. As others have mentioned, the pacing is really good and there's hardly a dull moment. Acting-wise, no one really stands out. It would have been better if the director was more faithful to the novel and retained Hong Xue's limping handicap, but he was of the opinion that it would have looked too ugly. The most entertaining part is the plot development. I just feel that a few of the character relationships aren't developed well enough to be convincing. For example, I don't see what Ming Yue Xin sees in Yan Nan Fei at all. I understand the two of them have a complicated history, but the characterization of Nan Fei is just pure evil and Zong Feng Yan overacts too much in the role. It's better when antagonists have a few redeeming qualities. Not that it was hard to guess, but I also thought they revealed Yang Chang Feng's main assassin too early on in the show. Contrast this with how

click to show/hide spoilers

Yue Bu Qun was revealed as the main villain in Xiao Ao Jiang Hu 2001. Now that was masterful.

Here's an interview with the main cast and director on a Shanghai TV entertainment program:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8nbHKN-rwU

It was pretty much revealed that Fu Hong Xue will end up with

click to show/hide spoilers

Ming Yue Xin at the end. Someone posted earlier that both Zhou Ting and Ming Yue Xin would die at the end - I really hope this isn't the case! Hong Xue has already been through way more than his share of agony.

[kitzutsuita]

Currently watching and its kinda slow -.- .. zhou ting annoys me at times too..

[chancy426]

Have been watching this drama lately because I had the urge to watch a wuxia drama, especially one that I didn't know the plot to. Really ship the bro-mistry between Ye Kai and Fu Hong Xue. The only coupling I ship in here is Ye Kai and Ling Er. Don't like either of the female leads whether it be Zhou Ting or Ming Yue Xin or the main love line. At first I really liked Zhou Ting's Ghost Grandpa, but he's starting to creep me out more and more. Spoiled myself on what happened to Ling Er later on, so feel very unmotivated to finish this story now.

[bachtuyet]

the ending for this series suck

[PrinceKrillo]

So far I've hated everything written by Gu Long.

This is the first Gu Long adaptation that doesn't completely suck.

Also a very pretty cast.

Wallace Chung plays one of the only Gu Long protagonists that I can actually get behind (Lu Xiao Feng is a DISTANT second).

Zhang Meng is even prettier now than when I first watched her, back in The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber (2009).

Tian Li (Lily Tien) has obviously had some work done ... she doesn't look like the old skeleton she did ten years ago in Wind and Cloud (2002).

First couple of eps show promise ... the opening and end credits make the action sequences seem pretty interesting as well.

Hopefully this will be the FIRST Gu Long story that I actually WANT to see.

[Ren Wo Xing]

Just to make sure, everyone knows that the translation of this has been completed by myself and a few others in the Wuxia Translations forum, right? And for the record, the book/translation is waaay better . Sorry for the cross-forum plug, but this was one of my absolute top-favorite translations/novels that I've done, hehe.

[Ian Liew]

I can't stand Zhou Ting. Absolutely love Ye Kai and Nangong Ling, though - Zhou Ting doesn't seem to be able to act well, whereas Nangong Ling's expressions look completely natural. From the responses I take it Nangong Ling doesn't end up with Ye Kai?

[IloveMimiLo]

I can't stand Zhou Ting. Absolutely love Ye Kai and Nangong Ling, though - Zhou Ting doesn't seem to be able to act well, whereas Nangong Ling's expressions look completely natural. From the responses I take it Nangong Ling doesn't end up with Ye Kai?

Agree with you! Both the female actress that are paired with Wallace, does not feel like they are lead material! Ye Kai and Nangong Ling were more interesting, the lead were just so annoying, there was so much wrong with this series, it started with that fake CGI block on Wallace Icy in the beginning to the oh so awful ending!

[snowrain]

I guess I am the odd one. I love Zhou Ting very much and NanGong Ling. Love their sister-like relationship.
Also love Ye Kai and Fu Hongxue. I ship Fu Hongxue-Zhou Ting and Ye Kai-NanGong Ling, too bad Fu Hongxue do not love Zhou Ting in this serie.
Also love Ye Kai and Zhou Ting interactions in here..

See below for Ye Kai and NanGong Ling ending

click to show/hide spoilers

Ye Kai and NanGong Ling did get together in the end. However there is some obstacles in between. But they chose to overcome it and they get together.

[Ian Liew]

I guess I am the odd one. I love Zhou Ting very much and NanGong Ling. Love their sister-like relationship.
Also love Ye Kai and Fu Hongxue. I ship Fu Hongxue-Zhou Ting and Ye Kai-NanGong Ling, too bad Fu Hongxue do not love Zhou Ting in this serie.
Also love Ye Kai and Zhou Ting interactions in here..

See below for Ye Kai and NanGong Ling ending

click to show/hide spoilers

Ye Kai and NanGong Ling did get together in the end. However there is some obstacles in between. But they chose to overcome it and they get together.

Oh, I haven't really got to the part where Zhou Ting and Nangong Ling start to communicate with each other (still on Episode 5), so maybe Zhou Ting will get better later. She's really beautiful and hot, but just seems unable to portray certain emotions without seeming forced. Nangong Ling is less pretty, but just fits into character so seamlessly.

Thanks for the spoiler - it means that it's not a horrible ending by my standards and that it's worth watching to the end. I hate spending weeks of my life getting caught up in a wuxia only to have everyone die at the end and make me depressed.

[j2j2j2]

Just to make sure, everyone knows that the translation of this has been completed by myself and a few others in the Wuxia Translations forum, right? And for the record, the book/translation is waaay better . Sorry for the cross-forum plug, but this was one of my absolute top-favorite translations/novels that I've done, hehe.

Wow! Thanks!

[Ian Liew]

Up to Episode 8 now - Zhou Ting is getting better for sure. Not so much her scenes with Fu Hongxue, but her scenes with Ye Kai and Nangong Ling - maybe because those scenes don't require much emotion. Nangong Ling is getting more and more adorable too!! Fu Hongxue doesn't quite look as bitter as he should be during the "Bordertown Wanderer" arc (it seems that they're going to merge both novels into the serial), but the Bordertown Wanderer arc seems to be moving along really fast, so it's not really that big a problem (he's not quite the same bitter character in Tianya, if I remember correctly). Ye Kai just oozes likeability. Ming Yuexin also doesn't seem as bad as some people say - she looks a bit old for the role, but she's classy and beautiful.

One person I really can't stand is Yan Nanfei. Not so much because he's a villain, but because he doesn't have the class required for the role. Like Murong Fu in TLBB 2004, Yan Nanfei is supposed to be good-looking, suave and charming, hiding an evil agenda beneath a heroic exterior, but ends up having "scumbag" written all over his face from day one. Law Lok Lam in ATV's production, and even Lo Lieh in the Shaw Brothers movie, kept us guessing as to whether they were really good or bad. Occasionally they'd do suspicious things, but you always wondered if they were really evil or just anti-hero or something. Yan Nanfei in this adaptation just screams a loud, constipated "villain", which kinds of ruins the effect. He just seems unable to squeeze a pleasant face even when it is needed, although it must be said he has mastered the art of the glare and scowl.

[j2j2j2]

One person I really can't stand is Yan Nanfei. Not so much because he's a villain, but because he doesn't have the class required for the role...

Heehee, yeah he just has one of those faces where you know he's a bad guy. I wish they would've addressed why he has so many loyal followers. I thought all of his people were actually Ming Yue Xin's people. But it seems like he has his own little group.

[ByTmE]

All the women in this series are very cute. I am actually struggling with following the storyline of this series despite finding all the lead characters likable. It is just not compelling.

I am quite fond of Zhou Ting's interaction with her "friend" that fights with a black fan. Can't remember his name, but I've got a feeling it is going to end up tragically for him. Nangong Ling is extremely cute and likable. Ming Yuexin is nice and elegant...I am actually quite pleased that this actress has been given such a mature role when she is usually type cast as someone's daughter or little sister. I don't actually like Baron Chen, but I find him funny, cute, and likeable. More importantly, looks wise, he can stand next to Wallace and hold his own attractiveness lol. I love Wallace and don't find anything really wrong with his acting...but this Fu Hong Xue...I don't feel as much affinity to this characterization as I did with Hugo Ng's version.

I actually hope some of the male-female romances clear up and the story develops more into a bromance. Interestingly, the women in this series all possess some form of sisterly relationships with one another...good ones too, so far. I like to see that. Not all of us are scheming man-crazy b(rhymes with itch)es.

[bachtuyet]

anybody understand the ending tell me, is sooo weird

[Mido-Ban]

click to show/hide spoilers

both the sister dies at the end, the girl in blue, she dies from being hit by the villain, the red flower girl zhou ting, not sure her name i guess died because of the ghost poison thingy or using up too much of her fire power which caused her to age and then burst into flowers., ye kai ends with nangong ling, but she was also raped by the villain. the boss dies stupidly too, i think they really rushed the series and put too much drama into the storyline which caused it to drag alot. and the two foot soldiers girl, i think there suppose to be the 2 villain girls from legendary siblings. the fight scenes got horrible as well, too much slow mo or cgi covering the screen which became unbareable to watch.fue hong xue(sp) is the offspring of a maid his father yang chang fong slept with, so there all brothers in the end.

anybody understand the ending tell me, is sooo weird

movie was pretty good with the mystery but dragged alot because of the drama and fight scenes got horrible.

[christinatran]

Saw the TVB version way back as a kid. Hope this version is as good as the TVB version.

[christinatran]

Is the version in english sub yet?