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Thread: My pet peeve on wuxia adaptations: fights that go on too long.

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    Moderator Ken Cheng's Avatar
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    Default My pet peeve on wuxia adaptations: fights that go on too long.

    When it comes to TV and film adaptations of wuxia stories, people who are familiar with the novels have a long list of grievances over various inaccuracies. I haven't completely read any wuxia novel yet, but even I have a grievance over one very annoying inconsistency.

    There's a clear difference between an elite level fighter and an ordinary or somewhat above average fighter. The difference between the martial arts of, say, Kiu Fung and Wan Tsung Hok (Great Evil # 4), an L/ROCH Great and one of the Gong Nam 7 Freaks, or Cheung Mo Gei and a few Beggar's Union flunkies is *huge*. Nevertheless, when TV/film directors make adaptations, they tend to make battles between high- and low-level fighters go on for way, way too long. It's understandable why they do this: they need to fill forty minutes (TV) or two hours (film) of screen-time, and people watch wuxia TV series and movies to see martial arts action. Fine. Still, nobody's going to believe that West Poison Au Yeung Fung is going to need to fight the likes of Yeung Hong or Yeh Lut Chai for a dozen strokes before winning, or that ROCH Gwok Jing needs two minutes to beat up Fok Do, or that Kiu Fung is going to fight a Hsi Hsia soldier for stroke after stroke after stroke. When it comes to elite fighters and scrubs, it should be one-and-out.

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    Mine is when sect leaders and other of high ranks riding hourses at 40 mile an hour while srubs have to sh!t-in-their-pants following behind.

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    Member GiftOfForesight's Avatar
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    My pet peeve, but perhaps it lies within the story/novel itself, is that there can be one martial art skill practiced by a student for a few years and suddenly other once top fighters look somewhat silly. I'm looking notably at ZWJ in HSDS, although it's quite prevalent throughout (LHC using DG9J slicing the eyes of 30 (?) mysterious men when YBQ couldn't even beat them).

    I actually enjoy Ken's pet peeve. Whether "realistic" or not, I believe there is too large of a gap between the top level fighters and the medium/low fighters often times in stories. I would expect OYF to easily handle a beggar, but I feel vs. someone like...QQJ, it should take over a few dozen strokes to defeat him, because the difference in internal strength, qing gong, technique, and experience is not the same as between OYF and some random beggar, not to mention that a few dozen strokes does not mean that the fight is rather even for the majority of those.

    But my annoyances probably lies more in the stories than the adaptations...another pet peeve I have is when a character has trouble walking and standing straight, but when those enemies come, he/she can exchange a few strokes (ie, SOD 2001).

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    Senior Member kamii's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by GiftOfForesight
    My pet peeve, but perhaps it lies within the story/novel itself, is that there can be one martial art skill practiced by a student for a few years and suddenly other once top fighters look somewhat silly. I'm looking notably at ZWJ in HSDS, although it's quite prevalent throughout (LHC using DG9J slicing the eyes of 30 (?) mysterious men when YBQ couldn't even beat them).
    Man i hate this too!!! And i also hate how ppl get smarter wen they learn hgiher levels of martial arts!! They also hav better common sense!!
    Full Metal Alchemist - HAGANE NO RENKINJUTSUSHI

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    Quote Originally Posted by GiftOfForesight
    I actually enjoy Ken's pet peeve. Whether "realistic" or not, I believe there is too large of a gap between the top level fighters and the medium/low fighters often times in stories. I would expect OYF to easily handle a beggar, but I feel vs. someone like...QQJ, it should take over a few dozen strokes to defeat him, because the difference in internal strength, qing gong, technique, and experience is not the same as between OYF and some random beggar, not to mention that a few dozen strokes does not mean that the fight is rather even for the majority of those.
    well, in ROCH, Guo Jing used one stroke and took out Yin Kexi, who was consider at most a level above QQJ.

    It seem kind of wierd, when GJ couldn't take out the other two figher(on about the same level with Yin Kexi) when fighting with GWM.
    Last edited by TaiHan; 10-23-04 at 10:17 PM.

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    Senior Member rabadi's Avatar
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    I don't know if this can be considered pet peeve or not (what is pet peeve actually, my English is not good ), but I hate the hair style and clothing of wuxia series nowadays. They make them look so modern.

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    DGSD 97

    TVB made Murong Fu looked so powerful in the first episode when he fought in a palm-to-palm battle with Xiao Feng while flying above ground, and a big explosion happened.

    But whenever Murong Fu fought with JiuMoZhi, he moved like he couldn't even do any external martial arts, a couple of lousy, clumsy moves, no where he looked as powerful as he was in the first episode, then JMZ just kicked his butt so easily. TVB could've at least showed him with better martial arts than this silly visual degration.

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    Senior Member Omniflame's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by FoieGras
    DGSD 97

    TVB made Murong Fu looked so powerful in the first episode when he fought in a palm-to-palm battle with Xiao Feng while flying above ground, and a big explosion happened.

    But whenever Murong Fu fought with JiuMoZhi, he moved like he couldn't even do any external martial arts, a couple of lousy, clumsy moves, no where he looked as powerful as he was in the first episode, then JMZ just kicked his butt so easily. TVB could've at least showed him with better martial arts than this silly visual degration.
    Haha, that's true. Also, in the first episode of DGSD97, Xiao Feng uses his Dragon Palms to take out an entire army. That was a bit wacky.

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    Senior Member Xiao Feng's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ken Cheng
    When it comes to TV and film adaptations of wuxia stories, people who are familiar with the novels have a long list of grievances over various inaccuracies. I haven't completely read any wuxia novel yet, but even I have a grievance over one very annoying inconsistency.

    There's a clear difference between an elite level fighter and an ordinary or somewhat above average fighter. The difference between the martial arts of, say, Kiu Fung and Wan Tsung Hok (Great Evil # 4), an L/ROCH Great and one of the Gong Nam 7 Freaks, or Cheung Mo Gei and a few Beggar's Union flunkies is *huge*. Nevertheless, when TV/film directors make adaptations, they tend to make battles between high- and low-level fighters go on for way, way too long. It's understandable why they do this: they need to fill forty minutes (TV) or two hours (film) of screen-time, and people watch wuxia TV series and movies to see martial arts action. Fine. Still, nobody's going to believe that West Poison Au Yeung Fung is going to need to fight the likes of Yeung Hong or Yeh Lut Chai for a dozen strokes before winning, or that ROCH Gwok Jing needs two minutes to beat up Fok Do, or that Kiu Fung is going to fight a Hsi Hsia soldier for stroke after stroke after stroke. When it comes to elite fighters and scrubs, it should be one-and-out.
    Well Ken, then you should be happy about DGSD 03 since XF practically creams the flunkies and/or low lifes in 1 move. Hecks maybe everyone else as well

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    Quote Originally Posted by Ken Cheng
    When it comes to elite fighters and scrubs, it should be one-and-out.
    Yeah, like in Bruce Lee's The Way of the Dragon. During his first encounter with the hoodlums trying to harrass the restaurant workers, one kick executed so swiftly was all it took to knock the guy cold. And the kicks have names sounding like it came from HL18 Palms.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Xiao Feng
    Well Ken, then you should be happy about DGSD 03 since XF practically creams the flunkies and/or low lifes in 1 move. Hecks maybe everyone else as well
    I think XF in DGSD 03 is crazy, man. He is like 100x stronger than in the novel.

    Like at the manor battle, a palm blast from him, everybody like jumped on the roof, or got blow away, or got kill. I know that his palm blast went far, but I didn't know it was that wide. I got the impression that he can blow away the manor if he wanted too.

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    i have not read a single wuxia novel. hence my comment can only pertain to the series. i always find the fight scenes in hsds too short, except the one at wudang. worse still, with the enormouse use of special effects, some fight scenes have become cartoonish. hehe.

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    Senior Member Xiao Feng's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by TaiHan
    I think XF in DGSD 03 is crazy, man. He is like 100x stronger than in the novel.

    Like at the manor battle, a palm blast from him, everybody like jumped on the roof, or got blow away, or got kill. I know that his palm blast went far, but I didn't know it was that wide. I got the impression that he can blow away the manor if he wanted too.
    Hehe, I think that was the director's aim I guess. To make XF larger than life, bigger than in the novel. But at least he didn't blow away an army ala 97...or did he

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    Moderator Ken Cheng's Avatar
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    Conversely, however, when it's elites vs. elites, then the fight should be something really special (something we don't see in the other fights). Battles between great fighters should live up to the billing.

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    a battle between elites should be hard to understand, and the viewer might think it is normal or they are clueless.

    like in LOCH, on Peach Blossom Island, the battle between AYF and H7G, HR and AYK did not understand anything.

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    Moderator Ken Cheng's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by TaiHan
    a battle between elites should be hard to understand, and the viewer might think it is normal or they are clueless.

    like in LOCH, on Peach Blossom Island, the battle between AYF and H7G, HR and AYK did not understand anything.
    That's why fancy special effects, if they must be used, should be reserved for top-level fighters only . . . and only when they're going all-out. In TVB's 1984 SMILING PROUD WANDERER (STATE OF DIVINITY), everybody and his roommate was shooting lasers out the wazoo. That's when it becomes ridiculous. If you really need to use laser effects, then at least save it for the best fighters.

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    sometimes the special effects are too much. e.g. zwj and zzr fight in shaolin, they are fighting in the sky rite? maybe if they fought at ground level, it should be more interesting. hehe.
    Quote Originally Posted by Ken Cheng
    That's why fancy special effects, if they must be used, should be reserved for top-level fighters only . . . .

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    Senior Member Xiao Feng's Avatar
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    Yeah, gravity defying jumps are one thing, but the impossible hang times really gets on my nerve. And MJ thought he had air.

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    yes that mj coming down from the tower is another big joke. actually if she can do that, it is impossible for her to die. hehe.
    Quote Originally Posted by Xiao Feng
    Yeah, gravity defying jumps are one thing, but the impossible hang times really gets on my nerve. And MJ thought he had air.

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    Quote Originally Posted by TaiHan
    I think XF in DGSD 03 is crazy, man. He is like 100x stronger than in the novel.

    Like at the manor battle, a palm blast from him, everybody like jumped on the roof, or got blow away, or got kill. I know that his palm blast went far, but I didn't know it was that wide. I got the impression that he can blow away the manor if he wanted too.
    Did you read the novel? 03's Hero Mansion encounter was pretty accurate to the novel. QF basically was miles above all the hamandeggers that gathered there. He slaughtered them easily until they diverted his attn by attacking Ah Zhu.

    PS the thing he did with the flying shields was quite cool hahaha. It was sorta weird how all the ones who died were extras though. Like in the novel he offed a few Mendicant Clan elders, but in the 03 series he didn't.

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