The World's Finest (Tian Xia Di Yi)

Cast
Li Ya Peng as Duan Tian Ya
Wallace Huo Jian Hua as Gui Hai Yi Dao
Gao Yuanyuan as Liu Sheng Piao Xu
Michelle Ye Xuan as Shang Guan Hai Tang
Roger Kwok Jin An as Cheng Shi Fei
Chen Yi Rong as Yun Luo Princess
Damian Lau as Tie Dan Shen Hou
Deng Chao as the king
Eva Huang Shengyi as Liu Sheng Xue Ji
Wan San Qian as Tong Jun Yeep
Monica Chan as Su Xin
Dicky Cheung as Ku San Tong
Li Jian Yi as Cao Zheng Chun

Basic plot (containing spoilers)

1. The two main powers

- Tie Dan Shen Hou: The King's uncle, manages Tian Xia Di Yi mansion (Best in the world mansion), has the mission to protect the king, has under his power many trained swordsmen and spies as well as experts in finding information about pretty much anyone at any time. He also establishes his power in Japan with Liu Sheng Dan Ma Shou (father of Liu Sheng Xue Ji and Piao Xu), a Japanese swordsman who is very famous and powerful in his country. He also trained Duan Tian Ya, Shang Guan Hai Tang, and Gui Hai Yi Dao since they were little, the three swordsmen each holding the title of Tian (heaven), Di (earth), Yuan (power). Later under his power he also admitted Cheng Shi Fei into the system, and he holds the title of Huang (royal). Also in his allies is the rich and famous Wan San Qian, a millionaire who thinks money can buy all.

- Cao Zheng Chun: the chief eunuch in the pallace. He holds a lot of power because of his control of the eunuch spy system (East factory) that encompasses not only eunuchs alone but also many powerful forces outside of the pallace. Together with Tie Dan Shen Hou, Cao Zheng Chun maintains the balance of power. However, these two main powers always hold grudges and wait for the right moment to destroy each other.

2. The characters
- Duan Tian Ya (Li Yapeng): went to Japan to study swordsplay, met and fell in love with Liu Sheng Xue Ji. However, due to consequential actions that create animosity between the Liu Sheng family and Duan Tian Ya, Xue Ji's father hated Tian Ya to the core and swears to kill him. Tian Ya is an honest, brave, loving man who will do whatever it takes to save his friends regardless of Shen Hou's command. However, his weakness is his kind heart and people can take advantage of this to trick him into a well-planned plot.
- Shang Guan Hai Tang (Ye Xuan - Michelle Ye): grew up together with Duan Tian Ya and loved him but doesn't get his love in return. She always pretends to be a man so that it's easier to travel in the martial art world. Her love for Tian Ya was probably just an adolescent feeling; after knowing that Duan Tian Ya will not return her love she calmly withdraws, telling him that she will never pursue what can never be hers. They remain good friends for the rest of the movie. Hai Tang is very smart and knowledgeable in poetry and art. She later falls in love with Gui Hai Yi Dao despite being pursued by Wan San Qian.

- Gui Hai Yi Dao(Huo Jian Hua - Wallace Hua): a cold person who doesn't have any feelings for people because his sole purpose in practicing martial arts and living is to avenge his father's death. His father's death has given him the strength to revive himself after many failures. Every time he fails he always imagines his father talking to him and regains his strength. However, one day when he saved Hai Tang he discovered that she was a girl in disguise and started to like her without her knowing it. Though at first rejected by Hai Tang (because it was too sudden for her, she never knew he liked her), he later gets her love in return. His love for Hai Tang causes him to lose his focus on killing people and brings him back to a more humane life.

- Cheng Shi Fei (Roger Kwok): an orphan who lives on the street, stealing and tricking people to live. One day his friend sold him into the pallace because they lost a gambling game, he accidentally fell into a cave where he found Gu San Tong, one of the world's best swordsman and also Shen Hou's sworn brother/enemy. Gu San Tong, on the verge of death, transferred all his internal energy to Shi Fei and also wrote on Shi Fei's body all of the martial arts that he obtained by killing masters of the great sects (Shao Lin, Er mei, Kong Tong, Wu Dang, vv). After one night Cheng Shi Fei became a potential martial art master, having great internal energy. Every time he is in danger, he would look up these martial arts and hence can rescue himself. He falls in love with Yun Luo princess. He likes a free life where he can do whatever he wants. He also loves money.

- Yun Luo princess (Chen Yi Rong): the king's sister who is annoying at times and is always bored until the day she meets Cheng Shi Fei. After many separations they finally unite and live a life happily together. Yun Luo is always contrasted to her servant, Xiao Nu, who is markedly smarter, calmer and trickier than Yun Luo. Xiao Nu thinks of all the plans for Yun Luo to get Cheng Shi Fei back after he left because of a misunderstanding.

- Da Ming Emperor: not very decisive, he can't control his kingdom, letting the power falling into the hands of the eunuch Cao Zheng Chun and his uncle Tie Dan Shen Hou. Later Hai Tang's encounter with him reveals that he is not ignorant of the powers in the government. He just pretends like he doesn't know anything so that Shen Hou and Cao Zheng Chun can keep each other balance and no one holds too much power. He told Hai Tang he couldn't trust anyone. Also interested in Hai Tang.

- Liu Sheng Dan Ma Shou: A Japanese swordsman cooperating with Shen Hou, hoping to become the number one power in the martial art world in Japan. He has three children, the oldest son killed by Duan Tian Ya, and his two daughters fall in love with Tian Ya one after the other. Hating Tian Ya to the core, he uses death as a threat to make Piao Xu follow his command and harm Tian Ya.

- Liu Sheng Xue Ji (Eva Huang Shengyi): Liu Sheng Dan Ma Shou's older daughter who falls in love with Duan Tian Ya. She is short-lived, dying by trying to save Duan Tian Ya from her father's sword. However she arguably remaisn the only one Duan Tian Ya truly loves. Though very good at martial art (only not as good as her father and older brother), she is torn between the duty to her family and the love for Duan Tian Ya.

- Liu Sheng Piao Xu (Gao Yuanyuan): Xue Ji's younger sister who also loves Duan Tian Ya. At first she was only a spy sent by her father and arranged by Shen Hou to trick Duan Tian Ya into their plot, but later she truly loves him. She is a lot stronger and colder than her sister in killing people and fulfilling her duties as a daughter of the Liu Sheng family. Because of her father's command she can kill anyone only to get him to promise not to kill Duan Tian Ya. Later she gets married to Duan Tian Ya. Duan Tian Ya, having loved only her sister, married her because of the arranged events that caused him to feel pity for her.

- Wan San Qian: a very rich man who does many good deeds and establishes a network of supporters that will do anything at his command. He likes Hai Tang not purely because he loves her, but because he believes in fate, and there was an omen that Hai Tang will be the girl that he should marry. He doesn't force Hai Tang to marry him, but by promising that he will take care of all Yi Dao's victims' family, he made Hai Tang have no choice but to marry him to pay off the deeds he did (supposedly) for Yi Dao.

3. The performance
- Li Yapeng (as Duan Tian Ya): he was the one I was least impressed about, having seen him in Xiao Ao Jiang Hu (as Linghu Chong), and Legend of the Condor Hero (as Guo Jing). His acting is mediocre in this series, having very limited facial expression. His character is one who's too straightforward and simple, not having much internal struggle. He tries to portray Duan Tian Ya as a brave and honest man but seems very forced. I like his acting in Xiao Ao Jiang Hu the best. In this series he seems so weak and kind of slow (deceived by everyone). His acting here was pretty boring and it makes me wonder how two pretty and talented girls fall for him. It's a mystery. Rating: 3/5

- Wallace Huo Jian Hua (as Gui Hai Yi Dao): this is the first time I see him on screen, and I have to say I was very impressed, not just by his extremely good-looking appearance but also because of the way he portrays a cold Gui Hai Yi Dao whose life before he loves Hai Tang was all about killing people and never thinking twice about it. Huo Jian Hua's face gives me a feeling that he wears a mask and behind that mask there is something deeper, more passionate feeling. Although his screen time wasn't as much as Li Yapeng or Roger Kwok, he was my favorite male actor in this series. Yi Dao after loving Hai Tang was still cold, but now he also knows a more humane side of being a human: emotions. However, I have to say that some time you can still tell that he's trying to "act" and that his expressions are not very natural. However, because his acting caused me to have a lot of emotions and really think that the actor himself has "become" the character, I give him a 4.5/5

- Michelle Ye Xuan (as Shang Guan Hai Tang): absolutely my favorite person in this series, not only because her character is likeable, but also because of Ye Xuan's stunning performance. She has a very intelligent looking face with a great smile, and she doesn't seem to have to try "acting", her performance is very natural, you only see her as Shang Guan Hai Tang the character and not as Ye Xuan the actress. The onscreen chemistry with Huo Jian Hua was the best, they seem to act very well together. In my opinion it was way better than the chemistry between her and Raymond Lam. Ye Xuan's cheerful and bright attitude contrasts strongly with Huo Jian Hua's cold, gloomy look. Shang Guan Hai Tang is at times clever, at times emotional, and deserves to be loved by everyone - Yi Dao, Wan San Qian, and even the emperor. Rating: 5/5!

- Gao Yuanyuan (as Liu Sheng Piao Xu): her role in this movie is similar to Zhou Zhiruo in Heaven Sword Dragon Sabre, a girl torn between duty and love. Also this movie was made after Heaven Sword and Yuanyuan's acting skills should have been improved, I was less impressed in this movie. Her character is also less likeable than Zhou Zhiruo, not to mention how much less pretty she looks wearing Japanese clothes. Her advantage is her sad eyes and facial expressions that always seems like she has an internal struggle against herself. However Liu Sheng Piao Xu to me is as cruel and cold-hearted as Zhou Zhiruo, yet less clever and ambitious. This character does not impress me at all, but I think Gao Yuanyuan fulfilled her role. Rating: 3.5/5

- Roger Kwok (as Cheng Shi Fei): let me state first that I do not like characters like Cheng Shi Fei (and Xiao Yan Zi in Huan Zhu Gege). They annoy me a lot. What I saw was that Roger Kwok tried to be a playful, childish Cheng Shi Fei, however his acting was extremely forced, probably because he's not a naturally playful person. I really can't say if other people could have taken this role better than him, though, just because of the nature of the character. His facial expressions were exaggerated to the point that I was like "Nobody in real life ever has that kind of expression!" However, if you like Xiao Yan Zi type, you will probably like Cheng Shi Fei in this series. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately for those who like him) he gets the most screen time. I just wish Yi Dao and Hai Tang had more screen time. Rating: 3.5/5

- Chen Yi Rong (as Yun Luo): same as Cheng Shi Fei, annoying, playful, they are a good pair (although realistically speaking I think it'd be better for Cheng Shi Fei to fall for someone opposite of him, so that they can compensate for what the other lacks). I think she's alright in her role, can't really do much better. Rating: 4/5

- Damian Lau (as Tie Dan Shen Hou): I think he played his role well, although his face looks obviously scheming. He portrays the calculating, power-driven Shen Hou well but not the side that is also loving. The character Shen Hou is a complicated one to portray and the only thing I think Lau is lacking is an aura of power. He doesn't quite give me the "chill" that such a character should. Rating: 4/5

- Li Jian Yi (as Cao Zheng Chun): not good enough for a eunuch that intelligent and powerful. After seeing a lot of historical based movies you start to know what people who hold real power should look like and their manners. Li Jian Yi portrayed an obviously scheming Cao Zheng Chun, whereas in my opinion it should have been a little subtle since he is still the "servant" in name. He acts as though he is the boss even in front of the king and the king's uncle whereas realistically speaking eunuchs don't have the right to speak in front of their masters. A lack of historical accuracy, but hey, this is not meant to be another Romance of three kingdoms. Rating: 3/5.

- Huang Shengyi (as Liu Sheng Xue Ji): personally Huang Shengyi is my favorite actress but in this movie I think the role was not complicated enough for her. That and her screen time was too short, she was only a guest star. However I think she looks the prettiest in this movie in Japanese clothing even, and she has that magical smile/look. I'm not giving a rating because there wasn't enough sufficient time to judge.

4. Final conclusion: I think this series is worth watching because of Wallace Huo and Michelle Ye, and the plot is also pretty interesting although at times it's a bit illogical. However the emotions brought by Wallce and Michelle are enough (for me), since I knew this was going to be nothing like Jin Yong based movies. What I disliked was that a lot of the background music in the first ten episodes were exactly like in Tian Long Ba Bu 2003 (and we all know that was considered a success by mainland China to make a martial art movie). However, the sub songs are good, and so is the one sung by Wallace Huo (be cautioned, however, that I do not know Chinese!).

What you should know: Eva Huang Shengyi and Dicky Cheung are guest stars in this series. Don't just watch it because you expect to see either of these two. Eva appears in about 3 episodes for 10, 15 minutes and Dicky in 2 episodes for about less than 5 minutes.