King of Snooker

This series is an absolute blast. It is one of those easy-going light-hearted serials we expect from TVB these days. As you can guess from its name, the series is all about snooker. But as a snooker enthusiast you might be disappointed with the lack of realism in the snooker scenes. After all this isn't realistic snooker like you see in those World Snooker Championship matches. It's super-powered fantasy snooker!

Consider how wuxia differs from traditional kung fu series. Traditional kung-fu series use real-life kung-fu techniques and styles to show the hand-to-hand combat without adding any special effects. In contrast, wuxia uses computer graphics and wires to make the kung-fu techniques more fantasy-like. King of Snooker is a "wuxia" version of real life snooker focusing on supernatural snooker techniques and shots. This review will concentrate on the wuxia elements present in the series.

In wuxia the title of Sword God is granted to the #1 swordsman in the world. In this series, the title of King of Snooker is rewarded to the #1 Snooker Player. The King of Snooker is Yau Yat Kiu played by the legendary Adam Cheng. Like a Sword God, Yau Yat Kiu has toned his techniques to perfection and has retired from the snooker world. Yau Yat Kiu eventually takes on two disciples: his daughter Yau Ka Kan (played by Niki Chow) and the main lead Kan Tze Him (played by Patrick Tang). Kan is eager to learn all the snooker techniques from his master in order to become a top snooker player. As the series progresses, we will see Kan Tze Him’s progression from rookie to elite status under the tutelage of Yau Yat Kiu.

In the wuxia series “Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre” we have two powerful weapons: the Heavenly Sword and the Dragon Sabre. In King of Snooker, we have two powerful cues: the Heavenly Cue and the Dragon Cue. The Heavenly Cue belongs to the King of Snooker himself Yau Yat Kiu. The owner of the Dragon Cue is Lui Kin Chung (played by Derek Kwok), one of Yau Yat Kiu’s rivals. Whenever these cues are being used, the series uses special effects to make the snooker shots look more supernatural. If you’re familiar with Legend of Condor Heroes, it’s kind of like watching Hong Long 18 Dragon palms being unleashed.

In wuxia we tend to get excited over the fight scenes and the one-on-one duels. In the King of Snooker we have various snooker tournaments where the players battle it out for supremacy. We also have some great one-on-one duels between the "Snooker Greats". These snooker battles are almost as exciting as the kung-fu duels found in wuxia.

As I mentioned before, don’t expect a serious realistic drama about snooker. This series is very light-hearted and family friendly. If you watch it without any expectations, you’ll love this series. It’s one of the most fun series I watched in a long time. If you’re a fan of wuxia, you might even enjoy the subtle references. 4/5 stars.