The Legend of Dagger Lee

Plot

Legend of Dagger Lee, aka Little Lee's Flying Dagger, has actually two parts. The second part is in fact unnecessary but I'm happy they did make it because it introduced me to new actors/actresses I have never heard of before. The first part, in one sentence, is about the conflict between Li Xun Huan (Vincent Jiao) and his sworn brother, as well as his emotional life (love life). The second part is about a corrupted brother of the Ming Emperor who wants to be emperor. It involves Li Xun Huan, but the whole plot will take a few pages to write out fully.

Acting

All the actors/actresses in the series played out their roles very well. Vincent Jiao fits perfectly as a gentleman-like scholar. Unlike his 'over-tried' role in Dao Ge (Knife Song III), Vincent put on a fabulous role as Li Xun Huan. Qiao Qiang also fits her role as the gentle, kind Lin Shi Yin. Her expressions were well expressed. Jason Wu's character, Ah Fei, suits him a lot. He can play the lively yet determined young man, and all the actors/actresses' expressions were not 'over-reacted'. Yu Fei Hong was superb as Yang Yan, the cold woman who had a kind heart. Fan Bing Bing also acted well as the quick-tongued Xing Er, a better role for her than Jin Suo of Princess Pearl.

Fighting

I am very picky when it comes to fighting scenes. That's why I think most series have bad (fake) fighting scenes. Other than "Xiao Ao Jiang Hu" (XAJH), this series is one of the best martial arts series. The characters' flying skills seemed very realistic, not relying much on special effects. Even now, some of the series are fake in their fighting, no matter how advanced our technology is. Anyway, I love the flying daggers that Li Xun Huan uses, they are so cool.

Setting/Costumes

I have heard all about bad costuming and fake sceneries, but this series doesn't have any of that. Like XAJH, the sceneries are real and breathtaking, the costumes are pretty traditional. Some of the hairstyles are a bit weird, though. I also like the lighting of this series, not the old ones that made everything soften or yellow.

Soundtrack

Not very original since the theme song is old, from the Hong Kong version. I forgot about the end song of each episode.

Summary

Overall, it deserves the five-star rating on storyline, acting, and DEFINITELY the fighting scenes!