Wind and Cloud 2

How long
50 episodes

Foreword
Alert! This is not Storm Warriors but the continuation of the drama ‘Wind And Cloud’. How did it fare with some new artistes? I make some comparisons to ‘Wind and Cloud’ as some characters are the same.

Story/Introduction on characters

1. Nie Feng – Chiu Mun Chiok
His heng gong is number 1 and his ‘feng shen’ movement is second to none. He regards loyalty important and values his promises. To save the martial arts world, he has no regrets entering the demon stream. This causes him to be separated from Di Er Meng for 12 years. He is too softhearted to let Lang off too many times. This causes a lot of misery to Di Er Meng and his son.

Can you accept Feng to don a short hairstyle? Although he looks better in here than Part 1, he seems to be misplaced as others have longer hairstyles than him. Acting wise, he has improved.

2. Bu Jing Yun – He Run Dong
His cloud palm is formidable and his ‘Jue Shi’ sword is eyed by many. He is cold in the exterior but is a warm person. He will not hesitate to end his life with Feng when he goes berserk. He loses his memory after being saved and lives 12 quiet years in a fishing village. Because all are looking for his famous sword, he recalls his past and gets involved in the power struggle.

He has also improved in his acting to look more mature and he isn’t as exaggerating as he is in Part 1. His fighting skills have also improved – maybe because Chiu is his co-star?

3. Di Er Meng – Huang Yi
Her skills are good but she has a birthmark on her cheek so she doesn’t wish to face strangers easily. She is devoted to Feng all along and believes that he isn’t dead. She looks for him for 12 years. When both meet each other, they think each other is already married. They finally get married with Xiao San Xiao as their witness. In comparison, Jiang Qin Qin is not just prettier but also displays emotions in her role. Yi seems very forced in the scenes where she becomes a foster mother to a child.

4. Chu Chu – Qin Lan
She is a village girl. Although she has no affinity with Jing Yun, she still clings to the past. Even after she is raped by Cheng and has a son born by him, she still loves Jing Yun and doesn’t accept him. Only when she meets him again, she then realizes that everything has changed and returns to Cheng. She has a sad ending of being killed by Lang. She is better than Tao Hong as that actress has made to become a whining queen in Part 1.

5. Huai Kong – Feng Wei
He is a newcomer in the martial arts world. He has a pair of iron hands and his weapon is ‘Tian Zui’. He wanders to cure his master’s illness and to find out Jing Yun’s whereabouts. He causes the death of Jing Yun’s family and learns that he is made used by Kuang Tu. To avenge his master’s and elder brother’s deaths, he joins the heaven clan. He is involved in the love triangle with his junior, Ling and also Xian.

6. Duan Lang – Chen Guan Lin
He is quite invincible but he strays on the way to gain success. His weapon is ‘Huo Lin’ sword and is a good friend of Feng since young. He is bitter when his master doesn’t value him and thus he wishes to get rid of wind and cloud. He is killed by them in the end. He is definitely a better actor than Wang Jia Ling who only knows how to roll his eyes to show his scheming look.

7. Xiong Ba – Sun Hing
He is the cruel master of ‘Tian Xia’ clan. His two disciples discover his evil scheme of separating them and is killed by them. Maybe Qian Ye Zhen Yi is too expensive so Hing replaces him. This might cause confusion as he is Wu Ming in Part 1.

8. Tin Shi Tian – Wei Yi Cheng
He wears an ice mask at all times and no one can see his face. His movements are swift and his voice is sharp. Many consider him as the clown. So did we – my brothers and I also find him comical and can’t contain our disappointment when he first appears. How can a martial arts master behave and look so cheap like him? Sigh – the producers could have gotten hi ma better mask.

9. Xu Fu – Li Li Qun
He looks gentle and is forever in his forties as he has swallowed the pill. He betrays wind and cloud to be the top pugilist. He wants to kill Lang but is replaced by him. I still don’t understand why this Taiwanese actor is so held in high regard as I find his acting artifical.

10. Huai Mie – Zheng Guo Lin
He is Kong’s elder brother and is mad about martial arts. His whole life is to spar with top experts. He knows that Kong values kinship and doesn’t want to excel him. Thus, he fakes his own death and prompts him to improve. Even at the expense of losing Ling’s love.

11. Bai Lin – Yang Rui
She is quite a skilful expert and is the brothers’ junior. She has been in love with Mie. Kong only reveals his feelings to her after Mie’s death. She accepts him and even though she knows that Mie is alive later, her heart already belongs to Kong. She is later killed by Xian due to her jealousy.

12. Luo Xian – Li Xin Yu
She is Di Shi Tian’s secret disciple and her skills are formidable. She betrays the heaven sect for Kong. She even kisses Ling in order to possess him but shields him to get killed herself in an attack.

13. Zi Ning – Chen Yi Rong
She is a blind fisherwoman and doesn’t know marital arts. She saves Jing Yun 12 years ago and leads a peaceful life with him. She is killed in a struggle, leaving him to bring up their children. Yi Rong and Run Dong have worked in some dramas before this one so they have chemistry with each other.

14. Tie Kuang Tu – Yue Yao Li
He is the iron clan leader. He is always doubtful of others and resentful of their achievements. He kills his elder brother, Shen so that he can replace him. He also concentrates on Tian Jue to kill his enemies. He wants Jue Shi sword and this cause Huai brothers to bring Jing Yun back into the martial arts world.

15. Yun Ling – Zhu Hong
She is a street performer and is nearly killed when trying to seek revenge for her father. Lang kills her enemy for her so she treats him as her benefactor. Even though she knows that Lang is scheming, she still has a son with him. She knows that the world will not allow Lang’s son’s existence so she switches her son with Feng’s son.

16. Jian Cheng – Wong Kar Nok
He is Wu Ming’s first disciple and is skilful. He is poisoned by a villain and rapes Chu Chu by mistake. This destroys her chance to be with Jing Yun and he feels remorseful over it. When Jing Yun goes missing, he only marries her in name to take care of her and their son. He has not wanted to step into the martial arts world after Chu Chu forgives him but fate leaves him no choice. He is killed by Lang. He is definitely better than Xing Man Sang as he is slimmer, younger and is more powerful as a martial arts expert.

17. Long Er – Zhang Zhi Lu
His father loves martial arts too much to be kept in Lan Ruo temple to reflect on his mistakes. His mother is killed by their enemies so he is adopted by Di Er Meng. Her wish is that he will not practice martial arts and lead a quiet life. But it lies in his blood and he even wins over Di Er Meng within a year. He becomes a swordsman in the end.

18. Huang Ying – Wang Peng
He is from Japan and is mad over marital arts. To get to the highest level, he gives up riches and fame. He isn’t even bothered by the deaths of his wife and daughter. He is in China to get the emperor’s bones but he also seeks out top experts non-stop in his journey. When he is captured by Di Shi Tian, he is willing to become his follower. After sparing with Feng, he becomes with friend and is willing to save his son for him.

19. Bu Tian
He is Jing Yun’s son. He is formerly a fisherman. He is seriously injured as Jing Yuns’ identity is exposed. He goes through an operation of changing his bones. After this, he also becomes a martial arts expert.

20. Wu Ming – Liu Wei Hua
He is the legend of the martial arts world. He is the successor of Jian Zhong and is Jing Yun’s master. He has retreated from the martial arts world for a long time but every now and then, someone will make use of his name to create discord in the martial arts world. Many also come to harass him to beg him for a duel. This time round, someone uses his name to hold a hero meeting.

Huang Ying also attends, wanting to spar with him. Plus Fu who can’t die at all, this hero is finally forced out of retreat to help wind and cloud. Not that his acting isn’t good but he isn’t in top form due to his blood-shot tired eyes. May I stress again – Ho Kar King is still my top choice and I am glad that he is invited to act in ‘Storm Warriors’.

21. Jue Xin – Wang Jia Ling
He is from Japan and wants to avenge his father’s death by killing all the martial arts experts. He wants to steal the dragon pill to increase his inner strength but he is still killed by wind and cloud. Wang acts as Duan Lang in Part 1 and it also takes me some time to get used to him to act as Xin here. But nevertheless, his acting remains the same standard as both are villain roles.

22. Po Jun
He is Wu Ming’s junior and is highly skilled. But he is an evil man who joins the heaven sect to improve his skills. He doesn’t regret helping the villains.

23. Tian Huang
He is the Japanese emperor who wants to get the emperor’s bones back. He wants to get some advantage in the marital arts world. Upon knowing that the dragon pill is divided into seven, he also wants a share to improve his strength.

24. Xiao San Xiao
He is another martial arts legend and can be considered as Feng’s master. He knows Fu’s scheme and thus gives wind and cloud pointers to defeat him.

Interesting facts

This drama is done by Yang Pei Pei. She spent 300 million to shoot in the snow scenes in Si Chuan. She also included lots of computer effects so the cast had to base on their imagination in acting.

To make sure that it was really a world of ‘wind and cloud’, Ching Siu Dong was engaged as the martial arts instructor. Hong Kong Academy Award Best Costume Director, Cheung Suk Ping was invited to design the wigs and wardrobe. So we saw modern combined with the traditional.

Most favourite character
Feng and Jing Yun, their own lives are in a mess as they contribute too much to the martial arts world. Maybe swordsmen are destined to have a tough life.

Most hated character
Fu and Lang, they betray everyone’s trust in them and can even harm them due to greed.

Song

The themesong is 兩 極by Ren Xian Qi. It sounds as modern as the costumes. Not entirely acceptable.

Conclusion

Although the fighting scenes and the scenery are breathtaking, the story is in a big mess. It is very hard to follow even though you might have read the comics as it drags too long. Yes! And most of the time, our two heroes are missing in action. The drama keeps on bringing in more and more characters until I turn giddy. The outlook of the cast isn’t too modern but somehow, the cast feel restrained by them. They look ill at ease. I feel let down by the drama. Even the most promising showdown isn’t as grand as expected. Only watch it if you have the time as you will be spending a lot of time guessing who each person is.

On acting : *** (Scale of 5)

On story : **1/2 (Scale of 5)

On songs : **1/2 (Scale of 5)