TVB Wuxia 2000's vs TVB Wuxia 90's

[LuNaR]

I thought this series sucked at the end. The ending just sucked like they ran out of things to happen and started to get rid of almost all the characters. It dragged too.

I haven't found a satisfying wuxia or ancient costume drama from TVB for years.

I suppose A Step In The Past is decent enough, though I didn't like any of the main actresses in there.

u didnt like twins of brother raymond was in there

[Suet Seung]

u didnt like twins of brother raymond was in there

It was okay, but Lunar killed him and he died in the series.

No, It just lacked something.

[LuNaR]

It was okay, but Lunar killed him and he died in the series.

No, It just lacked something.

click to show/hide spoilers

but he was the bad guy he has to die in tvb standards.

but i also agree, the ending kinda got weird and definitely didnt flow like jin yong's stories throughout the series

[Ghaleon]

devil's desciple was pretty bad though. i mean up to eps 19 it was all serious and stuff and seems to be good, then it goes bad. i mean the main characters learn all the jin yong martial arts (the marble flick move from HYS, HL18 palm, etc) and even the dragon ball move (yes the kamakamaka move from dragonball) in 5 minutes and use it on the last boss to beat him... seems like tvb needs to invent something to beat the final boss to end the series. but that isnt the worst part, the worst is they all start dancing at the end and sings in ENGLISH remember this is an ancient series i gotta say shirley was pretty cute in there tho lol



o really? i saw many tvb characters there but the main female lead sure doesnt look hk, so i guess ur right

That's true, but you gotta remember that its a parody, so its not meant to be taken seriously.

shirley is hot But yeah, she was "cute" in that series.

A Step Into the Past was one of the best in 00's. Very good editing, script and plus a stellar cast.

A Step Into the Past was alright. I didn't know Raymond was in it until i saw the cast list. He looks so different in TOB & LWOLAP!

[Ken Cheng]

That's true, but you gotta remember that its a parody, so its not meant to be taken seriously.

I don't think TVB has taken *anything* seriously in at least twenty years.

[Trinie]

I thought this series sucked at the end. The ending just sucked like they ran out of things to happen and started to get rid of almost all the characters. It dragged too.

I haven't found a satisfying wuxia or ancient costume drama from TVB for years.

I suppose A Step In The Past is decent enough, though I didn't like any of the main actresses in there.

I have seen series worse so You Jian Jiang Hu was not the worse, but it was not good at all. My friend was all bragging about it too. I guess it was because she likes Kenny. I hated the fact that all of the characters died too. How depressing...

The only one I sort of liked was Lethal Weapons of Love and Passion. BUt even that one was not the best from TVB. However, it was decent.

I didn't see ASITP so I can't comment. I saw the trailer though...

[almo89]

Would you consider A step into the past wuxia though? I always though it was a comedy loosely based on history. I always thought it was more of a historical drama (although not that accurate) than a wuxia series.

[Ghaleon]

Would you consider A step into the past wuxia though? I always though it was a comedy loosely based on history. I always thought it was more of a historical drama (although not that accurate) than a wuxia series.

It's more of a comedy-historical drama than a wuxia one. I mean the whole concept is based on a modern guy going back in time to the historical China. But it was penned by Huang Yi, who also wrote the novels for Lethal Weapons of Love and Passion & Twin of Brothers. Those other two series are more wuxia.

[Trien Chieu]

Why am not shocked to see this type of response from TC??? People are asking about the 90s and 2000s, NOT the 80s!!! Actually, I love the 80s as well, but I still admit that some series from the 90s and 2000s were good as well. Also, NOT EVERY SERIES FROM THE 80s WAS GOOD!!! I used to watch 90% TVB in the 80s, but now I watch mainly China, Taiwanese or Singaporean series if I watch any new series at all. TVB has really gone downhill.....

Yes same here. So I'm not the only one, good

I'm asking about 90's TVB vs 2000's TVB, nothing to do with the 80's.

Well since you brought up the topic of the 80's, let's talk about Jin Yong series. The 80's had the best HSDS and LOCH, but 90's had the best SOD, DGSD, and ROCH versions. So you can't say 90's is not good, 90's had a strong wuxia lineup.

I agree, TVB has definitely gone downhill. And there are garbage series from the 80's like Smiling Proud Wanderer.

Not all wuxia/ancient series from the 80s are great and not all series from the 90s and 2000s are bad. However, TVB series from the 80s are the best overall. Large portion of their wuxia/ancient series are great to good, many are decent/average, few are bad. Contrary to many people here, I actually prefer their slow fighting move with limited special effect. It's more believable to me. I can imagine that is realistic whereas the fighting of the 90s and especially 2000s are too fake. Their shiny costumes also a big plus. I like the theme songs, subtheme song, artists and their storylines of the 80s better as well.

I also like few wuxia/ancient series of the 90s and 2000s but not as the ones from the 80s. Some of the ancient/wuxia series of mainland china is good as well, but they simply can't compare to 80s series of TVB. Their cheap looking costumes is one of the let down.

The following are the mainland series that I like:
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[Ghaleon]

TC,

Tin Ha Dai Yet (World's Finest) was pretty good. Better than most TVB series in the 2000's for sure.

I actually might agree with you that 80's in general had higher quality overall (i.e. more consistent). But the best of the 90's surpass the best of the 80's.

The King of the 90's:

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So far I haven't seen any wuxia series dethrone SOD 96 as the Best Wuxia Adaptation.

Plus I think the 90's had a stronger Jin Yong lineup than the 80's. It's hard to beat a lineup of LOCH 94, ROCH 95, DGSD 97 and SOD 96. Those were pure wuxia gems.

[MysticDust]

Here's a list of wuxia series I've seen from TVB in the last two decades (some of these may fall under fantasy, but oh well)

2000s:
Legend of the demi gods: don't like (enjoyable to a point, but overall, very ridiculous)
Lethal Weapons of Love and Passion: like
Ten Brothers: Like (is this considered a wuxia???)
Strike at the Heart: don't like
Face to Fate: like
Twin of Brothers: like (the dislike of the ending should cancel it out, but I thought the beginning was decent)
Lady Fan: don't like (is this a wuxia?)
Lofty Water, Verdant Bow: like (actually, I am not sure how I felt, but I finished it, so it was okay)
Whatever it takes: don’t like (is this a wuxia?)
Battle against evil: like (I hated the ending but it was not the worst thing ever)
Gods of Honor: don't like
Heaven sword dragon sabre: like (only because Derek was the best YX I have seen)
7/12 =58%
1990s:
Flying fox of snowy mt: don't like
Dragon love: don't like
Dark Tales I and II: like (I did like certain stories, but not all)
Journey to the West I and II: don't like (I did enjoy it when I was younger but when I tried rewatching it, I was disgusted)
Demi gods semi devils: don't like (the taiwan version is my fave)
Legend of Master Chai: like
State of Divinity: like
Against the blade of honor: like (kinda questionable, but I did rewatch it several times, so the reaction was more positive than negative)
Weapons of Power: like
Return of the Condor Heroes: like
Legend of the Condor Heroes: don't like (it's the only version that I know I have watched and remembered so little that it's disturbing)
Condor Heroes Return: like
Rage and Passion: don't like
Mystery of the Twin Swords I and II: like
The Buddhism Palm Strikes Back: like
Road for the Heroes: like
Revelation of the Last Hero: like
Golden snake sword: don't like
Thief of Honor: like (is this a wuxia?)
Mystery of the Parchment: don't like
The Serpentine Romance: like
Zu Mt. Saga: like (yes, it's fantasy)
The Hunter's Prey: like
Gods and Demons of Zu Mt: don't like (yes, fantasy)
15/24 =62%

It was a close race, but 90's won by a very small margin. Also, the thing about the 90s is that they made way more wuxia than the 00s and it was older, so we had more time and choices to watch. The # 1 problem I found w/ series from the 00s is that the beginning was designed to grab your attention, but the ending sucks beyond belief. Also, I liked the actors from the 90s more.

[Ghaleon]

MysticDust:

Great list! I can't believe there's someone who watched more wuxia/fantasy series than me. I've watched about 75-80% of your list only.

Just a few comments about your list...

I really liked Zu Mountain Saga. It was an excellent sequel to Gods and Demons of Zu Mountain.

Legend of the Semi Devils was terrible. It's the only series where I gave up on the first disk/tape. It's beyond ridiculous.

Face to Fate was a decent 2000's wuxia series. But there was way too much cgi and the costume and settings look way too fake.

I can't believe you didn't like Demi gods and semi devils 1997. That's one of my all-time favorites. What year is the taiwan version?? I never heard of it.

I wonder what is the Serpentine Romance. Is it related to Madam White Snake? The 90's version of Madam White Snake (Taiwan?) is considered a classic.

[Suet Seung]

MysticDust:

Great list! I can't believe there's someone who watched more wuxia/fantasy series than me. I've watched about 75-80% of your list only.

Just a few comments about your list...

I really liked Zu Mountain Saga. It was an excellent sequel to Gods and Demons of Zu Mountain.

Legend of the Semi Devils was terrible. It's the only series where I gave up on the first disk/tape. It's beyond ridiculous.

Face to Fate was a decent 2000's wuxia series. But there was way too much cgi and the costume and settings look way too fake.

I can't believe you didn't like Demi gods and semi devils 1997. That's one of my all-time favorites. What year is the taiwan version?? I never heard of it.

I wonder what is the Serpentine Romance. Is it related to Madam White Snake? The 90's version of Madam White Snake (Taiwan?) is considered a classic.

I've seen most of the series MysticDust listed in the 90s and a few of the 2000s.

I believe the Taiwanese version of DGSD she's talking about is the one with Eddie Kwan as Duan Yu/Xu Zhu and Austin Wai as Xiao Feng (made in 1991). There were a lot of character merging and butchering of the plot. It was the first adaptation of DGSD I watched and for a time I liked it, but after seeing the 1996, a lot of things made more sense than the Taiwanese version. For one, they made a reference to Yang Guo and Xiao Long Nu, which is a big no-no because they haven't been born yet! Decades too early!

[Trien Chieu]

TC,

Tin Ha Dai Yet (World's Finest) was pretty good. Better than most TVB series in the 2000's for sure.

It's good, that is one of the best mainland series along with Assassine (I like series that contains many short stories)

I actually might agree with you that 80's in general had higher quality overall (i.e. more consistent). But the best of the 90's surpass the best of the 80's.

I can't agree with you on that. I still like the 80s series the best. Just love the artists, costumes, storylines, and slow hand fight with little special effects. The storylines, artists and costumes (not as fancy) of the 90s aren't as good as the 80s. Their hand fight is too fast.

The King of the 90's:

So far I haven't seen any wuxia series dethrone SOD 96 as the Best Wuxia Adaptation.

Plus I think the 90's had a stronger Jin Yong lineup than the 80's. It's hard to beat a lineup of LOCH 94, ROCH 95, DGSD 97 and SOD 96. Those were pure wuxia gems.

I actually hate SOD 96 with Jacky Liu. I like the one with Chow Yun Fat better. Only DGSD 97 is comparable to the DGSD 82, but I still like the 80s version slightly better. LOCH82 is way way better than LOCH94, not even comparable. ROCH95 is good but ROCH83 with Andy Lau and Idy Chan is better.

Series that I really like in the 90s are Justices Pao, Dark Tales 1 & 2, The Ching Emperor, Journey to the West (Dicky Cheung), ect

[Ghaleon]

I've seen most of the series MysticDust listed in the 90s and a few of the 2000s.

I believe the Taiwanese version of DGSD she's talking about is the one with Eddie Kwan as Duan Yu/Xu Zhu and Austin Wai as Xiao Feng (made in 1991). There were a lot of character merging and butchering of the plot. It was the first adaptation of DGSD I watched and for a time I liked it, but after seeing the 1996, a lot of things made more sense than the Taiwanese version. For one, they made a reference to Yang Guo and Xiao Long Nu, which is a big no-no because they haven't been born yet! Decades too early!

Wow, another hardcore wuxia watcher. You are right, referencing YG and XLN is a huge no-no. So with all the series you watched, what are your top 5 of the 90's for wuxia and fantasy?

It's good, that is one of the best mainland series along with Assassine (I like series that contains many short stories)

Agreed. I actually might put it very near the top for wuxia series in the 2000's. But it's mainland, not TVB. TVB series in the 2000's are kind of bleh.

I can't agree with you on that. I still like the 80s series the best. Just love the artists, costumes, storylines, and slow hand fight with little special effects. The storylines, artists and costumes (not as fancy) of the 90s aren't as good as the 80s. Their hand fight is too fast.

I like the 90's because it's no-nonsense, serious, pure wuxia. The 90's series are also usually more darker and grittier than both the 80's and the 2000's I find. I usually prefer the more serious "non-fluff" series in general. I like serious plots. But in terms of acting, I might have to agree with you that 80's is very strong.

I actually hate SOD 96 with Jacky Liu. I like the one with Chow Yun Fat better. Only DGSD 97 is comparable to the DGSD 82, but I still like the 80s version slightly better. LOCH82 is way way better than LOCH94, not even comparable. ROCH95 is good but ROCH83 with Andy Lau and Idy Chan is better.

The CYF version butchered the storyline. You actually like CYF in an ancient serial? And I can't believe you don't like SOD 96. It's the greatest wuxia adaptation ever in my opinion.

DGSD 82 also butchered the storyline especially in the second half. I agree with you that LOCH 82 is the best LOCH ever. But I like LOCH 94 because it's faithful to the novel. Plus they actually got a *real* indian guy to play 1Deng's friend-translator

ROCH 95 vs ROCH 83 is a tricky one. I really enjoy ROCH 95 being a no-nonsense, no-fluff faithful adaptation. Plus Louis Koo did a fine job. But the ROCH 83 had Andy Lau and had the strong secondary cast that was in LOCH 83. So I might put them about equal.


In general, i think the 80's had really strong acting. I usually love the cast, especially in LOCH 82!! One of the best supporting cast ever in a serial. But overall i think the 90's had stronger plot and storylines. So I give the edge to the 90's.

[Ken Cheng]

As usual, there's no love for *1970s* TVB wuxia.

I must be the only member of this forum who likes that REALLY old school, no-tech stuff.

[Suet Seung]

As usual, there's no love for *1970s* TVB wuxia.

I must be the only member of this forum who likes that REALLY old school, no-tech stuff.

I think part of the problem is most of us weren't born before the 80s. The wuxia serials from the 70s were already hard to find by the time we're kids; therefore, less exposure.
--------------------------------------

Next time I see somebody talk about the 90s being fake, I'll snap some bones in half. I don't understand why people have to sing praises for one era and then trample over other eras and spit trash out of their mouths about stuff they don't know about. There's no fairness in their evaluation, they're just completely bias.

Ganryu - Face it, you can't talk sense to obstinate and brick-wall mentality people.

I have to get back to on the top five list. I like a lot of stuff and so I need time to narrow it down.

[Ghaleon]

As usual, there's no love for *1970s* TVB wuxia.

I must be the only member of this forum who likes that REALLY old school, no-tech stuff.

Wasn't the 70's mostly dominated by Gu Long? Ok I will stand up for Luk Siu Fong if that helps

I think part of the problem is most of us weren't born before the 80s. The wuxia serials from the 70s were already hard to find by the time we're kids; therefore, less exposure.
--------------------------------------

Next time I see somebody talk about the 90s being fake, I'll snap some bones in half. I don't understand why people have to sing praises for one era and then trample over other eras and spit trash out of their mouths about stuff they don't know about. There's no fairness in their evaluation, they're just completely bias.

Ganryu - Face it, you can't talk sense to obstinate and brick-wall mentality people.

I have to get back to on the top five list. I like a lot of stuff and so I need time to narrow it down.

Alright sounds good, get back to me on it, i would very much like to know your opinion.

Generally (well mainly because i'm really bored at home), I like to give all wuxia series a chance. But in all honesty, after watching the TVB wuxia series in the 2000's, i find that they don't compare to the ones in the 90's (or 80's). But I still do enjoy the TVB wuxia series in the 2000's. But the enjoyment isn't nearly as high as it used to be, especially in the 90's. It's also in the 2000's where I started branching out to other series producers like Korea, Japan and China - trying to find worthy wuxia/fantasy/ancient series to watch. It used to be pure TVB all the time (and sometimes ATV), but now other country-producers are starting to take over. I think TVB in the 2000's has "jumped the shark" with regard to ancient serials.

[Ken Cheng]

Wasn't the 70's mostly dominated by Gu Long? Ok I will stand up for Luk Siu Fong if that helps

Yes. 1970s TVB wuxia was as Gu Long-dominated as the 1980s were Jin Yong-dominated. Only two Jin Yong adaptations were done by TVB during the 1970s: BOOK & SWORD - GRATITUDE & REVENGE (1976) and HEAVEN SWORD AND DRAGON SABRE (1978), both of which had more or less the same cast members.

But it was the Gu Long novels that became all the rage for TVB adaptations during the 1970s: LUK SIU FUNG, SENTIMENTAL SWORDSMAN RUTHLESS SWORD, CHOR LAU HEUNG, FULL MOON CURVED SABRE, SIU 11 LONG, ONE SWORD OVER THE NINE PROVINCES, THE SWORD AND THE EXQUISITENESS...even relatively minor stuff like SEPARATION HOOK got adapted by TVB during the 1970s.

Then, as soon as the 1980s hit, the pendulum swung entirely in favor of Jin Yong.

[Suet Seung]

Alright sounds good, get back to me on it, i would very much like to know your opinion.

Generally (well mainly because i'm really bored at home), I like to give all wuxia series a chance. But in all honesty, after watching the TVB wuxia series in the 2000's, i find that they don't compare to the ones in the 90's (or 80's). But I still do enjoy the TVB wuxia series in the 2000's. But the enjoyment isn't nearly as high as it used to be, especially in the 90's. It's also in the 2000's where I started branching out to other series producers like Korea, Japan and China - trying to find worthy wuxia/fantasy/ancient series to watch. It used to be pure TVB all the time (and sometimes ATV), but now other country-producers are starting to take over. I think TVB in the 2000's has "jumped the shark" with regard to ancient serials.

Yes, I, too, like to give all wuxia a chance without being completely bias. If I see something good and it manages to give me a deep impression, I will give it postive remark.

Personally, I would say TVB's good wuxia serials are from 80s to 1997. After 1997, the decent ones are slim pickings on the really, really good ones. I can't speak for the 70s because I haven't seen much of the 70s work. [Notice how I'm not out to bash other eras.]