The Romance of the Condor Heroes 《神雕侠侣》 - Chen Xiao, Michelle Chen

[Silverhawk]

I agree with some people here this is much better than Swordsman. But like all YZ productions, his always takes the wrong person for the main character I.e. Wallace Huo as LHC was wrong. That guy is too old and too serious for LHC. Agree with Eastern Heretic that Chen Xiao would make a better LHC, he is a more versatile and younger actor. And in this one, he picked the wrong girl as XLN. Michelle Chen doesn't have the class of XLN.

I have to say I did enjoy this one better than the one acted by Huang Xiaoming bcz of Chen Xiao. The YG here is more lively although he is too bratty at times.

I guess it is not possible to follow exactly as per the novel. So if u watch it with an open mind and forget about the novel, this adaptation is not too bad. Would have been better if it had more fighting scenes. Some were way too short.

[luna_lucid]

Personally, I think it's quite hard to forget the original story of the Condor Trilogy. They have been very very famous, being loved since a long time ago and have lots of fanbase all over the world from various ages. They are way more popular and loved than XAJH. I agree that it's difficult to follow the novel exactly, but at the very least, the main characters must be correctly portrayed. Imagine what will happen if someday, someone adapt LOCH and change the characters of GJ-HR , perhaps made GJ became smarter and cunning, while HR became innocent and eccentric. OR, try change the character of YK, make him an honest guy instead and more loveable than GJ. I doubt that fans would gladly accept that.

So, if there is one of the main characters who is not correctly portrayed or not impressive enough, I personally believe that that is one of the factors that made lots of people couldn't really enjoy a version. If YZ is really going to adapt HSDS, then he must consider this carefully. Well, there are some exceptions, like HSDS 09. For me, ZWJ of HSDS 09 is not correctly portrayed, but I like him because he has great charisma. Then again, that's just my personal opinion.

[suetkei]

Anyways, I skipped most of it, the key things that stood out too me:

YLX actually fights back against GF and actually can handle her temper tantrum; I liked how the they changed the scene to the end where GF volunteerily gets down on her knees to beg for YG's help instead of YG telling her too.

What annoyed me is they had to include the whole segment about who she actually loves because WASNT it already settled she loved YLX; I thought it was cute how she ran to YLX screaming and crying hysterically though

I felt kind of bad for one of the brother, little wu was it? Because he loved WYP and was okay with her settling for him after being rejected by yet another guy. I like how this series elaborated on everyone developing romance instead of "?? Huh how did they end up together? That was unexpected"

GSLE death scene: I wish we just got a little bit more emotion from everyone? I felt like her death didn't make as much as an impact in that scene because it switched to everyone fighting so quickly.

Since YZ was changing things I wished he had at least made a happy ending for CY and LWS.

Anyways! I enjoyed lurking for the most part due to being busy and all the discussion we engaged in. Hope to see many of you around when YZ remakes HSDS!

I think so. But it doesnt make sense since the gwm isnt old as she is.

All the love story shouldve been just like introduced in beginning of story , cause it really ruins flow of the main story.

Also imo i think 2006 remake is so far best wuxia remake up to a date.

I was thinking that. Shouldn't he have been a whole lot older looking than everyone else.

[suetkei]

Actually something I've always wonder about. I know WaYan Ping is the same age as YG but does anyone know if WaYan Ping's parent have any connections to Yang Kang? As Yang Kang grew up as the prince of Jin.

[hirobo2]

As I've always like to say, if half an apple is rotten, is it a good apple or a bad one? This is a series I tried really hard to like, but now that we're at the end, I have to admit that this was a bad apple.

For a normal vanilla series, this was passable, I guess, but for an adaption, this was terrible. Wasn't this supposed to be a wuxia drama. I'm here for the action, thank you very much, not to be beaten blatantly over the head with some angsty message about love and social ties and all that jazz.

There were way too many flashbacks, a majority of the battles were short and unengaging, the female lead was overshadowed, plot points were invented and added and went absolutely nowhere... This series seems to be showing us stuff just for the sake of it, not because it made sense or added to the story in any way. In the end, it's all just dead weight.

Honestly, what made this series even a little bit enjoyable was the cast.

My God, the cast for this year was really good. I'm really wish they had a proper script and a proper direction so they could actually make a proper show. I have to repeat my love for the man who played Guo Jing in this version. You've won me over. I'm a fan. But unfortunately, even they couldn't turn shit into gold.

The problem lies in the execution. They did well with what they had, but even so, most of their dialogues are essentially expositions and a lot of their stuff felt rushed. I also think that too many characters (most obviously Guo Fu) got too attention. While this may help flesh them out, it was at the expense of the main storyline, which was already bare-boned thanks to all those flashbacks. In the end, just about every named character is touched upon a little, but few are actually developed to any notable degree. This is very annoying. And I love Chen Xiao as an actor, but I don't really like him here as Yang Guo. I prayed and hoped that he'll mature since his first appearance, but even at the end, I never really felt that Chen Xiao could pull off a dignified and cool Yang Guo. He's a little more serious and don't talk as much anymore, but that's about it.

I can understand why some people seems to love this series, but for myself, I prefer a more condensed narrative that unfolds naturally, something with a little more focus on the essentials and doesn't have to rely completely on expositions to move the story forward. As the almighty rule went, show me don't tell me.

I hope the next adaption will be done more properly, cause I am very disappointed in this one.

I've watched 2.5 episodes on YT and immediately became bored. Swordsman was passable at least for the first 27 episodes, this one couldn't even hold my interest for 3.

What is wrong with it? YZ basically did to ROCH what Peter Jackson did to The Hobbit. It became an unrealistic fan-fiction (even for a fantasy genre) and focused too much on the use of CG. Though I agree MC was a miscast for XLN, but they could have her dressed much better. I wasn't at all impressed with grown-up XLN's first entrance in episode 3. I don't think LYF is beautiful, but even her first appearance in ROCH 2006 mesmerized me a little.

Also, they could have hired much better directors. Zhang JiYong knows how to make scenes appear crowded. In ROCH '14, there could be 100 people in the scene, and it would feel empty and deserted. But in HSDS '09, the director knew how to make a crowd of 50 people appear like 1000 have gathered at the meeting. It appeared they hired a bunch of untalented hacks to direct the new ROCH.

Lastly, kung fu isn't a forte of YZ productions. They relied too much on rhythmic dance choreography and CG to portray fights. ZJY productions on the other hand felt like wushu???, even if the actors/actresses don't have any martial arts skills. It all boils down to the director's talent with the camera and stunt wires.

It makes me kind of sad that after 9 years or so from the last adaptation, we end up with big-budget mess productions like The Hobbit and the new ROCH. I wonder if waiting for another 9 years will have us end up with yet another unsatisfying adaptation...

[MrWErD]

Imagine what will happen if someday, someone adapt LOCH and change the characters of GJ-HR , perhaps made GJ became smarter and cunning, while HR became innocent and eccentric. OR, try change the character of YK, make him an honest guy instead and more loveable than GJ.

Reminds me of the 2008 adaption. Hehe.

Anyways! I enjoyed lurking for the most part due to being busy and all the discussion we engaged in. Hope to see many of you around when YZ remakes HSDS!

Oh yeah. Remember how I said I'm actually interested to see how Yu Zheng will change the story in his adaption? Well, I'm not anymore. The only thing I really liked about HSDS is the fighting scenes, and if they're going to be done this poorly, I won't even bother.

[MrWErD]

I've watched 2.5 episodes on YT and immediately became bored. Swordsman was passable at least for the first 27 episodes, this one couldn't even hold my interest for 3.

What is wrong with it? YZ basically did to ROCH what Peter Jackson did to The Hobbit. It became an unrealistic fan-fiction (even for a fantasy genre) and focused too much on the use of CG. Though I agree MC was a miscast for XLN, but they could have her dressed much better. I wasn't at all impressed with grown-up XLN's first entrance in episode 3. I don't think LYF is beautiful, but even her first appearance in ROCH 2006 mesmerized me a little.

Also, they could have hired much better directors. Zhang JiYong knows how to make scenes appear crowded. In ROCH '14, there could be 100 people in the scene, and it would feel empty and deserted. But in HSDS '09, the director knew how to make a crowd of 50 people appear like 1000 have gathered at the meeting. It appeared they hired a bunch of untalented hacks to direct the new ROCH.

Lastly, kung fu isn't a forte of YZ productions. They relied too much on rhythmic dance choreography and CG to portray fights. ZJY productions on the other hand felt like wushu???, even if the actors/actresses don't have any martial arts skills. It all boils down to the director's talent with the camera and stunt wires.

It makes me kind of sad that after 9 years or so from the last adaptation, we end up with big-budget mess productions like The Hobbit and the new ROCH. I wonder if waiting for another 9 years will have us end up with yet another unsatisfying adaptation...

It used to cost a lot of make a show set in the ancient era, what with the costumes and locations, so when it did happen, the producers and directors had to try their best because if they fail, they'll cost their company a lot of money. Nowadays, production is relatively cheap, all things considered.

As you said, most people seems to have taken a leaf out of George Lucas' book and use CGI on every scenery, even to "monsters" that the heroes have to "fight" or used to choreograph an entire battles to compensate for certain lackings. Costumes used to be expensive when there is small demand for it, but ancient hanfu have become very popular in the past decade, and there are tons of company that make them. The cost is way down. Historical/Wuxia dramas no longer that big of an investment and the pressure to excel is no longer as heavy, so the quality will naturally go down.

And to make matters worse, most of the popular ones (Condor Trilogy/Journey to the West) isn't owned by any one company. This means that any old hack could make a new adaption so long as they have the backing of a company and pay royalties to the source. After that, they can do whatever they want. There is no quality control or loyalty to canon material. After a decade of good adaptions, the people with talent will naturally try to avoid remakes and invest their skills elsewhere, while talentless bums will swarm over a cash cow and milk it with both hands.

I firmly believes Yu Zheng belongs in the second category.

[Malevolent]

It makes me kind of sad that after 9 years or so from the last adaptation, we end up with big-budget mess productions like The Hobbit and the new ROCH. I wonder if waiting for another 9 years will have us end up with yet another unsatisfying adaptation...

Wuxia is a dying thing there won't be another 9 years. So don't bother wasting your time to wait. Spend the 9 years of your life wait for something else better

[hirobo2]

Wuxia isn't dead. HSDS '09 proved modern wuxia adaptations can still be enjoyable.

Also, I'm not a fan of Viann Zhang, so the only woman I find looked remotely hot in ROCH '14 is Lin ChaoYing. In contrast, most of Wuji's girls in HSDS '09 looked hot and can really act, the hottest being the Yang Xiao's daughter, who of course went and married one of Wuji's uncles instead...

[Malevolent]

Wuxia isn't dead. HSDS '09 proved modern wuxia adaptations can still be enjoyable.

Also, I'm not a fan of Viann Zhang, so the only woman I find looked remotely hot in ROCH '14 is Lin ChaoYing. In contrast, most of Wuji's girls in HSDS '09 looked hot and can really act, the hottest being the Yang Xiao's daughter, who of course went and married one of Wuji's uncles instead...

who is talking about woman here? we are talking about wuxia not Viann Zhang lol!

wuxia died after Jin Yong stopped writting. all u gonna see is people adapting the same JY stuff over and over. also, over the years directors pay less attention to martial arts choreography so its gonna be cgi and some jumping here and there mostly. if u want hardcore wuxia go watch the 80's or 90's TVB Jin Yong adaptations.

[MrWErD]

Even if it does die, it'll come back stronger, better. Think the Superhero franchises in the United States. After the movie Steel, comic book movies were considered "dead" in the 90s, and when the 00s came along, it became a billion dollar enterprise in just a decade. Now DC has their Batman and Marvel their Avengers.

[lenje]

who is talking about woman here? we are talking about wuxia not Viann Zhang lol!

wuxia died after Jin Yong stopped writting. all u gonna see is people adapting the same JY stuff over and over. also, over the years directors pay less attention to martial arts choreography so its gonna be cgi and some jumping here and there mostly. if u want hardcore wuxia go watch the 80's or 90's TVB Jin Yong adaptations.

I wholeheartedly agree with the last sentence.

[Dongfang Guniang]

In my opinion, if u want to enjoy this adaptation, dont compare it with the novel and you will find that it is not too bad. If you are a hardcore fan of the novel, best is dont watch any adaptations at all cz you are definitely going to get disappointed and b*itch about it.

All in all, I have to agree that the fighting scenes in this adaptation were EXTREMELY poor and short but overall, the main casts were quite good and the ending was satisfying. At least GF finally poured out her thoughts about YG when she watched him rescue her husband.

[luna_lucid]

wuxia died after Jin Yong stopped writting. all u gonna see is people adapting the same JY stuff over and over. also, over the years directors pay less attention to martial arts choreography so its gonna be cgi and some jumping here and there mostly. if u want hardcore wuxia go watch the 80's or 90's TVB Jin Yong adaptations.

You got a point here. Most of wuxias now are the adaptationd of old stories, like JY, Gulong, WRA.The rest are fantasy or magical with CGI (I'm fine with CGI actually, as long as they execute it right) and lots of romance, more like period dramas to me . Perhaps Gu Long stories are more of a great source for adaptations? I found the new adaptation of Lu Xiao Feng by Raymond Lam, and eventhough it doesn't have english sub, itu looked interesting *sorry, a little OT here*.

Btw, I thought I heard a rumor that ZJZ was planning to remake JY story again, is that true? Sorry that was just a rumor that I heard sometimes ago.

[krabs]

Why are some of you guys trying to review this drama when you claim to only watch 2 episodes .....

[hirobo2]

Even if it does die, it'll come back stronger, better. Think the Superhero franchises in the United States. After the movie Steel, comic book movies were considered "dead" in the 90s, and when the 00s came along, it became a billion dollar enterprise in just a decade. Now DC has their Batman and Marvel their Avengers.

You got a point. The West has Spider-man, China has DongFang BuBai. The West has Superman, China has Sun Wukong. Which is more kickass? I'd say their Chinese counterparts b/c they come with tightly woven epic storylines, whereas Spiderman/Superman are mostly about characters with superpowers first, story second. Besides, in a fight, DFBB would wipe the floor with Spider-man any day...

Also, the West has epic classics like Lord of the Rings, China's equivalent is LOCH. Which is more kickass? I'd say the Chinese counterpart again. No way can you compare the story of LOTR to LOCH. LOCH is 10x more epic, LOTR just has hundreds of millions of dollars backing up their productions.

Just a few observations, IMHO...

[wuxiarocks]

Btw, I thought I heard a rumor that ZJZ was planning to remake JY story again, is that true? Sorry that was just a rumor that I heard sometimes ago.

It's not a rumor. ZJZ is adapting another JY work. Ode to Gallantry. He might also be planning to adapt other JY smaller stories afterward. Flying Fox is one of them.

The West has Spider-man, China has DongFang BuBai. The West has Superman, China has Sun Wukong. Which is more kickass? I'd say their Chinese counterparts b/c they come with tightly woven epic storylines, whereas Spiderman/Superman are mostly about characters with superpowers first, story second. Besides, in a fight, DFBB would wipe the floor with Spider-man any day...

Just a few observations, IMHO...

While I respect your opinion, it is quite an unfair comparison. You're comparing novels to comic books. Different medium. Different form of storytelling.

[Li Mochou]

I've watched 2.5 episodes on YT and immediately became bored. Swordsman was passable at least for the first 27 episodes, this one couldn't even hold my interest for 3.

What is wrong with it? YZ basically did to ROCH what Peter Jackson did to The Hobbit. It became an unrealistic fan-fiction (even for a fantasy genre) and focused too much on the use of CG. Though I agree MC was a miscast for XLN, but they could have her dressed much better. I wasn't at all impressed with grown-up XLN's first entrance in episode 3. I don't think LYF is beautiful, but even her first appearance in ROCH 2006 mesmerized me a little.

Also, they could have hired much better directors. Zhang JiYong knows how to make scenes appear crowded. In ROCH '14, there could be 100 people in the scene, and it would feel empty and deserted. But in HSDS '09, the director knew how to make a crowd of 50 people appear like 1000 have gathered at the meeting. It appeared they hired a bunch of untalented hacks to direct the new ROCH.

Lastly, kung fu isn't a forte of YZ productions. They relied too much on rhythmic dance choreography and CG to portray fights. ZJY productions on the other hand felt like wushu???, even if the actors/actresses don't have any martial arts skills. It all boils down to the director's talent with the camera and stunt wires.

It makes me kind of sad that after 9 years or so from the last adaptation, we end up with big-budget mess productions like The Hobbit and the new ROCH. I wonder if waiting for another 9 years will have us end up with yet another unsatisfying adaptation...

There isn't many wuxia dramas in this era that will keep you interested till the very end, lets be real. If you can find one do let us all know. It is really unfair for you to judge a production after only watching 2.5 episodes. As a matter of fact, I prefer Romance of Condor Heroes compared to Swordsman. In Swordsman, YZ butchered the entire novel and turned Linghu Chong into a heartless animal.

I didnt like Zhang Jizhong's version, oh and his name is Zhang Jizhong and not Zhang JiYong by the way. I am not going to write an essay why i prefer YZ's version because we have our own personal preference. But I feel its unfair that you come here slamming YZ's adaptation and compare it to Western Sci-Fci when you have only watched 2.5 episodes. We're talking about wuxia here by the way, in case you got lost.

I dont see how ROCH is an unrealistic fan-fiction, it stayed close to the novel (the third edition). Of course HQG and DGQB's romance were all made up, but it did not ruin the entire story and I am sure there will be some people out there who will like it.

[luna_lucid]

It's not a rumor. ZJZ is adapting another JY work. Ode to Gallantry. He might also be planning to adapt other JY smaller stories afterward. Flying Fox is one of them.

So that's not just a rumor?? Thx for the info . Well I dont like all of his works, but the ones that I do are really imptessive, like DGSD and Sword Stained w Royal Blood. And I like the 'ancient' and classic feeling from his works, despite the minuses here and there.

[hirobo2]

There isn't many wuxia dramas in this era that will keep you interested till the very end, lets be real. If you can find one do let us all know. It is really unfair for you to judge a production after only watching 2.5 episodes. As a matter of fact, I prefer Romance of Condor Heroes compared to Swordsman. In Swordsman, YZ butchered the entire novel and turned Linghu Chong into a heartless animal.

I didnt like Zhang Jizhong's version, oh and his name is Zhang Jizhong and not Zhang JiYong by the way. I am not going to write an essay why i prefer YZ's version because we have our own personal preference. But I feel its unfair that you come here slamming YZ's adaptation and compare it to Western Sci-Fci when you have only watched 2.5 episodes. We're talking about wuxia here by the way, in case you got lost.

I dont see how ROCH is an unrealistic fan-fiction, it stayed close to the novel (the third edition). Of course HQG and DGQB's romance were all made up, but it did not ruin the entire story and I am sure there will be some people out there who will like it.

Actually two: HSDS '09, Legend of the Condor Heroes (ROCH anime). We all know who Zhang JiZhong is...

Next, JY's wuxia is/are essentially comics (or its equivalent). They were written mostly to entertain. If JY had been a cartoonist, all of his works would have been serialized as illustrations instead.

Lastly, I want to see a Japanese live action of any of JY's work so badly, but they're not so popular in Japan, which is why they'll continue to make knock offs of Sun Wukong (Dragon Ball Z, Naruto, Inuyasha etc). I really like what they did to Monkey Magic 2007. I really could see financial success for a trilogy-type Jin Yong movie(s) like the live action Kenshin movies in Japan, one set of stories like HSDS but broken into 3 movies.