This is the best adaptation of the Legend of the Condor Heroes. Many may disagree because the storyline did not follow exactly as what was written by Louis in his novels. However, this is a modern interpretation of his novels with depth added into it.
I like it that more focus is given to the evil character and explains why he became evil. I like it that more depth was given to the main character's struggles. I am a personal fan of Hu Ge. Anyone who is a lover of wuxia knows Hu Ge. In this drama, he fully and successfully depicted the character and feelings of the often honest and naive Guo Jing. I am also a fan of Yuan Hong who did a brilliant job playing the evil character. Traditionally, viewers and readers will curse Yang Kang (the evil character) for his betrayal but in this version, it actually shows why Yang Kang betrayed his family and friends and you actually will get to sympathise with him. At the end when he dies, you will feel sorry for him. In this aspect, Legend of the Condor Heroes 2003 has successfully engaged the viewers.
I love the OSTs and the meaning of the words in the OSTs. Life is full of struggles and you are often pushed to make decisions you do not want to make. Both Guo Jing and Yang Kang experience this but the difference between both is the choice they make and the strength/integrity of their characters. Who would have thought that wuxia will not only provide you action, entertainment and romance, but life's lessons as well?? Watch this. You will not be disappointed!
Was this review helpful to you?
I personnaly enjoyed the drama of course it's not perfect and I was not expecting some masterpiece just to be entertained and appreciate the story and all the actors' effort because here they all did an awesome job and I'm so thankful for that , I loved them all , the evil , the good and also the naive ones ! There's also a good thing in this drama , it tells us not to avenge our precious friends/family's death because it will always lead to never ending deaths , yeah what Hong Qi Gong said really touched me because he was so right but at the same time it's really not easy not to kill the ones who made us suffer. I think that anyone can enjoy in this long journey , there are everything in this drama , some good romance ( the second couple) , good wuxia , friendship , amazing interactions and discussions between Masters and their disciples , revenge , love and also hatred ! 50 eps is not so long when there are all those things put altogether well , believe me !
The cast :
I'm pretty satisfied with the actors chosen for this show , they were definitely all great , some were innocent and nice but very skillful , others smart and also skillful but at the same time a bit calculative (but in a good way) , vicious and evil etc .
So now I will talk about the characters :
Hong'er : this girl is so skillful , smart, fearing nothing and nobody , also calculative not in a pejorative way just that when she wanted to obtain something she always knew how to take action ( using some tactics and deceive the enemy ) I also like how she speaks to elders she respects them of course but they don't intimidate her .
Jing'er: was a brave innocent skillful guy , always helping others when they were in difficult situations maybe that's what I like the most about him , I was always hoping to see some changes in him because he was so brainless and if Rong'er was not here to help him he would not have been so powerful in martial arts , so I think He became what he is thanks to her also I was a little bit surprised seeing him more like a real man near the end I thought he would never change , good point but it was too late .
Furthermore I just want to say that Rong'er & Jing'er's personalities complemented each other , the first one is smart and calculative and the other is really gentle and skillful , good combo ;D
Ouyang Ke : I sincerely love this guy he was so charismatic , skillful , calculative ( that's why at some point I wanted him to be with Hong'er because even if their personalities are really different they could have made a great couple since they are both intelligent ) . He was always scheming behind other's back but I did not care I simply loved him .
Hong Qi Gong : the first time I saw this guy I was so amazed , so gentle guy , I loved the way he deals with others ''give me food and I will teach you martial arts'' of course he could help them without getting food but that was his way of dealing , I love his first encounter with Hong'er & Jing'er it was so funny . He's always willing to help people and he has not something in his mind , he does not want to harm others or to steal their riches to get more power. For me he is the best in the pugilistic world .
Kang'er , first of all I really liked him in the beginning , such a good guy , intelligent but not as much as Hong'er & Ouyang Ke but he has brain , and then he lost his mind and became evil , there was time I truly wanted to kill him , he got more and more evil and Nianci his lover could not help him, talking about Nianci Most of the time, we only see her when she is with Yang Kang and I think there's no really depth in her character , that's a waste of talent . And I just wanted to say , their first encounter was so electric and right away I felt chemistry between them and wanted them to be together .
I did not forget Zhou Botong who was the craziest character here !
The villains are good too , but not so hateful beside Ouyang Feng who was so obsessed with martial arts , a crazy and heartless Man .
If I have to choose only 3 favorites characters my vote will go for : Hong'er , Hong Qi Gong and Ouyang Ke .
The music :
I think all the songs here fitted perfectly with the atmosphere of the drama , I particularly liked the ending theme , the opening was good too but I won't listen to it as it was just fine for the show . There is another song I loved but I can't identify the title .
I won't rewatch this drama , just probably some scenes with Rong'er , Hong Qi Gong, Ouyang Ke and Zhou Botong, that's all !
And to finish with this review I'll just say that If you're a big fan of Wuxia , and of some of the actors you must definitely give it a try and I'm pretty sure you won't regret it , maybe the special effects that are awful but at least I prefered to laugh hihi .
PS : If you're a big big fan of Ariel Lin you must watch it because she's such a badass a smart girl in this drama , without her it wouldn't have been the same .
Was this review helpful to you?
So let's just talk about what I like and I don't.
What I like about this version.
LOCATION: The location is definitely a huge change from that of LOCH 83. Having vast geographical areas must have allowed China production to shoot the scenes in beautiful places with charming old structures such as temples, creating a more realistic ambiance. The series looks much more epic than the LOCH 83. I've got to admit it.
CASTING: I think Hu Ge and Ariel Lin did pretty good job with their respective roles. Ariel's Huang Rong is close to my favorite, Barbara's. Full of wit, charm, and with the right amount of sassiness. I just didn't like her voice. I doubt it's Ariel's real voice. I can't understand why they made her sound like an anime character. Why couldn't they just use her real voice? Anyway, Hu Ge's Guo Jing is likeable. But he sometimes looks too gullible. I know Guo Jing is naive (after all he lived in the dessert for much of his teenage life) but he's not that credulous. I think all the remaining cast did decently. No one stood out in particular except for Ariel Lin as far as my opinion concerned.
KUNG FU CHOREOGRAPHY: Love it. Hand-to-hand combat is beautifully choreographed. I particularly like Huang Rong's Dog Beating Staf technique. It's really good!
COSTUME: Wonderful. I like the costume. Definitely a great improvement. Each character wears the costume that fits their personalities.
What I don't like:
STORY: I admire the creativity and the courage within a production team. I generally wouldn't mind if an adaptation deviates a litte from the original source so long as they stay faithful to the main plot and if it makes the storytelling better than the original source. I mean LOCH 83 did the same. Unfortunately it doesn't always work. It worked well with LOCH 83, but it didn't with this one. I don't like it all. Why didn't they add a backstory Mei Chaofeng instead of creating unnecessary conflicts with other charachters?
FX: I hate the visual effect. They used too much of it that it ruined the kung fu choreography. The lights and stuff. They should have kept the FX to minimum during some fight scenes.
MUSIC: The music is OK. I don't really remember much. I've got to watch it again just to remember how it sounds.
All in all a pretty decent adaptation. They could have done better with all the resources at their disposal. I would watch it just to enjoy some fight scenes. Other than these, no.
Was this review helpful to you?
Like many other series like this one this one is about to individuals on a mission to seek revenge however I do believe that that revenge plot is somewhat lost in the middle of all of these things that’s taking place. That being said it seem to be more about him learning martial arts then seeking revenge.
What I like most about the series is that it was generally upbeat and the cast members were often funny and memorable.
What I dislike about this series was that our male lead was cast as a simple/gullible/naïve individual. I do not mean slightly naïve and gullible but I mean over-the-top naïve and gullible. It was so bad that even at one point I got frustrated and started to ask why why why. It wasn’t enough for him to have a good character and I sense of loyalty but they made him into a complete idiot who seem to lack common sense of any kind. Our second female lead to guide a little less screen time was portrayed as a very lovesick and gullible person as well. For me it was really too much. I find it unrealistic and teetering on the extreme of these individuals needing a guardian because they don’t know how to make good decisions for themselves.
Action,yes
Comedy, yes
Romance, Ahn
Chemistry, ahn
Good ending, somewhat
Karma, not really.
Rewatch, no can
Was this review helpful to you?
