This review may contain spoilers
So this is another of my top fav dramas. I dont think Ive ever laughed so hard from watching a drama before watching this and I dont think I ever will. If you're seeking a series of good laughs then you should start watching this right now. It seems quite long at 50 episodes but it could be over before you know it if you're a drama lover as you'd find yourself laughing through each episode. You could also try out the highly successful 1992 movie versions of this (Its broken into part 1 and 2) as they are shorter and still hilarious. Then if you find yourself wanting more, you can go for this. But this tv series is at least 3 times funnier than the movie and has much better production. Your choice.
The synopsis for this has all the info you need and even some extra I'd consider spoilers but even that wont stop anyone from enjoying this show. The story is based off a Jin Young novel which I think is titled The Duke of Mount Deer. The show basically revolves around this lazy lecherous street rascal, Wei Xiaobao, who is thrown into the wuxia world (or martial arts world) of conspiracy and life-threatening situations and thus he constantly has to rely on luck, his glib tongue, cheap tricks and street smarts to survive his way through because he barely knows any martial arts. A lot of laughs would come from the show revealing the thoughts that go through Wei Xiaobao's head but even besides that, this show would have you laughing one way or another. Another major character is the Kang Xi emperor and the story revolves a lot around Wei's relationship with him.
The Kang Xi emperor as well as many other characters in this are real historical figures that existed in Chinese history because even though this is a fictional story, it is based on real Chinese history (I actually learned more about Chinese history due to this show ^__^).
Unlike the movie counterparts, this show starts off with Wei as a child, who is equally as hilarious as his grown up counter part. One reason I mention this, is because I was really taken aback as to how exceptionally good the child actors were (I sincerely hope they won oscars or some sort of award for the roles they had). They could really bring in a sense of realism to their roles. Perhaps the older actors performed really well because they didnt want to be outdone by them lol. The other reason is because the child actor scenes last for about the first 6 - 8 episodes (Perhaps their screen time got extended because they were that good? Idk). You might miss their faces when they're gone but their older counterparts did just as good so you might not mind too much.
The only downsides of this show I remember is that towards the end (I think during the last 10 episodes or so), you start to get a lot of scenes that drag on or feel boring. Still it ends on a good note (both happy and sad things occur but it'll probably leave you feeling nice and warm inside) and overall it carries meaningful messages on conflicts that occurred during its time period. Honestly, just do yourself a favor and start watching this whenever you can. You can thank me later ;)
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