lexin_chang
Classic wuxia in an age of extinction
Side Story of the Fox Volant is a call back to wuxia shows of the past. The martial arts displayed in the show are a wonder to see. I recommend the drama just for the beautiful fight scenes, which are well-directed, choregraphed, and performed.
The plot is based on one of Jin Yong’s earlier novels, and I found it to be one of the darkest, most brutal ones (as opposed to some more nuanced and humane of his works). There are no redemption arcs. The heroes seek revenge and actually kill their enemies in a gruesome way. There’s torture, truly evil characters, and no happy endings for most protagonists. As with many C-dramas, I found that the pace was sometimes uneven, and the last few episodes were not up to par with the dozens that had preceded them.
The cast is globally good. Lively, genial, innocent, charismatic, I found Qin Jun Jie to be a very compelling Hu Fei. In Listening Snow Tower, he had to play a completely different character (the male lead who is cold and restrained), and I was surprised by how warm and charismatic he could be. I also liked Xing Fei’s portrayal of the tormented Yuan Ziyi. She stood out for me as a complex female character, who is not just the male hero’s love interest but has her own agenda and storyline.
But my absolute favourite was Lin Yushen’s Miao Renfeng!!!! I remember watching the 2019 Heavenly Sword and Dragon Saber’s adaptation, and thinking that the actor playing Yang Xiao, Moon Sect’s Left Messenger, was very handsome, dignified, and cool. Well… Lin Yushen’s Miao Renfeng is that, time one billion!!! He is the perfect soulful-eyed, melancholic hero, the too noble, peerless martial artist in a world in which the ways of the jianghu are disappearing. He steals every scene he’s in, especially when he gets to fight!
The production value was Tencent quality, that is, high. The OST was memorable. And did I say the martial arts were magical?
Like many shows, it has its flaws, but it’s a drama that every old-school wuxia fan should put on their watchlist!
The plot is based on one of Jin Yong’s earlier novels, and I found it to be one of the darkest, most brutal ones (as opposed to some more nuanced and humane of his works). There are no redemption arcs. The heroes seek revenge and actually kill their enemies in a gruesome way. There’s torture, truly evil characters, and no happy endings for most protagonists. As with many C-dramas, I found that the pace was sometimes uneven, and the last few episodes were not up to par with the dozens that had preceded them.
The cast is globally good. Lively, genial, innocent, charismatic, I found Qin Jun Jie to be a very compelling Hu Fei. In Listening Snow Tower, he had to play a completely different character (the male lead who is cold and restrained), and I was surprised by how warm and charismatic he could be. I also liked Xing Fei’s portrayal of the tormented Yuan Ziyi. She stood out for me as a complex female character, who is not just the male hero’s love interest but has her own agenda and storyline.
But my absolute favourite was Lin Yushen’s Miao Renfeng!!!! I remember watching the 2019 Heavenly Sword and Dragon Saber’s adaptation, and thinking that the actor playing Yang Xiao, Moon Sect’s Left Messenger, was very handsome, dignified, and cool. Well… Lin Yushen’s Miao Renfeng is that, time one billion!!! He is the perfect soulful-eyed, melancholic hero, the too noble, peerless martial artist in a world in which the ways of the jianghu are disappearing. He steals every scene he’s in, especially when he gets to fight!
The production value was Tencent quality, that is, high. The OST was memorable. And did I say the martial arts were magical?
Like many shows, it has its flaws, but it’s a drama that every old-school wuxia fan should put on their watchlist!
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