Teiji
This review may contain spoilers
Watch the 1996 version instead (unless you love Janice Man)
Story
Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils is such a good storyline, but this 2021 adaptation ruins it with some weird scene orders and logic. Some examples: one scene where Jiu Mozhi appears out of nowhere and steal the Yi Jing jing from You Tan Zhi when he left it on the table, or the dried well scene with Duan Yu and Wang Yuyan where she was supposed to finally accept him but they still act weird after that and not to mention they left Jiu Mozhi under the well and doesn’t pull him up. Xu Zhu’s storyline was also a mess. During the contest to select a prince for Xixia princess, there was no combat phase, and after Xu Zhu met the princess and she pulls him out to have sex with him (he tells her all kinds of stuff about Tianshan Tonglao and Li Qiushui , which doesn’t make sense because she doesn’t know them at all) and then we never see her again. And many more.
Music
Uninteresting themesong and weak bgm.
Actors/Actresses/Acting
The main actors (Xiao Feng, Duan Yu, Xu Zhu) are average. Xiao Feng doesn’t give me the impression of a hero. Xu Zhu is just scratching his head over and over, which is annoying (and he looks kinda evil in some scenes). Duan Yu is ok but could be better. The actresses, however, are pure eye candy and is the only good thing about this adaptation. Everyone of them, from young to old and main to minor characters, are incredibly attractive (especially Wang Yuyan by Janice Man). Their acting is also very good and believable, compare to the male counterparts.
Combat
This adaptation has one of the worst, if not the worst, combat in wuxia series. The constant zoom-in and slow-mo every 5 sec is extremely frustrating. The wire work is also cringy, especially when Duan Yu uses his Minute Steps skill to climb walls, or the constant sliding and looking at the enemy's weapon in slow-mo from literally every single fights. Also, the lack of (or horrible) special effects to differentiate each of the special skills is equally bad. They try to be “realistic” by having the internal energy be transparent, but it made all the skills look the same and boring. This is fiction! They should have made each skills have unique special effects and colorful like the 1996 version.
Ending
One word: BAD. ...........INCOMING HUGE ENDING SPOILERS........ Xiao Feng's prison breakout was supposed to be an epic scene with everyone fighting alongside him against the Liao army, but they cut the whole thing out (no more budget?). So it’s bad enough that they try to make Wang Yuyan try to be a nun, but they didn’t explain anything when Duan Yu walks out the temple with her. They also ruin Mu Wanqing and Zhong Ling ending because they are nowhere to be seen at the end. As for Xu Zhu, so he just left his beloved princess and travel the world? WTH. And many other annoyances.
Overall
This is a watchable series if you want to see beautiful females. But prepare to endure through horrible fight scenes and bad storyline logic. If you want to see a good adaption of Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, watch the TVB's 1996 version (awesome themesong and bgm, good fight scenes and special effects for a 1996 series, and superb storyline and acting by everyone).
Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils is such a good storyline, but this 2021 adaptation ruins it with some weird scene orders and logic. Some examples: one scene where Jiu Mozhi appears out of nowhere and steal the Yi Jing jing from You Tan Zhi when he left it on the table, or the dried well scene with Duan Yu and Wang Yuyan where she was supposed to finally accept him but they still act weird after that and not to mention they left Jiu Mozhi under the well and doesn’t pull him up. Xu Zhu’s storyline was also a mess. During the contest to select a prince for Xixia princess, there was no combat phase, and after Xu Zhu met the princess and she pulls him out to have sex with him (he tells her all kinds of stuff about Tianshan Tonglao and Li Qiushui , which doesn’t make sense because she doesn’t know them at all) and then we never see her again. And many more.
Music
Uninteresting themesong and weak bgm.
Actors/Actresses/Acting
The main actors (Xiao Feng, Duan Yu, Xu Zhu) are average. Xiao Feng doesn’t give me the impression of a hero. Xu Zhu is just scratching his head over and over, which is annoying (and he looks kinda evil in some scenes). Duan Yu is ok but could be better. The actresses, however, are pure eye candy and is the only good thing about this adaptation. Everyone of them, from young to old and main to minor characters, are incredibly attractive (especially Wang Yuyan by Janice Man). Their acting is also very good and believable, compare to the male counterparts.
Combat
This adaptation has one of the worst, if not the worst, combat in wuxia series. The constant zoom-in and slow-mo every 5 sec is extremely frustrating. The wire work is also cringy, especially when Duan Yu uses his Minute Steps skill to climb walls, or the constant sliding and looking at the enemy's weapon in slow-mo from literally every single fights. Also, the lack of (or horrible) special effects to differentiate each of the special skills is equally bad. They try to be “realistic” by having the internal energy be transparent, but it made all the skills look the same and boring. This is fiction! They should have made each skills have unique special effects and colorful like the 1996 version.
Ending
One word: BAD. ...........INCOMING HUGE ENDING SPOILERS........ Xiao Feng's prison breakout was supposed to be an epic scene with everyone fighting alongside him against the Liao army, but they cut the whole thing out (no more budget?). So it’s bad enough that they try to make Wang Yuyan try to be a nun, but they didn’t explain anything when Duan Yu walks out the temple with her. They also ruin Mu Wanqing and Zhong Ling ending because they are nowhere to be seen at the end. As for Xu Zhu, so he just left his beloved princess and travel the world? WTH. And many other annoyances.
Overall
This is a watchable series if you want to see beautiful females. But prepare to endure through horrible fight scenes and bad storyline logic. If you want to see a good adaption of Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils, watch the TVB's 1996 version (awesome themesong and bgm, good fight scenes and special effects for a 1996 series, and superb storyline and acting by everyone).
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