RilikesWux

I'm 20 episodes into Zhan Zhao Adventures, and so far I'm really enjoying it. Although it's not a binge-worthy drama like Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty, I intend to continue watching because I'm not losing interest and am curious to see more cases.

First of all, this drama feels like old-school wuxia. The fight choreography is clean, visceral, weighty, and lengthy. I seldom see long fight scenes with such intricate choreography and a vast, versatile arsenal—from core weapons to esoteric hidden weapons. The fight scenes alone are a must-see.

Unlike Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty (whodunit) and Justice Bao (inverted detective), this drama blends both narrative styles, similar to The Vigilantes in Masks (hybrid). The opening case showcases both styles—a partial inverted style for the first 5-7 episodes, then whodunit for about 3-4 episodes, and after the crime is fully revealed, it shifts to a pure inverted structure where you know the culprit and watch the team apprehend them. It takes more than 15 episodes to conclude one case.

This slow-release mystery structure can feel tedious for viewers who prefer episodic rewards (solve the case within 4-6 episodes, move to the next). I suspect this is why some viewers here found the drama boring and dropped it. On the other hand, I like it because the case is genuinely complex, involving an issue still relevant today, and the stakes feel viscerally intense.

Yang Yang's performance works here because the character doesn't need to be complicated. The case is the star. His Zhan Zhao is "safe," but for this slow-release, process-oriented mystery, that restraint is necessary.

That line about 'wirework to spin around and call it fighting' made me laugh 😅. I've been 'wuxia-washed' by these idol romance dramas with wuxia aesthetic more than once on MDL: clicking on a drama tagged 'wuxia' only to find it's 90% idol romance with sword props.😅

On a side note, if Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty and Zhan Zhao Adventures prove that audiences still crave wuxia with heart, honor, and hard-hitting action. Maybe the genre isn't fading. I hope they will make wuxia dramas that are very grounded like these two.

Such a sharp observation!

It's ok as long as it's a good mystery, I'm in! :)

Zhao Wenzhuo is undeniably a skilled martial artist. But I found the overuse of slow motion in Heroes (2020) dilute the natural speed and crisp technique of an authentic wushu master like him. I wished they hadn't used too much slow motion. In comparison, in the older version of Huo Yuanjia in 1981 (The Legendary Fok) with Wong Yuen-sun, the fight scenes there were superior. The choreography felt grittier, faster, and more raw. Wong's martial arts background was visible in every movement and more violent.

But I did enjoy Heroes (2020) . They even brought back the original ost used in 1981 and one of the actors, Bruce Leung to act in it. Once I heard the tune and saw his face, I knew it's The Legendary Fok.

I've heard about The Tang Mist. I have put this drama to my watchlist. So exciting! First there's ZZA and now The Tang Mist. I have period detective/gong'an/ wuxia galore this year! :))

Yeah, I've heard Bao Zheng won't make an appearance but his name is mentioned so it's ok :D I mean this is Zhan Zhao's story so it makes sense.

That is very true. I am always on the edge of my seat watching the fights. They're so intense.

I've watched up to episode 5 and I'm quite happy with the plot, fight scenes, camerawork, costumes, set, etc.–the style of old-school wuxia, which is so rare these days. No flashy moves or effect heavy battle. It has brotherhood, moral ambiguity, and intricate martial sect politics. I am deliberately watching it slowly as I want to savor this rare piece.

So far Yang Yang does well as Zhan Zhao. Too soon to be considered as good as Kenny Ho but he's a perfect choice for Zhan Zhao. But what really captures my attention is Zhang Ming En's acting as Shao Ji Zu. In Eternal Brotherhood, he plays Si Yi Lin who's very loyal and naive and in ZZA, he plays a character that sends chills down my spine and yet, I strangely sympathize with him. What a really good young actor!

I agree. In WRTW, he appeared to be too much self aware of his good looks :)) In the drama, he was just being Yang Yang in a costume. It's as if he was doing a cosplay :D In Immortal Ascension I could see that he had changed the way he approached a character. He really tried to become the character he's supposed to be. I lost interest simply because this type of fantasy genre is not my cup of tea. In Zhan Zhao, I can see that he worked hard to embody Zhan Zhao. I commend him for taking on this role because it's an iconic role and he's at risk of being compared to other version of Zhan Zhao. It's not an easy role. I like this drama so far.

The immortal Ascension is not bad. The plot is better than the other two dramas of his that I mentioned. I watched it up to episode 11 or 12. Well structured and good control of the flow. I just couldn't get myself invested in the characters. I lost interest. It always happens to me when watching cultivation dramas with magic and spells. That perhaps explains why Harry Potter never interests me that much :D

Hi, yes I can see a lot of international viewers love Who Rules The World. I think the drama is considered more of a xianxia-adjacent idol romance with wuxia aesthetics, rather than a traditional, plot-driven martial arts epic. It leans heavily into polished visuals and "idol" casting (Yang Yang and Zhao Lusi are huge stars known for romantic leads) and central slow-burn romance that often overshadows the political/martial intrigues. I watched it 2 or 3 episodes, couldn't get into it. Watched again, still the same. I decided this drama wasn't for me. I'm an international viewer too but I prefer old-school wuxia where honor, brotherhood, moral ambiguity, and intricate martial sect politics outweighs romance.

As for his modern romance dramas, I didn't watch them or have intention to watch because they're not my favorite genre :D

Just found out this series is airing. As a fan of Justice Bao, of course I must not miss Zhan Zhao adventures! It's a real wuxia finally after a long time. I've just watched 2 episodes. So far I'm happy with the fight scenes. There's plenty of long, mid-range shots where you can actually see the actors' full bodies performing complete move sequences. Quite rare these days.

Let's see if Yang Yang's Zhan Zhao will match up to Kenny Ho's Zhan Zhao. Personally I think Kenny's still the best Zhan Zhao till date. And let's see if I can finish this drama. I watched 3 of Yang Yang's dramas and couldn't finish them. The Four was terrible, WRTW was too boring, and Immortal Ascension is simply not my cup of tea. Hopefully this time I will finish it. I like the first 2 episodes and fingers crossed no stupid romance. I wonder if Justice Bao will appear later. . That would be so cool if he does.

Thank you for the recommendation!

Hi PBG! Happy belated New Year! Sorry for the slow response. Drowning in work while trying to finish the drama. And I did finish the drama. Despite its shortcomings, I did enjoy the drama. The first six episodes got me really hopeful but in the middle I was slightly losing interest. The ending was kind of weird when they crammed all happy things and then dun dun dun 😄
I've read your review. Your review hit the nail on the head, as always. Superb. I agree with it 100%. I'm not looking forward to 2nd season to be honest. I mean. If they make it, I will definitely watch it but if they don't make it, it's not a loss.

This is surprisingly really good! I've watched 6 episodes so far and I'm really enjoying the ride. After STOTD, this is likely a drama I'll manage to complete this year. I like the cinematography. The lighting is perfect for mystery breaking genre. I love Zhou Bu You and his family. They're adorable! The comedy is right up my alley. I'm not familiar with most of the actors except for Zhou Yi Wei whose 2 dramas I didn't complete this year but I think I will with this one. But I can see that many of them are powerhouse actors. The first case is quite intriguing but easy to guess who the culprit was. I particularly like the mini encyclopedia at the end of every episode. It provides more context about the society of that time. All in all, love the drama and will keep watching it.

Thanks a lot! ♥️
There's a lot of interviews that I wish they had put English subtitles for international audience who don't understand Mandarin.

Thank you for the translation! Really appreciate it. Do you have the link to the clip "Lu Lingfeng Special"?

Wow! The triplets are back!

Each character will grow later on including Pei Xi Jun. It takes a while to like her. But she will get better. The romance is not the main focus of this drama so you can skip her scenes and ignore the romance. I think the makers admitted that the romance was poorly written.