anitfa
It completes my imagination of Shao Nian Ge Xing!
For a story to be adapted into various mediums (comic, animation, and live action), it definitely speaks quality. For us who read Shao Nian Ge Xing (Song of Adolescents) the novel and follow the donghua (animation series), having a live action is a real treat for fans. It is very very rare for an IP to get this opportunity. This drama itself completes my imagination about the world of Shao Nian Ge Xing. I see how it is well coordinated with the novel and donghua version, so that each version complements one each others despite several differences in some places.
After completing all episodes, I am not hesitant to say it is really a superb adaptation. The worldbuilding is complex but clearly explained through the course of the story. This drama has all ingredients of a great wuxia: geographical landscapes, actions, sects, skills, and weapons, imperial politics, culture, and philosophy. There are diverse landscapes: cities, temples, and palace, mountain, jungle, river, and sea. There are actions almost in every episode which is pleasant to eyes because of good CGI. There are philosophies from Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism giving the story some moral weight. The Chinese cultural presentations are so rich, from music, paintings, poetries, dance, outfits, and interior design of places.
The imperial politics and the damage it caused to the jianghu is pretty complex since it involves the grudge of two generations. However, the story is able to balance external conflicts, who finally win the thrones and who finally get recognition as the best martial experts, and internal conflicts: familial love vs anger among siblings, forgiveness versus revenge among loyalists, repentance versus self-righteousness among those who did wrongdoings, solitariness versus togetherness among friends. So, the best aspect of this drama is the strong themes it holds tightly from the beginning to the end: brotherhood and friendship. This story tells a lot about love to siblings, parents/ children, and love to friends. This makes it meaningful to fans and general audience.
This drama is so loved, so it lies solid ground for future movies/ drama, for prequels and sequels.
Final thought (5/2/23)
===
This story follows the journey of the youth: Xiao Se/ Xiao Chuhe (the main character), the four guardians of Tianqi (Lei Wujie, Sikong Qianluo, Tang Lian, and Ji Xue) a.k.a his guardians, Wuxin the shameless monk his best friend, and Ye Ruoyi his advisor.
It starts uniquely as Xiao Se is portrayed as anti-hero. His back story is quite heart breaking. He was a prince and prodigy that had fallen to the lowest. After involved in Langya Mutiny, he was demoted to commoner, exiled, harmed by his enemy, and lost his martial arts). People loved and remembered him as a hero, but now he was nobody and gone missing. However, in his heart, he always desired to clear his uncle name and wanted to come back to capital city, Tian Qi. He never lost his pride and principles. He is a person with a very strong character. Xiao Se journey started from coincidental encounter with Lei Wujie, a newbie with pure heart, whose journey aimed to be the greatest expert in jianghu. Later, they both travelled together and found more friends along the roads, especially Wuxin whose life unexpectedly was related to all of them. Their brotherhood is amazing.
Throughout the story, all characters experience character development. The naive Lei Wujie finally climb the ladder of skills as well as learn about love and having cute romantic relationship with Ye Ruoyi. The strong but shy Tang Lian learn to follow his heart and his principles rather than following duty blindly. Wuxin realized that he was not alone in his journey. Sikong Qianluo stopped being a bratty and spoiled girl. Xiao Se got the most extreme character development, from nobody to somebody again as a prince and a martial artist. He was still cunning and sharp tongue, but his traits were somehow refined by his past downfall and adversities. He faced his inner demon. He became more humble and grounded.
The story and interactions between characters are funny and entertaining, but also can thrill and create suspense. I found that all character are strong and badass. Nobody is weak here, even the princes learn martial arts. Nobody is stupid, as each character is reasonable and use their intelligence to face the challenges, including the antagonists.
Personally, I don't mind with the romances, even though some audience complain it, wanting it to be just focused on pure wuxia and indifferent friendship to feeling, because no chemistries among couples. The romances are told in the novel, so it is not wise to omit it from the story. To keep the drama stay true to the novel is appreciation for the writer/ IP. As the cultural background of the story believes in the concept of Yin and Yang, romance between man and woman even in martial arts world is a good thing and needed to balance things. People cannot keep doing physical fighting, action, and getting injured or experiencing setbacks without cure and consolation. The best consolation for man is the love from woman; people naturally seek for his/her soulmate. So, it is good to have a hint of romance. This drama does better in telling romantic relationship in comparison to the donghua because it gives more screen for couples. We know how relationships start, evolve, and end among couples here, both for main characters and supporting roles. All is wrapped well.
For you who never read the novel or watch the donghua, this drama completes the donghua in several ways. The donghua is a little bit confusing at telling the background, context, and things happened in the past. This drama delivers it well so we know what actually happened to Lord Langya, the history of four guardians, the history and relationships of characters, etc. The drama also improves the pacing and sequence of events so that the storytelling is smoother. This drama also changes some parts/ adds things that are not in the novel or Donghua, which is make the story stronger. For example: It differs in the time identity of Xiao Se as a prince is exposed to his friends, when and where Xiao Se met Xiao Chong and Xiao Lingchen for the first time, who involved in Three Party Meeting of Baxiao Hall, the romance during lantern festival, how the Dark River assassin syndicate got its ends, how Xiao Se got his swords, the options given to Xiao Yu before his demise. etc. I personally hope the drama has more episode so we can see the war between Beili and Nanjue, Xiao Se versus Ao Yu, the prince of Nanjue he beat in gambling repeatedly told before, and how he won it.
The drama also moderates some depiction in the novel that are too bloody. We don't see the bloodshed in Tian Qi and how every character always thrown a mouthful of blood after getting hit. In my opinion, it is good so that the story is acceptable for younger audience and thus family friendly. I also like the details in drama showing gestures, especially the fingers movement when a character is thinking of something and their face expressions (such as in the scene when Lei Wujie telling his Insulting Sword Technique to Xiao Se, Xie Xuan, and Wushuang). Even though many people saw Xiao Se expression is emotionless, I personally saw it accurate because that is how Xiao Se should look like.
I recommend this drama for you fans of the donghua and all of you who love historical and wuxia drama. Dear fellow fans, waiting for season 3 may be long. This drama can fulfill our thirst in the mean time.
After completing all episodes, I am not hesitant to say it is really a superb adaptation. The worldbuilding is complex but clearly explained through the course of the story. This drama has all ingredients of a great wuxia: geographical landscapes, actions, sects, skills, and weapons, imperial politics, culture, and philosophy. There are diverse landscapes: cities, temples, and palace, mountain, jungle, river, and sea. There are actions almost in every episode which is pleasant to eyes because of good CGI. There are philosophies from Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism giving the story some moral weight. The Chinese cultural presentations are so rich, from music, paintings, poetries, dance, outfits, and interior design of places.
The imperial politics and the damage it caused to the jianghu is pretty complex since it involves the grudge of two generations. However, the story is able to balance external conflicts, who finally win the thrones and who finally get recognition as the best martial experts, and internal conflicts: familial love vs anger among siblings, forgiveness versus revenge among loyalists, repentance versus self-righteousness among those who did wrongdoings, solitariness versus togetherness among friends. So, the best aspect of this drama is the strong themes it holds tightly from the beginning to the end: brotherhood and friendship. This story tells a lot about love to siblings, parents/ children, and love to friends. This makes it meaningful to fans and general audience.
This drama is so loved, so it lies solid ground for future movies/ drama, for prequels and sequels.
Final thought (5/2/23)
===
This story follows the journey of the youth: Xiao Se/ Xiao Chuhe (the main character), the four guardians of Tianqi (Lei Wujie, Sikong Qianluo, Tang Lian, and Ji Xue) a.k.a his guardians, Wuxin the shameless monk his best friend, and Ye Ruoyi his advisor.
It starts uniquely as Xiao Se is portrayed as anti-hero. His back story is quite heart breaking. He was a prince and prodigy that had fallen to the lowest. After involved in Langya Mutiny, he was demoted to commoner, exiled, harmed by his enemy, and lost his martial arts). People loved and remembered him as a hero, but now he was nobody and gone missing. However, in his heart, he always desired to clear his uncle name and wanted to come back to capital city, Tian Qi. He never lost his pride and principles. He is a person with a very strong character. Xiao Se journey started from coincidental encounter with Lei Wujie, a newbie with pure heart, whose journey aimed to be the greatest expert in jianghu. Later, they both travelled together and found more friends along the roads, especially Wuxin whose life unexpectedly was related to all of them. Their brotherhood is amazing.
Throughout the story, all characters experience character development. The naive Lei Wujie finally climb the ladder of skills as well as learn about love and having cute romantic relationship with Ye Ruoyi. The strong but shy Tang Lian learn to follow his heart and his principles rather than following duty blindly. Wuxin realized that he was not alone in his journey. Sikong Qianluo stopped being a bratty and spoiled girl. Xiao Se got the most extreme character development, from nobody to somebody again as a prince and a martial artist. He was still cunning and sharp tongue, but his traits were somehow refined by his past downfall and adversities. He faced his inner demon. He became more humble and grounded.
The story and interactions between characters are funny and entertaining, but also can thrill and create suspense. I found that all character are strong and badass. Nobody is weak here, even the princes learn martial arts. Nobody is stupid, as each character is reasonable and use their intelligence to face the challenges, including the antagonists.
Personally, I don't mind with the romances, even though some audience complain it, wanting it to be just focused on pure wuxia and indifferent friendship to feeling, because no chemistries among couples. The romances are told in the novel, so it is not wise to omit it from the story. To keep the drama stay true to the novel is appreciation for the writer/ IP. As the cultural background of the story believes in the concept of Yin and Yang, romance between man and woman even in martial arts world is a good thing and needed to balance things. People cannot keep doing physical fighting, action, and getting injured or experiencing setbacks without cure and consolation. The best consolation for man is the love from woman; people naturally seek for his/her soulmate. So, it is good to have a hint of romance. This drama does better in telling romantic relationship in comparison to the donghua because it gives more screen for couples. We know how relationships start, evolve, and end among couples here, both for main characters and supporting roles. All is wrapped well.
For you who never read the novel or watch the donghua, this drama completes the donghua in several ways. The donghua is a little bit confusing at telling the background, context, and things happened in the past. This drama delivers it well so we know what actually happened to Lord Langya, the history of four guardians, the history and relationships of characters, etc. The drama also improves the pacing and sequence of events so that the storytelling is smoother. This drama also changes some parts/ adds things that are not in the novel or Donghua, which is make the story stronger. For example: It differs in the time identity of Xiao Se as a prince is exposed to his friends, when and where Xiao Se met Xiao Chong and Xiao Lingchen for the first time, who involved in Three Party Meeting of Baxiao Hall, the romance during lantern festival, how the Dark River assassin syndicate got its ends, how Xiao Se got his swords, the options given to Xiao Yu before his demise. etc. I personally hope the drama has more episode so we can see the war between Beili and Nanjue, Xiao Se versus Ao Yu, the prince of Nanjue he beat in gambling repeatedly told before, and how he won it.
The drama also moderates some depiction in the novel that are too bloody. We don't see the bloodshed in Tian Qi and how every character always thrown a mouthful of blood after getting hit. In my opinion, it is good so that the story is acceptable for younger audience and thus family friendly. I also like the details in drama showing gestures, especially the fingers movement when a character is thinking of something and their face expressions (such as in the scene when Lei Wujie telling his Insulting Sword Technique to Xiao Se, Xie Xuan, and Wushuang). Even though many people saw Xiao Se expression is emotionless, I personally saw it accurate because that is how Xiao Se should look like.
I recommend this drama for you fans of the donghua and all of you who love historical and wuxia drama. Dear fellow fans, waiting for season 3 may be long. This drama can fulfill our thirst in the mean time.
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