Liz
USA
This review may contain spoilers
First off, I'd like to say that this is one of my favorite storylines written by Jin Yong. I absolutely love the 1986 HSDS version made by TVB starring Tony Leung and Kitty Lai. I'll be comparing this version to my favorite version of all time. Obviously I've seen other versions as well: 1997, 2000, 2005, etc. but I think it is best if I compare it to my favorite adaptation.
Story: This drama does a better job at spoonfeeding its audience on plot details and why things happen the way they did. The 1986 version was more guess work/piecing things together and didn't show/explain everything in a bunch of details like this one did. They also stayed true to the original storyline.
Some things were portrayed differently from the 1986 version, but had the same reasoning behind it.
A good example of this:
1986 version- Wuji was forced to put Zhao Min out in front of the Mongolian soldiers
This version- her dad sent a letter saying he didn't care about her
Honestly, I felt like the 1986 version was more short and sweet to the point. I preferred how they portrayed it in the 1986 version.
I didn't like the last few episodes at all because of the lack of interaction between Wuji and Zhao Min-- it just did not contribute to their chemistry at all and was just lacking severely compared to the 86 version. After ep 42 the show dragged and some scenes weren't necessary--- the war between the Mongols and Ming Sect and the amount of time Zhao Min had to wait for him was pretty ridiculous. They could've shortened it.
Acting/Cast: Honestly, I was hesitant to start this drama because of such a young cast. I watched the Legend of Condor Heroes 2017 and didn't like the cast choices so I was quite worried about this one. However, I've watched multiple dramas with Yukee in them and she's always been good. Yukee pulled off Zhao Min wonderfully well and is comparable to Kitty Lai's Zhao Min. Bambi Zhu was decent as Zhiruo, but Sheren Tang definitely was better. I've never seen Joseph Zeng before but he is great as Wuji. Yang Xiao stood out to me as one of the best supporting roles in this version. Everyone suited their roles in my opinion. The cast was definitely its strongest point.
Music: not anything I love but it's fitting for the drama.
Rewatch value: no. I would not rewatch this simply because it is 50 episodes long and the ending was unsatisfactory to me. I prefer the 1986 version a lot better.
Overall: If you have not watched the 1986 version and want to watch this drama with no knowledge I recommend it. If you have watched other adaptations and want to watch it, I would say it's 50-50-- worth it for the first 40 eps, last 10-- not so much. If you've watched the 1986 version before and are thinking of watching this one I'd say no. The 1986 version is much better. Rewatching the 1986 version would be better than watching all 50 eps for this. If you want to watch this for Yukee, check out Princess Weiyoung or Ashes of Love, she is also great in those.
Story: This drama does a better job at spoonfeeding its audience on plot details and why things happen the way they did. The 1986 version was more guess work/piecing things together and didn't show/explain everything in a bunch of details like this one did. They also stayed true to the original storyline.
Some things were portrayed differently from the 1986 version, but had the same reasoning behind it.
A good example of this:
1986 version- Wuji was forced to put Zhao Min out in front of the Mongolian soldiers
This version- her dad sent a letter saying he didn't care about her
Honestly, I felt like the 1986 version was more short and sweet to the point. I preferred how they portrayed it in the 1986 version.
I didn't like the last few episodes at all because of the lack of interaction between Wuji and Zhao Min-- it just did not contribute to their chemistry at all and was just lacking severely compared to the 86 version. After ep 42 the show dragged and some scenes weren't necessary--- the war between the Mongols and Ming Sect and the amount of time Zhao Min had to wait for him was pretty ridiculous. They could've shortened it.
Acting/Cast: Honestly, I was hesitant to start this drama because of such a young cast. I watched the Legend of Condor Heroes 2017 and didn't like the cast choices so I was quite worried about this one. However, I've watched multiple dramas with Yukee in them and she's always been good. Yukee pulled off Zhao Min wonderfully well and is comparable to Kitty Lai's Zhao Min. Bambi Zhu was decent as Zhiruo, but Sheren Tang definitely was better. I've never seen Joseph Zeng before but he is great as Wuji. Yang Xiao stood out to me as one of the best supporting roles in this version. Everyone suited their roles in my opinion. The cast was definitely its strongest point.
Music: not anything I love but it's fitting for the drama.
Rewatch value: no. I would not rewatch this simply because it is 50 episodes long and the ending was unsatisfactory to me. I prefer the 1986 version a lot better.
Overall: If you have not watched the 1986 version and want to watch this drama with no knowledge I recommend it. If you have watched other adaptations and want to watch it, I would say it's 50-50-- worth it for the first 40 eps, last 10-- not so much. If you've watched the 1986 version before and are thinking of watching this one I'd say no. The 1986 version is much better. Rewatching the 1986 version would be better than watching all 50 eps for this. If you want to watch this for Yukee, check out Princess Weiyoung or Ashes of Love, she is also great in those.
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