Here's the plot as Netflix would describe it:
As the nine continents face a crisis, a young disciple joins the Spirit Blade sect and comes under the tutelage of a temperamental sage.
It would be easy to call the show Wuxia. Yes, it's Wuxia but there's the subgenre known as Xianxia. Xianxia is Wuxia mixed with all the magical elements. So, the Condor Trilogy is the Xianxia type of Wuxia novel. I've seen the first few episodes. I won't be making episode reviews of this ongoing series either. If I start to watch a series on its day of broadcast and followed it up weekly - I'd be willing to write episode summaries. In this case, I'd probably just do random updates about this show. Also, it's a Wuxia comedy which might be a nice change of pace. I remembered watching dark and serious edgy Wuxia series. I remembered how I watched Return of Condor Heroes (2006) and admiring how beautifully Crystal Liu (and I admit, I lusted after her a lot watching it) could cry. But the feeling of familiarity is awfully gone after I'm watching newer Chinese or Taiwanese drama because I got more into South Korean and Japanese.
Here is the main cast of characters I will still try to get familiar as taken from this Wiki:
- Xu Kai as Wang Lu - A young genius that possesses the spirit essence of the legendary Ouyang Shang, and the unique Yi (Kong) spiritual root. The top disciple of Lingjian Mountain. He is knowledgeable and witty but is also shameless and arrogant.
- Sandrine Pinna as Wang Wu - Fifth elder of Lingjian Mountain, head of Wu Xiang Peak. She possesses golden core cultivation, and a lower grade Yi (lower grade) za root. Wang Lu's teacher. She is beautiful but has a thick skin and a "poison" tongue. Known for her shameless ways, she is often referred to as the embarrassment of Lingjian Mountain. She was in love with Ouyang Shang, but begins to fall for Wang Lu.
- Zhu Yuan Bing as Hai Yunfan - Second prince of Yuntai Kingdom. He hides his true identity and talent, and becomes an outer disciple of Lingjian Mountain. He possesses the He (gentle wind and weak water) spiritual root. He becomes close friends with Wang Lu, and is in love with Liu Li.
- Gao Yu Er as Feng Ling- Daughter of Feng Yin. Lady boss of an inn at Lingxi Town. She is a nine-tailed fox whose body is sealed, thus making her unable to learn magical powers. However, her martial skills are at the top. She is close friends with Wang Wu.
- Guo Xiao Ting as Liu Li Immortal - A true descent disciple of Lingjian Mountain, under the guidance of Ao Guanhai. Daughter of Tianlun True Lord. She is innocent and naive but is extremely skilled in cultivation. She possesses a Tian spiritual root.
I think about the whole atypical hero thing. Not everyone starts out right, right? I was thinking of how Xu Kai's character as Wang Lu is a young genius who must overcome is arrogance and shamelessness. What makes it fun to watch is when we see overconfident and arrogant protagonists slowly develop away from their weaknesses. It's not like the typical goody-goody guy since for every good guy - there's always a bad guy underneath them. Watching the first few episodes makes me see how Wang Lu must overcome his arrogance in order to develop.
Sometimes, I do feel like the lovely Sandrine Pinna (who got married six years ago to musician Ji Jia Song) feels out of place. She's a half-French beauty (father side) and her in a Wuxia drama feels out of place. Sure, some Chinese celebrities today are incredibly beautiful due to the East/West blending but Sandrine's Western features float out too much. It's the same way that I feel that Rin's actress in Gosei Sentai Dairanger (Natsuki Takahashi) was a beautiful fish out of water due to her having Caucasian features. I do feel the same thing for Vicki Zhao's involvement in Wuxia series because she has very mestiza features for a Chinese girl. I mean, some Chinese beauties are beautiful and pale-skinned while others have a mix of East and West. I feel Pinna is pretty much out-of-place with the casting. Sorry but I still feel that way even if she does deliver her piece.
Right now, I just do feel like a fish out of water. I'm Chinese by descent but I'm considered Filipino. I got into Chinese dramas for a long time but I've become a stranger to it. It's because there's always something new school to check out. Not everything new is good and not everything old is good. Instead, better get a mixed bag. I may not be so familiar with newer Chinese celebrities (and I'm more focused on Korean and Japanese for now) but I may get familiar all over again, RIGHT?
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