[Mainland Chinese Drama 2019] Heavenly Sword Dragon Slaying Saber 倚天屠龙记

[thundergirl3]

20 hours ago, Lotflow said:

serious: "Yang Buhui Stepmom Group"? In FB there is a groupe "Yian Xiao, Ming cult, under one person, above ten thousand people", but there are all Vietnamese.

 

  I am here because Yan Xiao too...I only watch the parts with him. The rest I skip, maybe I will watch the wedding .

LOL - really - stepmother group? Here I thought I was a fan. 

Nothing more appealing than a converted playboy. I am so with you here. I'm not invested in the other characters. Although ZZR and ZM are sure pretty.

 

 

[bluesky888]

I just hope they dont drag it long on the island after ZM left. Since there only 20 eps left and I want more screen time for ZM & WJ.

[caranita]

1 hour ago, graceeedwardmom said:

In the teaser for eps 35 and 36, we already saw ZM in total exhaustion and almost fainted twice. So, i can understand if she pushed the boat instead of kicking it because her legs are maybe weak.

 

I think she falls down not necessarily due to exhaustion (though that may be a factor), but more likely because she gets too emotional. Thus why Wuji's just standing there -- after trying to pull her twice -- and looking at her helplessly.  

[Yitian_fan]

Me, me, me!  Add me to the YBH Stepmom wanna be group! (I'll even take a number and stand in line!) :))) Overall appreciative of Lin Shen and his Yangxiao- so much suaveness! 

 

@insertusername The hand thing at the hotpot. Not sure about the hand but the "Of course you are prettier" being something he blurts out is in the book (I don't recall the phrase but it implied it was rapid and involuntary)

Also yes, so far he's my 2nd fav ZWJ after Tony Leung (so expressive!)

 

@dramagirlslove I'm Soooo with you on the slowly falling in love bit.. I like it that they show a progression and the flirting ZM initiates while spying on Ermei is drama GOLD! All the bits of them thinking about each other, even when they're not in the same scene, and getting to talk and know each other. It's a real relationship!

 

Thanks for the BTS's Cancergirl! 

 

It's a long wait till Wed! 

[Yitian_fan]

Quickly commenting on what I realize is the same MV that Hamaji you posted, on the two things I love about this

1. Wuji looking absolutely panicked when something happens to ZM and also him determinedly facing her down to take responsibility

Spoiler

(presumably because Ming sect actually kills her father)

2. Them referring in the lyrics to the words that ZWJ used to describe how he feels about ZM to ZZR (in the book it is "刻骨铭心" Ke gu ming xing, while in the MV they use "ke gu  quan nen"- both variants on unforgettable.)

 

Mostly because after torturing ZM on Snake Island they sure as hell need to give ZWJ something as well!  Equal opportunity angst!

[graceeedwardmom]

Wow... Are you guys sure you want to be YBH stepmom? I mean YX will give you cold treatment and his eyes would always starring far faraway mumbling about JXF. YBH also will give you hard time everyday. The only way is you must get plastic surgery to change your face into JXF. Heheheh... Ok, no offence to all Lin Yushen fans out there. I totally get why you get this fever. I mean i myself just recovered just these few days. Before, i always repeating JXF scene every day.

A bit OOT here, i think Mr. Lin yushen need to have his own wuxia series as the lead of course. For me, i choose the duke of mount deer as Wei Xiaobao of course. I believe he can pull this character off. He deserves his own harem after lonely YX right. But i feel bad about the Qing Dynasty hair which not everyone suitable for it.

Other series are Chu Liu Xiang (this one is Gu Long series) or Luk Siu Feng (also Gu Long), for these we don't need to worry about the hair.

 

Ok, sorry for my long mumbling. Back to HSDS, i also like they give ZM deeper story about her family and country. In other version, i feel bad she just abandon them in order to be with ZWJ. ZM got so much girlpower in her that writer could expand the story because her power is not in kungfu but more like politically strong woman. 

 

 

[hamaji]

@Yitian_fan this scene right?

 

 

 

Is there any mention in the novel about this scene? I can't remember it. If you can help me 

 

[Yitian_fan]

3 minutes ago, hamaji said:

@Yitian_fan this scene right?

 

 

 

Is there any mention in the novel about this scene? I can't remember it. If you can help me 

 

Yes! This scene... but I don't think this happened in the book because as far as I recall ZM's father

Spoiler

didn't die in the book

(but I read it over a decade ago so I might be wrong.)

 

In here it's a very interesting parallel to have

Spoiler

Ming sect kill ZM's father

, because you can say that for ZWJ the 6-sects killed both his parents, and yet he forgave them and even helps them.  Perhas it is also a journey of discovery for ZM to learn that she can do the same. 

 

I'm going to guess revenge/forgiveness is going to be the central theme of this version. I think JY's books have always had a very strong flavor of Buddhist philosopy behind them. The talk ZWJ/ZM had over hotpot was a pivotal one where they share their views on revenge and forgiveness (ZM/ZWJ predictably sitting on two ends of the spectrum here).

 

Perhaps the theme will be that only by achieving that forgiveness/letting go of the vanity of the world could our leads be free. 

Spoiler

ZZR, bound by her Shifu's inability to give up on revenge, or Yinli unable to forgive her father, unable to let go of the child ZWJ she met, were both doomed.  If/when ZM can forgive and give up ZWJ (she leaves for home in the end?), and ZWJ can let go of the world, will they be happy and free.

 

 

 

 

 

Spoiler

 

[insertusernamehere]

9 minutes ago, Yitian_fan said:

 

  Hide contents

ZZR, bound by her Shifu's inability to give up on revenge, or Yinli unable to forgive her father, unable to let go of the child ZWJ she met, were both doomed.  If/when ZM can forgive and give up ZWJ (she leaves for home in the end?), and ZWJ can let go of the world, will they be happy and free

 

 

 

  Hide contents

 

I just re-read the ending (i believe it's from the last edition of the book) and they left for her home together though?

(Great analysis by the way! )

[chipz03]

First of all, thanks Cancergirl and Insertusername for your answers

 

I think one possible storyline regarding ZM's father death (purely speculation here folks

 

Spoiler

I think maybe some members of the Ming went against WJ's back/orders and decided to ambush/kill Yuan's troops, ending up killing ZM father. ZM, realizing she cannot bring herself to take her revenge on him decided to leave the central plain.  This might also contribute to WJ being disillusioned and eventually decide that he doesn't really have that ambition/ability to be a ruler and he has caused too much hurt to ZM. So at the end, he decided to let everything go, retire from his position, and went out to find ZM. Perhaps, This might be where this version deviate a bit from the novel?

 

even though ZM only appears half way through the novel (if I am not mistaken), but this character is so phenomenal for me that I am always interested on her storyline in the adaptations I have watched.

 

 

I

 

[Yitian_fan]

@graceeedwardmomFirst off, being YBH's stepmother- YX is so awesome, it's enough to be able to look at him every day... never mind if he talks you! (And hey, for most fans this is about being able to be INSIDE HSDS rather than just reading about it... wouldn't it be a dream to be a random cast-member - maybe a dead 6-sect disciple who lies on the floor at GMD? Nevermind YX's new wife!!!)

 

@chipz03 For sure I remember the 86 version (the first I ever watched) I thought it was annoying that they inserted a new character halfway through, but a few episodes late she had completely won me over! So much love for ZM!

 

 

 

[Yitian_fan]

[Shameless plug] I got so frustrated by Ep 36, that I had to  (with ideas I got from here and other blog sites) write my own Ep 36 preview! I think it's someone here who said "ZM would have made ZWJ move the boat", and I agreed, so I made it so.

 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/18228215

[40somethingahjumma]

This version does an even better job of making me like and respect Zhao Min than I already do. Underneath that playful scheming exterior, is a good natured, brash honesty that's very disarming. Apart from being strong minded and determined, she's very upfront... and actually good natured. Maybe it's just the way this adaptation flies but there's something about her temperament that's not that different from Wuji. Perhaps it's her upbringing  and her background, enjoying more freedom than most girls in her time but she's upfront... and comes across as being the real deal.

They did such a good job in her scenes with Wuji. She asks questions... probes... and they talk with delightful honesty. Just two young people who like each other but are compelled by circumstances beyond their control to be on opposite sides. I have no doubt about Wuji being attracted to her despite his own "better judgment".  (Hahaha... he even has dreams about it!) I love that she wants to know his heart and his mind. That's the part of her that usually sells their romance. It isn't just about who loves Wuji more ( or even who he loves the most). For me it has always been about who understands him best and wants to give him his heart's desire. The fact that she's rather clever (backhanded) about it... is the cherry on top.

 

I think the fact that ZhiRuo spends more time with Miejue than Wuji should probably tell us everything we need to know about why they're not meant to be.  In a way, I feel sorry for ZR because she's a pliable character and under Miejue's bruising thumb she's dutifully compelled to suppress her own feelings/desires. She's never been given the tools to be her own person under MJ's tutelage... just forced to be in her teacher's image. But that's where I draw the sympathy line because once Miejue is out of the picture, she is her own woman. She wants a bet each way in what appears to me to be a zero sum game.

 

My opinion is that ZM is smart enough to play the long game in so far as she understands that in the end it's a tradeoff. It's clear from Day 1 she can't maintain her duchess position and the man she really likes so she just chooses to fight for her own happiness. I can't blame her for playing dirty because in this race she's severely handicapped and so far behind the rest of competition.

 

One of my favourite moments in those last few episodes is when ZSF realises that the lad with the incredible nei li is WJ. I'm choking up as he is. It's just a beautiful moment and particularly emotionally  charged because of the blood that's dripping off the side of his mouth as well.  I can't say enough good things too about how they've WJ's relationship with his grandfather and the assortment of Ming sect hangers-on. 

 

The other thing I'm surprised about is how much I'm able to buy into Uncle No. 6 and Buhui's romance. It should be icky but it isn't. It should be more icky than Colonel Brandon and Marianne (Sense and Sensibility) but it works for me at least along similar lines to the latter pairing. Of course it helps that No. 6 looks like he's barely started to shave.

 

[dramagirlslove]

1 hour ago, 40somethingahjumma said:

This version does an even better job of making me like and respect Zhao Min than I already do. Underneath that playful scheming exterior, is a good natured, brash honesty that's very disarming. Apart from being strong minded and determined, she's very upfront... and actually good natured. Maybe it's just the way this adaptation flies but there's something about her temperament that's not that different from Wuji. Perhaps it's her upbringing  and her background, enjoying more freedom than most girls in her time but she's upfront... and comes across as being the real deal.

They did such a good job in her scenes with Wuji. She asks questions... probes... and they talk with delightful honesty. Just two young people who like each other but are compelled by circumstances beyond their control to be on opposite sides. I have no doubt about Wuji being attracted to her despite his own "better judgment".  (Hahaha... he even has dreams about it!) I love that she wants to know his heart and his mind. That's the part of her that usually sells their romance. It isn't just about who loves Wuji more ( or even who he loves the most). For me it has always been about who understands him best and wants to give him his heart's desire. The fact that she's rather clever (backhanded) about it... is the cherry on top.

 

I think the fact that ZhiRuo spends more time with Miejue than Wuji should probably tell us everything we need to know about why they're not meant to be.  In a way, I feel sorry for ZR because she's a pliable character and under Miejue's bruising thumb she's dutifully compelled to suppress her own feelings/desires. She's never been given the tools to be her own person under MJ's tutelage... just forced to be in her teacher's image. But that's where I draw the sympathy line because once Miejue is out of the picture, she is her own woman. She wants a bet each way in what appears to me to be a zero sum game.

 

My opinion is that ZM is smart enough to play the long game in so far as she understands that in the end it's a tradeoff. It's clear from Day 1 she can't maintain her duchess position and the man she really likes so she just chooses to fight for her own happiness. I can't blame her for playing dirty because in this race she's severely handicapped and so far behind the rest of competition.

 

One of my favourite moments in those last few episodes is when ZSF realises that the lad with the incredible nei li is WJ. I'm choking up as he is. It's just a beautiful moment and particularly emotionally  charged because of the blood that's dripping off the side of his mouth as well.  I can't say enough good things too about how they've WJ's relationship with his grandfather and the assortment of Ming sect hangers-on. 

 

The other thing I'm surprised about is how much I'm able to buy into Uncle No. 6 and Buhui's romance. It should be icky but it isn't. It should be more icky than Colonel Brandon and Marianne (Sense and Sensibility) but it works for me at least along similar lines to the latter pairing. Of course it helps that No. 6 looks like he's barely started to shave.

 

Did we ever find out what he was dreaming about? He kinda woke up screaming.

[-jade-]

 

If you are watching this, be sure to complete it ASAP, before it is taken down everywhere.  

[Yitian_fan]

11 minutes ago, dramagirlslove said:

Did we ever find out what he was dreaming about? He kinda woke up screaming.

Nope, at least I never found out lurking at various sites.

 

@40somethingahjumma Loving ZM a great deal and there are three critical ways they make this ZM better

1) Intellectual connection with ZWJ (i.e., hotpot conversation)

2) Actual reasonable political ambitions (e.g., her complaint is that the difference between Qing and Ming is just dynasty, they're not treating people worse- and sure they have rogues but that's why they need a stronger Qing- and the Hans are not being reasonable about it out of prejudice. Interesting point of view for sure and hotly debated in c-forums because of China's strong "One-China-No-Race-Divide" type of policies in this day and age!)

3) More fun and flirty!

 

Although I'm still a little leery of what they might do to her character post Ep 35... not sure if you've seen the trailers, but it's dicey at best for me!

 

@Jadecloud, I though the restriction was for shows that haven't yet gone online and not for currently or prior shows?  (Besides I've been watching on  youtube, and that's technically not accessible in China anyway?)  Let me know if I'm wrong!

 

[dramagirlslove]

2 minutes ago, Yitian_fan said:

Nope, at least I never found out lurking at various sites.

 

 

Hmmm. They should have alluded to it the next episode but they didn't. It would be really random to recall that memory episodes later which is really random and out of place. I think I heard someone guessed that it was a dream where it was him and the 4 girls (which did happen in the 2009 version) but it would be random to bring that up episodes down the road.

[Yitian_fan]

More sweets to get us through to Wed: (I'll keep trying to update as I find 'em!)

 

Fun/cool video documenting fight-conflict scenes between ZWJ and ZM, titled

"Wuji knows that he's in for a fight when Zhaomin calls him 'Zhang JiaoZhu'"

https://www.bilibili.com/video/av46661813/?spm_id_from=333.788.videocard.0

 

For the Mandarin-enabled's amongst us here is a very popular and passionate thread in defense of Ep 35-36 trailers: The premise is that the characters are under immense pressure and that ZM would essentially have something like a nervous breakdown (even if momentarily) is not a demerit against her overall strength and composure.  Plus it praises highly the performance of both Joseph and Yuki in the preview (which I think is justified) and chides us for getting panicked over it... hmm... I'm still going to wait and see, but glad that there's also people who are just lovin' Joseph/Yuki's performance!

https://tieba.baidu.com/p/6076902919?pn=1

 

[graceeedwardmom]

40 minutes ago, dramagirlslove said:

Hmmm. They should have alluded to it the next episode but they didn't. It would be really random to recall that memory episodes later which is really random and out of place. I think I heard someone guessed that it was a dream where it was him and the 4 girls (which did happen in the 2009 version) but it would be random to bring that up episodes down the road.

For me, i was hoping different dream. My guess, it's a dream of ZM and ZWJ facing off as enemies and in the end ZWJ killed ZM, so ZWJ waken up saying 'No... ' (hehehe, it's painful for him if ZM died).

51 minutes ago, Yitian_fan said:

 

2) Actual reasonable political ambitions (e.g., her complaint is that the difference between Qing and Ming is just dynasty, they're not treating people worse- and sure they have rogues but that's why they need a stronger Qing- and the Hans are not being reasonable about it out of prejudice. Interesting point of view for sure and hotly debated in c-forums because of China's strong "One-China-No-Race-Divide" type of policies in this day and age!)

3) More fun and flirty!

 

 

 

I think it's Yuan dynasty, Song dynasty ended after GJ and HR died. 

[graceeedwardmom]

1 hour ago, jadecloud said:

 

If you are watching this, be sure to complete it ASAP, before it is taken down everywhere.  

What is this? I don't understand, please enlight me @jadecloud ?? Are they blocking HSDS too?