cdrama: Paladins in Troubled Times/Da Tang You Xia Zhuan, ep 1

[meganbmoore]

After bouncing off several wuxias in a row,  think I've finally found one that clicks.  I know nothing about the plot of this series so I'm not entirely certain what to expect and, like a lot of wuxia, the first ep has a lot of political setup.  But we already have a crossdressing heroine taking on a band of thugs in a tavern and on a secret mission, and a villain whose weapon of choice is a fan.  Uhm...his hair and clothes are similar enough to the hero's that I was confused when he first shwed up.  By which I mean "wait, weren't you sweeter and more naive and more conventionally goodlooking just a minute ago?  Oh, you're someone else."  Speaking of the hero, Victor Huang seems to be a good actor and all but, uhm, dude is older than me and looks it.  Hero is supposed to be closer to 20, I think.  (Maybe this is one of those that spans years and years?)

Anyway, no idea what the plot is aside from "young hero raised in seclusion runs headlong into politics, villains and ladies" but it looks entertaining  I bounced off the new Heavenly Sword and Dragon Sabre, but like the other two Xhang Ji Zhong productions I've seen, Return of the Condor Heroes and Sword Stained With Royal Blood.  (Most recent versions of all three.)  It has plenty of hair fluttering in the wind while indoors already, and is visually along the lines of SSWRB.  By which I mean less FX and near-supernatural/outright-supernatural martial arts and more muted visuals with grea clothes and buildings and...not more realistic moves, necessarily, but wirefu instead of major FX.  Opening and closing credits promise much melodrama and Potential Epic Doom.  (I decided I was in the mood for extreme wuxia melodrama and Potential Epic Doom and considered Bi Chun Mu, but while I don't have an aversion to plots in which most of the cast ends up dead, I didn't feel like taking on one where the leads die inthe opening scene.)