The Mystery of the Condor Hero (1993)

Totally love the OST! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbL0xVcmSUs

This drama made me sad for a few days, I didn't know it's actually going to be this good. I would not rewatch the entire thing, I don't think this drama should contain so many episodes. If you seen Legend of the Condor Heroes 2008, and see the story Old Playboy explained about Huang Yaoshi and how his wife die, this is the story.

But there are so many great scenes here and there that I really enjoyed so much and I would totally rewatch them. I love Julian but his story arc isn't very good in my opinion. This is probably his very first drama, nothing wrong with his acting, but the story isn't good and the actress he paired up with isn't good.

I love David Chiang! I saw him from The Snow is Red, he is an old guy who is a bit chubby but still attractive. I did questioned and wondered why he gets all these really cool roles? So I searched him up and see pictures of him when he was young, I understood why. Wow, his big smile was so adorable! I would really recommend his old movies! I learned that David Chiang, Ti Lung, Wang Yu, Gordon Liu, Norman Tsiu, etc. is one heck of a super great team in the 90's who always star together over and over. They always fight with real kungfu back then. Some of the Wuxia dramas like State of Divinity 2000 still star these men together, their fightings get mixed with technology but still very complicated looking.

In this drama, David Chiang plays a very quiet character. Normally, quiet characters are boring to me. But David's acting in here makes the character so mysterious and heartrobbing. The colors are dark and complement very well with the mood of the story. The music is always soft too. He is a loner with a flute, and a cold face, but his voice makes him sounds like he's a smooth talker that melts people's hearts. I didn't like the main girl because of how weak and such a damsel in distress she is, but I understand that he likes her because she understands what he wants. I don't quite understand him, my interpretation is he is lonely but doesn't want to speak it out so he likes it if you would just willingly follow him everywhere without questions like the main girl does. I don't mind that type of attitude I feel about him, he does look pretty cool with it haha! I swear it was pretty hot when he told her during a critical time of danger, "I don't casually save women, if I save you, you will have to follow me forever" he sounds serious but his voice is so very gentle, and he was smiling too! She closes her eyes in full trust while he fought their way out. It was a very cute scene. I think what he said is almost like a small threat, because she needs to make vow with him so he would save her, but it's so irresistible at the same time.
The ending is terribly sad, and beautiful at the same time. I love how the setting is very yellow from the sunlight outside reflecting into the dark room. The atmosphere is very quiet. You can even feel that the weather must be quite chilly. The ending left me feeling so empty and lonely inside. His wife died and he has a newborn child in his arms (little Rong'er). He puts the baby on the table, plays a song on the flute first, then falls into crying and sobbing all to himself. Really emotional and sad.

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For many Jin Yong fans, Huang Yao Shi is one fascinating side character. It was natural that he would get his own origin story. I wouldn’t call this a prequel, because the fate of some characters didn't quite line up with the canon. This was more like an “alternate universe” story, and a very good one to boot. While the writers stripped away the more brutal aspects of Huang’s personality, they stayed true to the things that most defined him: his total disregard for what others think (his “cool factor”) and his undying love for his wife Feng Heng.

David Chiang as Huang Yao Shi was an awesome sight to behold. With his martial arts background, he knew how to make an entrance at each fight scene. Since Huang was a man of action and very little word, you can read him through David’s body language and micro-expressions. It was smart and subtle acting. Watch for the scene where he learned that his wife was pregnant. His reaction was priceless, in keeping with his eccentric nature.

Fiona Leung was at her most beautiful in this series. Her Feng Heng looked at Huang Yao Shi with such longing eyes that you can almost see his heart melt. Their relationship was as unique and unconventional as Huang himself. Even when surrounded by enemies, these two seemed to be in a world of their own. That's why it made zero sense when she left him hanging and ran off to try and save her father on her own. That was a stupid move and very unlike her intelligent self. It was sloppy writing and one of few flaws in an otherwise tight plot.

The writers really delivered a nice version of Chen Xuan Feng and Mei Chao Feng. They were less Bonnie-and-Clyde and more like Romeo-and-Juliet. Julian Cheung was just plain cute and so very likeable. His Chen Xuan Feng was much like Guo Jing, naive and principled and just a little shy. He and Mei Chao Feng were a case of opposites attract. Emily Kwan as Mei Chao Feng was surprisingly good. She may not be the prettiest actress, but Emily did have this fierceness to her acting. Unlike Feng Heng, Mei Chao Feng wasn’t ok with being helpless and protected by the man she loved.

This series had all-around good acting and character building. Ou Yang Feng was menacing yet pitiful. Liu Kai Chi was his usual best as the hilarious, no-filter Zhou Bo Tong. In fact, the whole of Quanzhen Sect was unexpectedly fun to watch. The plot had a good pace and didn’t linger unnecessarily. The fight scenes can be confusing with lots of cuts and shaky cam. Even so, the final frame with Huang Yao Shi catching a single flower petal with his sword was pure art. It was one of the most symbolically beautiful ending I’ve ever seen.

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