Viki Giveaway: Jul 7 - Jul 10 for Chinese Paladin fans

Just wanted to share exciting news as Viki is having giveaways for a number of c-dramas including Chinese Paladin 5!

Dates: Thursday, July 7 - Sunday, July 10 at 11:59pm PST

Rules

1. Must be following @Viki
2. Post a picture of your favorite Chinese/Taiwanese drama(s) and tell us why you liked it, including #VikiGiveaway. (Make sure the post is set to public)
3. Tag your friend(s) who watch dramas too to increase your chances of winning.
4. You can post multiple times. Open internationally.
5. There will be only 2 grand prize winners and 5 runners up.

Grand Prize

1 poster signed by Kim Tae Hwan for My Amazing Boyfriend

1 signed photo from the cast + poster of Chinese Paladin 5

1 signed photo from the cast of Ode to Joy

1 magazine signed by Aaron Yan from Refresh Man

Winners

2 grand prize (all items)

5 runners up (My Amazing Boyfriend signed poster only)

Korean stars crossover to Chinese ent

Rather than bore you with a spiel on hallyu; here is a compilation of Koreans in Chinese films proving that the Korean wave is here to stay.

The trend reminds me of Hollywood stars shooting Japanese commercials and I bet they're paid handsomely too. Due to language barriers, actors usually run lines in Korean that is then dubbed in Chinese. 

#1 Lee Min Ho in Bounty Hunters 一諾千金 (premieres Jul 1, 2016). After City Hunter comes Bounty Hunter, a Chinese action flick led by Lee Min Ho, Wallace Chung and Tiffany Tang Yan (Princess Weiyoung). Both the romance and the bromance look promising in this one.

#2. Im Yoona from SNSD Girls Generation in God of War Zhao Yun 武神赵子龙 (2016). She is the sword wielding heroine to Zhao Yun played by Lin Gengxin.

#3 Kim Jeong Hoon from Princess Hours is also in God of War Zhao Yun. So Yoona can have a friend or two because I swear there is one other Korean actress also in the series.

#4 Park Min Young in Braveness of the Ming 锦衣夜行 (2016). Always stunning even in ancient garb.

#5 Park Chan Yeol from EXO in So I Married the Anti-Fan 所以，我和黑粉结婚了 (premieres Jun 30, 2016). A movie based on a Korean manhwa about a top star and his biggest anti-fan.

#6 SNSD Girls Generation Seohyun in So I Married the Anti-Fan as the hot and successful other woman that is bound to lose against Plain Jane.

#7 Lee Min Ho in One Line Romance 一线钟情 (2014). A cross-cultural drama where Lee Min Ho plays a Korean musical producer who meets an ordinary Chinese girl. Brought to us by LINE at 3 episodes and 16 minutes each, it's like a very long advertisement for the messaging app.

#8 Lee Jong Suk in Jade Lovers 翡翠恋人 (upcoming). From the producers of Diamond Lovers, comes Jade Lovers following a similar Cinderella story set in the 1930s. Lee Jong Suk stars opposite Zheng Shuang (Chronicle of Life).

#9 Rain in Diamond Lovers 克拉恋人 (2015). Rain Jung Ji Hoon's first foray into c-drama is in the form of a highly-accomplished executive who meets the ugly duckling played by Tiffany Tang Yan (Princess Weiyoung), that is until she gets a makeover. Rain lends his voice for the opening song, in Chinese!

He also ventured into his first c-movie For Love or Money (2014) where he stars opposite Crystal Liu Yi Fei.

#10 Kim Tae Hee in Famous Calligrapher Wang Xi Zhi 书圣王羲之 (upcoming). It is a 40-episode historical drama following the life of Wang Xi Zhi. Sadly, this is barely on anyone's radar, which is weird since it is Kim Tae Hee, begging the question as to why she took on such a nondescript project in the first place.

#11 Former Super Junior member Kim Ki Bum in Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils 天龙八部 (2013) and Lucky Tianbao 吉祥天宝 (2016). Netizens are mixed about casting a foreigner into such an iconic role from one of the most popularized wuxia nonetheless. I actually liked him in this but it's a shame the series wasn't nearly as good. And then, he goes on to star opposite Zhao Li Ying, nice move.

#12 Choi Si Won from Super Junior in Dragon Blade 天将雄师 (2015). You won't often hear the names Jackie Chan, Adrien Brody, John Cusack and Choi Si Won together in a movie and a historical film at that. 

Choi Si Won is also in a number of other c-dramas and movies so it's no surprise that his popularity is skyrocketing in China.

#13 Nichkhun from 2PM in One And A Half Summer 一又二分之一的夏天 (2014). Why did I know that the title would have the word summer in it? Nichkhun has always had such a bright and sunny personality it kind of fits though.

#14 Lee Da Hae in Love Actually 爱的蜜方 (2012). With Joe Cheng (Chinese Paladin 5) and Li Yi Feng (Legend of Chusen) as the two leading men, who needs the plot.

#15 Jang Nara in My Bratty Princess 刁蛮公主 (2005). Did every k-actress back in the day partner up with Alec Su. First Chae Rim, then Jang Nara? Props to Jang Nara for her performance in My Bratty Princess, a quirky drama beloved by many to this day. She sang the opening too, in Chinese!

#16 Chae Rim in Warriors of the Yang Clan 杨门虎将 (2004). One of the first k-actresses to venture into the land of c-dramas.

#17 Cha In Pyo in one of the earlier c-drama adaptations of The Four 四大名捕会京师 (2004).

Given that You From Another Star and Descendants of the Sun has done wonders for Kim Soo Hyun and Song Joong Ki, catapulting them to top star status worldwide, I wonder if and when they will make the leap to c-ent. 

If you know any more, comment below and I'll add it whenever I can. For a couple more k-celeb crossovers that include Park Shin Hye, Choi Si Won and Goo Hye Sun, click here.

10 signs you are a wuxia fan: Do you agree?

Wuxia is a genre often overlooked because of pre-conceived notions against it, but what most do not know is that this unconventional genre is as diverse as it gets. In fact, historical dramas are beginning to shine in recent years, garnering attention from younger fans and leaning more mainstream. 

It doesn’t matter that you didn’t like wuxia before, once a convert, always a fan. Case in point, I recently met an 80-something-year-old grandpa following every episode of Romance of the Condor Heroes on Hunan TV. Uhh, me too!  

#1. You consider Bruce Lee, Jet Li, Jacky Chan and Donnie Yen legends because they are. 

Just watch any of their movies and you’d have to agree that they’ve got mad skills. 

#2. You always wonder how homing pigeons manage to function like a cellphone until you realize that it’s impossible. 

Trained pigeons can go from point A to point B but there’s no way they can fly the ends of the earth just to deliver a message to a person in the middle of nowhere. 

#3. Your favorite authors include Jin Yong and Gu Long. 

It also means that you have seen the Condor Heroes more than once given the number of adaptations over the years. After all, the more the merrier. 

#4. You are no stranger to supernatural feats like flying, an amplified sense of hearing, palm to palm energy transfer and the like. 

As someone in the know, you understand that an energy transfer can save a life but it requires absolute concentration. No distractions allowed, not even a nudge. 

#5. You no longer find it weird that a woman can fool everyone into thinking that she is a man simply by cross-dressing as the opposite gender.

Apparently, people back in the day had a warped sense of perception but once you let the hair down, yep, he's a she.

#6. You know that a person who is poisoned can only be cured by another poison that is equally deadly. 

Or at least that’s what you learned from TV. 

#7. Your idea of an acupoint is on a whole other level. One point can render a person immobile. 

It’s possible, right?!? 

#8. You know for a fact that anyone who falls off a cliff will never die. 

Even better if said person chances upon a cave with ancient martial arts scrolls; then voila, a kung fu master emerges. 

#9. If you don’t speak Chinese, the first Chinese words in your vocabulary include but are not limited to wuxia, wulin, jiang hu and shi fu. 

Yet whatever the nationality or ethnicity, surely you must have imagined becoming a martial arts hero at some point.

#10. You have heard of Justice Bao. 

Wang Chao, Ma Han, Zhang Long, Zhao Hu, weiiii wuuuu… it sounds like a spell of some sort but it’s not.

Also see A Guide for Wuxia Newbies.

My MacBook died

Just checking in that I will likely be out of commission for 1-2 weeks.

I bought the Samsung s7 edge, spent the week tinkering with it and conveniently ignored my drama duties. As if my laptop was having a tantrum from being neglected, it completely broke yesterday. 

It was a classic case of battery ran out and MacBook refused to start, which apparently is quite the common case. 

Anyway, taking a short break until I teach myself how to blog using a phone or find a guy who can fix it, whichever comes first. 

On the bright side, I'm catching up on some older kdramas: Warrior Baek Dong Soo and Dong YI.

In case you missed the earlier post, drama withdrawals has moved to drama panda. 

Save the link: dramapanda.com

Save the link: DramaPanda.com

Hi Everyone,

Dropping a note to say that I have moved from dramawithdrawals.blogspot.com to DramaPanda.com. Save the new link please.

I changed the name because it's short and it rhymes haha. Seriously though, in the true spirit of drama withdrawals, I chose Drama Panda because panda eyes remind me of a person watching dramas past the wee hours of the night, only much cuter.

I've had the website since 2010 to collate my favorite dramas, write occasional updates and to hopefully improve my writing too because I was never a writer, still am not but I do claim to be an avid drama fan, especially of Chinese wuxia. 

This year, I wanted to do something different and to give the blog the time and effort it deserves so frankly, everything feels so new even though it's been 6 years. 

I really appreciate every comment here and there. This is borderline cheesy but it's pretty amazing to interact with people from around the world. 

Thanks for visiting and hope you find something good.

~Anne

Play #2: Can you guess the wuxia character based on their eyes?

As silly as it may sound, historical dramas from then till now have common tropes that have become a universal truth in martial arts dramas. 

When a woman cross dresses as a man, no one can tell that she is a woman. When a person dons a mask similar to a ninja, no one can recognize the person. Can you guess the actor and the drama?

Play a game #1. 

A guide for wuxia newbies

Allow me to start with how I fell into the depths of period drama addiction. Growing up, my dad would relive his younger days of reading wuxia novels by marathoning adaptations of HK serials. As his trusty sidekick, I was amazed by this fascinating world of swordplay and martial arts and my childhood heroes easily became the iconic characters created from Jin Yong's imagination.

Back then, wuxia series were far from mainstream, yet my guilty pleasure grew far and wide, amassing a sizable collection of dramas that have become too many to count. Period dramas can be broadly classified into three categories even though most people usually lump everything historical under wuxia, myself included. 

Wuxia 武俠 is translated literally to martial hero with works of renowned authors Jin Yong and Gu Long almost synonymous to the genre, thereby sprouting an endless continuum of remakes and adaptations.

The genre is particularly appealing to me because it is not as far-fetched as xianxia but rather its characters are often well-versed in the art of fighting because of their practice of 'chi', a word that will surely ring a bell if you like Asian-infused action flicks. 'Chi' or 'qi' means air but it essentially signifies the life force that allows practitioners to perform all sorts of incredible feats, albeit amplified to an exaggerated extent. As a result, it is not uncommon to see kung fu manuals, fighting stances and then some inner energy transfer to save a life.

Chivalry is alive and kicking where people choose to live and die in the name of honor but I notice that this thinking is not restricted to wuxia but rather spans across most period dramas because apparently, people from the olden days are better versions of ourselves.

For my first pick, I recommend Lang Ling Wang (2013) 蘭陵王 starring Feng Shao Feng (Ice Fantasy), Ariel Lin, Daniel Chan, George Hu and many more. Lan Ling Wang is a beautifully-packaged romance drama with noticeable modern influences that also incorporates the charms of an wuxia.

Edited Mar. 2, 2016
I know that Lan Ling Wang is not exactly an wuxia in the truest sense and the comments against it are not unfounded, so I'm still in search for a newer better wuxia that could really serve as a nice introduction for anyone attempting the genre.

But for now, it doesn't hurt that the Lan Ling Wang cast is made up of popular c-drama actors and actresses and the story highly addictive so I wasn't surprised that it was widely-exported after its initial release. I apologize in advance though as Lan Ling Wang is not without its hair-pulling moments especially towards the middle of the series. Nevertheless, it makes for a very enjoyable watch and I hope you like it.

Xianxia 仙俠 is translated literally to immortal hero. It is a newer sub-genre that has been getting a lot of love mainly from younger fans. Since that's where you make the big bucks, production companies tend to make more and more such dramas that are also star-studded to boot.

Xianxia can encompass anything supernatural with the latest trend being adaptations of role-playing video games and the sky's the limit in terms of subject matter that can include monsters, demons, fairies, magical realms, elixirs and what not. If the characters appear to fly in an wuxia, they literally fly in a xianxia.

For my second pick, I recommend Chinese Paladin 1 (2005) 仙劍奇俠傳 starring Hu Ge, Crystal Liu, Ady An and Eddie Peng. It might be a bit older but it is the first of its kind and the best one in my opinion catapulting the up-and-coming newbies from yonder years to international fame. 

Until now, xianxia is not my preferred genre and I can't get over silly pet peeves like the characters being able to video chat via magical portals in a historical drama. However, I understand the innate appeal of an idol-cast so I continue to be hook, line and sinker'ed nonetheless, eagerly awaiting Chinese Paladin 5 like everyone else. 

Last but not the least is a made-up category that is just a catch-all for anything else. Off the top of my head are palace dramas, historical biopics and melodramas to name a few so for my third and final pick, I recommend Nirvana in Fire (2015) 瑯琊榜 starring Hu Ge and Liu Tao. 

I was torn between Scarlet Heart versus Nirvana in Fire despite the two being so different that they shouldn't even be compared. What holds true is that both are extremely successful dramas and even though the former is more mainstream, I ultimately decided to go with Nirvana in Fire because it is too good to miss out.

Nirvana in Fire is a massive 54-episode revenge drama that is a masterpiece of epic proportions so brilliantly written and thought-provoking. Lest I run out of adjectives, I will let the drama speak for itself so please, please check it out. 

It might seem like I'm going off on a tangent but many years ago, my dad decided to buy DVDs to the 2007 k-drama called Story of the First King's Four Gods aka Legend starring Bae Yong Joon and Lee Ji Ah. I won't go needlessly wordy on this but it's safe to say that like a happy kid who found a neighboring candy store, I started venturing into Korean period dramas aka sageuk 史劇 and never looked back. 

Also see 10 signs you're a wuxia fan.

Jesse Jane McParland Karate Kid

It's like watching martial arts films but in real life - this 9 year old rocks! Her performance starts at 1:38

Reminiscing Classic Hong Kong Cinema from the 90s

Perhaps I'm stuck in the 90's but despite the vast improvements in cinematography especially in Chinese martial arts films, nothing beats the classics. Below is a tribute to everything that I miss from the good old days. 

I don't want to run the risk of sounding like a broken recorder so I will try to limit the praises and say this once, most if not all of the movies here are my all-time favorites, truly HK cinema at its finest giving rise to much-loved actors and actresses that have garnered fans not only in Asia but worldwide.

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A Man Called Hero 中華英雄 (1999) starring Ekin Cheng

Nothing says wuxia aka martial arts hero more than a movie titled A Man Called Hero. Tragedy befalls an honest young man named Hero and he has to leave his lover Jade and escape to New York where he faces even more daunting trials as a Chinese immigrant. The movie progresses over a span of sixteen years where Hero's final showdown is against a group of Japanese swordsmen who will stop at nothing to be hailed the best.

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The Storm Riders 風雲雄霸天下 (1998) starring Ekin Cheng, Aaron Kwok

Storm Riders released a sequel in 2009 starring the same lead actors Aaron Kwok and Ekin Cheng just 10 years older. While I have seen the sequel, it never left much of an impression. Hence, I will be focusing solely on the cult classic that is the original Storm Riders released in 1998.

Storm Riders in its most literal sense is about two people named Wind and Cloud, who are destined to bring great power to the Conquerer for the first half of his life. The Conquerer goes through great lengths to acquire Wind and Cloud as his disciples, yet the second half of the prophecy remains a mystery. 

The storyline is captivating, the cast stellar and the movie feels and looks like a legit live-action version of the manhua (comic) where the characters that we can only dream about are brought to life on the big screen. I'm even more impressed that the production team did such a good job considering it was only 1998 yet it was so aesthetically beautiful that it stands up to comparison with films nowadays. 

I digress but thought it was worth mentioning that Michael Tse, a veteran actor who was in every HK film imaginable as a supporting character until he finally got his big break as Laughing Gor was as a matter of fact also in Storm Riders. 

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Movie Adaptations of Jin Yong (Louis Cha) novels:

Swordsman II 笑傲江湖 II: 東方不敗 (1992) starring Jet Li and Brigitte Lin
Royal Tramp 鹿鼎記 (1992) starring Stephen Chow
Kung Fu Cult Master 倚天屠龍記之魔教教主 (1993) starring Jet Li
The Dragon Chronicles of Heavenly Mountains 新天龍八部之天山童姥 (1994) starring Brigitte Lin, Gong Li and Sharla Cheung

If you have read my top 20 best wuxia, you probably surmised that I'm a bit of a Jin Yong fanatic. As most Jin Yong novels go, our protagonist embarks on an adventure, learns incredible martial arts skills along the way and meets numerous potential love interests as he journeys to become a hero.

Downsizing a Jin Yong novel into a movie is no easy task, so the artistic direction taken on these movie adaptations usually warrants a fresh twist to the stories that we've grown so familiar with and for the most part, it works, creating the masterpieces that we appreciate till this day. 

But a question I ask is, "When is the sequel to Kung Fu Cult Master coming out?" It ended so abruptly with a clear indication that a part 2 was impending yet it's been over 20 years and counting and I am still waiting.

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The Bride With White Hair 白髮魔女傳 (1993) starring Brigitte Lin and Lesley Cheung
(remade in 2014 starring Fan Bing Bing and Huang Xiao Ming)

Hands down one of the most epic romance wuxia ever made, The Bride with White Hair from 1993 is a timeless tale about a fiery wolf girl in all her raw uninhibited passion as she falls for Zhuo Yi Hang, a mischievous yet good-hearted young man set to be the successor of the Wu Dang Clan. 

In the wuxia world, Wu Dang is a noble sect meaning they're automatically the good guys yet these so-called good guys are often pretentious and self-righteous to the extent of having a convoluted perception that anyone who doesn't fall into the same category is must be evil. In that sense, we see the makings to a tragic love story from the wolf girl and Zhou Yi Hang's very first encounter.

Below is the opening scene where a forlorn Zhuo Yi Hang sits a top a cliff on a snowy winter night. He patiently waits for a magical flower to bloom because it has the power to restore youth for the woman that he had wronged. This is just the opening scene and while it may be heavy on the theatrics, I'm in.  

                                            

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Jet Li Films:

The Legend of Fong Sai Yuk (1993)

The Legend of the Red Dragon (1994) 

Fist of Legend (1994)

Last Hero in China 黃飛鴻之鐵雞鬥蜈蚣 (1993)
Once Upon A Time in China I, II, III, IV, V, VI 黃飛鴻 (1991-1997) starring Jet Li for the first three and Vincent Chao for the latter half

(remade in 2014 starring Eddie Peng)

Wang Fei Hung is an upstanding hero during the Qing Dynasty as he strives to do right by the people. Jet Li and Rosamund Kwan play the titular roles Wang Fei Hung and 13th Aunt that have spawned many sequels due to its popularity. I gotta admit I haven't actually seen all of it and my personal favorite is actually the Last Hero in China, which is tantamount to a spin-off of the franchise.

Below is a scene from The Legend of the Red Dragon, which I mistakenly thought was also part of the Once Upon A Time franchise since it seemed like Jet Li once again reprised his role as Wang Fei Hung except that now he has a son. It was an amateur mistake on my part considering the protagonist in Legend of the Red Dragon is Hung Xi Guan, yet another renowned Chinese folk hero.

In hindsight, I'm stating the obvious here but it never occurred to me that Jet Li has been typecast into very similar roles, always the courageous hero fighting for what is just. No complaints here, that is why he is none other than Jet Li.

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Iron Monkey 少年黃飛鴻之鐵馬騮 (1993) starring Donnie Yen

Iron Monkey deserves a special mention since it is also about Wang Fei Hung, but in this movie, Fei Hung is but a young adult and instead, the plot revolves around Fei Hung's father and the vigilante Iron Monkey. 

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Butterfly and Sword 新流星蝴蝶劍 (1993) starring Tony Leung, Michelle Yeoh, Jimmy Lin, Joey Wong, Donny Yen

A group of assassins but in the wuxia genre, need I say more?

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A Chinese Ghost Story I, II, III (1987-1991) starring Joey Wang and Lesley Cheung
(remade in 2011 starring Liu Yi Fei and Louis Koo)

The quintessential Romeo and Juliet with the addition of supernatural elements. While Joey Wong has been in a multitude of films, I will always remember her for her iconic role as Xiao Qian.

Reached my limit for the day but the list shall go on. Please let me know what movies you also miss from this genre. This might be an odd one out but if you like the HK movies above, you might like Volcano High. a highly-stylized Korean martial arts film but in a modern day school setting.