Beauties in the Closet

Set during the Tang Dynasty, Beauties in the Closet 柜中美人 is based on a 2011 novel by Shui He 水合 about two fox spirits sent to the palace to prevent the imperial killings against their tribe. In hopes of hastening the mission, one of them accepts a secret order to assassinate the king.

It serves as a sequel to Legend of the Qing Qiu Fox despite having no actual relation to the former, thank goodness for that. Though it is a Tangren production that will include a reprisal from Sabrina Chen Yao in the role of a fox spirit while Vic Zhou and Hu Bing Qi take the lead as the star-crossed lovers. 

I haven't seen a Taiwanese drama in years, which is why the recent foray of Joe Cheng and now Vic Zhou into the historical genre is a welcome sight. More please.

For synopsis, cast and ratings, see 2016 c-drama recommendations.

Source: Yesky

First Look: Legend of the Qing Qiu Fox

Legend of the Qing Qiu Fox 青丘狐传说 is like the Monster Killer cast reunion sans Wu Xin. Separated into six arcs, the first part is called Ah Xiu starring Sabrina Chen Yao as Hua Yue.

Episode 1 begins with a Zelda-like sequence of lush greenery and upbeat music as a tribe of nine-tailed foxes sprint across the fields of Qing Qiu. Everyone has gathered for the once-in-500-year harvest and it is said that whoever consumes the sacred fruit can gain immortality. 

Suddenly, something or someone takes over Ying Ning's (Xiao Cai Qi in green dress) body compelling her to warn Hua Yue (Chen Yao in red) that they are under attack. As the tribe moves out in defense, a masked woman seizes the opportunity to steal the sacred fruit and a lone Fei Yue (Kiton in purple) runs after the thief to no avail.

Since the attack was just a ruse, Ying Ning and Hua Yue find themselves in a frustrating position of your word against mine while tribe leader Liu Chang Yan (Jiang Jin Fu in middle white) takes the task of finding the real culprit. A hot-headed Hua Yue cannot stand the accusatory eyes staring her down so she leaves her worries behind and heads back to the human world.

Turns out that Hua Yue is extremely popular, living out her dreams of passion and romance and breaking many men's hearts. 

In comes demon hunter Zhuo Yun gliding down from the sky to capture Hua Yue for all the lives that she has ruined. Seriously thought he was Hu Ge (Nirvana in Fire) at first glance, or at least his silhouette anyway. 

A fight ensues but Hua Yue narrowly escapes after she saves a girl named Ah Xiu. Despite seeing that Hua Yue is a nine-tailed fox, the kind-hearted Ah Xiu returns the favor by giving Hua Yue a place to stay and the two easily become friends.

First Impressions: The weird ears are trending and even upcoming cdrama Ice Fantasy sports the same pointed ears. It's interesting though that the show tries to make a distinction between the nine-tailed foxes when Hua Yue says that she is not a seductive demon nor an immortal fairy but somewhat in between called a fox spirit. 

Legend of Qing Qiu Fox goes out of its way to create a magical realm that's very pretty to look at but it runs the risk of being just that, a beautiful but empty casing. 

The opening scenes are fairly rudimentary with an all too simple plot causing an entire tribe of powerful beings to leave their sacred tree unguarded at the most critical moment. The fight scene that follows is hard to take seriously as well especially amidst all the fake lanterns and computer generated background. 

While I have my reservations, things gets more interesting towards the second half when the drama plays up the life aspect rather than the wuxia. Never mind that the concept has been done plenty and the story likely a cliche, yet what I think can make or break this drama would have to be the characters and so far, Hua Yue and Ah Xiu are really turning up the charm such that I want to see what will happen to the two friends once a common love interest comes along. But then again, it could be my heightened euphoria from a Monster Killer reunion that is clouding my judgment.

For synopsis, cast and ratings, see 2016 cdrama listing. 

Legend of Nine Tails Fox Stills

One of the many wuxias scheduled this February is Legend of the Nine Tails Fox 青丘狐传说. It is a Tangren production featuring its younger talents (born 1990s), namely Gu Li Na Zha (The Classic of Mountains and Seas), Gina Jin (Monster Killer), Chen Yao (Monster Killer) and Xiao Cai Qi, also collectively known as the four beauties of Tangren.

The series is adapted from a collection of stories in the Strange Tales of Liao Zhai, a classic written by Pu Song Ling way back during the Qing dynasty and it will depict the lives of these mythical creatures and how their fates interweave with the humans. I lost count of how many times I have seen a nine-tailed fox inspired story aka gumiho in Korean, but one thing it has taught me is the sad truth that humans and supernatural beings can never be.

Legend of Nine Tails Fox premieres Feb 8, 2016 on Hunan TV.

Song from the OST:
Don't Make Me Cry 别惹哭我 by Claire Kuo 郭静.

For 2016 Chinese drama recommendations, click here. 

Source: Yesky

First Look: Monster Killer (Wu Xin Fa Shi)

Monster Killer 無心法師 is a 20-episode Chinese drama starring Elvis Han (Chinese Paladin 5) and Gina Jin (Qin's Moon).

Episode 1 begins on a stormy night where a monk (Elvis Han) walks along a dreary path. An army of soldiers accidentally throw him off the cliff saving nothing except for a piece of his clothing. The monk miraculously survives unscathed and encounters Yue Ya (Gina Jin), a young girl on the run from her evil stepmother.

With nowhere else to go, they travel together to an obviously haunted mansion to procure medical supplies for Yue Ya's injured leg. True enough, something wicked lives under the well, yet the monk named Wuxin remains largely unfazed because it turns out that he is actually a demon hunter in disguise.

First impressions: Martial arts dramas are an acquired taste. Martial arts fantasy dramas even more so. I for one wouldn't tell my rom-com-watching friend to check this out. However, if you like sci-fi, you might like this.

From the get go, this seems like my kind of storyline and it doesn't disappoint. The story progression is similar to an anime where the protagonist faces different enemies along the way but there is a bigger story to connect the dots in the form of Wu Xin's nemesis Yue Qi Luo (Chen Yao). She was certainly evil but also one of the most intriguing characters in the drama second only to Wu Xin. If I had to complain, I don't understand why each character had to have some semblance of a bowl cut. 

For Monster Killer synopsis and ratings, see my 2015 Chinese drama recommendations.

The Monster Killer Stills and OST

An unexpected find since it's not as popular as say Chinese Paladin but it is a web series also produced by Tangren Media that definitely deserves the massive following that it receives from fans who have seen it.

Monster Killer is based on a novel that is written in four chapters so it's not that far-fetched to think that three more seasons may actually happen. For Monster Killer synopsis and ratings, see my 2015 list of best wuxia dramas.

The song choices are worth mentioning as well since it really fits the theme of the series that is eerily melancholic. You can try downloading Monster Killer OST here by typing the Chinese words below (no guarantee it'll work though).
Li Jian 李健 - Bei Jian Er Hu Pan 贝加尔湖畔 (Opening song)
Li Qi 李琦 - Zui Chang De Li Tu 最长的旅途 (Ending song)

Source 3lian.