Drama Review: Wudang Rules TVB (朝拜武當)
July 08, 2015
Former undercover police Pau Kai Chung (Chin Siu Ho) escapes to the Wudang Mountains after experiencing a severe setback in life. His senior Mo Yee Shan (Yuen Qiu), whom he has known since his youth, hires him as a chef for her lodging establishment in Wudang. She also takes in the mysterious and mentally ill Ho Ching Tung (Derek Kok), who was brought to Wudang by Kai Chung.
Originally known for being a land of spiritual calmness, Wudang enters a state of chaos after a group of new Hong Kong students are taken in to learn Tai Chi. The new students include Yee Shan’s daughter Lok Yeung (Tavia Yeung); the fighter Cheung Ka Kong (Timmy Hung); son of a wealthy businesswoman Lok Yik Hin (Jonathan Cheung), Yik Hin's private female bodyguard Yeung Ching Wu (Toby Leung), model Siu Yuk (Regen Cheung), accompanied by her mother Chin Yam Yam, and rebellious student Mia Lau (Rainky Wai).
The appearance of Lok Yeung triggers a painful memory in Kai Chung. Lok Yeung’s purpose in staying in Wudang is to convince her mother to sell her lodging establishment to a Hong Kong investment group. Yee Shan promises to give up the establishment only if Lok Yeung manages to win a competition in three months. Meanwhile, Yee Shan purposely injures herself so Kai Chung can teach her Tai Chi class.
Eventually, Ching Tung overcomes his mental illness and becomes well again. He reveals Kai Chung’s true identity, and danger shrouds the Wudang Mountains.
Watch: @ICDrama
My Rating:
☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆ 8/10 stars
Not your typical romantic comedy and mystery dramas. Instead, it is a drama that focuses on life utilizing aspects in martial arts. Wouldn't have been interested in storyline in the first place if it wasn't for the cast - not as much newbies and with the addition of returning star Chin Siu Ho, so why not? Started out comedic but as story moves along, each characters' background and the reason why they are at Wudang Mountain are revealed. Each conflicts are resolved nicely and the ending serves as a stark contrast to the beginning by reenacting scenes by in different/happier contexts.
Cast:
On Wudang Mountains:
Yuen Qiu as Mo Yee Shan
Chin Siu Ho as Pau Kai Chung
Tavia Yeung as Ocean Lok Yeung
Derek Kok as Ho Ching Tung/Fan Shu
Jonathan Wong as Charles Law Yik Hin
Toby Leung as Yeung Ching Wu
Timmy Hung as Ken Cheung Ka Kong
Stanley Cheung as Cheung Ka Chun (brother of Ken Cheung)
Rainky Wai as Mia Lau Sing Yu
Regen Cheung as Shangri-La Baby Siu Yuk
Rosanne Lui as Chin Yam Yam (Siu Yuk's mother)
Kirby Lam as Mo Gwaa
Mandy Ho as Mo Dau
Other Cast:
Yoyo Chen as Ho Ching Lam (Pau Kai Chung's girlfriend, Ocean's best friend, Fan Shu's sister)
Jason Chan as Wah Yi Gai (Ocean's former boyfriend)
Akina Hong as Sek Lam (Mia's mother)
Lee Yee Man as Man Yee Lai (Pau Kai Chung's coworker from the police force)
Source: Wikipidia
My Thoughts:
What I Liked About the Series:
1. The characters: Each character that goes to Wudang has a reason and each has their own unique personality traits; as each practices Wudang martial arts, their back story is revealed and they slowly learn how to conquer their past and face their future.
2. The ending: It sets a stark contrast to the beginning with the exact same scenes but different dialogues and context. And it's not rushed at all! Spoiler:
3. No annoying villains: There isn't actually a big villain as the antagonist of this series is each character's inner struggle
4. The plot/storyline: Not an average romantic comedy, in fact the romantic storyline between Yeung Yeung and Bao is subtle and not the emphasis of the entire series. I feel that series tend to lose quality when it digress too much and decides to invest more time in a romantic storyline that is too dull and annoyingly cliche.
5. The cast: An interesting combo as I would've never envisioned such a cast together. Each actor and actress played their parts well even the younger generation.
What I Disliked:
1. There are some draggy scenes especially starting off the drama and then reaching the point where each character's back story is revealed takes some time to develop. Some might find Jonathan's character to be too exaggerative but I actually liked his character as you slowly warm up to him and enjoy watching his change in the end.
2. I actually wasn't a big fan of Pau Kai Chung and Lam Lam's storyline but it contributes to the ending and it wasn't overly too much since there were other stories as well.
Favorite Scenes:
1. Fan Shu's failed attempts in killing Pau and how his actions also fit into the plot such as having a knife at hand when Siu Yuk was giving birth.
2. The ending, no doubt, since it wasn't rushed and it showed how everyone lived their life after leaving Wudang. It was executed extremely well compared to previous endings in TVB series.
3. When Tavia tries to encourage the people to leave Wudang, Yee Shan and Kai Chung fakes a comical punishment scene to lure out the real thief.
4. The group speculating Regen's mother to be pregnant and crazily deduced that Yik Hin is the father of the child.
Music:
After listening to it the first time, I've fell in love with the song because of its catchiness and its meaning. I like the lyrics a lot!
Opening Theme: Fearless (無懼) by C AllStar
1. The characters: Each character that goes to Wudang has a reason and each has their own unique personality traits; as each practices Wudang martial arts, their back story is revealed and they slowly learn how to conquer their past and face their future.
2. The ending: It sets a stark contrast to the beginning with the exact same scenes but different dialogues and context. And it's not rushed at all! Spoiler:
3. No annoying villains: There isn't actually a big villain as the antagonist of this series is each character's inner struggle
4. The plot/storyline: Not an average romantic comedy, in fact the romantic storyline between Yeung Yeung and Bao is subtle and not the emphasis of the entire series. I feel that series tend to lose quality when it digress too much and decides to invest more time in a romantic storyline that is too dull and annoyingly cliche.
5. The cast: An interesting combo as I would've never envisioned such a cast together. Each actor and actress played their parts well even the younger generation.
What I Disliked:
1. There are some draggy scenes especially starting off the drama and then reaching the point where each character's back story is revealed takes some time to develop. Some might find Jonathan's character to be too exaggerative but I actually liked his character as you slowly warm up to him and enjoy watching his change in the end.
2. I actually wasn't a big fan of Pau Kai Chung and Lam Lam's storyline but it contributes to the ending and it wasn't overly too much since there were other stories as well.
Favorite Scenes:
1. Fan Shu's failed attempts in killing Pau and how his actions also fit into the plot such as having a knife at hand when Siu Yuk was giving birth.
2. The ending, no doubt, since it wasn't rushed and it showed how everyone lived their life after leaving Wudang. It was executed extremely well compared to previous endings in TVB series.
3. When Tavia tries to encourage the people to leave Wudang, Yee Shan and Kai Chung fakes a comical punishment scene to lure out the real thief.
4. The group speculating Regen's mother to be pregnant and crazily deduced that Yik Hin is the father of the child.
Music:
After listening to it the first time, I've fell in love with the song because of its catchiness and its meaning. I like the lyrics a lot!
Opening Theme: Fearless (無懼) by C AllStar
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