GHETTO JUSTICE II [TVB]

Written by Funn Lim

All in all, a sequel that is meant to milk the series rather than to complement it or to continue it.



SPOILERS ... SPOILERS ... SPOILERS

Released In
2012

No. of Episodes
21

Cast-Character

Kevin Cheng - Law Lik Ah
Sam Lee - Ting Ka Fu/Teng
Alex (Jazz) Lam - George Mike Jr/Mai Cho Chi
Raymond Cho - Leung Bao
Ching Hor Wai - Poon Siu King
Myolie Wu - Kris Wong Si Fu
Choi Yiu Lik - Wong Si Yuen
Stephen Hyunh - Victor Ching Pok Him
Christine Kuo - Lynette
King Kong
JJ Jia - Chin Sam Sam
Celine Ma - Beauty
Crystal Li - Grace
Elena Kong - Jenny Wan

Plot
Law Ba returns for another day to fight for the folks in Shum Shui Po in the courts!


Blog Posts
I posted some comments about this series as I watched it at the main blog here at http://www.point2e.com/2012/07/ghetto-justice-ii-tvb2012o-first.html

Comments

I spent many hours, time and effort to write my episodic thoughts for Ghetto Justice (http://ghettojustice.blogspot.com/) and it was a series I enjoyed immensely even if I had my reservations about certain plot, the legal cases and such. So when I found out there will be a sequel and inevitably so, the first thing in my mind is will Kris be killed off so that Law Ba will have a new love? Of course she won't, because this series, Ghetto Justice 2 is a true sequel for any TVB series. No girlfriends will be blown up, or best friends murdered. All that were in Ghetto Justice who had substantive roles return, save for Butt Chik (Eddie Kwan) who didn't die and moved to China, Tai Ng Ting (Joyce Tang) moved away and married someone else. Basically what is great about this sequel is no one from previous series who survived died (except for one prostitute) and their whereabouts are accounted for, so you won't go "Where is so and so" except for poor Mandy Wong's character but then we all know what happened to her; she became far too big and famous for this tiny little assistant role. And also missing Kris' younger sister, as if she never existed. Whoever is gone, will be replaced. And that's when this series sucks.

Why it sucks, Funn? Why?!

It is  a sequel and if there is any indication via the themesong and themevideo, nothing has changed. Same song, same sort of video, same concept which is expected, same characters different names.

Gone with one nice silly cop that is Butt Chik, in with another nice silly cop that is Leong Bao who seems to be more like "lepak-ing" (To hang out with friends, loiter about and do absolutely nothing. Commonly used in Malaysia) rather than doing proper police work.

Gone with one assistant and in with a new one, this time proper lawyer for the legal centre and she is a sweet girl who loves to smile named Grace. And more role also. If Mandy is an example, I believe Crystal Li may be in for bigger things even if she will smile through any dramatic scene.

Gone with one prostitute with a golden heart, in with a masseur with a golden heart named Sum Sum for Ah Teng.

Out with one arrogant big time lawyer (Spencer), in with another as arrogant big time lawyer, Cheung Kwok Keung as Barrister King who is a better actor than Sek Sau but has the same sort of role. But at least he doesn't kill anyone.

The creep of the show is Evergreen Mak as a character so explosively evil, it was such a pity he didn't get his comeuppance properly in court.

It sucks because you can see a trend don't you? Ghetto Justice II is basically the same except a few tiny adjustment.

A new character which potentially could have lifted this series to being more than just a mere sequel is the character of Lynette who is Law Ba's wife of a decade. Not even ex wife, they never divorced but wife, played by Christine Kuo, and unfortunately, neither the character or the actress lived up to expectations.

There are some new cases, some rather touching, that of Elena Kong's very stubborn character who had her reasons and also the last 3 episodes, where the building collapsed killing many people. That collapsing building could have been a huge case that would have been a great legal battle where in criminal or civil court but the writers of this series bizarrely decided to just shift gear and made the last episode into one boring melodrama that even Korean producers will go "No, get that rubbish out of my face!!".

The sequel has potential in terms of storyline, but as any potential go, if they're unrealised, they're just "what ifs" and nothing more.

The Court Cases

There are a few court cases, same concept as in the 1st series except the focus is much less and the court scenes itself much lesser than 1st series.

Of all the cases, the one that to me is most memorable is Elena Kong's divorce case and her dying husband demanding to use their son's placenta for some radical medical procedure and she refused. She looked cold, sounded cold but in the end she revealed why and Law Ba found a way to ensure she is understood without the full facts revealed. That was a good case, and a touching one.

Some cases which involved Mike George Jr is interesting because his behaviour as a small ranking magistrate is very real although some legal arguments is stupid; like that former judge who defended himself by not presenting any evidence as to his medical condition and Mike George was right to ask for a medical report. As if that former judge's words is the gospel truth. The fact that such a dialogue is in the script shows the writer knows zero about legal stuff. But I had to bang my head against the wall when Mike George congratulated himself on a verdict well delivered for one poor woman sued for cheating the welfare system when she didn't disclose the fact that she had thousands in her joint account with her mother in law which would not make her eligible for welfare in the first place, except she didn't own that money, the money was her mom in laws. Because of that, her own welfare taken away, her husband's disability claims taken away, etc. Stupid isn't it? Well Mike George investigated and proclaimed her guilty BUT sentenced her to community service or something like that in lieu of prison sentence. Which to me is so damn stupid. You know why? So she is guilty of cheating the welfare system? So in the end all her welfare claims will be denied because she has a conviction isn't it? Yes, she did not disclose that information, but she had no intention to cheat the welfare because the money isn't hers. If Mike George is satisfied over that fact, then he must proclaim her innocent and the welfare must payback the sums owed to her for those few months. Again, the writer probably never read a legal journal in his life.

Then there was one case that will be potentially a great one, involving a definitive "gan seung" aka evil entrepreneur that is Kau Tai Wai (Evergreen Mak) whose questionable tactics in business will have anyone wishing the ultimate comeuppance for him; imprisonment, bankruptcy, etc. Except he got killed in the end, and I don't mind revealing, by Law Ba who was so angry with what that guy was saying (basically openly planning the murder of Kris' mom over the phone) who picked up a golf club and just whacked it over his head and killing him. How then could Law Ba escape?

Eh isn't this deja vu? Last episode in 1st series ALSO involves Law Ba, a court case and his final act of sacrifice for Kris for the sake of justice.

Anyway, he escaped, but not before we have the essential Kris moment of self doubt about law and justice and essential Law Ba moment of preaching the goodness of law and the reason why we must believe in law for justice to prevail, except in his case, as Kris, I would have lost my faith in law itself because Kau Tai Wai did not get his comeuppance through, law, he got his through human intervention. Anyway Law Ba fought the conviction of murder by pleading self defence. Problem is where is self defence? The threat was against Kris' mom who is miles away, is not against Law Ba himself. Provocation is the most ideal but provocation is not a defense to murder. So the only defence which I believe HK has if the system is still like the English system is diminished responsibility or in USA, the most commonly used temporary insanity. But of course, maybe I haven't updated my knowledge of the HK criminal legal system or the writer feels self defence will work.

Does it matter?

The worst oversight is of course the Leong Bao case of shooting dead  a crazed person who was threatening to kill another fellow police officer. No comments in that except one scene we see his partner quickly taking his own gun and placing it into the dead man's hands and telling Leong Bao to say he had to shoot because crazed guy took partner's gun is about to shoot. That would justify Leong Bao shooting that crazed guy except without that whole gun thing, Leong Bao already had reasons enough to shoot to disarm. The fact that he missed and actually killed the guy is of course an unfortunate fact. During interviews, they both corroborated with one another and said about the crazed guy taking the gun from partner and so Leong Bao felt threatened and then shoot. This is an important point because later partner confessed how he was bullying the crazed guy and forced the crazed guy to go crazy and almost kill the partner at which point Leong Bao arrived and shot crazed guy dead. And so Leong Bao's shooting was justified. And yet, that important point was lost and no more was mentioned. I mean if Kris was so intent on finding the cause, wouldn't that important point be something so important that Leong Bao himself may be sacked from the police force? And yet conveniently that point was not raised anymore and both officers I assume went back happily to the police force.

The Ending
A very happy ending, to the point I thought perhaps they may all jump up into the air and shout LAW IS GREAT! Not THAT happy. I don't like the ending. I don't like indecisive Grace and poor George Mike Jr still without a girlfriend. Sum Sum will marry Ah Teng which to me is the best ending, except why can't they end with a wedding? Like a wedding in the middle of Shum Shui Po street would have been awesome. Maybe that is for part 3 between Law Ba and Kris.I don't like how easily the triangle love between Law Ba, Kris and Lynette is solved by her sudden confession that she is now seeing King Kong. I know King Kong is introduced to end up with her but in between his intro and they getting together, nothing in between suggests anything of that sort. For me the ending is like forced, super fast, rushed, superficial and just to end things. I love the 1st series' ending with Law Ba going to jail. That was unexpected. You never send you hero to jail but that series did. This present series ended typically like all TVB series. Which suggests if there is a Ghetto Justice 3, maybe it is time to kill off Kris or  maybe it will be Sum Sum so as to have something different for this series but the same damn thing for TVB series .

Performances Evaluated

Now since with almost same set of characters we all grown to love in Ghetto Justice, surely Ghetto Justice 2 will be the same? Well, not quite.

Law Lik Ah

The character

The story begins 1 and half years later, when Law Ba is released in prison. If you expect a man to spend 1 and a half years in prison amongst murderers, kidnappers and rapists to be different, even slightly different upon release, at least a wee bit reflective, you're reasonable to expect so. Unfortunately Law Ba remains the same as ever. Not one minute change, not even a new behaviour, he remains the same, as if that 1 and half years was spent in some holiday resort and I find that unbelievable. He didn't become self reflective, in fact he is just the same. Or rather he did become different, in the sense he chases after Kris every time their relationship hits a snag, he runs to her every time there is some difficulty in their relationship, and first 2 episodes we see suggestions of a healthy sex life, and thereafter we see an unhealthy, unequal relationship where one does more for one than the other with questions of "does he love me? do I have to be more weaker so that I get his attention?" sort of nonsense. In the first place, I never quite get why Law Ba fell for Kris. In this sequel, Lynette is right to point out Kris did very little for Law Ba, after all Law Ba went to prison for her. But the love is irrational, what one does for another does not equal the feelings involved. But I don't like watching Law Ba running after Kris like some darn puppy. It disgusts me. Law Ba should be that Law Ba in Ghetto Justice 1 in terms of temperament; he couldn't care less. This is one change I don't like. I'd rather he become more serious, shave a little, dress better.

The actor

I like Kevin Cheng. After all I won the "Why I like Kevin Cheng" essay contest (http://www.jaynestars.com/news/results-of-why-i-like-kevin-cheng-essay-contest/) and got a Ghetto Justice DVD as evidence. I do like him, I do!! Why the !! you ask? Because you can like someone and still dislike some aspect of that someone, and it just happens that I dislike his acting ability aspect. He has improved as an actor but he is still mediocre. Many will say Law Ba is his signature career defining role. I don't agree. Any good or even not so good actor would have done reasonably well in Ghetto Justice as Law Ba because this character is someone interesting, someone any competent mediocre actor at the minimum could have done well. His signature career defining role is the 8th Prince in Bu Bu Jing Xin and another less capable or not so suitable actor would not have brought out the many character specific traits that Kevin did and it was indeed his best acting thus far.

My problem with Kevin Cheng as Law Ba is like I wrote earlier, the fact that there is hardly any change. And irritatingly, whilst in the 1st series his scruffy look suits his character, even gave him personality, in this sequel, his scruffy look is just a look. His hand movements is too much, in fact much too much if you understand what I mean. Generally, his court scenes is still terrible but then TVB is never good any any logical legal arguments or any good depiction of a good legal argument in court. His Law Ba spent more time running after either Kris or Lynette in this series than doing proper work for people of Shum Shui Po. The cases may be more or less the same number, but the attention to the cases are much lesser. And his worst moment has to be when he is with Kris, acting lovey dovey in front of poor suffering Lynette when he knows very well Lynette has suffered and still feel strongly for him. Maybe it was intentional, maybe to show us that jerk side of Law Ba and indeed, Law Ba looked like a first class jerk in those scenes, but I doubt it was ever intentional. So all I can deduce is the insensitivity of the script and the poor understanding of the scene at hand by Kevin.

Performance wise, same as in Ghetto Justice but look deeper, many things are different, many things are unreasonably unchanging that it is annoying to watch. Frankly I still stand by my statement; I like Kevin Cheng but he is a mediocre actor at best even if he is a very handsome mediocre actor.

That being said, Kevin was at his best in this series as Law Lik Ah, that arrogant guy he was before he found his conscience and became Law Ba. There were just a few scenes where we see Law Ba as Law Lik Ah thru the eyes of Lynette and I can understand why Lynette fell for him deeply. He was irresistible, that bad boy image that somehow Kevin conveyed well. Maybe for Ghetto Justice 3, why not do a prequel and show Law Ba as Law Lik Ah and how he terrorises the legal world with his superb legal arguments eh? Because Law Ba is at his most interesting as Law Lik Ah. He can perhaps cross over to the sequel of The Other Truth, him as the hot shot arrogant confident lawyer and Ruco Chan as the easy going but darn competent lawyer. That would make for an interesting series.

Kris Wong

The character

Never quite liked her in the 1st series, disliked her even more in the sequel with her childish demands of being chased after. How old is she? Because such juvenile behaviour. And the character swings like a pendulum; argues with Law Ba one day, next day miraculously patched up. Maybe I missed an episode somewhere. And I understand the need for her character to prove her love for Law Ba, hence her admission of guilt in murdering one really evil character that deserves to die anyway. But that last episode was just a complete waste of time because this is a series about lawyers fighting injustice, and here we have a scene which is anything BUT about lawyers and injustice. It was just silly.

The actress

Myolie Wu has become a worse and worse actress as time goes by, but it was only recently I realise she didn't become worse and worse, she just stopped improving. And it is evident here as Kris Wong. In the first series she overacts, here lesser but unfortunately her expressions are either stressed out or cocky. Cocky whenever she is teasing or being teased, stressed out whenever she is angry about something. Frankly nothing new, nothing exceptional, nothing remarkable. Even her amazing haircut from 1st series did not make an appearance and so her performance like her image in this series is just bland. Worst is of course the writing for Kris is repetitive, unconnected, bland. Her court scenes are the worst. Same problems as in the 1st series. In fact in the 1st series I wrote;

I find her strangely annoying even though she can act but somehow I feel her acting is rather... pretending acting rather than my heart is in it sort of acting.  There is no fluidity, nothing natural. I find her court scenes the worst; there is no elegance in her portrayal. She did the arrogance parts well but in the end even as the arrogant Wong Si Fu she was rather obvious; meaning I knew she was acting.

Same here. No change.

Ah Teng

The character

Still the same, except for falling with a prostitute, now it is a masseur which is an upgrade in status. But he does always end up with the nicest girls and his love story with Sum Sum is to me the most touching, like it was in the 1st series. However in terms of emotional level, Ah Teng probably is one that went through some emotional stuff. 1st series, his girlfriend got murdered. In this series, his mom died before he can say goodbye. His eagerness to help others does not extend to his own family until it is too late.

The actor

Same old, same old which is good except Ah Teng in this sequel is more relaxed, ready to smile and seems more contented, less persistent but still committed to his cause. Sam Lee is a wonderful actor and I have no further comments except to repeat what I wrote in my blog for the 1st series and interestingly, same comments apply here;

Sam Lee was impressive in his straight talking way. He plays Teng so straightforward, nothing complicated and it takes a truly good actor to do just that. Some tends to inject too much into a character, some tends not to at all but Sam Lee did it in the right doses. He is believable as the no nonsense righteous Teng, and was perhaps the most consistent actor in this series from ep 1 until the last. At times I felt he was not enough; I felt like he didn't display enough emotionally but then I realised that is Sam Lee's style of acting; no frills, he is what you see he is.

Mike George Jr

The character

Poor guy who is the most gentlemanly, the nicest dude and yet he can't get himself a girlfriend. What is wrong with the writers? Give him Grace for god's sake!

The actor

Same comments from my 1st series' observation applies here;

Jazz Lam impressed me the most because he was the most against type. I was so used to see him as uncouth characters, it took me a few episodes to see him as George, the ever gentleman and polite guy. After a few episodes I was convinced Jazz was George. The way he spoke, his manner of speaking, everything was that of a gentleman. A definite against type sort of casting and one which reaped the most reward. I absolutely enjoyed his performance. He was convincing.

To add to the above, he injects humour into his Mike George Jr and in here also some fear as he became a judge which is realistic except for that one scene where he self congratulated himself on a verdict well delivered which I thought was egoistical considering the verdict was wrong.

Leong Bao

The character

A simpleton. Whilst Butt Chik was more flirtatious type, Leong Bao is more traditional. He is a cop except he does very little cop work.

The actor

Raymond Cho is a competent actor who looks young for his age. He is able to bring to Leong Bao a certain innocence and you can sense Leong Bao is a very traditional old fashioned sort of guy, with the way he talks, the way he dress. There is consistency in his performance and I like his Leong Bao even if when it comes to love he is a bit devious.

Grace

The character

A young legal assistant working for the legal centre at Shum Shui Po. Not much is known of her, except she likes to smile.

The actress

I was told this is Crystal Li's very first acting performance or something like that. I confess, I don't know who she is. She is pretty, cute, with an easy charming smile. But her performance is frivolous. To me there is nothing serious, nothing substantive. Given this is her 1st performance, and given she has probably the most observer type character who is not involved in anything major in this series, it was a competent performance. But her constant smiles and her unconvincing way of speaking her lines can be irritating after a while. Frankly I don't remember much about her except I like her suits.

Lynette

The character

Probably one of the most pitiful female character for this sequel. The troubles she went through for Law Ba, the love she has for him, I pity her. This is one character that I was hoping would be a villain, as in the 3rd party between Law Ba and Kris. One scene had her faced to faced with Kris and challenging Kris for Law Ba's affection and I was cheering because FINALLY, something for Lynette to do but next episode, nothing. It was as if the writer just doesn't know what to do with Lynette. When she should have been the ultimate bitch wife or rather perhaps the strong competition, she was reduced to an observer, standing there, looking at Law Ba, hoping, wishing, praying... for something. Nothing much more is done to this potentially interesting character. And I actually like Lynette. She understood what love is as opposed to Kris whose pride and ego wins the day all the time.

The actress

Christine Kuo is not new, she is raw and perhaps one of the most maligned actress today. You want my honest opinion?

Her acting sucks. True. She looks like Aimee Chan, another hated actress for good reason. True. But she also looks a tad like Lee San San, another actress I personally hate for very good reason. Her Cantonese sucks. Very true. But King Kong's Cantonese is worse, and I don't hear any complaints. Her English is not perfect, it is accented. True. But I disagree with others who say they can't understand a single word she is saying, in English. Really? Because I can and her English is better than all the TVB actresses who says "KREARRRR" rather than "Clear".

She is pretty. She is feminine. And she is one of those actresses in TVB who looks healthy weight wise. She looks like a woman, with all the curves at all the right places which is a welcomed change to the usual skinny ones. So her acting sucks. That I agree. But I also agree with the producers there is something about her that makes me look at her twice, but as long as I don't concentrate on her, I won't find too much faults. I know she has faults. Her worst moments are those screaming, angry, dramatic moments. Even Kevin Cheng can't do those scenes well. Her rawness is evident in those scenes. Her better moments are those where she looked longingly at Kevin Cheng. Her best moment is when she was standing face to face with Myolie, acting tough, pronouncing war over Kevin. Seriously, that was her best, marred by her bad Cantonese but looks wise, she was fierce. Her Lynette is feminine, nice, decisive and it is a credit to Christine Kuo she is able to show all that. A pity the writing didn't go beyond that; why not just make her go all out for Law Ba? That would have been so much better.

But yes I agree, she is a bad actress. But she isn't really the worst like some comments I have read which I find increasingly unreasonable. I find some others worse than her, and they're supposed to be veterans. But there is something about Christine Kuo; that X factor. If she improves on her Cantonese, or her acting, I believe she will go places. In fact her best spoken scenes were with King Kong where they conversed in Mandarin. She sounded natural, she looked natural. Maybe she should go to China (where she will 100% be dubbed) or Taiwan (where she speaks better Mandarin than most Taiwanese actresses with their lazy intonations which is annoying). Anyway she does look convincing as a doctor. She is in fact one of the few pretty actresses that looks convincing as someone modern, professional and with a brain. Just because her Cantonese isn't good doesn't mean she doesn't look smart.

But yes I agree, she is a bad actress. But bad actress can always improve, a question is whether improve to become better or mediocre or greater.

Chin Sum Sum

The character

A really nice girl who is decisive and knows what she wants. Her best moment had to be how she took charge of Teng's mother's funeral when the father and son were too distraught. Strength in character, charm in her personality. I doubt she will have any haters.

The actress

I first saw JJ Jia in L'Escargot and I thought she may be mousy, but she had potential. I also remember she was hammered for her performance there. Then I saw the dance series which I never quite got the title and I thought she was smashingly beautiful, again she was mousy but she had plenty of potential. I always thought she had potential. She looks young for her age, she is pretty and she has a face suitable for modern series as a pretty girl and in ancient series as a very beautiful ancient girl. In this series, her acting has improved leaps and bounds and I feel she is probably the best actress in this series itself. Her Sum Sum is a nice girl, very sincere, and for once I believed JJ Jia is slowly throwing away that nervousness in her voice that she used to have; that trembling voice that shows she has fears, reservations and in this series she is more fluid, more natural in her body language. Her Cantonese has improved and though she plays a girl from Mainland China, believe me, when I was in HK, some native HK-er speaks worse Cantonese than her. A joy to watch.

Notable Mentions

Elena Kong who personified the cold unfeeling lawyer who actually has a lot of feelings that she can't show. A pity her character did not appear later on.

KK Cheung's performance is negligible because his character rarely appears and if he does, almost a cliche with the way he plays with his gold chain in court which of course to TVB means confidence and arrogance but to me shows bad lawyer-ship. It shows he doesn't care to the judge which is a bad move. So to me this is an inconsistent performance. And he didn't get his chance at redemption from bad guy to good guy, when Lynette was in a coma. I mean there should be a scene of him rushing to Lynette's side and expressing regret for being Kau Tai Wai's lawyer and then reconciling with Law Ba or something. That scene was missing.

Stephen Hyunh is back as Victor but not much to do except to walk around and appear next to Kris to annoy Law Ba. Frankly I see he has improved in his acting performance, less rigid and dialogue speaking more fluid than in 1st series but unfortunately still nothing much to do.

Evergreen Mak should have been the villain to close the series, except he died prematurely. His character is explosively evil, intimidating and seriously a wolf in sheep's skin so to speak. I love his performance as the angry manipulative evil Kau Tai Wai, but I hated his ending. He should have been prosecuted in court for what he did, it would have been a great 1 episode of court case, etc but TVB chickened out of writing an actual good legal argument and case and so just decided to have Law Ba literally knocked him out. What a waste of a good character.

VERDICT

If you have watched the 1st series, you can skip this. It adds nothing to the 1st series. You can in fact watch it independently from the 1st series but why watch a poorer version when the 1st series is the version to watch? I find the sequel insincere, I find the story absolutely lacking, I find the editing poor, I find the cases not utilised to their full potential, I find the characters repetitive, I find the ending a bad ending and I find the overall series like a half baked cake that could have been delicious except the chef was so eager to present it, he didn't bother to bake it properly.

All in all, a sequel that is meant to milk the series rather than to complement it or to continue it. Like the last episode where Kris laments there is no justice in law, I as a viewer shall moan that there is no justice to us viewers by dishing out this poor excuse of a sequel. But like Law Ba says, trust in the law, so I shall continue to place my undeserved trust in TVB for at least coming out with something coherent, something entertaining.

There were times I wanted to stop watching this series. I continued because I recorded the episodes and since I have watched a huge bulk of it, might as well finished it. I was entertained, some times but the sequel left me feeling like what I said before; meant to milk the series rather than to complement it or to continue it.

Take my advice, if you've seen the 1st series, avoid this sequel unless you really have nothing else to watch. If you haven't watched the 1st series, better invest your time and money in the 1st series.

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L’ESCARGOT [TVB]

Written by Bridget Au

If there’s one lesson that L’escargot teaches, it’s that life sucks

SPOILERS ... SPOILERS ... SPOILERS

Chinese Title

“Kuet Jak Lam Lui”

Released In

2012

No. of episodes

30

Foreword

If there’s one lesson that L’escargot teaches, it’s that life sucks.  I think I need to watch some fluffy Taiwanese / Korean romcoms after this, because even though this series was an insightful, realistic portrayal of everyday life and relationships, it was also downright depressing.  

Review

I wanted to like this series, and I did… until the ending happened.  For once I wanted the predictable, happy ending or the poetic justice ending, but instead the ending here was the worst case scenario for me.  

It is easy to get emotionally involved in this series because it had a solid, promising premise with dramatic potential.  Thematically, the family struggles over their home and their complex relationships really hit home for me, and I suspect, for a lot of the audience as well.  Definitely one of TVB’s better series recently.    

On Characters

Lok is probably one of TVB’s most baffling characters.  A lot of it is the writing’s fault, as the scriptwriter seemed reluctant to make Lok into a full-on villain / mistress hell-bent on revenge against Dai Ding.  My take on Lok is that she had a crush on Jim, didn’t really know and wasn’t strong enough to act against it, which resulted in the cheating.  After she cheated, she realized that Dai Ding was the one she truly loved, which explained the immense guilt and the bathtub scene, which was a strong reflection of the guilt.  A big part of the guilt too was that she felt she disappointed her family, especially her older brother given the values she was raised with, which explains the heart-wrenching scene of him finding out and slapping her.  

What is confusing is everything that happens with her character afterwards.  It was hard to tell whether Lok ever really fell in love with Jim.  If she wasn’t, why did she accept the necklace from him?  If she was, how come Lok didn’t once question Jim’s love for her given that he was married until the third-last episode?  Unlike Dai Ding who wooed Joyce for revenge, it didn’t look like Lok wanted to take revenge at all.  Sure, she wore the necklace once to make Dai Ding mad, but she admitted that to Jim and that act could hardly have been for revenge because it was done in a moment of anger and was also provoked.  The nail in the inconsistency coffin was the confrontation scene between her and Jim’s wife.  Lok’s response to the accusation was “I’m not the one who isn’t leaving him alone, he is the one who won’t leave me alone… I’ve told him to leave me alone”.  Um, she never actually really rejected Jim, unless you count smashing the dollhouse that he gave her – and even then, she went back and apologized.  She lets him whisk her away to a private island, she dines with him, she even invited him to her house for coffee, fully knowing his feelings for her.  She never told Jim “you are married, I don’t love you, stop bothering me” until the series was almost over and she realized it was DD that she loves.  Yet, two episodes before that, she declared that she loved Jim?  A few episodes later, she decides it’s Dai Ding that she really loves.  I don’t know about you, but I was like “what da eff?!”  One can argue that she was so heartbroken over her breakup with Dai Ding that her feelings were all over the place, but the pacing was so off in this series that even that argument is hard to defend.  

It’s also hard to believe that Lok, who is supposedly someone who was raised with integrity (albeit committed a dire mistake in cheating against her fiancé, but at least she owned up to it in one of the most honest scenes with her older brother) would have willingly become a participant – even a passive one – in an affair.  Even if she was confused or heartbroken, even if she really loved Jim.  It would have been more logical and interesting to watch Lok had become more of a self-loathing character, launching herself into an affair with Jim, not for revenge against Dai Ding but because the guilt ate away at her.  But instead, the writer didn’t decide what to do with the character until the last episode, so none of the dots connect properly.  That is one of the biggest problems of this drama.  

Dai Ding started off as one of my favourite characters but quickly evolved into a jerk.  I did not like the way he basically toyed with Joyce’s heart, even though she knew what he was doing and was willing to go along with it.  I know a few fellow reviewers who disagree with me, but my interpretation of him was that it was Lok, it had been Lok, and it will always be Lok that he loves.  Maybe eventually he would grow feelings or even fall in love with Joyce, but even in the last episode I feel he still loved Lok.  To me, Joyce would always be second choice.  Yeah, I know that rhymes.  I’m a poet and I didn’t even know it.  That rhymes too.    

Anyway, to me Dai Ding and Lok spent a lot of the time confusing love with gratitude, and even in the end when they realized their true love, they were both too weak to try and make it work.  Neither of them were persistent enough to try and salvage their relationship, and too much hurt had happened between them, which I guess is the only part that makes sense with their love story.  But if that was the case, then why did Dai Ding end up with Joyce?  Both DD and Lok should have ended up alone.  

And that’s why the ending was depressing to me.  Lok ends up alone, even though from beginning to end DD and she were truly in love and all was revealed and forgiven at the end.  Dai Ding ends up with Joyce, which was definitely the head-scratcher.  Even when they started dating, DD had told Joyce “I’m not over Lok, but let’s try this and maybe I’ll forget about her”.  And they end up together!?  What the f-ck?!  Jim ends up back with the wife, but I saw it more as gratitude for saving his life, not out of love.  If Lok hadn’t completely rejected him near the end of the series (and maybe if he wasn’t in jail), I don’t believe for a second that Jim would have given up on her.  In the last episode, Jim never told his wife he loved her.  He only thanked her for being by his side the whole time and that she was the one who treated the best.  That’s not love, that’s gratitude.  

Both Joyce and Jim’s wife were second choices to Lok.  In a depressing way, that’s a pretty accurate portrayal of reality – so many times people settle or go with second choice because they can’t be with their first choice, or they desire companionship and stability so they end up with someone they may not passionately love, but still care about.  I’m a very all or nothing type of girl.  It’s first choice for me, or I would rather be alone.  Is that an idealistic view on love?  Maybe.  But that is my view and that’s why this series – especially the ending – bothers me.    

For awhile, Jim was another character who I couldn’t figure out.  It’s not like his wife is some socialite daughter, she was just some former actress and the series suggests that they initially married for love because at the time Jim wasn’t wealthy yet.  So if Jim was that much in love with Lok, then why not just divorce the wife and marry Lok?  To put it bluntly, it’s not like he needed the marriage and he didn’t seem in love with the wife anymore at all (despite what he says about being able to love two women at one time; I didn’t believe his statement – Jim just stayed in the marriage because Lok never accepted him).  

Besides, if the argument was that too much hurt happened between Lok and DD for them to reconcile, why doesn’t this logic apply to Jim and Man Wah?  Jim cheated as well; he is just as guilty as Lok for breaking a long-time commitment, and arguably worse because he didn’t just break an engagement, he broke a marriage.  Every single one of them should have ended up alone.  Yes, I know I’m a drama queen.  Like I said, it’s all or nothing for me.  

Wing and King (whose name is hilarious – one of the funniest scenes in the series was her introducing herself “Hello, I’m Book King” and Wing replies “What?  I don’t have a booking”) were almost cartoonish in a sea of serious characters.  Their story was also much too rushed and pretty much acted as filler to the main plot.

On was a very realistic portrayal of the big brother in Asian culture and reminds me a lot of one of my friends who is also the oldest in a family with four children.  In fact it was kind of disturbing how realistic the Kwan family is.  

On Acting

Did Ron Ng go on some acting course recently or something?  Because that 10-minute scene post-breakup was probably the finest acting moment of his entire career.  Unfortunately, the rest of his performance leaves much to be desired.  He’s his usual wooden self – not angry or vengeful enough in his scenes opposite Michael Tse, not mean enough in his insults toward Linda.  Maybe he was just possessed during the post-breakup scene.  However, he does make a pretty young couple with Linda.  I won’t lie.  I could hardly bear to watch the couple get broken up the way they did (even though I knew that was going to happen) because something about their relationship hits me personally.  Their relationship was sincere, lovely, and real in the sense that the two were the only ones each other had ever known and loved since youth, so the fact that they were torn apart was a tragedy of Greek proportions for me (the ending, the ending… BAAHHHH).  You know, the last episode where DD finds out Lok is leaving overseas?  For once, I was waiting for the classic airport-chase-reunion-hug scene.  And you know what?  TVB didn’t give it to me.  What did I ever do you to you, TVB?!  I’ve stuck with you through thick and thin, and the one time I want the airport scene, you don’t give it to me?!  I barely stopped from crying myself silly.

Where was I?  Oh yeah, Ron.  So he’s the usual Ron in this series, except for the post-breakup scene.  I would consider his performance ‘mediocre plus’.        

Linda Chung is my favourite young TVB actress, bar none.  I’ve seen every single one of her performances but it was A Journey Called Life that made me a true fan.  That performance not only trumped everything she ever did, but also demonstrated that she has the most raw acting talent out of most, if not all, of the fadans acting today.  Granted, she got a very well-written character in Journey, but it was Linda who really breathed life into the character.  She gets an imperfect character in L’escargot, but manages to do the most with her character in the first half of the series.  The terror when she realizes her older brother found out about her cheating, the way she looked at the dollhouse when Jim first gave it to her, her dejection when she sees DD with Joyce – all great acting moments.  Her scenes with Michael Miu were also enjoyable to watch.  Linda tends to have chemistry with most of her male co-stars, and she is believable in Lok’s respect and love for her older brother and sister-in-law.

Unfortunately, after Lok’s cheating, Linda’s performance becomes as inconsistent as her character.  For example, why was she smiling so happily in the star-watching segment?  This isn’t Meteor Garden where Dao Ming Si is giving you a shooting star necklace and professing his undying love.  Lok was supposedly at the lowest of the low at this point of the drama.  Even if she were to smile, it should have been a reluctant smile.  Same with the sunset-watching on the island.  Overall, not her best performance, but not her worst either.  

Sonija Kwok is robotic here.  She has two problems in this series.  Her face doesn’t register emotion and her voice is also automaton.  Make sure your fast-forward button works, especially for her scenes with the other robot actor (the guy who plays her boss).  

Michael Tse seems to be stuck in chok mode ever since Laughing Gor, and this series is no exception.  He choks his way through much of the first half of the series, and it isn’t until the last 10 episodes or so where he offers something different, such as his loving glances toward Linda and the subtle, demure guilt towards Joyce Tang.  

Oscar Leung, Mandy Wong and Him Law lend ample support to the drama.  Their best moment was definitely the explosive scene when they were arguing about the title of their family home.  Again, this situation hit very close to home and I suspect for many others, so this scene was one of the most memorable scenes in the entire drama.  Generally competent performance by these three.   

Considering JJ Jia comes from a variety show (she won the young-girl version of Beautiful Cooking so you know, if acting doesn’t work out for her she can always open a restaurant), she’s fine as the sweet-tempered, innocent Joyce.  Her Mainland accent makes it hard to believe that she’s Michael Tse’s sister, though.  

Michael Miu gets a relatively straightforward character to portray, and overall I think he does well except I don’t think he looked burdened enough.  On reminds me a lot of Gallen Lo’s Ivan from Golden Faith, and Gallen was able to give Ivan this burdened / weary vibe that flowed through much of the series.  Here, Michael is believable as the big brother role, 

Joyce Tang was a shocker, a complete 180 from the cute, earnest Mrs. Lam from Ghetto Justice.  In fact, she was almost scary in here, with the half-open eyes and daggers-in-smile expressions, and the quiet, soft voice.  She gave Man Wah a sinister edge, so sinister that I thought she was going to go psycho in the end.  And she has some daring, suggestive bed scenes with Michael Tse.  An excellent performance, in fact the best of the series.  

Who is the little girl who plays On’s daughter?  She was adorable and acted the pants off Sonija – fantastic performance.

To Watch or Not To Watch, That is the Question

No one is going to get the warm and fuzzies after watching this, and also not recommended for those who want a diversion from real-life problems.  Recommended if you want something to think about.  

Rating

3.5 out of 5 

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JOURNEY TO THE WEST [2011][TV][China]

Written by Funn Lim

Watch it for the performances and you will know why what people say is true; China is brimming with talented actors, and considering they're all so limited thanks to the rubber masks, the environment, etc, this is what makes their performances even better.



SPOILERS ... SPOILERS ... SPOILERS

Released in
2011

No. of Episodes
66

This is the ...
Zhang Jizhong version which is said to closely follow the contents of the book of the same title by Wu Cheng'en (if not mistaken written in Ming Dynasty)

Title Deciphered
西遊記 which is the title of the books, English translation is Journey To The West but I believe the more accurate translation is The Diary Of The Journey To The West. The west here refers to India, because that was where Buddha was from.

Cast-Character
From the cast list you can see how many people is in this series. Frankly I can't recognise 99% of them, and I bet you won't too either since they all look the same, same beard, same rubber face, etc.

The Monk, the 3 disciples and the horse
Wu Yue as Sun Wukong
Nie Yuan as Tang Sanzang
Zang Jinsheng as Zhu Bajie
Elvis Tsui as Sha Wujing
Qian Yongchen as White Dragon Horse

The Buddhas
Wang Huichun as Buddha
Liu Tao as Guanyin (holding a willow branch)
Liang Li as Guanyin (holding a fish basket)
Stephanie Hsiao as Thousand Armed Guanyin
TAE as Avalokiteśvara (Guanyin's male form)
Yang Xiaolin as Guanyin's female form

The Main Gods & Deities
Ma Jingwu as Subhuti
Zhang Jizhong as Taishang Laojun
Wei Zi as Jade Emperor
Feng Shaofeng as Erlang Shen
Ma Li as Queen Mother of the West
Yang Niansheng as Wei Zheng / Taibai Jinxing
Zhao Yi as Li Jing
Yang Guang as Chang'e
Ma Ruihao, Ma Ruihan as Nezha

Others
Tong Chun-chung as Emperor Taizong of Tang
He Zhuoyan as Golden Nosed Albino Rat Spirit
Chen Zhihui as Bull Demon King
Hu Ke as Princess Iron Fan
Yan Danchen as Baihuaxiu, servant girl
You Yong as King of Baoxiang
Shu Chang as Ruler of Women's Kingdom
He Jiayi as Royal Advisor of Women's Kingdom
Ady An as White Bone Demon
Zhang Meng as Lady of Wansheng Palace
Jessey Meng as Black Spider Demon
Zhao Lixin as Immortal Zhenyuan
Lu Xiaotian as Qingfeng
Liu Zenghui as Mingyue
Su Gang, Zhu Pengcheng, Li Zhonghua as Fu Lu Shou
Hong Zilin as Mao Nü
Ya Ning as Red Boy
Qin Ziyue as Jade Faced Vixen
Cheng Haofeng as Yellow Robe Demon
Wu Wenjun as Yellow Robe Demon's son
Sun Yufan as Yellow Robe Demon's daughter
Zhao Wenqi as Scorpion Demon
Zhang Hengping as Evil priest, Guzhi Gong, Dragon King of the South Sea, Long Armed Ape Monkey
Hu'erxide as Queen of Wuji
Zhang Chunzhong as Abbot of Baolin Monastery, Yellow Wind Demon
Hou Yueqiu as Immortal of Antelope Power
Li Tai as Nine Headed Bug
Su An as Almond Immortal
Li Qiang as Naked Demon
Zhao Qiang as King of the Southern Hill, Fire Tiger of Tail, Gao Cai, Meticulous Devil
Xi Xianfeng as King of Heat Protection
Pan Yanfei as Blue Spider Demon
Huang Yiwen as Purple Spider Demon
Lin Ketong as Yellow Spider Demon
Wang Yirong as Orange Spider Demon
Zhang Lisha as Red Spider Demon
Chen Jinjin as Blue Dress Fairy
Liu Jing as Purple Dress Fairy
Wang Xinzi as Queen of Biqiu (White Faced Vixen)
Gu Xuan as Fake Princess of India (Jade Rabbit)
Jing Gangshan as Manjusri
Ma Lun as Barefoot Immortal
Li Yuan as Virūḍhaka, Golden Dragon of Neck
Sheng Yang as Dhṛtarāṣṭra
Fu Yunzhao as Vaiśravaṇa
Jia Zongchao as Virūpākṣa
Shi Lei as Golden Furnace Boy
Sun Xinyu as Silver Furnace Boy
Ma Zijun as Reverend Wuchao, Wansheng Dragon King
Wang Jianguo as Dragon King of the East Sea, Sai Tai Sui, old monk
Zhou Xiaobin as Dragon King of the West Sea, Hundred Eyed Demon Lord (Centipede Demon)
Jia Shitou as Grand Saint of Nine Spirits (Nine Headed Lion), Juling Shen
Li Dan as Duke of Thunder
Zhang Chunyan as Mother of Lightning
Wang Lele as Granny of Wind
Yuan Li as Cloud Pushing Boy
Mu Jianrong as Wood Dragon of Horn
Lian Yuxuan as Fire Tiger of Tail
Su Mao as Lingji Bodhisattva
Xiaomao as King of Spiritual Touch
Qi Daji as Spotted Fish
Pengcuo Zhaxi as Abbot of Zhenhai Monastery
Wu Wenyu as Boy from Biqiu
Chen Shaping as Squire Gao, Mountain Deity
Mo Xiaofeng as Gao Cuilan
Yin Pingzhi, Zhang Xueying, Wu Yajing as Gao family maids
Ma Yuxi as Tang imperial consort
Li Shuang, Zhang Shen as Earth Deities
Qu Dalei as one of the Six Saints of Mount Mei
Liu Bing as Witty Bug
Gao Zhao as White Guard of Impermanence
Hu Shaolong as Black Guard of Impermanence
Bian Qiuwei, Han Biao, Song Lifeng, Zhu Qingmin as strongmen in Peach Garden
Yu Zhenhuan as Red Bottomed Horse Monkey
Chen Manzi as Water Star
Zhao Guixiang as Zhang Daoling
Bai Hailong as Wood Star
Ji Xiaolong as Gentleman of Mist
Wang Xiaoming as Hui'an
Song Songlin as Samantabhadra
Xu Hongzhou as Ksitigarbha
Gao Yuanfeng as Ananda
Wang Ruihong as Lishan Laomu
Huang Xingbei as Six Eared Macaque
Bahatiya'er Aizezi as King of Jisai
Zhou Gang as Maitreya
Alipu Aitanmu as King of Zhuzi
Liu Zhengliang as Immortal Ziyang
Wu Yanshu as Pilanpo Bodhisattva
Shi Hengliang as Sun Rooster of Hairy Head
Yibulayimu Paha'erding as King of Biqiu
Shadike Shata'er as Royal father-in-law of Biqiu (White Deer Spirit)
Yasheng Maimaiti as King of Miefa
Gulibaha'er Abudureheman as Queen of Miefa
Ayiguzhali Abuduwayiti as Royal consort of Miefa
Gulijiamali Maimaitiniyazi as Widow Zhao
Nijiati Niyazi as King of India
Reyihanguli Keranmu as Queen of India
Kalibinu'er Keyimu as Princess of India

Summary
Need I summarise the legendary god awesome amazing *you say* fictional *others say* real story of the Monk Xuanzhang and his disciples, a golden monkey, a pig and a fierce man with his white dragon horse's (in this series) 20 year epic journey to India to see the Buddha and to retrieve the Buddhist scriptures so be taken back to China to spread the word around during Tang Dynasty? Phew! Long eh? No need? Need? Ok, here is the summary taken from Wikipedia, about the book itself which is basically what the series is about;

Journey to the West is one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. It was written by Wu Cheng'en in the 16th century during the Ming Dynasty. In English-speaking countries, the tale is also often known simply as Monkey. This was one title used for a popular, abridged translation by Arthur Waley. The Waley translation has also been published as Adventures of the Monkey God, Monkey: [A] Folk Novel of China, and The Adventures of Monkey, and in a further abridged version for children, Dear Monkey.

The novel is a fictionalised account of the legendary pilgrimage to India of the Buddhist monk Xuanzang, and loosely based its source from the historic text Great Tang Records on the Western Regions and traditional folk tales. The monk travelled to the "Western Regions" during the Tang Dynasty, to obtain sacred texts (sūtras). The bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara (Guanyin), on instruction from the Buddha, gives this task to the monk and his three protectors in the form of disciples — namely Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing — together with a dragon prince who acts as Xuanzang's steed, a white horse. These four characters have agreed to help Xuanzang as an atonement for past sins.

Journey to the West has a strong background in Chinese folk religion, Chinese mythology and value systems; the pantheon of Taoist immortals and Buddhist bodhisattvas is still reflective of some Chinese religious beliefs today. Enduringly popular, the tale is at once an adventure story, a spring of spiritual insight, and an extended allegory in which the group of pilgrims journeying toward India represents individuals journeying towards enlightenment.

THE ENDING FIRST
From Wikipedia

Chapter 100, the last of all, quickly describes the return journey to the Tang Empire, and the aftermath in which each traveller receives a reward in the form of posts in the bureaucracy of the heavens. Sun Wukong and Xuanzang achieve Buddhahood, Sha Wujing becomes an arhat, the dragon horse is made a nāga, and Zhu Bajie, whose good deeds have always been tempered by his greed, is promoted to an altar cleanser (i.e. eater of excess offerings at altars).

Seriously, the series actually does follow the book(s)! For more on the book(s), go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journey_to_the_West

OPINION SUMMARISED
Previously blogged about this series here at http://point2e-reviews.blogspot.com/2012/07/journey-to-west-tvchinao.html.


COMMENTS
My no. 1 most favourite series of all time, which happens to be a TVB series is Journey To The West, the Dicky Cheung version. It is because of this series, that all my hate for TVB these days is milder than it should have been because I know TVB is capable of greater better amazing stuff. I could write a thesis why I love the TVB version but that would be like a major fan crush sort of thesis which I am sure you will be bored to tears to read. However this Zhang Jizhong version has given me the opportunity to reexamine my love for this story, TVB version and in the end this version itself.

First of, let me write a bit of my background/credentials when it comes to JTTW.

I have read until Book II of the English translated version until I got so disgusted with how the monk was behaving, I stopped reading altogether. It made me love TVB version more. I have seen the original China production featuring the definitive Sun Wukong, which is Liu Xiao Ling Tong, but I didn't love the series as a whole though I really liked the 1st monk until strangely halfway another actor became the monk and I didn't like him. My most favourite interpretation of JTTW is TVB version starring Dicky Cheung. I disliked JTTW II by TVB, starring Benny Chan, but loved certain aspects of it. Have seen some of the China version acted by Dicky Cheung and absolutely hated it. Saw one full version of a China adaptation I believe in 2010 or 2011 but never liked that because it was too buddy-buddy type. Heard of and saw a bit of the movie version as in some alien thing going on in the Nic Tse version which I hated. Never quite liked Stephen Chow's version BUT Stephen Chow himself would have been an awesome Monkey King, but more of the scary angry temperamental kind. Heard of the Japanese comedy classic, Saiyuki but never seen. Heard of the OST done by Damon Albarn for the I believe theatre version of JTTW with some nifty concept. Trembled with fear when Hollywood announced an adaptation but until todate, no news so thank you very much!  If there are other versions, I am not aware of them. All in all, I can pretty much say that I am a huge JTTW fan, from the concept to the stories (maybe not so much love for the books themselves) and I take notice of any adaptation whenever one is released, and most often I groan more than I shout yeah.

Until this 2011 version came along.

Seriously before I watched this series I was thinking "not another adaptation!" but I knew Zhang Jizhong's reputation for cinematography, he makes beautiful series but whether he tells a good story is another matter. When I first saw the posters, I was intrigued. The Monkey King looked a tad like Stephen Chow's version as in very demon like. Which is different. Most Monkey King is temperamental, playful, impatient but one that looks like he can kill you because he can, with that evil demonic stare? This is almost a first. The pig looked like a pig. Wujing looks.. scarily fierce. The monk himself looked young, sorta handsome but to me at first glance I wasn't convinced. Then the broadcast over TV and I decided to watch it, not knowing it will be 66 episodes until more than halfway and I read it would have been longer if the editing wasn't butchered by the censorship or something like that. And what a pity, because perhaps this would have been the definitive retelling and adaptation of the books. Now don't be mistaken when I say definitive retelling and adaptation which is not to say the best but rather the most complete. How true is its adaptation I can't confirm since I never finished the books. But from the description in Wikipedia, and from what I can see how the story just moves on so swiftly, I will say the adaptation is in accordance to the books especially in the way the endings are dealt with in such a perfunctory manner, it was almost like reading the books.

The books were written in Ming Dynasty, some says it is actually a story about rebellion against the imperial government, you can say it is a fantasist sort of story and to many, the story is beyond fictional; it is legendary since it is based on a true journey of such a monk, except you won't find the other disciples or demons, etc. And I do believe by that time Buddha has long reached nirvana.  It is a sensitive story because Sun Wukong, at the end of the book is directly translated as Combat Buddha is actually revered by actual people. Even the Monk is revered. He has a temple back in Xian. So the story becomes more than just fictional story or legends, they become myths that may have been real. Some believe them as real. For me, real or not, Journey To The West is a brilliant story of redemption and finding one's purpose. It is so multi faceted as a story, each adaptation can bring to it a fresh perspective, whether I actually like the perspective or not is not important. It is a flexible sort of story.

The books are more like tell a story and move on. Whatever is between the lines, you read into them. Some adaptation chose to tell it as it is, some focuses on the comedy aspect, some on the brotherhood, some on the love aspect and TVB version, being the best, merged all these and added in the religious aspect plus some educational aspect, making it the most rounded adaptation. Believe it or not, on paper JTTW is a very religious story, since it has gods and deities, Buddhas and demons and the story is how the religious point of view merges and blends with the idea of redemption, sins, etc. But Mainland China adaptations almost always never pursue that path alone since officially China doesn't have an official religion. Buddhism itself is atheist, but the story merges between Buddhism and Taos and what nots, making it a world of its own, rules of its own. And Chinese adaptations are almost always about the rules, not really from the religious point of view, even if you see Guanyin or Buddha. Somehow they just never strike you as religious, just a matter of fact.

This present adaptation is one part about rules, but does include the religious aspects as it should. But I will say this much at this point; it is not the best storytelling but I enjoyed it nonetheless for various reasons unconnected to the storytelling.

How do you tell a good story in a good way? I mean JTTW itself is a goldmine of a story. A movie version will not give justice to it. To alter it to focus just on love is fine if the disciples looked into that issue as observers and not participants. When they become participants that is when I switch off the TV because JTTW is about Buddhism in the end, which is how I prefer to look at it. So it has to be a TV series and it has to be a long TV series.

Please bear with me on what I have to say about JTTW TVB version (and I do mean the Dicky Cheung version).

It is funny, it is intelligent and in the end it is deeply religious and profoundly educational. I never thought I could get all that from a TV series, more so a TVB TV series but I did. Take away the comedy and "Yo! Beat the demons? Never fear!!" tagline or the flexible Dicky or tearful whiny Evergreen or the strict unsmiling but compassionate Kong Wah or the tricky slimy selfish Wayne Lai, it is in the end a series devoted to its subject matter; the path towards enlightenment. It tells half the journey beautifully, even if some stories are a bit long winded and I am sure many are altered, but the alterations were justified because they served the purpose. Each story is connected to the other, with the 4 protagonists not just observers but participants but never altered to the point that changes their personalities and purpose. The stories are somewhat modernised and given a new perspective. When it ended, I felt terrible because I missed it so much. So I watch it on reruns, nowadays I pick and choose which story to watch, my favourite being "Three Strikes On The White Bone Demon" because that was the most emotional, even for the demon. Again TVB altered the story I believe or rather gave it a new perspective that it was very sad. But the most heart wrenching was the ending scene for "The Red Baby" story, where the story brings home the consequence of one's action and the punishment, though harsh is a necessity. The last story about the protagonists giving birth to their own child and the choices they made was the one that made me see Buddhism in a new light. I always felt Buddha was selfish to walk out of his heavily pregnant wife, his people, his aging father. But that one simple scene of the monk explaining to Wukong why Buddha did what he did, that was like thunder striking me. Like a sudden understanding and I understood. It would explain why Gandhi did what he did, Martin Luther King, etc. And it took a TV series to tell me that. And in between all these profound moment, the TVB version merged the story with laughter, tears, comedy, brotherhood, plus some of the most amazing performances ever with the best casting decisions ever. Yes, Kong Wah was too old and dark to be the monk but he was perfect in his mannerism, so much so I was very disappointed when I read the book(s) the monk was such a coward in the earlier pages. Kong Wah's monk never wavered, even if he made mistakes, even if he was naive but he was so believable as a mere mortal who could be the teacher of 3 demons, so much so his 2 decades or so as a human being has more wisdom than the thousands of years combined for the 3 of them. Wayne Lai's Wuneng (pig) whilst having the best lines and the funniest scenes actually showcase the most traits of a human being, our flaws, our weaknesses. Evergreen Mak's Wujing may be whiny and cries too much but he has qualities none of them have; utmost dedication and a desire to change to be better. If you watched this JTTW 2011 version, you will better appreciate Evergreen's interpretation. And then there's Dicky's Wukong, not the best Monkey King but certainly the most modern sort of interpretation. I love his update on Wukong. That is why I love JTTW TVB version; because it has every element I ever looked for in a classic TV series. And did I mention the makeup? It was innovative. Just enough to look like the characters with room for the actors to act with their expressions. It has some of the most imaginative makeup ever, and the costumes were good. My only complaint is the limited scenery and the horse which I shall explain more later. JTTW II, the sequel had more scenery and a very good almost ending scene which explains why they had to undertake this journey, which to me was profound but a pity the entire series was draggy with some terrible casting decisions.

And now I come back to JTTW 2011, the purpose of this review. Why I take my time explaining why I love TVB version is to show you where JTTW 2011 failed, and where it succeeded.

For one, the part about the white horse is where JTTW 2011 succeeded. I love the fact that no one ever forgets about the horse. If they fly one place, the horse and the luggage flies with them. The horse gets some great scenes, with the actor taking over as the dragon horse being very very handsome in his all white outfit. And also the horse itself, or maybe several horses were used, was probably one of the best animal actor ever. Despite all the sounds and actions, it stood there, calm and ready. It does look like a beautiful white horse, towards the end a bit dirty but a nice looking one. I also love the ending for the horse; it has an ending. In short, I like the part of the horse as he is not just there, not just an observer but a participant and in some scenes, a very active participant.

The scenery for some scenes are beautiful; the caves, the streams, the trees, the sands. However this is very limited, no thanks to introduction of CGIs and green screen or whatever they're called, filmmakers became too dependant on such technology and this is a major problem for this series as I shall explain later.

Some costumes are beautiful, and authentic and they're mostly male. The female ones are mostly frilly, a bit too much cloth and I almost never liked their hair or their makeup, except for the Rat Fairy/Demon who looks rather scary in her rat form.

Some special effects are just beautiful when done just right. I still remember the scene where Wukong split into several dozens Wukong as he explored a wide network of caves in the Rat Fairy/Demon story. Then there's the stop time technology and you will see Wuneng picking the suspended buns to eat. There are several more of such beautiful special effects but I can remember vividly these 2.

Of all the stories told, the longest would be the rat fairy/demon story which started off well, but the ending was terrible. The one that I remembered the most is the shortest one, the one about the king who offended the Jade Emperor and his land and his people were made to suffer and if Wuneng complains about the drinking water, it can only mean the drinking water must be absolutely terrible. That was the story how Wukong scolded the Jade Emperor and the unfairness of punishment, etc and to me the most emotional because there are many kings, queens and emperors in the journey, but this particular king was a good king who loved his people. His only mistake was insulting the Jade Emperor, and he didn't even know he did that. I admit I didn't watch all the stories religiously but that is the one I remember the most, apart from the ending.

Then there's the controversial aspect; like I said this is a story than can be religious. I applaud the writer though for injecting a bit of sex into the story. I don't mean the act, but the idea of it. The monk gets kidnapped a lot, forced into marriage a whole lot more but only towards the last of such story, the rat demon story where we see something more practical. Surely these women wanted him because of some past connection and also because he is a good looking guy. That scene where he was disrobed (oh yes the monk gets disrobed quite a bit often but not this way) and how the demon slowly trace her fingernails along the back of his spine, it was sensual until I remember "Hey! We are talking about the monk here!" so let's banish that thought. The last scene where the monk was made a Buddha and he wore something rather Indian and rather revealing and the same thought crept up. Yes, Buddha can be sexy too eh?

There is also some politics in here and I love how the Gods and deities could not arrest Wukong since he is now so called under Buddha's jurisdiction and Buddha is mighty!

And the many cast and many characters, since China is such a big country with so many people, I do believe some are authentic sort of people for that sort of place. You see more foreign looking Chinese people than Han Chinese people. And I like how the more they're near India, the more the actors dress like in India and even Wukong mentioned the word "Curry".

Performances by some of the actors are the main reason why I love this series and I shall explain more later.

However, like TVB version is classic but not perfect, this series is far far away from perfect.

For one the storytelling is rather.. impersonal. What I mean is you feel for the characters, sometimes but not all the time. It begins well, but the ending is always abrupt or maybe I should say when they move on, they move on. Everything else that happened didn't seem to matter. There is no connection between point A and point B and certainly no emotional tie between story 1 and story 2. It was very compartmentalised, and you can pick and choose your story if you want. However the good thing is the 4 main characters grow as each story goes along but the series seems to forget the demons are every part of this story as the 4 main characters. I feel I can't sympathise with many of the demons; their stories are almost never fully told or they're abruptly told and I find mostly, female demons want to marry the monk, male demons want to eat the monk. And frankly after a while I got tired of that. How many times do I have to watch the monk being kidnapped, then forced into marriage or almost cooked? So many times in this series but if you feel the same way, do remember, this is a very long series and since it follows the book(s), then clearly the monk would have been kidnapped several times. I just don't like how compartmentalised and impersonal the storytelling becomes towards the end. Like the rat demon story. It started ok, went on very well, I even pitied the rat demon and suddenly in 5 seconds she realised she already had 1 day with the monk and that should be enough and she lets go and he moves on and the end. If there is a problem with this series, it is that it doesn't know a good cliffhanger or a good climax or even a good moment to emphasise on and to hold our emotions to it. It is just "here, did, leave, the end". And it doesn't even connect to whether religious or any educational point of view. Some are entertaining, some are excruciating to watch but none has the impact, that punch. And this is where TVB version succeeded like no other. There is a reason why the TVB version is so successful and the storytelling and retelling of some stories is the main reason even if the viewers may not realise it back then.

The makeup is both a blessing and a curse. Blessing because they look like their characters but a curse because most actors had to wear rubber masks and if you notice, their mouths never really moved. Since their voices are dubbed, it doesn't matter. But it is annoying the amount of rubber. The only one with rubber face on and still can move his mouth a little is Sun Wukong who actually looks nice but again sometimes frozen. The rest just seems frozen where facial expressions is. The lady demons' makeup makes them indistinguishable. Some do look like rat, rabbit, etc but I find their makeup unimaginative; just realistic but nothing which can make me go oh this is she and this is her. They all look the same; even the voices sound the same.

The worst, the green screen. Like I said, if used well is great but if used too often, the filmmakers become lazy. My sister was reading the list of on location shooting and she was like did they go to all those places? Because I do agree, most of the travelling scenes, they walk with the background superimposed. In fact there are more superimposed scenes than real scenes. The real ones are usually where there are a lot of demons and there is some fighting going on. Other than that, most of the time they're parked in front of the screen. If you're those who is annoyed with 4th prince being parked in front of those green screen for those lotus pond scene and the grassland scene in BBJX, I am sorry to say, in this series it is used like 100 times more. To the point that I just feel so annoyed. I understand the difficulty about on location shooting but even walking left to right, is in front of that darn screen. Except for caves. Maybe even the caves are fake.

Then there's the overly blurry celestial sky for the gods and deities and even Buddhas scenes. Yes, they're very pretty, very fantasy like, some effects like the cloud horses running along the errr.. clouds and what nots are beautiful. That Buddha is so big and so is the Jade Emperor which is great; reminds me of Percy Jackson movie where the Greek gods are huge. But so blurry to the point I can't see the faces clearly. Frankly I don't like the heavens scene. I felt like I was on drugs, hallucinating with the overly blurry scenery. And yes, all done on green platforms and green screens.

There is also a problem with the fighting scenes. First quarter was boring, because it was as if Wukong did very little fighting. I suppose the stunt double was not available then because after that, the fighting scenes becomes increasingly better, more imaginative and looking rather exciting for us but tiring for the poor guys on wires.

And finally the editing but I read the director was forced to cut down on the episodes so I can't fault him for some disjointed feel but surely he would have ended the stories better? Like the ending scene, where each was promoted. And then cut to the monk alone back in Tang, spreading Buddha's teaching. And I emphasise ALONE since I assume his disciples now left him to move on to.. what? The severence of that emotional tie between the disciples and their teacher is non existent. Maybe some words of comfort; some words of good bye. After all it is a final thing; each goes on their own road, and since they spent 2 decades with each other, at least a reluctant good bye would be quite nice. The scene I do like was when the monk thought Buddha refused to give him the scriptures as the Tang was not worthy and he collapsed onto Wukong on the rocks and cried. Never quite seen him cried but he cried this time and I thought that was the emotional connection I was looking for. Next thing, back to heaven and the connection is severed once again. Even the horse changed into a dragon and flew off; not a good bye. Even when parting with their weapons, not a tear, not a sad goodbye. To me Wukong's errr golden stick (?) is as essential to Wukong as Wukong is to the monk. I love the story how he found his weapon and how he took his weapon which was one of the funniest scenes in this series. But I find the parting scenes, and most ending scenes in the stories almost heartless. Maybe it is the editing. But if 2 or 3 episodes more would tie things up pretty nice, then I wouldn't mind. For me, this version is good for some reasons but definitely not for the storytelling. It just doesn't know how to latch on to that emotional us. I felt cold.

What is good though, is absolutely great! Like I said, the biggest reason to watch this series, apart from being a JTTW buff is the performances and for that I can't fault them.

One thing I must emphasise; the voices are dubbed and I doubt they're dubbed with their own voices. But the voices used were suitable, and I do understand how to expect live recording with so many layers of rubber on their faces?

Which is why I applaud the performances for some major characters. The rubber surely limited the expressions so you don't get the facial expressions. Like I said, they looked frozen. But the actors compensate that lack of expressions on the face by using their body language 100% more.  They move more, they move in a certain way more, their eyes became the window to their performance. The soul of this series is the performances and the soul of the performances is in the eyes and body language. You won't find a stiff actor in here, so to speak.

For instance, Wu Yue as Sun Wukong. There are actually 2 Sun Wukong, one is the stuntman and the other, the actor, Wu Yue which you will get to see in person. He looks bigger as a person than he was as Wukong but his twinkling eyes, his smile, his hand movements, you will know it is him instantly. He is the soul of this series as in any JTTW series. His performance seems to be inspired by the original great Liu Xiao Ling Tong and the way he introduced himself, jump up and down, and generally modernising his Wukong a bit I believe is inspired by Dicky Cheung. In fact I see more Dicky Cheung in him than Liu Xiao Ling Tong. No doubt, he is a fantastic actor if you're talking about body language. I love the way how his Wukong would hold onto a person he doesn't like, never letting go and how the monk beat his hand gently and he is still holding onto that person. It is his interpretation of how naughty and sometimes quite scary Wukong canbe that made me sit up and watch this series. However he isn't as scary as in the poster though. I wish he is a bit more fierce but I feel he is very true to the book; the way he talked to the monk at first you can feel he is someone who is foced into this and thinks very little of the naive monk. I like how he progressed to the Wukong in the end and his relationship with his "brothers", especially Wuneng. Wu Yue made this very popular character into his own and whether he or the stuntman for any scene, this Wukong never sit still. I feel almost tired for the actor himself, having to constantly move. I can feel his fatigue but his Wukong never faltered in the physical sense. That is why I admire Wu Yue. You can see he gave it his all into this role, when he was limited by so many factors, and yet he managed to make his performance matter. In the last episode in the BTS scenes, he cried at the end of the shooting. I can understand his feelings of being overwhelmed and frankly if there is a reason to watch this version, make it Wu Yue. I will be catching up on his future performances. And I am very happy the director did not cast his favourite muse who is busy with his acting career. I can't imagine Huang Xiaoming in this character. Maybe I can, and it would give me very good reasons to not record this series at all.


Zang Jinsheng as Bajie the pig is a big tall actor from his size even without all the rubber. He is not young. Like Wu Yue, I was surprised by his real face. Whilst I do not like the pig nor its characterisation (in TVB version the pig is human like and is very cunning, in this version the pig is the stupid one with human traits), I appreciate the actor's effort. Again, this is one character that is constantly moving, and since he is under even more rubber on his face, he is the actor that relied a lot on his body and his eyes. His command of his body language is almost perfection. Yes, he is annoying but you can't deny, his performance was fantastic in terms of how he tells us something by how he moved. So tiring looking, such a physical role but he was fantastic. I feel almost glad for him to be rid of all the rubber when he is supposedly in his human form.

Elvis Tsui as Wujing requires very little rubber so to speak. He is in human form. He looks fierce, and yes he can act but the problem is Wujing is such a non entity until towards the last quarter of this series. Most of the time he just stands there, straight, with a rather operatic pose and rarely talks and just have one look; that of fierce confusion is how I see it. He is a serious character. Only towards the end he has more lines to utter, but still the same expression. It is interesting how the actors in rubber are so expressive and the one who isn't in rubber is the least expressive. He is limited by his role but as an actor, he is good.

Whilst the Monkey God plays a very very important role in this series, the monk is perhaps the one who started it all so to speak. Nie Yuan for me at first isn't good looking enough. I kept thinking he doesn't have that wisdom that Kong Wah has. But I was spoilt by Kong Wah's fantastic interpretation. Because Nie Yuan's interpretation is similar to the book(s), except less annoying. He is scared, he is naive, he is innocent and he is annoying. But as the series progresses, he becomes more astute, he is still naive but not as innocent, he becomes rather impatient, has a bit of temper and is less annoying. One part is still missing; inherent wisdom. For me the monk must be believable as someone who is mortal and yet so inherently wise that he can be the teacher to 3 beings who are way older than him. Kong Wah succeeded in that, and Nie Yuan didn't quite made it but he compensated it with his rather true interpretation of how a monk such as Sanzang will behave if he is faced with the same situation. In retrospect Kong Wah's monk was too perfect in that sense; who was wise before he should be. If that is how you see it, then Nie Yuan did a fantastic job. If you don't, you will feel Nie Yuan was missing something that only age can bring. The actor who dubs his voice did a great job in giving him a calm voice that never shouts. Whilst I am bored with the constant kidnapping and his disbelieving Wukong over everything like so many times, I can't deny I enjoyed his performance. He is a good looking guy, and amongst so many old, bearded, rubber faced demons and human being, he is like the handsomest. And he gave a very sexy interpretation of the monk. Ok, I didn't say that. Just watch and you will see what I mean.

The human form of the White Dragon Horse is rarely seen. When I do see the actor, my first reaction is so handsome. Maybe because he is always in all white. The actor is Qian Yongchen by the way.

The rest I don't have much comment except for;

Feng Shaofeng as Erlang Sheng or in TVB, that 3 eyed dude had very little role. Kinda chubby cute though. His acting, no comment. I mean I don't like him. He is just chok chok chok as Erlang Sheng and nothing else.

I love the fact that actual children are used for characters featuring young deities, such as Nezha which I see from the cast list is played by 2 children, probably twins; Ma Ruihao, Ma Ruihan. Excellent performance by both of them, Nezha is presented as someone reasonable and level headed, fair and compassionate and all these qualities coming from a kid should make the adult actors hang their head in shame.

The Red Baby, I assume Red Boy is him and from the list is played by Ya Ning. Another winning performance, such a commanding figure and it is a kid! A kid!

The Land Deity is played by midgets I believe. Quite a surprise. And so many foreign looking actors which I am sure are from ethnic minority groups and not really foreigners. No comment on their acting.

I don't remember the actresses much except for the actress who plays the Queen who was kidnapped for 3 years by a demon, she wore the invincible thorny dress to prevent the demon from touching her. One look and I thought "How come Charmaine Sheh is in this series?!". True, does look like Charmaine Sheh. Good performance.

I was very excited to see Wang Huichun as the Buddha. Being a massive fan of Yong Zheng Wang Chao, to see the 8th prince again is such a treat even if he looks a tad weird; like so thin! I believe that is his voice, unless the dubber is the same as in YZWC. Frankly I can't tell anymore just from hearing voices. No comment on his performance though. I just find he has too much make up and rubber on. But I like him so I like his performance.

I was very disappointed with Liu Tao as Guanyin. I didn't notice the other actors as Guanyin in various disguises and I couldn't even recognise her as the same actress in Qing Shi Huang Fei until I googled her. She looked fairer in here. No doubt she is a beautiful woman but I don't find her convincing as Guanyin. I feel she lacks that gentleness, that compassionate face, she is almost too fierce as Guanyin and also a bit amateurish. Like Guanyin in training. My favourite is still TVB version.

A bit of He Zhuoyan as the rat demon/deity since she is going to be in the upcoming highly anticipated series, Xing Ming Shi Ye starring my 2 favourite guys, Lian Cheng aka Wallace Huo and 4th Prince aka Nicky Wu. At first I wasn't impressed, and I couldn't judge since I can't hear her voice but towards the end I thought she brought out the anguish, pain and stubbornness of the rat demon pretty well. I think she can act, except she doesn't have  a memorable face, which is made memorable thanks to the rat makeup. But amongst the many females, at least I can recognise her. The rest I can't even tell who is who.

As for everybody else,  I can't remember. There are just too many people in this series. many just very special appearance. What matters is the main players were fantastic.

Verdict
If you're not into that sort of pacing for Mainland China series, hate dubbing, this is not the series for you. I don't want you to have a bad impression on both JTTW and Mainland China series which is better than what most thinks but not as great as what the fans may think. But if you love all things JTTW, I am sure you won't be disappointed with this adaptation. Just be prepared to be disappointed in some aspects like I have highlighted above. However if you appreciate that sort of acting that you know is physically tiring but you can see everything body language wise, I highly recommend this series. Watch it for the performances and you will know why what people say is true; China is brimming with talented actors, and considering they're all so limited thanks to the rubber masks, the environment, etc, this is what makes their performances even better.

For a more deeply personal recommendation, if you haven't watched, please I urge you to watch Journey To The West TVB version. It may be old but it is still darn funny. Whichever point of view you may wish to use when watching JTTW, I am sure there is one that you will agree with. Let me rush back to my DVD copy now!

OTHER VERSIONS REVIEWED
Pilgrimage To The West (China ver)(2009)
Journey to the West 1 & II (TVB ver)

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