Adapting Novels to Dramas/Movies

I know I posted this feature twice before but I’ve since modified and expanded it so the information is very current. I don’t like to make lots of posts:P I also have changed one of the cover picture so can you spot which one lol? Okay, now I’ve changed another cover picture because bongsd asked me to change Xiao Xiao’s clothes, LOL.

I am going to jump on the bandwagon and give you a preview of what up and coming c-dramas you can expect appearing on your screen soon. However my focus will primarily be on Chinese novels that have or will be adapted into dramas. They are sitting on quite some finished stock. In the meantime, some books are in the process of being filmed while some book copyrights have been sold. If you are interested in the stories, there are links to the book bar or external sources. If there is a trailer or any video, the link is in bracket. This post will be constantly updated with the latest information.

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Drama Liveblogging: Swordsman Episodes 50, 51 and 52

So… I’m trying out some thing new here, which is to liveblog my watching the last 6 episodes of Yu Zheng’s Swordsman. What this means is that I’ll be b*tching about it (and oggling at t3h pr3tteh that is Wallace Huo) as I blitz through (yes, Youtube’s high speed scrub feature is my best friend here) to the end. This is NOT a detailed recap. More like a snapshot/highlights reel of what’s happening and my initial reaction.

This is probably 3 hours of my life that I’ll never get back but -oh well, you only live once. For reference, I’m watching the TV version (because it’s shorter) and that’s what I’ve been following so far. I seldom rewatch the DVD ver (although I’m told the story makes more sense given that the Hunan TV ver has a lot of cuts) but really – since when does Yumama’s story make sense anyway?

And we get a screenshot of Shi Niang here because she’s my favourite female character of the bunch.

Swordsman (2013): Pretty Crack!

h00t. When I saw this, my jaw dropped and I could not think for a few minutes. It was like… So much prettiness *spazzes out*. The next (nearly rational) thought was, “Is this what WH would look like if he was cast as DFBB?”

Which of course led me to even greater heights of spazziness as I pondered on the next Yumama rewrite. LHC will be DFBB and CQE will be a female Linghu Chong (or Linghu Chonghua) . And its going to be all about the Doomed Love! story between a crossdressing heroine (whose best friend YLS is in love with her because YLS does not know LHCH is a girl and when she does find out, her grief sends her into the arms of LPZ) and a castrated DFBB (who regrets it because he can now do no boating). Because nothing much can top the cracktastic-ness of CQE’s female DFBB after this.

Swordsman (C-Drama 2013)

I know that after this post, you are all are going to lose respect for me but I have to confess: I am hooked on Yumama’s Swordsman. On so many levels, it’s one giant mess of Epic Fail (umbrella parachutes, Kong Ming lanterns as levitating devices, a female DFBB and CGI effects that are considered bad 10 years ago). On the other hand, we have decent acting. I think if you manage your expectations (ie don’t even think of it as a Jin Yong adaptation, but rather as an alternate reality fanfiction), you might actually find yourself enjoying the ride.