The Legend of Condor Heroes - Anh Hùng Xạ Ðiêu

• It's redundant to say much about this famous series because probably 99.9999% of the martial arts fans heard about Jin Yong. If somebody knows something about Jin Yong (Kim Dung), he/she ought to know one of his popular masterpieces: The Legend of Condor Heroes.
• Felix, Barbara and Miu fit well in their role. No complaino!



• If I were the scriptwriter: would not want to change anything because want to keep Jin Yong's work as original as possible. TVB new version of Flying Fox Snowing Mountain 99 is a typical example of failure once the original storyline was changed. However, I did think about the "what ifs..."
  • What if Dương Khang were a girl? Would she also fall in love with Quách Tĩnh and compete with Hoa Chanh and Hoàng Dung for his love?
  • What if Quách Tĩnh were playful while Hoàng Dung were innocent and honest? Could he put up with her the way she put up with him?
  • How would Hoàng Dược Sư feel if he had a daughter who had Quách Tĩnh's personality, how far would he go to protect his naive daughter? We all know that he loves his daughter very much.


• Likes: all the songs and the trailers; Hoàng Dung's costumes; fighting scenes (despite the lack of special effects); and the whole cast! Besides Felix, Barbara and Miu, the director did an excellent job at selecting the actors who played Hoàng Dược Sư (Wong Yuerk Si), Hồng Thất Công (Hung 7 Gung), Châu Bá Thông, Âu Dương Phong (Au Yeung Fung), Âu Dương Khăc (Au Yeung Hok), Hoàng Nhan Hồng Liệt and Thành Cát Tư Hãn (Genghis Khan). I consider these actors as veterans since they appeared in numerous series, and their performance was so valuable. Without them, the perfectness of the series would be impossible.



• Huỳnh Nhật Hòa as Quách Tĩnh:
  Pretty impressive, especially I saw this series after Grand Canal. I told myself, "Is Quách Tĩnh supposed to be nice, sweet, dumb and a little timid? How could the villain in Grand Canal play this opposite role?" Felix Wong succeeded in both roles: as evil as human nature could possibly be and as sweet as cotton candy that makes every girl wants to die for, respectively :-). This just proved that he is a multitalented actor, and viewers will not be disappointed at any of his roles.



• Ôn Mỹ Linh as Hoàng Dung:
  The one and only one that could bring out all of Hoàng Dung's versatile characteristics: nice to only the people she wants to be nice to, outspoken, witty, stubborn, audacious and selfish in a positive way (only cares for the ones she loves, and I think it's perfectly fine!). Since Hoàng Dung is the opposite of Quách Tĩnh, she could make up for his gullibility and always be there to fight (verbally) for him; otherwise, it would be a dull couple!



• Miêu Kiều Vĩ as Dương Khang:
  Charming at the beginning...He was a "happy camper" in a loving and powerful family until he found out the truth about his "father." The man that nurtured him was also the one that destroyed his family and separated his biological parents. Miu convinced the audience that the ruthless Dương Khang struggled between being a "Han's dog" or a Mongolian prince. He reminded me the character Tề Hạo Nam in Blood of Good and Evil (Giọt Máu Thiện Ác). However, there are some differences between the two characters:
  
  • Dương Khang did not know that his "nonbiological" was a "bad" guy until he grew up while Tề Hạo Nam always did.
  • Once Dương Khang decided to come on the "good" side, nobody accepted him; both sides disdained him (everybody treated him like a traitor) while Tề Hạo Nam was treated as a normal person.
  • Mộc Nhiệm Từ always followed Dương Khang no matter what side he's on, and even when she's so desperate about him. On the other hand, Tề Hạo Nam's girlfriend loved him, but she knew when to leave him once he chose to help his "bad" father.


• Most lovable character: Hồng Thất Công
  His personality just makes him standing out from the five big masters. He is cheerful, honest; his kung-fu is extraordinary, but he is very modest. Most of all, his love for delicious foods makes him so adorable. Hoàng Dung almost always uses his food cravings to "trick" him or get herself out of trouble.


• Most admiring character: Hoàng Dược Sư
  As the "Weird East," Hoàng Dược Sư could be evil to the rest of the world except his only daughter. She is his pride, and he loves her indefinitely. He truly respects his wife although she passed away for so many years. For example, he seeks her "opinions" concerning their daughter's future happiness -- when Quách Tĩnh and Âu Dương Khăc come to the peach island to to propose to Hoàng Dung. This character reminds me of a busy and powerful businessman in today's world; however, his family is always in the top priority.



• Many memorable/interesting parts:
  
  • All the scenes of just Quách Tĩnh and Hoàng Dung, especially when they were on the peach island.
  • Hoàng Dung's first appearance (I believe she was eating a chicken leg quarter on the tree, then threw the bones to a by walker).
  • Quách Tĩnh's look/reaction when Hoàng Dung was revealed as a girl.
  • Hoàng Dung was mad at her father. She told Quách Tĩnh, "my dad is not a nice person." Quách Tĩnh repeated, "Huh, he is a bad person?" Hoàng Dung immediately yelled at Quách Tĩnh, "You cannot say that my dad is bad." Well, she's the only one who can "criticize" Hoàng Dược Sư. That's true, she's the only one that he won't kill/hurt no matter what she said about him!
  • Dương Khang defeated Mộc Nhiệm Từ on the stage then refused to marry her. Who can remember how many times he disappointed her throughout the series?
  • Hoàng Dược Sư challenged Quách Tĩnh and Âu Dương Khăc's martial arts skills at the peach island by playing the flute; these two youngsters needed to work on their internal strength to overcome his powerful music!
  • Dương Khang was wounded, and Mộc Nhiệm Từ tried to rescue him by "blood transfusion."
  • Dương Khang's death
  • Âu Dương Phong taught Âu Dương Khăc the "frog" kung-fu.
  • Âu Dương Khăc learned that Âu Dương Phong is his biological father.
  • Quách Tĩnh and Hoàng Dung rode the horses into the sunset at the ending.