Episode 1 recap: The body of Zhang Xi Lin has been stolen.
According to legend, several extraordinary individuals discovered the eight powerful mystical techniques, capable of causing upheaval in the entire realm of extraordinary beings. Many extraordinary beings fought and caused bloodshed in their quest to obtain these eight mystical techniques. It was the year of Jiashen, a time of historical cycles, and another year of Jiashen was upon them. The story begins on a fateful night.
A man, heavily intoxicated, was venting his frustrations, feeling that everyone looked down on him. Unaware of his surroundings, he found himself walking through a foggy graveyard in the dead of night. The silence was eerie, with no signs of human presence, only a few nocturnal birds flying by, adding to the desolation and horror of the place. Drunkenly, the man collapsed on the ground, unaware that he had landed on a tombstone. Muttering, "Let me rest in this precious resting place," he pulled out a black object without realizing the gravity of his actions. As soon as he became aware of what he had done, the alcohol quickly wore off, and he saw several ghostly mud creatures approaching stealthily from a distance. The man widened his eyes, observing the approaching mud creatures, and as he turned to flee, he made a vow to never drink again.
That night, the body in the grave was stolen, unleashing the consequences of the past Jiashen year when the curse was buried. The extraordinary world was once again in turmoil. The next day, the man who had been intoxicated the previous night brought the village chief to the graveyard to assess the situation. They discovered that the stolen body was that of Zhang Xi Lin. Zhang Chu Lan, a student at Prin University, had important matters to attend to that day. However, when the host called for Wu Xue Zhang to appear, the audience became disgruntled upon seeing Zhang Chu Lan, who had his hair in braids. Just as Zhang Chu Lan felt embarrassed, Wu Xue Zhang appeared, and the audience immediately erupted in cheers. Zhang Chu Lan proceeded to roll out a red carpet, and as he reached the front of the stage, Wu Xue Zhang leaped onto the stage, supporting Zhang Chu Lan's back with his hand. The audience applauded thunderously, but there was no applause specifically for Zhang Chu Lan. The village chief called Zhang Chu Lan and informed him that his grandfather's body, Zhang Xi Lin, had been stolen. Zhang Chu Lan found it hard to believe, but he returned to the small village to investigate and was shocked to discover that it was indeed true. This revelation left him profoundly shaken.
Feng Bao Bao (played by Wang Ying Lu) drove a bulldozer to the graveyard and brought up Zhang Chu Lan's father, claiming that he was also her father. Therefore, she and Zhang Chu Lan were actually siblings, and Zhang Xi Lin was naturally her grandfather. The village chief had never heard of the Zhang family having a granddaughter, but the villagers gathered together and observed Feng Bao Bao's appearance, finding some resemblance to the Zhang family. They disregarded Zhang Chu Lan's thoughts and immediately assumed that Feng Bao Bao was a member of the Zhang family. Zhang Chu Lan prepared a dish of stewed pork for Zhang Xi Lin and went to the grave at night. However, before he could finish his lament, he looked up and saw Feng Bao Bao descending from the sky with a large shovel. Zhang Chu Lan was unaware of Feng Bao Bao's intentions, but she directly struck down the mud-faced creatures with a single blow. Zhang Chu Lan, who had never encountered such supernatural phenomena before, was extremely frightened, which annoyed Feng Bao Bao. She left him alone in the pit and ran away. Xu San learned that Feng Bao Bao had left Zhang Chu Lan alone in the pile of mud-faced creatures and became worried. He quickly went to check the situation and found that Zhang Chu Lan had indeed managed to escape, which piqued his interest in him. As a result, he arranged for Feng Bao Bao to attend Prin University and made Zhang Chu Lan her slave.
During class, Zhang Chu Lan was startled awake from a nightmare, and his strange cry displeased the teacher, who believed that Zhang Chu Lan was complaining about the difficulty of the class. Zhang Chu Lan quickly flattered the teacher to smooth things over but had no idea where the teacher had left off in the lecture. At that moment, Feng Bao Bao gave Zhang Chu Lan a hint, and when Zhang Chu Lan recognized Feng Bao Bao, he became even more flustered. Zhang Chu Lan wanted to know who had stolen his grandfather Zhang Xi Lin's body and hoped that Feng Bao Bao could help investigate. However, yesterday Feng Bao Bao claimed to be his sister, but today she denied that identity and presented information to introduce herself as if nothing had happened. Feng Bao Bao demanded that Zhang Chu Lan become her slave, but Zhang Chu Lan naturally refused. However, knowing the power of Feng Bao Bao's kitchen knife, he quickly ran away. Unfortunately, Feng Bao Bao chased after him, even cutting through a door. This frightened Zhang Chu Lan, who sought refuge in a security room. However, Feng Bao Bao's knife appeared harmless in front of the security guard, lacking any threat. Therefore, Zhang Chu Lan had no choice but to surrender and submit to Feng Bao Bao. In the process, Feng Bao Bao discovered a secret about Zhang Chu Lan. Lv Liang and Xia He were siblings and had the stolen body of Zhang Xi Lin in order to collect the energy contained within it. Upon learning that Zhang Xi Lin had a grandson, they ordered someone to bring Zhang Chu Lan back.
To be fair, as someone who has only watched one episode, I really think it's pretty good. Don't expect the anime filter to be too strong. There's always a gap between the visuals of anime and real-life characters. If the live-action and anime were exactly the same, there wouldn't be a need for anime to exist.
It's like drawing on a blank piece of paper versus continuing to draw on a paper with notes; there's a difference. I'm not a fan of anyone in particular, and I've also watched the anime version. It's challenging to make a live-action version of this kind of drama.
The male lead was well-chosen. Changing to an idol with too much burden wouldn't be able to portray that mischievous feeling of Peng Peng. The female lead's attractiveness withstands criticism, and her vacant and cute expression is not stupidity.
This effect actually tests acting skills. Anime and live-action are different fields, just like imagining a person with perfect looks and a perfect personality in your mind. Can they truly appear before you without any flaws? So, don't mindlessly criticize.
Be rational. If it could be exactly the same as the anime, there wouldn't be a need for anime to exist.
The plot of the first four episodes is almost catching up to the fourth season of the anime. It doesn't feel disjointed and flows well. The performances are quite good, with Bao'er and Wang Ye being visually appealing, and Zhang Chu Lan showcasing impressive acting skills. Looking forward to the upcoming plot developments.
Is there anyone else like me who paused to read the comments? It's not about whether it's good or not. Witchcraft is just an ancient legend, so you have to present it in an ancient setting.
Mixing modern costumes with ancient stories just doesn't click. People living in the present, who has ever seen or heard of witchcraft nowadays? We've only heard of magic tricks.
The portrayal of Ah Wu was done really well. The relationship between Ah Wu and Gouwa, as well as Zhao Yi, is remarkable. Zhao Yi's character is portrayed as hardworking and down-to-earth, but with a hint of literacy and refinement. She is kind-hearted and has a sense of propriety. Her love and protection for Ah Wu, who is unfortunate in terms of literacy and destiny, her deep love for her uncle, and her fear of Ah Wu, are all portrayed exceptionally well. The character of the uncle is also well-developed. These aspects should be highlighted in the promotion. It's just that labeling it as a grassroots counterattack drama is too simplistic.
To be honest, Peng Yu Chang's performance may be a bit underwhelming, but overall, he's not bad. Among actors of the same age, he's considered decent. Playing the character Feng Bao Bao is indeed a challenging task. The expression in her eyes, as described by Zhang Tianshi in the anime, is called "shenying," which means a subtle radiance. It's not about being dull or foolish but rather a naive innocence stemming from limited life experience and pure-hearted simplicity. It's not entirely the actor's fault if they can't capture that feeling. In fact, I think Zhang Zifeng might be more suitable for the role of Feng Bao Bao. If you look at her eye expression when she first meets Tang Ren Qin Feng in the "Detective Chinatown" movie, I feel it's closer to the essence of Feng Bao Bao. Peng Yu Chang's acting skills are good, but personally, I think he might be more suitable for the male lead in "The Lost Tomb" series.
When you say such words, it shows that you don't understand the essence of the path. Or perhaps you only grasp some superficial aspects, not the deeper essence. The true path starts from the origin and returns to the origin.
The dialectical principle of thesis and antithesis represents the grand path. The flow of water is not merely smooth, that is just what your naked eyes perceive. In reality, water has the ability to transform and take on the forms of all things, and that is the true path of water.
The same applies to human beings. Acting in a way that pleases others, according to their preferences, is the small path. Being true to oneself, according to one's own heart, is the true path.