Three Kingdoms

They say that this show lacks authenticity.

They say that it should not really have women actors, because the source material has very few women. They say that the 1995 version is better. They are wrong and misguided. This period in Chinese history (220–280 AD) is rich in material, and the series is based on Luo Guanzhong's 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms'. It's NOT the authoritative historical record. That is Chen Shou's 'Records of the Three Kingdoms'. So we're not dealing with history, really. We're dealing with a very popular account of that time. The complainers are just married to the first version they saw. Not to actual history.

What is so interesting about this is that it's about military and political strategy. The Han dynasty had a crisis in leadership and the warring factions do battle. The clever ones survive. Everyone uses some form of strategy to get what they want. It's very much 'The Art of War' by Sun Tzu and 'The Prince' by Machiavelli.

it is one of my favorite series. sure, as inspired adaptation of a remarkable book. for realism. for the portrait of characters. for the fight scenes and for the poetry of image, for the exploration of the essence of power and its fruits, responsibilities, for the vulnerable victories and for the great cinematography, off course, I am profound subjective about it. but , maybe, one of the reasonable explanations, is the flavor of the stories/fairy stories from my youth, discovered in this impressive series. because it is not an answer to Hollywood blockbusters or to historical European series. it is not one of too touching and small Larousse like the South Korean series or demonstration of the seductive honey of the Ottoman past like the Turkish historical series. it is...Chinese. in each scene, detail, dialogue, refreshing air of a classic story in the right manner presented.

This remake after countless remakes of the popular Romance of the 3 Kingdoms novel certainly hit all the right notes. Although it may not have the depth of its predecessors, it makes up for it by a good script, directing, artistry and production quality. The 3 Kingdoms story can be very daunting in terms of its sheer number of characters and events. So for those who're already staunch Kingdom buffs, this series may disappoint as the scriptwriters took a lot of liberties on the original storyline. But for those who're just starting their journey into the chaotic world of the 3 Kingdoms, this series is a gentle and enjoyable introduction into possibly one of the greatest Asian historical novels of all time and a glimpse into the Asian cultural diaspora.

(Don't be fooled by the picture posted above - it is the one for the movie Three Kingdoms that was released recently.)

This series is simply terrific. It was quite an ambitious undertaking, for one. A whopping 95 episodes, fast-paced and intricate in many parts. It largely follows the novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms though it does deviate in some parts. It's been almost 3 decades since the last notable attempt at serializing Romance, and now with plenty of Yuan and manpower to throw around, the deed has been accomplished. First, the scenery is remarkably grand and beautiful (both natural and CG) - from Zhuge Liang's hut in the middle of a forest, to gratuitous (though appreciated) shots of the Yangtze River, to the rather intimidating sights of tens of thousands of little armored men rushing forward.

Second, I appreciated the script. Perhaps it isn't as antiquated as it could have been, but let's be honest. If the producers and scriptwriters conformed to the way scholars of 200 AD spoke, like 8 people would understand. What would be the point? Rather, the writers decided to focus on making the dialogue engaging and meaningful to the target audience. Moreover, it still sounded decently authentic to adequately serve its purpose.

And finally, I enjoyed the acting and character interpretations. Chen caught me off-guard at first with his Cao Cao, but he's seriously grown on me. He has now become the representative Cao Cao in my mind - just devious and cunning enough, but not evil for the sake of being evil as he is sometimes portrayed...though at times of questionable mental stability. Lu Yi's Zhuge Liang is subtle, graceful, and dignified even in distress...not to mention terrific eye-candy... I digress. Zhou Yu's portrayal, though not especially flattering, was conveyed well by Victor Huang, and made me want to give the poor guy a hug (at the risk of disembowelment).

My major complaints would probably include the portrayal of the formidable general Zhang Fei. What are we, five? Did they really need to flatten and degrade a famed general by giving him the intelligence and self-control of a petulant pre-schooler? And Liu Bei's stubborn adherence to his so-called virtue got really old, really fast, though I suspect that had more to do with the man in history/Romance than the series itself.

I have read "the romance of the three kingdoms" and there are definitely some minor differences, but most of them are understandable sacrifices in order to make the show more entertaining. Most of this show stays very true to the novel. If you have no idea about the story or just a general understanding i guarantee that this show will be enjoyable to you. however, if you are a three kingdoms historian you might be disappointed with how some of the characters are portrayed. For instance Liu Bei's character seems a bit shallow and boring compared to what i imagined, and Lu Bu is much less intimidating. but other than some minor problems with character portrayal it is a superb series worthy of being watched.

I believe a certain fan-sub group, that specializes in Wuxia dramas, is currently adding English subs to the series. Buy the DVD and check out the sub and I ensure you'll enjoy this masterpiece.