Cdrama Heroes (Say Hero Who is Hero, 说英雄谁是英雄) launched on May 23rd, the drama stars Joseph Zeng, Yang Chao Yue, Liu Yu Ning, Baron Chen, and Meng Zi Yi.
It tells the story of Wang Xiaoshi, a kind-hearted teenager who goes down to the mountains and enters the Jianghu. He meets Bai Choufei, Wen Rou, Su Mengxiu, and others by chance and builds a deep friendship.
In the adventure of the capital Jianghu, they experienced the brotherhood and romance of youth, and gradually grew up from ignorant teenagers to become unique heroes.
Martial arts has always been a favorite genre of film and television, a series of classic martial arts works, such as “The Return of the Condor Heroes” and “The Legend of the Condor Heroes”, have left a deep impression on the audience.
However, the times have changed, and the martial arts drama of our time should be how to shoot? This is the question that every martial arts drama creator thinks about. And “Heroes” has given its answer.
“Heroes” are adapted from the martial arts novelist Wen Rui'an‘s work of the same name, and he is one of the four great masters of the new martial arts, along with Jin Yong, Gu Long, and Liang Yusheng. The four writers have different styles, and their works are all very distinctive, while Wen Rui'an's works are distinguished by fantastic features.
His works are characterized by exciting stories, especially the plot, and he has tried to add thriller and reasoning elements to the big foundation of martial arts, which was once popular and sold millions of copies.
“Heroes” series of novels with a complex background of Jianghu, as well as a number of heroic characters as a tandem, is a challenge in terms of drama adaptation. Director Li Muge took on this challenge.
New in the drama Heroes
In recent years, director Li Muge has made many successful works, adapting several hit novels into dramas. The romanticism in the original “Rattan” and the poignancy and sadness in the novel “Goodbye My Princess” are all well presented in his works. With such an experienced and distinctive director, “Heroes” will have a different temperament: new.
On the one hand, the story is new, the novel has been serialized since 1986, but has never been adapted to drama, so it is a new story for the viewers in front of the screen.
Wang Xiaoshi
The story begins with a journey: the seaside town called “Xi Liu”, dozens of Jianghu masters gather here on this day, waiting for the arrival of a mysterious figure called “Dai Xia Zhe (the man with the box)”. They have only one purpose: to kill the “Dai Xia Zhe” on his way to the capital, in return for a large amount of gold as a reward.
This sensational “Dai Xia Zhe” is carried by the protagonist Wang Xiaoshi (played by Joseph Zeng), who is new to the Jianghu world. Although highly skilled in martial arts, he has never experienced the mundane world in his life. He carries a white jade box that can change the situation of the Jianghu. On the way, Wang Xiaoshi encounters a series of ambushes, but also accidentally makes friends.
Wen Rou
The young girl, Wen Rou (played by Yang Chao Yue), comes from a noble background but aspires to the world of Jianghu. When she learns that Wang Xiaoshi has to escort the box all the way, she runs away from home and volunteers to protect Wang Xiaoshi to the capital.
The Jiang Hu drifter Bai Choufei (played by Liu Yu Ning) has high ambitions and wants to prove his worth in the capital, so he also joins them and embarks on a journey through the Jianghu.
Bai Choufei
“Heroes” have successfully set up its characters from the opening scene. Wang Xiaoshi is young and righteous, always believing in his own inner justice, somewhat naive and clumsy, and even a bit stubborn; just like his name, a stone. Rampant, may be knocked down, but there is no way to crush forever.
Wen Rou is delicate and cute, quirky, often in trouble, but willing to pay everything for what she believes in. Bai Choufei is burdened with an unspeakable sense of destiny; he is highly skilled in martial arts and has a deep sense of sophistication, and will stop at nothing to achieve his goals, but he is always fated.
In addition, the fair-minded Su Meng Zhen, cold and independent young girl Lei Chun, each character has its own way to approach the Jianghu, each will make their own choice.
Lei Chun
Jianghu in the drama Heroes
These very different but distinctive characters and the connection between them build the most essential and fascinating charm of the story – “Jianghu“.
What is a Jianghu drama? From director Li Muge's perspective, Jianghu is beautiful, dashing, and young. There are not only the common people, but also heroes traveling with swords. It is full of infinite possibilities, diverse charms, and the pursuit of freedom.
Unlike traditional Wuxia works that focus on martial arts and chivalry, “Heroes” focuses more attention on the “Humans” themselves. The love and brotherhood of the heroes, the rivalry and deceit of the Jianghu sects. Not only a mapping of the classical Jianghu, but also echo the growth, self-discovery, and self-perseverance of young people nowadays.
Wang Xiaoshi is such a character who echoes the mood of young people nowadays. The original novel describes his martial arts skills like this: “Three parts stunning, three parts dashing, three parts melancholy, plus one part arrogant.”
The drama “Heroes” is not limited to just restoring the original, it is a more modern interpretation of a classic from years ago. More concretely, “Heroes” is more youthful, from the concept to the actors and the way it is presented. The Jianghu in director Li Muge's mind are young, and the casting is full of new generation actors.
Readers of the original also praised the fit between the temperament of actors and story. In the drama, Wang Xiaoshi standing on the prow of the boat with firm-eyed, full of aspirations for the Jianghu and the persistence of justice, and Bai Choufei, with stern-eyed, and clear in his goals. Along with the playful and lovely Wen Rou, the atmosphere can also instantly become relaxed.
The world of Jianghu must be heavy and stern? No, perhaps it is also a fairy tale. Just like the cool anime images in the trailer, the director and actors have constructed a vibrant and poetic jIanghu for the audience.
Adapting “Heroes” is a brave and sincere choice: an unadapted novel may not be well-known, and may be risky. But this Jianghu hidden in the text is equally wonderful, and it needs someone to bring this magnificent world to the audience in the form of images.
Martial arts dramas may not be new to the audience, and wonderfully beautiful scenes and moving stories are not uncommon. At a time when martial arts dramas are becoming more and more traditional and even desolate, will “Heroes” be able to conquer the audience?
Let's look forward to this freedom and poetic Jianghu, where the heroes start their expedition towards the capital!
