Sadly, Zhan Zhao Adventures’ first three episodes didn’t do it for me
The highly-anticipated wuxia drama Zhan Zhao Adventures dropped its first four episodes today, with YOUKU also releasing 12 character visuals for the wuxia dramas main leads and supporting cast.
A premiere of its first episodes that quickly became confusing as episodes were uploaded at YOUKU international, streamed, and then removed only hours later. (I will explain that whole mess further down).
Right now, though, I’ll get to the plot and tell you why I have just dropped Zhan Zhao Adventures after watching the first three episodes, and not being up for more of that in Episode 4.
That’s because, for me, it simply doesn’t offer anything different.
Instead, we have two supposedly “mysterious” people who are hiding their real identities — Zhan Zhao played by Yang Yang and Huo Ling Long played by Zhang Ruo Nan — and who stumble across each other in a rundown inn in the middle of nowhere.
Hours later, and they are traveling together after nefarious attacks at the inn by members of a couple of rival sects result in the murders of several patrons.
Along the way, they pick up a little boy who seems to be “the treasure” another sect is searching for, while other sects want him as well. It’s then up to Zhan Zhao and Huo Ling Long to protect him from all the people chasing after him.
For now, at least.
Uninspiring and bland
The problem with the Chinese drama for me is that, even just three episodes in, while sure it’s sticking to the classic wuxia way of telling a story, pedantically so, the Zhan Zhao Adventures plot is uninspiringly written and, thus, the drama becomes draggy quite quickly.
RELATED: Zhan Zhao Adventures releases some very pretty set design photos
Its theme songs and OST are equally as uninteresting, and its cinematography is as dull with its drab brown and green hues and unimaginatively-shot visuals giving the drama an atmosphere of “look at me how classically wuxia I am” that was a little too obvious for my taste.
You’ll see that in the just-dropped Zhan Zhao Adventures character visuals as well, as they are all a same of a bland sameness.
Even the stupendously choreographed fight scenes, which kickoff every few minutes and really are spectacular — both performed and filmed, couldn’t grab my attention and hold it either.
And if a drama loses my interest in its first few episodes, I doubt it would manage to keep it throughout its next thirty four.
Of course, you may think otherwise.
Especially as this is Yang Yang’s first drama after last year’s hit The Immortal Ascension while Zhang Ruo Nan created a stir with her performance in the same year’s The First Frost, and hers is a markedly different role here.
So, do enjoy if this one does float all your boats. But, sadly, this is one Yang Yang drama I will quietly step aside from and move onto something other.
The messy international release of Zhan Zhao Adventures
As for the surprise release of Zhan Zhao Adventures on YOUKU’s international platform this morning, after it had been announced it would only be streaming on the platform in China, Ye Gods, what transpired soon after was an almighty mess.
That’s due to the first three episodes of the Chinese drama suddenly arriving on YOUKU international in a shock release to just about everyone, followed by Episode 4 as a TVOD.
Then, around three hours later, all four episodes were suddenly removed, and the streaming platform now shows no such drama being available outside China.
What happened you ask?
It appears some overly-ambitious soul over at YOUKU decided to allow international viewers to watch the drama on the platform, even though YOUKU apparently doesn’t own the international licensing rights for it.
Instead, those rights went to Viki in the U.S., Europe and other regions, and to Viu in parts of Asia and beyond.
Whether someone at Viki/Viu or elsewhere complained, who knows, but if you managed to watch the first episodes of Zhan Zhao Adventures on YOUKU before they were quickly removed count yourself lucky.
To make things even worse, producer Daylight Entertainment has the first four episodes streaming on their YouTube channel, with subtitles in various languages, including English. Supposedly.
Of course, this being Daylight, a company relatively new to the international streaming world, those English subtitles, which appear to be AI-generated, kick off at the beginning of Episode 1, then disappear for a few scenes, then reappear for a couple of minutes, then disappear, then rinse, wash repeat — thus making the episode unwatchable on that platform as well.
That is now why, unless Daylight Entertainment suddenly provides decent English subtitles, your only chance to watch Zhan Zhao Adventures legally outside China is on Viki or Viu.
Enjoy the new Zhan Zhao Adventures character visuals and, of course, enjoy the drama yourself if it turns out to be your thing. More episodes will drop on Viki and Viu tomorrow.
Update, May 26th – Just in case you are still deciding if Zhan Zhao Adventures is your thing, I will tell you its rating has been dropping quite rapidly on My Drama List (MDL) now that 28 episodes are out on Viki.
That drop means, while the Chinese drama kicked off its first few episodes at an 8.2, in the last week it has been dropping daily until now it sits at a much lower 7.7 out of 10.
Reasons for people rating it lower seem to be that protagonist Zhan Zhao (Yang Yang) doesn’t kill anyone due to being an Imperial officer.
And sure, that’s all well and good but, when the same villain has reappeared 387 times to threaten everyone connected to Zhan Zhao, and yet still isn’t dead, the whole point of the drama has become a bit moot.
Throw in the main plot has been taking off on various dull tangents, and seems to be being dragged out too long, and I am not surprised some of the people lauding Zhan Zhao Adventures during its first half, are now getting tired with it in its second.
I must admit, though, this turn of events has made me feel happier about my decision to abandon it so early on in the series.
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