Bu Liang Ren (2016)

A quirky, action-packed Wuxia hidden gem ... that may stay buried because of availability issues.

‒Background‒
The show is a worthy live action adaptation of the top Chinese anime at the time, Bu Liang Ren. The English title is often translated as Painting Jianghu: Degenerates. This is an awful translation for Bu Liang Ren. While it may be a shadowy organization that does plenty of bad things, it's not some pervy cult as the nomenclature Degenerates would suggest. I will liberally use Hellhounds as the terminology, as it's shadowy organization originally deployed by the court, like a combination of FBI/CIA/KGB in its role and controversial approach. The show would probably qualify as high fantasy as it reimagines a world set at the end of Tang Dynasty with magic, sects, treasures, and many other fantastical elements.

Note: There is a 2022 knock-off remake on Youtube. Unless you are desperate, I wouldn't recommend it as it's worse actors, worse looking actors, and cheap short-drama style. But if you did like it, just know you'll enjoy this version a lot more.

‒Synopsis‒
At the beginning of the show, you are given a partial backstory of two of the main leads that saw their parents murdered by a rival sect chasing after the fabled Long Quan Sword. Fast-forward 10+ years, the ML (Li Xinyun) and SFL (Lu Linxuan) are all grown up and launched into the Jianghu world filled with assassins, powerful fighters, sects, and conspiracies. Along the way, the ML meets the FL, Ji Ruxue, a beautiful and mysterious top assassin for one of the main sects. And our SML also shows up to drunkenly molest our SFL‒it's not as bad as it sounds and he turns out to be a pretty good guy. As the shw progresses, more powerful figures will show up, the different factions and their secrets become fleshed out, and we are pulled along into the larger conspiracy. The true identity of the ML will become central to the story as different factions will try to catch him, use him, help him, or kill him. Without spoiling the story, I'd say it's pretty good, and you should watch.

‒Review‒
Despite featuring largely a cast of young actors, crew played their part well. For some viewers, the show is a 10 year time travel to the younger days of familiar faces such as Cai Weijing (Fake It Till You Make It), Li Chun (Joy of Life), and Zheng Yecheng. As the FL and ML, CWJ and ZYC were especially impressive in looking good, looking the part, and also delivering the fluid acting that many younger actors today struggle with. Zheng Yecheng was really impressive in delivering on the fight choreography and putting a lot of kinetic force behind the moves to make it very believable. The same can be said for Elvira Cai Wenjing, which is even rarer for female actresses whose wafer thinness often leaves them struggling to portray immersive action sequences. I assume Elvira had stunt doubles for the most challenging sequences, but for the shots where we do see her, her pose, movement, application of force, and facial grimaces are on-point. So really sold me on the femme fatale female assassin role. In comparison, Li Chun's SFL acting was a little weaker. Zheng Yecheng and Elvira Cai also excelled in delivering complex and subtle emotions through the episodes. Elvira arguably had a bigger challenge in portraying a character that's a stone-cold assassin, fighting for her freedom and survival amidst multiple parties, and an evolving romance with the ML. Her subtle expressions really sold the character. Here I want to commend ZYC and CWJ for their acting and potential, but also rant about the industry. Both of them are very good looking, can fight, and can act. Yet their careers have not progressed nearly as much as many of the idol actors that are one-dimensional pretty faces. Here's hoping they will be more appropriately casted and recognized.

For a Wuxia Donghua adaptation, the pacing, action, and visuals are especially important. While this is not a big budget drama by any means, the crew did well with the costumes (though with a more anime than realistic styling), the sets (plenty of outdoor scenes rather than green screen), beautifully choreographed fighting, and decent CGI. The show is a fast watch, both in its 12 episode duration and pacing that's free of fillers. While you shouldn't expect philosophical epiphanies or masterful plots, the show executes a solid plot line that you would expect from a top anime. Unfortunately, for those that need closure or happy endings, S1 ends on a cliffhanger and S2 (not as good) ends on a somber note. Fans looking to continue their fix can pick up the anime that's advanced to the sixth season. But there's no plans for additional seasons of live-action, and even the anime has been cancelled by the government, likely for the plethora of gray-area content in the show.

For international viewers, the biggest problem with the show might be availability and subtitle issues. It's currently available on IQiyi's Chinese site, but not international. It's mostly not available on unofficial streaming sites (Warning! Don't be confused by the much shittier 2022 version). As for subtitles, I've no idea how good the quality is for IQiyi's official subs, or whether they exist at all. But given it's made in 2016 and isn't available on most platforms, I'm not optimistic.

Why You Should Watch:
- Wuxia drama that's not just a romance-centric idol drama cosplay (a poor man's Joy of Life, Sword Snow Stride, etc.)
- Short and action packed, no fillers
- Edgier content compared to shows in 2020s as censorship wasn't as strict back then
- Good acting from a good looking main cast
- Plenty of anime-style comedic and over-the-top moments

Why You Shouldn't Watch
- Availability and subs for international audiences
- It's a 2016 modest-budget show; the costumes, character makeup, and CGI might be off-putting to some audiences
- It's not romance-focused and is anime-like in its style which not everybody likes

--Component Rating--
- Overall - 7.5 ‒> (8.0 for MDL conversion)
- Plot - 8
- Theme / Message / Impact - 7
- Acting - 7.5
- Visuals - 7
- Audio - 7
- Rewatch - 7.5
- Accessibility - 7.5 (In theme, but it's availability and translation might be bad)
- Subtitle quality - ??

Season 2 Review: https://mydramalist.com/profile/MyLangyaList/reviews/391559

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