Cast
Huang Xiao Ming as Yang Guo
Crystal Liu Yi Fei as Xiao Long Nu
Wang Luo Yong as Guo Jing
Kong Ling as Huang Rong
Ba Yin as Jing Lun Fa Wang
Meng Guang Mei as Li Mo Chou
Cheng Zi Han as Guo Fu
Yang Mi as Guo Xiang
Zhong Zheng Tao as Gong Suen Zhi
Gao Hu as Huo Du
Yang Rui as Lu Wu Shuang
Wang Jia as Cheng Ying
Fu Miao as Gong Suen Liu E
Suen Li Hua as Wan Yan Ping

Introduction

Out of all the Jin Yong works that I've seen, "The Return of the Condor Heroes" (ROCH) is my favorite. I think that out of all the Jin Yong works, it's the one where the characters are the most developed and the different relationships such as love, friendship, family are deeply carved out. I've seen two other versions of ROCH (Riche Ren's version before I saw this version, and Louis Koo's version after I saw this version) so I've decided to start with some basic analysis of both. Actually, my first impression of ROCH was horrible because unfortunately, the very first version of ROCH that I watched was the Richie Ren version (sigh). Although I was very touched by Yang Guo and Xiao Long Nu's relationship in there, (strangely, I have no problem with Richie Ren's Yang Guo or Jacquline Wu's Xiao Long Nu) the plot totally horrified me. Whenever Yang Guo and Xiao Long Nu aren't together, you would see Yang Guo wandering around aimlessly looking for her with Lu Wu Shuang and Cheng Ying tagging along. They basically do nothing since most of the plot and action have been cut out. The Louis Koo version was much better. Actually, it might even be my favorite version of the three even though I have to say that the Huang Xiao Ming's ROCH is the best production of them all. The chemistry between Louis Koo and Carmen Lee was superb. Just looking at the two gives me a sweet feeling. I also believe that Louis Koo is the best Yang Guo ever. He has such a good balance between his different characters and displays the bad boy ("xie qi") side of Yang Guo the most naturally. Okay, I should stop here and not get carried away.

Plot 4.5/5

Since most people already know the plot inside out, I will not waste time giving a synopsis. I have to say that this ROCH had a very fast-moving and interesting plot. I was never bored while watching it. When I watched the Riche Ren version, my generalization of the plot was: Yang Guo loves Xiao Long Nu. Xiao Long Nu is with Yang Guo, then Yang Guo is happy. Xiao Long Nu leaves, then Yang Guo is sad and starts to look for her. Other girls then take this chance to stay with Yang Guo. Yang Guo finally finds Xiao Long Nu. They are happy for awhile. Then Xiao Long Nu has to leave again. Yang Guo searches for her… I think you get the point. Therefore, when I started watching this ROCH, I was so thankful to see all the plot and action that the Riche Ren version decided to take out. I was especially happy that the series started with Yang Guo heading to Chuan Zheng Jiao and only revealed events before that through flashbacks. To me, the beginning of ROCH where Yang Guo is bullied around was the most boring. I was also happy to see Lu Wu Shuang and Cheng Ying scenes minimized, even though I like them two in this version.

The only problem that I have with the plot of this series is the ending. Everything just seemed to be rushed and quite a few important scenes were taken out, such as the scene where the new five best martial artists were named. The second Xiang Yang Battle was one of my favorite scenes because there, you get to see almost all the characters contribute, such as Zhou Bo Tong, Ying Gu, Huang Yao Shi, Yi Deng, etc. but in this version, it looked like Yang Guo was doing all the work. I don't mind the director making Yang Guo look overly heroic, but I do think that it takes away from the overall feeling of group cooperation and nationalism. But in general I have no other complaints about the plot and have to say that this series was extremely well-made.

Characters 4.5/5

I think one of the reasons why ROCH is so interesting is not just because of its leads, but also because of its nearly superb cast of supporting roles. Most of the actors/actresses managed to make their roles shine to me.

Huang Xiao Ming/Yang Guo 4/5

Although I really like Huang Xiao Ming's version of Yang Guo, I have to say that it lacks the essence that Louis Koo's version has. Everything seems to be really good, but everything could have been better. First of all, his costume was way too modern. When I first saw a picture of Yang Guo, I was like "Is Zhang Ji Zhong trying to make Yang Guo the first Chinese in history to dye his hair?" Then I watched on some more and was horrified to find Yie Yu Qi's hair even more dyed than Yang Guo's (sigh). I thought Zhang Ji Zhong was one of the more rational directors that would actually try to stick with history. I had no problem with him being "playful" and "funny" in the first half of the series, but I thought as a whole, he lacked the slightly evil feeling that Yang Guo needs, which Louis Koo has (You can probably tell by now that I love Louis' Koo's version). Also, I thought his chemistry was lacking. Unless they are having a touching scene such as those in the "gu mu" and their reunions, I can't feel much chemistry between them. In my opinion, the best couple should relate to each other even if they aren't having the most conspicuously touching scenes. And what was with his screaming and bursts of emotions? Towards the end of the series, there are countless scenes of Yang Guo just screaming for no reason. And even when he had a reason, it looked ridiculous. For example, when Xiao Long Nu jumped off the cliff and left him, he literally ran to every person, pulled their collars, and screamed "Why?" or "Where is she?" In my opinion, Yang Guo should be a more rational person. Regardless of all my criticism, I still think that Huang Xiao Ming is a nearly perfect Yang Guo.

Liu Yi Fei/Xiao Long Nu 4.5/5

As much as I like Liu Yi Fei, I was a bit doubtful of her playing Xiao Long Nu. However, watching her performance changed my mind. SHE CAN ACT! I need to tell all those people that say that she only looks pretty that she can act! I especially liked her peaceful and celestial atmosphere and her subtle facial expressions. Although the past Xiao Long Nu's that I've watched such as Carmen Lee and Jacqueline Wu have succeeded in portraying the cold and mature Xiao Long Nu, Liu Yi Fei did more and also portrayed the innocent and childish side of Xiao Long Nu. My only problem is that her Xiao Long Nu shows a little too much emotion at times.

Wang Luo Yong/Guo Jing 5/5

He really succeeds in playing the "zhong hou" (stupid and kind) side of Guo Jing even though he doesn't really look the part. Compared to the stout Guo Jing in ROCH '95, this Guo Jing has a shrewd look that is nicely camouflaged by Wang Luo Yong's excellent acting. He also displays his fatherly love for Yang Guo in a very natural and touching manner. I have a tendency to get touched very very easily by family love and therefore, enjoyed Guo Jing/Yang Guo scenes very much. These are some touching scenes between them. Wang Luo Yong managed to pull off all these scenes superbly with a subtle sweetness to them whether they are funny or sad:

1. Guo Jing sees Yang Guo at the Ying Xiong Da Hui and immediately walks over and embraces him. When Yang Guo says not to hug him because Yang Guo is dirty, Guo Jing replies "How could I think that you are dirty?"
2. Yang Guo fakes being beated up by Zhao Zhi Jing. While almost everyone knows or suspects that Yang Guo is faking it, Guo Jing is the only one that's yelling "shou xia liu qing" (please be easy on him)
3. Yang Guo displays his extraordinary martial arts at Ying Xiong Da Hui. Guo Jing is so happy for him that he forgets about his position or appearance and continuously moves around cheering for Yang Guo and complementing him to Huang Rong. She had to pull him back many times for him to sit down.
4. Xiao Long Nu tells Guo Jing that Yang Guo will not marry Guo Fu. The look on his face in that moment was hilarious. It was like "huh?"
5. When Yang Guo and Guo Jing are escaping from Jing Lun Fa Wang, Yang Guo fakes a fall and Guo Jing falls for it and comes back for him.
6. Guo Jing finds out that Yang Guo lost a arm. Upon seeing the arm on the ground, he literally tumbles and sits on the floor due to his grief and exasperation.

Kong Ling/Huang Rong 4/5

Personally, she is my favorite Huang Rong out of all the previous ones because she's the one that shows the most motherly love to Yang Guo and tends to suspect him less. However, if I were to rate her objectively, I think that she plays Huang Rong out of character. It's mostly the scripts fault though, because Huang Rong is supposed to be a suspicious and cunning character instead of a caring motherly figure.

Cheng Zi han/Guo Fu 3/5

I really have an urge to just give her a 1 or a 0.5 because I totally despise this character. The only reason she got a three is because this character was probably made to be disliked. Out of all the Guo Fu's, she seems to be the one that is the most rational and least spoiled, but I find her the most irritating and annoying. Although the other Guo Fu's are more spoiled, they have soft spots in their hearts and are nice to Yang Guo when he is actually nice to them. I especially felt sorry for the Guo Fu in ROCH '95. She was voluntarily nice to Yang Guo countless times. Too bad Yang Guo didn't respond in the best ways to her. I also liked the Guo Fu in the Riche Ren version when Yang Guo faked that he liked her. Even though I like Xiao Long Nu much better, I couldn't help but think that they were such a good couple in those few days when Guo Fu actually thought that Yang Guo loved her. However, this Guo Fu is a heartless wolf. She also succeeds in making herself seem the most bratty out of all of them. The same lines delivered by Chen Zi Han irritates me twice as much as when they are delivered by the other Guo Fu's. I don't know if this is a sign of good acting or not, but I absolutely hate this character.

Yang Mi/Guo Xiang 3.5/5

Strangely, unlike most people, I don't really like Yang Mi's depiction of Guo Xiang. Yes, she's a beautiful and cute girl. She even looks the part, but in my opinion, she fails to deliver the multiple sides of Guo Xiang. My favorite Guo Xiang was played by Teresa Lee in ROCH 95. There, we could see many sides of her: her cute side, cunning side, sweet side, hard side, heroic side, etc. However, Yang Mi only gives me two feelings: cute and tomboyish. One of the best things I like about Guo Xiang is her heroism despite her being so young. I remember how touched I was when I saw Guo Xiao nod in response to Guo Jing yelling to her to be strong and brave in the face of death when she was going to be burned on stake. However, Yang Mi just fails to bring those emotions to me. Although she yelled "your daughter is not afraid" for around 100 times on the altar, she failed to bring any emotion to me.

Yang Rui/Lu Wu Shuang 5/5

After seeing Liu Zi's performance in the Richie Ren ROCH as the Lu Wu Shuang that doesn't do anything but pout and follow Yang Guo around, I was totally amazed by Yang Rui's performance (or maybe more by the new script). However, Yang Rui still amazed me. I never thought much of her Zhong Ling in TLBB, but her Lu Wu Shuang was just naturally cute. I usually don't like cute girls unless they are naturally cute so I just loved her character and how sweet she manages to stay though she suffers from unrequited love. The scene where she found out that Yang Guo lost his arm was so sad. Her sorrow was so real instead of just being melodramatic. Her interactions with Guo Fu were also so cute as she tries to get back at Guo Fu for cutting off Yang Guo's arm.

Wang Jia/Cheng Ying 4.5/5

Again, this Cheng Yin amazed me compared to the Cheng Ying in the Richie Ren version that went around causing trouble and lying. I have a tendency to love girls that suffer from unrequited love but don't cause trouble (which is why I like most of the side female characters in ROCH). Wang Jia did a pretty good job considering that Cheng Ying is not a very interesting character. Personally, I think she looks a little weird, but she portrayed Cheng Ying's, maturity and passive, hidden love for Yang Guo very well. She would never say that she loves Yang Guo, but she is willing to risk her life and challenge Gong Suen Zhi on the cliff. I found it very bittersweet and touching when Cheng Ying almost fell down the cliff and Yang Guo caught her and asked "How am I worth this? Why do this for me?" I also like how she treats everything around her with a rational mind, further displaying her maturity.

Fu Miao/Gong Suen Liu E 3/5

I really like this character, but dislike how Fu Miao displayed it. She's good in big touching scenes but she doesn't capture Gong Suen Liu E's atmosphere in small, unimportant scenes. Whether its because Fu Miao has acted many unlikable roles or because she has on such extravagant makeup and outfits, I think Gong Suen Liu E looks way too flirtatious. I can tell by the script that this was not intended by the director, but Fu Miao just manages to make Gong Suen Liu E look flirtations in everything that she does except for in scenes when she's with her mom. Even when she's moving about in the "qing hua", she seems to be moving her body in a way to attract people and when she's acting bashful, she looks like she's faking it though she's not supposed to be. Also, just to add, the scene where she jumped in the qing hua was way too dramatic, will her rolling around. She also seemed to be a little too happy and enjoying herself a little too much. I really rather the other Gong Suen Liu E's that looked more innocent and reasonable.

Zhong Zheng Tao/Gong Suen Zhi 5/5

It was hard for me to watch him play Gong Suen Zhi because I've seen him act as very good people in the past, but he did pull it off very nicely. I don't know how to analyze it though. He's played an evil person and he managed to look evil without being detestable. (don't know if that's a good or bad thing)

Ba Yin/Jing Lun Fa Wang 4.5/5

Out of all the Jing Lung Fa Wang's that I've seen, I think he's the most decent. First of all, he looks like a Mongolian, instead of like a man that has excess makeup on his face. Also, he has the look of a "grand" villain. When he comes, you can know without telling, that he's someone big. For some reason, when the past Jing Lun Fa Wang's step on the stage, I need them to be introduced and explained in order to know that they are the villain. However, I have to comment on his outfit. Upon first glance, it looks decent, but when I looked carefully, I realized that he has two humongous tube around his shoulders that look like house appliances. I don't know what the director was thinking. His ending, however, was the most decent. In the Richie Ren version, he died in his "bubble battle" while battling Yang Guo and Xiao Long Nu. In ROCH '95, I don't know what happened to him. Yang Guo suddenly remembered his "An Ran Xiao Hun Zhang" and used it and I saw something blow up, but I wasn't sure that it was him. In this version, he dies for a reason. It was actually sad how he died for Guo Xiang at the end.

Atmosphere 4.5/5

I know this is a weird section but since Zhang Ji Zhong said that the most important aspect of a drama is its atmosphere, I might as well comment on it. Personally, even though I liked the atmosphere, I thought that it was little too dreamy and grand. I was totally horrified at the 16-year reunion with Xiao Long Nu swinging around on a vine and how they flew towards each other. It didn't help that Yang Guo had another one of his bursts of emotions and screamed "I'm so happy." I wanted to close the television when I watched it. I definitely prefer the cozy atmosphere in the ROCH 95 version. However, as much criticism that I have for it, I cannot give it a low grand and I have to say Zhang Ji Zhong succeeded in creating a grand and beautiful drama that is very pleasing to watch.

Overall 4.5/5

In general, I have to say this is one of the best series ever made. It has a good balance between romance and plot and scenes and martial arts are exceptionally beautiful. Zhang Ji Zhong continues to amaze me with is choreography and scenery. If you are a fan of martial arts, this series is a must-see.

Official site: http://ent.sina.com.cn/v/f/sdxl/index.html