#super not interested in this zhang nian bit

[eigwayne]

I'm 16 eps in and there hasn't even been a hint of Wangs. Did they... just leave them out? And like, I know a 32 ep series is not enough to approach everything, but I have questions and I don't think this show is planning to even posit them. They seem to be going in a different direction.

[dilirebas]

My review of 雪中悍刀行 / Sword Snow Stride

Sword Snow Stride is the story of Xu Feng Nian, the clever but unambitious son of the ruthless King of Northern Liang. XFN becomes an unwilling participant in a deadly power struggle. As he strengthens himself to protect his loved ones, he rebels against the rules and searches for a unique path.

It took me some time to warm up to this drama but I ended up really enjoying it. You shouldn’t expect this to be a second Joy of Life because the story and style of this drama are very different. Sword Snow Stride has its imperfections but it also has its own strengths.

In addition to Zhang Ruoyun who plays XFN and Hu Jun who plays his father, there is also a lot of star power in the supporting cast. Actors who could easily play first leads in other dramas appear in minor roles here. It’s one of the few dramas where the casting is not limited by the actors’ billing preferences. I honestly found this quite refreshing.

This resulted in some unusual casting choices, but the acting performances throughout the drama are strong and convincing. I especially loved Janice Man as XFN’s domineering sister and Rong Zishan as XFN’s delightful younger brother.

It’s not just the supporting cast. The supporting characters are super interesting. Every character is distinct and memorable from the moment you meet them.

The screenwriter is Wang Juan, one of the best drama writers in China. However, there are definitely imperfections in the writing of Sword Snow Stride. The pacing gets slow in some parts. The plot has a few logical gaps. It also feels like XFN is playing a game on easy mode because he seems to always know exactly what to do, and even when he doesn’t, he has an endless supply of super powerful people who are willing to help him. The supporting characters seem too easy to win over as allies or defeat as enemies. It’s the story of XFN’s journey and growth, but XFN isn’t really challenged by it.

The production quality is generally quite high. The cinematography is strong, the sets are visually appealling, and the costumes are perfect for wuxia. There was some criticism about the dull colouring, but I honestly think that’s because audiences are not used to seeing natural-looking colours. I personally liked the visuals.

For a wuxia drama, the fight scenes are a bit mediocre. People complained about the slow motion and special effects but I was actually fine with that. Those effects are common in wuxia adaptations because high-level fights focus on internal power and abstract stances. For me, the problem was the sloppy choreography. When the characters jump or hover, the wire work isn’t properly coordinated with the actors’ movements so it literally looks like they’re being pulled around on wires. There were continuity errors in the fights too. And some of the fights were quite slow, with major characters standing around and watching.

At first, I wasn’t really feeling the chemistry or connection between XFN and the female lead, Jiang Ni. But late into the drama, I finally understood it. They’re found family to each other, they’re companions, and I became fond of them over time. There’s a lot that is left unsaid between them because the rules of the game dictate that they can’t get too close, but if you look closely, they have their own ways of communicating what can’t be said. I have a separate post about it here: x

There’s something interesting about the soundtrack. It took me a while to realize, but several of the instrumental tracks are thematic transformations on the song that Lao Huang sings at the beginning of the drama.

Sword Snow Stride is not a perfect drama and it’s a little different from what people expected, but I definitely enjoyed it. The drama takes patience because it takes its time to tell its story. For me, it was worth it. I came to love and care about the characters.