#we got zhuo brother content

[starberry-cupcake]

The Chinapuri finale and its montage aka censorship who?

I decided to do all of this in one post and read more, so that the 95% of my followers who are uninterested on this particular drama/source material can easily skip it. Here are 7 relationships showcased in the montage ranked and 2 bonus (a family relationship and an extra). 

Note: I’ll speak about the relationships as they were portrayed, whichever the form of relationship chosen to display in this version. Also, I’m glad that everyone was aged up in this version, kinda wild but very much appreciated that some of these actors are my age or somewhere around there lol 

#7 Lu Xia (Echizen Ryoma) and Qi Ying (Ryuuzaki Sakuno) 

This drama was a bit more romantically-inclined in terms of these two than the anime/manga was, but some of that may be also influenced by them giving their version of Sakuno more room (which yay!) and having them be older. 

For this to stand alone as a drama, it was a needed step, I believe. I found Lu Xia to be more vulnerable than Ryoma, he doesn’t feel quite as ~cool~ and it doesn’t take away from the character that he has moments showing internal struggle (in tennis as well as at home). These two were sweet and adorable, which gave the drama probably more of an expected appeal for a wider audience, to make it stand on its own as a drama and not only an anime adaptation. 

#6 Yan ZhiMing (Inui Sadaharu) & Liu Lian (Yanagi Renji) 

Kinda mad they didn’t do this for Fuji (Zhuo Zhi) and Saeki (Zuo Xiaohu) but they did good with these two. I didn’t know at first why they started to build up their relationship so early, but it ended up being a good emotional plot point during their match, which is, as we all know, a determining factor in Seigaku’s (Yu Qing) win against Rikkai (Hai Guang). 

I don’t remember being as invested in their match in the anime as I was here, maybe I was just too focused on the Fuji match at that time, but what they did to build that game as a decisive point in the season finale was so well developed, I was impressed. 

#5 He XingLong (Kawamura Takeshi) & Ya JiuXin (Akutsu Jin) 

This is a relationship that can get complicated and even problematic if handled incorrectly. Akutsu’s journey through the anime is pretty long and takes a while for him to be on a healthier place, but the added element of aging the characters could have gone really wrong here if they had done him exactly as in the anime or manga. I think they did pretty well with the time they were given, showing his turmoil and learning curve. 

XingLong was allowed to have a more in-depth journey being older and about to graduate, it made more sense for him here to think about his career at this stage and added the gravity of this being THE moment to decide whether to keep pursuing the sport or take over his dad’s restaurant (they even adapted the type of food they cook to match the cultural impact of the family-owned business, which was great). 

I think the two complemented each other really well and worked interestingly together, in a way I didn’t think the drama was gonna give them time to do, so I’m really pleased. 

#4 Qiao Chen (Momoshiro Takeshi) & Zhang BaiYang (Kaidoh Kaoru) 

My younger self is thriving with this one being included tbh. These two were so much fun in the anime, two rivals and opposites that represented the future of the team upon their elders leaving. 

I was surprised to see them so focused here, because it’s not a relationship most adaptations put emphasis on (their loss), but it paid off immensely by the time their game against Bunta and Jackal (Jin WenTai & Ke Jie) came around. 

Kaidoh is a tough one to adapt most times, and they did him so well in this one, I think this is my favorite live action Kaidoh in any adaptation, and I’ve watched a whole bunch of tenimyu in my day. They really captured the ambiguity of his character, how he balances a tough exterior with a sensitive core. Qiao Chen maintained his feelings for Xu Xingzi (Tachibana Ann) but that didn’t stop them from showing these two every time they could. 

#3 Mu Siyang (Tezuka Kunimitsu) & Ji Jingwu (Atobe Keigo) 

Oh, these two. Hyotei (Xing Yao) wasn’t featured as much as one would probably expect (I’m a Fudomine fan and with Yu Feng I got more than I even was expecting, but I admit Hyotei is a riot and I always live my best life when they show up). Still, they did the Tezuka/Atobe match justice and then some. 

Mu Siyang was incredibly compelling as Tezuka, and had a vulnerability to him that made me worry for his health more than I probably did for his anime counterpart. Maybe also the fact that he was older than his anime version yet looked younger than him made it sink more that his injury was something to worry about. I wish we had time to include anime!Tezuka’s issues with yips with Siyang, because I know the drama would have pulled it off, but that was further down the line in the story. Maybe for a season 2. 

Anyway, the Atobe/Tezuka game is one of the best games in tenipuri history and the drama knew it. The game felt like it earned its gravity with the development of both Siyang’s injury and Ji Jingwu’s determination to play against him. Then they sprinkled the camp on top, as the anime does, with Ji Jingwu paying for his every expense and calling him to get updates, which is 100% canon compliant imo. 

I feel like Ji Jingwu didn’t have enough room to be as much of Atobe as he could be, but then again, that’s not easy for anyone to pull off. Not even Kato Kazuki can do Junichi Suwabe as well as Junichi Suwabe.  

#2 Bai ShiYan (Yukimura Seiichi) & Tian ZiLong (Sanada Genichirou) 

So, it’s tough to feel for Rikkai (Hai Guang) at this point of the story. You learn about Yukimura’s health and it’s difficult, but you just met them and the first impressions haven’t been great. 

However, the relationship between Sanada and Yukimura has always been something pivotal for the way the team is constructed (they were named that way for a reason, two parts of a same hero and all that) and they sustain the team in a way other teams don’t have to. They are the mom and dad of the team, the coaches, the leaders and the pillars. They have a balance of severity and permissiveness, of strictness and instinct. They are like a couple who has been married for 25 years. 

How on Earth, I asked myself, will they achieve that with censorship on the way? I don’t know, but they did it, the mad bastards. 

It really does come through 100% the importance of their relationship and the way in which the captain’s health affects the team and, more than anything, their vice captain. It reaches a crescendo during the final match, before ShiYan’s operation, and they manage to pull it off with the time they have. 

Also, their scenes are like shot for a contemporary romance drama and I appreciate that vibe. 

#1 Tang JiaLe (Kikumaru Eiji) & Chi DaYong (Oishi Shuichiro) 

Oh boy. Look. I still own Golden Pair merchandise from my Days, ok? These two hold a special place in my heart. I saw actors who portrayed them grow up, succeed and pass away, sadly. I still sing Depend On Me sometimes. There is a cheerful vibe with these two, a sense of overcoming obstacles and finding balance, I don’t know. Fuji is my favorite character but these two are special in their way. 

This freakin’ drama just went full on Golden Pair. The level of content was off the charts. The moment they came on the screen, the second they talked about their doubles, it was already setting the tone of how deep their relationship was going to go. I am a bit amazed that they avoided to get closed down for this ngl. And I appreciate the risk because it paid off.

They have a body language communication that is captured in every shot. Even when they’re not the focus of the scene, they’re close, touching or holding each other, arms around each other, hands on each other’s shoulders, grabbing each other’s clothes. When they fight, that language changes drastically, and the distance they take feels intense and cold. You go through it with them and the team shows it as well. There’s an entire episode I had screencaps of and never posted when the team falls apart because they do. 

My favorite part, though, ironically, isn’t what they did with them together but what they did with them apart. They took time to develop them as individual characters with their own issues, their fears, their worries and weaknesses. They were allowed to be flawed and wrong and have to mend their ways. 

What really got me and impacted me deeply was the fact that they chose DaYong to talk about mental health. They gave room to speaking about the physical implications of anxiety disorders and about how self esteem issues can give more magnitude to ongoing issues with your mental health. Again, the age of the characters being changed helped add a depth to some issues that get developed with more intensity in a drama of this kind, and the way in which it takes TIME to get resolved, it isn’t a one episode thing, it’s an underlying issue that spans the season...*chef’s kiss* 

Even though there’s a specific tenimyu incarnation of these two that I hold dear and will always remember fondly, I think that Xu Ke and Zhu ZhiLing are the most successful and best portrayed live action Golden Pair I’ve ever seen. 

Bonus that was in the montage but it’s specifically about a family relationship: The Zhuo Bros

I have said Fuji has always been my favorite and his relationship with Yuta as an older brother (albeit he’s not the eldest sibling like me) is one I always felt close to. 

In the anime, the two have a rocky relationship that gets developed throughout, but the drama is very good at establishing not only Zhuo Yu’s (Fuji Yuta) self esteem issues, the subsequent use of that Guan Yue (Mizuki Hajime) does and Zhuo Zhi’s (Fuji Syusuke) attempts to breach the gap between the siblings, they also use it to develop Zhuo Zhi’s character and his reticence to show weakness. 

It’s tough to get Fuji towards a place of vulnerability without breaking character, but they used family and the care he provides to his brother as a point to further his story, and I appreciate that a lot. They managed to build Zhuo Zhi up with this sibling bond as one of his core elements, and that gave a lot of dimension to his games and his character. 

Bonus that wasn’t in the montage but I’m including in some capacity: Mu Siyang (Tezuka Kunimitsu) & Zhuo Zhi (Fuji Syusuke) 

I thought these two deserved a place in the list, even if they weren’t grouped much in the montage, because the drama did make them share moments together that I feel gave more depth to their characters. 

There was a very interesting moment in which they showed Mu Siyang and Zhuo Zhi establishing their differences when approaching tennis, and how serious Mu Siyang is about taking the team to victory. I think that strengthened the character as a captain to me, in a way that shows it rather than tells it, and allowed for his guidance to still be present when he wasn’t physically there. His determination ultimately influenced Zhuo Zhi to take things more seriously, and that was a pretty interesting development to see. 

All in all, I should, at some point, go and do a serious review for MyDramaList but I wanted to leave in my blog how much I appreciated this adaptation. I wasn’t expecting much and I was delivered everything.

[bookofjin]

Records of Fu Jian#

[From JS112. Students of Shu-Han’s northern expeditions should find many of the place names familiar. Also a giant wooden shoe, although precisely how that story fits together is a bit of a mystery to me.]

Fu Jian#, courtesy name, Jianye, was Hong's third son. Earlier, his mother, Ms. Jiang, dreamt of a great brown bear and then became pregnant with him. Coming of age, he was brave and bold, and at ease with bow and horse. He excelled at giving and was good at serving people, and was considerably loved by Shi Jilong, father and son.

Jilong, although he was on the outside decorous to the Fu clan, in his heart he truly hostile to them. He therefore covertly killed his various elder brothers, but did not murder Jian#. When Hong died, Jian# inherited the rank. He discarded the title of King of Qin, and called [himself by his] Jin feudal rank. He dispatched envoys to inform of the loss to the Imperial City, and moreover to listen to the kingly instructions.

At the time Du Hong of Jingzhao stealthily took possession of Chang'an, calling himself Jin's General who Conquers the North and Inspector of Yong province. Many of the Rong and Xia reverted to him. Jian secretly plotted for Guanzhong, and feared Hong would understand it. He therefore falsely accepted office from Shi Zhi. He repaired the palace buildings at Fangtou, had examinations in managing planting wheat, showing no thoughts of the west. There were those who understood and did not plant. Jian# killed them to thereby appropriate for himself [?].

Then he called himself Jin's Great General who Conquers the West, Commander-in-Chief of All Army Affairs of Guanzhong and Inspector of Yong province. The whole multitude journeyed west, they put up floating bridges at Mengjin to accordingly cross [the He]. He dispatched his younger brother Xiong to lead 5 000 infantry and cavalry to enter the Tong Pass, and his elder brother's son Jing to enter Hedong from the Zhi Pass. Jian# took Jing's hand and said:

If the affair is not successful, you die north of the He, I die south of the He, we will not reach the Yellow Springs [the Underworld], without seeing each other.

When he had crossed, he burnt the bridges. He himself  took command of the great multitude to join up with Xiong and advance. Du Hong dispatched his general Zhang Xian to intercept Jian# at the Tong Pass. Jian# confronted, struck and routed him. Jian#, although victorious in battle, still prepared [?] a report to Hong, and also sent off famous horses and precious treasure, requesting to arrive at Chang'an to send up to the venerated title [?]. Hong said:

Property and esteem speaks sweetly, enticing me.

He therefore exhaustively summoned the multitudes of Guanzhong to come and resist. Jian# divined the stalks about it, and got Contentment [tai] going to Overseeing [lin]. Jian# said:

The little goes and the great comes, good fortune. Formerly [we] went east and became small, now we return west and become great. Good fortune how [we?] will be great from it!

[“In Tai (we see) the little gone and the great come. (It indicates that) there will be good fortune, with progress and success.” “Lin (indicates that under the conditions supposed in it) there will be great progress and success, while it will be advantageous to be firmly correct. In the eighth month there will be evil.” The Changes.]

At that time the multitude stars wedged within the He and flowed west [?]. The diviners used it as an image of the hundred families returning west. Jian# thereupon advanced the army and lodged at Chi River. He dispatched Xiong to annex the lands north of the Wei. He again defeated Zhang Xian at Yinpan, catching him. The various cities were all taken. On Jing's arrival there was nobody who did not surrender [?]. The Sanfu were about settled.

Jian# pulled in the troops to arrive at Chang'an. Hong fled to Sizhu. Jian# entered and put his capital there. He dispatched envoys to present the victory to the Imperial City, and also to cultivate harmony with Huan Wen.

Jian's General of the Army Host, Jia Xuanshuo, and others petitioned for Jian# to be Palace Attendant, Great Commander-in-Chief of All Army Affairs of Guanzhong, Great Shanyu and King of Qin. Jian# angrily said:

My office and rank light or heavy, not as if known by others. [?]

Then he made suggestions for Xuanshuo and others to make them send up [petitions] for the Venerated Title.

In the 7th Year of Yonghe [351 AD], he usurped the title of Heavenly King and Great Shanyu, forgave death sentences within his territories, established the inaugural as Huangshi [“August Beginning”], repaired the ancestral temple and the altars of soil and grain, and set up the hundred officials at Chang'an. He established his wife Ms. Qiang as August Queen of the Heavenly King, his son Chang as August Heir-Apparent to the Heavenly King, his younger brother Xiong as Imperial Chancellor, Commander-in-Chief of All Army Affairs of the Centre and Outside, Great General of Chariots and Cavalry and acting Inspector of Yong province. Of the remainder each were enfeoffed and conferred proportionally.

Earlier, at the flight of Du Hong, he summoned Jin's Inspector of Liang# province, Sima Xun. Arriving at this point, Xun lead 30 000 infantry and cavalry to enter Qinchuan. Jian# defeated him on the Wuzhang Plains.

8th Year [352 AD], Jian# usurped the rank of August Emperor at the Grand Utmost Front Hall. The various Dukes were advanced to Kings, and he used Grand Shanyu to confer on his son Chang. Du Hong garrisoned Yiqiu, but was killed by his general Zhang Ju. Ju established himself as King of Qin and set up the hundred officials. Jian# led 20 000 infantry and cavalry to attack Ju, and cut off his head.

When Jian# returned from Yiqiu, he dispatched Xiong and Jing to lead the multitudes to plunder East of the Passes. They also aided Shi Jilong's Inspector of Yu province, Zhang Yu at Xuchang. They and Jin's General who Garrisons the West, Xie Shang, above of the Ying river. The kingly host achieved defeat. Xiong exploited the victory to chase north. Reaching the rampart gates the killed and wounded were the greater half. Thereupon they seized [?] Yu and his multitudes, and returned to Chang'an. Designated Yu as Minister of Works and Inspector of Yu province, headquartered at Xuchang.

Xiong attacked Wang Zhuo at Longshang, Zhuo fled to Liang province. Xiong garrisoned East of Long. Zhang Zhonghua designated Zhuo Great General who Conquers the East, and sent him and his generals Zhang Hong and Song Xiu to join forces and attack Xiong. Xiong and Jing led the multitudes to strike and defeat them. They captured Hong and Xiu, and sent them to Chang'an.

Earlier, when Zhang Yu came from Xuchang to surrender, Jian# admitted Yu's stepmother Ms. Han as Bright and Decorous [a prominent concubine rank]. [He?] always when among the multitudes spoke to Yu, saying:

Sir is my son.

Yu was ashamed and resentful, and pulled in the various generals of Guanzhong, desiring to use Yong province to revert to obedience. Therefore he and Jian#'s Yellow Gates Liu Huang planned to raid Jian# by night. The affair was discovered and Yu was murdered.

Hence Kong Te rose up at Chiyang. Liu Zhen and Xiahou Xian rouse up at Hu. Qiao Jing rose up at Yong. Hu Yangchi rose up at Sizhu. Huyan Du rose up at Bacheng. [Their] multitudes were several tens of thousands people. They also dispatched envoys to reach the [General who] Conquers the West, Huan Wen and the [General] of the Army of the Centre, Yin Hao to request help.

Xiong dispatched Jing to rob Shangluo commandery. At Fengyang county he established Jing province. Accordingly he pulling in southern metal, strange products, bows and arrow shafts, lacquer and wax, passing through the frontier marker, coming with numerous trade. Hence the state had sufficient supplies, and the amassed riches overflowed and piled up.

In the 10th Year [354 AD], Wen led the a multitude of 40 000 to hurry for Chang'an. He dispatched detached generals to enter Xichuan, and attacked Shangluo. He apprehended Jian#'s Inspector of Jing province, Guo Jing, and dispatched Sima Xun to plunder Xibi. Jian# dispatched his son Chang leading Xiong, Jing, and others with a multitude of 50 000. They resisted Wen at Yaoliu Fort and Chousi Hill. Wen avoided battle [?] and proceeded, lodging at Bashang. Chang and others withdrew to encamp south of the city.

Jian# used 6 000 weary troops to firmly defend Chang'an's lesser city, and dispatched 30 000 sharp crack [troops] as a patrolling army to in this way to resist Wen. Many of the commanderies and counties in Sanfu surrendered to Wen. Jian# detached away Xiong leading 7 000 cavalry. He fought with Huan Chong at the Bailu Plains. The kingly host achieved defeat. He also routed Sima Xun in the Ziwu Valley.

Earlier, when Jian# heard that Wen was coming, he harvested the wheat and cleared the countryside to thereby wait for him. For that reason Wen's multitudes were very hungry. Arriving at this point, he [Wen?] moved more than 3 000 households from Guanzhong and turned back. When he arrived at the Tong Pass, he also was defeated by Chang and others. Sima Xun fled and returned to Hanzhong.

That year, the western caitiff Qimo Junxie [乞沒軍邪 a name?] dispatched sons to enter in attendance. Jian# hence set up buildings for arriving guests at the Pingshuo Gate to comfort numerous people. He built a sacred tower at the Closed Gate [?]. He gave the hundred families a covenant law in three chapters, taxed lightly and had humble palaces, he devoted his heart to government affairs, was hospitable and decorous to the old and aged, and cultivated above all Ruist studies. And in Guanyou [they] considered it a revival coming from him.

In Xinping there was seen an elderly man, he spoke to Zhang Jing of the hundred families [?], saying:

The Fu clan obey Heaven and have received the instructions. Now there will be a Grand Peace, those facing outward will return to the centre and the calm [will be?] majestic.

When asked about [his?] name, he did not answer, but suddenly disappeared. The Prefect of Xinping used the news [?]. Jian# considered [him] to be bewitching, and sent Jing down to prison.

There happened to be a great rain spell, the He and the Wei overflowed. The Overseer of the Pu ford, Guan Deng, obtained a single wooden shoe in the He, it's length 7 chi, 3 cun [c. 180 cm!]. A  person's footprints matched it, [his?] toes more than a chi long, the pattern 1 cun deep. Jian# sighed and said:

Turning over the middle of the year asking about not having it [?], Zhang Jing seeing the decision was not false [?].

He pardoned him.

Locusts greatly rose up, from the Hua Marsh to the Long Mountains, of food and the hundred grass nothing was left. Sheep and horses bit each other's fur, violent beasts [tigers] and wolves ate people, travels on the roads were cut and broken off. Jian# himself dispensed with the hundred families' rents and taxes, reduced provisions and withdrew the suspended [?], wore simple clothes and avoided the principal halls.

Earlier, when Huan Wen had entered the Passes, his Heir-Apparent Chang had fought with Wen, and had died from a stray arrow. Arriving at this point, he established his son Sheng as Heir-Apparent.

When Jian# was bedridden with illness, Jing directed troops to enter the Eastern Palace, wanting to kill Fu Sheng and establish himself. At the time Sheng was attending to Jian#'s illness. Jing considered Jian# to be dead, and turned around to attack the Eastern Side Gate. Jian heard of the catastrophe, and ascended to the main gate to show [himself to] the troops. The multitudes all cast aside their cudgels [?], dispersed and scattered. [They?] apprehended Jing and killed him.

After several days, Jian# died. At time he was 39 years old, he had been established for 4 years. His bogus posthumous title was Clarifying [ming] August Emperor, his temple title was Generational Exemplar [shizong], later changed to Exalted Founder [gaozu].