SUMMARY
It is a time of turmoil in China. The emperor is waging a
war in Korea, and he is having to deal with opposing factions in his
own government. The most devious of his enemies is the Tujai clan, who wants nothing more than to become the rulers of China.
In
the middle of this conflict is Li Shao Ming. An honest man,
his brilliant martial arts abilities are only overshadowed by
his kindness. He is also known for cunning, and his abilities
to quickly size up any situation. It is because of his intelligence, that
the beautiful Yu Wein of the Tujai clan
asks him to join with
them and over throw the Emperor of China.
When Li
Shao Ming's father refuses
to join with the Tujai Clan, he and his family become targets.
Now, Li Shao Ming and his family must make it to New Providence in order
to stop the Tujai Clan.
WIDESCREEN
REVIEW
STORY: A grand sweeping storyline in the spirit of
"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", this is Wupix storytelling at
its best. Things move
very quickly, as alliances are forged, broken, and re-created
quickly. Each episode introduces new characters and new plot
twisits that build on the previous episode.
ACTING:
The
English voice cast are all well known "anime" voice
actors. While the ADR is a little rough at times, they do a fine
job. Unfortunately, as these are screener copies, we are missing the
Chinese language track. According to our interview with Brian
YuZheng, the original Mandarin audio track will be included in the release
version.
FAN SERVICE: Well, the female characters are very
curvy. Other than that, nothing.
CONCLUSION
Way of the Warriors is the reason the word
"epic" was created. It has multiple plotlines, large
cast, and grand sweeping scale. While the
press information compares it to "Lord Of The Rings", I
think it is more akin to "Crouching Tiger, Hidden
Dragon".
There are three
major storylines running in this series. First, there is the tale Li
Shao Ming, second son of a regional governor. His fighting prowess
is only matched by his "street smarts". He also finds
himself in the middle of a power play between the Emperor of China, and
the Kahn of the Tujai clan. By refusing to help the Kahn, Li
Shao Ming and his family are targeted by assassins. Adding to their
problem, the emperor doesn't trust them.
The
second story involves Yu Wen of the Tujai clan. Angered at the
foolishness and oppressive nature of the Emperor, Yu Wen wants to
seem him ousted. She and the Kahn think the Li Shao family are
the ones to do it. When the Li Shao's side with the Emperor, she views
their actions as a betrayal. In retribution, she plots to have
Li Shao Ming and his family killed. Working with them is the chief advisor
to the Emperor. It is because of him that seeds of distrust are
brewing in the Emperor's court.
Just when you
think there couldn't be enough plot, we have the story of "Little Squirrel".
Having just escaped from a labor camp, the young man is near death.
When Li Shao Ming and his sister discover the lad, they revive him and
give him money. Yet, he doesn't get very far before he is captured
by the police. When he hooks up with "Big Brother Jong",
he helps to orchestrate an escape from the guards. After that
situation is resolved, his path crosses Li Shao Ming during an assassination
attempt.
There are also several mini plots, but to
cover them all would take a while. Scary thing is, this is only the
first four episodes!
It would not be a
Wupix drama with out invincible characters. All of the warriors have mystic swords,
can fly,
and survive even the most dangerous of falls. They are also
wise, passionate, and heroic, no matter what side they are on.
You
really hear the distinctive Chinese music score with this one. While the
others go for a more contemporary tone, "Way of the Warriors" needs that
unique sound to really emphasize that this is historical fiction.
The
dialogue is hard to listen to at times. In Chinese culture,
constant compliments and apologies are par for the course in casual
conversation. While everyone thanking each other and saying sorry
for all the bad things they must do sounds cool in Chinese, it's annoying
in English. Add a rather rushed performance by the cast, and you may
find yourself turning it off.
While the animation is good, it's not
quite up to the level an epic story deserves. There is detail, but
it's not quite enough. Fortunately, the character designs are
interesting enough to keep your mind off of the animation. I really
like the "cheerleader" style outfit for Li Shao Ming's
sister.
I was really shocked at what I saw in episode four.
Trapped underground in the middle of a rain story, "Little Squirrel"
needs to go to the bathroom. He does, and we get to see him do
it. Except "South Park", I have never
seen an animated character actually urinate before!
"Way of The
Warriors" is an interesting series. While not as gripping as
"Bird Island", it is perhaps the most distinctly Chinese of all
the "Chinamation" titles. This is also a great one to
start with.
ADDITIONAL FEATURES
