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Review: Wuxin: The Monster Killer (無心法師) (2015)
I had a lot of fun watching this show! The writing was far from perfect but I found myself grinning along the whole time.
I would definitely recommend this Cdrama as a fun adventure/supernatural show. I'm excited to watch seasons 2 and 3 now :)
Spoilers.
Story
I haven't read the webnovel, so I'm going to evaluate the show in isolation. The story was pretty basic. It was a series of smaller adventures that tied to the overarching story of Wuxin vs. Yue Qiluo.
During the adventure, Wuxin fell in love and married Yueya, and befriended the zany but well-meaning Gu Xuanwu/Gu Guoiang.
Somehow, out of all the Cdramas I've watched, I found this one one of the most sad! Wuxin wanted to remember Yueya when he woke up, but Bai Liuli deemed it inappropriate. Bai Liuli didn't think that Wuxin should have to be bogged down by mortal matters and thus took away his wedding ring and his journal of memories with Yueya.
What I found sad about this ending is that Wuxin didn't want to forget. In Nirvana in Fire, Mei Changsu wanted to be forgotten, and was just following through. In the Rise of Phoenixes, Feng Zhiwei wanted to be forgotten. But Wuxin wanted more than anything to remember the joy he'd experienced this lifetime, and Bai Liuli took it away :(
When Wuxin woke up, he felt like something was missing, so I'm hoping that he'll be onto Bai Liuli eventually. In the very last scene, Gu Xuanwu spotted Wuxin biking on the street but was unable to catch up. While Wuxin didn't stop for Gu Xuanwu, he heard him calling, and smiled. I want to be hopeful that Wuxin will eventually find out what happened, because it was his original intention.
The romance in this story was established immediately (within the first few episodes). Despite the show being a bit heavy on Wuxin and Yueya's relationship, I didn't mind it as much. Maybe it's because their relationship was closely tied to the monster killing, so it rarely removed focus away from the main story line.
I also noticed how Wuxin going into deep slumber and forgetting the happenings of his past life was kind of convenient for Wuxin to be the star of many seasons of this show XD However, it begs the question of what knowledge Wuxin retains when he wakes up, because he obviously remembers some basic things (such as how to read, who Bai Liuli is, etc.). I wonder if Wuxin basically only remembers what happened in his first lifetime, and when he goes into slumber, his memory is just wiped of the last lifetime.
I liked how non-compicated the monster killing and supernatural aspects of the show were. They were reminiscent of older demon stories such as Journey to the West, or old Chinese ghost stories. The writers didn't create a new "system" of how demons and demon-killing worked in this show. Most of it was based on already-established Chinese folklore, and so it made this show feel very homey and familiar.
I know that Season 2 is set soon after Season 1, still in the Republican Era. I wonder whether Wuxin's relationships with Yueya and Gu Xuanwu will be referenced, or whether the slate will have been wiped clean. I'll be honest, I can't see Wuxin with anybody other than Yueya, so I kind of hope he doesn't get another romantic love interest (though I'm pretty sure he will).
Production
Clothes
This season was set during the early Republican Era. Mostly everybody was dressed in more traditional Chinese clothes, except for the officers. In addition, the story was mostly set during cold weather. So most characters were dressed in winter clothes that were not very form fitting.
These more comfortable clothes added to the more homey feel of the show. I don't know how historically accurate it was to have Yueya and Wuxin wearing earmuffs and mittens, but they matched with their clothes very cutely.
Of the main cast, Yue Qiluo had more form fitting and trendy clothes, which kind of makes sense since she's supposed to be the cool villainess. Also because soon after Zhang Xianzong met her, he'd taken her clothes shopping, so presumably she had all of the latest fashions at her disposal.
CGI
The CGI in this show was better than what I'd seen in most Cdramas. I'd perhaps rank it at around the level of Merlin CGI lol.
I did squick out at some of the body horror, such as Wuxin losing half of his head, or a single hand turning into a lump of flesh. It made sense in the context of the story but it still squicked me out real bad.
Action
The action choreography wasn't too bad. I think Elvis Han is probably pretty fit, and I could see that he did parts of his own fighting scenes, which was cool.
Music
The beginning and ending theme songs are pretty catchy. The ending theme in particular has been playing on repeat lately lol.
Characters
Wuxin
Elvis Han made Wuxin such a charismatic guy. He was carefree but not to the point of being impolite. That makes sense in the context of his character. He'd lived so many years that it didn't make sense to care about the little things anymore.
At the same time, it's clear that Wuxin was sympathetic. He told Gu Xuanwu that he didn't want to get close to people so as not to break their hearts (or his own). This was the only time in this lifetime that Wuxin had allowed himself the luxury of friendship, and he cherished every moment of it because he knew how special it was to live as long as he did and to meet someone who cared for him like that.
By the end of the show, after he woke up from his slumber, I don't doubt that Wuxin would be the same kind of guy, carefree and relaxed but not an asshole.
Li Yueya
At first glance, Yueya seemed to not be a strong female character. Her role was often reduced to "worried damsel" or "housewife." However, I still liked her character, so I did some thinking.
Yueya was brought up in a rural family that likely wasn't very wealthy or powerful. She was illiterate, and her mother's only treasure was a golden bangle. She was probably only taught practical "wifely" skills such as cooking and sewing. Unfortunately, her lack of education put her at a huge disadvantaged to be abused.
Running away from a doomed marriage was Yueya's way of rebelling. Instead, she chose to care for the family of her own choosing. This doesn't sound like much, but as I mentioned, Yueya had a limited skillset. This was her only way of exerting her own capabilities in this world.
I do admit that Yueya had some weak writing, such as when Wuxin told her to stay away for safety but she'd come on adventures anyway. But somehow none of it seemed to bother me too much. I still recognized that Yueya worried for Wuxin and Gu Xuanwu.
Yueya was unfortunately killed by Yue Qiluo and Zhang Xianzong. She had some regrets that she didn't get to spend enough time with Wuxin, but I think she was still happy that she could spend what time she had with Wuxin.
Gu Xuanwu/Gu Guoqiang
At first, I thought Gu Xuanwu was going to be a temporary character, but he ended up being the third guy to the crew. Gu Xuanwu was rash, impulsive, and proud, but his heart was in the right place. Gu Xuanwu also came from humble means, and had been through hardships. So him flaunting his wealth and power was more as a gift to himself.
Gu Xuanwu never lost track of his true friends though. When he was pushed out of his position by Zhang Xianzong, his wives all left him, but Yueya and Wuxin still took care of him, and he never forgot that.
At the end of the show, Gu Xuanwu got married and had a child. He saw Wuxin biking down the road but was unable to chase after him. I didn't check to see if Gu Xuanwu's actor was in Season 2, but I'm a bit anxious to know whether they meet up, and whether Wuxin recovers his memory (as there's a chance that Bai Liuli burned the book and disposed of the ring).
Zhang Xianzong
When I first saw him I was like "??? Zhang Ruoyun???" It was very unexpected lol.
Zhang Xianzong was an interesting character though. At first, he was focused on power, and using unethical means to overthrow Gu Xuanwu. He bumped into Yue Qiluo after she caught him shooting an underling, and eventually fell in love with her.
My guess as to why Zhang Xianzong fell so madly in love with her was her seeming otherworldliness. We saw that Zhang Xianzong was mostly detached to his family life. He didn't even care about his own wedding (near the beginning of the show) to his eighth wife. And in his house, he didn't pay much attention to them. On the other hand, everybody noticed when he was very mindful of Yue Qiluo's health and happiness.
Though he recognized that Yue Qiluo didn't love him (and was incredibly jealous of Yue Qiluo's initial affection for Wuxin), he himself knew that the most he could do was to take care of her. Combined with the fact that it was in his interest to have Gu Xuanwu killed, his goals were perfectly aligned with Yue Qiluo's, as Wuxin and Gu Xuanwu were allied.
In his death, Yue Qiluo turned his body into a puppet, and said that she'd transfer his soul into Wuxin's body so that he could accompany her forever. However, this did not happen. His body was rotting and Yue Qiluo was unable to secure another body for him. In addition, Wuxin burned his body, so Zhang Xianzong was gone for good.
I don't know if I'm biased because Zhang Ruoyun was playing this character, but Zhang Xianzong had some unexpected depth to his character. I didn't expect him to fall so deeply in a one-sided love, and to not act out because of it. He seemed content to serve this subservient role to Yue Qiluo because he was so enamoured with her. And while he was willing to die for her, he was also mindful of how he looked in her eyes. He was worried that she'd be afraid of his rotting body, and he wanted her to see him as someone useful as opposed to just a puppet or tool.
Yue Qiluo
At first, like Yueya, I thought that Yue Qiluo was just a girl who'd made a mistake and was demonized for it. However, we learned that Yue Qiluo was actually a Taoist gone evil who'd possessed Yue Qiluo's body.
The actor's large pupils (contact lenses?) helped to make her character seem demon-like and other-worldly, in addition to her young appearance.
Yue Qiluo had a fascination with Wuxin. At first, she believed it was love and adoration. Wuxin was the first person she saw when she awoke, and he wasn't bad looking. So she hated Yue Qiluo and wanted Wuxin for herself. Even after Zhang Xianzong had given her everything, she was still obsessed with Wuxin.
After she "killed" Wuxin and he was reborn, Yue Qiluo realized that Wuxin wanted nothing to do with her. So her fascination grew to a kind of rivalry. She knew he couldn't die, so she just wanted to subdue him, for him to be subservient to her.
Yue Qiluo didn't technically die in the end, but Wuxin had trapped her in a cave, and the souls she'd killed as her "bank" had all been killed by Wuxin and Chu Chen Zi earlier on. I think it's a bit ambiguous whether she died, because we don't know what's down there in that hole in the ground.
That being said, I saw her actress in both Season 2 and Season 3 (as a love interest), so I'm wondering whether the actress is actually playing the woman who possessed her, or it she will just be playing a reincarnation who for all intents and purposes is a whole different character.
Huang Daxian
Huang Daxian was also a "fashi." After he'd been defeated by Wuxin, he'd stayed in Wuxin and Yueya's house for a bit, and those scenes were a bit cute. He was just hanging around but he would joke around and spend time with them.
Huang Daxian would only leave until he granted Wuxin a wish. The wish that Wuxin made ended up being to drive Yueya's stepmom out of their house, which Huang Daxian did and promptly left.
Chu Chen Zi
Chu Chen Zi was a pretty fun character. He was the leader of the Taoist sect at Qingyun Guan, but he was far from capable. He couldn't really draw talismans as well as his predecessors, and he was kind of a coward who cared a lot about his sect's reputation.
The woman who'd possessed Yue Qiluo's body was actually a martial ancestor of Chu Chen Zi. As Yue Qiluo had apparently married into Zhang Xianzong's household as a ninth wife (which was a bad look), Wuxin would threaten to release this information to the public to blackmail Chu Chen Zi into not being a coward and helping them.
Chu Chen Zi wasn't completely useless though. We saw in one scene that he did have the skills to send souls in suffering on their way to the underworld. And while his talismans weren't as good as his martial ancestors', I don't think they were totally useless. Also, Chu Chen Zi could see in one glance that Wuxin was not a real monk lol. Overall, fun character.
Da Bai
Da Bai was apparently a past lover of Wuxin's. She was a fox demoness. We don't know much else about her though except that she's a shit stirrer, as most fox demonesses are said to be.
Bai Liuli
Bai Liuli seemed to be some sort of spirit or some sort of immortal. He was responsible for watching over Wuxin's slumber every hundred years.
Let's be straight up about the fact that Bai Liuli was totally useless at protecting Yueya because he got distracted by the paper demons and totally missed Yue Qiluo and Zhang Xianzong walking into Yueya's room.
I thought it was interesting that Bai Liuli seemed to have his own motivations. Despite Wuxin's insistence that he needed to remember Yueya, Bai Liuli thought it was useless to be bogged down by these mortal things (such as "love") and took it upon himself to erase these mementos.
I also wonder how this arrangement came to be. Was Bai Liuli sent by a higher being to watch over Wuxin? Is he a demon? So many questions. I'm still side-eyeing his character a lot though. Don't trust the guy.
Overall
I had a lot of fun watching this series! Despite its, it established one most important thing, which was a fun viewing experience. Perhaps it's because the story never took it too seriously, so the show maintained a mostly light-hearted and fun tone.
Wuxin as a character was very fun and charismatic, and his chemistry with the other characters was really itneresting to watch. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing more of Wuxin in the future!
I would definitely recommend this Cdrama as a fun adventure/supernatural show. I'm excited to watch seasons 2 and 3 now :)
Spoilers.
Story
I haven't read the webnovel, so I'm going to evaluate the show in isolation. The story was pretty basic. It was a series of smaller adventures that tied to the overarching story of Wuxin vs. Yue Qiluo.
During the adventure, Wuxin fell in love and married Yueya, and befriended the zany but well-meaning Gu Xuanwu/Gu Guoiang.
Somehow, out of all the Cdramas I've watched, I found this one one of the most sad! Wuxin wanted to remember Yueya when he woke up, but Bai Liuli deemed it inappropriate. Bai Liuli didn't think that Wuxin should have to be bogged down by mortal matters and thus took away his wedding ring and his journal of memories with Yueya.
What I found sad about this ending is that Wuxin didn't want to forget. In Nirvana in Fire, Mei Changsu wanted to be forgotten, and was just following through. In the Rise of Phoenixes, Feng Zhiwei wanted to be forgotten. But Wuxin wanted more than anything to remember the joy he'd experienced this lifetime, and Bai Liuli took it away :(
When Wuxin woke up, he felt like something was missing, so I'm hoping that he'll be onto Bai Liuli eventually. In the very last scene, Gu Xuanwu spotted Wuxin biking on the street but was unable to catch up. While Wuxin didn't stop for Gu Xuanwu, he heard him calling, and smiled. I want to be hopeful that Wuxin will eventually find out what happened, because it was his original intention.
The romance in this story was established immediately (within the first few episodes). Despite the show being a bit heavy on Wuxin and Yueya's relationship, I didn't mind it as much. Maybe it's because their relationship was closely tied to the monster killing, so it rarely removed focus away from the main story line.
I also noticed how Wuxin going into deep slumber and forgetting the happenings of his past life was kind of convenient for Wuxin to be the star of many seasons of this show XD However, it begs the question of what knowledge Wuxin retains when he wakes up, because he obviously remembers some basic things (such as how to read, who Bai Liuli is, etc.). I wonder if Wuxin basically only remembers what happened in his first lifetime, and when he goes into slumber, his memory is just wiped of the last lifetime.
I liked how non-compicated the monster killing and supernatural aspects of the show were. They were reminiscent of older demon stories such as Journey to the West, or old Chinese ghost stories. The writers didn't create a new "system" of how demons and demon-killing worked in this show. Most of it was based on already-established Chinese folklore, and so it made this show feel very homey and familiar.
I know that Season 2 is set soon after Season 1, still in the Republican Era. I wonder whether Wuxin's relationships with Yueya and Gu Xuanwu will be referenced, or whether the slate will have been wiped clean. I'll be honest, I can't see Wuxin with anybody other than Yueya, so I kind of hope he doesn't get another romantic love interest (though I'm pretty sure he will).
Production
Clothes
This season was set during the early Republican Era. Mostly everybody was dressed in more traditional Chinese clothes, except for the officers. In addition, the story was mostly set during cold weather. So most characters were dressed in winter clothes that were not very form fitting.
These more comfortable clothes added to the more homey feel of the show. I don't know how historically accurate it was to have Yueya and Wuxin wearing earmuffs and mittens, but they matched with their clothes very cutely.
Of the main cast, Yue Qiluo had more form fitting and trendy clothes, which kind of makes sense since she's supposed to be the cool villainess. Also because soon after Zhang Xianzong met her, he'd taken her clothes shopping, so presumably she had all of the latest fashions at her disposal.
CGI
The CGI in this show was better than what I'd seen in most Cdramas. I'd perhaps rank it at around the level of Merlin CGI lol.
I did squick out at some of the body horror, such as Wuxin losing half of his head, or a single hand turning into a lump of flesh. It made sense in the context of the story but it still squicked me out real bad.
Action
The action choreography wasn't too bad. I think Elvis Han is probably pretty fit, and I could see that he did parts of his own fighting scenes, which was cool.
Music
The beginning and ending theme songs are pretty catchy. The ending theme in particular has been playing on repeat lately lol.
Characters
Wuxin
Elvis Han made Wuxin such a charismatic guy. He was carefree but not to the point of being impolite. That makes sense in the context of his character. He'd lived so many years that it didn't make sense to care about the little things anymore.
At the same time, it's clear that Wuxin was sympathetic. He told Gu Xuanwu that he didn't want to get close to people so as not to break their hearts (or his own). This was the only time in this lifetime that Wuxin had allowed himself the luxury of friendship, and he cherished every moment of it because he knew how special it was to live as long as he did and to meet someone who cared for him like that.
By the end of the show, after he woke up from his slumber, I don't doubt that Wuxin would be the same kind of guy, carefree and relaxed but not an asshole.
Li Yueya
At first glance, Yueya seemed to not be a strong female character. Her role was often reduced to "worried damsel" or "housewife." However, I still liked her character, so I did some thinking.
Yueya was brought up in a rural family that likely wasn't very wealthy or powerful. She was illiterate, and her mother's only treasure was a golden bangle. She was probably only taught practical "wifely" skills such as cooking and sewing. Unfortunately, her lack of education put her at a huge disadvantaged to be abused.
Running away from a doomed marriage was Yueya's way of rebelling. Instead, she chose to care for the family of her own choosing. This doesn't sound like much, but as I mentioned, Yueya had a limited skillset. This was her only way of exerting her own capabilities in this world.
I do admit that Yueya had some weak writing, such as when Wuxin told her to stay away for safety but she'd come on adventures anyway. But somehow none of it seemed to bother me too much. I still recognized that Yueya worried for Wuxin and Gu Xuanwu.
Yueya was unfortunately killed by Yue Qiluo and Zhang Xianzong. She had some regrets that she didn't get to spend enough time with Wuxin, but I think she was still happy that she could spend what time she had with Wuxin.
Gu Xuanwu/Gu Guoqiang
At first, I thought Gu Xuanwu was going to be a temporary character, but he ended up being the third guy to the crew. Gu Xuanwu was rash, impulsive, and proud, but his heart was in the right place. Gu Xuanwu also came from humble means, and had been through hardships. So him flaunting his wealth and power was more as a gift to himself.
Gu Xuanwu never lost track of his true friends though. When he was pushed out of his position by Zhang Xianzong, his wives all left him, but Yueya and Wuxin still took care of him, and he never forgot that.
At the end of the show, Gu Xuanwu got married and had a child. He saw Wuxin biking down the road but was unable to chase after him. I didn't check to see if Gu Xuanwu's actor was in Season 2, but I'm a bit anxious to know whether they meet up, and whether Wuxin recovers his memory (as there's a chance that Bai Liuli burned the book and disposed of the ring).
Zhang Xianzong
When I first saw him I was like "??? Zhang Ruoyun???" It was very unexpected lol.
Zhang Xianzong was an interesting character though. At first, he was focused on power, and using unethical means to overthrow Gu Xuanwu. He bumped into Yue Qiluo after she caught him shooting an underling, and eventually fell in love with her.
My guess as to why Zhang Xianzong fell so madly in love with her was her seeming otherworldliness. We saw that Zhang Xianzong was mostly detached to his family life. He didn't even care about his own wedding (near the beginning of the show) to his eighth wife. And in his house, he didn't pay much attention to them. On the other hand, everybody noticed when he was very mindful of Yue Qiluo's health and happiness.
Though he recognized that Yue Qiluo didn't love him (and was incredibly jealous of Yue Qiluo's initial affection for Wuxin), he himself knew that the most he could do was to take care of her. Combined with the fact that it was in his interest to have Gu Xuanwu killed, his goals were perfectly aligned with Yue Qiluo's, as Wuxin and Gu Xuanwu were allied.
In his death, Yue Qiluo turned his body into a puppet, and said that she'd transfer his soul into Wuxin's body so that he could accompany her forever. However, this did not happen. His body was rotting and Yue Qiluo was unable to secure another body for him. In addition, Wuxin burned his body, so Zhang Xianzong was gone for good.
I don't know if I'm biased because Zhang Ruoyun was playing this character, but Zhang Xianzong had some unexpected depth to his character. I didn't expect him to fall so deeply in a one-sided love, and to not act out because of it. He seemed content to serve this subservient role to Yue Qiluo because he was so enamoured with her. And while he was willing to die for her, he was also mindful of how he looked in her eyes. He was worried that she'd be afraid of his rotting body, and he wanted her to see him as someone useful as opposed to just a puppet or tool.
Yue Qiluo
At first, like Yueya, I thought that Yue Qiluo was just a girl who'd made a mistake and was demonized for it. However, we learned that Yue Qiluo was actually a Taoist gone evil who'd possessed Yue Qiluo's body.
The actor's large pupils (contact lenses?) helped to make her character seem demon-like and other-worldly, in addition to her young appearance.
Yue Qiluo had a fascination with Wuxin. At first, she believed it was love and adoration. Wuxin was the first person she saw when she awoke, and he wasn't bad looking. So she hated Yue Qiluo and wanted Wuxin for herself. Even after Zhang Xianzong had given her everything, she was still obsessed with Wuxin.
After she "killed" Wuxin and he was reborn, Yue Qiluo realized that Wuxin wanted nothing to do with her. So her fascination grew to a kind of rivalry. She knew he couldn't die, so she just wanted to subdue him, for him to be subservient to her.
Yue Qiluo didn't technically die in the end, but Wuxin had trapped her in a cave, and the souls she'd killed as her "bank" had all been killed by Wuxin and Chu Chen Zi earlier on. I think it's a bit ambiguous whether she died, because we don't know what's down there in that hole in the ground.
That being said, I saw her actress in both Season 2 and Season 3 (as a love interest), so I'm wondering whether the actress is actually playing the woman who possessed her, or it she will just be playing a reincarnation who for all intents and purposes is a whole different character.
Huang Daxian
Huang Daxian was also a "fashi." After he'd been defeated by Wuxin, he'd stayed in Wuxin and Yueya's house for a bit, and those scenes were a bit cute. He was just hanging around but he would joke around and spend time with them.
Huang Daxian would only leave until he granted Wuxin a wish. The wish that Wuxin made ended up being to drive Yueya's stepmom out of their house, which Huang Daxian did and promptly left.
Chu Chen Zi
Chu Chen Zi was a pretty fun character. He was the leader of the Taoist sect at Qingyun Guan, but he was far from capable. He couldn't really draw talismans as well as his predecessors, and he was kind of a coward who cared a lot about his sect's reputation.
The woman who'd possessed Yue Qiluo's body was actually a martial ancestor of Chu Chen Zi. As Yue Qiluo had apparently married into Zhang Xianzong's household as a ninth wife (which was a bad look), Wuxin would threaten to release this information to the public to blackmail Chu Chen Zi into not being a coward and helping them.
Chu Chen Zi wasn't completely useless though. We saw in one scene that he did have the skills to send souls in suffering on their way to the underworld. And while his talismans weren't as good as his martial ancestors', I don't think they were totally useless. Also, Chu Chen Zi could see in one glance that Wuxin was not a real monk lol. Overall, fun character.
Da Bai
Da Bai was apparently a past lover of Wuxin's. She was a fox demoness. We don't know much else about her though except that she's a shit stirrer, as most fox demonesses are said to be.
Bai Liuli
Bai Liuli seemed to be some sort of spirit or some sort of immortal. He was responsible for watching over Wuxin's slumber every hundred years.
Let's be straight up about the fact that Bai Liuli was totally useless at protecting Yueya because he got distracted by the paper demons and totally missed Yue Qiluo and Zhang Xianzong walking into Yueya's room.
I thought it was interesting that Bai Liuli seemed to have his own motivations. Despite Wuxin's insistence that he needed to remember Yueya, Bai Liuli thought it was useless to be bogged down by these mortal things (such as "love") and took it upon himself to erase these mementos.
I also wonder how this arrangement came to be. Was Bai Liuli sent by a higher being to watch over Wuxin? Is he a demon? So many questions. I'm still side-eyeing his character a lot though. Don't trust the guy.
Overall
I had a lot of fun watching this series! Despite its, it established one most important thing, which was a fun viewing experience. Perhaps it's because the story never took it too seriously, so the show maintained a mostly light-hearted and fun tone.
Wuxin as a character was very fun and charismatic, and his chemistry with the other characters was really itneresting to watch. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing more of Wuxin in the future!