[TV Commentary] “The Journey of Flower” Episodes 7 to 9

The Journey Of Flower <花千骨>
Also known as : Hua Qiangu

2015 Mainland Chinese drama
Language : Mandarin
Number of episodes: 50

Cast: Wallace Huo, Zhao Liying, Andy Zhang, Jiang Xin

Some abbrevations
HQG – Hua Qiangu
BZH – Bai Zihua
SQM – Sha Qianmo

EPISODES 7-9

An imagined conversation between a fan (F) and a viewer (V);

F : OMG! Amazing 3 episodes on so many levels! I mean wow, the story is getting cuter each day ,,, and some scenes are so romantic. I mean I find the scenes where HQG fighting that blue eyed ugly dude and she volunteered to take 3 hits and by 2nd hit she was already like dying and when 3rd hit came, palm to palm, bad guy was blasted back and I was like what happened! How?! And directly behind her is BZH doing the palm thing through her body, like transferring inner Qi or something. I feel wow, so romantic!!

V : True true, it was quite a beautifully shot scene too, suspenseful and very enjoyable. But what I don’t get is why that beautiful man flip flop between good and bad guy?

F : Sha Qianmo, who is indeed beautiful. Make up is flawless, costume great and so tall. Interesting combination.

V : I mean why? Isn’t he like enemies with the immortals and yet there he was standing between the bad sect and good sect and isn’t he the leader of that ugly blue eyed dude?

F : I suppose so. I am not so sure but I suppose you think someone so threatening would have controlled his subordinates or disciple or slaves better. They seem to ignore his instructions again and again. So maybe they’re no scared of him. But he is a gentleman. He owed a debt to the dead sect leader of Shou Shan and so he forbade any more killings or stealing of the old man’s body.

V : But why…

F : Ask no more!! Even with subtitles it will make not much sense. I mean like why ugly dudes hate HQG and pretty boys love her? Why women like her but with a proviso and when broken that proviso they hate her, like universally? Like why a girl so young is given so much burden? Why there is absolutely no sign of her being some reincarnation of the last god, like suddenly all demons attracted to her scent and all suddenly disappeared?

V : And why there is a rip off Hogwarts scene except Prof Snape is a beautiful immortal deity (or is it lady ah?) by the name of Zhi Xuan who is eternally in love with BZH who is avoiding her like a plague and still she doesn’t get the message? I mean immortals man!! That is like an eternity of crush! And why she even said to the other immortal in love with her “You have sacrificed for me so much, but why the man I am in love with is not you? I hope we shall have that fate in our next life” WHEN SHE IS AN IMMORTAL!! Won’t die! No next life! Zhi Xuan, you lovely smelling LIAR!!

F : Ok so there’s inconsistency. Like Tangbao the worm, different sizes but getting cute eh? Right?

V : Yes gotta admit it. These 3 episodes she is so cute, love the scene where she didn’t want her “daddy” to leave that she jumped onto her nose and hug him. Am getting used to the dubbing too but oh, still jarring.

F : But nice voice no?

V : Nope. Either too high pitched or too low pitched. I especially hate BZH’s dubbing voice for the beautiful Wallace Huo but the one who did Sha Qianmo is ok. Anyway, why every girl hates HQG? Why that bitchy Man Tian aka Athena Chu lookalike is so bitchy? Aren’t they friends?

F : Yes they were for as long as HQG is beneath her in status, talent, looks, capabilities, popularity. Unfortunately HQG has sorta won in almost all areas. I suppose the last slap on bitchy girl’s face is when BZH accepts HQG as his ONLY disciple. But that is jumping scenes since that has not happened yet and I hope not for a long time.

V : Why?

F : Because then there will be cute lovely scenes and the high of that relationship and like all good Chinese novels, next comes the steep fall into utter and total tragedy.

V : Yeah I dread that. This series may seem like romantic, she did so much for him, he did so much for her, they protect one another by sacrificing for one another but why real true love and deep love must be such torture and involve so much sacrifice? Especially these 2 fated calamities. She is fated to pull him down and this is something BZH is very aware of but yet he likes her, he will fall for her and he will fall and by him falling, she will be pulled down because he is in a way her calamity. They are opposites in fate but drawn together by love. So they’re constantly loving and destroying and I have huge problem with that sort of story. It is not romantic. It is tragic, it is ugly, and it proves love is not worth the thousand cuts and the 16 year banishment and total ripping of the soul or whatever this series will depict. And I have huge issues with the fact HQG is said to be reincarnation of the last god but it did her no favours. I mean if she was demon incarnate, fine I guess I understand why her suffering or if she was born again Buddha, her greater purpose is to suffer for others but here she suffers simply to up the pity factor and no one really pities her. The adults are just god awful to her, especially that grumpy 2nd in charge of Chang Liu. It is just annoying on so many level. Like what is his problem against a defenseless 16 year old girl? Is he in love with BZH? Is that it?

F : Woahhhh woahhh, wait for future episodes. It may depict it in a different but more reasonable way although yeah… why bother with the last god reincarnate. Not doing anyone any favours.

V : And for someone who grew up basically she and her dad and her entire village wanting to kill her all the time and being chased by scary demons and all, she seems perfectly fine with interacting with people. Nothing awkward. Turns out it is the immortal guy who is socially awkward. She isn’t shy. And in a few days she knows kung fu.

F : Maybe her last god thing has something to do with that..

V : Or book to screen adaptation means something is always missing. But I do like her Shou Shan costume, but seen once and blink gone!

F : But don’t you love how BZH is always eyeing her, not doing much but always encouraging her to leave Chang Liu, like go and be Shou Shan sect leader and never return or you’re now a sect leader you can’t join Chang Liu or oh that young handsome dude with powerful daddy is in love with you, who am I to stop love and so go one, leave Chang Liu and now the latest quote, I will never accept you as my disciple.

V : Now that’s cute. BZH seems to have 3 expressions; stony, inquisitive and amused, all these differentiated by how he pursed his lips. But you know what, love him. Love him so much!

F : Ahhh because he is Wallace Huo eh?

V : Yeap. Love the headgear of every actor, love his hair, love his upper part but his skirt dress is a bit too short, so lacking the look of a worldly immortal of not sure how many years old, it just isn’t the right length.

F : You noticed all that? Seriously?

V : This is a series about aesthetic, so of course. Hey they even rip off the chess scene in Harry Potter and LOTR’s Rivendell! True!

F : Imaginative scenes..

V : But for the budget, why can’t they do better with the special effects? It looks 10 years old. Did you see The Hobbit? And that is considered almost obsolete! This one looks god awful. And guess the most beautiful scene was which one?

F : Errr every time BZH appears and giving HQG that look as if saying “You ahhhh you ahhhhhh how ahhh.. what can I do with you ahhhhhh…. what ahhhhhh”?

V : Maybe but no! It’s the one all the disciples gathered around waiting for HQG to return and they were reprimanded by big brothers and forced to go running, that scene where at the back, the backdrop was magical and I bet that was a real scene!! Problem with this series is they don’t need a fake cgi scene for the fantasy realm like home for Zhixuan, it’s all there. And that chess scene… aiyooooo!!!!

F : Nice!!

V : Anyway love these 3 episodes although the story about the twin Shou Shan disciples had me scratching my head because they kinda like have the same sounding name. Anyway just a name…

F : Yup! Story’s good so far eh?

V : Yes. It has a very likable female character, someone you so like that you wouldn’t mind her destroying everyone because everyone else is such a bastard and bitch anyway. You kinda cheer for her. She has the character and fortitude of a brave and good person, which makes all her suffering all the more … not ironic but sadistic. Too sadistic. I also like how BZH is weighing his options and yet whatever he does or say, she won’t leave and yet he couldn’t be stern enough because come on! How can you hate HQG with a cute worm as a daughter? No way!

F : So BZH is BZL… Bai Zuo Le (Wasted effort) in all those “You can leave Chang Liu” advice?

V : Yeap. But man, love the acting in here. Everyone did a great job. Expressions, everything, all there. I just wished it wasn’t dubbed. But then we may have a Taiwanese BZH… “Ni ke yi li kai Chang Liu mah….li kai leh…”

F : Hey! Wallace doesn’t sound that way ok!! He needs to sound immortal, old, worldly, seen it all, etc…

V : Hate the voice for this look. Only Jiangxin seems to be not dubbed, except for that ciplak Rivendell scene where one sentence was dubbed. Also I swear some scenes some actors move their mouth but no dialogue and the special effect sounds are almost non existent. What a “bai zuo le” moments. Come on more budget.

F : As long as it’s good in 2 elements out of 3, considered great.

V : Fine, ok.

F : Can’t wait for the next few episodes but I think only next week…

V : I suffered through the mandarin.. ok maybe not, it ain’t that difficult but yeah… gonna miss it before I know it. Oh I am already missing it. Damnit! I am getting obsessed!! Wallace!! So are you handsomeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wallace Huo : Ni hen fan le!!

RELATED POSTS

This commentary is written by Funn Lim, a Contributing Writer at JayneStars.com and was originally posted at www.point2e.com.

Related Articles

Most Commented in 7 Days