Legend of Fuyao – The Drama - Part 1

Watching Asian dramas with magic in your heart and reality in your eyes.

Many reviewers mark down a drama for lack of reality. Dramas, by definition, have little to do with reality, albeit they use real life events as a basis for the stories. For reality, watch documentaries. How can one watch clearly choreographed fight scenes with impossible moves and even magic, then complain that the story lacked reality? In subscribing to a drama, one must fully immerse themself in the fantasy. If it plays that a cricket can sing opera: accepted. If the guinea pig in Legend of Fuyao [1] has telepathic powers and is educated to PhD level in astrophysics: sounds good to me.

Overview

Legend of Fuyao starts with a bang: subterfuge, misdirection, and outright lies. There's unrequited love, greed, corruption and a power struggle. And that never changes. Not in the middle and not at the end. Much of the drama is about getting what you want at any cost. In parts, it’s an old-fashioned farce involving cross dressing, hiding in plain sight, and speaking in riddles. There's magic and mayhem, and of course, the winner takes all. The themes are not new, but in Legend of Fuyao, the journey is fresh, often exciting, sometimes instilling fear, other times making you laugh out loud. Whether dancing with the devil or in the arms of an angel, Legend of Fuyao strives to satisfy every viewer's wish list. It portrays elegance and sophistication as well as the plain stupid. It’s a drama where a battle for your life can look like ballet.  It’s also where suspending that final death blow exhibits a level of control and skill that defies belief.  It all works, not least because when the viewer shouts in panic for that final strike to stop, it does -- just in time.  This world of fantasy is one of extreme actions with a generous sprinkling of poetic narrative cleverly woven into it. It’s a showy show, after all.  But as a viewer, it still needs to convince me.  If I'm going to suspend belief, the drama must make it worth my while. Legend of Fuyao delivers most of the time. Those times it doesn't quite work are good too. After all, none of it's real and we need to remember that.

Episodes 1-10: The Plot and the Premise

The first ten episodes showcase some top-quality action scenes. The sword fighting battles between Fuyao and First Senior Brother, Yan Jing Chen, of the Mt. Mystic Soul Sect, are superb. When love turns to hate on the battlefield, the outcome is certainly impressive. Repeat button was used a lot. Before that, Fuyao and her future love interest -- he of multiple disguises and names -- choose to showcase their respective martial arts skills as way of introduction rather than shaking hands.  It sets the tone of what lies ahead.  Except it doesn’t.  Next meeting, they join forces to defeat a legendary beast that almost squishes the person we eventually learn is Zhangsun Wuji, future ultimate ruler of the world.  This is the real story of the drama.  Each of our two lead characters, in turn, repeatedly risks their life to save the other.  The heir apparent and a slave girl. They exhibit an implicit trust that only dramas can guarantee will sustain across time.

As important, these two cryptic characters use disguises to mask their respective truths.: Of whom they are, where they come from, what they are up to.  With such deep secrets, the stars are going to be greatly challenges to bring their agenda to bear fruit.  The viewer knows that Fuyao is from a time and place where how she looks fitted well but her behaviour was a problem.  Now in this past ‘alternative’ era she finds herself in, Fuyao still looks right.  And her behaviour is still a problem.  They say that character is fixed.  Perhaps Fuyao proves that belief. 

The heir apparent of Deep Water is a fake.  We know it.  We saw it happening. [2]  Fuyao comes to know it.  Not giving the game away tells us that, for Fuyao, this is someone worth protecting, even if she does not yet know why.  Fake heir apparent is not wasting his time or the viewer’s time, and definitely not Fuyao's time playing guessing games. This includes not hiding that he has a serious crush on this slave girl with a major attitude problem and a chip on her shoulder.

Within the first two episodes, Fuyao and Wuji have formed a tag team. Saving her then saving him are their signature moves. Team Fu-Wu has arrived, and trouble lies ahead for a whole bunch of people. They work together to defeat those who get in their way.  It’s immediate and instinctive for both of them. When the ancient mystical beast named Zitie is on a rampage -- moving like lightning despite its huge bulk -- our duo is as cool as cucumbers and wrought the necessary ‘death’ blow that stops it. [3]  Only, they don’t actually kill it, just knock it unconscious.  That’s another thing we learn about Fu-Wu: killing is easy, but not casual.  The trust between Meng Fuyao and Zhangsun Wuji is already rock solid. Interestingly, after saving Wuji, Fuyao is back to her broken-hearted, pitiful self over being dumped by her rich, out of her class boyfriend.  She’s so depressed, she gives Wuji permission to kill her to protect his secret as the fake monarch.  It’s not that she wants to die, one understands, but right now, being lovesick is worse than living.  She’s lost her first love and she doesn’t think she’ll get over it.  Had she really wanted to die, Zitie could have granted her wish.  She just had to stand still in its path; although one can imagine that there’s no way Wuji, already entranced by her looks and her character, would have allowed that to happen.

The introduction to the multiple identity crown prince is excellent.  He uses at least three names in the drama, each persona diametrically different from the one before, but all having one thing in common:  He’s on a mission to heal the world.  He’s known as Zhangsun Wuji, Megrez Empire’s Crown Prince, also as Xuanyuan Min, fake Heir Apparent of Deep Water Nation.  There is also Yuan Zhaoxu, right-hand man to the elusive Crown Prince Wuji.  And according to his father, he might also go by “some other name”.   Immediately, we understand him to be a complex character with layers of secrets. His is a contradiction of duplicity and transparency, each credible but, nonetheless, false.  We also learn that he is a deeply loyal, passionate, fair person. Whether with Fuyao or Zhong Yue, medical sage and best friend, the relationships are believable.

The air is infused with magic whenever Wuji comes on scene, and not just related to his character. Every eye movement conveys meaning. Every facial expression expresses the right emotion. His movements are fluid, smooth, and instinctive. It's easy to understand why the wily prime minister of Deep Water is weary. But Wuji plays the part of a fool so well that those he wants to fool are left questioning their own perception rather than the man that causes them disquiet. Ethan Juan, in the role of Wuji, has a body built for historic dramas. He exudes command in those period costumes as they flow with him and around him. They shout ‘style’, and on him it's sexy.

There are many good-looking men in Asian dramas. Many beautiful bodies. Some perfectly attired. Many of them are sexy, but none as desirable as Zhangsun Wuji. His body language makes your heart tremble. His eyes draw you in until you are mesmerised. That mischievous smile whispers, come play with me; let's get into trouble. I’m referring to our Crown Prince and to Ethan Juan.  They are, after all, manifestations of the same person.

It's the portrayal of real mischief that helps anchor this drama in our imagination. When Fuyao and Xiao Qi, her brother, sneak into the sacrificial ritual/introduction to the hunting and fighting games (an event which already hints at unnecessary deaths and injuries), there's nothing interesting or different there. However, when their father sneaks up and catches them, that heavy tap on Fuyao's shoulder transports me back to my childhood with a guilty jolt.[4] Many a time did I get caught red-handed doing something I shouldn't have been doing or being somewhere that it was not my business to be. My mother’s voice, accompanied by a slow shake of her head, elicits her disappointment in me even now. That look on Fuyao's face resonated so strongly that after bursting out laughing, it took my own heart a few seconds to settle to its normal pace. The siblings are related through ‘adoption’ by Uncle Zhou, who is head of the slave community.  In loco parentis or not, Uncle Zhou’s authority is not to be taken lightly. 

Early on, the drama reveals to the viewer the backgrounds to the various plots and counterplots. This adds intrigue and holds your attention. Knowing what's really going on ahead of those caught up in the events works really well. There's a smugness to having advance knowledge, and satisfaction in correctly predicting the outcome of a plot. That said, the stories are so convoluted that 'predicting' anything is well-nigh impossible, which also holds your attention. It's as good not knowing too much ahead of time in a drama as when reading a book. Otherwise, what's the point of watching or reading on?

The fight scenes interspersed with magic are seamless. Always.  It adds another level of belief to be suspended, so even as real life reminds you it's all make-believe, you become a fly on the wall, getting as close as possible to watch. You settle willingly to absorb each and every move. Take, for example, the revenge fight between Fuyao and Pei Yuan, love rivals for Senior Brother Yan Jing Chen’s heart. [5] Even though you know in reality there are wires and stunt men, shouts of 'cut' and 'action' going on during the filming, still, you rewind so as to understand how it's done. The power of cinematography is showcased at its best. And biased as we viewers are at such times, no matter whom we want to win, our appreciation is all about the skill -- irrespective of who is exhibiting it.

The real magic of true skill is not to be overlooked either. It often happens in these exquisitely elaborate and exaggerated dramas that a truth is incorporated into the story. It happens so often now that high on internet searches are whether so-and-so can sing, do martial arts to that level, do ballet, play the piano, etc. In Legend of Fuyao, it was hugely gratifying that our hero and future leader of the world has a background in competitive swimming. Those water scenes were stunningly captivating. [6] Its impact was more so by being able to tell yourself that there was every chance Ethan Juan did them himself. If he didn't, we like that he probably could. Art imitating life at its best.

Episodes 10 to 20: Falling in Love

His one-sided love of Fuyao literally displays itself like a bolt of lightning for Wuji.  Love at first sight is regularly portrayed in dramas (and in life) but here the proof is immediately on show for all to see.  The gentle teasing by Wuji's two closest friends about this new obsession is a delight to watch. Granted, they both warn him about the potential for his love interest to disrupt his true reason for being in Deep Water, a country in political turmoil.  Interestingly, he doesn’t deny it, just laughs along with them. The friends are Zhong Yue, his doctor, who is a medical sage and joint colluder in whatever scheme they have going on, and his long-time personal bodyguard, Jiang Feng.  To hear them talk, no distinction in status is detectable.  It’s refreshing.

As for the love interest, Fuyao, she is a prickly, bad tempered, immature slave who refuses to be treated as a slave and repeatedly puts her life at risk because of her attitude towards her ‘superiors’, especially the nobility.  It’s not that she’s wrong about her expectation of equality but, rather, others have to save her, protect her, take punishment for her latest transgression against the ‘rules’ of the place and time of the society she is a citizen of.

In the typical ‘rich falls for poor’ story, our hero, (let’s stick to calling him Crown Prince Wuji), is the next in line to rule the world -- the whole world -- as well as leader-in-waiting to rule the highest spiritual realm, the Ancient Firmament.  He’s confident, entitled, arrogant, chivalrous, an Oscar level actor, and a troublemaker.  Our heroine, Fuyao, already described as having issues with her position in life, also has a level of self-confidence that is unfathomable based on her status; an attitude, nonetheless, that serves her well despite the trouble it causes.  They are immediately well matched on many levels and not only because, unlike his usual attitude to insubordination, Wuji, royal elite that he is, takes to this stranger.  His heart immediately races at double pace at her every appearance.  When he tells his co-conspirator, Zhong Yue, that he met a slave girl who interrupted a task he was doing and so knows something of what he is up to, the immediate response is to ask whether he killed her.  No ifs nor buts.  No compassion for anything that might disrupt the mission. What then, did Wuji see that made him not only tolerate her ridiculous behaviour but also put himself and his mission in jeopardy as he protects her from herself as well as from those she makes enemies of?  And what about her gives him confidence that he can trust her with his secrets?  The stage is set, then, for these two to change each other and to upset the status quo along the way.

In a drama, much of the expression of emotion relies on physical expressions.  The switch between a charming smile to a look of menace by Ethan Juan’s character is terrifying. If there was any doubt of his ability to kill first, ask questions later, that gaze would leave you chilled to the bone and waiting for your death.  Some movements of his face are so subtle they are easy to miss.  Until you go back to watch the same drama a second or third time. The raised eyebrow, the hardly perceptible smirk, the eye movement or hand gesture that tells a story of its own.  And you see the failures as well, though not by Ethan Juan.  Some have too much movement.  Others go too far with the angst.  Too little conviction in the voice is of note.  And why so many tears?  You come, too, to appreciate the skill in choreographing action scenes, and you shout out your respect for the film director who understands just when to apply the stop-go along the road to creating a drama that holds our attention.

Humour

As attitudes go, I love the humour injected into this drama.  The book is even funnier.  It’s how they can turn arrogance into comedy that makes you sit up and take notice.  Take that bloody monarch-to-be and envoy to deliver the magical Earth Absorbing Bell artifact,[7]  Zhan Beiye.  The hoity toity attitude of The Black Wind Troop’s commander and Tiansha’s rightful king is easily undermined by a teenager. [8] Less funny, however, his constant running away from the love-struck ‘schoolgirl’ rather than confronting her about his lack of romantic interest leads to the death of many soldiers and staff when they are forced to cross a flooded river during a raging storm. [9] What the heck! Fuyao saves his sorry ass when, in his haste to put distance between himself and his pursuer, he falls into the river but cannot swim.  She should have let him drown.  Shameful!   

Leonora 

asiandramaobserver@gmail.com

[1] Legend of Fuyao. Yang Wenjun, Linmon Pictures, 2018. Rakuten Viki, https://www.viki.com/Legend of Fuyao/35844c

[2] Episode 1

[3] Episode 2

[4] Episode 1

[5] Episode 6

[6] Episodes 8, 21

[7] Episode 10

[8] Episode 10

[9] Episode 10