HSDS2000

Themesong - Lawrence Ng

# Mountain is high, ocean is deep
Look at how the wind affects the clouds
The heavenly dragon flies across the sky with a blink of an eye
This world is filled with miracles
Love & responsibility is two very different things
In my life time
When can I chase after my own forgotten dream?

*The world contains a million different problems
The heaven above should take care of it
For who will decide the difference between good & evil?
Who is the true hero?
When fame is washed away
Can you take it with you in your dreams?

Repeat #, *, *

When revenge is heavy in your heart
One smile can make it all disappear

Synopsis

Since I have never seen any previous versions (70's version with Adam Cheng/80's version with Tony Leung), my expectations for this series is not as high as other people's. I also never read the novel, (since I can't read Chinese that well) so for me, this is series was not as bad as everyone said it would be.

The series' stars are Damien Lau, Michelle Mai, Lawrence Ng, Gigi Lai, Charmaine Sheh, Joyce Tang, Eddie Cheung, Cherie Chan, and Liz Kong as well as many many other familiar faces. The story starts off with Michelle stealing the Dragon Sabre, only to lose it during a fight. Damien's martial brother (3th si hing) finds it and decides to bring back to their sect for teacher (si fu). In order to get the sword back, Michelle gets close to Damien because he will meet up with his si hing later on. When Michelle found out where they are heading, her and her brother ambush Damien's si hing and poison him. Since Michelle was starting to fall for Damien, she didn't want to kill him, instead, she decides to ship him back to his teacher. But of course, something happens and the 3th si hing becomes paralyzed.

When Damien finds out what happened, he seeks Michelle out for explanations. While Michelle is holding a showing of the Dragon Sabre, the Lion King (I think this is what they called him) steals the sword and kidnapped Michelle and Damien. Along the way, Michelle caused the Lion King to be blind. All three ended up on a deserted island that they named Ice Fire Island. Damien and Michelle got married on the island and Michelle becomes pregnant. Because of the baby, Cheung Mo Kei (Lawrence), the three of them became friends and the Lion King became the adopted father of Lawrence. After 10 years or so, Michelle, Damien and Lawrence has a chance to leave the island and return home. Upon their return, Damien had to face his martial family because he took the daughter of an "evil sect" to be his wife while Michelle has to face her brother and father for marrying into a "good sect". Both families welcome each other eventually. But alas, their happiness didn't last long. Damien finds out that Michelle was the one who caused his 3th si hing to be paralyzed. Because honor demands it, he was suppose to kill Michelle for revenge but he couldn't do it so he killed himself instead. Michelle is devastated and tells her son to remember to never trust a beautiful woman, "The prettier she is, the more lies she will tell you" before committing suicide herself. Lawrence is left to grieve and be brought up by his father's si fu (which he calls tai si fu I think).

Forward to Mo Kei's teenage years. He was harmed when he was younger and has not been fully cured. While trying to find someone to cure Lawrence, Tai si fu and him encountered Charmaine, her father, and someone from another sect. Her father dies so Charmaine leaves with Tai si fu while Lawrence leaves with the other sect to seek a cure. Upon arriving at the doctor's house, the doctor refuses to treat Lawrence because he's not from the same sect. But he changes his mind later on and tries to save Lawrence. After several years, the doctor still hasn't found a cure but he can prevent Lawrence from dying. Only the doctor gets into trouble and has to go into hiding leaving Lawrence with no choice but to go home.

But many mishaps happened along the way. Lawrence gets trapped in a cave and learned a very powerful inner kung fu that cured him (of course, this takes several years and Lawrence emerges from the cave an adult). He meets up with Cherie Chan (who is trying to learn a spider poison kung fu). He doesn't tell her his real name because he doesn't want anyone to know who he is, thus, asking him where the Lion King and the Dragon Sabre are. Lawrence encounters Charmaine who now belongs to the nun's sect, which has the Heaven Sword. He also meets Gigi for the first time. Gigi is a Mongolian princess who is out to find the Dragon Sabre and the secret it contains. Both Charmaine and Gigi are attracted to Lawrence.

Somehow, Lawrence ends up being the leader of the "evil sect" (but their not really evil to begin with) and turns them around to be a good sect. His second-in-command is Eddie who was in love with Joyce. They have a daughter (also played by Joyce). But because Joyce (mother) belonged to the nuns sect and Eddie belonging to the "evil sect", their love was not meant to be. Joyce's si fu killed her when Joyce refused to kill Eddie. Lawrence brought Joyce's daughter to Eddie so she can be with her own father. Joyce (daughter) falls in love with her mother's ex-fiancé, Damien's 6th martial brother (si dae). (I know I knowthat's a very weird relationship)

Gigi's mission is to find the Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre and captured all the sects for they are rebelling against the Mongolian King. She is successful and managed to capture all of the sect's leaders except for Lawrence in a tower. Inside the tower, Charmine's si fu made her promise to get the Dragon Sabre from Lawrence by using her charms. The reason why is that within the Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre, the secret of destroying the Mongolian empire in hidden inside. She also made Charmine promise to never marry Lawrence or else bad things will happen to them and their future children.

But Charmine didn't listen because she is already in love with Lawrence. Knowing that Lawrence is becoming close to Gigi, Charmine famed Gigi for stealing the Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre and for murdering Cherie. Gigi suspects that it was Charmine but cannot find any proof. When Charmine is about to marry Lawrence, Gigi asked Lawrence to fulfill his second promise to her. Charmine is piss off at Gigi and Lawrence. She threaten that if Lawrence leaves with Gigi, she will never forgive them both. But knowing that Gigi has the whereabouts of Lion King (Lawrence's adopted father), Lawrence leaves with Gigi but not before Charmine turns evil and almost kill Gigi with some dirty kung fu.

Because of Lawrence's betrayal, Charmine marries someone else and teaches him the dirty kung fu with the hopes that he will kill Lawrence for her. Gigi and Lawrence grow closer and closer. In the end, Lawrence finally realizes that the one he loves the most is Gigi. With the help of Gigi, Lawrence finds out where the monks are keeping his adopted father. He tries to rescue him but the Lion King doesn't want to be rescue. He knows he has done many terrible things in the past and he wants redemption. So the Lion King decides to stay in the monastery and replete for all the things he has done. Lawrence refuses to accept his father's decision and tries to break him out. But the evil monk (who was the Lion King's si fu) wants to kill the Lion King so he sets up a contest where who ever wins will get the Lion King and the Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre. A lot of people came to the contest including Charmine and her husband.

Eventually, the Lion King has a major duel with the evil monk and the evil monk becomes blind and lost all his kung fu. The Lion King remains at the monastery. Lawrence gives up his leadership to be with Gigi. They wonder throughout China as normal people and gave up on the martial world. Charmine lost her memory and became a simple girl who is very much in love with her husband. Joyce and her husband have a child so Eddie also left the martial world to be a doting grandfather.

Needless to say, the series is pretty good despite all the hoopla. Some said that casting Charmine and Lawrence was a bad decision. They also criticized that there were too much emphasis on the love relationship between Lawrence and his four women. I left out a lot of details (mostly little side adventures that Lawrence has) but the basic story is here. I thought the series is fairly decent and there were several tapes where I couldn't stop watching but I have to say the ending is pretty disappointing.

Rating: $$$ and 1/2