Wanru's Journey (2023) - Final Review
Final review/rating: Wanru's Journey (2023) - A no frills wuxia that is surprisingly watchable up until the lame ending
This is 6/10 stars ✮✮✮✮✮✮ from Pandafan🐼
Overall rating: 6 Stars Plot: 6 Stars Acting/cast: 6 Stars Couple chemistry: 6 stars Music: 7 Stars Re-watch value: 5 Stars Enjoyment factor: 6.5 Stars |
24 episodes, each at 30 - 35 min long. If you are wondering why it's called Wanru's Journey, the English title is a mashup of both of the names that the female lead goes by (Murong Zhu Wan and Xiao Ru). I personally prefer the Chinese title 少年江湖, which translates to "Youth's jianghu".
This is obviously not Jin Yong quality, and the acting is nothing to write home about, but there really is a wuxia vibe to this one, including some decent CGI-lite fighting scenes. And there's Ao Rui Peng. Although this is decidedly not his best work, he looks great glowering in black or channeling young master vibes in white.
All in all, surprisingly watchable, at least up to the final 15 minutes or so given the lame ending...
SPOILERS AHEADS
For a spoiler free synopsis, read mine 👉here.
Basically, the main character (Xiao Ru played by Zong Yuan Yuan) is an impoverished Jianghu swindler. While she is unskilled in martial arts, she has vast reservoirs of inner energy内力 and an unexplained personal history that she is trying to get to the bottom of. She always has tricks up her sleeve to make a quick buck and to make an even quicker getaway, as well as what seems to be an inexhaustible supply of chicken drumsticks stashed in her pockets😆
In an unexpected turn of events, Xiao Ru is compelled by Lady Murong to impersonate Murong Zhu Wan, the mentally impaired second young lady of the Murong manor. She becomes Zhu Wan, and sparks fly when she meets her 'brother' Murong Chong (played by Ao Rui Peng) and her 'fiancé' Fu Hong (played by Deng Chao Yuan) and she is unwittingly drawn into Jianghu conflicts.
There is then a whole lot of open and hidden power struggles to become leader of the martial arts world. And there's the fight to possess the Manual of Mountains and Seas (a martial arts technique that is fabled to be invincible)... In short, the trio have to join hands to defeat a hidden big-bad enemy.
To be honest, I wasn't expecting much from this cheap and cheerful offering, but the wuxia side of things was surprisingly watchable, with some decent CGI-lite choreography. And struggles for supremacy in wulin are the stuff of wuxia, as are martial arts manuals with legendary techniques that will make you undefeatable.
Not sure if it was a straight knockoff or a homage to Word of Honor (2021), but there are some very familiar looking scenes where best friends Murong Chong and Fu Hong have a play fight on the water and on a boat, dressed in white. These two guys share way more chemistry than Murong Chong ever does with Zong Yuan Yuan's Xiao Ru.
The latter couple's romance is not terribly convincing - they go from absolutely loathing each other to finding that proximity (insert obligatory bandaging scene) is all it takes to launch a romance. I advise judicious use of the fast forward button to skim through the cringey bits at speed.
Slow down for the fight scenes and explosions instead. Those were actually quite fun to watch.
I strongly advise switching the drama off before you get to the last 15 minutes or so of the last episode. The ending is incredibly lame. Here is the Cliff Note's version:
Xiao Ru opens a box, and exclaims, oh, so that's my true identity. Than Murong Chong confesses his love to her, and she rejects him, saying that she should not be in his world... Then we zoom out, to various shots of Murong Chong or rather the actor Ao Rui Peng being directed through a martial arts sequence on set, and Xiao Ru or rather the actress Zong Yuan Yuan being given a script to consider, entitled "Wanru's Journey/少年江湖." Finis.
For those who watched the ending for completion's sake and got confused or exasperated, I guess that the drama was trying for a meta, breaking of the 4th wall-esque ending. It fell flat for me. I would have preferred not to have the immersion of the story ruined by the 'gotcha' at the end.
🐼: Wanru's Journey (2023) is a fairly decent short watch if you just feel like a bit of no frills wuxia. There are some watchable CGI-lite fighting sequences and the story follows traditional wuxia paths.
The quality of the acting is all over the place, but I probably enjoyed the sight of Ao Rui Peng narrowing his eyes, glowering, and posturing more than I should have. I don't regret watching this drama, but a much better wuxia option is the recent Mysterious Lotus Casebook (2023).
6/10 stars ✮✮✮✮✮✮
