Jin Yong was a master at world-building, so I always look for it when watching adaptions of his work. Because his writing was not always perfect, it’s up to the show to fix or at least hide the flaws.

A weakness of this story is its main character. Zhang Wuji had no real character development or internal struggles. He was a good guy at the start, a good guy in the middle, and still a good guy at the end. His main function was a tour guide who takes us viewers on a journey through the colorful world of wulin. You don’t need a very talented actor for that, just one who's likeable and earnest. He has to convince viewers that he has what it takes to make four women fall in love with him without even trying. As the hero, Zeng Shunxi was bland and a total miscast. He was so boring that I didn't care which girl he ended up with.

The biggest success here was the casting of Lin Yushen as Yang Xiao. This portrayal was iconic. He had just the right mix of brooding, arrogance, and tragic. The actor deserved to lead his own series. No more adaptations, they should just write a story just for him.

The show also boasted some of the best-looking cast, even down to the minor characters (to those who forgot who Yu Lianzhu was, you’ll remember him after watching this version). Most were solid in their acting, if not a little exaggerated at times, but I blame that on the directing.

Visually, the show got most of it right. The costumes were simple but classy in the spirit of hanfu, nothing outlandish or garish. Even the girls’ hair ornaments were elegant and tastefully done. The cinematography was breath taking, especially the shots of Wudang and Fire & Ice Island. The fight scenes were grand, and it was a good choice to keep the CGIs to a minimum. While I like the Matrix-esque slow motion, it was overdone here and made some scenes very draggy and tiring to watch.

Overall, not a bad series to check out if you’re a Jin Yong fan.