Wu Xin: The Monster Killer Season 3 (2020)

Fabulous Acting, Great CGI, Great Story

This is one of the very few dramas that I find so relaxing and enjoyable. It is very funny and yet not comical. The humors come mostly from the marvelous acting, the dialogues and the dynamics between the characters. As this is a drama revolving around supernatural phenomena, the CGI here is simply top-notched. This drama is the third season of the Wu Xin series. Despite this, the timeline is a lot earlier than the previous two series, setting in the Tang dynasty period. One doesn't need to watch the previous two seasons to understand this one; everything is explained clearly and flows nicely. This drama stands alone as a complete series.

Elvis Han (plays Wu Xin) is a marvelous actor. He has an air of maturity and provides stability in every situation he's in, and yet he doesn't lack that humorous and playful demeanor. I really enjoy all his scenes. As a man with no heart, (his name Wu Xin literally means no heart in Chinese), he's an immortal. The use of homophone and puns with his name is hilarious as the phrase wu xin can also mean "unintentional". But Wu Xin is so fed up with living forever that he contracts killers to kill himself as he has not been successful in doing so himself. His journey in seeking his own death is simply so outrageous and funny. I really enjoy the parts when Wu Xin is possessed by Liu Xuan Hu making him taking opposite actions and bickering within himself. The scenes are so funny and Elvis Han is fabulous in acting out both characters at the same time.

Comes the girl that falls for him, and eventually he for her. Chen Yao (aka Sabrina Chen) plays both roles as a twin girl in Liu Qing Luan and her twin brother in Liu Xuan Hu. With a slender physique, Chen Yao's portrayal of Liu Xuan Hu is amazing as she looks like a weak, sickly, feminine boy who excels academically. No one knows the talented scholar has an identical twin sister who helps settle scores for him. One really cannot tell if Liu Xuan Hu is a boy or a girl, even Wu Xin is confused; he has treated Liu Xuan Hu as a boy when in actual fact it's Liu Qing Luan's disguise. The discovery process is so funny, and Elvis Han's expression of surprise is an outstanding acting. Switching in and out of her role as a male and female character, Chen Yao has done a fantastic job. Bravo to her amazing acting.

In their quest to seek death for Wu Xin and cure for Liu Xuan Hu sickly body (what an irony), they encounter mysteries and crimes. Every event is related to another and unfolds nicely over time, usually through medium and "fa shu" delivered by the Taoist master. The initial unseen dark force that seems to mastermind everything turns out to be a previous acquaintant of Wu Xin. Their relationship, dynamics and dialogues are just a joy to watch. The seemingly unseen fearsome and mysterious character suddenly becomes a person with a cartoonish looking mask. Many of the characters that seem to be sinister in the beginning turn out to be harmless. One of my most enjoyable moments is watching Elvis Han handling a baby; he's such a pro and the scenes where both powerful fa shi, Wu Xin and Bai Liu Li, rendered helpless by a crying baby is just hilarious.

As expected, when an immortal falls in love with a mortal, how the ending would be. As Liu Qing Luan ages and finally dies in Wu Xin's arms, Wu Xin is still as youthful but the pain he is suffering is immeasurable, though this is the umpteenth time he is going through it. Each time, the pain of loss of a loved one is new and unforgettable for him. The only way to relieve himself from all these pains is not through death (which he can't die) but through letting go. Finally, Wu Xin realizes that he needs to forget after every life that leaves him, and to start afresh. That's the only way to continue living to eternity.

Oh, have I mentioned the sound tracks (OSTs)? They are very good. Love them!

Don't be misled by the low rating. This drama should have received a much higher rating had it not because English subs are not available at the moment of its airing. Many non-Chinese speaking viewers are unfortunately not able to enjoy this fine drama.

For me, this drama is unexpectedly good. If you can understand Chinese, or able to find English subs, do watch it. It's a drama that would make you laugh because of the funny dialogues and human to human dynamics. The mystical supernatural phenomenon is intriguing, and most importantly, great acting and great story telling make this a must-watch drama.

Two thumbs up!

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Nostalgic watch for fans of the series

Ugh so many things to say about this drama and I've been putting off this review for far too long.

First off, I'm a fan of the first season, so it's sad to see how the sequels haven't done as well as the first one did. It just lacks something no matter what it tries to do. One thing we see obvious improvement in though, is the CGI. The production value also seems to be a lot better than it was before. So yay to advancements in tech!

Onto the plot... where to begin? I think the biggest issue is it's poor control of the pace? Too little things seem to be happening in one episode and the plot isn't engaging enough to keep me invested in the story, and the abysmal placement of music certainly makes this problem a lot more evident than it should be. (More on this later) I also don't quite understand the actions and thoughts of the characters? There are some reactions I find puzzling coming from certain characters even when a big event has happened, like, that shouldn't be the reaction of a normal person? Also, the demon hunting aspect of it seemed not as exciting as before and feels very subdued and watered down.

And what's with the night time dark filter that makes everything sooo much harder to see? It removes so much clarity and it became such an unpleasant watching experience.

Characters/Cast
Oh how I miss the original cast, things just feel so empty now. The relationship between each character and their chemistry was what took season one to the next level, and sadly, none of that cast chemistry is left. Realistically speaking, it's ridiculous to expect characters that have moved on to appear in this season, but what a dream it would be to see the orignal cast again.

Wu Xin this season is wayyyy better than the Wu Xin we saw in S2. This season, he's humourous, caring, decisive, smart... basically everything S2 WX isn't lol. Han Dongjun is charming as per usual and I like how he changes his portrayal of WX each season according to WX's "age" at the time the dramas are set. And how does he look the same he did 5 years ago?? Its the complete opposite for Chen Yao lol, she changes so much every season I swear it's so hard keeping up with her. I thought she did pretty well in giving the twins distinct personalities, by the end I could tell who was who just by the slightest change in expression, but I also thought the connection with Yue QiLuo and the twins was done a bit forcefully. As for their chemistry, I don't think it's the best, especially not when I keep comparing them to their S1 pairings hahahha, but I buy their romance so that's good. And Ding Qiao's Bai Liuli was surprisingly fitting! Mike's portrayal of Bai Liuli served more as comic relief with his animated expressions, but S3's Bai Liuli was a lot darker and I liked it a lot too!

Music
Undoubtedly the worst aspect of this show. The standalone songs are really nice to listen to, but the BGM placement was a mess! At times when the scene was supposed to be lighthearted and humourous, sombre music would play. When the scene has a solemn and dark atmosphere, the bgm would be upbeat and playful. Just why? It just stuck out like a sore thumb. The drama lost so much of its appeal because of this and it's such a major problem that is easy to spot. What a pity.

All in all, you might want to check this out if you like historical dramas and have an attachment to S1's characters. The plot moves slowly, so please be patient while watching this. The actors also do their characters justice so that made it more enjoyable to watch.

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