Chinese Paladin 5 (2016)

Story: This is the 3rd series of the popular Chinese Paladin franchise that was popularised by Hu Ge. Having watched all three Chinese Paladin series, I'll just summarise by saying that they are all worth your time watching. CP5 is an entirely different story. It even has an entirely different cast. No Hu Ge. To some, this might be a disappointment, but to others, this is a breath of fresh air - an opportunity for budding actors to try and prove their worth. Did Elvis Han manage to fill Hu Ge's big shoes? To be fair, it's hard to compare since Elvis' and Hu Ge's characters in the CP franchise are quite different! I'll also go out on a limp here by saying that in CP5, we have TWO male lead characters and not one as per the past CPs. Joe Cheng who acted as the Demon Prince Long You is an equally commanding, charismatic (perhaps more charismatic) and important character in CP5 as Elvis' half-human-half-demon Yun Fan. There are times in the series where Yun Fan's story took the backseat and Long You shone through. In fact, it got me questioning if Long You's the main male lead and not Yun Fan! Long You certainly has a much more interesting story arc. I am sure there are many Long You fans out there as there are for Yun Fan! The bromance between Yun Fan and Long You is another reason for watching this series. Unlike the past two series, this series focuses more on the relationship between humans and demons. The fairies or gods hardly make an appearance (if you count the 3 brief CGI appearances of Nuwa goddess as the 'fairy' part!).

Romance-wise, I am more in favour of the Long You-Xiao Man pairing. The romance between Yun Fan and Yu Rou is pretty one-dimensional and straightforward. I am also not entirely sold on the chemistry between Yun Fan and Yu Rou. Gulnezer or Gu Li Na Zha is a pretty woman but she is not suited to this role. She's either staring blank with her large eyes or crying tears with her large eyes. Nothing more. The chemistry is lacking between her and Elvis - which was a disappointment. It got to the point that I did not feel sorry for her when it's time for her to leave the scene (ahem!). The chemistry between Ling Ying and Long You was believable; not to mention the rather hot kissing scene (those of you who'd watched it know which one I'm referring to!)... but I was somewhat glad that Long You choose Xiao Man instead. Theirs is a relationship that started with platonic friendship and slowly grew into love as they supported each other and experienced all the hardships and challenges together. There is so much possibility for the relationship to grow but unfortunately, the series had to end! And the ending is....without giving spoilers away, I can only summarise it in one word: HOPE.

Acting/Cast: Generally, acting was good but I am not impressed with Gulnezer's acting. Unfortunately, this series would have been a much better one if they replace Gulnezer. My favourite actors are those who played the bandits. They provided the much needed comedic relief in this series.

Music: The OSTs are good and appropriate.

Rewatch value: I am more biased towards Long You's story; so if I rewatch this, I will only watch the parts concerning Long You. Thankfully, there are plenty of it!

Overall: Not as amazing as CP1 & 3, but it is still worth your time watching. Interesting story that manage to capture audiences' imagination. I rate this 8.5/10.

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