Cdrama Review - Three Kingdoms (2010)

WOW....

So I just finished watching this mammoth-size series, a whopping 95-episodes that took me literally one year to finish! And I thought NHK's Shinsengumi! was long (zhe jiushi taa shuo de.) Anyways, no really- wow...where do I even start? Well, the series begins with the period of unrest during the waning days of the Eastern Han dynasty with the Yellow Turban Rebellion and the Han Emperor's call to protect the court, local warlords unite to suppress the rebellion and since, by that point, the Han were too weak to enforce their rule this led to a period of unrest between opposing warlords seeking dominion over the land. Ultimately warlords fought and united, merging into three major powers which would come to be known as the Three Kingdoms of Wei, Wu, & Shu. The drama begins (circa 189 A.D) and covers all relevant "history" up to the dismantling of the three kingdoms (circa 251 A.D) and what would become the beginning of the Jin Dynasty. I put "history" in quotations because its not 100% accurate information but a romanticized version based off of the famous historical novel by Luo Guanzhong, Romance of the Three Kingdoms - and I'm rather glad they did so (afterall we're watching a drama not a documentary!)

For those familiar with the folklore surrounding the three kingdoms era, you know well enough that the story shifts between many battles and historical events but focuses on the characters, or heroes [romanticized] of the prevailing three kingdoms. Therefore, in my review I'll mostly skip over the historical events in favor of the characters and settings. All major leads in this drama were exceptional from an acting standpoint, though I must admit I was at first put off by Liu Bei's [stylized Xuande] actor but then quickly realized (due to my own ignorance of the historical Liu Bei) that he was perfect for the role. I had another gripe with the actor who played Sima Yi [Zhongda] until about the last 10-15 episodes or so, then I realized he was amazing! Plus the actor who played Pang Tong [Shiyuan] was a bit annoying for some reason until his last mission. Standouts for me were the main leads- from the cunning and crafty Cao Cao [Mengde] to the virtuous and beneficent Liu Bei and his majestic and fearless brothers Guan Yu [Yunchang] and Zhang Fei [Yide] to the wise and discerning Sun Quan [Zhongmou], the gallant and pompous Lu Bu [Fengxian] the valiant and courageous Zhao Yun [Zilong], the brilliance and genius of Zhuge Liang [Kongming] juxtaposed to the intelligent and tactiful Zhou Yu [Gongjin], to the diplomatic and kind Lu Su [Zijing], and finally to the ever-patient and shrewd Sima Yi - each one of them was just right for their role and the acting was emotional and spot on. Bravo! Even the supporting cast was great- some of my favorite characters were actually the court ministers and generals who died along the way though most of them were loyal to their lords a few of them were not. My favorite among these were ministers Wang Yun [Zishi] Chen Gong [Gongtai], Lu Su, Xun Yu [Wenruo], Zhuge Jin [Ziyu] and generals Lu Meng [Ziming], and Sima Zhao [Zishang.] To me, this series was all about the characters and they delivered!

You would think that a drama about war for 95, 46-minute episodes would get boring and stale at various points but the producers and directors did an excellent job of pacing and each episode has some side-story that grabs your attention before you realize a major event occurs. This drama has a lot going on, obviously, because the cast of characters is huge there's never a dull moment in this drama. The music is also very good and fitting as well as the setting of the drama. You really begin to feel at some point that you've been immersed in some distant heroic age with all these warriors, heroes, and ministers, emperors and bashful women, the candles and lanterns lit at night, traditional chinese dress and mannerisms, simplicity of life, and horse-riding that goes on in this series (to name a few.) They did a wonderful job in that respect, but I will say that for a 95 episode series there aren't a whole lot of diverse settings, though the range that they have suffices. As a long-time fan of Dynasty Warriors (a series which itself is based off of three kingdoms' lore) I fell in love with this drama and it was actually my first Chinese drama and I was very impressed by the effort and care that went into it. Many of these characters are legends in Chinese folklore and some of them are even worshipped in temples and shrines. That is why I am focusing on mainly the characters in this review and I think the producers had the same idea in mind. In an age of chaos, heroes came from the corners of China to unite and vie for hegemony and rule, and the result is one fine and gripping story over the lives of countless heroes who sacrificed their lives for a greater cause of unity and peace for all.

I would say that if you like or are interested in anything related to the three kingdoms era of Chinese history then this is a must-watch for you! If you are interested in historical, period/war dramas then this is also a highly recommended series for you. The only major drawbacks I can think of is the length (as it took me a year to watch on my free time) but its possible to watch the entire series within a few months if you dedicate your time to it. Other than that, I honestly found this series very enjoyable and I count it among one of my favorite dramas, along with 1 Litre of Tears, and Shinsengumi! Cheers to the makers and thanks to uploaders and fansubbers! I would buy this if I came across it, I enjoyed it that much!


Presentation/Story: 9/10
Characters: 10/10
Setting: 8/10
Music: 9/10
Value: 8.5/10
Quirks: 3.5/10 (+6.5)


THE GOOD: Great series! I also learned a lot of Chinese history and a few words in Mandarin like "da do do" (commander) "chu-gong" (my lord), "bi shia" (your majesty) "nu-oh" (yes sir), "way-kher" (why) "pi-fu" (imbecile) "fa-sur" (insolence) etc, etc.
THE BAD: It's too long for most people (zhe jiushi taa shuo de.)
THE UGLY: I would hate to think all those pot-roasted chickens they had on every table for every meal during the entire series went to waste (assuming they were real of course, as y'know, all things Chinese tend to be...ehem.) ...Yea. I think that last remark was "the ugly." [by the way, I was joking, I have nothing against the Chinese nor their products.] ^_^


Review: 8.5/10