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I'm continuing on with Men and Legends, and I've finished discs 4, 5, and 6. Just one more to go. While checking to see if disc seven will be sent to me next week (it won't - short wait. But, then over half my list is 'short wait') I read some reviews. Apparently, many found it good but boring,confusing, and draggy at times. I think the main issue is that Men and Legends suffers from what many period and Mainland dramas suffer from - length and bad editing.
Men and Legends was forty episodes when broadcasted on television. On DVD, I believe it's closer to thirty-two, which makes me believe things may have been edited out for the U.S. DVD release. Now, forty episodes is no problem, but if things are edited out or too many storylines are playing at once, things can get a bit confusing and even annoying. Men and Legends is the same as many other period Mainland China dramas - it's like a big Russian novel. There are lots of characters coming in and out, some for a short while and some for longer periods of time. Story lines appear in one episode, disappear for ten, and then are picked up again. Though, this seems odd, the truth is - this is a DVD with episodes that were longer cut down into 45 minutes. So, instead of disappearing for ten episodes, maybe when it aired on television, the storylines only disappeared for three-five episodes.
The editing is an issue as well, because scenes do tend to jump from one play to the next. I'm with one set of characters and suddenly I'm with another. Whoever directed Men and Legends seemed to be a big fan of the fade-cut - you know, where two scenes sort of fade into each other. He/She was a BIG fan. I stick by my 'Things have to have been cut out when it was released on DVD'/'They must have thought each episode would be 70-80 minutes when aired/released on DVD' theory. Because seriously, some of these cuts and edits make me beyond confused. And, I'm the person that watches things so carefully I figure everything out five minutes into a mystery movie/drama.
Don't get me wrong - I'm enjoying the drama and all the twists and turns it has to offer. This is a drama about people who could have lived during the early-mid 1900s in China. They have the Japanese and looming World Wars to deal with, as well as the fact that martial arts are becoming a thing of the past in many ways. It's amazing and sometimes heartbreaking to see the main characters make decisions to safe themselves fully knowing that they are turning their backs on their ideals in order to stay alive/reach their dream.
( heavily spoilery thoughts on some character development and storylines )
Men and Legends was forty episodes when broadcasted on television. On DVD, I believe it's closer to thirty-two, which makes me believe things may have been edited out for the U.S. DVD release. Now, forty episodes is no problem, but if things are edited out or too many storylines are playing at once, things can get a bit confusing and even annoying. Men and Legends is the same as many other period Mainland China dramas - it's like a big Russian novel. There are lots of characters coming in and out, some for a short while and some for longer periods of time. Story lines appear in one episode, disappear for ten, and then are picked up again. Though, this seems odd, the truth is - this is a DVD with episodes that were longer cut down into 45 minutes. So, instead of disappearing for ten episodes, maybe when it aired on television, the storylines only disappeared for three-five episodes.
The editing is an issue as well, because scenes do tend to jump from one play to the next. I'm with one set of characters and suddenly I'm with another. Whoever directed Men and Legends seemed to be a big fan of the fade-cut - you know, where two scenes sort of fade into each other. He/She was a BIG fan. I stick by my 'Things have to have been cut out when it was released on DVD'/'They must have thought each episode would be 70-80 minutes when aired/released on DVD' theory. Because seriously, some of these cuts and edits make me beyond confused. And, I'm the person that watches things so carefully I figure everything out five minutes into a mystery movie/drama.
Don't get me wrong - I'm enjoying the drama and all the twists and turns it has to offer. This is a drama about people who could have lived during the early-mid 1900s in China. They have the Japanese and looming World Wars to deal with, as well as the fact that martial arts are becoming a thing of the past in many ways. It's amazing and sometimes heartbreaking to see the main characters make decisions to safe themselves fully knowing that they are turning their backs on their ideals in order to stay alive/reach their dream.
( heavily spoilery thoughts on some character development and storylines )
