Three Kingdoms Adaptations to Get You Started | Video Essay
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 พ.ค. 2024
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Accented Cinema - Episode 130
In this video, we'll talk about the early dynastic period, including China's first golden age, and discuss its many stories and themes.
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Learnt Romance of the Three Kingdoms by playing Dynasty Warriors series
I am Cow Pee, like my father Cow Cow.
@@AccentedCinemait’s stuff like that that made me switch the audio to Japanese when I played those games lmao
@@AccentedCinema As kids, whenever we'd hear Cao Cao pronounced the proper way, we'd giggle as we thought of the dog breed.
@@AccentedCinemain any Dynasty Warriors game, it is not wise to pick a fight with Lu Bu at Hulao Gate because if that happens, it is all over!
@@sndark6241Dynasty Warriors 9 has managed to get a Mandarin Chinese dub and it is fitting to enjoy the Three Kingdoms experience!
You left out the anime where Zhuge Liang dies, gets reincarnated into modern day Japan, and helps a girl fulfil her dreams of being a pop star!
Chan Chan Ai Chiki Chiki Ban Ban
*tweaking the shoulders*
Ya Boi Kong Ming! 😆 🤣 😂
Such a gold series ! That it has not much of a following is criminal
@@jjstarrprod Not everyone can appreciate the finest beauty - Kong Ming probably.
9:35 ah yes, the ancient technique of sliding your horse like a motorcycle and then having it get up and walk immediately
The Japanese have train drift, the Chinese have horse drift
I know it wasn't his intention, but he totally sold me on the movie with that shot. I love campy crap. 😁Plus, I mean, it's *Dynasty Warriors.* What else would you expect from a DW movie? Seems like a totally faithful adaptation to me!
@@jasonblalock4429 I'm not a native English speaker. Would you kindly tell me what does "DW movie" mean? I googled it but can't find anything applicable to the context in your comment.
@@jueling8611 DW = Dynasty Warrior. Japanese game loosely based on Three Kingdom. Don't expect accuracy.
@@jueling8611 It stands for Dynasty Warriors, just in this context
thank you very much for the shout out!!
Us in "Gentlemen of the Han" are working on translating the entire 1994 Three Kingdoms TV series, to share this great series to as many people as we can.
Thank you!!!
I am using your translation to follow the series, always wanted to thank you guys for your efforts and dedication.
Love to see fan translations
非常好漢化，使我字幕旋轉
The 1994 adaptation use of the original language from the novel really underscores the beauty of ancient Chinese. There is that grand sense of poetry in every line. It is damn moving.
Cao Cao reciting his poem (对酒当歌) before Red Cliffs always gives me chills. Sure, he lost that battle, but damn, the man is a true hero of the Three Kingdoms.
You know what I would love to see, Three Kingdoms TV series but given the same respect (and budget) as Shogun.
Does shogun have a white guy in it? Or Anything to do with the west? Lol
@@bloodangel13main char would be a Roman guy travelling to China, who banged Diaochan and two Qiao lol
@@bloodangel13 No white guys, no show. Sorry.
(Note: I'm from Argentina, where Chinese culture isn't widespread, even though there's a healthy Chinese population... at least in the capital Buenos Aires)
I started getting into Romance of the Three Kingdoms in the late 80s, with the eponymous PC strategy game by Koei. You're right that the iconography (slightly anime-style in that game) helped me know the characters. Now I can individualize all of them just by hearing the name.
I continued in the late 90s with Dynasty Warriors IV, knowing full well that it distorted the story and characters (and further sequels of the game even increased the Playstation aesthetic regarding their clothes and equipment).
Then I played a lot of Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI, in the early 2000s (I prefer strategy games to action ones).
At that point I became really curious as to the full original story. But, alas, the novel hadn't been edited in Spanish and was nowhere available in Argentina (not even in English). And it was too costly to import it (for me). So I started reading online from a free source... but it was too much to read from a PC screen. I love holding books, and I can read for any length of time... but not on a screen. So I never completed the novel (I didn't even reach one-third of it).
I started watching the 2010 series on TH-cam, but there were a couple of episodes missing (there are two uploads with English subs, I believe, the HD one has missing episodes, and another with lower quality is full).
I did watch, several times, Red Cliff (the full, two movies, version). And I absolutely LOVE it. I introduced my wife to Romance of the Three Kingdoms through it, and she found the characters and concepts fascinating (she's not new to Chinese cinema, her favorite movie is "Curse of the Golden Flower", and she loves Gong Li). We are considering buying the, somewhat new (5-10 years?), Spanish edition of the original novel, although it's quite expensive here in Argentina. And they've used Dynasty Warriors artwork for the covers... so there's that. :-P
the novel isnt just telling a good story, but also has tremendous literature value. the words and poetics are so beautiful. sad there are not a good translated version in your native language.
BASED
From Chinese perspective, 1994 TV series (wonderful but incomplete) > 2010 series >> 2010s Red Cliff movies (trash)
@@deepseer European here. I was EXTREMELY disappointed by Red Cliffs movie, and I only barely knew the story through pop culture osmosis, apart from actually decent battle scenes (like the shield wall at Eight Gates formation), it spend half the movie trying to be pretentious with flute and calf-birthing scenes like whoever-shot-the-bow reading CCP morality on how you should spare tyrants for no reason (in all other adaptations the only one who spares Cao Cao is Guan Yu, and only because he's repaying a debt).
Takeshi Kaneshiro is one of my fav actors of all time and he was a horrible Zhuge Liang, should have swapped him and Tony Leung around I think.
YES! As much as I love the '94 and 2010 versions, I'm still waiting for the day when there's a tv adaptation with the production quality level of Game of Thrones and Shogun that can grab wider international attention for this quintessential Chinese classic
I had the same thought! Haha it's probably not going to be that good tbh. But if it can be as entertaining and inaccurate as 300, sure take my money Hollywood 😂.
@lordkent8143 Haha possibly. At the vety least it could interest new fans in the overall story and history
I don't know man. They butchered The Three-Body Problem.
Who's to say they won't shoehorn anti-communist bullcrap into their 3K adaptation?
the 2010 is actually at that level already, everything there is so carefully crafted, each character has a "dark side" which is very human, not some pure myth-hero.
With US-China relations now at such a low point, not going to happen. But China got the money, they can do it themselves and have posts it online with English subtitles.
Oh hey, I work on the project making fansubs for the 1994 series- thanks for the shoutout! We just had a release recently, what a coincidence. Working on the project has been my first exposure to the complete Three Kingdoms story, and it's given me a deep appreciation of both the original and the adaptation. People can find our subtitles by searching for "Gentlemen of the Han," the name of our group. We want as many people as possible to see this great series- I hope another team might do the same for the anime series one day!
❤
Learning that the 2010 version is in any way controversial is wild. I had no idea because that show is incredible. Giving characters more balanced depictions worked great, especially for Cao Cao. I don't like when he's portrayed as pure evil and Liu Bei as pure good, when even in the novel, neither was the case.
Using a Chinese Communist Party-approved positive depiction of an infamous tyrant is hardly balanced, they had an edict that forced everyone to show Qin Shi Huang-Di and Cao Cao in a positive light... so Xi would look less psycho in comparison I guess? I think I liked Liu Bei in the 2010 version, more crafty version, but Cao Cao was perfect in 1994 IMO.
Sun Wukong in Three Kingdoms is a crossover I should have expected.
I'm not even halfway through the video,but what the-
It kind of happened in Koei's Warrior Orochi series as well. 😂
Xu Shaohua played Sanzang in Journey to the West and Zhang Liao in Romance of the Three Kingdoms
@@JulienneRoman why Koei not make an adaptation of Suikoden? Is it cause Konami has a license? Want to see 108 roster of shui Hui zuan karakter
The last time Koei adapted it is all men are brother, same time rotk 3
@@widimira597 Ah yes the wonder of the gotta catch them all 100+ characters fun times of the Suikoden series. Been ages since I've heard of it again. Unfortunately, if Konami does have the license, then there's no chance in hell they're letting anyone else publish a remake or sequel. It's the same story with Silent Hill. That's why PT could not materialize outside Konami. 😢
Make a series of video like this from:
- Investiture of the Gods
- White Snake Legend
- A Strange Stories from Chinese Studio
- etc.
I've come across a few Investiture adaptations, but haven't really found *any* of them to be particularly good. Though I haven't watched the new (ish) movie yet. Would love to find out if I've missed any that are particularly good, as it's probably my favorite of those Classical Novels.
Don't forget By the Waters (I don't know if it's the English translation)
@@Netherflythe manga is pretty good. With some funky simili Chinese sci-fi character designs. Daji is an Evangelion plug suit cosplayer, Nezha is basically a cross between Megaman and Hiei, and one of the immortals fights with 2 lightsabers. It's pretty whacky (although it doesn't forget to get serious when needed).
@@jjstarrproddid you mean water margin? Coolhistorybro make an easy to understand story of water margin or Suikoden In japan
@@widimira597 ah ok, so that's the english title of Shui Hu Zhuan. Good to know, thanks.
And yes, it's one of my favorite classic tales, with a hundred of heroes that all get their moment of glory (at least at the beginning)
3 kingdoms podcast is AWESOME. Definitely worth a listen to anyone interested. It’s a guy reading the book for a western audience and gives plenty of information to help people understand.
It was great to hear the proper pronunciation of names, that I had been saying wrong for years.
Ohhhhh thanks for the recc!!
Gonna check that out
Last time i remember, Kongming is working as Idol Manager in Shibuya..
Not an adaptation of three kingdoms, but I’d like to use this chance to recommend the Manga/Anime/Live-Action Series Ya Boy Kongming, where Zhuge Liang is reincarnated in the modern day and becomes a manager of an up an coming singer.
All versions are way, way better than they have any right to. I’m more partial to the adaptations myself since music is a big part of the story and, well, Manga kinda struggles with that due to no sound, but do be warned both of them are incomplete adaptations.
yo boy kongming is fun finished the anime and read up to what would be season 2 of the anime. also wtf there's a live action series now?
Chanchan a Chikichiki Banban! 🤣
Bulikirály FTW!
I was looking for this comment!!! Kongming deserves party and fun (and more work) in the afterlife
I love that anime! Not entirely sure if it's my obsession with Zhuge Kongming or it's really good thou 😆
@@Reacted1991 yeah, I was also like WTF ? The anime was so much fun and they made a live action show already !?
Red cliff was my introduction to the three kingdoms.
The 2010 series is by far my favorite because the liberties it takes are arguably the most reasonable to the kinds of people the characters actually were
Dynasty Warriors movie
*sees Guan Yu shread his clothes and shines like gold*
"Nah.... F Tier".
😂😂
The most objective review this movie could get.
As a Westerner who knows Three Kingdoms mainly from Dynasty Warriors, the 2010 TV series is my favourite. It may change things, but it's more accessible. The 94 series is good too, though.
The way i'm currently learning about it is the podcast format narration by John Zhu on spotify. He does not cut anything from the story but he does adapt the narration to be more agile, give context and reminders and is generally friendly and has good sense of humor. Big recommendation on my part.
That's how I experienced the story too. Great narration and he gave great context on alot of the different figures and cultural allusions of the novel.
For anyone who just learned about John Zhu's podcast in this comment section, he has also finished a podcast on "Water Margin" and is currently doing "Investiture of the Gods" under the name "Chinese Lore Podcast".
The Ravages of Time manga is also a great way to read about Romance of Three Kingdoms.
It's insanely long tho, and since the author try to humanize everyone... even the nameless ones it can be convoluted
However, that manga made Lu Bu not only incredibly bad ass, but a human.
Too bad it is sooo underrated, accented cinema don't know about it.
but wasn't that more of a retelling that works better for audiences that are already familiar with the story
I think Chan Mou expressly made it clear Lu Bu "isn't human". 不是人 is often a phrase that accompanies the mention of Lu Bu in his works.
Yeah, I also think it's one of the absolute best adaptations of the 3 Kingdoms, all mediums included. I'm actually pretty sure the 2 recent series (2010 and 2017) were heavily inspired by it (I mean, one is making some pretty big deviations of characters to try and humanize them, the other one is starting with Sima Yi..?)
Excellent adaptation, definitely the best manga I've read (it technically isn't one, it's a manhua but you get the meaning).
I remember when Total War Three Kingdoms came out and the 2010 series ended up being discussed amongst players, I ended up watching it and had a lot of fun... Though I never got to finish it, and seen as I was watching it on the high seas never managed to find it again later.
Book is good. Any adaptation will not make it justice, it's not LotR or Jane Austen, too much text to adapt with no flaws.
Everyone forgets the Toei three kingdoms animation, that one had Zhuge Liang died in shch an epic way with his shooting star falling and him remembering all that Shu had sacrafice for. The short series also had so much blood for a kids show hahah 😂 but epic soundtrack.
Toei's movie trilogy version is incredible, I really like it
I grew up reading Three Kingdoms and shared my love of the original novel with a group of people, majority white Westerners. None of them ever complained about names that looked the same, huge geography and too many words.
I got into Three Kingdoms from the anime Paripi Koumei!
The 2010 Version has a special place in my heart because it was the first Chinese TV series I ever watched and it got me into Chinese dramas and movies more generally.
I really love the Cao Cao character in the New Three Kingdom, played by Chen Jianbin.
Let's be honest here: We, the boys born in the 80s-90s and grew up during the 2000s, have played Dynasty Warriors at some point in our lives at somebody's house, even if we don't own a gaming console ourselves.
2010 Three Kingdoms is what made Chen Jianbin The Cao Cao we know and love.
I couldn't agree more!
He completely steals the show.
My dad always says Chen Jianbin is the best Cao Cao to ever exist on screen, and I totally agree
The smile, that damned smile....
I unwittingly copied his controlled yet sincere laugh.
Ravages of Time manhua, already had a recent anime adaption. Is looking to cast for the live action by 2026. That story also reinvent a lot of stuff too.
There's an anime for Ravages of Time???
@@susbedo9258 Yes it is on youtube too.
@@susbedo9258 th-cam.com/video/ON06zhz8D74/w-d-xo.html&pp=ygUUcmF2YWdlcyBvZiB0aW1lIGVwIDE%3D Donghua is underrated.
I remember stumbling on an old VHS tape when I was a small, dumb child back in the 90's. "Great Conquest, Romance of the Three Kingdoms" was my first exposure to the classic. That old tape and the various Koei games made me track down the novels, and now I would like to thank you for introducing me to even more adaptations.
As an avid fan of the book and time period, I think Advisors Alliance does it best.
We were all avid Shu fan boys, but if you watch if from the Wei side and Sima Yi's pov, I think fans of the time period would also find it fascinating. I mean it has all the court politics, prince fighting against princes, classic Chinese drama; what's not to like?
Also, I believe it has more historical base than all the others, especially taking notes from Book of Wei and Book of Jin.
PS: if anybody has played the TOTAL WAR 3 KINGDOMS video game, I highly suggest watching SERIOUS TRIVIA. He's probably the best 3K content creator, speak English, and has a wide breadth of knowledge on the time period, down to the smallest characters that I didn't know I should really care about.
The Dynasty Warriors movie is SO fun, and you can carve that on my gravestone.
Once you get a general picture of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, i recommend diving into a manhua/manga called The ravages of time (RoT) by the Hongkong artist Chan Mou. This isn’t a typical adaptation; it’s wild, imaginative, and yet totally makes sense. The worldbuilding and character development are top-notch, and speaking impartially, it's a masterpiece of warfare strategy.
What I love most is how the characters are portrayed. There are no dumb or useless warlords and advisors here. Even the diabetic and tyrannical Dong Zhuo is shown as a visionary leader with ambition and a commanding aura. "Culturally antagonistic" figures like Dong Zhuo, Lu Bu, and Cao Cao are given such depth and purpose that you might find yourself rooting for them, which makes sense when you realize the main character is actually Sima Yi, the ultimate villain and historical winner of this period. Lu Bu, often labeled as "brave but not strategic" (a better translation has to be "all brawn and no brains) has also become one of my favorites and most iconic characters in the series.
And the strategies-they’re mind-blowingly complex. Besides drawing from famous tactics like Sun Tzu’s 36 Stratagems, the manga introduces its own strategic concepts such as Xia Ju's Dark Arts of War, which is about sacrificing/inflicting damage on oneself first before inflicting damage on the enemies, earning a brutal victory; or the "On Morale" thesis, which is about the art of psychological warfare. Plenty of espionage and counterintelligence plots as well. The battles are never straightforward, like the original A beats B then goes to war with C; they always involve intricate traps and schemes, such as A traps B lures C and makes B and C fight each other, all the while A B C has fallen into the dark deep schemes of D, closely supervised by E...
That being said, you must have some prior knowledge on the Romance of Three Kingdoms first to fully appreciate this revolutionary adaptation. Besides, the first arc might seem slow and confusing, but it picks up quickly. If you ever feel lost, the Reddit and Discord communities are great resources, there are plenty of starter packs and enthusiastic fans ready to help :)
Honestly, new three Kingdoms is my all time favorite. Actors are amazing!
Koei really helps a lot of people get into the three kingdoms stroies, from the strategy game to the musou series. Thanks Koei!
In 90s in Indonesia, I learned three kingdom by playing game (with the names in Pinyin), new published book with images (with names in Wade Gilles), and old shortened version belong to my Grandfather (with names in Hokkien in old Indonesian spelling). So, I have to switch my brain every time I read them. Some example: Liu Bei vs Liu Pei vs Lao Pi, Zhuge Liang vs Chuke Liang vs Tjukat Liang, Kong Ming vs Kong Beng.
Kinda unrelated,but this has the same vibe of me watching 3 adaptations of JTTW simultaneously-
Basically me trying to work out the English versions, Chinese pronunciations, and asking my dad for stories about them in Vietnamese. Takes a while to work through all three languages to figure out who is who, but the basic gist is the same.
Romance of the Three Kingdom game from Koei make me love Three Kingdom
Man, I have trouble just switching gears between Pinyin and Wade-Giles. I can't imagine adding a third system to the list!
Ive seen the new Romance of the 3 Kingdoms and thought it was S tier. But you saying it's B tier and the original version is S tier makes me wanna see it.
It's certainly more faithful to the novel, but YMMV whether or not you think it's *better.* Should still give it a watch, though.
@@Netherfly Bro the original is actually more faithful to the novel AND history. I watched the new one first and I honestly thought it was not bad, but that opinion completely changed after I watched the 1994 version, the difference is drastic
@@Netherfly yeah. I'll give it a watch. I just need to find the time.
What Introduced me to the 3 Kingdoms
1 Dynasty Warriors
2 SD Gundam BB Senshi (The new ver also added Sun Wukong with the 3 Kingdoms, Zhuge Liang reminded him with Tripitaka)
3 There is this Korean Tokusatsu series known as Legend Heroes, where each character and suits are based from the 3 Kingdoms
Ayyyy LEGEND OF HEROES mention 🐐
0:11 It's actually very relieving to hear you say this.
I originally got into Three Kingdoms via Wo Long Fallen Dynasty. Since I'd read a lot of Journey to the West, I figured I'd be fine trying the original Three Kingdoms, but I desperately struggled with it.
It's very reassuring to hear that it's totally viable to get into the story through these other mediums too.
I first came to know this story by a manga, Sangokushi (Sonoda Mitsuyoshi, not Yokoyama Mitsuteru) in 1993. I remember this manga because of how unique it was, they make the manga landscape, like children storybook.
My first Sam Kok intro is from Taiwanese Tsai Chih Chung's cartoon. Like most Japanese-aligned adaptation, it ended "happily" in Red Cliff. Skipping most of the anti-Dong Zhuo coalition arc, Cao Cao's consolidation of power, Liu Bei's plight and winning Jingzhou.
And of course, the Hokkien 4-koma style Wuxia comic that is the staple of Southeast Asian Chinese diaspora. My grandma's family owns the Cantonese one. All of them translated into old Indonesian with weird localised Hokkien and Cantonese names. I think many Indonesians could relate to this.
Finally it is the epic 1993 TV adaptation - a bit boring for newbies, but it is fully faithful and epic on its own right.
Then the Dynasty Warriors games - weird, but okay-ish. What I appreciate for them is, despite their attempts at perversion and modernisation - they know how to depict the iconic looks of Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhuge Liang, and some more familiar names
Finally the Mainland's 2010 drama - another modern re-interpretation that makes it sensible, although could use a lot more improvements. Many overseas diaspora disagreed with this version as it ameliorates the Wei side, giving Cao Cao more sympathetic look. Of course it is "Beijing's / Northerner's version" lol. IMO, one of the best version. It seemed to teach foreign players to yell "Cao Ahman" to any Wei players online.
All the shortened cinema movies: mostly a bit meh. Watched "Red Cliff", my parents were immediately turned off by its artistic licenses. Watched "The Lost Bladesman", that's not Guan Yunchang.
Red cliff was just awesome
The Three kingdoms RPG tv show is the most meme way to experience the story, hehe.
The Mitsuteru Yokoyama Sangokushi is what the most famous anime version of the three kingdoms is based on. It’s bombastic!
For manhua/manga i would recommend Ravages of Times which centered on Sima Yi and Ryurouden which kind of isekai i think about it but trust me it's awesome.
I watched the Arabic dub of Yokoyama Mitsuteru Sangokushi as a child, and I still remember the character to this day!
Holy shit, I was just talking to a friend of mine last weekend about how I felt like I should have read this book already, since it's so fucking impactful, but how intimidating it is to start. What incredible timing, thank you so much.
should I say the best way to read the book is reading it in Chinese😁
its much more intimidating now😁
Thanks for this video! I got into Romance of the Three Kingdoms after reading the first volume of the manga “Princess Jellyfish” because one of the main characters loved and made constant reference to this novel and it’s characters. Reading it has been fun, but i admit there is a lot to keep track of, so this video will be a good jumping off point to watch these shows first and then come back to reading. Rock on! 👍
OMG, when you showed K.O 3an Guo near the end, that unlocked a core memory of mine being obssessed with the K.O One series when I was a kid (watched it on a Chinese cable channel without subs) but I understood K.O 3an Guo because of the Three Kingdoms influence.
Thanks for making me remember about it!
Crazy how I was just in the middle of re-watching Ya Boy Kong Ming anime, and then this comes up lol
I got to know Romance of Three Kingdoms through the old Koei game Romance of Three Kingdoms 3.
Then a couple of years later, the local TV station broadcasted the 1994 adaptation, without subtitles. Given my poor standard of Chinese, I had trouble understanding the dialogues. The TV station later added subtitles, which enabled me to enjoy the series to the last episode.
Advisors Alliance can be silly at times but I like that it took the 2010 series' pivot toward character stories all the way to the conclusion. In an early episode the antagonist of the first arc, Yang Xiu, has just had someone murdered and made some underhanded deals to guarantee his safety and success. The other parties leave the clandestine meeting place and he's alone. This is supposed to be where he reveals his villainous ambitions to the audience right? Well no, he screams with guilt then cries himself to sleep. Also the interpretation of Cao Rui as emotionally traumatized from childhood is the highlight of the 2nd half.
I love Red Cliff!!! When I saw Takeshi Kaneshiro, I was already in as I’d watch anything he stars in but the rest of the cast is fantastic as well 😊 So definitely a good introduction for me
as a westerner with little to no previous knowledge of the three kingdoms period watched the 2010 version and enjoyed it very much. loved all the actors and find it very interesting that you mention the eastern audience preferred (at least originally) the more reserved acting of the "old" version. Since you reminded me its on youtube, might be time for a rewatch
The best animation of Three Kingdoms
三国志
第一部・英雄たちの夜明け
第二部・長江燃ゆ!
完結編・遥かなる大地
Best way to learn is by what's most enjoyable. Put that on some merch.
I wish I had known that learning through girl panties was a valid option.
Three Kingdoms (2010) TV show has one of the best opening songs, maybe only beaten by shaolin temple 🙂
I know it's not exactly an adaptation per se, but I particularly enjoy Ya Boy Kongming!
It's given me an appreciation of at least one aspect of Three Kingdoms: the folk interpretations.
Thank you for making this video. Super helpful ❤
Quite an authentic experience… C tier! 😂
I had no idea there was a Dynasty Warriors movie, and now I have to see it. I love campy "so bad it's good" movies.
Personally, my first exposure to the Three Kingdoms was Romance Of The Three Kingdoms 11, which is still one of my all-time favorite strategy games. I spent a summer obsessing over it, and then I ended up reading the novel. The funny thing was discovering that my winning strategy as Liu Bei was actually quite close to Zhuge Liang's overall battle plan in the book!
The movie is great
Did someone just say the 94 version is better than the 2010? You have an enemy for life now!! ; )
Don’t forget The Secret of the Three Kingdoms, which is an alternative interpretation which changes parts of the story, but has phenomenal acting and a smart script!
Can I just say this is EXACTLY what I wanted/needed! I’ve gotten really interested in historical cdramas in the last year, and I come across this title/recommendation again and again, and I ended up looking for summaries on TH-cam to try to hear this great story! If you ever do a sequel video with even more visual versions, I’m definetly watching!
The first game ever that I played was Romance of the Three Kingdoms II, a PC game that I played in middle school. Then I read the novel, then played the Dynasty Warrior series and the movies.
cant beleive you didnt mention the japanese animation ikki tousen. definitley the hottest adaptation
Some time ago I watched an anime adaptation told mainly from Cao Cao's perspective that I really enjoyed. It was "Soten Koro" and it had an amazing soundtrack, production quality and a feeling of epicness that I'd even consider exaggerated. It has some flaws, but I think it's worth it for the theatric value.
I scrolled way too far down to find the first comment that talked about Soten Koro, thought I was completely alone
I judge Three Kingdoms adaptations purely on their portrayal of my boy Cao Cao.
True
I judge them base on how their Zhou Yu act. John Woo's Chi Bi 1 & 2 are the best. His personality in those is the most historical accurate. F⛎️ck the Zhuge Liang trolling stories.
@@daronsnyder2584 what about Wong Jing adaptation? That kind parody of the Zhuge Liang that like that borrow something and does not want to return the item he borrowed 😄
This comment 🎉😂
I really love your videos as a way to introduce myself to Chinese and East Asian cinema. I always learn so much and come away with new things to watch!!
Awesome topic, and great breakdown of what's available. I've been following multiple adaptations of the 3 kingdoms all my life (I'm Taiwanese), and you still made me discover a few I didn't know about.
One serious recommendation I could add to your already stellar list is the Manhua The Ravages of Time (I believe it's a HK manhua).
Similarly from the series from 2017, it starts with the point of view of Sima Yi, and I strongly suspect the manhua was actually the inspiration for the series for such a bold move, as the manhua has actually been going on for a couple of decades, now, and is not only fantastically illustrated, but has a great balance of keeping being faithful to the spirit of the novels while keeping things fresh with some very interesting character designs (Liu Bei is basically cunning but benevolent Chinese Jesus) and character variations from the source material (Zhao Yun is actually an assassin from the Sima clan, as well as Sima Yi's best friend, and Sima sends him to Liu Bei's clan as a double agent to keep tracks of his rival, only for Zhao Yun to be slowly but surely, over the years, influenced by Liu Bei's magnanimity, as he's starting to question his allegiance to Sima Yi, who over the years is growing ever more ambitious and ruthless under Cao Cao) which, in turns, I suspect, heavily inspired the 2010 series for its characters deviations. Easily one of the absolute best adaptations of the 3 kingdoms, all throughout all mediums.
I respect you didn't use the cheesey Tier chart people typically use. S+ tier goated youtube channel.
"Red Cliff" was my introduction to the era. I still love it.
Ommgggggg, THANK YOU SO MUCH! I started the first volume of T3K like four years ago and I was struggling so much (mainly to understand the locations and movements of troops, I even downloaded a map to have on my phone to look at regularly). I love your videos.
I unironically think that the SD Gundam spinoff (Brave Battle Warriors) is a pretty solid entry level Three Kingdoms show. Sure it took a lot of liberties, but it condenses the story (up to Red Cliff) and the spirit of the original to a 5 minutes, 50 episode show very effectively. It's not amazing, but it's good on its own merit
The 2010 series is an absolute masterpiece, extremely well acted and produced. It takes liberties, but those are fine and a lot of them made it more enjoyable, like the humanization of Cao Cao. It’s more realistic and plays like a better Game of Thrones. I’ve rewatched it 3 times and never get sick of it.
I had the same experience. Anyway, the literary work is not historically correct regarding the characters but expresses their perception of society after a thousand years and better. So I don't think the series is further from history than the novel and it doesn't really make sense to criticize how much it adheres to the novel.
Just remember to actually watch the original 2-part version of John Woo's Red Cliff instead of the butchered international release that cut out nearly half of the run time.
I'm surprised, impressed, and happy so many of these are on youtube for free, that's awesome.
The best adaptation is Ryofuko-chan! It shows the more realistic dynamics between Cao Cao and Xiahou Dun leeching off him.
Always look forward to your videos!
I LOVE Red Cliff. It was one of the first pieces of Chinese media I watched as a kid and got me into c movies & dramas
Thank you for talking about the 2009 animated series! I really enjoyed it aside from some of yhe pacing issues, which is understandable considering it only has 52 half hour long episodes to tell the full story. I adore the character designs that stayed close to their cultural depictions while also adding a lot of style and personality to these individuals. Such a shame it never got translated into english
Good summary. Must have taken a long time to prepare the video, thank you so much.
Thank you. I wish I have known some of the series you recommended. But deep down inside. I wish the entertainment industry would do 三国志 rather than remaking 三国演义 again and again.
My exposure of Three Kingdom era is through countless hours playing ROTK IX-X-XI on my PS2 and just learnt everything via osmosis, I read the books like what 20 something years later.
Once a name, face, stats (and sometimes unique skills) are applied to a person, they are easy to remember. Its like a file gets put in the mind that relates these characters so intensely to those various aspects, making them even easier to remember. (And of course they have their own bios to look at so you know what they did in brief.)
Such an iconic story! Thank you for the hint!
You forgot to mention the video games adaptation. I remember playing Romance of the Three Kingdoms 2 on the Super Nintendo back in the days ( must have clocked in at least close to 1000 hours if not more). Finally found the book at the local library and checked it out and read through the whole thing multiple times. That was over 20 years ago.
Ah, I thought you're going to skirt on the unhinged side of the Japanese anime adaptation, like Ikkitousen or Koihime Musou
7:27 Is he riding Chi Tu Ma? 😳 Did i actually get that reference?! 😆
My first experience with ROT3K was the _Destiny of an Emperor_ video game series for the original NES, played alongside the eponymous _Romance of the Three Kingdoms_ series during one of the happiest periods of my life 🥰 Epic (if simplistic) strategy gameplay, and incredibly memorable 8-bit soundtrack that still randomly plays in my head decades later 😌
8:15 It's accurate to what the Records of the Three Kingdoms says, though. Older than Zhuge Liang, and not disagreeable.
Finally, you talk about Three Kingdoms. Thank
I got into RoTK through Dynasty Warriors 3 as a kid, and when a friend told me the Qiao sisters were the wives of Sun Ce and Zhou Yu, I didn't believe them and fell into the rabbit hole. I've consumed a ton of adaptations in the many, many years since, and my husband is a casual scholar of the Three Kingdoms period (with a specific focus on the years leading up to and after the death of Sun Quan, and the poetry of Lu Ji and Lu Yun). I'm limited by needing English subtitles, but Three Kingdoms (2010), Red Cliff, and The Advisor's Alliance are some of my absolute favorites, so I'm glad to see them decently rated!
Like you said, the best adaptation for you is the one you like the most, even if it isn't the most faithful; you can always go find the facts once you're hooked!
I was THIS close to erasing the 2021 film and its horse-drifting from my memory, and now I have to start all over again.
It would be really interesting to see an episode about Three Kingdoms memes. They could range from ancient classics like "扶不起的阿斗" and "廖化做先鋒", to modern ones such as "不可能，絕對不可能" and "我二弟天下無敵". The original novel is already a meme goldmine, and the 2010 adaptation is ridiculously memeable.
Thank you! Will watch your favorite, the animated one at the end. 🙂
every time you post I send a prayer of gratitude you chose to learn English and share your thoughts with us !!
For your crime of making Three Kingdoms 2010 B tier, I shall unite the lords of the land and set out to return order to the Empire at once.
As a Chinese descendant, The classical was known in my country as Sam-kok. But somehow I begun to familiarize with the story from the video games, KOEI ROTK (I play the VI first) and then KOEI Dynasty Warrior (Play the III first but mostly in the IV). My father never gave me Sam-Kok complete story at first, so It took maybe a while to make me realized that ROTK and Sam-Kok is the same story lol...
And later I realized that I have same surename with Cao Cao and he almost probably my ancestor, so It is difficult for me to play as Shu Han, and Eastern Wu nowadays lol
Dynasty Warriors was what introduced me to this time-period, and essentially thinking of the sides in the conflict as the reds, the blues and the greens (with some cameos from other colours, primarily the yellows with powers from heaaveeennnnnnnssssss....sss.) is at least a little helpful for keeping all the sides arranged... but man there is a lot here to get into, and I wonder if I ever will truly grasp it all.
Also- a movie that is just Guan Yu beating ass from start to stop sounds incredible, and I am so mad I don't have that on Swedish netflix :(
Love Three Kingdom era. Does anyone here read The Ravages of Time???
Really great job! 👍
Wow thank you so much for this. I’ve heard the name of this epic for some time now, generally after I watch something deeply philosophical and awesome and I’m on the hunt for something similar, there’s many who recommend reading or watching the Three Kingdoms saga. But I never knew where to begin