Martial Arts Archives | Otaku No Culture

A Retrospective on Detective Dee in the Cinema Front (and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame)

When there’s over 40 films featuring Detective Dee (Di Renjie), just where should a newcomer start? What’s offered here is a love letter to the franchise.

Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame The love for China’s greatest crime buster from the feudal age is strong, and while he’s better known as Di Renjie (狄仁傑), audiences worldwide better know him as Detective Dee. Although some of the original tales got translated over, that hasn’t stopped others from bringing life to this 7th century magistrate. And as for why he got a slight change in occupation, I suspect the new role rolls off the tongue better, and what he does sounds more intriguing.

I discovered him through Tsui Hark‘s films, but I’m glad to say I still have many more to view. The main reason other works didn’t get internationally distributed is because they were made for television or distributors from elsewhere didn’t understand his appeal. I became a fan because of the supernatural elements that he sometimes has to face. And after getting a huge gift package recently, it’s time to get caught up!

Continue reading “A Retrospective on Detective Dee in the Cinema Front (and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame)”

On Ne Zha 2, Cultivation and The Grander Plan

Although Ne Zha 2 was years in the making, the wait is worth it! This superhero style retelling of the Chinese novel Investiture of the Gods is all about the wow rather than being fully faithful to the source material.

Ne Zha 2 Poster Spoiler Alert

Anyone who loves the 2019 Chinese animated film about a spunky demon-child (no, not Lil’ Hellboy) will be glad to know Ne Zha 2 is finally here. Having some knowledge of the prior events (or reading my movie review from before and my past coverage) helps because this latest takes place moments after.

Both this kid (Lü Yanting) and Ao Bing (Han Mo) have no mortal shell, and if they don’t have a simulacrum to inhabit, they’ll soon dissipate. Thankfully, with Taiyi Zhenren (Zhang Jiaming) around, a possibility of getting their bodies back exists. However, all do not go according to plan. When the Sacred Lotus lacks the power to build, the result is ectoplasm! This leads to a hilarious intro, and I was in stitches.

Continue reading “On Ne Zha 2, Cultivation and The Grander Plan”

Top Three Choices to Hail In the Chinese New Year (2025 Edition)

Chinese New Year is almost here, and I offer my list on what I expect to be the top three films that’ll be big! And all the movie trailers I could find are also assembled here:

Creation of the Gods 2 Well GO USA Poster for Chinese New Year Chinese New Year is coming! And for those folks who want to enjoy part of that day at the movies, five ‘official’ films are being released January 29th! What I offer here are my top three choices. Although I mentioned the sequel for Crazy Alien is coming in my review, it’s not a mandatory must-see.

And what I offer here are nearly every trailer for each of these films to get a sense of what’s going to be presented.

Creation of the Gods II:
Demonic Confrontation

This continuation of the epic fight between clans can spell disaster for all of China, if all parties aren’t careful. That’s because, after the ascension of the last ruler of the Shang dynasty, the transition is not quiet. When the fox-spirit Daji has a dastardly role to play, all will not be well.

As part two of a trilogy, what’s expected will be like Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings–to break the narratives down to smaller pieces. Part three is titled Creation Under Heaven. and that’s scheduled for release next year. As for this middle release, Well GO USA has IMAX screenings available at select cities (please visit link) on Jan 29th, and will get a wider release at the end of the month.

Trailer 1 (International Release)

Trailer 2 (Chinese)

Behind the Scenes

Continued on page 2

Pages: 123

Where’s “The” Instead of “A Legend” Hiding in Stanley Tong’s Latest Action-Comedy-Adventure?

When there’s “A Legend” in the making, maybe the word “Chinese” needs to be added, in order to be recognized.

Box Art - A Legend Starring Jackie Chan — **Available to pre-order on Amazon USA**

Well GO USA
Minor Spoiler Alert

Chinese filmmaker Stanley Tong may well be running on fumes when it comes to coming up with fresh ideas. While there are minor elements to like in A Legend, which has been out for a while now and is finally available in North America, the people on the Internet have already spoken–this director relied on too much CGI tomfoolery to finish this movie. He really should have done a casting call to find a young-looking person who almost looks like Jackie Chan instead of relying on computers to de-age the actor.

Not only is most of the digital set design apparent in higher resolutions, but also pixels covered most of Jackie Chan’s screen time! As General Zhao Zihan in the flashbacks, he is 30 something years old rather than 70. We see this younger incarnation enjoying a moment in the grassy foothills of Central China, with Huajun (Lay Zhang) before a lady in distress arrives!

Continue reading “Where’s “The” Instead of “A Legend” Hiding in Stanley Tong’s Latest Action-Comedy-Adventure?”

In The Prosecutor, Only Donnie Yen Can Deliver The Final Verdict!

Just what fans can find in The Prosecutor is not your typical courtroom drama. When Donnie Yen is involved, it’s safe to say there’ll be some fists flying too!

Well GO USA
Now Playing (Please check local listings)

Donnie Yen is The Prosecutor, and also the director of this film he stars in. As a disillusioned cop turned lawyer, he aims to bring Justice to where it is needed, and inject more action into a genre that some fans rarely associate him with.

Courtroom dramas aren’t all that tough to sit through. While they may seem dull due to simply listening to lawyers attempting to convince the jury on why the accused is guilty, there may be more action going on behind the scenes. In entertainment, someone is chasing down someone else who will change the verdict. Or, in this film’s case, to unearth a conspiracy that’s corrupted the system! With this trope, some aspects of the tale are predictable and others not.

Continue reading “In The Prosecutor, Only Donnie Yen Can Deliver The Final Verdict!”

Just How Much More Exciting Episodes of Ranma½ Will There Be? Questioning Netflix’s Commitment

Just like the West, some fond classics are getting a visual update, and Ranma½ looks great, but do we really need it?

Ranma½ Netflix Poster Streaming on Netflix

With the first season still going strong, I’m not finding the refreshed Ranma½ series significantly different from its predecessor. Sadly, the wait for stories from the manga which haven’t been adapted is going to be long. While the order of chapters is different between what I recall from the past version and the book, I’m okay with the alterations.

Here, Kodachi gets introduced much earlier; in the books, she doesn’t appear until chapter 17. In the first series, she didn’t get the spotlight until episode 11. And instead of following the six unit narrative arc from the books, the series condenses it into a well told two-part episode. With the latest, the deadly Golden Pair (ice skating duo), Mikado Sanzenin and Azusa Shiratori, appear to show that some members of the Tendo family have challengers.

Continue reading “Just How Much More Exciting Episodes of Ranma½ Will There Be? Questioning Netflix’s Commitment”