Young Warriors of the Yang Clan v. Warriors of the Yang Clan - battle royale
Because I am an obsessive individual (this livejournal is a years-long testament to that fact), the very fact that I am in the middle of and loving Young Warriors of the Yang Clan ensured I'll check out Warriors of the Yang Clan, the other drama take on Yang story that is available with subs and which stars Alec Su and Chae Rim. I have just finished the first few eps of the latter.
Short verdict so you can know if you want to read on - I like both but prefer YWotYC (I am going to refer to them as Young Warriors and Warriors, for my own sanity).
Both dramas deal with the same basic legend - the Yangs are a family of tragic, famous Song dynasty warriors who get betrayed and killed in battle except for Sixth Brother, who avenges his family, Fifth Brother who becomes a monk, and Fourth Brother who gets captured by the enemy and, losing his memory, joins them.
This said, naming the Alec Su version "Warriors of the Yang Clan" is a bit of a misnomer. Unlike Young Warriors, which is a sprawling family epic, with equal focus given to Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh brothers, their OTPs and their parents, Warriors is strictly about Yang Silang - the tragic Fourth Brother - and his doomed love affair with the evil Prime Minister's daughter. The drama isn't really hiding it - when you look up the stars it's always Alec Su and Chae Rim, as opposed to Young Warriors which lists a long list. I suppose the title "One Sexy, Angsty Yang Warrior With The World's Worst Luck" was too long.
This is both Warriors' strength and weakness. If you are looking for an epic, tragic romance with an awesome OTP (their first meeting is a battle!)
Then this is probably much more your bag than Young Warriors which, while it does have romance, is basically a period family drama wrapped in an epic wrapper.
OTOH, I like that Young Warriors has politics, I love that the backbone of the character interactions and relationships are complicated family bonds. I love that it showcases many different characters and their OTPs and not just focuses on one. Because it's an ensemble piece, Young Warriors has an overall stronger cast - in Warriors, everyone outside of Four and his OTP basically fades into the background. Compare it to Weng Jia Ming , Amy Chan, Yuan Hong, Hu Ge, Eddie Peng, Chen Long, Peter Ho, Liu Shi Shi, Lee Jia, etc. There is no comparison. The latter is a hell of star-studded and powerful cast. Overall, I would compare the two to a period epic novel vs. a period romance novel. Whichever one you prefer will depend on your mood.
A special note on Alec Su. I have never found him particularly attractive before. He looks too boyish for my tastes. When it comes to him vs. Peter Ho who played Four in Young Warriors, I am basically the anti-ockoala - I swoon for the latter and can't be bothered to give the former the time of day.
Until Warriors. Umm, this is embarassing but I literally yelled at the screen at the above point "I want to do him!" Ahem. Clearly, give a man a Song dynasty hairdo and a spear, bloody him up and imbue him with deadly warrior skills and a bucketload of angst, and I am a goner.
Short verdict so you can know if you want to read on - I like both but prefer YWotYC (I am going to refer to them as Young Warriors and Warriors, for my own sanity).
Both dramas deal with the same basic legend - the Yangs are a family of tragic, famous Song dynasty warriors who get betrayed and killed in battle except for Sixth Brother, who avenges his family, Fifth Brother who becomes a monk, and Fourth Brother who gets captured by the enemy and, losing his memory, joins them.
This said, naming the Alec Su version "Warriors of the Yang Clan" is a bit of a misnomer. Unlike Young Warriors, which is a sprawling family epic, with equal focus given to Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh brothers, their OTPs and their parents, Warriors is strictly about Yang Silang - the tragic Fourth Brother - and his doomed love affair with the evil Prime Minister's daughter. The drama isn't really hiding it - when you look up the stars it's always Alec Su and Chae Rim, as opposed to Young Warriors which lists a long list. I suppose the title "One Sexy, Angsty Yang Warrior With The World's Worst Luck" was too long.
This is both Warriors' strength and weakness. If you are looking for an epic, tragic romance with an awesome OTP (their first meeting is a battle!)
Then this is probably much more your bag than Young Warriors which, while it does have romance, is basically a period family drama wrapped in an epic wrapper.
OTOH, I like that Young Warriors has politics, I love that the backbone of the character interactions and relationships are complicated family bonds. I love that it showcases many different characters and their OTPs and not just focuses on one. Because it's an ensemble piece, Young Warriors has an overall stronger cast - in Warriors, everyone outside of Four and his OTP basically fades into the background. Compare it to Weng Jia Ming , Amy Chan, Yuan Hong, Hu Ge, Eddie Peng, Chen Long, Peter Ho, Liu Shi Shi, Lee Jia, etc. There is no comparison. The latter is a hell of star-studded and powerful cast. Overall, I would compare the two to a period epic novel vs. a period romance novel. Whichever one you prefer will depend on your mood.
A special note on Alec Su. I have never found him particularly attractive before. He looks too boyish for my tastes. When it comes to him vs. Peter Ho who played Four in Young Warriors, I am basically the anti-ockoala - I swoon for the latter and can't be bothered to give the former the time of day.
Until Warriors. Umm, this is embarassing but I literally yelled at the screen at the above point "I want to do him!" Ahem. Clearly, give a man a Song dynasty hairdo and a spear, bloody him up and imbue him with deadly warrior skills and a bucketload of angst, and I am a goner.