Chinese Paladin 3
I saw this show when I was in China, and was struck with infatuation for with it even though I could not understand a word. I have since found a subtitled version and am even more infatuated.
The plot concerns a wastrel pawnshop assistant (who, unbeknown to himself is the reincarnation of a god hunted by the dark lord of the demon world seeking to conclude their cosmic duel) which, finding a fragment of jade fallen from heaven is pulled into meeting the willful yet beautiful daughter of the local ruling family (that, unbeknown to herself, is a foundling with magical hair) and in order to defeat an uprising of music-controlled poisoned zombies, have to find the flower-spirit who turns into a potato when she is exhausted, but accidentally meet the Taoist martial-arts zen-magician monk (who, unbeknown to himself, will achieve immortality in his current life unless his immortal beloved, an absurdly beautiful snake-deity descended from the benevolent earth-goddess, manages to find and re-ensnare him in love and the cares of this world) when his ghost of his (the pawnshop assistant, not the Taoist monk) sister from a previous incarnation appears (who, unbeknown to herself, can transform into a red-garbed demoness-archer, which evil fate came upon her after she sacrificed herself to create the demon-sword to save her brother, or, rather, her brother’s previous incarnation, back when he was a prince rather than a god) when the Taoist sage which the pawnshop guy sees in his dreams discovers his ability to command the Smog of Dark Souls from the Demon-Binding Pagoda, he send them to find the Five Elemental Pearls, and…
No. It is too much. I will sum up. The thing you like in D&D games, superhero movies, ancient epics, Chaucer, Three Stooges Comedies, and Greek Tragedies is all here, wrapped up in a package of wushu wire-fu goodness. There is also surfing on swords through the clouds. I am not explaining the scene where King Kong fart butt-smog on them, then turns into the Monkey King, but I will mention the flower fairy turns into a potato.
I hope it comes to the States sometime in your near future. In the meanwhile, there are sites out there on the Internet were you can find translations, including here: http://www.viikii.net/channels/goto/chinesepaladin3
About John C Wright
John C. Wright is a practicing philosopher, a retired attorney, newspaperman, and newspaper editor, and a published author of science fiction. Once a Houyhnhnm, he was expelled from the august ranks of purely rational beings when he fell in love; but retains an honorary title.
