Suikoden

... for Who is to Say it Will Not Become a Dragon?

The Water Margin is justly regarded as a cult TV show in the UK where the entire 26 episode run has been shown 3 times since 1976. Originally a 13th century Chinese epic, this TV series was made in Japanese and then dubbed into English before screening by the BBC.

I'm not going to include any spoilers, but simply say it's a tale of chivalry. If you try it your curiosity will be well rewarded. Also it has what must be the most heroic TV theme ever...

Oh ~ and it shouldn't be confused with either the 1972 Shaw Brothers film of the same name, or the oddball 1999 'Water Margin: Heroes' Sex Stories'.

'...One wrong can move a people, and a wronged people can move the world.'

Skipping over the myth of souls reborn, this was a fantastic series of good vs evil, many battles won by evil, but never the war. It raises the question of whether, seeing that illusion exists, life itself is a mere illusion - evil seems to prefer the idea of moral unaccountability, whereas good is prepared to face reality & unselfishly die for what is right. The main protagonist is Lin Chung, sword master. He forms the hub of a resistance movement. The agent of darkness is Kao Chui, risen from insignificant society to prime minister, looking to undermine his sovereign & rule China. Real heroes & villains. It should not be forgot. Downsides exist, such as some buffoonery where there should be seriousness, and the backdrops (eg landscape & moonscape).

At one level, it is a Chinese martial arts series, and a good one at that, with excellent and believable action. But it is so much more than this.

The characters have been developed and rounded, so you feel as though you know them. The plots are intricate enough and stretch over a number of episodes, giving the impression that it is not just a number of linked stories.

The Heroes have more honour than any comparable series, whereas Kao-Chiu is as disreputable a villain as you will ever see. But, even the heroes can make mistakes and are defeated fairly often, making them human.

The fight scenes are excellent, especially when Lin Chung bursts on the scene doing his whirlwind impression. One of the episodes has a man being cut vertically in two by a sword, something which had a lasting impression on me as a 14 year old when I first watched it.

All in all, an excellent series.

I remember this series well. It was broadcast on Dutch television (as on British television as I gather from their: I love the 70's TV-series). It's about a sort of Robin Hood-like character called Lin Chung and his band of merry men and women. It had I recall beautiful fight-scenes and a very good plot. If you loved "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" try to get a hold of this somehow.

Loved this as a child and watched it religiously on BBC2 every week. It was very much centred on story rather than mindless violence, a sort of Robin Hood and King Arthur in one. It also featured an interesting mix, not only of martial arts but also of wizards, clever tricks, evil villains... It also conveyed well the concepts of good, bad, betrayal and other timeless morals that can be understood anywhere rather than being a front for Chinese propaganda as I found HERO to be. The movement was also believable rather than looking like people at he end of wires. Breaks my heart to see so much rubbish on the big screen these days, yet Hollywood has never made this into a Blockbuster. Certainly one to rent or buy if you can!