Strange Tales : Liao Zhai Xiao Cui

natalie
Dec 16, 2008
6 Comments

I remember I buyed this series because I see Jimmy Lin pic on the cover, but when I started to watch, I already bored on first chapter, because it talk about Hell, there’s Hell King, Hell Officers, and talk about chinesse mystique. But now, I watch it again and not stopped, and the story became more interesting. This series is not contain one story, but several stories, it’s like the chinese version of Tales From The Crypt but longer. When I watched first story (I don’t know that this series contain several stories) I wait for Jimmy Lin and wondering what character he might play, after the first story end I realized that there’s another stories after the first one, and the second story, Jimmy doesn’t appear yet, and I think Oh Dear….Jimmy only appears in one story ? Oh, no, it means I must watch the other stories without my favorite star ? Finally, Jimmy Lin appears on the third story, it’s about Xiao Cui, a fox spirit (read more on my review about Xiao Cui), and I don’t need to be dissapointed, because on the other stories I could see Hu Ge and the cute TAE, TAE….he’s very handsome….I watch him on the sequel of Legendary Sibling, the title maybe : Twin Warriors, the other star that I know is Rainie Yang (who played the best friend of Sanchai on Meteor Garden), Justin Yuan (Legend of Condor Heroes 2008 as Yang Kang)

First Story : Lu Pan
The story is about two Hell Officers (Lu Pan and his friend) who bet for a man named Zhu Er Dan, who is brainless, dumb and silly man, but has kind heart. They bet if they replace Zhu Er Dan’s heart with other so he’ll turn into smart person, he’ll also turn to good person into evil one, Lu Pai bet to he’ll never change, but his friend said other.
So, they replace Zhu Er Dan’s heart and when he woke up in the morning he’s became smart person. The story it’s about Human Nature that never fullfiled and never say enough. Zhu Er Dan gradually became mean and evil person, he fall in love with pretty girl named Xiao Man who’s the fiancee of poor guy named Bai Yang, which is the object of unjustice. Xiao Man died on the way to meet Bai Yang, Zhu Er Dan watch it and asked Lu Pai to replace his wife’s head into Xiao Man’s. Zhu Er Dan’s wife formerly is ugly girl but kind, diligent and loves her husband, replacing her head doesn’t change her personality, but makes her cannot stand with her husband attitude.

End of this story (if you didn’t want to get the spoiler, don’t read it) :
The story closed with the happily life of Bai Yang and Xiao Man, and Zhu Er Dan’s wife died when she give birth to their first son, which the reincarnation of Lu Pan (this is the punishment for Lu Pan of breaking hell’s rule)

Makes me confuse, why replacing heart not replacing brain ?

Second Story : Painted Skin (Mei Xan Niang)
It tells about man named Wang An Xi,which is genious at art, his paintings could looks alive. He has wife who has close connection to the emperror. Wang An Xi has the past that not everyone know including his wife. He ever has relationship with woman named Mei Xan Niang. She was died because of fire, and became a ghost and come back to haunt Wang An Xi. I don’t really like this story, some ideas in this story is confusing.

Don’t read this, it could be a spoiler :
Things that make me confuse is, why ghost can be fool by man? When Wang An Xi act that he doesn’t love his wife anymore, and he also could make Mei Xan Niang drunk, but it’s ghost story, anything could happen.

Xiao Cui

Third Story : Xiao Cui
Finally, my Jimmy Lin appears !!!!!! this story is about a man who saved Fox Demon, the Fox promises that she’ll help this man to pay his kindness. For about 46 years later, this man who has son with mental disability (played by Jimmy) is looking for wife for his son, he came to the Fox and asking help to turn his son which named is Yuan Feng to be a normal person. This Fox who has daughter named Xiao Cui is giving her daughter to be Yuan Feng’s wife. Yuan Feng is really really care about Xiao Cui, they play together everyday. Yuan Feng’s parents are worried about their son’s future. Xiao Cui hear their conversation and she asked to her mother’s villain, Snake Demon to turn Yuen Feng to became normal man. Then Snake put a spell to Yuan Feng and turn him not only into smart person but also cruel and mean person. Yuen Feng personality totally change, he doesn’t care about Xiao Cui anymore and want to kill her mother.

Jimmy Lin plays as a person who has mental disability? At the first time I watch, that role doesn’t fit to him, because his eyes look smart, and when he became cruel one? No comment lah…..
My favorite movie of Jimmy Lin is Legendary Sibling when he plays Xiao Yu Erl / Chiang Xiau Yu.
Someone comment : Xiao Cui (Li Bing Bing) is looks like a sister to Yuan Feng (Jimmy) rather than wife, but I think that’s okay, because Xiao Cui must be a guardian to Yuen Feng.

Justin Yuan & Rainie Yang

Fourth Story : Ah Pao
The Animal Doctor, Kun Chi Cu fall in love with beautiful girl named A Pao, which under a spell by the man named Chai Shao An. When a day comes A Pao forgot everything that happened yesterday, the last day that she remember is the day when her parrot Pei Pei was injured. Everyday she mets Kun Chi Cu, fall in love and forgot it in the next following day. Until the spell was broke, Kun Chi Cu is dead because of Granny Miao’s spell. A Pao who was deeply sad because of the death of Kun Chi Cu was try to killed herself by jump into the river and saw Kun Chi Cu on the hell. They meet King of Hell and do the negotioation so they could live again.
In this part Rainie Yang play as A Pao, and Justin Yuan play as Kun Chi Chu, Kun Chi Chu has different character with Yang Kang, I think Justin plays well on both.
My Question is Why must hell ? Is there no heaven on Chinese ancient ? And this story has simirality with 50 First Date starred by Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler, we could call it the Chinese Version of 50 First Date.

Fifth Story : Xiao Xie and Qiu Lun
A man named Dao Wan San who doesn’t believe a ghost is a man with mischievois character. He want to marry his schoolmate Jiang Qiao Qiao not because he loves her but she is rich person, Qiao Qiao father doesn’t like him and didn’t want him to stay at Jiang’s house. So Dao Wan San stay at Jiang’s old house where the people says there’s a ghost who stay there. Dao Wan San meets the ghosts, at the first time he was afraid, but gradually he became good friend with them, and fall in love with the ghost named Xiao Xie.
The character of Dao Wan San which played by TAE, has simirality with the character of Xiao Yu Er on Legendary Sibling 1, TAE has killer smile, he’s so cute….many people said that he’s look likes Jimmy, maybe that because they played together at Legendary Sibling 2, many peoply also said that Jimmy also identic with Alec Su because they played together at Legendary Sibling. Well, that’s only an opinion.

The Innocent　胡各

Last Story : Xiao Cien
An innocent scholar, Yin Chen Chi meet Xiao Chien, she is a Fox Demon who works for Lao Lao, a tree Demon who needs men soul. At the past Lao Lao betrayed the Skeleton Demon to save a Demon Slayer, Yan Xi Sia. Lao Lao marrying Yan Xi Sia but they appart when Yan Xi Sia know that Lao Lao is a demon.
Yin Chen Chi is played by Hu Ge, who also play as Guo Cin at Legend of Condor Heroes 2008.

Trailer :