The Water Margin

[Foxbat]

The ancient sages say - 'do not despise the snake for having no horns, for who is to say it will not become a dragon. So may one just man become an army......'

I first saw this series as a youngster some time back in the 70s. It's a strange brew of Chinese fiction made in Japan and dubbed into English (although I believe there is now a Chinese version made in 1998).

The things I remembered about this were how much I enjoyed it, the title music and all the swordfights. After now acquiring it on DVD, I find myself once again enthralled by the tale of the nine dozen heroes. Not only is it as good as I remember but now I'm old enough to appreciate that there is also a good thread of humour throughout this series.

I wonder if there are others here appreciative of this wonderful piece of far eastern TV?

 

[HareBrain]

Yeah, loved it, though i think I was rather young to make much sense of it at the time. I can still hum the theme tune in a twangy Chinese-music accent. Maybe an idea for my Christmas-pressie list?

 

[JunkMonkey]

I have a copy of the theme tune somewhere on 7" vinyl. I loved this show. Even more than Monkey

 

[Perpetual Man]

I can remember the show, and enjoyed it as much as I could at that age. I seem to rember the fights and bright colours more than anything.

Although it is totally different I sort of remember it as a precursor to Monkey!

 

[Foxbat]

Ah! Good to see I'm not alone
I totally relate to the bright colours as the members of Liang Shan Po always-carried bright banners. Every episode had a set-piece battle in it somewhere.

I also always felt it a precursor to monkey but I think that was probably because there were no far east TV series on the telly and then, suddenly, there were two - one after the other. I think it's simply a case of chronology and scheduling playing a part here.

I wonder nowadays if the fact that it was made in Japan was significant - and that the story of the fight against the Chinese rule of oppresion was some kind of comment on the modern Communist China of the time. it seemed strange that it was not a Chinese production.

Then again, I could be reading far too much into it (as usual)

 

[Dave]

I agree with you all. The Chinese legends were unlike anything else I'd seen on TV and it was much better than the later, more humorous, but rather silly Monkey.

I didn't understand at the time, nor looking back now, why there was this sudden huge interest in all things Far Eastern. There was a big interest in the martial arts, but especially in Kung Fu. There were several popular songs - Kung Fu Fighting and Turning Japanese. And there was the David Carradine series.

I still have fond memories of myself, my brother and my two cousins with halved boiled eggs in our eyes - "Ah! Grasshopper!"