thank you very much for the shout out!! Us in "Gentlemen of the Han" are working on translating the entire 1994 Three Kingdoms TV series, to share this great series to as many people as we can.
Oh hey, I work on the project making fansubs for the 1994 series- thanks for the shoutout! We just had a release recently, what a coincidence. Working on the project has been my first exposure to the complete Three Kingdoms story, and it's given me a deep appreciation of both the original and the adaptation. People can find our subtitles by searching for "Gentlemen of the Han," the name of our group. We want as many people as possible to see this great series- I hope another team might do the same for the anime series one day!
The 1994 adaptation use of the original language from the novel really underscores the beauty of ancient Chinese. There is that grand sense of poetry in every line. It is damn moving.
Cao Cao reciting his poem (对酒当歌) before Red Cliffs always gives me chills. Sure, he lost that battle, but damn, the man is a true hero of the Three Kingdoms.
YES! As much as I love the '94 and 2010 versions, I'm still waiting for the day when there's a tv adaptation with the production quality level of Game of Thrones and Shogun that can grab wider international attention for this quintessential Chinese classic
I had the same thought! Haha it's probably not going to be that good tbh. But if it can be as entertaining and inaccurate as 300, sure take my money Hollywood 😂.
the 2010 is actually at that level already, everything there is so carefully crafted, each character has a "dark side" which is very human, not some pure myth-hero.
With US-China relations now at such a low point, not going to happen. But China got the money, they can do it themselves and have posts it online with English subtitles.
3 kingdoms podcast is AWESOME. Definitely worth a listen to anyone interested. It’s a guy reading the book for a western audience and gives plenty of information to help people understand.
(Note: I'm from Argentina, where Chinese culture isn't widespread, even though there's a healthy Chinese population... at least in the capital Buenos Aires) I started getting into Romance of the Three Kingdoms in the late 80s, with the eponymous PC strategy game by Koei. You're right that the iconography (slightly anime-style in that game) helped me know the characters. Now I can individualize all of them just by hearing the name. I continued in the late 90s with Dynasty Warriors IV, knowing full well that it distorted the story and characters (and further sequels of the game even increased the Playstation aesthetic regarding their clothes and equipment). Then I played a lot of Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI, in the early 2000s (I prefer strategy games to action ones). At that point I became really curious as to the full original story. But, alas, the novel hadn't been edited in Spanish and was nowhere available in Argentina (not even in English). And it was too costly to import it (for me). So I started reading online from a free source... but it was too much to read from a PC screen. I love holding books, and I can read for any length of time... but not on a screen. So I never completed the novel (I didn't even reach one-third of it). I started watching the 2010 series on RUclips, but there were a couple of episodes missing (there are two uploads with English subs, I believe, the HD one has missing episodes, and another with lower quality is full). I did watch, several times, Red Cliff (the full, two movies, version). And I absolutely LOVE it. I introduced my wife to Romance of the Three Kingdoms through it, and she found the characters and concepts fascinating (she's not new to Chinese cinema, her favorite movie is "Curse of the Golden Flower", and she loves Gong Li). We are considering buying the, somewhat new (5-10 years?), Spanish edition of the original novel, although it's quite expensive here in Argentina. And they've used Dynasty Warriors artwork for the covers... so there's that. :-P
the novel isnt just telling a good story, but also has tremendous literature value. the words and poetics are so beautiful. sad there are not a good translated version in your native language.
@@deepseer European here. I was EXTREMELY disappointed by Red Cliffs movie, and I only barely knew the story through pop culture osmosis, apart from actually decent battle scenes (like the shield wall at Eight Gates formation), it spend half the movie trying to be pretentious with flute and calf-birthing scenes like whoever-shot-the-bow reading CCP morality on how you should spare tyrants for no reason (in all other adaptations the only one who spares Cao Cao is Guan Yu, and only because he's repaying a debt). Takeshi Kaneshiro is one of my fav actors of all time and he was a horrible Zhuge Liang, should have swapped him and Tony Leung around I think.
I know it wasn't his intention, but he totally sold me on the movie with that shot. I love campy crap. 😁Plus, I mean, it's *Dynasty Warriors.* What else would you expect from a DW movie? Seems like a totally faithful adaptation to me!
@@jasonblalock4429 I'm not a native English speaker. Would you kindly tell me what does "DW movie" mean? I googled it but can't find anything applicable to the context in your comment.
2010 Series is my fav by far and I've read the book several times over. I think the interpretation humanizes the characters and bring a depth to the story that is refreshing and thought-provoking
Learning that the 2010 version is in any way controversial is wild. I had no idea because that show is incredible. Giving characters more balanced depictions worked great, especially for Cao Cao. I don't like when he's portrayed as pure evil and Liu Bei as pure good, when even in the novel, neither was the case.
Using a Chinese Communist Party-approved positive depiction of an infamous tyrant is hardly balanced, they had an edict that forced everyone to show Qin Shi Huang-Di and Cao Cao in a positive light... so Xi would look less psycho in comparison I guess? I think I liked Liu Bei in the 2010 version, more crafty version, but Cao Cao was perfect in 1994 IMO.
Romance slanderers (who have never opened a page of the novel) be like: "WHAT??? You're telling me the novel has... NUANCES??? You're telling me my shallow normie take formulated through a circlejerk of illiterates is simply... WRONG!?!?"
@@KasumiRINA You are delusional. What connection does a 2010 TV series have with Xi, who came into power in 2013? The fact is that the character of Cao Cao has always been controversial, regardless of the time period, in both China and Japan
@@KasumiRINA what? Every tyrant has nuance. Even Hitler had nuance. It doesn't mean their actions are justifiable. It means we have taken appropriate lessons to avoid the next tyrants.
I have tried multiple times to get into Three Kingdoms via different mediums and shows but never could get hooked until Advisor's Alliance. The balance of humor, intelligence, tension and drama made it absolutely intriguing to watch for me.
The 2010 Version has a special place in my heart because it was the first Chinese TV series I ever watched and it got me into Chinese dramas and movies more generally.
Well, since you had a full picture of the story after watching the 2010 version, I strongly recommend the 94 version，maybe the pacing is a bit slow but definitely more nuanced.
The way i'm currently learning about it is the podcast format narration by John Zhu on spotify. He does not cut anything from the story but he does adapt the narration to be more agile, give context and reminders and is generally friendly and has good sense of humor. Big recommendation on my part.
That's how I experienced the story too. Great narration and he gave great context on alot of the different figures and cultural allusions of the novel.
For anyone who just learned about John Zhu's podcast in this comment section, he has also finished a podcast on "Water Margin" and is currently doing "Investiture of the Gods" under the name "Chinese Lore Podcast".
@@JulienneRoman why Koei not make an adaptation of Suikoden? Is it cause Konami has a license? Want to see 108 roster of shui Hui zuan karakter The last time Koei adapted it is all men are brother, same time rotk 3
@@widimira597 Ah yes the wonder of the gotta catch them all 100+ characters fun times of the Suikoden series. Been ages since I've heard of it again. Unfortunately, if Konami does have the license, then there's no chance in hell they're letting anyone else publish a remake or sequel. It's the same story with Silent Hill. That's why PT could not materialize outside Konami. 😢
I remember stumbling on an old VHS tape when I was a small, dumb child back in the 90's. "Great Conquest, Romance of the Three Kingdoms" was my first exposure to the classic. That old tape and the various Koei games made me track down the novels, and now I would like to thank you for introducing me to even more adaptations.
Omg I love this RoTK series, have been a fan since my childhood days playing PC Heroes of the Three Kingdoms 2 & Dynasty Warriors on Playstation. A note that Advisors Alliance is part 1 of the show, generally before Sima Yi gotten his power when Cao Cao / Cao Pi is still around. Growling Tiger Roaring Dragon is more of how Sima Yi fights Shu and his takeover. One of the best Three Kingdoms related content in recent years
In 9th grade here in the Philippines, our English class focused on Asian classics from all over the continent. Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Cloud Dream of the Nine and Mahabharata were always the ones that fascinated me the most.
As a Westerner who knows Three Kingdoms mainly from Dynasty Warriors, the 2010 TV series is my favourite. It may change things, but it's more accessible. The 94 series is good too, though.
2010 is amazing, the reason chinese dont like 2010 version is because of Chen Jianbin(the actor who played Cao Cao,), they think his Mandarin is not good. But we all non chinese love his acting.
0:11 It's actually very relieving to hear you say this. I originally got into Three Kingdoms via Wo Long Fallen Dynasty. Since I'd read a lot of Journey to the West, I figured I'd be fine trying the original Three Kingdoms, but I desperately struggled with it. It's very reassuring to hear that it's totally viable to get into the story through these other mediums too.
I remember when Total War Three Kingdoms came out and the 2010 series ended up being discussed amongst players, I ended up watching it and had a lot of fun... Though I never got to finish it, and seen as I was watching it on the high seas never managed to find it again later.
I finished it just this year because I started playing Total War, even though I began watching the show years before that. Very much worth finishing. Sima Yi is excellent in it
I grew up reading Three Kingdoms and shared my love of the original novel with a group of people, majority white Westerners. None of them ever complained about names that looked the same, huge geography and too many words.
I've come across a few Investiture adaptations, but haven't really found *any* of them to be particularly good. Though I haven't watched the new (ish) movie yet. Would love to find out if I've missed any that are particularly good, as it's probably my favorite of those Classical Novels.
@@Netherflythe manga is pretty good. With some funky simili Chinese sci-fi character designs. Daji is an Evangelion plug suit cosplayer, Nezha is basically a cross between Megaman and Hiei, and one of the immortals fights with 2 lightsabers. It's pretty whacky (although it doesn't forget to get serious when needed).
@@widimira597 ah ok, so that's the english title of Shui Hu Zhuan. Good to know, thanks. And yes, it's one of my favorite classic tales, with a hundred of heroes that all get their moment of glory (at least at the beginning)
I got into RoTK through Dynasty Warriors 3 as a kid, and when a friend told me the Qiao sisters were the wives of Sun Ce and Zhou Yu, I didn't believe them and fell into the rabbit hole. I've consumed a ton of adaptations in the many, many years since, and my husband is a casual scholar of the Three Kingdoms period (with a specific focus on the years leading up to and after the death of Sun Quan, and the poetry of Lu Ji and Lu Yun). I'm limited by needing English subtitles, but Three Kingdoms (2010), Red Cliff, and The Advisor's Alliance are some of my absolute favorites, so I'm glad to see them decently rated! Like you said, the best adaptation for you is the one you like the most, even if it isn't the most faithful; you can always go find the facts once you're hooked!
Not an adaptation of three kingdoms, but I’d like to use this chance to recommend the Manga/Anime/Live-Action Series Ya Boy Kongming, where Zhuge Liang is reincarnated in the modern day and becomes a manager of an up an coming singer. All versions are way, way better than they have any right to. I’m more partial to the adaptations myself since music is a big part of the story and, well, Manga kinda struggles with that due to no sound, but do be warned both of them are incomplete adaptations.
The 2010 series is by far my favorite because the liberties it takes are arguably the most reasonable to the kinds of people the characters actually were
What Introduced me to the 3 Kingdoms 1 Dynasty Warriors 2 SD Gundam BB Senshi (The new ver also added Sun Wukong with the 3 Kingdoms, Zhuge Liang reminded him with Tripitaka) 3 There is this Korean Tokusatsu series known as Legend Heroes, where each character and suits are based from the 3 Kingdoms
Vietnam has the complete Vietnamese dub of RoTK 2009 animation series to broadcast on a national cable and every episodes are available on youtube so it's very accessible for us Vietnamese viewers.
Red Cliff is the movie that made me want to read the book, and that got me into Chinese cinema as a whole. My Chinese professor in college had us watch some of it and I was just... enthralled. I feel a little bad I don't remember anything else from that class, but that's life.
I love Red Cliff!!! When I saw Takeshi Kaneshiro, I was already in as I’d watch anything he stars in but the rest of the cast is fantastic as well 😊 So definitely a good introduction for me
As an avid fan of the book and time period, I think Advisors Alliance does it best. We were all avid Shu fan boys, but if you watch if from the Wei side and Sima Yi's pov, I think fans of the time period would also find it fascinating. I mean it has all the court politics, prince fighting against princes, classic Chinese drama; what's not to like? Also, I believe it has more historical base than all the others, especially taking notes from Book of Wei and Book of Jin. PS: if anybody has played the TOTAL WAR 3 KINGDOMS video game, I highly suggest watching SERIOUS TRIVIA. He's probably the best 3K content creator, speak English, and has a wide breadth of knowledge on the time period, down to the smallest characters that I didn't know I should really care about.
Everyone forgets the Toei three kingdoms animation, that one had Zhuge Liang died in shch an epic way with his shooting star falling and him remembering all that Shu had sacrafice for. The short series also had so much blood for a kids show hahah 😂 but epic soundtrack.
That was my first introduction to the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. My father rented the VCDs home for the entire family to watch. Not only Zhuge Liang died in that manner, even when his contemporary, Pang Tong died, a shooting star fell, that's how Zhuge Liang knew Pang died even before the news arrived.
Once you get a general picture of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, i recommend diving into a manhua/manga called The ravages of time (RoT) by the Hongkong artist Chan Mou. This isn’t a typical adaptation; it’s wild, imaginative, and yet totally makes sense. The worldbuilding and character development are top-notch, and speaking impartially, it's a masterpiece of warfare strategy. What I love most is how the characters are portrayed. There are no dumb or useless warlords and advisors here. Even the diabetic and tyrannical Dong Zhuo is shown as a visionary leader with ambition and a commanding aura. "Culturally antagonistic" figures like Dong Zhuo, Lu Bu, and Cao Cao are given such depth and purpose that you might find yourself rooting for them, which makes sense when you realize the main character is actually Sima Yi, the ultimate villain and historical winner of this period. Lu Bu, often labeled as "brave but not strategic" (a better translation has to be "all brawn and no brains) has also become one of my favorites and most iconic characters in the series. And the strategies-they’re mind-blowingly complex. Besides drawing from famous tactics like Sun Tzu’s 36 Stratagems, the manga introduces its own strategic concepts such as Xia Ju's Dark Arts of War, which is about sacrificing/inflicting damage on oneself first before inflicting damage on the enemies, earning a brutal victory; or the "On Morale" thesis, which is about the art of psychological warfare. Plenty of espionage and counterintelligence plots as well. The battles are never straightforward, like the original A beats B then goes to war with C; they always involve intricate traps and schemes, such as A traps B lures C and makes B and C fight each other, all the while A B C has fallen into the dark deep schemes of D, closely supervised by E... That being said, you must have some prior knowledge on the Romance of Three Kingdoms first to fully appreciate this revolutionary adaptation. Besides, the first arc might seem slow and confusing, but it picks up quickly. If you ever feel lost, the Reddit and Discord communities are great resources, there are plenty of starter packs and enthusiastic fans ready to help :)
Thank you for this introduction! I've been watching the 1994 TV adaptation fansubbed by The Gentlemen of the Han. I've caught up to them and am waiting for new episodes. I wasn't able to keep up with all the minor characters, but nevertheless I've become thoroughly hooked. Cao Cao is my favorite character. I just found your channel. Your four-part guide on ancient Chinese dynasties is excellent. This Euro-American thanks you for making Chinese history accessible!
as a westerner with little to no previous knowledge of the three kingdoms period watched the 2010 version and enjoyed it very much. loved all the actors and find it very interesting that you mention the eastern audience preferred (at least originally) the more reserved acting of the "old" version. Since you reminded me its on youtube, might be time for a rewatch
OMG, when you showed K.O 3an Guo near the end, that unlocked a core memory of mine being obssessed with the K.O One series when I was a kid (watched it on a Chinese cable channel without subs) but I understood K.O 3an Guo because of the Three Kingdoms influence. Thanks for making me remember about it!
12:15 man i used to watch this series as a kid in Vietnamese dub on Television, really one of my favorites 3 kingdoms adaptations, still vividly remember it to this day, wish i could somehow watch it again somewhere.
My first Sam Kok intro is from Taiwanese Tsai Chih Chung's cartoon. Like most Japanese-aligned adaptation, it ended "happily" in Red Cliff. Skipping most of the anti-Dong Zhuo coalition arc, Cao Cao's consolidation of power, Liu Bei's plight and winning Jingzhou. And of course, the Hokkien 4-koma style Wuxia comic that is the staple of Southeast Asian Chinese diaspora. My grandma's family owns the Cantonese one. All of them translated into old Indonesian with weird localised Hokkien and Cantonese names. I think many Indonesians could relate to this. Finally it is the epic 1993 TV adaptation - a bit boring for newbies, but it is fully faithful and epic on its own right. Then the Dynasty Warriors games - weird, but okay-ish. What I appreciate for them is, despite their attempts at perversion and modernisation - they know how to depict the iconic looks of Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhuge Liang, and some more familiar names Finally the Mainland's 2010 drama - another modern re-interpretation that makes it sensible, although could use a lot more improvements. Many overseas diaspora disagreed with this version as it ameliorates the Wei side, giving Cao Cao more sympathetic look. Of course it is "Beijing's / Northerner's version" lol. IMO, one of the best version. It seemed to teach foreign players to yell "Cao Ahman" to any Wei players online. All the shortened cinema movies: mostly a bit meh. Watched "Red Cliff", my parents were immediately turned off by its artistic licenses. Watched "The Lost Bladesman", that's not Guan Yunchang.
I'm chinese and the 94's version is indeed the best. The dramatic acting might seem awkward to some western audience, but is natural to Chinese or Asian cinema. The scene of zhugeliang inspecting his troops before his death and have troops beg him to rest never cease to bring me to tears. Maybe it's because reminded me as a chinese student, studying late into the night, every night, sacrificed youth, happiness, vision and health, all to become successful and make my parents proud.
In 90s in Indonesia, I learned three kingdom by playing game (with the names in Pinyin), new published book with images (with names in Wade Gilles), and old shortened version belong to my Grandfather (with names in Hokkien in old Indonesian spelling). So, I have to switch my brain every time I read them. Some example: Liu Bei vs Liu Pei vs Lao Pi, Zhuge Liang vs Chuke Liang vs Tjukat Liang, Kong Ming vs Kong Beng.
Basically me trying to work out the English versions, Chinese pronunciations, and asking my dad for stories about them in Vietnamese. Takes a while to work through all three languages to figure out who is who, but the basic gist is the same.
Can I just say this is EXACTLY what I wanted/needed! I’ve gotten really interested in historical cdramas in the last year, and I come across this title/recommendation again and again, and I ended up looking for summaries on RUclips to try to hear this great story! If you ever do a sequel video with even more visual versions, I’m definetly watching!
Let's be honest here: We, the boys born in the 80s-90s and grew up during the 2000s, have played Dynasty Warriors at some point in our lives at somebody's house, even if we don't own a gaming console ourselves.
Ravages of Time manhua, already had a recent anime adaption. Is looking to cast for the live action by 2026. That story also reinvent a lot of stuff too.
I was introduced into Three Kingdoms unknowingly by Joan He author of Strike the Zither and Sound the Gong. I just finished STG a few weeks ago and wanted more tales. I ended up falling in love with the themes and now I'm going on a three kingdoms journey so this video came at a perfect time
I first came to know this story by a manga, Sangokushi (Sonoda Mitsuyoshi, not Yokoyama Mitsuteru) in 1993. I remember this manga because of how unique it was, they make the manga landscape, like children storybook.
The Ravages of Time manga is also a great way to read about Romance of Three Kingdoms. It's insanely long tho, and since the author try to humanize everyone... even the nameless ones it can be convoluted However, that manga made Lu Bu not only incredibly bad ass, but a human.
Yeah, I also think it's one of the absolute best adaptations of the 3 Kingdoms, all mediums included. I'm actually pretty sure the 2 recent series (2010 and 2017) were heavily inspired by it (I mean, one is making some pretty big deviations of characters to try and humanize them, the other one is starting with Sima Yi..?)
Ive seen the new Romance of the 3 Kingdoms and thought it was S tier. But you saying it's B tier and the original version is S tier makes me wanna see it.
@@Netherfly Bro the original is actually more faithful to the novel AND history. I watched the new one first and I honestly thought it was not bad, but that opinion completely changed after I watched the 1994 version, the difference is drastic
I started by reading the novel translated into hokkien then interpreted to Indonesian while at the same time reading loosely based manga about it. And in the real life, almost every night my uncle recounts the stories in the Mahabharata for us. What a glorious early adolescence this was.
I'm Romanian and my introduction to Three Kingdoms was Red Cliff. I thought it was pretty good so I read the book afterwards. I love Cao-Cao. I haven't watched or even heard of any of the other adaptations featured in this video.
I'd also like to recommend the Romance of the Three Kingdoms Podcast. That's how I learned the story, so it's very beginner friendly. The podcaster, John Zhu, agreed with you that the novel isn't the best place to start for English readers as it gets translated super dryly, so he retold it in the engaging manner he was familiar with. He's a good storyteller, and great to listen to
9:25 the Dynasty Warriors games got me to research the historical figures from 3 kingdoms. This atrocity of a movie hurt me. Really happy you made this video, because i enjoy adaptations of this point in history, but have struggled to find a proper translation of the novel.
The Advisors Alliance is simply a top tier drama with excellent performances. The first season, along with the first season of Nirvana in Fire, is some of the best television China has produced.
@@raeoverhere923 The first Nirvana in Fire series is definitely very good. It takes some time to get used to the world, but afterwards, it is just a really all around great experience. I didn't enjoy the second series as much. However, I am really looking forward to the third installment that is supposed to air this year.
For manhua/manga i would recommend Ravages of Times which centered on Sima Yi and Ryurouden which kind of isekai i think about it but trust me it's awesome.
I had no idea there was a Dynasty Warriors movie, and now I have to see it. I love campy "so bad it's good" movies. Personally, my first exposure to the Three Kingdoms was Romance Of The Three Kingdoms 11, which is still one of my all-time favorite strategy games. I spent a summer obsessing over it, and then I ended up reading the novel. The funny thing was discovering that my winning strategy as Liu Bei was actually quite close to Zhuge Liang's overall battle plan in the book!
Thank you. I wish I have known some of the series you recommended. But deep down inside. I wish the entertainment industry would do 三国志 rather than remaking 三国演义 again and again.
Out of all of these Advisors Alliance intrigues me the most. I’m coming at this from a perspective of a foreigner who learned about the three kingdoms from researching the history first, and only dipping my toes into the story later, so a story focusing on a character I’ve read about from that angle but who seems to lack the mythical degree of veneration the protagonists like Zhuge Liang or Guan Yu gets is very interesting. Especially because for all intents and purposes he came out of the period very successfully, with his family holding great positions in the empire and seizing the throne within a few generations
I have realized, while I clicked on this video, I now relate this music with your videos, I closed a tab, this video autoplayed while I Wasn't looking at it, and just the music put me in a good mood lol
I got to know Romance of Three Kingdoms through the old Koei game Romance of Three Kingdoms 3. Then a couple of years later, the local TV station broadcasted the 1994 adaptation, without subtitles. Given my poor standard of Chinese, I had trouble understanding the dialogues. The TV station later added subtitles, which enabled me to enjoy the series to the last episode.
I really love your videos as a way to introduce myself to Chinese and East Asian cinema. I always learn so much and come away with new things to watch!!
Most Chinese don't like 2010 version of 3 kingdoms for a reason, and as a Chinese, I can perhaps shed light on this a bit more. 2010 version undoubtedly tells a good story, but for a story specifically depicting 3 kingdoms, it is kind of lacking in many aspects compared to the 94 version, so it is a bit disappointing when it first came out, considering that most Chinese already knew the full story and had very high expectation of it. First of all, I want to point out that I (and perhaps majority of Chinese audience) would disagree with the opinion that 94 version narrated heroes more as "larger than life" symbols, whereas 2010 version is more human. In fact, we think it's the opposite - the 94 version shows heroes' multi-facades in way subtler and more nuanced details, whereas the 2010 version was created with an intention to show heroes as "more human", but unfortunately failed because of its blunt and too deliberate way of representing it. Take the depiction of Guan Yu and Zhang Fei for example - two most renowned and beloved generals of the era. But based on western viewers' comments on RUclips, it seems that people who only watched 2010 version only come to the conclusion that they are, well, assholes. Indeed, Guan Yu was depicted as an arrogant moron and Zhang Fei was depicted as a brash lad who only had a single braincell. However, the 94 version was much more nuanced. While showing Guan Yu's arrogance, it also depicted his kindness to civilians and respect for rivals and talent that he truly acknowledged, though in his own hilariously haughty way. Though Zhang Fei was usually an act-before-he-think guy, he actually had a few "street-smart" tricks upon his sleeves and even used them to outwit Zhuge Liang once. Their dynamics with Zhuge Liang are some of the funniest parts in 94 version Shu faction that bring out each man's character perfectly, without resorting to the deliberately created melodrama of power struggle and suspicion. You can indeed see that they are flawed, but they are also heroes that are worth to be admired and loved. In this sense, I'd say that 94 ver did a better job of portraying characters' different sides, whereas 2010 version tried too hard to portray the "human" side of heroes, that they on contrary become "symbols" that only show one exaggerated side of their characters. The other issue is perhaps that there are too many unnecessary melodramas than needed in the 2010 version, which may work for the story as a whole but make characters less lovable. It's true that ROTK is about power struggle, but at least in the 1st generation (i.e., what we called the "more heroic" era), the power struggle is more between the factions rather than within the faction. Except for Wei faction, which intriguing story indeed stemmed out partially from internal conflict and fleshed out characters, for early stage Shu and Wu, the conflict was mainly outside, and incessant internal scheming and suspicion against each other really made storytelling repetitive (in the original story, the 3 factions have their completely different internal dynamics so audience would like to see such differences presented more distinctly), and also diminished the true charm of the heroes in the original stories. Female audience also don't like how Diao Chan's story was depicted in the 2010 version - as the most important heroine in the series, they want to see a brave woman did her job right, rather than falling into another love soap opera, with a man that many would deem lesser in virtue and courage than her (not sure how western audience view Lv Bu but in China he's definitely not someone held in high regard). Many feel that Diao Chan's ending in the 94 version is more poetic and impactful. Lastly is the script dialogue - this will only be evident to Chinese audience who understand the language. It's worth noting that the 94 version not only reenacted some of the most eloquent lines from the original story, the script writers of the 94 version were talented enough to create verses and dialogues on their own in authentic Classical Chinese styles that are definitely a thrill to read. 2010 version language is more modern, which is not a problem by itself. However, sometime it's so modern that the lines became memes😂 - imagine that you are watching a very serious political debate or a speech before a life and death battle and then someone suddenly starts to spit out gen-z language. It really breaks immersion. I don't know if it's a win or lose since it's absolutely hilarious and to some extent it's enjoyable to watch because it's funny, but this also causes many Chinese audiences unable to treat this show seriously. So in summary, 2010 version has a decent story, but probably less sophisticated in portrayal of characters and more focused on creating conflicts to move forward the plotline. But to Chinese, who already knew the full story, and came to see the show more for the characters themselves (because everyone has their beloved heroes) rather than the plot lines, this may not be the right version for us.
The first game ever that I played was Romance of the Three Kingdoms II, a PC game that I played in middle school. Then I read the novel, then played the Dynasty Warrior series and the movies.
Thanks for this video! I got into Romance of the Three Kingdoms after reading the first volume of the manga “Princess Jellyfish” because one of the main characters loved and made constant reference to this novel and it’s characters. Reading it has been fun, but i admit there is a lot to keep track of, so this video will be a good jumping off point to watch these shows first and then come back to reading. Rock on! 👍 [EDIT 08/24/2024]: Rewatching this and one of these days I REALLY want to get into the 2009 animated series. I know there are entire groups dedicated to fan subbing the 1994 series, but I hope one day that same energy can be directed to the 2009 so I can finally understand and watch for myself. If anyone knows of any projects of the sort, please let me know!
The Advisor Alliance is really a good series, but I think it is more enjoyable if you already know how the Romance of Three Kingdom story goes. Sima Yi has always been my favorite character in the Three Kingdom stories, and The Advisor Alliance never disappoints me.
I've been trying to read The Romance for quite some time and been really hard. I've heard from lots of Chinese youtubers how bad the English translation was and I ended up needing a podcast reading guide to go through. In April of 2023 the FIRST translation of the Romance for Brazilian portuguese has been reelased on Kindle in a 7 part translation with no release forecast for the next parts, then another translation came up in january this year alledgeing to be a 3 part book. I believe both can be better translations due to both countries having been very close in the geopolicial space in the last couple years. There's lot of cultural interchange between Brazil and China not only through trade but academic studies. Then I went to the translatian note for the 20023 translation and the traslator said he used some of the English translations for references and decided to write the whole novel in the Presente do Indicativo (our equivalent to the Simple Present) instead of the Pretérito perfeito (simple past) in which more novels are written in western languages to be more close to the Chinese original. But I loved your indications to start. Red Cliff has become the equivalent of Lord of the Rings for me and my wife, we rewatch it every year and I'm eager to see the others.
Thank you for talking about the 2009 animated series! I really enjoyed it aside from some of yhe pacing issues, which is understandable considering it only has 52 half hour long episodes to tell the full story. I adore the character designs that stayed close to their cultural depictions while also adding a lot of style and personality to these individuals. Such a shame it never got translated into english
I recently watched The Advisors Alliance and the sequel series Growling Tiger Roaring Dragon, and I think it was fantastic. I wasn't all to convinced by it at first, but it got better and better as it went on, and all the action versus Zhuge Liang in part 2 was a great change of pace to the pure politicking of part 1. The last half dozen episodes blew me away with the cinematography, score and tension too, they really nailed the ending.
Some time ago I watched an anime adaptation told mainly from Cao Cao's perspective that I really enjoyed. It was "Soten Koro" and it had an amazing soundtrack, production quality and a feeling of epicness that I'd even consider exaggerated. It has some flaws, but I think it's worth it for the theatric value.
The 2010 series is an absolute masterpiece, extremely well acted and produced. It takes liberties, but those are fine and a lot of them made it more enjoyable, like the humanization of Cao Cao. It’s more realistic and plays like a better Game of Thrones. I’ve rewatched it 3 times and never get sick of it.
I had the same experience. Anyway, the literary work is not historically correct regarding the characters but expresses their perception of society after a thousand years and better. So I don't think the series is further from history than the novel and it doesn't really make sense to criticize how much it adheres to the novel.
Don’t forget The Secret of the Three Kingdoms, which is an alternative interpretation which changes parts of the story, but has phenomenal acting and a smart script!
There's a manhua called Ravages of Time that i think is one of the best adaptation of the story. It has quite a creative liberty on the story telling and the characters but, it has good balance between historical accuracy, fiction, and romantization.
Awesome topic, and great breakdown of what's available. I've been following multiple adaptations of the 3 kingdoms all my life (I'm Taiwanese), and you still made me discover a few I didn't know about. One serious recommendation I could add to your already stellar list is the Manhua The Ravages of Time (I believe it's a HK manhua). Similarly from the series from 2017, it starts with the point of view of Sima Yi, and I strongly suspect the manhua was actually the inspiration for the series for such a bold move, as the manhua has actually been going on for a couple of decades, now, and is not only fantastically illustrated, but has a great balance of keeping being faithful to the spirit of the novels while keeping things fresh with some very interesting character designs (Liu Bei is basically cunning but benevolent Chinese Jesus) and character variations from the source material (Zhao Yun is actually an assassin from the Sima clan, as well as Sima Yi's best friend, and Sima sends him to Liu Bei's clan as a double agent to keep tracks of his rival, only for Zhao Yun to be slowly but surely, over the years, influenced by Liu Bei's magnanimity, as he's starting to question his allegiance to Sima Yi, who over the years is growing ever more ambitious and ruthless under Cao Cao) which, in turns, I suspect, heavily inspired the 2010 series for its characters deviations. Easily one of the absolute best adaptations of the 3 kingdoms, all throughout all mediums.
This made me realize one of my favorite games is based on three Kingdoms. I loved Kessen 2. Thanks for this I will looked into the shows with English Translations.
I was literally googling RotTK adaptations a few months ago and feeling frustrated about how to sort them out or even find them. This is such a helpful video. Thanks!
Learnt Romance of the Three Kingdoms by playing Dynasty Warriors series
I am Cow Pee, like my father Cow Cow.
@@AccentedCinemait’s stuff like that that made me switch the audio to Japanese when I played those games lmao
@@AccentedCinema As kids, whenever we'd hear Cao Cao pronounced the proper way, we'd giggle as we thought of the dog breed.
@@AccentedCinemain any Dynasty Warriors game, it is not wise to pick a fight with Lu Bu at Hulao Gate because if that happens, it is all over!
@@sndark6241Dynasty Warriors 9 has managed to get a Mandarin Chinese dub and it is fitting to enjoy the Three Kingdoms experience!
thank you very much for the shout out!!
Us in "Gentlemen of the Han" are working on translating the entire 1994 Three Kingdoms TV series, to share this great series to as many people as we can.
Thank you!!!
I am using your translation to follow the series, always wanted to thank you guys for your efforts and dedication.
Love to see fan translations
非常好漢化，使我字幕旋轉
Thanks for your hard work!!
Im giving you a follow to keep up with the show
Oh hey, I work on the project making fansubs for the 1994 series- thanks for the shoutout! We just had a release recently, what a coincidence. Working on the project has been my first exposure to the complete Three Kingdoms story, and it's given me a deep appreciation of both the original and the adaptation. People can find our subtitles by searching for "Gentlemen of the Han," the name of our group. We want as many people as possible to see this great series- I hope another team might do the same for the anime series one day!
❤
The 1994 adaptation use of the original language from the novel really underscores the beauty of ancient Chinese. There is that grand sense of poetry in every line. It is damn moving.
Cao Cao reciting his poem (对酒当歌) before Red Cliffs always gives me chills. Sure, he lost that battle, but damn, the man is a true hero of the Three Kingdoms.
You know what I would love to see, Three Kingdoms TV series but given the same respect (and budget) as Shogun.
Does shogun have a white guy in it? Or Anything to do with the west? Lol
@@bloodangel13main char would be a Roman guy travelling to China, who banged Diaochan and two Qiao lol
@@bloodangel13 No white guys, no show. Sorry.
You left out the anime where Zhuge Liang dies, gets reincarnated into modern day Japan, and helps a girl fulfil her dreams of being a pop star!
Chan Chan Ai Chiki Chiki Ban Ban
*tweaking the shoulders*
Ya Boi Kong Ming! 😆 🤣 😂
Such a gold series ! That it has not much of a following is criminal
@@jjstarrprod Not everyone can appreciate the finest beauty - Kong Ming probably.
YES! As much as I love the '94 and 2010 versions, I'm still waiting for the day when there's a tv adaptation with the production quality level of Game of Thrones and Shogun that can grab wider international attention for this quintessential Chinese classic
I had the same thought! Haha it's probably not going to be that good tbh. But if it can be as entertaining and inaccurate as 300, sure take my money Hollywood 😂.
@lordkent8143 Haha possibly. At the vety least it could interest new fans in the overall story and history
I don't know man. They butchered The Three-Body Problem.
Who's to say they won't shoehorn anti-communist bullcrap into their 3K adaptation?
the 2010 is actually at that level already, everything there is so carefully crafted, each character has a "dark side" which is very human, not some pure myth-hero.
With US-China relations now at such a low point, not going to happen. But China got the money, they can do it themselves and have posts it online with English subtitles.
3 kingdoms podcast is AWESOME. Definitely worth a listen to anyone interested. It’s a guy reading the book for a western audience and gives plenty of information to help people understand.
It was great to hear the proper pronunciation of names, that I had been saying wrong for years.
Ohhhhh thanks for the recc!!
Gonna check that out
sweet! thank you for sharing this. This is fucking awesome
(Note: I'm from Argentina, where Chinese culture isn't widespread, even though there's a healthy Chinese population... at least in the capital Buenos Aires)
I started getting into Romance of the Three Kingdoms in the late 80s, with the eponymous PC strategy game by Koei. You're right that the iconography (slightly anime-style in that game) helped me know the characters. Now I can individualize all of them just by hearing the name.
I continued in the late 90s with Dynasty Warriors IV, knowing full well that it distorted the story and characters (and further sequels of the game even increased the Playstation aesthetic regarding their clothes and equipment).
Then I played a lot of Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI, in the early 2000s (I prefer strategy games to action ones).
At that point I became really curious as to the full original story. But, alas, the novel hadn't been edited in Spanish and was nowhere available in Argentina (not even in English). And it was too costly to import it (for me). So I started reading online from a free source... but it was too much to read from a PC screen. I love holding books, and I can read for any length of time... but not on a screen. So I never completed the novel (I didn't even reach one-third of it).
I started watching the 2010 series on RUclips, but there were a couple of episodes missing (there are two uploads with English subs, I believe, the HD one has missing episodes, and another with lower quality is full).
I did watch, several times, Red Cliff (the full, two movies, version). And I absolutely LOVE it. I introduced my wife to Romance of the Three Kingdoms through it, and she found the characters and concepts fascinating (she's not new to Chinese cinema, her favorite movie is "Curse of the Golden Flower", and she loves Gong Li). We are considering buying the, somewhat new (5-10 years?), Spanish edition of the original novel, although it's quite expensive here in Argentina. And they've used Dynasty Warriors artwork for the covers... so there's that. :-P
the novel isnt just telling a good story, but also has tremendous literature value. the words and poetics are so beautiful. sad there are not a good translated version in your native language.
BASED
From Chinese perspective, 1994 TV series (wonderful but incomplete) > 2010 series >> 2010s Red Cliff movies (trash)
@@deepseer European here. I was EXTREMELY disappointed by Red Cliffs movie, and I only barely knew the story through pop culture osmosis, apart from actually decent battle scenes (like the shield wall at Eight Gates formation), it spend half the movie trying to be pretentious with flute and calf-birthing scenes like whoever-shot-the-bow reading CCP morality on how you should spare tyrants for no reason (in all other adaptations the only one who spares Cao Cao is Guan Yu, and only because he's repaying a debt).
Takeshi Kaneshiro is one of my fav actors of all time and he was a horrible Zhuge Liang, should have swapped him and Tony Leung around I think.
Here a fellow argentinian on the same page brother!
9:35 ah yes, the ancient technique of sliding your horse like a motorcycle and then having it get up and walk immediately
The Japanese have train drift, the Chinese have horse drift
I know it wasn't his intention, but he totally sold me on the movie with that shot. I love campy crap. 😁Plus, I mean, it's *Dynasty Warriors.* What else would you expect from a DW movie? Seems like a totally faithful adaptation to me!
@@jasonblalock4429 I'm not a native English speaker. Would you kindly tell me what does "DW movie" mean? I googled it but can't find anything applicable to the context in your comment.
@@jueling8611 DW = Dynasty Warrior. Japanese game loosely based on Three Kingdom. Don't expect accuracy.
@@jueling8611 It stands for Dynasty Warriors, just in this context
2010 Series is my fav by far and I've read the book several times over. I think the interpretation humanizes the characters and bring a depth to the story that is refreshing and thought-provoking
The casting is so good imo. That's what makes it the best for me.
Learning that the 2010 version is in any way controversial is wild. I had no idea because that show is incredible. Giving characters more balanced depictions worked great, especially for Cao Cao. I don't like when he's portrayed as pure evil and Liu Bei as pure good, when even in the novel, neither was the case.
Using a Chinese Communist Party-approved positive depiction of an infamous tyrant is hardly balanced, they had an edict that forced everyone to show Qin Shi Huang-Di and Cao Cao in a positive light... so Xi would look less psycho in comparison I guess? I think I liked Liu Bei in the 2010 version, more crafty version, but Cao Cao was perfect in 1994 IMO.
Romance slanderers (who have never opened a page of the novel) be like: "WHAT??? You're telling me the novel has... NUANCES??? You're telling me my shallow normie take formulated through a circlejerk of illiterates is simply... WRONG!?!?"
@@KasumiRINA You are delusional. What connection does a 2010 TV series have with Xi, who came into power in 2013? The fact is that the character of Cao Cao has always been controversial, regardless of the time period, in both China and Japan
@@KasumiRINA what? Every tyrant has nuance. Even Hitler had nuance. It doesn't mean their actions are justifiable. It means we have taken appropriate lessons to avoid the next tyrants.
what drugs are you on?@@KasumiRINA
I have tried multiple times to get into Three Kingdoms via different mediums and shows but never could get hooked until Advisor's Alliance. The balance of humor, intelligence, tension and drama made it absolutely intriguing to watch for me.
The 2010 Version has a special place in my heart because it was the first Chinese TV series I ever watched and it got me into Chinese dramas and movies more generally.
Well, since you had a full picture of the story after watching the 2010 version, I strongly recommend the 94 version，maybe the pacing is a bit slow but definitely more nuanced.
Koei really helps a lot of people get into the three kingdoms stroies, from the strategy game to the musou series. Thanks Koei!
Last time i remember, Kongming is working as Idol Manager in Shibuya..
The way i'm currently learning about it is the podcast format narration by John Zhu on spotify. He does not cut anything from the story but he does adapt the narration to be more agile, give context and reminders and is generally friendly and has good sense of humor. Big recommendation on my part.
That's how I experienced the story too. Great narration and he gave great context on alot of the different figures and cultural allusions of the novel.
For anyone who just learned about John Zhu's podcast in this comment section, he has also finished a podcast on "Water Margin" and is currently doing "Investiture of the Gods" under the name "Chinese Lore Podcast".
Sun Wukong in Three Kingdoms is a crossover I should have expected.
I'm not even halfway through the video,but what the-
It kind of happened in Koei's Warrior Orochi series as well. 😂
Xu Shaohua played Sanzang in Journey to the West and Zhang Liao in Romance of the Three Kingdoms
@@JulienneRoman why Koei not make an adaptation of Suikoden? Is it cause Konami has a license? Want to see 108 roster of shui Hui zuan karakter
The last time Koei adapted it is all men are brother, same time rotk 3
@@widimira597 Ah yes the wonder of the gotta catch them all 100+ characters fun times of the Suikoden series. Been ages since I've heard of it again. Unfortunately, if Konami does have the license, then there's no chance in hell they're letting anyone else publish a remake or sequel. It's the same story with Silent Hill. That's why PT could not materialize outside Konami. 😢
I remember stumbling on an old VHS tape when I was a small, dumb child back in the 90's. "Great Conquest, Romance of the Three Kingdoms" was my first exposure to the classic. That old tape and the various Koei games made me track down the novels, and now I would like to thank you for introducing me to even more adaptations.
A:三国演义电视剧(综合最佳)
B：三国演义动画(除去略快，剧情刻画以及五行主题曲配音等都很优秀，不下电视剧)、三国演义新旧3D动画(剧情全但音乐配音差于B的几部动画旦未完结)、横山光辉三国志、东映三国志、人形剧三国志、少年三国志(估计，韩国1982年木偶片，从播出时间估计有七八十集)、李法曾版诸葛亮、华佗与曹操
C：张山版关公、三国志之关公、武圣关公、三国英雄传之关公、曹冲称象、张飞审瓜、武圣关公动画电影、三国演义忆唐动画版、一代枭雄曹操、诸葛孔明、钟繇、卧冰求鲤、典韦传、高羽荣三国志两部曲、乱世妖后
D：新三国、赤壁、军师联盟、虎啸龙吟、曹操、武神赵子龙、各版洛神、各版貂蝉、苍天航路、少年曹操、少年华佗、热血三国，诸葛亮之定军山
E：盖世英雄曹操、关云长、见龙卸甲、真三国无双、回到三国、郑少秋版诸葛亮、神通、神通术与小霸王
F：三国志动画电影二部曲、平原县令刘备、钢铁三国志、三国志新解、猫小乐三国演义、韩国动画电影三国、吕布与貂蝉
《轩辕剑之汉之云》、《回到三国》、《三国志动画电影二部曲》、《平原县令刘备》、《赵云传之龙鸣长坂坡》、《枪神赵子龙》、《风起陇西》
G：《Q版三国》、《钢铁三国志》、《三国志新解》、猫小乐《三国演义》、韩国动画电影《三国》、《卧龙小诸葛》、《影》、《三国之战神无双》、甄子丹版《关云长》、郑少秋版《诸葛亮》、《吕布与貂蝉》、《越光宝盒》、《魔国志》系列
Omg I love this RoTK series, have been a fan since my childhood days playing PC Heroes of the Three Kingdoms 2 & Dynasty Warriors on Playstation.
A note that Advisors Alliance is part 1 of the show, generally before Sima Yi gotten his power when Cao Cao / Cao Pi is still around. Growling Tiger Roaring Dragon is more of how Sima Yi fights Shu and his takeover. One of the best Three Kingdoms related content in recent years
Red cliff was my introduction to the three kingdoms.
In 9th grade here in the Philippines, our English class focused on Asian classics from all over the continent. Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Cloud Dream of the Nine and Mahabharata were always the ones that fascinated me the most.
As a Westerner who knows Three Kingdoms mainly from Dynasty Warriors, the 2010 TV series is my favourite. It may change things, but it's more accessible. The 94 series is good too, though.
2010 is amazing, the reason chinese dont like 2010 version is because of Chen Jianbin(the actor who played Cao Cao,), they think his Mandarin is not good.
But we all non chinese love his acting.
@@dilkhozaimarwat3479 他的形像非常粗扩，去演董卓还差不多
@@dilkhozaimarwat3479 2010的三国关羽说话声音给人一种奸诈的感觉，我小时候听了感觉非常别扭。
@@dilkhozaimarwat3479 1994的关羽高大强壮胜过2010
I really love the Cao Cao character in the New Three Kingdom, played by Chen Jianbin.
0:11 It's actually very relieving to hear you say this.
I originally got into Three Kingdoms via Wo Long Fallen Dynasty. Since I'd read a lot of Journey to the West, I figured I'd be fine trying the original Three Kingdoms, but I desperately struggled with it.
It's very reassuring to hear that it's totally viable to get into the story through these other mediums too.
I watched the Arabic dub of Yokoyama Mitsuteru Sangokushi as a child, and I still remember the character to this day!
I remember when Total War Three Kingdoms came out and the 2010 series ended up being discussed amongst players, I ended up watching it and had a lot of fun... Though I never got to finish it, and seen as I was watching it on the high seas never managed to find it again later.
Book is good. Any adaptation will not make it justice, it's not LotR or Jane Austen, too much text to adapt with no flaws.
I finished it just this year because I started playing Total War, even though I began watching the show years before that. Very much worth finishing. Sima Yi is excellent in it
I grew up reading Three Kingdoms and shared my love of the original novel with a group of people, majority white Westerners. None of them ever complained about names that looked the same, huge geography and too many words.
Make a series of video like this from:
- Investiture of the Gods
- White Snake Legend
- A Strange Stories from Chinese Studio
- etc.
I've come across a few Investiture adaptations, but haven't really found *any* of them to be particularly good. Though I haven't watched the new (ish) movie yet. Would love to find out if I've missed any that are particularly good, as it's probably my favorite of those Classical Novels.
Don't forget By the Waters (I don't know if it's the English translation)
@@Netherflythe manga is pretty good. With some funky simili Chinese sci-fi character designs. Daji is an Evangelion plug suit cosplayer, Nezha is basically a cross between Megaman and Hiei, and one of the immortals fights with 2 lightsabers. It's pretty whacky (although it doesn't forget to get serious when needed).
@@jjstarrproddid you mean water margin? Coolhistorybro make an easy to understand story of water margin or Suikoden In japan
@@widimira597 ah ok, so that's the english title of Shui Hu Zhuan. Good to know, thanks.
And yes, it's one of my favorite classic tales, with a hundred of heroes that all get their moment of glory (at least at the beginning)
I got into RoTK through Dynasty Warriors 3 as a kid, and when a friend told me the Qiao sisters were the wives of Sun Ce and Zhou Yu, I didn't believe them and fell into the rabbit hole. I've consumed a ton of adaptations in the many, many years since, and my husband is a casual scholar of the Three Kingdoms period (with a specific focus on the years leading up to and after the death of Sun Quan, and the poetry of Lu Ji and Lu Yun). I'm limited by needing English subtitles, but Three Kingdoms (2010), Red Cliff, and The Advisor's Alliance are some of my absolute favorites, so I'm glad to see them decently rated!
Like you said, the best adaptation for you is the one you like the most, even if it isn't the most faithful; you can always go find the facts once you're hooked!
"Red Cliff" was my introduction to the era. I still love it.
I got into Three Kingdoms from the anime Paripi Koumei!
Not an adaptation of three kingdoms, but I’d like to use this chance to recommend the Manga/Anime/Live-Action Series Ya Boy Kongming, where Zhuge Liang is reincarnated in the modern day and becomes a manager of an up an coming singer.
All versions are way, way better than they have any right to. I’m more partial to the adaptations myself since music is a big part of the story and, well, Manga kinda struggles with that due to no sound, but do be warned both of them are incomplete adaptations.
yo boy kongming is fun finished the anime and read up to what would be season 2 of the anime. also wtf there's a live action series now?
Chanchan a Chikichiki Banban! 🤣
Bulikirály FTW!
I was looking for this comment!!! Kongming deserves party and fun (and more work) in the afterlife
I love that anime! Not entirely sure if it's my obsession with Zhuge Kongming or it's really good thou 😆
@@Reacted1991 yeah, I was also like WTF ? The anime was so much fun and they made a live action show already !?
Honestly, new three Kingdoms is my all time favorite. Actors are amazing!
every time you post I send a prayer of gratitude you chose to learn English and share your thoughts with us !!
The 2010 series is by far my favorite because the liberties it takes are arguably the most reasonable to the kinds of people the characters actually were
What Introduced me to the 3 Kingdoms
1 Dynasty Warriors
2 SD Gundam BB Senshi (The new ver also added Sun Wukong with the 3 Kingdoms, Zhuge Liang reminded him with Tripitaka)
3 There is this Korean Tokusatsu series known as Legend Heroes, where each character and suits are based from the 3 Kingdoms
Ayyyy LEGEND OF HEROES mention 🐐
I LOVE Red Cliff. It was one of the first pieces of Chinese media I watched as a kid and got me into c movies & dramas
Vietnam has the complete Vietnamese dub of RoTK 2009 animation series to broadcast on a national cable and every episodes are available on youtube so it's very accessible for us Vietnamese viewers.
Red Cliff is the movie that made me want to read the book, and that got me into Chinese cinema as a whole. My Chinese professor in college had us watch some of it and I was just... enthralled. I feel a little bad I don't remember anything else from that class, but that's life.
My first introduction to the story was the 2018 drama "Secret of the three Kingdoms". I know it's not a close adaptation, but I love it.
I love Red Cliff!!! When I saw Takeshi Kaneshiro, I was already in as I’d watch anything he stars in but the rest of the cast is fantastic as well 😊 So definitely a good introduction for me
As an avid fan of the book and time period, I think Advisors Alliance does it best.
We were all avid Shu fan boys, but if you watch if from the Wei side and Sima Yi's pov, I think fans of the time period would also find it fascinating. I mean it has all the court politics, prince fighting against princes, classic Chinese drama; what's not to like?
Also, I believe it has more historical base than all the others, especially taking notes from Book of Wei and Book of Jin.
PS: if anybody has played the TOTAL WAR 3 KINGDOMS video game, I highly suggest watching SERIOUS TRIVIA. He's probably the best 3K content creator, speak English, and has a wide breadth of knowledge on the time period, down to the smallest characters that I didn't know I should really care about.
Everyone forgets the Toei three kingdoms animation, that one had Zhuge Liang died in shch an epic way with his shooting star falling and him remembering all that Shu had sacrafice for. The short series also had so much blood for a kids show hahah 😂 but epic soundtrack.
Toei's movie trilogy version is incredible, I really like it
That was my first introduction to the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. My father rented the VCDs home for the entire family to watch.
Not only Zhuge Liang died in that manner, even when his contemporary, Pang Tong died, a shooting star fell, that's how Zhuge Liang knew Pang died even before the news arrived.
Once you get a general picture of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, i recommend diving into a manhua/manga called The ravages of time (RoT) by the Hongkong artist Chan Mou. This isn’t a typical adaptation; it’s wild, imaginative, and yet totally makes sense. The worldbuilding and character development are top-notch, and speaking impartially, it's a masterpiece of warfare strategy.
What I love most is how the characters are portrayed. There are no dumb or useless warlords and advisors here. Even the diabetic and tyrannical Dong Zhuo is shown as a visionary leader with ambition and a commanding aura. "Culturally antagonistic" figures like Dong Zhuo, Lu Bu, and Cao Cao are given such depth and purpose that you might find yourself rooting for them, which makes sense when you realize the main character is actually Sima Yi, the ultimate villain and historical winner of this period. Lu Bu, often labeled as "brave but not strategic" (a better translation has to be "all brawn and no brains) has also become one of my favorites and most iconic characters in the series.
And the strategies-they’re mind-blowingly complex. Besides drawing from famous tactics like Sun Tzu’s 36 Stratagems, the manga introduces its own strategic concepts such as Xia Ju's Dark Arts of War, which is about sacrificing/inflicting damage on oneself first before inflicting damage on the enemies, earning a brutal victory; or the "On Morale" thesis, which is about the art of psychological warfare. Plenty of espionage and counterintelligence plots as well. The battles are never straightforward, like the original A beats B then goes to war with C; they always involve intricate traps and schemes, such as A traps B lures C and makes B and C fight each other, all the while A B C has fallen into the dark deep schemes of D, closely supervised by E...
That being said, you must have some prior knowledge on the Romance of Three Kingdoms first to fully appreciate this revolutionary adaptation. Besides, the first arc might seem slow and confusing, but it picks up quickly. If you ever feel lost, the Reddit and Discord communities are great resources, there are plenty of starter packs and enthusiastic fans ready to help :)
Thank you for this introduction! I've been watching the 1994 TV adaptation fansubbed by The Gentlemen of the Han. I've caught up to them and am waiting for new episodes. I wasn't able to keep up with all the minor characters, but nevertheless I've become thoroughly hooked. Cao Cao is my favorite character.
I just found your channel. Your four-part guide on ancient Chinese dynasties is excellent. This Euro-American thanks you for making Chinese history accessible!
as a westerner with little to no previous knowledge of the three kingdoms period watched the 2010 version and enjoyed it very much. loved all the actors and find it very interesting that you mention the eastern audience preferred (at least originally) the more reserved acting of the "old" version. Since you reminded me its on youtube, might be time for a rewatch
OMG, when you showed K.O 3an Guo near the end, that unlocked a core memory of mine being obssessed with the K.O One series when I was a kid (watched it on a Chinese cable channel without subs) but I understood K.O 3an Guo because of the Three Kingdoms influence.
Thanks for making me remember about it!
12:15 man i used to watch this series as a kid in Vietnamese dub on Television, really one of my favorites 3 kingdoms adaptations, still vividly remember it to this day, wish i could somehow watch it again somewhere.
My first Sam Kok intro is from Taiwanese Tsai Chih Chung's cartoon. Like most Japanese-aligned adaptation, it ended "happily" in Red Cliff. Skipping most of the anti-Dong Zhuo coalition arc, Cao Cao's consolidation of power, Liu Bei's plight and winning Jingzhou.
And of course, the Hokkien 4-koma style Wuxia comic that is the staple of Southeast Asian Chinese diaspora. My grandma's family owns the Cantonese one. All of them translated into old Indonesian with weird localised Hokkien and Cantonese names. I think many Indonesians could relate to this.
Finally it is the epic 1993 TV adaptation - a bit boring for newbies, but it is fully faithful and epic on its own right.
Then the Dynasty Warriors games - weird, but okay-ish. What I appreciate for them is, despite their attempts at perversion and modernisation - they know how to depict the iconic looks of Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhuge Liang, and some more familiar names
Finally the Mainland's 2010 drama - another modern re-interpretation that makes it sensible, although could use a lot more improvements. Many overseas diaspora disagreed with this version as it ameliorates the Wei side, giving Cao Cao more sympathetic look. Of course it is "Beijing's / Northerner's version" lol. IMO, one of the best version. It seemed to teach foreign players to yell "Cao Ahman" to any Wei players online.
All the shortened cinema movies: mostly a bit meh. Watched "Red Cliff", my parents were immediately turned off by its artistic licenses. Watched "The Lost Bladesman", that's not Guan Yunchang.
2010 Three Kingdoms is what made Chen Jianbin The Cao Cao we know and love.
I couldn't agree more!
He completely steals the show.
My dad always says Chen Jianbin is the best Cao Cao to ever exist on screen, and I totally agree
The smile, that damned smile....
I unwittingly copied his controlled yet sincere laugh.
I'm surprised, impressed, and happy so many of these are on youtube for free, that's awesome.
Red cliff was just awesome
I'm chinese and the 94's version is indeed the best. The dramatic acting might seem awkward to some western audience, but is natural to Chinese or Asian cinema. The scene of zhugeliang inspecting his troops before his death and have troops beg him to rest never cease to bring me to tears. Maybe it's because reminded me as a chinese student, studying late into the night, every night, sacrificed youth, happiness, vision and health, all to become successful and make my parents proud.
In 90s in Indonesia, I learned three kingdom by playing game (with the names in Pinyin), new published book with images (with names in Wade Gilles), and old shortened version belong to my Grandfather (with names in Hokkien in old Indonesian spelling). So, I have to switch my brain every time I read them. Some example: Liu Bei vs Liu Pei vs Lao Pi, Zhuge Liang vs Chuke Liang vs Tjukat Liang, Kong Ming vs Kong Beng.
Kinda unrelated,but this has the same vibe of me watching 3 adaptations of JTTW simultaneously-
Basically me trying to work out the English versions, Chinese pronunciations, and asking my dad for stories about them in Vietnamese. Takes a while to work through all three languages to figure out who is who, but the basic gist is the same.
Romance of the Three Kingdom game from Koei make me love Three Kingdom
Man, I have trouble just switching gears between Pinyin and Wade-Giles. I can't imagine adding a third system to the list!
Can I just say this is EXACTLY what I wanted/needed! I’ve gotten really interested in historical cdramas in the last year, and I come across this title/recommendation again and again, and I ended up looking for summaries on RUclips to try to hear this great story! If you ever do a sequel video with even more visual versions, I’m definetly watching!
Let's be honest here: We, the boys born in the 80s-90s and grew up during the 2000s, have played Dynasty Warriors at some point in our lives at somebody's house, even if we don't own a gaming console ourselves.
Ravages of Time manhua, already had a recent anime adaption. Is looking to cast for the live action by 2026. That story also reinvent a lot of stuff too.
There's an anime for Ravages of Time???
@@susbedo9258 Yes it is on youtube too.
@@susbedo9258 ruclips.net/video/ON06zhz8D74/видео.html&pp=ygUUcmF2YWdlcyBvZiB0aW1lIGVwIDE%3D Donghua is underrated.
I was introduced into Three Kingdoms unknowingly by Joan He author of Strike the Zither and Sound the Gong. I just finished STG a few weeks ago and wanted more tales. I ended up falling in love with the themes and now I'm going on a three kingdoms journey so this video came at a perfect time
I first came to know this story by a manga, Sangokushi (Sonoda Mitsuyoshi, not Yokoyama Mitsuteru) in 1993. I remember this manga because of how unique it was, they make the manga landscape, like children storybook.
The Ravages of Time manga is also a great way to read about Romance of Three Kingdoms.
It's insanely long tho, and since the author try to humanize everyone... even the nameless ones it can be convoluted
However, that manga made Lu Bu not only incredibly bad ass, but a human.
Too bad it is sooo underrated, accented cinema don't know about it.
but wasn't that more of a retelling that works better for audiences that are already familiar with the story
I think Chan Mou expressly made it clear Lu Bu "isn't human". 不是人 is often a phrase that accompanies the mention of Lu Bu in his works.
Yeah, I also think it's one of the absolute best adaptations of the 3 Kingdoms, all mediums included. I'm actually pretty sure the 2 recent series (2010 and 2017) were heavily inspired by it (I mean, one is making some pretty big deviations of characters to try and humanize them, the other one is starting with Sima Yi..?)
Excellent adaptation, definitely the best manga I've read (it technically isn't one, it's a manhua but you get the meaning).
Ive seen the new Romance of the 3 Kingdoms and thought it was S tier. But you saying it's B tier and the original version is S tier makes me wanna see it.
It's certainly more faithful to the novel, but YMMV whether or not you think it's *better.* Should still give it a watch, though.
@@Netherfly Bro the original is actually more faithful to the novel AND history. I watched the new one first and I honestly thought it was not bad, but that opinion completely changed after I watched the 1994 version, the difference is drastic
@@Netherfly yeah. I'll give it a watch. I just need to find the time.
Best way to learn is by what's most enjoyable. Put that on some merch.
I wish I had known that learning through girl panties was a valid option.
I started by reading the novel translated into hokkien then interpreted to Indonesian while at the same time reading loosely based manga about it. And in the real life, almost every night my uncle recounts the stories in the Mahabharata for us.
What a glorious early adolescence this was.
I'm Romanian and my introduction to Three Kingdoms was Red Cliff. I thought it was pretty good so I read the book afterwards. I love Cao-Cao. I haven't watched or even heard of any of the other adaptations featured in this video.
The Dynasty Warriors movie is SO fun, and you can carve that on my gravestone.
I'd also like to recommend the Romance of the Three Kingdoms Podcast. That's how I learned the story, so it's very beginner friendly. The podcaster, John Zhu, agreed with you that the novel isn't the best place to start for English readers as it gets translated super dryly, so he retold it in the engaging manner he was familiar with. He's a good storyteller, and great to listen to
9:25 the Dynasty Warriors games got me to research the historical figures from 3 kingdoms. This atrocity of a movie hurt me. Really happy you made this video, because i enjoy adaptations of this point in history, but have struggled to find a proper translation of the novel.
The Advisors Alliance is simply a top tier drama with excellent performances. The first season, along with the first season of Nirvana in Fire, is some of the best television China has produced.
I forgot entirely about Nirvana in Fire, despite loving it when it first started; sounds like it's time for a rewatch.
@@raeoverhere923 The first Nirvana in Fire series is definitely very good. It takes some time to get used to the world, but afterwards, it is just a really all around great experience. I didn't enjoy the second series as much. However, I am really looking forward to the third installment that is supposed to air this year.
@@anotheryoutubeuser I didn't know there was going to be more; that's exciting!
For manhua/manga i would recommend Ravages of Times which centered on Sima Yi and Ryurouden which kind of isekai i think about it but trust me it's awesome.
The Mitsuteru Yokoyama Sangokushi is what the most famous anime version of the three kingdoms is based on. It’s bombastic!
I had no idea there was a Dynasty Warriors movie, and now I have to see it. I love campy "so bad it's good" movies.
Personally, my first exposure to the Three Kingdoms was Romance Of The Three Kingdoms 11, which is still one of my all-time favorite strategy games. I spent a summer obsessing over it, and then I ended up reading the novel. The funny thing was discovering that my winning strategy as Liu Bei was actually quite close to Zhuge Liang's overall battle plan in the book!
The movie is great
10:00 The Arabic channel SpaceToon used to dub a lot of Animes into Arabic in high quality. This series was my introduction to Three Kingdoms.
Thank you. I wish I have known some of the series you recommended. But deep down inside. I wish the entertainment industry would do 三国志 rather than remaking 三国演义 again and again.
Out of all of these Advisors Alliance intrigues me the most. I’m coming at this from a perspective of a foreigner who learned about the three kingdoms from researching the history first, and only dipping my toes into the story later, so a story focusing on a character I’ve read about from that angle but who seems to lack the mythical degree of veneration the protagonists like Zhuge Liang or Guan Yu gets is very interesting. Especially because for all intents and purposes he came out of the period very successfully, with his family holding great positions in the empire and seizing the throne within a few generations
Advisors Alliance is *really* gripping, I definitely recommend it.
I have realized, while I clicked on this video, I now relate this music with your videos, I closed a tab, this video autoplayed while I Wasn't looking at it, and just the music put me in a good mood lol
I got to know Romance of Three Kingdoms through the old Koei game Romance of Three Kingdoms 3.
Then a couple of years later, the local TV station broadcasted the 1994 adaptation, without subtitles. Given my poor standard of Chinese, I had trouble understanding the dialogues. The TV station later added subtitles, which enabled me to enjoy the series to the last episode.
I really love your videos as a way to introduce myself to Chinese and East Asian cinema. I always learn so much and come away with new things to watch!!
Most Chinese don't like 2010 version of 3 kingdoms for a reason, and as a Chinese, I can perhaps shed light on this a bit more. 2010 version undoubtedly tells a good story, but for a story specifically depicting 3 kingdoms, it is kind of lacking in many aspects compared to the 94 version, so it is a bit disappointing when it first came out, considering that most Chinese already knew the full story and had very high expectation of it.
First of all, I want to point out that I (and perhaps majority of Chinese audience) would disagree with the opinion that 94 version narrated heroes more as "larger than life" symbols, whereas 2010 version is more human. In fact, we think it's the opposite - the 94 version shows heroes' multi-facades in way subtler and more nuanced details, whereas the 2010 version was created with an intention to show heroes as "more human", but unfortunately failed because of its blunt and too deliberate way of representing it. Take the depiction of Guan Yu and Zhang Fei for example - two most renowned and beloved generals of the era. But based on western viewers' comments on RUclips, it seems that people who only watched 2010 version only come to the conclusion that they are, well, assholes. Indeed, Guan Yu was depicted as an arrogant moron and Zhang Fei was depicted as a brash lad who only had a single braincell. However, the 94 version was much more nuanced. While showing Guan Yu's arrogance, it also depicted his kindness to civilians and respect for rivals and talent that he truly acknowledged, though in his own hilariously haughty way. Though Zhang Fei was usually an act-before-he-think guy, he actually had a few "street-smart" tricks upon his sleeves and even used them to outwit Zhuge Liang once. Their dynamics with Zhuge Liang are some of the funniest parts in 94 version Shu faction that bring out each man's character perfectly, without resorting to the deliberately created melodrama of power struggle and suspicion. You can indeed see that they are flawed, but they are also heroes that are worth to be admired and loved. In this sense, I'd say that 94 ver did a better job of portraying characters' different sides, whereas 2010 version tried too hard to portray the "human" side of heroes, that they on contrary become "symbols" that only show one exaggerated side of their characters.
The other issue is perhaps that there are too many unnecessary melodramas than needed in the 2010 version, which may work for the story as a whole but make characters less lovable. It's true that ROTK is about power struggle, but at least in the 1st generation (i.e., what we called the "more heroic" era), the power struggle is more between the factions rather than within the faction. Except for Wei faction, which intriguing story indeed stemmed out partially from internal conflict and fleshed out characters, for early stage Shu and Wu, the conflict was mainly outside, and incessant internal scheming and suspicion against each other really made storytelling repetitive (in the original story, the 3 factions have their completely different internal dynamics so audience would like to see such differences presented more distinctly), and also diminished the true charm of the heroes in the original stories. Female audience also don't like how Diao Chan's story was depicted in the 2010 version - as the most important heroine in the series, they want to see a brave woman did her job right, rather than falling into another love soap opera, with a man that many would deem lesser in virtue and courage than her (not sure how western audience view Lv Bu but in China he's definitely not someone held in high regard). Many feel that Diao Chan's ending in the 94 version is more poetic and impactful.
Lastly is the script dialogue - this will only be evident to Chinese audience who understand the language. It's worth noting that the 94 version not only reenacted some of the most eloquent lines from the original story, the script writers of the 94 version were talented enough to create verses and dialogues on their own in authentic Classical Chinese styles that are definitely a thrill to read. 2010 version language is more modern, which is not a problem by itself. However, sometime it's so modern that the lines became memes😂 - imagine that you are watching a very serious political debate or a speech before a life and death battle and then someone suddenly starts to spit out gen-z language. It really breaks immersion. I don't know if it's a win or lose since it's absolutely hilarious and to some extent it's enjoyable to watch because it's funny, but this also causes many Chinese audiences unable to treat this show seriously.
So in summary, 2010 version has a decent story, but probably less sophisticated in portrayal of characters and more focused on creating conflicts to move forward the plotline. But to Chinese, who already knew the full story, and came to see the show more for the characters themselves (because everyone has their beloved heroes) rather than the plot lines, this may not be the right version for us.
The first game ever that I played was Romance of the Three Kingdoms II, a PC game that I played in middle school. Then I read the novel, then played the Dynasty Warrior series and the movies.
Finally, you talk about Three Kingdoms. Thank
Thanks for this video! I got into Romance of the Three Kingdoms after reading the first volume of the manga “Princess Jellyfish” because one of the main characters loved and made constant reference to this novel and it’s characters. Reading it has been fun, but i admit there is a lot to keep track of, so this video will be a good jumping off point to watch these shows first and then come back to reading. Rock on! 👍
[EDIT 08/24/2024]: Rewatching this and one of these days I REALLY want to get into the 2009 animated series. I know there are entire groups dedicated to fan subbing the 1994 series, but I hope one day that same energy can be directed to the 2009 so I can finally understand and watch for myself. If anyone knows of any projects of the sort, please let me know!
Crazy how I was just in the middle of re-watching Ya Boy Kong Ming anime, and then this comes up lol
The Advisor Alliance is really a good series, but I think it is more enjoyable if you already know how the Romance of Three Kingdom story goes. Sima Yi has always been my favorite character in the Three Kingdom stories, and The Advisor Alliance never disappoints me.
I've been trying to read The Romance for quite some time and been really hard. I've heard from lots of Chinese youtubers how bad the English translation was and I ended up needing a podcast reading guide to go through.
In April of 2023 the FIRST translation of the Romance for Brazilian portuguese has been reelased on Kindle in a 7 part translation with no release forecast for the next parts, then another translation came up in january this year alledgeing to be a 3 part book.
I believe both can be better translations due to both countries having been very close in the geopolicial space in the last couple years. There's lot of cultural interchange between Brazil and China not only through trade but academic studies.
Then I went to the translatian note for the 20023 translation and the traslator said he used some of the English translations for references and decided to write the whole novel in the Presente do Indicativo (our equivalent to the Simple Present) instead of the Pretérito perfeito (simple past) in which more novels are written in western languages to be more close to the Chinese original.
But I loved your indications to start. Red Cliff has become the equivalent of Lord of the Rings for me and my wife, we rewatch it every year and I'm eager to see the others.
The best adaptation is Ryofuko-chan! It shows the more realistic dynamics between Cao Cao and Xiahou Dun leeching off him.
I respect you didn't use the cheesey Tier chart people typically use. S+ tier goated youtube channel.
Thank you for talking about the 2009 animated series! I really enjoyed it aside from some of yhe pacing issues, which is understandable considering it only has 52 half hour long episodes to tell the full story. I adore the character designs that stayed close to their cultural depictions while also adding a lot of style and personality to these individuals. Such a shame it never got translated into english
If anyone can represent this era full of legends in the thumbnail, it's Zhuge Liang. Absolute icon
With me, Ver 2010 is S tier ! ❤ ! I've seen it about 20 times already, and still want to watch it again
I recently watched The Advisors Alliance and the sequel series Growling Tiger Roaring Dragon, and I think it was fantastic.
I wasn't all to convinced by it at first, but it got better and better as it went on, and all the action versus Zhuge Liang in part 2 was a great change of pace to the pure politicking of part 1.
The last half dozen episodes blew me away with the cinematography, score and tension too, they really nailed the ending.
Some time ago I watched an anime adaptation told mainly from Cao Cao's perspective that I really enjoyed. It was "Soten Koro" and it had an amazing soundtrack, production quality and a feeling of epicness that I'd even consider exaggerated. It has some flaws, but I think it's worth it for the theatric value.
I scrolled way too far down to find the first comment that talked about Soten Koro, thought I was completely alone
The 2010 series is an absolute masterpiece, extremely well acted and produced. It takes liberties, but those are fine and a lot of them made it more enjoyable, like the humanization of Cao Cao. It’s more realistic and plays like a better Game of Thrones. I’ve rewatched it 3 times and never get sick of it.
I had the same experience. Anyway, the literary work is not historically correct regarding the characters but expresses their perception of society after a thousand years and better. So I don't think the series is further from history than the novel and it doesn't really make sense to criticize how much it adheres to the novel.
Don’t forget The Secret of the Three Kingdoms, which is an alternative interpretation which changes parts of the story, but has phenomenal acting and a smart script!
There's a manhua called Ravages of Time that i think is one of the best adaptation of the story. It has quite a creative liberty on the story telling and the characters but, it has good balance between historical accuracy, fiction, and romantization.
Awesome topic, and great breakdown of what's available. I've been following multiple adaptations of the 3 kingdoms all my life (I'm Taiwanese), and you still made me discover a few I didn't know about.
One serious recommendation I could add to your already stellar list is the Manhua The Ravages of Time (I believe it's a HK manhua).
Similarly from the series from 2017, it starts with the point of view of Sima Yi, and I strongly suspect the manhua was actually the inspiration for the series for such a bold move, as the manhua has actually been going on for a couple of decades, now, and is not only fantastically illustrated, but has a great balance of keeping being faithful to the spirit of the novels while keeping things fresh with some very interesting character designs (Liu Bei is basically cunning but benevolent Chinese Jesus) and character variations from the source material (Zhao Yun is actually an assassin from the Sima clan, as well as Sima Yi's best friend, and Sima sends him to Liu Bei's clan as a double agent to keep tracks of his rival, only for Zhao Yun to be slowly but surely, over the years, influenced by Liu Bei's magnanimity, as he's starting to question his allegiance to Sima Yi, who over the years is growing ever more ambitious and ruthless under Cao Cao) which, in turns, I suspect, heavily inspired the 2010 series for its characters deviations. Easily one of the absolute best adaptations of the 3 kingdoms, all throughout all mediums.
This made me realize one of my favorite games is based on three Kingdoms. I loved Kessen 2.
Thanks for this I will looked into the shows with English Translations.
The best animation of Three Kingdoms
三国志
第一部・英雄たちの夜明け
第二部・長江燃ゆ!
完結編・遥かなる大地
The 1994 version is the best, hands down no questions needed.
I was literally googling RotTK adaptations a few months ago and feeling frustrated about how to sort them out or even find them. This is such a helpful video. Thanks!