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Two of the biggest 2025 Chinese New Year releases were sequels. The global blockbuster Ne Zha 2 was covered in our previous review. Creation of the Gods II: Demon Force  is literally cut from the same cloth, or book to be specific. Both Ne Zha and Creation of the Gods are based upon stories from Fengshen Yanyi , a 16th-century Chinese novel by Xu Zhonglin, translated as The Investiture of the Gods.  Nezha even appears in both Creation of the Gods  films, along with few other characters like Shen Gongbao and the Immortals. Nezha appears on the Creation of the Gods II: Demon Force  poster in the upper lefthand corner, easily recognized by his magic red scarf.   Both Ne Zha 2  and Creation of the Gods II: Demon Force  enjoyed a North American theatrical release, but the latter was very short. At China’s box office, Creation of the Gods II  placed third behind Ne Zha 2  and Detective Chinatown 1900  (the 4th installment in that franchise).  Both films take tremendous liberties with the original story The Investiture of the Gods ; such is the nature of book-to-filmmaking. While Ne Zha 2  fits neatly into the Xianxia (immortal heroes) genre, Creation of the Gods II leans more towards Wuxia (warrior heroes), despite both movies emerging from the same epic. Creation of the Gods II is more wuxia because it is told more so from the human perspective. A major plot point focuses on Jiang Ziya (Huang Bo), an immortal who forsakes his magic and returns to being human. He is flanked by loyal immortal protectors and nephew disciples: Yang Jian (Ci Sha) and Nezha (Wu Ya Fan).  The Creation of the Gods films are part of a trilogy, written and directed by maverick filmmaker Wuershan. All three movies were filmed together from 2018 through 2019, an 18 month shoot that employed some 10,000 crew members. Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms was originally slated for 2020, but the world got sick, so its premiere was delayed until 2023. Originally, Creation of the Gods II was to follow in 2024, but with thousands of special effects shots to be made, post-production took an additional year.  But before we dig into the sequel, let’s look back at the first film. Trying to watch Creation of the Gods II to start would be like jumping in on Avengers: Endgame  (2019) or Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2  (2011) first. If you know The Investiture of the Gods , every character is introduced with a supertitle in that classic Chinese film way. But if you don’t who’s who, it can be very confusing. For example, in Demon Force , Nezha just buzzes in and out through the battles without any further explanation. Any noob to the story would be like WTH is up with that kid? Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms  begins with an epic siege. It's massive, actualized with lot of CGI as well as a lot of huge mob scenes with hordes of extras. Its magnitude deserves to be seen on the big silver screen. The opening battlefield scenes are humongous, on the level of the finale for most films like this. And the movie marches onward to bigger and more grandiose from there.  Set during the Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 BCE), the overall design is ornate and geometric, echoing the aesthetics of the heavy bronze artifacts that have survived from that period. The costuming and armor are excessively opulent, befitting the grandeur of the timeless saga. And the story is twisty. The opening battle is led by Yin Shou (Fei Xiang), second prince of the Shang, suppressing a rebel uprising. Yin Shou’s top soldiers are his ‘adopted’ sons, actually the sons of other leaders, held as hostages to assure loyalty. Su Daji (Narana Erdyneeva), the daughter of the rebel leader, is caught by some of the hostage sons when she is trying to escape. But rather than fall into their hands, she commits suicide. But then there’s the first major twist. Her dying body is possessed by a nine-tailed fox demon.  The nine-tailed fox is classic demon of Asian mythology. Called huli jing in Chinese, it also appears in Japanese legend as a kitsune and Korean tales as a kumiho. The natural form of a nine-tailed fox is a magical beast usually with white fur, but it can assume the form of a beautiful seductive woman (or sometimes a man) to lure humans of the opposite sex to their doom. The metaphor is reminiscent of a Celtic selkie or a Greek siren (precursor to the mermaid), but nine-tailed foxes are creatures of the land. They just drain the life force – or qi – from their victims, like vampires drain blood. Nine-tailed foxes have magic powers, and often seek immortality through centuries of ascetic practices and qi poaching. Erdyneeva delivers an utterly hypnotizing performance as the fox demoness. Wuershan has a knack for directing femme fatale roles and his films have casted some of China’s most gorgeous actresses to play them. But back to the story, Jiang Ziya forsakes his immortality to deliver the Fengshen Bang, a scroll of ultimate power, to Yin Shou, who is under the nine-tailed fox’s spell. In a demonstration of magic, Jiang Ziya’s rival, Shen Gongbao (Xia Yu) exposes Yin Shou’s ruthlessness, so Jiang changes his mind, takes the Fengshen Bang and runs. Buoyed with a strong cast of heroes, complicated tangled story arcs and eye-popping special effects, Creation of the Gods I: Kingdom of Storms  is a lot of film. It's 2 1/2 hours long, and a wild non-stop ride all the way through.  Even the end credits were an eyeful. Remember those 10,000 crew members? The credits are like looking at the Great Wall of China where every brick is a name. And just when you think they're done, there's an awesome post-credit scene that teases the sequel, then even more credits – the credits weren’t even halfway through.  The mid-credit scene introduces the villains for Demon Force : Shang Grand Preceptor Wen Zhong (Wu Hsing Kuo) who has opened his third eye, General Deng Chanyu (Nashi) and the Four Heavenly Kings. Part of that mid-credit scene comprises much of the main trailer for Demon Force .  Creation of the Gods II: Demon Force  has even more magic and more huge battles, starting with an ambush and escalating to another full-blown city siege with flying magic eye discs that emit knock out rays to anyone who didn’t drink the Kool-Aid (actually it looked more like watered down soy milk). It launches from the cinematic high bar that the previous film set, and levels up from there. Again, a female antihero takes the lead. Erdyneeva reprises her role as Su Daji, but her powers are depleted. Stepping up to fill that femme fatale role is a human. Nashi dominates as General Deng, a fierce female warrior who throws down better than the men. She steals every scene she’s in. When Yin Shou, now the king and resurrected from the dead in the end credit scene of the previous film, tasks Wen Zhong to capture Jiang Ziya, he declines because he has retirement plans. Of course, once you’re as powerful as Wen Zhong, you can never escape being involved in the battles of heaven and earth, so he comes back into play later. Meanwhile, Deng steps up in his place and becomes a primary antagonist, pursuing the heroes across ancient China.  And the Heavenly Kings are magnificently actualized; Mo Li Qing (Seng Ge Ren Qin), Mo Li Hong (Na Yin Tai), Mo Li Hai (Zhang Yilong), and Mo Li Shou (Ai Li Ku) are giant Buddhist devas that wield magical weapons, a sword, a parasol, a pipa (Chinese lute) and a red cord respectively. Within Chinese Buddhist temples, there is typically front gate where effigies of these guardian devas are housed. Demon Force  captures their imposing awesomeness like never before.  The sequel is overwhelmingly spectacular, and even if the story of Creation of the Gods II: Demon Force  gets too complex to follow for the uninitiated, it still works on its sheer audacity of vision. Here, the epic fantasies of ancient China are showcased gloriously. Consider the fantasy franchise titans of Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and the MCU. All of those are modern, created within the last century. The Investiture of the Gods  is a chronicle of that magnitude that has been around since the 16th century. It has been retold countless times in theater, opera, comics, books, and movies. What’s more, there are so many versions and variations of the stories. Now these classic legends are getting their deserved global spotlight in the movies.  Wuershan claims the Creation of the Gods trilogy is conclusive. It will finish with Creation of the Gods III: Creation Under Heaven , which was originally slated to be released in 2025, but following the delay of Demon Force , it may be pushed back to 2026.  He has also hinted that he might explore other tales based on The Investiture of the Gods  over the next quarter century, and in so doing, would create his own take on the Fengshen universe.  Which leads us (ever so slightly) back in time to Painted Skin: The Resurrection  (2012). If you didn’t get enough nine-tailed fox femme fatale action, check out Painted Skin: The Resurrection . Wuershan took over the director’s chair for this sequel to Painted Skin  (2008), reuniting some of the cast of the original, Zhou Xun, Zhao Wei, Chen Kun, but takes place 500 years later so only Zhou Xun reprises her role. Zhou is Xiao Wei, a nine-tailed fox demon, and another captivating female antihero subject for Wuershan. This film is firmly within the Xianxia genre, very loosely derived from Liaozhai Zhiyi  ( Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio ), compiled by Pu Songling in the early 18th century.  Wuershan demonstrates his signature panache for the big screen spectacle with outrageous color schemes, cascades of flowing silk, glittering golden armor and ghostly white hair tentacles foxtails. His captivating vision of fox demonesses is sultry and seductive, abetted by the two lead actresses. Zhou Xun and ‘Vicky’ Zhao Wei have some of the most soulful eyes in cinema and their chemistry is electric. Zhou’s fox demoness has become tragic, struggling to escape a curse laid upon her for loving a human. Zhao plays the scarred general princess Jing, who dons an ornate golden mask to hide her ugliness like the Phantom of the Opera. And adding to the mix is Yang Mi, playing Que’er, a perfectly chirpy bird demoness.  Painted Skin: The Resurrection  is sappily romantic in that Chinese sacrifice-love-for-station-and-circumstance way, and some of those scenes get a little long, but the musical interlude is a poignant traditional melancholy ballad, and all three actresses are just stunning in their roles. It's funny, sexy, tragic, campy, and stylish, and apart from a few longwinded romantic scenes, moves at a consistently engaging pace. The romantic scenes are redeemed by the literal giving of hearts, as demons have no hearts so they must eat them regularly or in the case of breaking a curse, have one given willingly to become human.  While Painted Skin: The Resurrection  is not as cinematically overwhelming as Wuershan’s Creation of the Gods movies, it has moments of sheer artistry worth the watch. Clearly, when it comes to fantasy cinema, Wuershan is a filmmaker to watch. By Gene Ching Immortal Squad, Martial Arts Editor & Action Choreographer If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to our newsletter  and join our community on socials! Facebook Instagram Twitter TikTok YouTube

It’s the biggest film of 2025 so far, but many don’t even know about it. Ne Zha 2  is now the highest-grossing animated film in the world ever, dethroning the previous title holder, another sequel, Inside Out 2 (2024). It is also the highest-grossing film in a single territory (China) in the world, unseating Star Wars: The Force Awakens  (2015) for North America. Since its release for the Lunar New Year, Ne Zha 2 has grossed over $2 billion, the first animated film to do so, and with those earnings, it has become the highest grossing non-English film ever.  And at this writing, it’s currently placed 6th in the worldwide highest-grossing films ever, just below Star Wars: The Force Awakens  and above Avengers: Infinity War  (2018).  After emerging as a significant world cinema,  Ne Zha 2  is the global success that China’s film industry has yearned for, and it’s matter of patriotic duty for Chinese nationals to see it. You must see just to keep up with the global film conversation.  Ne Zha 2 (pronounced Nuh-Jah) is the direct sequel of Ne Zha  (2019), and both are written and directed by Jiaozi; these are his first two feature length films. Ne Zha  was also a success, but it didn’t go global. When it came out, it rose to become the highest-grossing animated film in China, the highest-grossing non-U.S. animated film, and the highest-grossing non-English film of all time. It was also the first Chinese animated feature to be presented in IMAX. Ne Zha 2  is the third film in the animated Fengshen Universe from Enlight Pictures. The second was Jiang Ziya  (2020) although that story takes a slightly different path, particularly how the Twelve Golden Immortals are depicted. Fengshen refers to Fengshen Yanyi , a 16th-century Chinese novel by Xu Zhonglin, translated as The Investiture of the Gods. It’s an epic tale that lies at the root of Chinese fantasy, the genre of Xianxia (Immortal heroes) . The story of Ne Zha, or Nezha as it usually spelled, is one of the many stories from this epic of classic Chinese literature.  Nezha is mischievous demon out of Chinese myth like the Monkey King. In fact, he battles the Monkey King early on in  Journey to the West .  Nezha has several manifestations ranging from a three-headed six-armed demon to his more common appearance as a cheeky boy. He wields a magic spear, a magic scarf that is semi-sentient as Doctor Strange’s cloak, and celestial roller skates of fire known as the Wind Fire Wheels.  In Bagua, an internal form of Kung Fu like Tai Chi, the Wind Fire Wheels are weapons that pay homage to Nezha’s flaming skates. These are wide flat metal rings with flame-shaped blades jutting from the edges. The wheels are always practiced in pairs.  I had the honor of testing a modern-made pair of Wind Fire Wheels for the El Rey TV show Man at Arms: Art of War . The show brought together expert craftsmen to reproduce weapons and armor from scratch for history and fantasy, then to test them in real-world applications. If you look quickly, you can see me in the trailer with the Wind Fire Wheels on the show’s trailer. I’m at the 5 second mark.  But I digress. Back to Ne Zha 2 , wow. What a spectacle. The film is next level, relentless in its over-the-top imagery, like the wildest video game ever. It’s eye-poppingly visual, with startlingly fresh visions universes getting ripped open, invading demon hordes, armies of immortal mystics, cosmic battles, and some incredibly detailed and lush settings. The story moves from puerile pee humor to heart-wrenching mother and son feels, with great fights and massive battles all along the way. Ne Zha 2  is a lot of movie. And it might not make a lick of sense if you don’t know who Nezha is, but it’s so visual that you just need to know he’s a demon brat with a good heart. And he’s one of the most powerful beings in the cosmos.  Ne Zha 2  is such a huge level up from the first film, so much so that you should see this first, then go back for Ne Zha  and treat it like a prequel, lest the first film dissuade you from seeing the sequel.  However, the original film,  Ne Zha,  is his origin story, a deep dive into Chinese myth. At first, the film might feel like it poached the backgrounds from  Kung Fu Panda , but it takes off when the magic battles begin. It’s hampered by the trappings of PRC animation, including pee and fart jokes (including a fart trap escape), lots of cartoonish comic relief like dopey Monty Pythonesque guards, a burly effeminate villager, a drunk fool, a flying pig that sneezes visions, a sea demon that blows petrifying bubbles and antidote snot.   But it’s all about the fight scenes.  There are sword fights, magic chi blasts, weird spiky weapons, magic spears, a magic flywhisk, that magic brush and shuttlecock action. It’s total superhero choreography that’s very satisfying and somewhat fresh in its vision. However, the magnitude of Ne Zha  hardly approaches Ne Zha 2 . Where most sequels fail, a few sequels double down to birth a franchise like The Empire Strikes Back  (1980) and Aliens  (1986). Ne Zha 2  improves exponentially. If you want to do a deep dive into Nezha animation, watch Nezha Conquers the Dragon King  (1979). It's astonishingly good, a stylish postcard from the era of hand-drawn cartoons long before CGI came into play. The film is full of vibrant color schemes, surreal animation, magic swordfights (between shellfish no less), and unique backgrounds based on classic Chinese landscape painting. The story is the same as what is told in Ne Zha and Ne Zha 2 , but a completely different interpretation of many of the characters, especially Nezha.  Where Ne Zha 2025 is a brat punk, Nezha 1979 is a beautiful prepubescent boy that's all powerful, mischievous and dances about a lot. He is also bare assed for most of the film. After he emerges from an egg that his mom carried for 3 years, he rises on a lotus blossom and throws a lotus petal up in the air and it transforms into one of those red bandanas Chinese babies wear over the front of their bodies. But there's no back but strings. Through most of the film, Nezha remains unabashedly bare assed.  The music vacillates between sort of a classical orchestral sound akin to the soundtracks of old Disney animated films of the period and classic Chinese opera for the battle scenes, plus a few more. There's this distinctive battle music in traditional Chinese opera - tinny clanging cymbals and big drums with a stringed pipa. What’s more, there are also long gratuitous scenes of Nezha dancing to classical opera, also practicing his magic weapons or riding his deer mount. There's an oddly long gratuitous shot of Nezha's dad Li Jing playing guzheng - that's a beautiful segment musically but the animation doesn’t justify its inclusion.  Overall, Nezha Conquers the Dragon King  has a lovely vintage style. It was the first feature length animated film for China, and premiered as part of the 30th anniversary of the founding of the PRC celebrations. It was screened out of competition at Cannes in 1980 and was a Google Doodle in 2014 (35th anniversary). With the triumph of Ne Zha 2 , Enlight Pictures is sure to expand its animated Fengshen Universe for more installments. And there are plenty more tales from The Investiture of the Gods that could make fine movies. Since Lunar New Year 2025, Jiaozi has conquered the world with soft power to become China’s highest-grossing director of all time, and we can hardly wait to see what he might do next.  By Gene Ching Immortal Squad, Martial Arts Editor & Action Choreographer If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to our newsletter  and join our community on socials! Facebook Instagram Twitter TikTok YouTube

Three Lady White Snakes: L-R: Joey Wang from Green Snake, Eva Huang from The Sorcerer and the White Snake, Zhang Zhe (Mandarin voice actor) White Snake. This year, 2025, marks the Year of the Snake. Accordingly, the most popular tale (tail?) for this cycle is one of Lady Bai, Bai Suzhen a.k.a. Madame White Snake. The Legend of White Snake (Bai She Zhuan) is considered one of the Four Great Folktales of China. Some trace the story to the 9th century, but it solidifies in the 16th century, and over time, it grew into many variations. Lady Bai is a snake spirit seeking immortality who disguises herself as a human but then falls in love with a mortal. Beyond the star-crossed lovers, Lady Bai has a sister, Xiaoqing (‘Little Green’), who is also a snake spirit. There’s also often a Buddhist priest pursuing Lady Bai, like Van Helsing chased Dracula. The monk is Fahui from Jin Shan temple and seeks to exorcise Lady Bai as a demon. Beyond the romance, Lady Bai and Xiaoqing aspire to ascend to human incarnations and consequently achieve enlightenment and immortality.  The Legend of White Snake is a magical fantasy, part of the Chinese Xianxia genre, which is parallel to Wuxia. Wu means ‘martial.’ Xian means ‘immortal’ as in Immortal Studios. Xia, the same suffix for both terms, means ‘knight errant’ or ‘hero.’ It connotates chivalry and honor. Wuxia is about martial arts-oriented stories, although there are sometimes elements of magic and sorcery. Xianxia is about demigods and demons and there’s always martial arts although swords tend to be wielded more like magic wands. When applied to Hollywood, Xianxia is akin to Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings whereas Wuxia is like John Wick. Something like The Matrix could fall right in between. These genres often overlap. This notion of magical beasts spending thousands of years cultivating their spirits to become human or immortal runs through a lot of Chinese mythology. With the influence of Buddhist reincarnation and Daoist spiritual cultivation, the journey of incarnations levelling up is interwoven in many myths. It’s a compelling metaphor for how we all strive to reach mastery within our disciplines and the inconvenient obstacles that impede our progress, obstacles like distracting lovers and interfering adversaries.  The Legend of White Snake can also be seen as a critique of Buddhist asceticism; Lady Bai is not necessarily evil. In fact, she aspires to enter the mundane human world, often sacrificing centuries of cultivated qi to help her human husband. Nevertheless, Fahui is psychotically bent on capturing and imprisoning her beneath some holy pagoda, akin to the Ghostbusters trapped ghosts in their industrial containment units. In Fahui’s view, humans and snakes (or any other type of demon) cannot intermingle. The Legend of White Snake has been retold in Chinese opera, television serials, manhua (Chinese manga, a transliteration of characters), and of course, movies. One of the guiltiest Kung Fu movie pleasures is Green Snake (1993).  Green Snake (1993) Green Snake was directed by Tsui Hark, a master of Wuxia and Xianxia cinema. The ever-mysterious Joey Wong plays Lady Bai (Bai means white, just in case you didn’t know). Her sister Green Snake is played by the always demure Maggie Cheung. And the exorcist monk is martial arts star and real-life wushu champion Vincent Zhao. It’s wonderfully campy with pre-CGI effects but nevertheless, achieves some eye-popping visuals. And all three actors totally sell the fantasy, replete with romance, humor, tragedy, and serpentine sensuality.  Vincent Zhou is brilliant as the obsessive Buddhist exorcist Fahui. And in the 90s, Joey Wang and Maggie Cheung are at the top of their divadom. From their slinky titillation, the film moves into some big questions of sibling rivalry, good vs evil, delusion vs reality, emotion vs detachment, and what it means to be human.   Underlying the fable are some hard challenges for Buddhism, all wrapped in the slithery coils of Joey and Maggie as they sashay in their silken dresses, training for a glimpse of enlightenment. The opening imagery of deformed humans wallowing in carnal crudeness, then with a ring of a Buddhist bell, Fahui escapes into meditation symbolized by a drop of water sending out ripples. It’s a deeply resonant scene for any Buddhist.  Maggie delivers a commanding performance that evolves from campy to vampy, to her perfect portrayal of trying to cry when you don't have emotions, to when she finally achieves tears. She's still mesmerizing. The special effects hold up fairly well, even the snake puppets and prosthetics, all things considered. It's amazing how Tsui Hark achieved his visions without CGI. Best of all, there’s a swordfight between Joey and Maggie.  The Sorcerer and the White Snake (2011) In 2011, Jet Li took over the role of the exorcising monk Fahui in It's Love a.k.a. The Sorcerer and the White Snake. It’s ironic because Zhao took over the role of Wong Fei Hung in the Once Upon a Time in China series after Jet left due to a break with the director, who was none other than Tsui Hark. The Sorcerer and the White Snake is CGI designed for 3D. 3D films can be cheesy, and in this, the snake sisters have conspicuous boobs. That’s so cheesy because snakes don’t have boobs. That would make them mammals, not reptiles. Nevertheless, 3D CGI snake sisters with prominent boobs is strangely entertaining. The fights are all magical - lots of flying about and projecting qi blasts. There are sword fights, but they are magical qi-projection swords. They are more like Harry Potter wands than swords. Nothing wrong with that. Totally counts for sword fights. Unfortunately, the film feels dated now. It was a nascent merging of wire work and CGI, which comes off crude by today’s standards. Beyond that, the film is uneven, vacillating between a love story and an effects-laden actioner.  Light Chaser's White Snake Trilogy More recently, a trilogy of wonderful, animated feature film versions slithered out of Light Chaser Animation Studios, White Snake (2019), Green Snake a.k.a. White Snake 2 (2021) and White Snake 3: Afloat (2024). If you haven’t tuned into Light Chaser, White Snake is a good starting point. The studio has created a ‘New Gods’ universe that retells classic Chinese myths with a modern flair. White Snake introduces the ancient Xianxia world. Green Snake takes a sharp turn into a steampunk Xianxia world that Light Chaser created for its groundbreaking film Nezha Reborn (2021). It almost stands outside of the trilogy because White Snake 3: Afloat picks up right where the original film left off. It tells a more conventional version of the legend, parallel to the 1993 and 2011 films with Fahui in hot pursuit of Lady Bai. It transforms the original to a sort of prequel to the well-known legend.  There are dozens of other interpretations of the Legend of White Snake in cinema. There’s a lost two-part Shaw Brothers film that dates all the way back to 1926, and dozens of other movies made for the small screen throughout Asia. However, the ones listed here stand out, so much so they received international distribution when they debuted. With the Year of the Snake, the Legend of White Snake teaches us about shedding skins, self-cultivation, heroic ambiguity, the challenges of remaining honorable, the quest for immortality, and most of all, forbidden love. And this year, understanding forbidden love and the sacrifices needed to nurture that intimacy seem more relevant than ever.  By Gene Ching Immortal Squad, Martial Arts Editor & Action Choreographer If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to our newsletter  and join our community on socials! Facebook Instagram Twitter TikTok YouTube

Acclaimed Indie Comics Visionary to Spearhead Immortal Studios’ Next Phase of Transmedia Storytelling, Bridging Martial Fantasy with Modern Audiences LOS ANGELES, CA – February 13, 2025 Immortal Studios, the pioneering multi-platform entertainment company modernizing Martial Fantasy (Wuxia) storytelling, has appointed Kelly Sue Milano as Vice President of Content and Executive Editor of its interconnected Immortal Storyverse. The HEX11 co-creator and indie comics visionary will lead the expansion of Immortal’s transmedia universe, overseeing adaptations of the legendary Shiao Yi wuxia library and crafting new narratives that awaken the hero in everyone. “As a storyteller, I believe in the power of transformation. That’s exactly what Immortal Studios stands for,” said Kelly Sue Milano. “To bring the wisdom, action, and deep storytelling of Wuxia to modern audiences through a truly immersive, multi-platform experience is an incredible opportunity. This is storytelling with purpose, and I’m honored to help shape the next evolution of the Immortal Storyverse.” Milano is the co-founder of HexComix, the all-female creative team behind HEX11, the critically acclaimed indie sci-fi/fantasy comic in development for television. Beyond comics, she has crafted spiritually driven narratives as a staff writer for the Kabbalah Centre and mentors emerging writers as a Comic Writing & Scripting Mentor at OTIS College of Art + Design. “Kelly Sue’s ability to craft immersive, boundary-pushing stories aligns perfectly with Immortal’s vision,” said Payhuan Peter Shiao, Founder and CEO of Immortal Studios. “She understands both global pop culture and deep storytelling traditions, making her the ideal leader to shepherd our Wuxia-driven Storyverse into the next chapter of global pop culture.” As VP of Content, Milano will work closely with writers, artists, and production teams to develop Immortal’s interconnected comics, films, television, and gaming projects. A core focus will be expanding Immortal’s adaptations of the Shiao Yi library, a collection of over 60 legendary wuxia novels that have inspired more than 30 film and TV adaptations worldwide. This appointment marks another major step in Immortal Studios’ mission to revolutionize pop culture storytelling, blending the ancient with the modern to create a new wave of action-packed, transformational narratives across multiple platforms.

The Immortal Storyverse is built on transformation—both in the stories we tell and the people who bring them to life. Last week, we proudly shared that Kelly Sue Milano has stepped into the role of VP of Content & Executive Editor, a position that will shape the future of our Wuxia-inspired transmedia storytelling universe. But beyond the title, beyond the strategy, there’s something deeper at play: heart, purpose, and an unwavering passion for storytelling that awakens the hero in all of us. In this moment of transition and expansion, Payhuan Shiao and Kelly Sue Milano want to speak directly to you—our community. 🗣️ From Payhuan: "Kelly Sue is a gifted storyteller-creator who has an implicit understanding of the intricacies and powers of Wuxia, given her great background both as a creator as well as a researcher and articulator of esoteric and metaphysical truths, which makes her a perfect fit for our aims at the Immortal Storyverse." 🗣️ From Kelly Sue: "I am so excited to be bringing my background at indie comics and my lifelong experiences to this incredible team, and to be storytelling at this level. Immortal's vision for their storytelling and for their characters is expansive, it's impactful, it's transformative, and to be a part of creating these beautiful worlds based on the collective works of Shiao Yi—one of the greatest Wuxia novelists—I cant even tell you how tremendous it is." With Kelly Sue leading the way, we’re stepping into an exciting new chapter—one that we can’t wait to share with you. 💬 What does storytelling mean to you? How have stories shaped your journey? Let us know in the comments!

Immortal Studios has been on a mission to spread the Wuxia genre to the globe. We’ve been saying that the time for Wuxia had come. Wuxia tales instill honor and meaning that is missing from much of our popular entertainment today. A rich tapestry of martial arts, chivalry, and myth, Wuxia has been a captivating facet of Asian entertainment for centuries, rooting itself deeply in the cultural consciousness of East Asia. As the world becomes increasingly interconnected and audiences seek diverse narratives, we are witnessing a remarkable resurgence of Wuxia films across Asian cinema. This resurgence not only signifies a reclaiming of cultural narratives but also presents an alluring invitation for global audiences to explore its intricate themes and stunning visuals. Prominent among this new crop of Wuxia films is 100 Yards, a spectacular showcase of traditional Kung Fu and martial ethics. Set in Tianjin in the 1920s, a circle of martial art masters grapple with the rise of firearms and Western influence which threatens to make their culture and way of life obsolete. The film opens with a dying master deciding whether to pass the legacy of his school to his son, Shen An (Jacky Heung), or to his most topmost disciple, Qi Quan (Andy On). Within their martial circle, such choices are decided by a duel. This 100 Yards launches into a captivating opening battle just minutes into the film. The decision (and we won’t spoil it) sparks a rivalry that pits both masters in rematches throughout the film. The fight choreography is excellent - sharp, tight, crisp, strategic, and powerful. For anyone with a quick enough eye to follow the action, the dialog of steel, wood, flesh, and bones is simply brilliant. The finale 13+-minute fight pits the challenger against dozens of adversaries before getting to his intended target for their ultimate duel. And there’s plenty of great fight scenes on the way there. Qi Quan (Andy On) and Shen An (Jacky Heung) face off in 100 Yards. Photo courtesy of Well Go USA. At the helm of the action is Duncan Leung, a direct pupil of the real-life Grandmaster Ip Man, and a classmate of Bruce Lee. Previously Leung worked on another significant Wuxia epic, Wong Kar Wai’s critically acclaimed film, The Grandmaster (2013). His fight choreography has the distinct veracity that could only come from an authentic master of traditional Kung Fu. What’s more, Leung has top notch martial stars in the cast to carry the action. Jacky Heung started practicing martial art when he was sixteen, starting with Hong Quan and then progressing to others like Wing Chun. Andy On was sent to Shaolin Temple by director Tsui Hark to prepare for his role in Black Mask 2: City of Masks (2002). On went on to train under Nicky Chung-Chi Li, a former team leader of Jackie Chan Stunt Team. And a mention must be given to Tang Shiyi, who plays Gui Ying, another master in the circle. In the middle of the film, Tang delivers a standout fight scene where she takes on a horde of masked men. While not a martial artist, she’s a principal dancer of the China National Opera & Dance Drama Theater, so she can move like the best of them and is a quick learner. Keep in mind that Michelle Yeoh got her start in ballet, not the martial arts. However, a great Wuxia story is more than just great fight scenes. It must have heroes, heroes that aspire to noble action in the face of their own human weaknesses. At the heart of 100 Yards is the director, Xu Haofeng, who has risen to become one of the most prominent Wuxia filmmakers of today. Xu began studying Kung Fu when he was 14, beginning with the internal martial art of Xingyiquan. He wrote a popular biographical novel The Bygone Kung Fu World in 2006, just before he began his career in filmmaking. After serving as a screenwriter for The Grandmaster and Chen Kaige’s Monk Comes Down the Mountain (2015), Xu moved to the director’s chair for The Sword Identity (2011). All his films are deeply invested in the Wuxia genre. 100 Yards is his fifth directorial effort and his finest to date. Simply put, Xu Haofeng makes classy Kung Fu films. He’s fascinated with the Republic of China period when Kung Fu faced the challenges of foreigners and firearms, and all his films have gorgeous sets, costumes, cinematography, and atmosphere. True to Wuxia, 100 Yards grapples the unyielding code of ethics of the Wuhuan (the martial circle) and honor is all about dueling. Layers of complexity bind the characters to their fates, and ultimately, it’s another tragedy, a bitter nostalgic ode to the loss of the way in the light of the modern world. There’s a tremendous dignity to his characters and his action. And he loves to depict exotic cold weapons, especially shuangshoujian (two-handed swords). But most of all, Xu’s stories are thoughtful in that unique Wuxia way, balancing the ethical dilemmas that every hero must face against fantastic fight scenes like yin and yang. Xu has risen to be a Wuxia bannerman, delighting and challenging fans of the genre. And he’s been sharpening his cinematic sword with each film he makes. When it comes to fresh Wuxia cinema, Director Xu Haofeng is one to watch. By Gene Ching Immortal Squad, Martial Arts Editor & Action Choreographer Xu Haofeng Filmography Decent Things (2024) 100 Yards (2023) The Hidden Sword (2017) The Final Master (2015) Judge Archer (2012) The Sword Identity (2011) If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to our newsletter and join our community on socials! Facebook Instagram Twitter TikTok YouTube

Pioneering Project Redefines Ethical, Legal, and Creative Uses of AI in Mainstream Entertainment Immortal Studios, an independent pop culture content studio renowned for its modern interconnected Wuxia (martial arts fantasy) "storyverse," announces its collaboration with leading Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) company, SingularityNET , to launch a revolutionary AI story engine. This project marks a significant milestone in the ethical and legal application of AI within global mainstream entertainment. A New Era for Wuxia Storytelling Immortal Studios' proprietary AI engine is infused with the complete library of legendary Wuxia creator Shiao Yi, encompassing over 60 published novels and more than 30 film/TV adaptations. This collaboration with SingularityNET has enabled the development of a Large Language Model (LLM) that will advance Immortal’s mission to “awaken the hero in everyone” through innovative storytelling at scale, while maintaining legal ownership and chain of title to derivations of its body of work. Breaking Boundaries in AI and Entertainment The first phase of this groundbreaking project involves the mass translation of Shiao Yi’s and other seminal works—currently housed at UCLA’s Shiao Yi Wuxia Library and the Contemporary Writer’s Museum in Beijing—into English. With the first batch of marquee titles already completed, this initiative is set to make every aspect of Shiao Yi’s timeless Wuxia stories available for multi-platform storytelling. Addressing Industry Pain Points Immortal Studios is proactively tackling several key issues that have caused friction in the use of AI in the entertainment and gaming industries: Empowering Creatives: Immortal Studios is a creator led company that champions the Centaur model, blending human creativity with exponential technologies. This initiative empowers Immortal’s human creators and editors with advanced tools. Organic AI Integration: Unlike legacy companies that bolt on AI as a feature, Immortal Studios has built its AI engine from the ground up, making it an intrinsic component of its processes and systems. Legal Compliance and Ethical Use: By using its vast IP holdings as training data, Immortal Studios mitigates both legal risks and moral responsibilities associated with AI-generated content. This approach sets a new standard for ethical AI use in entertainment, addressing pushback from legal departments and creatives alike. "A Legacy Reimagined" “As the creator of an interconnected story world across comics, films, and games with many human creators—and heir to my father’s legacy of one of the biggest IP libraries in Wuxia—Immortal Studios is breaking the rhetorical logjam around AI by doing it,” said Payhuan Peter Shiao, founder and creator of Immortal Studios. “With SingularityNET’s global team of AI scientists, we are building and scaling our own vast IP engine, composed entirely of our copyrights and creations, and our creative teams. Our work will champion the ideals of Centaur organizations, blending human creativity with exponential technologies to amplify, scale, and curate stories that reflect a collaboration between human creators, technology, and fans. We believe the end result will be premium content at scale—faster, cheaper, better.” A Partnership of Visionaries SingularityNET founder and CEO, Dr. Ben Goertzel, along with Chinese data scientist Dr. Ruiting Liang, have joined Immortal’s advisory board. They expressed their enthusiasm: “This collaboration addresses a critical aspect of global technological singularity—accessing and preserving the richness of global cultures. Our AI capabilities, applied to Immortal’s Wuxia stories, provide a landmark opportunity to explore and share the historical, metaphysical, and philosophical foundations of this storied cultural tradition. This project is both incredibly fun and profoundly meaningful for global culture and technology.” In addition to using Shiao Yi’s extensive body of work and Immortal’s own world bible to train its engine, Immortal is in discussions to ethically and legally include other large bodies of work and data from various schools of Wuxia knowledge and practice, histories, legends, lores, philosophies, and influences. Strategic partnerships with institutions like the Shaolin Temple , Kung Fu Magazine , and academic institutions in Asia are also being explored. About Immortal Studios Immortal Studios is a multiplatform Hollywood content studio dedicated to revolutionizing global pop culture through its interconnected “storyverse” of Wuxia heroes and stories. Starting with its foundational stories launched as comic books on Kickstarter, Immortal has successfully established its “Storyverse,” now perpetually updated through comics, film/TV, and games powered by its rich catalog of stories and innovative technologies. About SingularityNET Founded by Dr. Ben Goertzel, SingularityNET aims to create a decentralized, democratic, inclusive, and beneficial Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). The SingularityNET team, comprising seasoned engineers, scientists, researchers, entrepreneurs, and marketers, is dedicated to advancing AI technologies across various sectors, including finance, robotics, biomedical AI, media, arts, and entertainment. For more information, please visit www.immortal-studios.com  and singularitynet.io .

Mr. Jonathan Wick (a.k.a. John Wick “The Boogeyman” and “Baba Yaga”). A lethal, suave, highly skilled anti-hero assassin, played by one of Hollywood’s most treasured action stars of the 21st century, Keanu Reeves, stars in this year’s highly anticipated neo-noir action thriller, John Wick: Chapter 4. This is the fourth installment of the John Wick series, which includes John Wick (2014), John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017), and John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum (2019). For those who may not be familiar with the character John Wick or who haven’t watched any of the films, the series follow the journey of a professional hitman who’s been forced out of retirement after the death of his beloved wife Helen and furry companion, Daisy the puppy. Although that covers the main plot of the first film, it becomes a driving force throughout the entire series that takes us on a non-stop adventure into a deep criminal underworld of assassins and secret societies, that John must continuously pursue till his death. Governed by one of the most powerful criminal organizations known as “The High Table,” this lays the groundwork for the establishment of the John Wick universe and the character profile of John Wick. But, what does all of this have to do with wuxia? If you’re familiar with the genre or are new to it, secret societies and criminal underworlds play a significant role in shaping the wuxia world as the Jiāng hú (江湖; a.k.a. Rivers and Lakes). It’s considered as an underworld society that’s separate and out of sight from regular mainstream society, consisting of people from different backgrounds and social classes (i.e., criminals, peasants, outlaws, hermits, wandering heroes, scholars, etc.). The John Wick universe can be perceived as a Jianghu world of its own, but with a slightly different lens. In honor of the series’ fourth film release, we’re going to take a glimpse into the world of John Wick and how it adapts its own version of the Jianghu - John Wick style. The Urban Jianghu: The Continental Hotels In John Wick’s world, the Jianghu aspect is shaped as a criminal underworld filled with assassins working for mob families across the globe, secret societies and gangs, secret clubs and assassin hotels acting as sanctuaries. It’s a completely separate world from mainstream society with no links to any external affairs of the world, and has its own rules set in place like the wuxia world’s Jianghu. I like to imagine it as an urban Jianghu because all of these aspects in the film series take place in modern cities and towns like New York City, Rome, Casablanca and Osaka - different than in forests or by rivers and lakes. Urban Jianghus in John Wick can be perceived as “The Continental Hotels” throughout the series. These are assassin hotels where organized crime and criminal activities are recorded by hotel administrators, and are kind of like an assassin headquarters. The one rule that all hotel attendees (and specifically assassins) must follow is that “No business shall be conducted or executed on Continental grounds.” This means assassins are not allowed to fight, murder or carry out contracts on other assassins when present at the hotels. They’re also safe spaces where assassins can rest, exchange money for goods and services and gain some sense of inner peace without having to worry about being attacked out of the blue. All hotels are operated in the criminal underworld and have a network of service professionals, spies posing as homeless people, and adjudicators governed by an extremely powerful and elite council of crime lords called “The High Table.” They’re the ones who possess full control and authority over all criminal related matters that occur around the world and make sure that all members (especially those in the assassin community) obey strict rules and policies enforced by the council. This is so that all criminal operations can be executed and delivered smoothly without having mainstream society and law enforcement get involved with underworld business. Secret Society Leaders Whether one is an assassin or not, everyone has to know the rules that play out in the John Wick world, and if not, you’ll end up having consequences with members you work with OR The High Table (definitely don’t want to end up here!). The High Table’s head leader is “The Elder” (a.k.a. The one who sits “Above the Table”) who exercises the highest level of power over all operatives beneath him (also referred to as those “Under the Table”). The same goes for wuxia in that all members (no matter who they are or where they come from) who frequent or are part of the Jianghu should avoid getting into disputes, fights or creating chaos over different martial arts styles or masters. Wuxia’s Jianghu world may not necessarily operate exactly like a criminal underworld, but there is the potential for corruption and evil deeds coming from the unorthodox/evil martial arts sects to influence the Jianghu’s entire reputation. Innocent people outside of these secret societies would also be at great risk if the Jianghu were to extend itself beyond its boundaries with the disruption of immoral rulers and evildoers. As a martial arts world that’s measured by members and their embodiment of righteousness, loyalty and peace (as found in the code of xiá (侠)), those who deviate from those values will be met with the leader of the Wulin Alliance (武林, meaning Martial Forest: a community of martial artists) called the “Wulin Meng Zhu (武林盟主).” This is usually an alliance formed and controlled by righteous/orthodox sects of the Martial Forest with a leader who gets elected for demonstrating a high degree of righteousness and martial arts mastery. They make sure that peace is maintained in the Jianghu, and that all conduct aligns with the Wulin community’s ethics and values. Vengeance and Honour Think being an assassin in the world of John Wick is all about guns, blood and committing acts of violence for no reason? It seems like that on the outside, but what really lies behind them is vengeance and honor. Wuxia stories are heavily rooted on these themes, and we can see them being demonstrated in characters who embrace the code of xia in the Jianghu. It emphasizes the importance of returning favours back to others who have provided their assistance in times of need (ēn; 恩), or seeking vengeance (chóu; 仇) on the bad guys to bring justice. Being an assassin like John Wick, is actually a lot more than just being a cold-blooded contract killer. It’s about serving and honouring those who you work for and work with in the criminal underworld. If assassins don’t take their commitments seriously or end up breaking the rules, they can be marked as “excommunicado.” In John Wick terms this means that one has been removed from being able to access underworld resources, and has also become an easy target for other assassins. Assassins have the option to help one another in times of need (or when their hit list starts piling up) by using markers. It’s almost like a locket that flips open with a silver plate inside, and acts as a blood oath between two assassins. When assassins need to ask favours from one another, bloody thumbprints must be printed inside of the plate from both parties as an agreement that a favour from one party has been requested to the other, and is expected to be completed and returned in due time. This is one of the ways in which honour is measured in the assassin community by serving as a “repay of debt”, though not honouring the marker is considered as punishable by death. — Well, I must say that these aspects do not cover the entire John Wick universe, but are some prominent elements and themes that can resonate with the Jianghu through a wuxia world perception. Not to mention, there’s a saying in the rivers and lakes that those who have retired from the Jianghu but are returning, are “re-entering the Jianghu" (重出江湖; Chóngchū jiānghú). In this case, we could say that the John Wick film series embraces this component by centering its universe around a retired assassin who re-enters the criminal underworld of secret societies and assassins to seek vengeance for himself and those who want him dead. by C. Hong Immortal Staff

Besides being where Shiao Yi started his career as a Wuxia novelist, Taiwan is home to a specific medium that is tied to the Wuxia genre. This medium is an on-going TV series franchise of glove puppetry belonging to the brand known as Pili (which translates to Thunderbolt in Mandarin). These productions involve special effects, wirework, and voiceovers in addition to the complex puppetry designs. Since 1984, this franchise has expanded to feature length movies, co-productions with Japan, and English translations on Cartoon Network and Crunchyroll. With this franchise going on for nearly 40 years and having many different titles, we will focus on the titles that are available with English translations. Legend of the Sacred Stone is a feature-length film from 2000 that is a spinoff of the main series. The plot involves a particular Lord Jian who loses his martial abilities and seeks the sacred stones to regain it. This is the first known Pili production to be officially translated in English, with the Japanese language dub DVD including English subtitles of poor quality. Unfortunately, this version of the film is cut by nearly 30 minutes and the only version available with English subtitles. While there is a Taiwanese DVD with Taiwanese Hokkien audio (the original language), there are no English subtitles on this. The DVDs are now long out of print, however second hand DVDs are still available on eBay. In 2006, Cartoon Network aired the first US-focused export of Pili known as Wulin Warriors. This was critically panned due to heavy storyline alterations, name changes, and characters’ personalities being changed completely (in one case, an originally mute character was suddenly talkative in the new adaption). What was supposed to be a serious story was ruined by a humorous dub and a theme song that did not fit the original tone. Fans of hip-hop music and the English dub of Dragon Ball Z may be amused to discover that the theme song they used is akin to a knock-off of The Wu-Tang Clan’s music, and that Goku’s voice actor (Sean Schemmel) voices one of the characters! But ultimately the series was canceled after two episodes aired, with the remaining completed 11 episodes made available online for free. All 13 episodes are now available on YouTube. In 2016, a co-production between Pili International Multimedia with Japanese companies Nitroplus and Good Smile Company resulted in Thunderbolt Fantasy (an obvious reference to the meaning of Pili). Being a Japanese co-production, this series stood out from previous Pili productions as it was written by Gen Urobuchi (head writer of the 2013 Japanese superhero series Kamen Rider Gaim) and its theme song was performed by T.M. Revolution (singer of the theme songs for 2002’s Mobile Suit Gundam Seed). While the original Pili series is produced in the Taiwanese Hokkien language, this series was produced simultaneously in two separate audio tracks of Taiwanese Hokkien (for the Taiwanese market) and Japanese (for markets outside of Taiwan). This series is available on Crunchyroll for US audiences. The Pili series is a prime example of combining modern filmmaking with traditional glove puppetry set against an ancient backdrop. Despite being relatively unknown in the west, that may change once Pili Fantasy: War of Dragons releases on Netflix in the West. Until then, let us know if you came across any of these aforementioned titles or plan to watch any of these! Wulin Warriors on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcXQreVesSs&list=PL6CJyn713rCdSpTEVdLOwOjYXIpk8pyst Thunderbolt Fantasy on Crunchyroll: https://www.crunchyroll.com/series/GY75KE906/thunderbolt-fantasy If you enjoyed this article, click here to get monthly updates on our top stories. If you want more, join us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Discord! By B. Chansy Immortal Staff

When the phrase “inner peace” comes to my mind, one of the first things I can imagine is a scene in Kung Fu Panda, where Master Shifu is sitting on the floor with his eyes closed and legs crossed while calmly chanting “inner peace” to himself. Or, I’d visualize an image of the Buddha (also known as Siddhartha Gautama) as a popular depiction of this universal concept. Oftentimes, inner peace has been associated with Zen Buddhism - the practice of self-healing through meditation and stillness. Inner peace can be understood as a mind, body and soul that is free from any worries, desires, and/or anxieties mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually. It is a psychological state of being in touch with the present moment (the here and now), through “acceptance, forgiveness, love and compassion.” This can simply mean letting people, places and situations exist as they are without the need for control. As humans, it can be challenging for us to just “let things be,” when we all have goals, ambitions and desires that we want to achieve. However, sometimes we need to re-evaluate our circumstances to see if we’re capable of taking on more responsibilities than we already have in our own hands. Or else, it could all lead to total burn-out! Now, that isn’t to say we shouldn’t continue to push through challenges or step into untapped opportunities for further growth and improvement. But, there needs to be an equal balance between our everyday lives (ex: work, family, society) and our spirituality (ex: mind, body, and soul) so we can live freely and overcome worry, self-doubt or stress. Well, how can we do this? Let’s start by taking a look at how wuxia depicts inner peace, and how we can adapt it in our everyday lives. Stillness in Motion: The Wuxia Way While there are many wuxia stories (ex: Chu Liuxiang, The Wanderer Chronicles, to name a few) that emphasizes chivalrous martial arts heroes and warriors, behind these physical aspects of the wuxia hero lie a certain degree of stillness and serenity. While these heroes are equipped with strong fighting abilities and superpowers that can be used to defeat enemies and those perceived to cause harm to the community, inner peace in wuxia is like tranquility in motion. This is typically demonstrated with martial arts and meditation being used as a form of self-expression, and a method of balancing one’s mind, body, and soul. It also becomes a driving force for deep spiritual development and empowerment for characters in the wuxia world. Martial arts styles and practices are commonly practiced by characters in the wuxia world as a spiritual way of finding inner peace among the chaos they may experience outside of their control. Such martial arts styles are unique in a sense that they can encourage practitioners to focus more on the internal practice of breathing techniques to generate a solid flow of “qi” throughout all parts of the body, while also calming the senses so they feel more relaxed and controlled. These practices demonstrated in wuxia are cultivated in a sanctuary-like setting that is considered “sacred or holy” for worship like a temple, or expressed in open and closed environments (i.e., an open-forest or private training room) where individuals can find their peace and quiet alone. For me, during the summer I like to take a yoga mat outside my backyard and sit somewhere under the shades and practice meditative breathing techniques. It not only makes me feel more relaxed, but it certainly helps ground my energy with nature and the smell of fresh air! Finding Inner Peace in our Everyday Lives Wuxia stories and their attention to themes like inner peace shows us how we can settle down our busy and hectic lives. Although we may not all be martial artists with specialized skills, we can learn to channel the inner peace that can be found within martial arts philosophy and practice through movement of the body, meditation or engaging in self-care / feel-good activities. In today’s world, what inner peace means and where it takes place is going to differ for every person. Although it may sound like a broad and abstract concept, I think each and every one of us has our own ways of defining inner peace and cultivating it differently according to our needs and abilities. Because of our rich personalities and our need for deep emotional connections with other living beings, we can’t always shut ourselves out from the world and neglect social interactions! Inner peace is an experience that can definitely go beyond a person just being by themselves in a quiet room, to a person being surrounded by supportive friends and family members who bring out the best in them. In other words: where do you find yourself most at ease? Who would you also want to share those moments with? Some may find inner peace by surrounding themselves in environments where they need physical activity or the company of people (i.e., the gym, catching up with friends at a restaurant). Others may prefer more closed and private spaces for deeper reflection and introspection like the library or at home. As long as the activity can help detach us from our usual routines and give ourselves time to recharge (alone or with others), we can create a more balanced lifestyle that helps us reflect and appreciate every moment in life each day. What does inner peace mean to you? We'd love to hear more in the comments below this article! C. Hong - shout out on Instagram! Guest Writer/Immortal Fan

Think only Hollywood shows big movies during the holiday season? The Lunar New Year season is when big movies are shown in the East. Among these is Donnie Yen’s Sakra, the first of a cinematic multiverse based on the classic Wuxia novel The Demi-Gods & The Semi-Devils by Jin Yong (Louis Cha). This is a noteworthy adaptation, as it has been nearly 30 years since the previous movie adaptation! While there are also six different television drama adaptations of this novel since the 1980’s, there are only three previous movie adaptations due to the complexities, involving multiple characters and subplots spread over five volumes. In anticipation of Sakra, we will go over the three previous movie adaptations that had different attempts to adapt this classic novel. With the novel being so complicated, each movie has a different plot from one another that is still complicated! While the Shaw Bros. studio is famous in the West for Kung Fu films such as The 36 Chambers of Shaolin and Five Venoms, they are famous for their Wuxia films in the East. Given the popularity of Jin Yong novels, it is no surprise that they adapted several of his novels into movies, including The Demi-Gods & The Semi-Devils. Released in 1977, The Battle Wizard focuses solely on the early adventures of Duan Yu, one of the three main characters of the original novel. Portrayed by Danny Lee of 1989’s The Killer (directed by John Woo and starring Chow Yun Fat) Duan Yu is a prince of the Dali Kingdom who encounters various beauties, eccentric characters, and learns a powerful martial art despite wanting otherwise. If the original novel is famous for featuring many powerful fighters with powerful martial arts skills, this movie is infamous for having many over-the-top (albeit low budget) special effects and even creature designs to highlight the more fantastical elements of the novel. Examples include fights involving a giant snake (made of rubber) and a gorilla (clearly a man in a suit). Even more surprising is that the movie is only 70 minutes long, in contrast to the usual 80-90 minutes duration of typical Shaw Bros. movies. The director clearly was not aiming for faithfulness to the novel, but the fun factors make up for it. Released in the same year as the 1982 Hong Kong TVB series adaptation, Demi-Gods & Semi-Devils (AKA Dragon Story) features mostly the same cast as the aforementioned TVB series. Unlike Wizard, this movie attempts to fit all five volumes into one movie with a runtime of 90 minutes! Norman Tsui (of 1983’s Duel to the Death and The Bastard Swordsman fame) portrays Qiao Feng (Donnie Yen’s character in Sakra) here, who ironically was in Wizard as one of the emperor’s henchmen! While Hong Kong films of the golden era (1970’s-1990’s) are known for being fast paced, this movie takes it to a new level. Characters come and go, major events and fights happen without reason, and the film even ends abruptly. Despite being more faithful to the novel with a more recognizable cast, this one is only recommended for fans of the novel. Released during the wire-fu craze of early 1990’s Hong Kong cinema, 1994’s The Dragon Chronicles - The Maidens of Heavenly Mountain focuses on three female leads who are noteworthy for Wuxia roles: Brigitte Lin (1992’s Swordsman II), Sharla Cheung (1993’s The Kung Fu Cult Master, and Gong Li (2006’s Curse of the Golden Flower). This is a much more loose adaptation of the novel, with only one main character from the novel (Xu Zhu) appearing here. Xu Zhu is a Buddhist monk whose interaction with the three leads is the focus of this movie. The irony of this movie is that he is not even the main character here! This movie attempts to explore the complicated Buddhist symbolisms from the novel, but many things get lost in the transition to the big screen. Not only is this the third movie adaptation of the novel; this is the third time that Norman Tsui appears in an adaptation! This time, he appears as the antagonist of the movie. While featuring an all star cast, this movie is not well regarded by fans of the novel or even Wuxia fans in general. With Sakra featuring Donnie Yen, it was only a matter of time until a Western release was announced (as of writing this, we have a tentative Western release for April). While there were multiple movie adaptations of this novel, those came during the Golden Age of Hong Kong Cinema and the Wire-Fu boom. With release of The New Kung Fu Cult Master in 2022 (based on Jin Yong’s Heaven Sword & Dragon Saber) and this new movie, perhaps now is the time for the revival of Wuxia films to redefine the genre. Donnie Yen has high hopes for this turning into a multimedia franchise, and we all have high hopes for it as well. Let us know in the comments if you have seen any of the previous adaptations or plan to watch Sakra! If you enjoyed this article, click here to get monthly updates on our top stories. If you want more, join us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Discord! By B. Chansy Immortal Staff