Official Poster for Beauty At War

Comment: Notice the bird and the cage. I suppose it's an analogy for how the people in the palace wish to be freed from the cage that is Forbidden City. Pretty subtle.

So excited!!! I hope it will be as good as the original. The best thing about the original is the unpredictability and quick pace. I will have at least one Historical Context post, so look out for that!

Read Overview - Beauty At War

Wayne Lai and Pierre Ngo - A Love Story

There was a cute scene in episode 1 of Bullet Brain where Wayne Lai reaches over to hold Pierre Ngo's hand. For those wondering... yep, they really do love each other.



Their matchmaker? Lee Tim Sing, who saw qualities in both of them and decided to cast them together in several of his dramas.

Their love story

Unbeknownst to them, Wayne and Pierre's fate actually started in The Conqueror's Story, though they never shared a scene. Pierre was a young puppet ruler of the Chu state while Wayne defected to the Han state.

They had a brief encounter in Fantasy Hotel when they worked for the same travel agency. Wayne was a tour guide, while Pierre was just an unnamed worker in the office.

They finally met in Rosy Business but like most TVB love stories, they started off as enemies. Pierre was the eldest son of a rich merchant and he did not like Wayne, who was a lowly worker in the family business. Pierre tries to get rid of Wayne in many ways, including hiring someone to kill him. Luckily, Wayne survives.



Wayne doesn't hold it against Pierre and even saves his life in No Regrets. They become good buddies and help each other through the thick and thin of the war. Pierre willingly commits murder to prevent Wayne from doing so. Wayne makes an impassionate speech on the streets to free Pierre. Unfortunately, this happy couple is separated by a sudden bombing.



It turns out Pierre was kidnapped by a foreign state, causing Wayne to be banished (King Maker). Wayne rescues Pierre once again and they return to the imperial court. Wayne pulls out all stops to secure the throne for Pierre. But apparently Pierre is so traumatized by his experience that he makes another murder attempt on Wayne, only to have his plans are foiled by Wayne. In the end, Pierre realizes his dependence on Wayne and they rule the country together.



They finally get together in Bullet Brain. Although Pierre is shy to admit their relationship, the couple lovingly hold hands on the streets.



Their newfound romance will be tested as they fight to be known as the best detective. Here's hoping their love is strong enough to overcome the challenges...

"Bullet Brain" Theme Song

The theme song for Bullet Brain is called "My History" (我的歷史), but Edwin Siu.

Comment: This is Edwin's second consecutive theme song. Looks like he's really being promoted. Listen to "A Great Way to Care 2" Theme Song, also by Edwin. 

See Overview - Bullet Brain

Historical Context - The Yang Generals

The movie "Saving General Yang", starring Adam Cheng, Ekin Cheng and Raymond Lam, premiers on April 4th. The story about the Yang Generals is comprised from historical records and fictional pieces.

The Yang Generals (楊家將) are a legendary family renowned for their bravery and military prowess. They lived during the Northern Song Dynasty and steadfastly defended the borders against rivaling states.

Adam Cheng as Yang Ye

The patriarch figure is Yang Ye (楊業), who had the nickname “Invincible Yang”. He was originally serving under another state until his warlord surrendered to the Song Dynasty. Yang Ye then pledged his loyalty to Emperor Taizong of Song (宋太宗). Yang Ye was immediately tasked with defending against attacks from the neighbouring Liao Dynasty. Yang Ye and general Pan Mei (潘美) scored a huge victory by flanking the Liao army from the front and rear. After that battle, the Liao army reportedly retreated immediately whenever they saw Yang Ye’s flag.

Later, the Emperor appointed Yang Ye and Pan Mei to lead an expedition to attack the Liao.  While initially successful, they were soon met with the main enemy force. Yang Ye knew the chances of winning were slim, but another general, Wang Shen (王侁), taunted him for being cowardly and disloyal. Against his better judgement, Yang Ye decided to go into battle. He instructed Pan Mei and Wang Shen to send reinforcements to a nearby valley. Yang Ye fought gallantly, but still lost the battle as expected. However, when he retreated into the valley, there were no reinforcements waiting for him. He was captured alive, but refused to surrender and as a show of his loyalty, starved himself to death.

Wu Chun as Yang Yanzhao (6th son)

Yang Ye had seven sons. The most distinguished son was Yang Yanzhao (楊延昭). He is commonly portrayed as the 6^th son in fiction, but is believed to be either the 1^st or 2^nd son in reality.  He took over the army after his father’s death. Like his father, he was an extremely brilliant military man. In one battle where he was besieged by the Liao army, he told his men to pour water on the city’s walls, which soon froze into ice due to the cold weather. The Liao were forced to retreat since it was impossible to scale the slippery walls. In a later campaign, Yang Yanzhao believed there was an opportunity to decisively defeat the Liao, but Emperor Zhenzong (宋真宗) opted to sign a peace treaty instead. Yang Yanzhao remained stationed at the borders until his death.

Yang Wenguang (楊文廣), the son of Yang Yanzhao, is the next generation of Yang generals. With the peace treaty, the Song and Liao dynasties remained at peace for the 30 years. However, the Song court soon had to deal with the upstart Western Xia state. Yang Wenguang carried the family legacy by successfully defending against Western Xia attacks. He died just as the relationship with the Liaos began to deteriorate and the Song court had to prepare for war once again. 

Fictional Tales

Bryan Leung as Pan Renmei

The main antagonist in the fictional tales is Pan Renmei (潘仁美), a character based on Yang Ye’s colleague, Pan Mei. Pan Renmei was extremely jealous of Yang Ye’s accomplishments and was even more aggravated when his son was killed in a fight by Yang Ye’s 7^th son. Thus, he plotted with the Liao to besiege the Yangs and the Emperor at a place called Golden Beach. To save the Emperor, Yang Ye’s eldest son dressed up as the Emperor to fool the Liao while the real Emperor escaped. Yang Ye’s eldest three sons were killed in the ensuing battle. The 4^th son was captured and later married a Liao princess. The 5^th son escaped to a monastery to become a monk.

Ekin Cheng as 1st son

Meanwhile, Yang Ye and his 6^th and 7^th sons retreated to Twin Wolves Mountain. Yang Ye sent his 7^th son to ask Pen Renmei for help, but instead, Pen Remei shot the 7^th son to death with arrows.  Facing imminent defeat, Yang Ye saw the headstone of a Han Dynasty general, Li Ling (李陵). He remembered that Li Ling had defected to the enemy, which caused the execution of his family members. Refusing to follow in Li Ling’s footsteps, Yang Ye committed suicide by bashing his head on the stone.

Raymond Lam as 5th son

The 6^th son, Yang Yanzhao, was the only one to survive the battle at Golden Beach. Returning to the Song court, he was enraged to find that Pan Renmei got away with only light punishment for his treasonous act. Yang Yanzhao took matters into his own hands and killed Pan Renmei to avenge his father and brothers.

In fiction, Yang Wenguang is portrayed as Yang Yanzhao’s grandson (instead of his son, as per history). The inserted generation is Yang Zongbao (楊宗保) and his wife Mu Guiying (穆桂英). Certain historical records support the existence of a Yang Zongbao, but as a female and of the same generation as Yang Wenguang. Mu Guiying is thought to be Yang Wenguang’s wife in reality, not his mother.