50 minSeason 2 • Episode 13
LatestThe prophecy is now complete: the nine dozen heroes of the water margins of Liang Shan Po gather like storm clouds to the south of the capital city. Kao Chiu, like a caged tiger, plots to kill the Emperor, now a prisoner in his own palace. The dynasty of Kao will replace a hundred and fifty years of rule by the Sungs. Lin Chung speeds to the capital in an attempt to save the Emperor from the coming battle. Meanwhile, thousands of peasants join the rebel knights of Liang Shan Po as they march on the capital city. Lin Chung must save the life of the Emperor-and confront Kao Chiu for the last time.
The Water Margin is a Japanese television series based on Water Margin, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. The novel details the trials and tribulations of 108 outlaws during the Song Dynasty. This adaptation follows Lin Chung and his clashes with the local government official Kao Chiu. The Water Margin is famous for its, sometimes obscure, but memorable philosophical quotes, such as "Do not despise the snake for having no horns,for who is to say it will not become a dragon?""
Acting
Atsuo Nakamura's simmering restraint as the wronged Lin Chung.
Practical Effects
Pre-wirework fight choreography—every punch earned, every fall real.
Writing
Those bizarrely profound narrator quotes hit harder than they should.
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This Japanese adaptation of a Chinese novel became a cult hit in Britain when the BBC aired it in 1976 with a famously funky English dub and earworm theme song.
The narrator's philosophical interludes were added specifically for Japanese audiences unfamiliar with the original novel's Confucian context—turning exposition into accidental poetry.
JP
