The Kings Avatar Live Action (Quanzhi Gaoshou) Review of Episode 05 – Great Show!
Episode 5 Review of The Kings Avatar: 全职高手: AKA: Quan Zhi Gao Shou , 电视剧全职高手 , Dian Shi Ju Quan Zhi Gao Shou
Although last weeks show was a bit of a downer, this Kings Avatar Review of Episode 05 was certainly going to make up for it. This was a great show in which we learned that that there are other really good players besides the venerable Ye Xiu/Lord Grim. We see more of Su Mucheng (which is always nice) and we are introduced to the awesome Huang Shaotian and Yu Wenzhou. If you need to catch up with previous episode reviews, they are here: Kings Avatar Live Action News & Reviews Thread).
Episode 5 Preamble
I’m writing this while on holiday in Corfu. I actually started this review while on a plane over Germany with my Russian wife flying to Grease, writing an English review of a Chinese gamer TV show – these are great times we live in 😊
This is where I am up to at the moment, Sun Xiang is kicking the crap outa three players from another guild and the screen shows (though you can’t see it properly), a smug expression on his face. I just needed to show you that even though this is a little bit of sci fi fun to many, it’s fantastically awesome and gripping for others 😊 Yes ok, the glass on the right of the laptop had vodka in it.
This was a great show in which we learned that that there are other really good players besides the venerable Ye Xiu/Lord Grim. We see more of Su Mucheng (which is always nice) and we are introduced to the awesome Huang Shaotian and Yu Wenzhou.
This is the episode 5 review of the ‘The Kings Avatar’ (Quanzhi Gaoshou) and the show is still introducing more characters with new names and avatar names – it’s difficult to keep track. I’ve therefore produced a character block below to help you identify who is who and what they are called both in and out of game and which group or guild they are affiliated to. I’ll try to update the block with only the relevant players in each episode.
Key Players Appearing In This Episode
 Name: Ye XiuID: Lord Grim Class: Un-Specified Guild: Unassigned (sometimes plays as member of Lanxi Pavilion). Once known as Fighting God Ye Qui when he was with Excellent Era (Excellent Era (Jiashi)). He now works for Chen Guo who does not know he was once Ye Qui (who was her idol). |
 Name: Chen GuoID: Chasing Haze Class: Gunner Guild: Unassigned. Manager Happy Internet Cafe (pet name of GuoGuo by Tang Rou). She is a very enthusiastic supporter and player of Glory but we rarely see Chen Guo win a match. |
 Name: Tang RouID: Soft Mist Class: Battlemage Guild: Unassigned. Tang Rou is affectionately called Xiao Tang (Little Tang) by Chen Guo. She originally thought that Glory was boring but was beaten by Ye Xiu in a duel and has vowed to get even. |
 Name: Bao RongxingID: Steamed Bun Class: Ranger/Brawler Guild: Unassigned. Works in a warehouse. Unusual way of playing but quick and agile fighter with a good sense of spacial awareness. His ambition is to game professionally. |
 Name: Tao ZuanID: N/A Class: N/A Guild: Team Boss of Excellent Era (Jiashi). Committed to making the guild the best and most profitable. He is ruthless enough to fire his star player (Ye Xiu) because he thought it is what the sponsors would have wanted. |
 Name: Sun XiangID: Autumn Leaf Class: Battlemage Guild: Excellent Era (Jiashi). Is new to Excellent Era which was handed to him after it was taken away from Ye Xiu. His previous class was a Berserker. He is not very popular with Su Mucheng. |
 Name: Su MuchengID: Dancing Rain Class: Gunner Guild: Excellent Era (Jiashi). Childhood friend and staunch ally of Ye Xiu and his biggest supporter. She is a exceptional Gunner who is rated as the best in the game. |
 Name: Yu WenzhouID: Swoksaar Class: Spellblade Guild: Excellent Era (Jiashi). All round scumbag. Rarely wins his battles and although considered a good solo player, does not do well in a team. He bares a grudge against Ye Xiu who once threw him out of the team for selfish play. |
 Name: Yu WenzhouID: Swoksaar Class: Warlock Guild: Blue Rain (Lan Yu). Very highly respected player and venerable team captain of Blue Rain. Accomplished tactical player known as one of the Four Tactician Masters in Glory |
 Name: Huang ShaotianID: Troubling Rain Class: Swordsman Guild: Blue Rain (Lan Yu). Vice-captain of Blue Rain. Is sometimes used as a weapon to disorientate his opponents with his quick speech and aggressive, antagonistic banter. |
 Name: Xu Boyuan ID: Blue River Class: Swordsman Guild: Blue Brook aka Lanxi Pavilion (I think this is an affiliate of Blue Rain Guild on the 10th Server as they have the same logo). Team Captain. A well respected player. One of the top swordsmen on the 10th Server. |
 Name: Xi ZhouID: Bound Boat Class: Cleric Guild: Blue Brook aka Lanxi Pavilion (I think this is an affiliate of Blue Rain Guild on the 10th Server as they have the same logo). Vice Captain. Friend and of Xu Boyuan. Can sometimes seem disrespectful, but is always there to support and carries out Xu Boyan’s requests, usually without question. |
Episode 5 Review
The show opens with a recap of the minor argument that Chen Gou and Ye Xiu are having about the training and tuition of Tang Rou’s Glory character, Soft Mist. Ye Xiu is rightly pointing out that if Tang Rou doesn’t want to learn from him, there isn’t much he can do about it. He can keep asking but the more he asks and gets refused, the more he loses face. Chen Gou gives him some advice which basically boils down to – ‘stop winging, be a man and ask her until she says yes!’ Oh, and he has 24 hours (she threatened unemployment but we all understood it to mean that she would just be a bit annoyed).
What she actually said was (according to the subtitles), “Become a beautiful person or become slag.”
Instruct My Friend and I’ll….
Later in the day, Chen Gou is a little irritated that her star Network Manager and Glory expert still isn’t instructing her fiend. She distracts him from his normal duties and points to Tang Rou. She then jiggles her hand in front of her face suggestively.
I was forced to assume that Chen Guo is offering to give Ye Xiu a blow job if he begun to instruct Tang Rou in the art of Glory. I think I might be wrong though 🙂 . It’s possible that jiggling ones fist close to ones mouth means something else in China.
Ye Xiu eventually persuades Tang Rou (haha, I wonder why?) to consider reading the manuscript.
Chen Guo had also helped to persuade her and later we find that she has indeed learnt from the book and improved her skills. When Tang Rou’s character (Soft Mist) fights a duel with Chen Guo’s character (Chasing Haze), Chen Guo complains that she is losing faster than normal and suggests that this is because she has read and benefited from the manuscript that Ye Xiu provided. Tang Rou says that she ‘glanced’ through it and when she had finished, she placed in on the main desk.
Chen Guo immediately runs off to check out the manuscript and when she begins reading it herself, she finds that she can’t understand the drawings. Personally, I’m surprised anyone would. It’s possibly the stupidest manuscript ever written – a collection of unintelligible drawings that nobody would be able to understand.
We however, are led to believe that when Tang Rou read the manuscript, she was able to learn special skills and benefits. Personally, I found that whole scene stooped and irritating and seemed to be another example of forced comedic nonsense (except for Maggie Jiang of course).
Miraculous Game Play gets the Record!
Later, Xu Boyuan is impatiently waiting for Lord Grim to show up so that he can ask him for another assist in getting a first kill for his guild on the server. Eventually, Ye Xiu logs in and the two arrange for another meet-up on line to take down a boss called Zombie Bailey at the Burial Ground. This time however, Ye Xiu tells him that he will team up with him but use his own team to down the boss. Xu Boyuan agrees and assumes that Lord Grim is bringing a team of experts to help him out.
Hi brings with him, Tang Rou, Steamed Bun (Bao Rongxing), and the beautiful Su Mucheng. Xu Boyuan nearly recognises Su Mucheng but is a little disappointed that the expert team are all new players (noobs).
His guild members watch the event as it happens and aren’t too impressed with the quality of the game-play. They think it’s a little scrappy and one person even comment’s that they don’t think the record will be broken.
But the battle goes every bit as Lord Grim intended and the record is broken.
Xu Boyuan is very pleased and Lord Grim is able to upgrade his weapon, the 1000 Machine Umbrella.
Su Mucheng and Lord Grim test the upgraded weapon. He is able to use more features and the weapon works very well despite all the firepower Su Mucheng uses against him. She remembers her brother and Ye Xiu when they were children and the way they designed the 1000 Machine Umbrella using he clothes and hair grips etc. to fabricate the design. She clearly misses her brother and eventually bids a tearful farewell to Ye Xiu to train with her guild.
Sun Xiang has Poor Tactics – but wins a Record
Su Mucheng confronts her Team Captain, Sun Xiang about tactics for the upcoming competition fight against their opposing Guild Tan Yu. In particular, she is worried about their two greatest players, Yu Wenzhou (their Team Captain and a brilliant tactician) and their expert swordsman, Huang Shaotian.
He tells her that this is not his first match and that she just needs to follow orders as his assistant. She is unhappy with this and would prefer to discuss tactics but must accept the orders of the Captain.
Later, one of his team reports that there is a player who is causing the guild to look a little sloppy, he means Lord Grim. Sun Xiang decides that the latest boss kill, Zombie Bailey in the Burial Grounds needs to be broken by their team of ‘alternates’ (low level characters that are played as secondary characters for fun).
He leads a team out to take the record for the boss kill and does so very easily. He takes a few minutes off the record.
Lanxi Pavilion are having a team meeting when the news breaks that their record has been broken and their Team Boss, Xu Boyuan is upset (even though he tries to hide it).
Xu Boyuan later asks Ye Xiu if he fancies teaming up again to beat the record but Ye Xiu tries to explain that this was probably achieved by a group of professional players, but he would think about it and be in contact soon maybe to attempt the record again. Sure enough, Ye Xiu begins the arduous tasks of developing tactics to break the record. He works out a way to do it but needs the help of a good swordsman. He smiles knowingly.
Chen Guo Prepares for the Tournament
Later, he heads downstairs to the Internet cafe to find Chen Guo attending to a series of posters of Ye Qui. She is preparing for the coming match between the Blue Rain (Lan Yu) and Excellent Era (Jiashi) guilds. She wants everyone to be able to be in sight of a picture of her idol, Ye Qui.
Ye Xiu looks at the ‘life-size’ picture of Ye Qui and notices that it is actually a little too tall – but there is no telling Chen Guo who is all excited for the competition that evening. She believes that Excellent Era (Jiashi) will lose (and as far as she is concerned, it will serve them right for driving Ye Qui away).
Ye Xiu tries to make fun of Chen Guo by suggesting that her fanaticism with Ye Qui should be taken to the next level and that the network system password could be changed to “Ye Qui Unbeatable and Most Handsome”. Chen Guo recognises the wise crack but actually, she quite likes the password.
Ye Xiu’s comment that he was using rhetoric is conveniently ignored by Chen Guo which he thinks is ironic.
The Battle Begins – even before the game!
Next we see the start of the competition between two of the top guilds, Blue Rain (Lan Yu) and Excellent Era (Jiashi). The stadium is packed and as the team shake hands before the start, we see a tremendous piece of goading and banter from the annoying and immensely likeable swordsman, Huang Shaotian.
The translation for the subtitles that I saw didn’t do the writers justice but basically, he pointed out that the gap in experience and skill between the current Excellent Era (Jiashi) Team Captain and the old one was considerable and that he should learn from today’s lesson. Before Sun Xiang could come back with a witty answer (as if) Huang Shaotian asked if ‘Sister Su’ had missed him. She politely said that she hadn’t and he responded with a comment that she is looking a little fat. Sun Xiang was rather taken aback by Huang Shaotian’s banter, but Su Mucheng wasn’t surprised at all – though she still tells him to shut up.
The first part of the match is between Sun Xiang and a member of the Blue Rain (Lan Yu) team. He wins easily, he stays on to fight another member of Blue Rain (Lan Yu) and wins that easily too. Then he fights an unprecedented third player and wins to the adulation and mild shock of everyone there. Sun Xiang feels vindicated, he has just secured 6 points (3×2) for his team and is in a commanding position, he begins to feel very confident indeed for the main battle.
Blue Rain (Lan Yu) team seem a lot less worried that the Excellent Era (Jiashi) team. They are full of smiles and convinced they have the right tactics. Just to be clear, at this point they are 0-6 points down and there are only 5 points available for the 5 x 5 battle! The only chance they have is if they can wipe (kill all the opposing team) before the 15 minutes is up. If they can do this, they will win a further 2 points and clinch the match. These are long odds as the Excellent Era (Jiashi) captain has just won three in a row against three Blue Rain (Lan Yu) team members!
Su Mucheng is slightly concerned that they are not using tactics to beat Blue Rain (Lan Yu) and when she asks if they can, Sun Xiang simply ignores her. The battle starts.
Both sides are very evenly matched at the start but in the Internet Cafe, Chen Gou is nervous that Excellent Era (Jiashi) will win and her idol will not be missed. She mutters to herself each time Excellent Era (Jiashi) is seen to play well.
Ye Xiu sees what will bring down Excellent Era
Then suddenly, against the odds, Ye Xiu quietly declares that Excellent Era (Jiashi) will lose the battle and the match. Chen Guo hears this and her ears prick up. Her network Manager is rarely wrong about Glory tactics and she goes over to where he is stranding and casually asks why he thinks Excellent Era (Jiashi) will lose.
Ye Xiu tells Chen Guo that the Team Captain of Blue Rain (Lan Yu) has used his trump card tactics which is to lock one and release four. We will need to wait until the next exciting episode to learn what that means as this wonderful instalment of the saga ended there.
This episode helped us better understand the characters that are portrayed in the show and we didn’t get the same feeling that Ye Xiu is a smug git. In fact, he was much more laid back. The high point of the show for me, was seeing the character I affectionately call motor-mouth. Huang Shaotian has a vicious wit and knows just how to use it to do the most damage – as we’ll see in the next episode – which is really good by the way.
The Kings Avatar, Episode 05 rated a very big 9.2 out of 10 for great characterisation!
(By the way, you can review this show yourself by clicking on the Users tab in the review block at the top- right of the page. You don’t need to register and we’d love to see what you thought of the show too.)
The Kings Avatar (Quanzhi Gaoshou) Episode 1 Review is HERE, Episode 2 Review is HERE and Episode 3 is HERE and Episode 4 is HERE.
See more details of this on the Kings Avatar thread of the Sci Fi forum
The pictures, story, news details and everything else about the Kings Avatar Live action TV series are copyright Tencent Penguin Pictures, Linmon Pictures and Phoenix Entertainment. All rights reserved.
This article is copyright Tony Fawl and not for reproduction without the authors express permission.
Thanks to the very cool Raphael Canaris for the following clarifications in this review: Chen Yehui plays a Spellblade and not a Battlemage or Warlock as I had initially indicated – he played a Battlemage in other adaptations of the saga.