The spirits wear fish-eye earrings, eat snot-spun candy and consume freshly pooped buns from a giant maggot demon, much to the disgust of Yuan Boya (Qu Chu Xiao) who finds himself there trying to apprehend Qing Ming, after his captain rank was stripped from him when Qing Ming’s spirits stole an imperial tribute he was supposed to be escorting. There is even a Demon Realm straight out of a Tsui Hark movie, where all the spirits and demons congregate and live together under the watchful gaze of the Port Master, a portly demon resembling a beluga whale obsessed with hoarding human valuables. The Demon Realm in Yin Yang Master is brilliantly rendered and colorfully immersive. Players will also be stoked to be able to name his spirit servants or shikigami bound to his command, like Yamausagi (a rabbit on a frog), Kamaitachi (three weasels in a costume) and Kappa (Lake Demon). If you’ve played the game, you’ll also recognise the trademark courtyard that Qing Ming resides in, with a magnificent sakura tree that arches over the compound. He is discriminated against by his teachers and fellow disciples for having both human and demon blood, accused of trying to steal the Scale Stone which could resurrect the giant nine-headed serpent Xiangliu and king of demons, and murdering his senior disciple, Cimu (William Chan), in the process. Here, Qing Ming is an outlier with a chequered past, played by Chen Kun. Traditionally, Qing Ming is the almighty and revered Yin Yang Master, possessing powers beyond mortal comprehension and legions of potent demon spirits at his beck and call. There were some creative licenses taken with this film, although not in a bad way. It is also clear that director Li and his team have attained a proper understanding of the game and its storyline, and have faithfully adhered to the game’s lore and characters.
What it makes up for lies in its colourful, easy to follow storytelling and immersive universe. The Yin Yang Master is not as flashy with magic CGI like its predecessor. While Dream Of Eternity fixated on unresolved master issues, petulant boys’ love and a relationship doomed to fail, Li's debut attempt at promulgating the fictional universe of Onmyoji is a stunning breath of fresh air.
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