I rarely watch TV. Those rare moments are usually limited to the news or some good movies, with some bits of Iron Chef America and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. I got tired of ICA, and EMHE dulled me with replays, so that’s less time with the TV.

And you will never see me watch those imported, Tagalog-dubbed shows, whether eastern or western fare.

But some of you knows that I like playing Dynasty Warriors, which is loosely based on Sanguo yanyi (aka Romance of the Three Kingdoms). The games led me to read RoTK online (the complete volume is expensive and is not available locally. I like it eversince.

Which led me to watch this new Taiwanese TV show called K.O.3an guo.

I cannot remember how I found out about this show, but I have been watching it online for the past weeks. Most online descriptions say the show is a spoof of Sanguo yanyi, but I prefer the phrase “inspired by.” What hooked on this show is the way it took inspiration from Sanguo yanyi. The show is funny, sometimes just plain weird, and most of the time some plot points are lost on the way. I like the cartoonish effects; they remind me of that old Batman series.

So Guan Yu and Zhang Fei got expelled from their 24th school because they got into trouble all the time. Then they saw shrewd Liu Bei being harassed by some people, and the two went to his rescue. Upon learning of their predicament, Liu Bei decided to be sworn brother with them so that they could enroll at a royal school (Liu Bei being of royal blood), on the condition that they pay his tuition.

Off they go to a temple for the famous oath at the peach garden. Meanwhile, some people from another dimension (Iron) visited the Silver (local dimension), and a single misstep caused some changes in the dimension, causing one of the dimension travelers to switch persons with Liu Bei. And from there the story shifts to the school, where students defend their school against other schools.

Too bad the show appeals to womenfolk more, what with all those good loooking men. There are two token women for the menfolk – not surprising, since Sanguo yanyi is not replete with women characters. Setting aside that slight, this is a good show to watch – it’s funny, and references to Sanguo yanyi are cool. It’s currently being shown in Taiwan, and there’s an English-subbed version somewhere on the Internet. You know how to google.