Broker (2021)

Non l'ho amato ma, non l'ho nemmeno disprezzato

Se siete fan sfegatati di Luo Yunxi, Broker potrebbe valerne la pena, perché mette davvero in mostra il suo talento. Offre un'interpretazione emozionante nei panni di un antieroe imperfetto e tormentato che si innamora di una donna che cambierà l'intero corso della sua vita. Broker potrebbe fare al caso vostro anche se amate le protagoniste femminili forti, brillanti, indipendenti e mature. L'interpretazione di Victoria Song vi farà desiderare che ci fossero più personaggi come lei nei drama cinesi. (Avrei voluto aggiungere "sensibile" alla lista di attributi di FL, ma purtroppo non posso a causa delle sue azioni e parole negli ultimi due o tre episodi.)

MA. E questo è un enorme MA. Per tutti gli altri? È un po' un testa a testa. Broker è imperfetto e caotico, e se vi piacerà o meno dipenderà dal vostro gradimento o dalla vostra tolleranza per i melodrammi sdolcinati e irrealistici e altri elementi che alcuni amano e altri detestano: i discorsi scientifici, le politiche d'ufficio e gli schemi (solo nei primi episodi, però, poi sono fantastici), la OTP secondaria, eroi/eroine/antagonisti molto tormentati (dichiarare che Leo viene messo a dura prova, soprattutto alla fine, sarebbe un eufemismo). Con il progredire della serie, flirta sempre più con le trame del "sangue di cane (狗血)", fino a quando, MOLTO prevedibilmente, non si abbandona completamente al melodramma makjang nell'ultimo quarto. (Un paio di personaggi fanno persino riferimento ai drammi del "sangue di cane", il che fa pensare a un subdolo cenno di autocompiacimento.)

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A very flawed drama for die-hard LYX fans with a kick-ass FL ...**BUT**...

If you are a die-hard Luo Yunxi fan, Broker might be worth it as it really showcases his talent. He gives an emotional performance as a flawed and tortured anti-hero who falls in love with a woman who changes the entire course of his life. Broker could also be for you if you love your female leads strong, brilliant, independent, and mature. Victoria Song’s portrayal will have you wishing there were more characters like her in Chinese dramas. (I was going to add sensible to the FL's list of attributes, but unfortunately I can not due to her actions and words in the final two or three episodes.)

BUT. And this is a huge BUT. For everyone else? It’s kind of a toss-up. Broker is flawed and messy, and whether it’s for you or not will depend on your enjoyment or tolerance of soapy, unrealistic melodramas and other elements that some people love and others hate: the science talk, the office politics and scheming (only in the early episodes though -- it's great later), the secondary OTP, very tortured heroes/heroines/antogonists (To say Leo is put through the wringer, especially at the end, would be an understatement). As the series progresses, it also flirts increasingly with “dog’s blood (狗血)” plotlines -- until it VERY predictably goes all-in on the makjang melodrama in the final quarter. (A couple of the characters even reference “dog’s blood” dramas, which makes one think it’s a sly nod of self-recognition.)

Personally, I genuinely enjoyed nearly every ridiculous, soapy, melodramatic moment and couldn’t wait for the next episode. At the same time, I have a lot of caveats. I did park most of my usual standards aside and simply went with the flow. I tried not to think too much about details that didn’t make sense; annoying tropes; the rather ham-fisted effort at depicting anti-Asian/Chinese racism; the heavy-handed overtones of patriotism/nationalism; inconsistencies in pacing, tone, character depiction, and story arcs. Unfortunately, these last elements became very difficult to ignore at the end, especially in the final episode. While expected, the execution of the story arc was frustrating -- and almost cruel -- at times. (You can read my more spoilery views about the ending in the comments section below.)

REWATCH VALUE: If I could break it down, I'd give all of Leo’s scenes a 10 (no bias here :P) and many (but not all) of Victoria’s very high marks too.

MUSIC: Like many Chinese dramas, the instrumental background was sometimes too much, but the songs were solid. I especially adored the closing credit piece, Signature (署名) by Azora Chin (尤长靖), and Leo’s haunting theme, It’s Time To Stop (时间停止吧), by ANU.

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