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Ito-sensei’s works deserve productions like these.
The story takes place in a secluded mountain town built around a cram school that offers intensive preparation courses for university entrance exams. Getting a spot there isn't easy unless you have money or connections, and parents go to tremendous lengths to secure a place for their children.
The protagonist is Zhao Jiaqi, a girl who failed her medical school entrance exams (a career path her mother wants for her, not one she has chosen herself). She arrives in town in the middle of the night with her mother, Mrs. He, to move into her assigned apartment and start classes the following day.
The cinematography and direction in that first episode are excellent, creating a wonderfully atmospheric opening. I really liked the town's setting, its surroundings, and the interactions between its inhabitants.
As for the school, Chongming operates under a strict disciplinary system and an intensive study schedule. Students are constantly evaluated to determine who gets promoted to special classes and who remains at the bottom of the rankings, potentially facing expulsion.
The other students in Jiaqi's class make up the rest of the main cast, and fans of Ito's works will immediately recognize some familiar faces, such as Tomie (Jiang Wenyue), or Souichi (Wu Shuangyi). However, don't expect them to follow their original storylines, as this is an entirely different story.
Everyone's lives will revolve around classes, competition, their personal dilemmas, and the mystery surrounding the way the town and the school are run.
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• The Good:
The story, the atmosphere, the cinematography and direction, the performances, and the ending theme.
The conclusion was good and fitting, even if it didn't have the frenzied madness one might expect from an Ito-sensei manga.
• The Bad:
The pacing of the episodes. The first episode is the strongest in this regard. Starting with episode 2, the narrative expands to include more characters, as the story gradually takes on the structure of an ensemble cast. This makes the overall narrative feel a little less focused. It's nothing that ruins the experience, but it did take me some time to adjust to the change in pacing.
The other downside is that if you're expecting a series packed with supernatural horror in every episode, this isn't it.
Another point—just my own personal opinion—is that they somewhat squandered the potential of Wu Shuangyi (Souchi) as a destructive force. In the end, he lacked malice.
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Final Verdict:
It's a good series. And although it doesn't faithfully adapt any of Ito-sensei's original stories, it stays true to his aesthetic and influence. I'd consider it one of the best live-action adaptations I've seen in terms of acting performances and overall production.
With this much potential, I'd love to see more stories like this, perhaps even a second season with the same cast of characters getting into a whole new series of disastrous adventures.
The protagonist is Zhao Jiaqi, a girl who failed her medical school entrance exams (a career path her mother wants for her, not one she has chosen herself). She arrives in town in the middle of the night with her mother, Mrs. He, to move into her assigned apartment and start classes the following day.
The cinematography and direction in that first episode are excellent, creating a wonderfully atmospheric opening. I really liked the town's setting, its surroundings, and the interactions between its inhabitants.
As for the school, Chongming operates under a strict disciplinary system and an intensive study schedule. Students are constantly evaluated to determine who gets promoted to special classes and who remains at the bottom of the rankings, potentially facing expulsion.
The other students in Jiaqi's class make up the rest of the main cast, and fans of Ito's works will immediately recognize some familiar faces, such as Tomie (Jiang Wenyue), or Souichi (Wu Shuangyi). However, don't expect them to follow their original storylines, as this is an entirely different story.
Everyone's lives will revolve around classes, competition, their personal dilemmas, and the mystery surrounding the way the town and the school are run.
---
• The Good:
The story, the atmosphere, the cinematography and direction, the performances, and the ending theme.
The conclusion was good and fitting, even if it didn't have the frenzied madness one might expect from an Ito-sensei manga.
• The Bad:
The pacing of the episodes. The first episode is the strongest in this regard. Starting with episode 2, the narrative expands to include more characters, as the story gradually takes on the structure of an ensemble cast. This makes the overall narrative feel a little less focused. It's nothing that ruins the experience, but it did take me some time to adjust to the change in pacing.
The other downside is that if you're expecting a series packed with supernatural horror in every episode, this isn't it.
Another point—just my own personal opinion—is that they somewhat squandered the potential of Wu Shuangyi (Souchi) as a destructive force. In the end, he lacked malice.
---
Final Verdict:
It's a good series. And although it doesn't faithfully adapt any of Ito-sensei's original stories, it stays true to his aesthetic and influence. I'd consider it one of the best live-action adaptations I've seen in terms of acting performances and overall production.
With this much potential, I'd love to see more stories like this, perhaps even a second season with the same cast of characters getting into a whole new series of disastrous adventures.
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