It seems the theme of this show is #NoJusticeNoPeace and it's still true today.
OAN, I'm up to episode 16 and feel like Investigator Gu is hella sus the way he keeps clearing out the Zhou henchmen instead of taking them in for interrogation. He's not even trying to bring them to justice.
In a show with so few good guys in power, I do hope I'm wrong. But then again, it's not that kind of show which is why I like it so much.
What an unexpectedly delightful series! For some reason the artwork and the oddly translated synopsis appealed to me and I am so glad I followed my instincts on this one.
Why the hell didn't Han Pu go into the family business instead of becoming a soldier, we'll never know. Surely they needed medics to treat injured soldiers and he would have been ideal. Sigh.
This is by far the worst show I've ever loved. What a ride. Plus it has great rewatch potential. 10/10 for entertainment value.
Whew! That was one hell of a ride. Everything about this series was great: the writing, the acting, the pacing, everything. What I want to know is the Fourth Prince still locked up in that room with his secretary or nah? Seeing how out of the surviving brothers, only the Fifth Prince had any integrity & love for the king, I can see why the Queen did not go to him for a levirate marriage; he would have turned her down point blank.
I do hope the story continues with a few more seasons. Warrior queens make for my favorite historical dramas.
Episode 1 was so quietly intense. I am gobsmacked. The way the details about Leng are revealed, like peeling the…
Overall, I'd rate this one 8/10. The first three episodes were 10+ - absolutely brilliant & riveting. Further on into the series & despite there being only 12 episodes, I did feel that the story was getting a bit bogged down with too many side characters, too much detail in some points, not enough detail in others.
WRT too little information, Judge Song had been tortured into giving a false confession. So what does he do as a judge? Torture suspects into confessing or giving information. He struck me as an intelligent man, so his disregard for his personal experience left me perplexed.
I especially enjoyed the camaraderie and love between Qu Sangeng (Puppy), Feng Kezhui (Turkey), Gao Shicong, & Leng Gui'Er. Their interactions as a crime-solving team and friend group were the most entertaining to me.
OAN, although other characters called young Master Lu likable, I did not like him at all. In the scene where Leng caught him eavesdropping, I found myself thinking that Leng should kill him because that scheming, cynical child is nothing but trouble - if not today, then tomorrow. As the story progressed I felt vindicated as his death would have saved so many lives. Then again, there would have been no series, or a different series altogether.
Poor Puppy lost his dad and two father figures over the course of the series. Meanwhile Master Lu was rejected by one, and killed another in an ultimate rejection. I couldn't help but compare & contrast how their fathers and lack thereof shaped them into the different men they became. Puppy is such a loyal, idealistic, imperfect, & real person that I can't help but care about him.
The original title in Chinese 繁城之下 can be translated as "underneath the prosperous city" or "the dark…
Thanks for explaining. The original title reminds me of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer villain, The First, and their catchphrase: "From beneath you, it devours."
They could have called it "One Bad Apple" like every police department in the US claims although it's an entire system that's corrupt and dangerous.
Does anyone know the meaning of the title "Ripe Town"? It doesn't mean anything to me as a native English speaker, so I'm wondering if the title has some significance in the original language.
Episode 1 was so quietly intense. I am gobsmacked. The way the details about Leng are revealed, like peeling the layers of an onion, is really well done.
This wasn't too bad, just not very good either. Kim Yong Guk was the only character who was even remotely likable (to me). The actor really sold me on his hurt, damaged little boy background. He also made me believe in his love for his wife and son.
None of the other characters were well-developed or likable, not even the "heroine" Oh Wan Su. What a cold fish!
Seo Do Yun took too long to figure things out; the actor did his best to make the part work, but he mainly looked great throughout the series. And frankly, he seemed more in love with his dead friend than with Wan Su. The two men had great chemistry and a show about them as investigators, spies, bodyguards, whatever would have been infinitely more interesting.
One question that bugs me: why wasn't Han Sang Il charged with obstruction of justice for lying about Yong Guk's shooting?
In a show with so few good guys in power, I do hope I'm wrong. But then again, it's not that kind of show which is why I like it so much.
ETA: Much of the music sounded west African too.
It's like casting Vietnamese or Nepalese to play Koreans or something. It was really jarring.
This is by far the worst show I've ever loved. What a ride. Plus it has great rewatch potential. 10/10 for entertainment value.
I do hope the story continues with a few more seasons. Warrior queens make for my favorite historical dramas.
WRT too little information, Judge Song had been tortured into giving a false confession. So what does he do as a judge? Torture suspects into confessing or giving information. He struck me as an intelligent man, so his disregard for his personal experience left me perplexed.
I especially enjoyed the camaraderie and love between Qu Sangeng (Puppy), Feng Kezhui (Turkey), Gao Shicong, & Leng Gui'Er. Their interactions as a crime-solving team and friend group were the most entertaining to me.
OAN, although other characters called young Master Lu likable, I did not like him at all. In the scene where Leng caught him eavesdropping, I found myself thinking that Leng should kill him because that scheming, cynical child is nothing but trouble - if not today, then tomorrow. As the story progressed I felt vindicated as his death would have saved so many lives. Then again, there would have been no series, or a different series altogether.
Poor Puppy lost his dad and two father figures over the course of the series. Meanwhile Master Lu was rejected by one, and killed another in an ultimate rejection. I couldn't help but compare & contrast how their fathers and lack thereof shaped them into the different men they became. Puppy is such a loyal, idealistic, imperfect, & real person that I can't help but care about him.
They could have called it "One Bad Apple" like every police department in the US claims although it's an entire system that's corrupt and dangerous.
None of the other characters were well-developed or likable, not even the "heroine" Oh Wan Su. What a cold fish!
Seo Do Yun took too long to figure things out; the actor did his best to make the part work, but he mainly looked great throughout the series. And frankly, he seemed more in love with his dead friend than with Wan Su. The two men had great chemistry and a show about them as investigators, spies, bodyguards, whatever would have been infinitely more interesting.
One question that bugs me: why wasn't Han Sang Il charged with obstruction of justice for lying about Yong Guk's shooting?