I have some questions for Chinese-speaking viewers. Why is Lao Fei translated Chicken Fed? I know he has Ji in…
I might be completely off on this, but I think the tower might be a nod to the Detective Dee movies featuring similar fantastical structures in their cases.
I wonder if the Princess they are talking about is Princess Taiping?
Pretty sure she is and the Crown Prince is supposed to be Li Longji. I can't remember which episode (maybe the first or second) but they referenced the era name and it was Emperor Ruizong's.
Li Bi is the stupidest "smart" person ever lolIf he was a girl would have a lot of hateful comments about him…
Totally agree with this! I get that he's supposed to be young and naive, and overly sure of himself, but some of his blunders are too predictable (like how is the entire staff of a supposedly genius spymaster either murdered or working against him if he's at least semi-competent?!). I felt like his character existed mostly to tie the "street action" in with the court intrigue and was otherwise fairly dispensable.
I just finished and have to say, I don't understand how the hell this dramas has only 8.4 rate. What's wrong with…
It is very surprising. Without any question, it has the highest production value of any historical drama that I've watched and extremely impressive world-building and action. Definitely deserves a higher rating.
If there's any criticism that I might make, it's that the plot begins to feel a bit contrived in the later episodes, and the ending felt abrupt. All in all, though, I got most of my enjoyment from the action, interesting characters, and rich supporting detail (historical/visual), so the logic of the plot wasn't as important to me.
Judging by the trailer, this drama seems to have some real promise. Curious to see if it will be released later this year as has been rumored. I do wonder though if it has been heavily edited, judging by the long delay from production to release, and if this will affect the quality at all. Either way, hope it comes out soon.
A different director could have made a really scary horror show out of this. But then romance would be really…
I think she and the "missing governor" case added some novelty to the Tuo Shen arc which was otherwise structured somewhat similarly to the first case in Chang'an. I do hope they'll finish the black tea case after what seems like the next stop in Luoyang. Curious to see how the shapeshifting villain from the first arc is developed/resolved.
One case after another....storylines are keeping fresh and interesting. Most of the antoganist suffer from narcissistic…
Totally agree with this. It's not super often that a mystery drama like this manages to maintain a consistent "feel" without becoming repetitive. This one is nicely done in that the characters are well-developed, the "side" things like the humor and worldbuilding don't peter out after a certain point, and each case has a sense of novelty.
So far the drama is maintaining a very high level of quality. The production value is surprisingly good. I'm not sure what the drama's budget was, but even if it's not a high-dollar production it doesn't *look* cheap and the sets and landscspes are well-done.
I also really enjoy the level of detail that goes into the background of the drama. This is true of the mysteries themselves, which are nicely paced and logically solved. I also like that the "fantastical" elements, like the wuxia-style magic and variations on traditional medicine, play a role in solving the cases. It makes the drama feel truer to its setting because some of these things, like Chicken Fed's Taoist diagnoses about dreams, would have been considered very real in the 700s. Same goes for the physical clues - the things they observe about dead bodies are things you could learn through experience and with contemporary medicine, not 21st-century CSI techniques set in a costume drama.
It's not a bad drama by any means, but it would be a stronger show if it focused either on the machinations of the prosecutors OR the family drama/affair plotlines. Both plots are promising and I get how they interrelate, but the cast of characters is so unwieldy and there's too much seemingly important stuff that gets short shrift in each episode (the death investigation, for instance).
How the hell did Lu Ling Feng manage to reach the post of a general without any common sense or diplomacy?! It…
He starts showing some smarts and potential after learning from Su Wu Ming. But it's implied that he got the job because he's a favorite of the Crown Prince and a member of the Fanyang Lu clan, which in the drama (and actual history) is one of the most powerful families in the empire, close behind the imperial family in being able to get relatives into high positions.
Su Wuming: "Because I respect you so much!"
This man can think on his feet!
If there's any criticism that I might make, it's that the plot begins to feel a bit contrived in the later episodes, and the ending felt abrupt. All in all, though, I got most of my enjoyment from the action, interesting characters, and rich supporting detail (historical/visual), so the logic of the plot wasn't as important to me.
I also really enjoy the level of detail that goes into the background of the drama. This is true of the mysteries themselves, which are nicely paced and logically solved. I also like that the "fantastical" elements, like the wuxia-style magic and variations on traditional medicine, play a role in solving the cases. It makes the drama feel truer to its setting because some of these things, like Chicken Fed's Taoist diagnoses about dreams, would have been considered very real in the 700s. Same goes for the physical clues - the things they observe about dead bodies are things you could learn through experience and with contemporary medicine, not 21st-century CSI techniques set in a costume drama.