ibisfeather

Ko ChenTung plays Han Chieh,an enormously attractive reformed bad-boy with a heart of gold, whose sad eyes stay with you long after the 8 eps of this Taiwanese supernatural drama are done (at 42minsea. = 5.5 + hrs runtime) He was hired out of hell to atone for his sins by straightening out the problems with ghosts whose attachments hold them back. The gods live close to the hearts of the people in this story, and the Third Prince, who employs our hero, communicates via talismanic messages and a small bird whose cage door is always open.

I am not generally a fan of the scenographic of grimy hallways combined with neon colored spiritual phenomena. But the cinematographer somehow gives the shots depth and movement, and the nighttime of Taipei in moments achieved a tranquil beauty in moments that melted my heart. The plot is relatively simple, a demon long-held in check has a plan to break free. A group which includes Han Chieh, his detective friend, a stray waif girlfriend and the inhabitants of a decrepit building, (both ghosts and humans) must detect the plan and defeat the demon king. It is funny, sweet, thrilling and desperate and I loved it.