228
586
128
10
9
11
8
3
10
15
6
9
1
2
9
15
4
3
3
1
2
2
2
1
1
2
4
8
9
24
There is no justice when seeking revenge.
Revenge will never give you a peace of mind, because it will always create victims that will hunt you till their last day. Never ending spiral of survival in the world that does not care.
It’s a drama that requires a lot of patience - 10 episodes in I still felt rather clueless about the past events and their impact on the current timeline. Maybe not completely blind, for sure not seeing the big picture thought. The writer takes their sweet time to explain the murders, their motive, connection between victims and the wanted outcome depending on the side. While the actual explanation is more or less spoon-fed to the audience, it does not feel like they tried to insult my lack of perception, but rather elaborate on the vague idea I already had in my head. It was delivered in a way that seemed appropriate taking into consideration the long and detailed set up.
I am not sure how much of a main character Qu San Geng was. For me I saw him more like a vessel for narration. While the story directly impacted him, somehow he seemed a little bit detached from it. Technically he was the force driving the investigation forward, so why does his presence feel so passive? I’m not mad about it, I think he served his purpose perfectly, but maybe I just expected to connect to his character a little bit more?
Ripe Town is a story about injustice - be it legal or social. About the power of status and money. About idealistic ideas that are crushed by reality. This is not a fun investigation, one could even say the ending feels unsatisfying. But that unsatisfying ending actually perfectly fits the story. I felt deeply frustrated more than once and even the more lighthearted moments left a bitter taste in my mouth.
That said, it was not all pain and suffering. Thanks to many interesting main and supporting characters, I can with full confidence say it was an enjoyable watch. Song Chen easily being the best of them all - not exactly good, but definitely not bad. Sticking to his convictions and morals. I also really like the “sidekick trio” Leng Gui Er, Gao Shi Cong and Feng Ke Zhui. Their dynamics were the ray of sunshine and fun that gave me a little bit of peace of mind.
One thing the drama did a phenomenal job with was making me switch my opinions about characters back and forth depending on the amount of information I had. It clearly shows the depth of the story and the characters’ actions. Nothing is quite as black and white as it may seem.
Performance wise, Yu Yao as Lu Zhi was probably my favorite along with Ning Li and Bai Yu Fan. Personally these 3 were the true main characters for me, and everyone kind of faded into background compared.
As for the production, I loved the color schemes used - the grays, blues and greens with hints of warm tones from lanterns created a somber and grim picture that accompanied the at times bleak reality of the characters.
Overall, I would for sure recommend it, but it is better as a binge watch. Be patient with how the story unfolds, you will get your conclusions at the right time.
It’s a drama that requires a lot of patience - 10 episodes in I still felt rather clueless about the past events and their impact on the current timeline. Maybe not completely blind, for sure not seeing the big picture thought. The writer takes their sweet time to explain the murders, their motive, connection between victims and the wanted outcome depending on the side. While the actual explanation is more or less spoon-fed to the audience, it does not feel like they tried to insult my lack of perception, but rather elaborate on the vague idea I already had in my head. It was delivered in a way that seemed appropriate taking into consideration the long and detailed set up.
I am not sure how much of a main character Qu San Geng was. For me I saw him more like a vessel for narration. While the story directly impacted him, somehow he seemed a little bit detached from it. Technically he was the force driving the investigation forward, so why does his presence feel so passive? I’m not mad about it, I think he served his purpose perfectly, but maybe I just expected to connect to his character a little bit more?
Ripe Town is a story about injustice - be it legal or social. About the power of status and money. About idealistic ideas that are crushed by reality. This is not a fun investigation, one could even say the ending feels unsatisfying. But that unsatisfying ending actually perfectly fits the story. I felt deeply frustrated more than once and even the more lighthearted moments left a bitter taste in my mouth.
That said, it was not all pain and suffering. Thanks to many interesting main and supporting characters, I can with full confidence say it was an enjoyable watch. Song Chen easily being the best of them all - not exactly good, but definitely not bad. Sticking to his convictions and morals. I also really like the “sidekick trio” Leng Gui Er, Gao Shi Cong and Feng Ke Zhui. Their dynamics were the ray of sunshine and fun that gave me a little bit of peace of mind.
One thing the drama did a phenomenal job with was making me switch my opinions about characters back and forth depending on the amount of information I had. It clearly shows the depth of the story and the characters’ actions. Nothing is quite as black and white as it may seem.
Performance wise, Yu Yao as Lu Zhi was probably my favorite along with Ning Li and Bai Yu Fan. Personally these 3 were the true main characters for me, and everyone kind of faded into background compared.
As for the production, I loved the color schemes used - the grays, blues and greens with hints of warm tones from lanterns created a somber and grim picture that accompanied the at times bleak reality of the characters.
Overall, I would for sure recommend it, but it is better as a binge watch. Be patient with how the story unfolds, you will get your conclusions at the right time.
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