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If I were being tortured by choosing only one drama to watch in 2023, Ripe Town would make the list.
The show opens with a gruesomely staged corpse accompanied by a chilling quote from the Analects of Confucius, which quickly sets a philosophical tone that runs throughout the show.
The characters are complex, morally grey, and somewhat dysfunctional, but people who have experienced abandonment or suffer from attachment issues may find them relatable.
More about them is revealed as the show progresses, and my opinions of them evolve as I try to understand their motivations and values.
At 24 episodes, Show doesn’t waste any time and pulls you in right away with detective Jian Bu Zhi 简不知 embarking on a quest to unravel the mystery of his father’s death.
Plagued with amnesia, his memories of that fateful day are foggy and lead him on a suspense-laden journey to solve the riddles that unfold.
Ji Ming is not your typical swoony CEO 霸总 who captivates with his presence and power. As the owner of an investment firm, he bears the weight of keeping the company afloat. Initially, we see him being abrasive and cutting, towards his employees or whatever seems like bull to him. I find this to be a realistic portrayal of what many directors and CEOs are like at work.
I can understand the biting criticism that this show faced, with its seemingly low-budget CGI, predictable plotlines and recycled cliches. I tried to put my finger on why it was so addictive for me despite the show’s flaws, and speculated that:
1. Cheng Yi 成毅 playing three distinctive characters – Ying Yuan, Tang Zhou and Xuan Ye – is mesmerising to watch
2. I was curious to see how this enemies-to- lovers trope (more evident from Ep 19 onwards) pans out.
I really wanted to like Legend of Fei 有翡 because of Wang Yibo 王一博 (what can I say – he has a face made for TV).
Zhao Liying and him were a rather unusual pairing given their age gap, but Yibo’s huge following and success after The Untamed, guaranteed a high level of anticipation for the show, and he turned out to be one of the main reasons I kept on watching (until I gave up at Ep 24) despite the slow plot progression.
