Xian Wei Jing Xia De Da Ming (2023)

Uma obra-prima dubestimada!

Mais um drama curto que entregou tudo! Não entendi o motivo de uma nota tão mediana, pois é um excelente drama!

Não sei se é roteiro original ou adaptado, mas a história é muito interessante, diferente de tudo o que já vi. Aqui vai um resumo do resumo, omitindo alguns personagens importantes: um jovem que perdeu seus pais quando criança e só sabe de aritmética, e usa exatamente esse saber, pra combater, junto com seu amigo, um almofadinha rico que só gostava de jogar, uma rede de corrupção por trás do imposto da seda. Ele se envolve nesses esquemas por causa dos números e também para relembrar seu passado. Nisso vemos o crescimento, não só dele, como de seu amigo, que através disso conhece a realidade das pessoas mais pobres.

Pontos positivos: Vou começar com o que mais achei bem feito nesse drama: o desenvolvimento de cada personagem! Mesmo com uma quantidade menor de episódios que os dramas habituais, o roteiro trouxe um pouco de cada personagem, que era importante pra história, de maneira perfeita. O necessário para nos envolvermos e vermos o crescimento de com cada um deles. Nem mais, nem menos. O restante também não deixou a desejar: desde as atuações, final redondo, sem pressa à fotografia muito bonita!

Pontos negativos: única coisa que senti que poderiam ter adicionado, é talvez o Shuai Jiamo finalmente entender para além dos números, algum sentimento humano que não estivesse ligado diretamente aos pais deles. Seria a cereja do bolo! Por isso minha nota para a história foi 9,5. Fora isso, 10/10

Dito isto, mais do recomendado! Vale muito a pena assistir!

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The mountains are high and the emperor is far away 山高皇帝远.

Under the Microscope takes a detailed look at some of the ancient financial shenanigans that eventually collapsed a dynasty. It is an adaptation of a documentary written by Ma Boyong based on rare ancient folk archives from the Ming dynasty. The Ming dynasty's demise was in large part due to the inability of the government to properly manage its finances, particularly with respect to tax revenue collection. The mountains are high and the emperor is far away 山高皇帝远/shān gāo huángdì yuǎn; thus local fief lords and officials in remote locations were able to do as they please. Social unrest frequently erupted as a result of local officials' failure to carry out central government directives due to both incompetence and corruption. That is the backdrop against which this ancient tax puzzle cum murder mystery unfolds.

Shuai Jiamo is an orphaned peasant and a math savant. He is known in Renhua county as a simpleton and is probably either Aspergic or mildly autistic. He makes a simple living providing field measurement services. In his spare time, he counts cards for his only friend Feng Baoyu, playboy and scion of the prosperous Feng's Ham Shop. He is obsessed with accuracy and when he discovers discrepancies in land records, he tries to track it down. In the process, he stumbles across a misallocated tax that awakens long-dormant memories of the day his whole life changed. Without considering broader consequences, he obstinately decides it must be made right and single-mindedly sets out to rectify these errors. All sorts of vested interests from fief lords to various county officials are affected and conspire to frustrate him. First they turn Chen Renqing, a wily lawyer whose justice and honour can be bought by the highest bidder, loose on him. They also inflame peasants across all eight counties of Jin'an Prefecture, ensuring that chaos, murder and mayhem ensues.

Zhang Ruoyun steps out of his comfort zone in this role of a character that is not always in the moment and relates to others in a different way. Although he seems to over-act in places, the brilliance in his overall interpretation is how insidiously he plants the seeds of doubt. Is the over-acting deliberate and in character? Is the real Shuai Jiamo the one who chastises Feng Baoyu for not paying more heed to his sums and observes that he will soon have a brother-in-law? Or are the glimpses of cunning, empathy, even wit and humour just inconsistent characterisations? Is Shuai Jiamo really that simple and traumatised or does he have complex hidden motives? His nemesis the shrewd and cynical Chen Renqing certainly believes the latter. Leaving these questions largely unanswered makes this yet another fascinating and memorable characterisation by Zhang Ruoyun. His incredible chemistry with Wang Yang thrills and delights in new ways as their roles here force them to connect across entirely different wavelengths. Wang Yang is always at his best in morally ambiguous roles and delivers a wicked and empathetic performance as this lawyer on a white horse. It is also nice to see the limelight shared by Fei Qiming (Feng Baoyu) and Qi Wei (Feng Biyu), who also deliver hilariously engaging portrayals.

This is a beautifully shot production with a detailed eye that captures the humble, tattered and vivid humanity of the common people and the contrasting texture of their venal overlords. The devil is always in the detail with these kinds of accounting and mathematical puzzles that do not lend themselves well to screen adaptation. But this production creatively and humorously dresses up the inherently dry subject matter and does its best to avoid too much exposition. The plot is well paced and the conspiracy builds to a climax that shook me and left me speechless with my heart in my mouth. The villains are well foreshadowed but the reveal still satisfyingly ties up loose ends. Some bad guys got off too lightly but this is realistic and somewhat dictated by historical fact. This is a superbly well-written and entertaining ancient grassroots story that will appeal to anyone on the lookout for fresh themes and stories. 8.5/10.0.

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