Ripe Town (2023)

Repay harm with justice, repay virtue with virtue

In a system that is inherently inequal and unjust, is justice possible? Or is there only revenge?
Finally I've watched a cdrama that can easily be listed alongside international prestige dramas. Ripe town has it all - a compelling, well-paced and intelligent plot, highest quality production values - both visual and sound! - and a fabulous ensemble cast.
As the plot unfolds, we learn more about each of the main characters' (and victims') backstories - slowly giving us clues to what happened 20 years ago when a fire destroyed the Lu family residence and everyone in it but a few servants. What connection does the fire have to the recent gruesome murders? And why does the killer keep quoting the Analects?
Injustice is a central theme, but not merely in the sense of criminals being brought to justice, but also the injustice and inequality in Ming society - poor girls being sold to brothels, bastard children being bullied, superiors bullying their subordinates...it's everywhere. What happens when one of the lowliest members of society decides he doesn't want to take it anymore? (spoiler: lots of people die, both terrible humans who may in fact deserve their fate, and some innocent victims.)
Each character is well-rounded and believable, even those with little screen time. By the end, everyone's motivations are understandable even if you can't sympathize with them. It was easy to sympathize with our bailiff and his friends as they try to solve the mystery and "repay harm with justice." And Judge Song. Oh, kids. I generally do not cry during dramas, but I did shed more than a few tears when they read his poem in ep 12.
The pacing is excellent, I could hardly wait for the next episode to be subbed. The visuals are outstanding - it's dark and gritty but not unreadable - and it lends a sense of dread and foreboding to even beautiful seeming innocent scenes. The use of framing, of light and shadow is so good. And for the most part it is not dubbed. The silence! THE SILENCE between two characters has so much impact.
I can't recommend this drama enough, even to my friends who don't watch cdramas.

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Ordinary in the most extraordinary way

A male lead that is ordinary in appearance but extraordinary in his analysis
A county that is ordinary on the surface but hides an extraordinary history
Officials which are ordinary but hides so much extraordinary pain and suffering

An intriguing drama that weaves a compelling tale of how nothing is as it seems as truth after truth is revealed. Leaving you with the ultimate question - who is the villain? People who are intelligent and helpful turn out to be murderers and not just one or two! Victim of circumstances? Fate?

Beautifully shot and told, it made you feel like you were transported back in time with its realistic costumes and props. Actors were all great and I was glad to have a male lead that was more ordinary looking than his 2 sidekicks!

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well written + well acted = highly entertaining

If you're tired of the giant, mediocre celebrity machine, Ripe Town (or Under the Prosperous City) is a breath of fresh air. Qu Sangeng is a bailiff in the very early 1600's whose revered master is murdered as the start of a chain, leading him to re-investigate a 20 year old buried case of a mass murder of an entire wealthy family. With only a handful of trusted friends close to him, he battles not only gang leaders and hostile witnesses, but also hostile superiors and his own fellow bailiffs, in his discovery of shocking truths. The concept of justice gets blurred in a world of revenge, where very few have come by their successes honestly. Sangeng is smart and bold, but too naive to recognize what he's not able to control.

Comparisons to A League of Noblemen came to mind as I started watching, but Ripe Town is more down to earth. It's only 12 eps long so there's no wasted time. However, many characters were introduced quickly, and flashbacks often were presented without warning, so it was hard to connect people and events until much later in the show. This isn't necessarily a bad thing; it made me pay closer attention to keep pace, and by the end it all comes together. I'm not familiar with the classical reference, Analects of Confucius, which is a major focus of the hunt for the serial killer, so I won't comment on its role in the story. But, I am one for whom a music score greatly affects my engagement with a show, and this show had interesting drum rhythms similar to that of A League of Nobleman (which featured an intriguing drum solo for its entire opening theme). It perfectly complemented an exciting chase scene as the Hunter Squad takes down a monkey demon thief on the run.

The acting was very good and I was especially impressed with the performance of 16 year old Yu Yao. Yu's role is listed as a support role, but so much time is spent on his character's backstory that he should be considered the 2nd lead. He was able to portray someone of high intelligence, and cunning, with surprising maturity. All of the young teenage characters are subdued, which adds to the ominous atmosphere of the story. Yu is definitely one to watch for in the future.

The story is not a bromance, which seems to be the going popular theme, but is still very male-centric. There was even a poke at the trope of females disguising themselves as males by simply wearing male attire. While this inexplicably works in too many shows, it's flat out rejected in Ripe Town in an amusing scene.

I wish more shows would have this level of writing, that challenge your assumptions of who is good or bad, your expectations of a main character as hero, as well as your ability to predict what will happen next. The scenes were beautifully shot, no sloppy editing, and the 12 ep length made for a nice, tight story. Overall, it was one of the more entertaining shows I've seen this year.

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One artsy series with high production and directing quality

I'm not so crazy about the story (to each's own), but some people might like it. I give it a 9 because this is one of the few martial arts series I've seen with a high-quality production value—especially the directing. The director is an artist. He did the slow motions perfectly, not over-abused and repetitious. The music is top-notch. Very fitting of the moods. The OS is excellent with a Blues undertone. The storytelling is a bit confusing., but due to the production value, you stick with it. This is not a typical roll-out martial arts series where the ending will spoil the entire series after you binge-watch and feel burnt out and disappointed. The length is just right. A build-up of surprising elements. As I mentioned, the director is someone to watch after. I am looking forward to his other works.

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Good acting but I found the drama too draggy and boring.

Ripe Town is a historical crime investigation of the Ming Dynasty, where the apprentice Qu San Geng, Judge Song Chen, and Gao Shi Cong tried to find out who murdered San Geng's master, Captain Leng.

The first 5 episodes were interesting, and the acting was good, but it got draggy and boring. I have watched 7 episodes but could not find myself to continue. After I listened to the review from the AvenueX YouTuber, she did not give it a high rating. I am dropping this drama and giving it a 6.0 rating because the plot is not interesting, and the scriptwriters and director did not make the drama engaging.

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