While the drama is on hold, I am re-reading the novel. I will have to re-watch released episodes afterwards to see if they seeded the clues to overarching case successfully. But, they are sticking really closely to the novel. Plus, I forgot how adorable these two can be and the actors seem to emulate the novel characters well, Pei Xu (Fei Du) taking care of/dealing with hurt Luo Weizhao (Luo Wenzhou) is perfect example. It was really funny as well. I hope we get continuation in the second half of March or beginning of April.
With Youku updating the subtitles of the released episodes, hopefully they will release the new episodes with professional subtitles from the start. I re-watched the first four episodes and subtitles make all the difference. I am also rereading the novel and, frankly, the changes are superficial. If sci-fi setting and name changes allowed the airing of the drama, more power to them. So far, they are sticking pretty close to the cases from the novel. Also, the cast is spot-on.
The subs are horrible and I've read the book so long ago that I can't remember anything. I'll give it another episode before I decide whether to drop it or not. Too bad, I like naturalistic cinematography and acting seems decent. Plus, these kind of stories are right up my alley. We'll see...
Oh, good, my fears were unfounded. Jiamo and his parents got deserved justice. The Silk Tax was amended and land measured again, with positive results for the people. The culprits were punished according to the times, with rich getting away with only financial penalties (confiscated land etc.). This was such an interesting drama, the theme was unusual and obscure for most of the audience, but it was presented in the interesting and understandable way. The actors were great across the board. And we got two happy couples out of the tax drama. XD
I didn't read the book, so I can only judge the show on its own merits. I liked it a lot, the premise is quite original and compelling. I didn't mind all the science, they explained it well enough to understand the gist of it. The acting was good across the board and you could see every spent coin on the screen. There were some minor pacing issues resulting in several draggy episodes that could and perhaps should have been condensed. Music was great. The "zithering" of ship was spectacular. I hoped for a more optimistic ending, although Shi Qiang locust speech was epic and summed my own thoughts: aliens dismissing human resilience is a flaw in their reasoning. I hoped this would enter my 9 star club (my highest rating to date), but it came a bit short. Still, great drama, especially recommended for sci-fi fans.
I can't believe people are crying over Gu Qinngzhan, the man whose revenge was paved with bodies and who planned civil war at best (everyone fighting for the throne with absent Emperor on the battle front) or complete eradication of capital and everyone in it at the worst. Yes, he was wronged and that was horrible. Doesn't justify a single thing he did. The "imposter" deserved the throne. That wasn't lesser evil but greater good, in my opinion. I am glad Zhang Ping matured enough to make this decision by himself (without anyone yelling at him, lol). He was finally able to see some nuance, instead of just black and white.
That been said, I really enjoyed this drama. The boys were fun all around, from Chen Chou and Zhang Ping to Lan Jue and Mowen. The main villain (Empress Dowager) was villain until the very end. When she said that she never regretted what she did, I wanted to applaud. No rehabilitation for this power hungry monster. The other villain (Shulin) saw the futility and consequences of his actions, revenge brought him nothing except being alone once again. His ending made sense.
Even with episodes clearly heavily edited, the story flowed well. One benefit was that there was no filler involved, but you could tell where some things were missing. Most of these actors were unknown to me (except Lan Jingyi, lol), I liked their work here. The cases were interesting and I appreciated the solving process. This will be an easy rewatch.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed for my string of good dramas to continue. The Blood of Youth, Three-Body, A League of Nobleman and now Under the Microscope were/are all good.
There were a couple draggy episodes, but then it got better again. I have to say, Pan Han's death was deeply satisfying, I despise zealots like him. Shi Qiang is foolishly brave, he truly is the best.
Re-watching the drama while waiting for the new episodes of A League of Gentleman. Still rocks. I even enjoy certain parts more because I know the outcome.
That been said, I really enjoyed this drama. The boys were fun all around, from Chen Chou and Zhang Ping to Lan Jue and Mowen. The main villain (Empress Dowager) was villain until the very end. When she said that she never regretted what she did, I wanted to applaud. No rehabilitation for this power hungry monster. The other villain (Shulin) saw the futility and consequences of his actions, revenge brought him nothing except being alone once again. His ending made sense.
Even with episodes clearly heavily edited, the story flowed well. One benefit was that there was no filler involved, but you could tell where some things were missing. Most of these actors were unknown to me (except Lan Jingyi, lol), I liked their work here. The cases were interesting and I appreciated the solving process. This will be an easy rewatch.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed for my string of good dramas to continue. The Blood of Youth, Three-Body, A League of Nobleman and now Under the Microscope were/are all good.