This review may contain spoilers
Not too scary, political, but more than that, a love story.
Let's start with answering the question, "Can I watch these without watching the movie and playing the game?" - Definitely yes! It can stand on its own because the series had interspersed it with flashbacks (flashbacks that are part of the narrative which for me will not bore you to death).What I don't like:
1. I started watching this one with the idea that I will be scared... I came out unscathed. But scary-ness is definitely based on individual's scaredy-cat (lol) level. So it might be different from your viewing experience.
2. Supporting characters acting is sometimes off.
3. The political theme made me read on Taiwan's White Terror. I did feel the need to know why they (the characters, specially the villains) acts that way.
What I like:
1. The series did not only focuses on the horror and political theme they touched on. It explored the main characters' struggle and showed how they triumph (and their reward/punishment) for the choices they had made. It is not often to see in horror series those elements.
2. I like the very intelligent use of flashback in this one.
3. This series made me buy and play (in chapter 2 right now) the game.
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Ghosts of the past
I'd just like to preface this by saying that this isn't really a horror drama, it's more gothic, so you may end up disappointed if you're expecting to be scared while watching this drama.Detention, an adaptation of the game by the same name (you don't need to play it before watching), isn't about scaring the pants off of you, but is more about topics of guilt and trauma. Mainly, how those feelings from the White Terror period in Taiwan still haunts people, with some clinging to that past, while others feel trapped by it (the living and the dead alike). A spotlight is shone on these things by following the main character Liu Yun Xiang and witnessing her own pain and struggles in the present, as it's through her feeling of connection to the ghost of Fang Rui Xin that we learn more about both girls and their past.
There are ghosts in the drama, but they aren't scary at all (though this depends on how good/bad you are with horror imagery in general), and they function more like "the ghosts of our past/our country's past" and the need to face that past and break free. Really, it's people in places of power that are scarier than the ghosts in this drama.
I thought the story was good and the main characters well acted. There are moments I wished I felt more of a connection between Yun Xiang and some of the other side characters in her life, but I think that's just how the story chose to go (probably to drive her to seek company with Rui Xin) and not so much an oversight due to poor writing... so it's just a personal preference.
Even though the topics in the drama can be serious, I liked that the drama still had small moments of joy/hope - it's not setting out to depress you at every turn, but more intends for you to witness, acknowledge, and then carry the information it gives you forward to make a better future, if that makes sense.
It was an interesting watch, and had me looking up more about Taiwan's history, but I can't say it's a drama I'll be sitting down to rewatch often. Still, I'm glad I watched it.
TW for this drama: suicide, grooming, sexual assault.
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If this is Detention, give me one every day
If you want to feel legit goose bumps from suspense and get some adrenaline in you with real f**ked up spooky sh*t, look no further. Detention can give you all of this and more with what they offer. A scary, suspenseful drama that doesn't necessary lack in any department whatsoever. Story? It definitely has a perfect one. Acting? Near perfection. Cast? Surprisingly amazing. OST? Very nice. Even the unique style of cameras was nice to watch, although tiresome after a while.The only reason I haven't given it an overall 10. Oh, it's not because of re-watch value. I tend to rate this quite lowly compared to other people. Anyways, why give an overall 9 instead of a 10? There were just a few minor things I didn't like that were fixated in my brain. Things like pacing, directing, some special effects, or how extras were used. Some of these were too noticeable that it made me lose my immersion in this otherwise perfect drama.
However, all in all, Detention is a highly recommended drama.
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Psychological drama with supernatural elements.
Judging by the poster, I expected horror. Checking the genres, I expected a suspense thriller. At the end - I did not get any of these. It's a well crafted and written psychological drama that uses the supernatural elements to tell the stories of two young girls, and how they confront their past and the mistakes that they made.Detention serves as a commentary on youth's problems and how they and adults perceive and deal with them. We follow two different stories, set in different time periods, yet resembling each other a lot. Liu Yun Xiang and Fang Rui Xin try to work around the restrictive and outdated school system and the twisted mentality of the adults running it. Both girls had to face family and relationship problems that led them to take, at times really drastic measures.
I loved some characters (the list was really short though), and hated many. Not everyone got what they deserve. There are some triggering themes included in the show, so I would advise checking the tags before watching it. That said, they were presented in a quite realistic manner, showing them as something serious and not easy to deal with.
The production value seemed high. The show is shot in an interesting and aesthetically pleasing way. Some camera work choices perfectly complemented the writing and the plot points happening on the screen. I honestly do not remember any song or instrumental used in the series, but I am confident they were all fitting (would most likely remember if they weren't - one always remembers what they dislike).
The acting was believable and the delivery was ranging from good to great. I only had a problem with Wen Liang's dad. The acting was just quite robotic and not on par with the rest of the cast.
Overall, if someone looks for a horror or a thriller with fast paced plot and a lot of suspense - this ain't that. If someone wants to see an emotionally driven story with romantic elements, that comments on overwhelming pressure that is put on the female leads, family drama and struggling in a constricting environment, with some nicely done horror/supernatural elements (mostly in first and last episodes), then this is for you.
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I looked for copper, I found gold
Disclaimer: I never played Detention game, which this series is an adaptation/sequel of and to.At its heart, it's a drama/tragedy/romance. If you are expecting a spooky horror, it's not it. The scary moments are very few, and quite amateurish. But where the true horror lies is in exposing what assholes humans can be to each other.
The story follows two timelines.
First is the one in 1960's, where the action of the game takes place. There some students and teachers organize an illegal book club, and get violently persecuted in return.
The second timeline, where we're gonna spend most of the series, is in 1990's, and follows a schizophrenic transfer student who hopes that writing poetry will bring her broken family back together. Over the course of that, she gets possessed by a ghost from the past, and enters a risque romance with her teacher.
Both timelines are intervened with flashbacks and parallels.
This is not a particularly light or optimistic story. It's a romance, but a toxic and tragic one, not what most people associate with that genre.
The direction, scenography, and actors did their job well. This is especially true for Huang Guan Zhi, who did a great job of playing an awkward but well-meaning teen. Considering that this show was his debut, I think this actor has great talent.
Shoutout to the ending song too, it was one of the rare moments when I didn't skip credits just so I could listen to it.
Note: Netflix version of the show is using wade-giles instead of pinyn for eng sub transcription of Chinese names. For what reason, I dunno, but it made watching it a bit confusing.
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Was too dragged out
I played the game "Detention", the tv show was absolutely nowhere near scary and the interesting parts were only at the start and the last 2 episodes. Everything else felt SO dragged out with constant time loops mixed with confusion. My main emotion was "What the hell is going on now?"I got annoyed by main girl staying quiet almost the whole show, NEVER stood up for herself and waits for her ghost friend to help her out. Her whole personality is literally an "empty shell". I would have liked to see romance develop between her and classmate yet we got bullshit forbidden crush story. The owner son is such a creep and it makes you wonder why the hell does main girl even like him? They make her have a crush on him in order to show us how "history repeats" but that isn't even close cause the actual guy from 30 years ago was a good guy not small ego creep.
The "villain" girl was more interesting and complex than the main girl ever will be, she was the saving grace of this show. The whole story could have been done in 4 episodes.
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Very Interesting
This was a great supernatural/suspense thriller series. The script did a very good job keeping guessing what was going on. The cast was great and did an excellent job with their characters. I also like how some of the characters are not all that they seem. The music was place very well to help create the right mood of the scenes. The cinematography was done very strategically towards the end. It really helped the progression of the story and understanding the changes between events/characters.Random Note:
Although I’ve only seen a few, this was the first Non-BL series from Taiwan that I enjoyed watching.
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Top notch political commentary
It's really hard to rate this.As a drama, it drags a bit and sometimes the story is a little stilted and messy, and the teacher-student romance is uncomfortable but overall it's still decent.
As a piece of political commentary, however, it's fantastic. I think where this drama really shines is in how it weaves together the supernatural into that political commentary. And this is really the lens through which you should watch the drama. The romance itself is not the focus. Rather, the romance is simply an outcome of actions taken by characters who start to feel like pawns trapped in the heaviness of their cultural backdrop. Even the characters do not really feel like full characters, but rather like outcomes of the country's politics.
I felt like I'd never watched a show that was so intelligent and nuanced about its political statements (and I felt this about the movie as well, which I enjoyed less). It's simultaneously very explicit yet a lot of things are unsaid — and it manages to make a really powerful statement. I genuinely think that this is a drama you should watch only AFTER you do some reading on Taiwan's period of White Terror because it will make the characters' motivations make so much more sense.
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This review may contain spoilers
A great show!
I picked this show to give my eyes some rest from much loved but sometimes getting too much of Chinese costume dramas and explore a little more on Taiwan. I am not the fan of the genre. I don't play games and hadn't been aware of this one before I got to read the reviews. I am highly cautious about anything that is not xianxia or wusia genre. With all these mentioned this is an amazing show, a fantastic cultural experience on that period of Taiwanese history mixed with local lore. The atmosphere and coloristics is so special that it is hard to believe the show was made in 2020. Only 8 episodes short, it introduces into the world so gently and firmly, that I could clearly feel what the characters felt. The love vibe is very strong. My only complaint is the unfolding romance between a school student and her teacher, who is actually her psychologist. In my world this is a severe violation of professional ethics, but it doesn't seem to be an issue with the authors. And yes, I went to google The White Terror while watching the show.Was this review helpful to you?
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Disgusted and Horrified
It's not easy for me to drop a show. I hate dropping things but I honestly can NOT complete this show. If I do, I'd have to be medicated to get through it.This show looks scary, has the allure of a good story but honestly, 5 episodes in and I still don't even know the actual storyline. It feels like the story is "we're just going with it."
The first few episodes were hard to get into especially with the constant overlap of timelines which in all honesty was just annoying.... and pretty much gave away whatever happened next. So there is no mystery. But still it is one of those that you keep watching in hopes that you are wrong. Go with your gut. You're not wrong.
**Please not the following may have spoilers and also I will be talking about the assault that happened in the show**
I was already disgusted when the new teacher came on scene and was clearly grooming the MC, why I kept watching, I have no idea. Maybe in hopes the male lead or someone would put a stop to it? Of course it didn't just stop there, no. No the guy had to sexually assault her and then had the balls to smile in her face and force her to take pictures with him the next time they saw each other all because of that stupid ass poetry shit. WHICH SHE STATED OVER AND OVER SHE WANTED TO QUIT!!!!
I wanted to stop on episode 4 as soon as that happened but like a idiot, I kept watching in hopes that justice would be served. I mean come on.... something. Anything. But no. We get to episode 5 where there is the school board calling it a "misunderstanding" and blaming her mental illness saying she could have imagined it. (Are you fucking kidding me?!) Oh and him taking her to some place to be alone where he proceeds to grab her hands and pull that bullshit "can we please pretend this never happened?!" LIKE NO, YOU GROSS FUCK!!!
I just can't with this show. Everything about it is disgusting. The only horror here is grooming, assault, and victim blaming. There is no mystery, not when every scene shows a "flashback" of the ghost going through the same thing so you know what's about to happen. There's no justice, not when daddy is a higher up and can cover for your rapist ass.
Soooo yeahhhhh.... No. I won't be finishing this.
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