An excellent drama

Ripe Town is a thoroughly watchable, neo-noir-style mystery thriller set in a prosperous rural area during the late Ming dynasty. The drama follows the investigation, by multiple official and semi-official actors, into what appears to be a ritualized serial killing spree. As the mystery plotline unfolds, so do multiple intricate backstories filled with bad behavior, conspiracy, outrageous social inequalities, and additional unsolved murders. We follow the action through a group of young sleuths (constables and their friends) connected to one of the murder victims, but other interesting characters (a brilliant but traumatized judge, prostitutes, local mobsters, well-to-do businessfolks with questionable backgrounds, and a seemingly inept magistrate) play critical roles in the action. The acting is excellent all around, and the mystery plotline is exceptionally logical, unfolds at a good pace, and is unveiled gradually so that the ultimate resolution is both eminently plausible and yet still a surprise.

It's impossible to review this drama without commenting on its superior production value, which greatly exceeds that I've seen in any comparable piece (and even that of larger-scope historical dramas). The sound, visuals, cinematography, and editing are all top-tier. It's also worth noting that this drama has a very unusual tone for a Chinese historical piece. It's very sober and ultimately quite bleak, but not oppressively so (there's a surprising amount of fairly dark but genuinely amusing humor, as well).

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A sleeper surprise and a very worthwhile watch

I started watching Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty with no expectations at all, and this drama continually surprised me with its excellent acting, high quality worldbuilding, and creative plot that never grew stale.

For starters, it's worth noting that this is neither a "traditional" historical mystery nor a fantasy series: instead, it falls within a niche genre blend of wuxia and gong'an, perhaps most commonly associated with Judge Dee films. In this drama, the action is grounded in a real historical milieu but with a "high wuxia"/"low fantasy" twist, in which cultivation and illusionary magic allow individuals to defy the laws of physics and take on superhuman powers, ranging from elite fighting skills to shapeshifting and manipulating remote objects.

This genre sets up multiple potential challenges for the drama, yet it succeeds on all levels. First, each mystery solved by the protagonists is well-developed, tightly plotted, and consistently paced: it begins with a heinous act, often flavored with a deliciously "creepy" vibe, and then our leads piece together the evidence. The cases always resolve logically and our leads' investigative techniques are never implausible for the genre: they aren't using 21st-century methods set in the Tang dynasty, but rather a mix intuitive methods available to real officials from the time, techniques from the Judge Dee novels, or (in the case of our younger lead Lu Lingfeng and the resident doctor/raconteur Chicken Fed) their own wuxia-genre skills from fighting to herbal healing. And each individual mystery brings its own rich cast of supporting characters, each bringing their own quirks and pathos to the table.

As for the acting, it's outstanding. The lead character of Su Wuming - shrewd, quirky, and somehow both innately curious and danger-averse - comes to life thanks to the acting of Yang Zhigang. Whether he's cracking a case, wrangling his way out of high-stakes interactions with the powerful, awkwardly kindling a romance, or protecting the legacy of his beloved mentor Di Renjie, his emotions come across as real and believable, and he's a delight to watch. His counterpart, Lu Lingfeng, is ably portrayed by Yang Xuwen and undergoes a highly believable transformation as the drama progresses, maturing from an imperious young soldier with a lot of raw potential into a savvier, more empathetic, and less self-conscious man of action. The early stiffness and arrogance of this character won't please all viewers, but as his character developed more fully, his initial deportment seemed all the more believable to me, particularly when his origins and the reasons for his at-times self-righteous approach are revealed. And to my view, the main supporting characters were well-portrayed, with Pei Xijun evolving from a lovesick young woman into an essential part of the team, Chicken Fed adding well-timed humor and his own contributions to the mix, and the youthful Xue Huan helping to humanize Lu Lingfeng.

It's also worth noting the high quality of the drama's production. The sets are vibrant, colorful, and pay close attention to detail, effectively recreating a Tang dynasty setting with period-appropriate fashion and accoutrements. The CGI is handled with surprising care and quality, avoiding garish displays of poor computerized animations; while it's perhaps not exceptional, it certainly doesn't detract from the drama's quality.

The historical accuracy of the worldbuilding is also quite impressive, easily exceeding that of many more "traditional" historical dramas. During our leads' visit to the south, for instance, they encounter the phenomenon of recreational tea-drinking among rural scholars (which indeed bloomed from this region during this time period); and while in Chang'an and Luoyang, they are drawn into the struggle for power at court between the Emperor (historically Ruizong), his sister (historically Princess Taiping), and his son (historically Li Longji, the future Emperor Xuanzong). And wherever they go, they encounter realistic challenges inherent to Tang society: the highly stratified nature of the government in which several elite families lorded it over the rest, frustrations with the examination system for selecting government officials, and the various deeds and misdeeds of the low-level officials sent to manage far-flung areas of the empire.

Ultimately, the drama fuses all these elements together into a coherent, engaging, and very enjoyable watch. It's one of the highest-quality period dramas of the year, in my opinion.

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