55 x 45 minute episodes available on Iqiyi, Viki, Amazon Prime and youtube.
When a single-minded Jǐnyīwèi guard gets accidentally embroiled with an extremely talented female constable... It just opens up from there into far larger conspiracies, complex family histories and court issues involving an Emperor who'd rather be right than hear the truth. The other characters also get their own storylines which develop, intertwine and collide along the way. I love the 'B' couple in this although I wish Yang Yue (Lu Hong) could catch a break.
Tonally, it hits a lot of notes. This is a difficult and treacherous world but there are overriding themes of friendship, trust, loyalty and found family as well. Also, comedic moments that blend in better than you'd expect.
It stars Seven Tan, Allen Ren and Han Dong plus a bunch of actors in supporting roles you probably know from elsewhere.
I think Seven Tan and Allen Ren are bloody marvellous in anything they're in. Han Dong who usually plays sympathetic, well-meaning or at least 'someone with a bit of a mysterious plan' characters plays a full-on villain in this to the degree where I found myself hissing at the screen in a way I haven't indulged in since attending Christmas pantos in England as a kid. I mean, "LOOK OUT! HE'S BEHIND YOU!" would have been very useful here. According to an in-house witness, I was also muttering "kill him already!" at the screen a lot. He's that type of villain where part of his scariness is embedded in how very calm and reasonable he always seems while doing despicable things or ordering them done.
WARNINGS: Erm... lots of violence, some of it towards women but mostly spread around pretty evenly? I did mention Yang Yue gets rather an unfair share of it, right? Right! There's one ugly thing involving a child but it's not represented on screen. Despite this (because of this?) the main women characters in this series have a lot of agency and are exercising it to its fullest. If you're one of those people that torture scenes really get to then you're going to have to look away a few times, just saying.
It's full of complex relationships and is a handful of mysteries within a bigger mystery wrapped in a veneer of fandom tropes... De-aging, anyone?
6 minute trailer with spoilery bits... only this is six minutes of 55 episodes so not really? It does give a really good flavour of the show.
锦衣之下 | Under the Power (2019)
55 x 45 minute episodes available on Iqiyi, Viki, Amazon Prime and youtube.
When a single-minded Jǐnyīwèi guard gets accidentally embroiled with an extremely talented female constable... It just opens up from there into far larger conspiracies, complex family histories and court issues involving an Emperor who'd rather be right than hear the truth. The other characters also get their own storylines which develop, intertwine and collide along the way. I love the 'B' couple in this although I wish Yang Yue (Lu Hong) could catch a break.
Tonally, it hits a lot of notes. This is a difficult and treacherous world but there are overriding themes of friendship, trust, loyalty and found family as well. Also, comedic moments that blend in better than you'd expect.
It stars Seven Tan, Allen Ren and Han Dong plus a bunch of actors in supporting roles you probably know from elsewhere.
I think Seven Tan and Allen Ren are bloody marvellous in anything they're in. Han Dong who usually plays sympathetic, well-meaning or at least 'someone with a bit of a mysterious plan' characters plays a full-on villain in this to the degree where I found myself hissing at the screen in a way I haven't indulged in since attending Christmas pantos in England as a kid. I mean, "LOOK OUT! HE'S BEHIND YOU!" would have been very useful here. According to an in-house witness, I was also muttering "kill him already!" at the screen a lot. He's that type of villain where part of his scariness is embedded in how very calm and reasonable he always seems while doing despicable things or ordering them done.
WARNINGS: Erm... lots of violence, some of it towards women but mostly spread around pretty evenly? I did mention Yang Yue gets rather an unfair share of it, right? Right! There's one ugly thing involving a child but it's not represented on screen. Despite this (because of this?) the main women characters in this series have a lot of agency and are exercising it to its fullest. If you're one of those people that torture scenes really get to then you're going to have to look away a few times, just saying.
It's full of complex relationships and is a handful of mysteries within a bigger mystery wrapped in a veneer of fandom tropes... De-aging, anyone?
6 minute trailer with spoilery bits... only this is six minutes of 55 episodes so not really? It does give a really good flavour of the show.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/0GdFMo1PZmM
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