Three Garridebs
@3garridebs.bsky.social
Here to talk about what I like, which (among other things) is mysteries. Previously『金田一少年の事件簿』 (Young Kindaichi's Case Files, manga). Currently《成化十四年》(Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty, cdrama not novel). SPOILERS.
Occasional Japanese & Chinese.
Occasional Japanese & Chinese.
Sadly, this also marked the high point of the show. From here on out, right when the story should start tightening, it begins to unravel. All the emotional moments could not make up for a bloated plot, sloppily resolved or dropped threads, & poor pacing.😔
May 18, 2025 at 7:33 AM
Sadly, this also marked the high point of the show. From here on out, right when the story should start tightening, it begins to unravel. All the emotional moments could not make up for a bloated plot, sloppily resolved or dropped threads, & poor pacing.😔
Could ep.28 be my favorite in the whole show for this sequence alone?? No wonder they put this in the trailer.😅 丁容's decision, the chain rescue (汪植➡️唐泛, 隋州➡️汪植, 賈逵➡️隋州), 崔媽媽 being like, "My hairstick is a dagger you peon"... (Man this set-up for her moment in the last arc was not followed thru enough.)
May 18, 2025 at 7:33 AM
Could ep.28 be my favorite in the whole show for this sequence alone?? No wonder they put this in the trailer.😅 丁容's decision, the chain rescue (汪植➡️唐泛, 隋州➡️汪植, 賈逵➡️隋州), 崔媽媽 being like, "My hairstick is a dagger you peon"... (Man this set-up for her moment in the last arc was not followed thru enough.)
Ep.28 was also when I understood why there were fanvids on bilibili shipping 2 eunuchs lmfao. Yet another apology to 丁容 who I can't draw for shit. 汪植 & 賈逵's silent communication kicked ass (汪: isn't it time to shoot these m- 賈: no), I wanted the whole rest of the show to focus on the 西廠 side.
May 18, 2025 at 7:33 AM
Ep.28 was also when I understood why there were fanvids on bilibili shipping 2 eunuchs lmfao. Yet another apology to 丁容 who I can't draw for shit. 汪植 & 賈逵's silent communication kicked ass (汪: isn't it time to shoot these m- 賈: no), I wanted the whole rest of the show to focus on the 西廠 side.
Help I cannot stop making fun of 隋州's actor I'm sorry. But it's frustrating b/c 賈逵, who has far fewer lines & scenes than 隋州, still pulls off the stoic type better. (賈逵 is 隋州's foil on team 汪植 btw. I wish he had more scenes!)
Also the 汪督公汪大人 line... 你們稱他一聲汪公公會死嗎?
Also the 汪督公汪大人 line... 你們稱他一聲汪公公會死嗎?
May 18, 2025 at 7:33 AM
Help I cannot stop making fun of 隋州's actor I'm sorry. But it's frustrating b/c 賈逵, who has far fewer lines & scenes than 隋州, still pulls off the stoic type better. (賈逵 is 隋州's foil on team 汪植 btw. I wish he had more scenes!)
Also the 汪督公汪大人 line... 你們稱他一聲汪公公會死嗎?
Also the 汪督公汪大人 line... 你們稱他一聲汪公公會死嗎?
Can't emphasize enough how important it is to show vulnerability for a character to feel like flesh-&-blood. This doesn't mean having them cry all day but it does mean allowing them to experience the full spectrum of human emotion. A character who only shows 1 side is someone we keep at a distance.
May 17, 2025 at 2:42 PM
Can't emphasize enough how important it is to show vulnerability for a character to feel like flesh-&-blood. This doesn't mean having them cry all day but it does mean allowing them to experience the full spectrum of human emotion. A character who only shows 1 side is someone we keep at a distance.
Finally, 汪植 having a mild panic attack after the emperor's threat made him feel so human. Loved the detail of him trying to do this in private but then 丁滿 "random" encounter forced him to shove it all inside.🥺 I wanted to kick 丁滿's ass lmao. Alas I didn't like how the 丁滿 plotline resolved.
May 17, 2025 at 2:42 PM
Finally, 汪植 having a mild panic attack after the emperor's threat made him feel so human. Loved the detail of him trying to do this in private but then 丁滿 "random" encounter forced him to shove it all inside.🥺 I wanted to kick 丁滿's ass lmao. Alas I didn't like how the 丁滿 plotline resolved.
I enjoyed the confrontation w/ 李子龍 (despite rather childish dialogue) b/c of the continuity from 唐泛's meeting w/ him. This sequence further entrenches 汪植 as the 2nd MC & 唐泛's foil. The story makes far more sense when seen this way, rather than being stuck on 唐 as sole protagonist ala the novel.
May 17, 2025 at 2:42 PM
I enjoyed the confrontation w/ 李子龍 (despite rather childish dialogue) b/c of the continuity from 唐泛's meeting w/ him. This sequence further entrenches 汪植 as the 2nd MC & 唐泛's foil. The story makes far more sense when seen this way, rather than being stuck on 唐 as sole protagonist ala the novel.
Ep.26 also includes 汪植's chat w/ 李子龍 & the introduction of the bomb. The 1st time I watched it, I thought it was a chemical weapon 😆. This was the moment when 丁容 transformed into Bunter from Sayers' Lord Peter series, who "out-Jeeved Jeeves." ❤️ the occasional allusions to detective fiction.
May 17, 2025 at 2:42 PM
Ep.26 also includes 汪植's chat w/ 李子龍 & the introduction of the bomb. The 1st time I watched it, I thought it was a chemical weapon 😆. This was the moment when 丁容 transformed into Bunter from Sayers' Lord Peter series, who "out-Jeeved Jeeves." ❤️ the occasional allusions to detective fiction.
To conclude, the mystery itself was a little unmemorable; felt like a lot of waiting around for bad guys to slip up. I also think famine is too serious a topic for such a lighthearted work; dinner scene was fun, but having your hero heartily chow down in the aftermath of ppl starving is...a choice.😅
May 11, 2025 at 2:59 PM
To conclude, the mystery itself was a little unmemorable; felt like a lot of waiting around for bad guys to slip up. I also think famine is too serious a topic for such a lighthearted work; dinner scene was fun, but having your hero heartily chow down in the aftermath of ppl starving is...a choice.😅
#spoiler Anyway, their amusing banter over dinner is reminder 564095 of why 汪直 is a welcome character in the book: he makes 唐泛 feel like a human being. Also, we discover 汪直 doesn't like sweets, in the author's ongoing crusade to overcompensate for him being a eunuch. He is MAN, you understand? MAN!!
May 11, 2025 at 2:59 PM
#spoiler Anyway, their amusing banter over dinner is reminder 564095 of why 汪直 is a welcome character in the book: he makes 唐泛 feel like a human being. Also, we discover 汪直 doesn't like sweets, in the author's ongoing crusade to overcompensate for him being a eunuch. He is MAN, you understand? MAN!!
#spoiler Then, in the segue to the next arc, he & 唐泛 have dinner to catch up, wherein we hear about all kinds of fun politics that happened offscreen 🙄 I for one would like to see this unfold rather than have it narrated to me. If it's not possible, just cut it out & focus on mysteries.
May 11, 2025 at 2:59 PM
#spoiler Then, in the segue to the next arc, he & 唐泛 have dinner to catch up, wherein we hear about all kinds of fun politics that happened offscreen 🙄 I for one would like to see this unfold rather than have it narrated to me. If it's not possible, just cut it out & focus on mysteries.
#spoiler The highlight of the arc was 汪直, who really is the highlight of the whole novel. Even his apps in the author's notes are funny. In short, he sweeps in on horseback, stops an attack w/ a flick of his jade thumb ring, then reads an imperial decree from on high. I'm here for it.
May 11, 2025 at 2:59 PM
#spoiler The highlight of the arc was 汪直, who really is the highlight of the whole novel. Even his apps in the author's notes are funny. In short, he sweeps in on horseback, stops an attack w/ a flick of his jade thumb ring, then reads an imperial decree from on high. I'm here for it.
#spoiler Also 隋州's "role" here...boy this character is sad. His whole personality is that he wants to bang 唐泛. He was here to wash the guy's feet & save him from some assassins.😭 I had thought he was underdeveloped in the show, now I see that they didn't have much to work with.
May 11, 2025 at 2:59 PM
#spoiler Also 隋州's "role" here...boy this character is sad. His whole personality is that he wants to bang 唐泛. He was here to wash the guy's feet & save him from some assassins.😭 I had thought he was underdeveloped in the show, now I see that they didn't have much to work with.
#spoiler Halfway through, the author even made 陸靈溪 go all the way to the capitol w/ a message for 汪直 (or 懷恩, author insisted on adding so we don't forget who to blame for 陸 lmao), then had him get sent back by 汪直. I--just make 汪直 responsible for 陸 from the get-go ffs!
May 11, 2025 at 2:59 PM
#spoiler Halfway through, the author even made 陸靈溪 go all the way to the capitol w/ a message for 汪直 (or 懷恩, author insisted on adding so we don't forget who to blame for 陸 lmao), then had him get sent back by 汪直. I--just make 汪直 responsible for 陸 from the get-go ffs!
#spoiler I like 懷恩 the historical figure so it's nice that she put him in, but since he's obviously NOT important, I don't see why he was mentioned. The fact that 汪直 has a (hugely epic) cameo at the end makes 懷恩's involvement even more pointless.
May 11, 2025 at 2:59 PM
#spoiler I like 懷恩 the historical figure so it's nice that she put him in, but since he's obviously NOT important, I don't see why he was mentioned. The fact that 汪直 has a (hugely epic) cameo at the end makes 懷恩's involvement even more pointless.
#spoiler Yes, they do have brief roles here, but 隋州 appearing in a Beard Disguise ala 汪直 in the Tang Family Drama arc seems an unnecessarily roundabout way of getting him involved. Instead of 陸靈溪 being sent by 懷恩, you could just have 汪直 & 隋州 pulling strings to have the latter join 唐泛 from the start.
May 11, 2025 at 2:59 PM
#spoiler Yes, they do have brief roles here, but 隋州 appearing in a Beard Disguise ala 汪直 in the Tang Family Drama arc seems an unnecessarily roundabout way of getting him involved. Instead of 陸靈溪 being sent by 懷恩, you could just have 汪直 & 隋州 pulling strings to have the latter join 唐泛 from the start.
#spoiler 100 chapters in & you introduce a "love rival" that is no threat whatsoever? WHY?? Can't we just have more time w/ the existing characters?! Why can't the situation be written so that 隋州 & 汪直 have more scenes? I don't even care about 隋州 & I still think he should show up more!
May 11, 2025 at 2:59 PM
#spoiler 100 chapters in & you introduce a "love rival" that is no threat whatsoever? WHY?? Can't we just have more time w/ the existing characters?! Why can't the situation be written so that 隋州 & 汪直 have more scenes? I don't even care about 隋州 & I still think he should show up more!
#spoiler The 吳江 famine arc (ch.110-121) has a solid premise w/ an easy moral victory. No need to waste time feeling sympathy for the bad guys, simply bask in the light of justice as they are schooled by our heroes. Sadly the arc was ruined by 陸靈溪, an annoying, clingy little brat I wanted to kick.
May 11, 2025 at 2:59 PM
#spoiler The 吳江 famine arc (ch.110-121) has a solid premise w/ an easy moral victory. No need to waste time feeling sympathy for the bad guys, simply bask in the light of justice as they are schooled by our heroes. Sadly the arc was ruined by 陸靈溪, an annoying, clingy little brat I wanted to kick.
(I have nothing against magic, btw, & read fantasy all the time, but it needs to be REALLY well done for me to accept in mysteries. I thought we were going to get a cool trick, not magical nighttime sandstorm hiding dudes standing in an 8-point formation. 真是哭笑不得)
May 11, 2025 at 7:21 AM
(I have nothing against magic, btw, & read fantasy all the time, but it needs to be REALLY well done for me to accept in mysteries. I thought we were going to get a cool trick, not magical nighttime sandstorm hiding dudes standing in an 8-point formation. 真是哭笑不得)
I badly wanted the novel to scratch this itch but most of the politics happen offscreen & 汪直's machinations never work unless he's helping 唐泛 b/c 唐泛 is the only ally worth having.😭 Later on literal magic happens in the prelude to a historical battle. I-- Disappointment all around.
May 11, 2025 at 7:21 AM
I badly wanted the novel to scratch this itch but most of the politics happen offscreen & 汪直's machinations never work unless he's helping 唐泛 b/c 唐泛 is the only ally worth having.😭 Later on literal magic happens in the prelude to a historical battle. I-- Disappointment all around.
This scene makes me laugh in retrospect b/c it led NOWHERE. I thought we were going to get more corruption cases ➡️ political purges, & 汪植 putting in allies while working w/ 隋唐. Instead we got...uh. (Listen, if 2 of your 3 MCs can't fight, the climatic confrontation shouldn't be a big battle.)
May 11, 2025 at 7:21 AM
This scene makes me laugh in retrospect b/c it led NOWHERE. I thought we were going to get more corruption cases ➡️ political purges, & 汪植 putting in allies while working w/ 隋唐. Instead we got...uh. (Listen, if 2 of your 3 MCs can't fight, the climatic confrontation shouldn't be a big battle.)
Reference screenshot. It's dawned on me that giving up on the background meant I didn't draw the light from the window & now all the shading on his clothes makes no sense.😶🌫️
May 11, 2025 at 7:21 AM
Reference screenshot. It's dawned on me that giving up on the background meant I didn't draw the light from the window & now all the shading on his clothes makes no sense.😶🌫️