The Record of Strange Things (2022)

A mystery suspense story that has more twists than an ice cream twist

How good is the script in this drama? It is so good, even though the production quality is poor (and quite cheesy), even though the part-time actors could not hold up the acting (especially towards the end), this drama still gets a 8.1 at China's book and film rating site- Douban. And if I am to rate this drama on the story and script, and just on this aspect, I would rate it 15/10. Unfortunately we have to consider the other aspects of acting and production quality hence this is a 9/10 for me.

Unlike j and kdramas, cdramas seldom have a good and tight script. It does better at slice-of-life than in mystery suspense. Especially when there are battle of wits, it would usually lower the intelligence of the bad guys so it can show off how clever the leads are. And if there are plot twists, it only happens at the end of the drama, and usually just 1 or 2 plot twists. A few examples are Joy of Life, The Bad Kids, The Long Night. And these dramas, we would praise them for the scriptwriting, how well-written, how sincere is the production, etc.

The Record of Strange Things just blew all these out of the water. It show there are scriptwriters who can really put in the efforts to write a coherent, fast pace and intelligent script. A story where the leads and all characters have above average intelligence. No one has their intelligence watered down just so the story can reach a conclusion. And the battle of wits, especially in the 20+ eps are soooo goooood. Plot twists? There are so many in this drama I lost count! I remember at least 5 times that the story has fooled me! There was this ep, after I watched it, I decided to stop for that day, and post a comment online that it is understandable why the gang had made that mistake, that it is within normal human thinking not to check for that item..... Then I watched the next ep on the next day, and realized it was a trap setup by the gang. They haven't made a mistake at all..... Please note that I have said earlier, that the main cast are part-time actors, so it is not their great acting which fooled me, but the way the story was written that made me really believe that was true, I didn't smell a rat at all. And this is how it is, several times throughout, I would be "I think this is sus" but story shows me otherwise, then something else happens and I sus the same character again....

Yet I have been informed, this is still not the production team's best drama. Their best is the 3 seasons of Moral Peanuts, especially the season 3 which has a rating of 9.1 at douban. So yup, I should be starting at Moral Peanuts next.

It is quite sad that such a production team do not get the support it needs from investors. Because towards the end, the drama isn't as exciting, although story is still good and going strong, it felt like something is missing. Partly because of the acting, the actors could not express the urgency and desperation in the last arc. And partly because of poor production, the special efforts and venues that they use are too bare and maybe camera equipment too that made the last part suffered in storytelling. But overall, this would probably be the best drama of the year for me, if not at least 2nd or 3rd best. I highly recommend you check out this, if you don't mind the poorer production quality, the story is really fantastic, especially in the 20+ eps. Such fast pace and clever writing and art direction.

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A detective fan favourite series

Girlfriend died of drowning in a room devoid of water. Few years later, encountered a mysterious key that can unlock doors to anywhere one wishes, and perhaps the answer to the unresolved case from the past. That's where our story, the Record of Strange Things begins.

Depending on the type of audience you are, this setup may or may not sound interesting. As a Chinese drama fan, RoST is a unique category of its own where users in modern world can leverage on supernatural objects. Thus, it's worth exploring just based on this point.

As an old school detective fans, this is the basic setup of every other detective teams' new adventure to a strange world. Indeed, the plot structure is nothing original. After the necessary introduction of our main characters, the remaining episodes are structured into a few arcs with the same formula. Each arc is centered on a strange object and key characters relating to this case. While the arcs can be watched as standalone case on its own, they are related. Resolution of each arc gets our characters closer to the climax and finale of this RoST season.

Sounds troupe-y and Conan-ish? Yes, but old school detective fan favourite would buy this setup for RoST is a detective story done right. RoST has lovely characters, fascinating twist and turns of story arcs as well as consistent, tight logic of overarching plot.

One, we have the coming together of these unlikely quartet that's lovable.

At the beginning, they are forced to work together by circumstances and coincidences. They continue to work together because they have strengths that complement each other which make 1 plus 3 more than 4. What's great about this quartet is we truly see a believable friendship journey. From the start of distrust to enjoying each other's company to being a formidable team, we can feel each stage of progression and dynamics between them that's playful and enjoyable to watch. It makes us like them, as characters, and as 1 team.

Beyond these 4 main characters, the supporting characters and / or villains (it's a matter of perspectives) have their own motivations, personalities and brains.

No actions, inconsistent with characters' respective motivations.
No moments of unnecessary fillers.
No surprises, convoluted to the point that they do not make sense.
No opponents who are dumbed down to make our main characters "shine in comparison."

Special mention to Zhi Wei, a high ranked officer from the opposing organisation. Yes, he is that annoying villain-ish fella that somehow grows on the audience, unsuspectingly. Think of him as RoST version of Loki. Beyond Zhi Wei, RoST has smart opponents who do things that make sense and actually pose real challenge to our main characters - how lovely.

Two, we have intriguing story arcs that will keep audiences locked on the screen to find out what's happening next. The beginning is a little slow with the necessary setup and introduction. But once it gets past that, every moment matters. Just when we thought we have the plot figured out, we will be thrown off track with surprises that makes sense when it's revealed - how fascinating.

Three, we have well thought-out logic and consistent story plot through and through. The buildup of each moment is done well. The rules of how each objecr works are watertight and well used by the owners. As such, we are given satisfying face-off between the characters - some arcs more polished than the other, but all passable nonetheless. At the very least, none of them would make us go - "huh, but why would you do that?" What's more, the story is well injected with humor to balance off the tension that comes with a mystery show involving supernatural objects - how wonderful.

With all these coming together, the lackluster production quality and poor acting of some actors in RoST are forgivable. It's a show that was completed in 2016. It's from a production team that was tight on resources.

To sum it up, RoST is a story about the coming together of a group of 4, aided by strange objects that give users superpower. While we aren't sure if we will ever see the light of season 2 and the resolution of some setups, RoST is a love letter to detective fans, made by a production team who has equal love to this genre.

Give it a try and some time - perhaps it might grow on you. At least it didn't have 1000++ episodes like Conan.

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