What the hell did I just watch? Nothing but a 36-minute c-drama.
For those of you so done with China stretching out its series to unbearable lengths for the sake of profit, recent indie production Nothing But A Breakup, or 不过是分手 may be the series for you. It’s only 8 episodes long, and, get this—4 minutes to an episode. After I chanced upon this, I impulsively took a peek—and then binged the whole thing.
But it’s not just catharsis from all the lengthy shows occupying our time that makes it a worthy watch. Without ever feeling too rushed, this brief and fast-paced yet conceptually creative mini-series leaves a lot of food for thought. Starting as quirky yet sentimental “chicken soup for the soul” with the not uncommon element of time travel, what this series ultimately becomes…is pretty freaking scary. The final episode is by far the most polarizing, and I think I know what to think now. I guess this is kind of a “review,” but with more meta and general thoughts than pure critique.
Oh yeah. I would love it if you read ahead, but if you understand Chinese, I would recommend this. (You can watch it on bilibili here.) Especially since it’s so short, there’s no harm in trying, right?
The Moonlit Verdict 