Here's why this new HBO Asia series is the most lauded Chinese drama right now
Photos: HBO
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rqg6b8cDJZQ
The Chinese Internet is abuzz with talk about HBO Asia's new original Taiwan drama series, The World Between Us. Known as 我們與惡的距離 in Mandarin, the series is a social realist crime drama that follows the aftermath of a mass shooting incident that entangled the lives of the killer, the killer's lawyer, the victims' families, and the media. The World Between Us premiered the first two of its 10 hour-long episodes on 24 March to immediate acclaim. The viewership numbers kept climbing, garnering a record-high average rating of 3.40 when the final episode was aired just recently on 21 April. What's more, the episodes bring many audiences to tears, according to the rave reviews they leave on Douban and IMDb, where the drama boasts a 9.4 and 9.5 out of 10 ratings respectively.
That's no small feat for a Taiwanese and Mandarin drama, and after seeing all 10 episodes ourselves, we definitely agree with the praises that it deserves watching. Here are just five reasons why you should start watching The World Between Us now.
3. The story takes inspiration from real-life murder cases
It’s not only the cast that is stellar; the screenwriter of The World Between Us is one of the most well-known Taiwanese writers today – Lu Shih-Yuan, who penned several award-winning series, as well as the acclaimed Netflix movie Dear Ex. This HBO Asia drama may be one of her most demanding projects, given that the script is based on real murder cases that had taken place in Taiwan. One case reported to be an inspiration behind the drama is the infamous case known as the Little Light Bulb murder in 2016. Two things that followed this horrifying attack drive the motivations of The World Between Us: the court declared the murderer schizophrenic, and so did not impose a death sentence; while the victim’s mother took this decision calmly and was more dedicated to tackling the root problem of such violence, to prevent future acts.
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