Tuesday, March 26, 2024
Year : 2, Issue : 13
Entertainment Desk: A Netflix adaptation of a Chinese science-fiction classic “The Three-Body Problem” found a large audience in China on the first day of its release despite the streaming service not being available there, and prompted immediate debate on social media.
The Netflix series “3 Body Problem” is an adaptation of the first novel in a trilogy by Chinese author Liu Cixin, and made for the screen by the creators of “Games of Thrones”.
Liu’s novel has sold millions of copies since it was published in Chinese in 2008 and counts former US President Barack Obama among its fans. The English translation was the first novel by an Asian writer to win science fiction’s Hugo Award for best novel.
The new series was trending on Chinese social media platform Weibo on Friday with 21 million views so far and was first on the platform’s “top hot” trend rankings despite Netflix being officially inaccessible in China.
“Jaw dropping” moments for Chinese viewers included an opening scene where a prominent scientist is beaten to death by paramilitary Red Guards, a depiction of recent history that remains controversial in China.
“The first scene made my jaw drop. Even though I had anticipated this, the scene still startled me,” said one Weibo user.
