It’s rare to come across a sci-fi themed Chinese drama so when one does go into production, it definitely wouldn’t go unnoticed, what more with the astounding success of blockbuster movie The Wandering Earth.
HUM∀NS 完美芯机人 or 你好安怡 is a 30-episode Chinese remake of the UK series with the same name, which was also based on the Swedish TV series Real Humans. Gemma Chan who rose to fame last year in Crazy Rich Asians served up a striking introduction to the series back in 2015 as a beautiful, eerily humanlike robot named Anita who was bought off the shelf to assist a new household.
In the Chinese remake of HUM∀NS, Qi Wei plays a synth named Jiang Li who loses her memory after being separated from Li Yao, played by Ma Tianyu. After being repackaged and sold to a human family, she becomes a nanny type synth. She gradually regains her self awareness and has to face many emotional choices.
Ma Tianyu plays Li Yao, a human who grew up with synths and is tasked with a mission to protect them.
Qi Wei plays Jiang Li, a synth who becomes the first to be self aware. She is the fusion of human emotion and scientific ingenuity.
Although certainly not the first to tackle the idea of artificial humans, HUM∀NS looks promising as it is a breath of fresh air for viewers looking for something other than the usual offerings that have saturated the Chinese drama market. It also delves into the concept of artificial intelligence, focusing on the social, cultural and psychological aspects of society with the invention of “synths” or artificial humans, which is interesting to say the least.
Release Date: February 19, 2021 iQIYI, Tencent Video
Ruyi
I’m really happy it has Ma Tianyu, I’ve missed him~