On Children (Chinese: 你的孩子不是你的孩子; lit. 'Your Child is not Your Child') is a 2018 ten-part Mandarin-language TV series, directed by Chen Wei-ling and starring Tzu-Chuan Liu, Yu-Xuan Wang and Hsin-Yu Ling, based on the novel by Wu Xiaole. The plots are in anthology form with five different stories told in a world where individuals face the tragic consequences of social pressure, parental oppression and family dysfunction.[1][2][3]

On Children
Promotional poster
Chinese你的孩子不是你的孩子
Hanyu PinyinNǐ De Háizi Bùshì Nǐ De Háizi
GenreScience fiction
Anthology
Horror
Satire
Created byWú Xiao-le
Written byWang Hui-chu
Yang Wan-ju
Lin Ken-wei
Aozaru Shiao
Huang Yu-chia
Chen Cheng-yu
Directed byChen Wei-ling
StarringSee below
Theme music composerWaa Wei
Ending themeDon't cry Don't cry
ComposerWaa Wei
Country of originTaiwan
Original languagesMandarin
English
Hokkien
No. of episodes10
Production
ProducerWu Zhi-yu
Running time47 minutes
Production companyMissmove Image Studio
Original release
ReleaseJuly 7 (2018-07-07) –
August 4, 2018 (2018-08-04)
Related

Cast

edit
  • Troy Liu as Chi Pei-Wei
  • Yu-Xuan Wang as Liu Chiao-Yi
  • Hsin-Yu Ling as Cheng Fang-Lan
  • Emilia Chen as Emilia Chen
  • Yu-Tung Lee as Shih Yu-Chieh
  • Chiung-Hsuan Hsieh as Fang Mei-Chi
  • Herbie Robert Baron as Chang Kai-Hsiang
  • Chuan-Chen Yeh as Yang Chuan
  • Liu Hsiu-fu as Chung Kuo-Yen
  • Chung Hsin-ling as Kuo-Yen's mother
  • Gingle Wang as Molly Lin
  • Frances Wu as Nova Yang
  • Chen Yi-wen as Liu Ching-Hui
  • Elten Ting as Ling-Na
  • Yu-Ping Wang as Lo Chih-Wei
  • Hsin Shao as Chung Chia-Hung
  • Mohammad Umar Afzal as Chien Sheng-Yao
  • Ting-Hsuan Lin as Liu Chiao-Hsin
  • Yen Tsao as Lu Chih-Hsiung
  • Kai-Ling Hsu as Le-Le
  • Ivy Yin as Molly's mother
  • Moon Lee as Shih Yu-jie

Episodes

edit
No.TitleWritten byOriginal air date
1–2"Mother's Remote"
(Chinese: 媽媽的遙控器)
UnknownJuly 7, 2018 (2018-07-07)
Shu-Li discovers her son, Pei-Wei, forged his report cards and refuses to let him go on his middle school graduation trip. One night, a man sells her a remote control that allows her to rewind Pei-Wei's life, which she uses both to help him repeat his studies and to punish him. Pei-Wei realizes he is in a time loop but is forced to obey Shu-Li's demands. When she forces him into cram school, he begins dating Cheng Fang-Lan, who inspires him to pursue art instead of academics. Shu-Li finds out about them and urges Pei-Wei to break up with her, but when he refuses, she uses the remote to erase her memories of him. Pei-Wei's mental health deteriorates, and several years later, his life is still being controlled by Shu-Li even as an adult. While she is away, Pei-Wei breaks into her safe for the remote. As he confronts her, he is hit by a truck.
3–4"Child of the Cat"
(Chinese: 貓的孩子)
UnknownJuly 14, 2018 (2018-07-14)
After finding a box of kittens above his unstable parents' apartment, teenager Kuo-Cho Yen finds a terrifying way to cheat on his exams.
5–6"The Last Day of Molly"
(Chinese: 茉莉的最後一天)
UnknownJuly 21, 2018 (2018-07-21)
When Molly commits suicide, her mother uses technology to relive her experiences and investigate why she died.
7–8"Peacock"
(Chinese: 孔雀)
UnknownJuly 28, 2018 (2018-07-28)
A student from a modest home goes to an elite private school and makes a life-altering agreement with a talking peacock in the schoolyard.
9–10"ADHD is Necessary"
(Chinese: 必須過動)
UnknownAugust 4, 2018 (2018-08-04)
In a government-controlled society, women give birth by artificial insemination to produce perfect children that are raised as wealthy elites; however, if their grades drop, they are forced to move to the slums. Yang Chuan, an elite author, hopes to raise her daughter, Nova, as a star pupil much like her late son, Ruo-Jie; however, Nova's grades begin declining. Fearing that she may lose her lifestyle and reputation, Chuan instructs Nova to pretend she has ADHD. Nova later learns from Ling-Na, a rebel, that the students diagnosed with mental disorders are deemed "faulty" and are sent to the advancement program to be executed, while their mothers are allowed to keep their status. She also learns that Ruo-Jie had committed suicide when Chuan refused to support his dreams of being a carpenter. Nova is invited to live with the survivors, but instead she returns home out of guilt for disobeying Chuan. Later that night, Nova is executed at the advancement program after Chuan drugs her dinner. The survivors are also arrested by the government and executed. Chuan then prepares for her third child, in spite of warnings from Ling-Na that the cycle will repeat.

Release

edit

On Children was released on July 7, 2018 on Taiwanese Public Television Service.

Awards and nominations

edit
Year Ceremony Category Nominee Result
2019 54th Golden Bell Awards Best Television Film On Children - Child of the Cat Won
Best Leading Actress in a Miniseries or Television Film Ivy Yin
(On Children - The Last Day of Molly)
Nominated
Chung Hsin-ling
(On Children - Child of the Cat)
Won
Best Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Television Film Gingle Wang
(On Children - The Last Day of Molly)
Nominated
Best Newcomer in a Miniseries or Television Film Yuping
(On Children - Child of the Cat)
Nominated
Wang Yu-xuan
(On Children - Peacock)
Nominated
Liu Hsiu-fu
(On Children - Child of the Cat)
Nominated
Best Director in a Miniseries or Television Film Chen Wei-ling, Yu Hui-jun
(On Children - Child of the Cat)
Won
Best Writing for a Miniseries or Television Film Shih-keng Chien
(On Children - Child of the Cat)
Nominated
Best Cinematography Jian Zheng-zhuan, Jian Xin-you
(On Children - Child of the Cat)
Nominated
Best Film Editing Wu Zi-ying
(On Children - Child of the Cat)
Won
Best Sound Award Waa Wei, Shi Min-jie, Zheng Yuan-kai
(On Children - Mother's Remote)
Nominated
Best Lighting Award Li Qi-xiang
(On Children - Child of the Cat)
Nominated
Best Art and Design Award Wu Ruo-yun, Huang Ming-ren, Lai Wan-ting, Wang Zhong-zhì, Yao Liang-qi, Lin Jia-ling
(On Children - Child of the Cat)
Won

References

edit
  1. ^ "Netflix's latest anthology show is the uneven 'On Children'". The Daily Dot. 5 August 2018. Retrieved August 5, 2019.
  2. ^ "Stream It Or Skip It: 'On Children' On Netflix, A Taiwanese Anthology Series Where Family Dysfunction Rules". Decider. 9 August 2018. Retrieved August 5, 2019.
  3. ^ "Netflix's Highly Relatable "On Children" Is "Black Mirror" With Tiger Moms". Cinema Escapist. 15 August 2018. Retrieved August 5, 2019.
edit