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 "title": "Bloody Smart (聪明镇)",
 "updated": "2026-11-01",
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 "excerpt": "Bloody Smart (聰明鎮) is a 2026 Taiwanese horror series, also called Junji Ito: Bloody Smart, directed by Hsieh Chun-yi; 10 episodes on Netflix Taiwan and Viu from July 28, 2026, fusing Tomie, Souichi, and Slug Girl into a cram-school town.",
 "snippet": "Bloody Smart (聰明鎮) is a 2026 Taiwanese horror series, also called Junji Ito: Bloody Smart, directed by Hsieh Chun-yi; 10 episodes on Netflix Taiwan and Viu from July 28, 2026, fusing Tomie, Souichi, and Slug Girl into a cram-school town.",
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 "markdown": "# Bloody Smart (聪明镇)\n\n**Bloody Smart** (聰明鎮) is a 2026 Taiwanese horror and suspense television series directed and co-written by Hsieh Chun-yi (謝駿毅), adapted with authorization from the works of the [Japanese horror](https://www.edgepedia.org/japanese-horror) manga artist [Junji Ito](https://www.edgepedia.org/junji-ito) (伊藤潤二)<sup>[1](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Bloody_Smart)</sup>. Rather than remaking a single story, it fuses characters and imagery from several of Ito's best-known manga, including *Tomie*, *Souichi's Convenient Curses*, *Slug Girl*, *The Hanging Balloons*, *Blood-Bubble Bushes*, and *Lovesick Dead*, into one original narrative set in a town obsessed with exam success<sup>[1](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Bloody_Smart)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[2](https://www.marieclaire.com.tw/entertainment/tvshow/94164)</sup>. The series premiered on July 28, 2026, with all 10 episodes released at once on Netflix in Taiwan and simultaneously on Viu in Hong Kong<sup>[3](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E8%81%AA%E6%98%8E%E9%95%87/61274926?fromModule=lemma_inlink)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[4](https://news.tvbs.com.tw/entertainment/3270688?from=pulldownmenu_content_%E6%88%B2%E5%8A%87%E6%98%9F%E8%81%9E_%E3%80%8A%E8%81%B0%E6%98%8E%E9%8E%AE%E3%80%8BNetflix%E7%B7%9A%E4%B8%8A%E7%9C%8B%EF%BC%81%E5%B0%8FS%E5%A5%B3%E5%85%92%E3%80%81%E6%A2%81%E8%A9%A0%E7%90%AA%E6%BC%94%E5%93%A1%E9%99%A3%E5%AE%B9%EF%BC%8C%E4%BC%8A%E8%97%A4%E6%BD%A4%E4%BA%8C%E6%94%B9%E7%B7%A8%E5%8A%87%E6%83%855%E4%BA%AE%E9%BB%9E)</sup>.\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Original title | 聰明鎮 (Cong Ming Zhen, \"Smart Town\"); English title Bloody Smart<sup>[1](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Bloody_Smart)</sup> |\n| Format | 10-episode Taiwanese horror limited series, Mandarin language, rated 16+<sup>[3](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E8%81%AA%E6%98%8E%E9%95%87/61274926?fromModule=lemma_inlink)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[5](https://blog.reelgood.com/how-to-watch-bloody-smart-in-asia)</sup> |\n| Source material | Authorized adaptation drawing on multiple Junji Ito manga, with Ito credited as supervisor<sup>[1](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Bloody_Smart)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[2](https://www.marieclaire.com.tw/entertainment/tvshow/94164)</sup> |\n| Director and writers | Hsieh Chun-yi (director and co-writer), with Sakana (大魚) and Cheng Ya-lan (鄭雅嵐)<sup>[1](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Bloody_Smart)</sup> |\n| Lead cast | Gigi Leung (梁詠琪) as the mother He Li-fen; Buffy Chen (陳姸霏) as her daughter Zhao Jia-qi; with JN Yu, Elly Hsu, Winston Chao, Tien Hsin, and Tang Tsung-sheng<sup>[6](https://www.netflix.com/tw/title/82698956)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[3](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E8%81%AA%E6%98%8E%E9%95%87/61274926?fromModule=lemma_inlink)</sup> |\n| Premiere | July 28, 2026, all episodes on Netflix (Taiwan) and Viu (Hong Kong)<sup>[3](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E8%81%AA%E6%98%8E%E9%95%87/61274926?fromModule=lemma_inlink)</sup> |\n| Production | Miracle Production House (奇蹟映畫所), Taiwan; principal photography from August 2022<sup>[7](https://www.filmassist.ntpc.gov.tw/en/film/1380)</sup> |\n| Audience scores | IMDb 5.6/10 (139 votes); Douban 5.0/10 (12,266 voters as of August 12, 2026)<sup>[8](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt39496157/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[3](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E8%81%AA%E6%98%8E%E9%95%87/61274926?fromModule=lemma_inlink)</sup> |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Premise\n\nThe story follows Zhao Jia-qi (Buffy Chen), a student retaking the college entrance exam, who moves with her mother [He Li](https://www.edgepedia.org/he-li)-fen (Gigi Leung) to the remote town of [Chongming](https://www.edgepedia.org/chongming), famed for a 100 percent college admission rate<sup>[7](https://www.filmassist.ntpc.gov.tw/en/film/1380)</sup>. Jia-qi enrolls at the Chongming [cram school](https://www.edgepedia.org/cram-school) to prepare for a second attempt at medical school, and the town operates on a single principle: only students with excellent grades deserve to survive<sup>[3](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E8%81%AA%E6%98%8E%E9%95%87/61274926?fromModule=lemma_inlink)</sup>. For the mother, her daughter's admission to medical school is her own last hope; for the daughter, that expectation becomes suffocating pressure<sup>[3](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E8%81%AA%E6%98%8E%E9%95%87/61274926?fromModule=lemma_inlink)</sup>.\n\nThe town's secret is a hidden Bloodfruit Tree (血玉樹) bearing crimson fruit. According to local legend, a mysterious boy dressed in black delivers the fruit only to those who truly \"need\" it; the fruit is said to make people smarter, but once consumed it awakens long-suppressed desires and emotions, gently unraveling the recipient and pushing the town toward collapse<sup>[7](https://www.filmassist.ntpc.gov.tw/en/film/1380)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[9](https://thetvdb.com/series/bloody-smart)</sup>. As monthly mock-exam results are posted, students and parents begin to disappear and behave abnormally<sup>[10](https://news.videoland.com.tw/article/a6678360-1466-44a5-8fe3-fd8439321374.html)</sup>.\n\n## Source material and adaptation approach\n\nThe series is described by its producers as the first Chinese-language live-action original series honoring Junji Ito, made under his authorization<sup>[11](https://mobileweb.atmovies.com.tw/app/film.cfm?action=filmdata&filmid=tbcn39496157)</sup>. Ito supervised the production and, after reading the outline, commented that the story concept was interesting and that he looked forward to a live-action version<sup>[3](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E8%81%AA%E6%98%8E%E9%95%87/61274926?fromModule=lemma_inlink)</sup>. After seeing the finished show, he reportedly praised it as very interesting, noting that his classic characters and elements had been incorporated<sup>[11](https://mobileweb.atmovies.com.tw/app/film.cfm?action=filmdata&filmid=tbcn39496157)</sup>.\n\nDramaWiki lists the adapted sources as *Bloodsucking Darkness*, *Slug Girl*, *Blood-Bubble Bushes*, *Tomie*, *Shard of Evil*, *The Hanging Balloons*, and *Lovesick Dead*<sup>[1](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Bloody_Smart)</sup>. Character mappings reported in Taiwanese media include Cheng Wei-ling (鄭煒齡) as a character based on Tomie, Liu Hsiu-fu as Wu Shuang-yi based on Souichi, and Elly Hsu (許曦文) as Wang Hsin-yu, a nod to *Slug Girl*<sup>[2](https://www.marieclaire.com.tw/entertainment/tvshow/94164)</sup>. The Hong Kong critic site Cinespot judged that the *Blood-Bubble Bushes* short story serves as the overall skeleton, while most other familiar Ito material appears as scattered Easter eggs rather than reworked plot<sup>[12](https://www.cinespot.com/hkmreviews/%E8%81%B0%E6%98%8E%E9%8E%AE)</sup>.\n\n## Production\n\nThe series was produced by Miracle Production House CO., LTD. of Taiwan<sup>[7](https://www.filmassist.ntpc.gov.tw/en/film/1380)</sup>. Shooting began in August 2022<sup>[7](https://www.filmassist.ntpc.gov.tw/en/film/1380)</sup>, and the team ran a crowdfunding campaign to raise post-production effects and overseas promotion funds, with rewards scheduled to ship from April 2023<sup>[13](https://wabay.tw/collab/bloodysmart/)</sup>. The production company stated that from scriptwriting to the start of filming, the project took six years<sup>[14](https://www.scdnews.com/images/paper/221106/221106B.pdf)</sup>.\n\nPost-production took years to complete; Cinespot noted the show was finished long before release and only aired at the end of July 2026, after a Japanese Ito adaptation had already claimed attention earlier that month<sup>[12](https://www.cinespot.com/hkmreviews/%E8%81%B0%E6%98%8E%E9%8E%AE)</sup>. Episodes 1 and 2 received their world premiere as a Gala Presentation at the 28th Taipei Film Festival on June 29, 2026<sup>[15](https://www.taipeiff.taipei/en/movies/9De8710918Ca)</sup>.\n\n## Release and availability\n\nAll 10 episodes went up on Netflix Taiwan at midnight on July 28, 2026, with Viu carrying the series in Hong Kong the same day<sup>[4](https://news.tvbs.com.tw/entertainment/3270688?from=pulldownmenu_content_%E6%88%B2%E5%8A%87%E6%98%9F%E8%81%9E_%E3%80%8A%E8%81%B0%E6%98%8E%E9%8E%AE%E3%80%8BNetflix%E7%B7%9A%E4%B8%8A%E7%9C%8B%EF%BC%81%E5%B0%8FS%E5%A5%B3%E5%85%92%E3%80%81%E6%A2%81%E8%A9%A0%E7%90%AA%E6%BC%94%E5%93%A1%E9%99%A3%E5%AE%B9%EF%BC%8C%E4%BC%8A%E8%97%A4%E6%BD%A4%E4%BA%8C%E6%94%B9%E7%B7%A8%E5%8A%87%E6%83%855%E4%BA%AE%E9%BB%9E)</sup>. Availability outside Asia was limited at launch: [JustWatch](https://www.edgepedia.org/justwatch) found no streaming option in the United States, with the title available in Poland on CDA Premium<sup>[16](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/bloody-smart)</sup>, and it later streamed on CATCHPLAY+ in Indonesia<sup>[17](https://voi.id/en/amp/591487)</sup>. After its presentation at the Sitges Festival, the series premiered on AMC+ and Planet Horror in Spain on October 23, 2026<sup>[18](https://elpais.com/television/series/bloody-smart/)</sup>.\n\n## Reception\n\nAudience scores were middling. IMDb listed 5.6/10 from 139 votes<sup>[8](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt39496157/)</sup>, while Baidu Baike recorded IMDb at 5.3/10 (89 votes) and Douban at 5.0/10 from 12,266 voters as of August 12, 2026<sup>[3](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E8%81%AA%E6%98%8E%E9%95%87/61274926?fromModule=lemma_inlink)</sup>.\n\nCritical and fan response was polarized. [Marie Claire](https://www.edgepedia.org/marie-claire) summarized the debate: the show's selling point was assembling Ito's classic characters into an unprecedented \"Ito Junji universe,\" but adding logical connective tissue was said to cost the abrupt, arbitrary horror of the originals, and many restored horror set pieces were explained away as hallucinations, frustrating manga fans; some readers said the best parts were the opening and closing animations Ito drew himself<sup>[19](https://www.marieclaire.com.tw/entertainment/tvshow/94979)</sup>. Cinespot rated it 5/10, calling it neither a true adaptation nor fully original, an original Taiwanese thriller decorated with Ito elements<sup>[12](https://www.cinespot.com/hkmreviews/%E8%81%B0%E6%98%8E%E9%8E%AE)</sup>. A negative Taiwanese review gave it 2/5, arguing the central Bloodfruit premise was never clearly explained and that the exam-pressure storyline dissolved<sup>[20](https://unclewriterfilm.com/series/netflix-bloody-smart/)</sup>. Defenders in fan discussion argued the series works better if judged as its own story rather than against the manga<sup>[10](https://news.videoland.com.tw/article/a6678360-1466-44a5-8fe3-fd8439321374.html)</sup>.\n\n## References\n\n1. [Bloody Smart, DramaWiki](https://wiki.d-addicts.com/Bloody_Smart)\n2. [Netflix《聰明鎮》7/28 上線！全球首部伊藤潤二真人原創影集, Marie Claire Taiwan](https://www.marieclaire.com.tw/entertainment/tvshow/94164)\n3. [聪明镇 (2026年谢骏毅执导的恐怖剧), Baidu Baike](https://bkso.baidu.com/item/%E8%81%AA%E6%98%8E%E9%95%87/61274926?fromModule=lemma_inlink)\n4. [《聰明鎮》Netflix線上看！小S女兒、梁詠琪演員陣容, TVBS News](https://news.tvbs.com.tw/entertainment/3270688?from=pulldownmenu_content_%E6%88%B2%E5%8A%87%E6%98%9F%E8%81%9E_%E3%80%8A%E8%81%B0%E6%98%8E%E9%8E%AE%E3%80%8BNetflix%E7%B7%9A%E4%B8%8A%E7%9C%8B%EF%BC%81%E5%B0%8FS%E5%A5%B3%E5%85%92%E3%80%81%E6%A2%81%E8%A9%A0%E7%90%AA%E6%BC%94%E5%93%A1%E9%99%A3%E5%AE%B9%EF%BC%8C%E4%BC%8A%E8%97%A4%E6%BD%A4%E4%BA%8C%E6%94%B9%E7%B7%A8%E5%8A%87%E6%83%855%E4%BA%AE%E9%BB%9E)\n5. [How to watch Bloody Smart in Asia, Reelgood UpNext](https://blog.reelgood.com/how-to-watch-bloody-smart-in-asia)\n6. [聰明鎮, Netflix Taiwan](https://www.netflix.com/tw/title/82698956)\n7. [Bloody Smart (聰明鎮), New Taipei City film assistance database](https://www.filmassist.ntpc.gov.tw/en/film/1380)\n8. [Bloody Smart (TV Series 2026– ), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt39496157/)\n9. [聰明鎮, TheTVDB.com](https://thetvdb.com/series/bloody-smart)\n10. [伊藤潤二授權！《聰明鎮》評價爆兩極, 緯來新聞網](https://news.videoland.com.tw/article/a6678360-1466-44a5-8fe3-fd8439321374.html)\n11. [聰明鎮 Bloody Smart, 開眼電影網](https://mobileweb.atmovies.com.tw/app/film.cfm?action=filmdata&filmid=tbcn39496157)\n12. [《聰明鎮》：伊藤潤二淪為彩蛋展示櫃, Cinespot 動映地帶](https://www.cinespot.com/hkmreviews/%E8%81%B0%E6%98%8E%E9%8E%AE)\n13. [伊藤潤二真人原創影集《聰明鎮》集資計畫, waBay](https://wabay.tw/collab/bloodysmart/)\n14. [台灣景視 Daily News, 美南日報 (PDF)](https://www.scdnews.com/images/paper/221106/221106B.pdf)\n15. [Bloody Smart (Ep. 1-2), 28th Taipei Film Festival program](https://www.taipeiff.taipei/en/movies/9De8710918Ca)\n16. [Bloody Smart - watch tv show streaming online, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/bloody-smart)\n17. [Bloody Smart, Junji Ito's Live-Action Series Still Streaming in Indonesia, VOI](https://voi.id/en/amp/591487)\n18. [Bloody Smart, EL PAÍS television series page](https://elpais.com/television/series/bloody-smart/)\n19. [《聰明鎮》評價兩極！Netflix 8大角色原著差異, Marie Claire Taiwan](https://www.marieclaire.com.tw/entertainment/tvshow/94979)\n20. [影集劇評｜《聰明鎮》拿著伊藤潤二的授權, 大叔看電影](https://unclewriterfilm.com/series/netflix-bloody-smart/)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › International serial drama and telenovelas › East Asian drama series › Hong Kong and Taiwanese serial drama*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n",
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 "speakable": "Bloody Smart is a 2026 Taiwanese horror series, also called Junji Ito: Bloody Smart, directed by Hsieh Chun-yi; 10 episodes on Netflix Taiwan and Viu from July 28, 2026, fusing Tomie, Souichi, and Slug Girl into a cram-school town."
}