Good but unexceptional

I just finished watching and I'd say that overall, it was good but not great.

Being a huge fan of the crime/mystery genre, a part of me was hoping that it would be a detective drama along the lines of Maiden Holmes or The Imperial Coroner. In that sense, it was a disappointment, as our leads spend negligible screen time investigating. The only "cases" that matter are the ones directly related to the major conspiracy that the plot revolves around, and said conspiracy isn't particularly complicated or impressive at that. In this sense, the storyline is rather similar to The Love Lasts Two Minds, with a little bit of Under The Power thrown in, but the story here isn't nearly as sophisticated as those two dramas, and thus comes off as less engaging to watch.

I can't help but feel like they oversold us on the FL's abilities. Sure, she's smart, and also unbearably cute (I just want to pinch her cheeks every time she appears on the screen lol), but not quite the genius that the synopsis had me believe. After all, a character can only be as smart as the writer(s). As is the case with all too many dramas these days, it's also clear that the writers intentionally gave her various handicaps that serve no purpose other than to put her in situations where she's helpless and needs to be saved by the ML.

The acting was fine, although I didn't feel much chemistry between the leads. The lead actor just failed to convince me with his (admittedly very handsome) poker face that he's in love with FL. The side couples had more chemistry to me. Zhang Huiwen did fine, being one of the most talented actresses of her generation, and given what she had to work with, but she's often stuck in subpar roles in less than ideal projects (a fate shared by my other favorite actress, the criminally underrated Sun Xuening). The Flaming Heart was definitely a flop, though I've heard good things about her role in Marvelous Woman, which finished airing recently.

All in all, everything about this drama is fine, just unexceptional. Worth a watch, but probably not worth rewatching, and definitely won't be winning any awards.

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Great story, cliché characters; season ends very abruptly

This unknown gem is actually one of my favorite dramas of 2021. It's all unknown actors,* which suggests that it's a low-budget drama, but the leads are cute and production value is very high. The sets, costumes, and martial arts choreography are all top-notch, and they put more effort into the injury makeup (gore) than many high profile dramas.

The best part is the cases, the most important part of a detective drama, and they are all very convoluted with lots of unexpected plot twists. The crimes are original and well thought out, they keep things suspenseful, and don't insult our intelligence with really obvious plot holes.

It's not really clear who is the first male lead and who is second, but the two men are the brains of the operation. Cheng Yang, the deputy-commissioner of police, is the most well-rounded character of the bunch, being both intelligent and a skilled martial artist, but can be a bit uptight. Analyst/consultant Jun Wugui is physically weak, with no fighting skills to speak of, but by far the smartest, and also a bit eccentric, which is expected for a genius detective. He's also supposed to be a playboy, but they never show him with any girls other than our female lead.

Speaking of which, Inspector Su Wenyue is the pure muscle. Her martial arts are incredibly strong and so far none of the bad guys can beat her. Unfortunately, she's not the brightest crayon in the box, and her personality can be a little too feisty sometimes, to the point of being annoying. But all is forgiven because she's such a babe when kicking ass!

As for the second female lead Ouyang Chuchu, the commissioner's daughter, I really hope she goes through some major character development, because so far she's just been acting like an immature, spoiled, crybaby princess, with no useful skills to speak of. Her character seems to have no purpose other than to look super cute while annoying us with her clinginess and obsession over Cheng Yang.

So yeah, the characters are pretty cliché. Tropes like the eccentric Sherlock Holmes, the feisty tomboy, the spoiled girl who's desperately in love with a guy who only thinks of her as a sister... they're all here. BUT none of it detracts from the quality of the drama because it's awesome where it truly counts: the story.

By the way, this is a review of only the first "season," which consists of 12 episodes. I have no idea why they decided to split it into two seasons when 24 episodes is already pretty short for a drama. Season 1 does NOT end at a logical break in the story. Instead, it ends randomly in the middle of everything. I was literally waiting for episode 13 to come out before I did some research and realized it was "over."

*With the exception of the police commissioner, who is played by an actor who is in almost every drama I watch. Recently he was Fei's father in Legend of Fei, and Minister Han in The Imperial Coroner.

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