This review may contain spoilers
This is my first time writing a review (^-^)VI noticed that nobody left a review so I did..
I actually wasn't sure at first if I should watch this since there's no one recommending it and it's not my usual cup of drama but since I've seen it I'm telling you guys DON'T SLEEP ON BOT.
SPOILERS AHEAD
Story/Plot: 9.5/10
This is set in a world where humans and transformers coexist. Transformers are humanlike species that can change into animals. For the leads, we have Hao Yun, a "human" veterinarian and Aiai, an eel transformer officer. The two ended up as partners in BOT after an incident in Mingde revealed that Hao Yun is a special human whose memory can't be erased...(quick explanation: after an operation, BOT officers erase the memories of humans in order to conceal the existence of transformers). Along with their other team members, they solve conflicts in the human world that concerns the activity of their kind. Each episode tackles the BOT officers solving cases and the backstory of transformer criminals (I've she'd a lot of tears almost every episode because of them T-T). ***My favorite episodes are the ones that involved the worm (a bit scary, dark-toned, and serious than others) and the love of Duan Weiran.***
Acting/Cast: 10/10
I can't say anything about the casting actually... I think they were perfectly selected and assigned to the characters. They suited their roles and they were able to convey and bring out the emotions enough to move viewers like me. I just want to add that Tan Quan (actor for bat) is hot and a total eye candy with his white hair, eye contacts, his attitude etc. I just fell in love with him and his story as well.
Cinematography and Production: 9.5/10
I am not a very good critique when it comes to cinematography so I'll just say it's good and bearable (but personally I think it was brilliant and exceptional). The costumes, lightings and props are definitely on point. They were put to good use... There weren't much of CGI used except for fire and transformers flying etc. I think it was not a low-budget drama.
Music: 9/10
The soundtrack really suit each scene but I can't remember a specific song that stood out.
Rewatch Value: 9.5/10
A big check✓ I'm rewatching it right now actually.
Note: This is more of a drama focused on action so don't expect for too much romantic scenes BUT of course there are scenes like that. The romance wasn't fast-paced but it's very cute and heart melting. It's very sweet of the ML to fight for their love amidst seemingly endless problems between him, the FL and the BOT (I won't completely spoil it but the major conflicts of the MC's love story are related to both their identities as transformers).
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This review may contain spoilers
An unexpectedly entertaining drama with some thought-provoking topics
This is one of the most unknown, unexpected and under-mentioned dramas.... Although a cdrama reviewer has included this into her top 10 dramas of 2019 (WaWa Mei) and a colleague rec this too, I only watch this now (yr 2021). Was misled by that horrendous trailer that made it look like a slapstick comedy and failed to show this drama is more than comedy... That it has serious fantasy with decent CGI, and humane stories covering a wide range of life topics:-1) What if you have a dream but your loved ones are against you pursuing this dream? What if you have the means to keep your family happy and pursue your dream?.... Yet after few years, you regret the decision and want to change again...?
2) What if you wish to die but you are an immortal? What can give you the courage to continue living? (parts of the dialogue here, can be applied to depression/suicide too)
3) What if you have the opportunity to do something you loved and dreamt of for years but screwed up when you had the chance? You spent your next years pining over that 1 lost chance.... How to solve your everlasting regret?
4) What if you have a dream but becos of your birth, you might never be able to achieve your dream... Then in a twist of fate, there was an error at your application and everyone thought you are of elite birth and so you got accepted for your dream job?....
5) What if your love is forbidden? Will you keep quiet and sacrifice the love, or take the chance?
6) What is true love? Can true love conquer all? Even if your loved one might change gender at a certain age....
etc, and more!
The other thing I really like about this drama:- there are no cold face, all powerful ML or Marysue FL!! In fact all the main female characters are smart, independent and very clear about their life goals... They have plans and objectives! Instead the ML is quite an aimless, happy-go-lucky man at the start of the drama.... and develop to be more mature and focused as the plot develops.
Excellent acting from the main cast, even a supporting female character (in point 1 listed above) puts in a tremendous performance! Fyi, when the actress sings for her role, that was her real voice too!! Beautiful and can both act and sing, swooning....
So why 0.5 point deduction? Plotholes. Quite a few and 1 mega plothole in the last episode (thanks to the good cinematography, i can turn a blind eye to that glaring plothole)... There are a few "filler episodes" too, which give it a bit of drag in the middle parts.
A really wonderful drama, love the scriptwriting and art direction!
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Intensely good if you like sci-fi/fantasy that uses allegory to explore real life issues
First: this show is super hard to find english subbed - except on iQiyi. On iqiyi app its fully english subbed, and it's where I watched it easily. This show was literally the first thing I watched on the app, and became one of my favorite cdramas of all time, along with one of my favorite shows. If you love fantasy/sci fi genre shows that have found family and use their premise to explore very real world issues, and also prefer good characterizations and arcs tied in deeply to the overarching plot - then this show is near perfect. I happen to love all those things, so this show was like finding treasure when I went in not knowing what I'd find!This show was phenomenal, the writing was so great in how it tied up episode of the week stories into bigger story plots and longer characterization arcs, every seemingly more mundane plot ended up contributing to the bigger character arcs or main story plot even when I didn't expect it to be able to! The characterizations are phenomenal, especially the lead character's arcs and journeys through the story - focusing on learning how to be vulnerable and love and trust, working on how to be yourself when society has different expectations on you, how to deal with choices that will affect your whole life, how to work in a system where the law sometimes hurts people and how to react to that, and just general social commentary and a ton of allegory for real world issues.
It's very much the same niche as X-men/In The Flesh/Star Trek in how it uses it's sci fi premise to tackle real world issues and very grounded struggles people face in life. I absolutely loved how hopeful and meaningful it was - it handled a lot of heavy stuff, but also had so much optimism and comedy and action to balance out the darker moments so it never felt emotionally draining. It has a bi lead, and another lead that deals with trans experiences in their storyline, which I found really well done for the way they approached these parts - especially compared to some lighter-surface shows that might add a gender-bend sort of trope but not do anything to actually relate the story to real experiences/struggles, whereas this show very much felt like it was trying to connect its sci fi premises and arcs to the real experiences of people. So many real world issues got explored in this show - and sometimes it got dark because of it, but like Star Trek this show tended to have protagonists aiming to do their best to help make a world that's good for people, so the show tended to conclude hopefully.
I also love action/comedy, and although this show has some very heavy/real moments, it keeps its action/sci-fi premise and uses it to comedic affect a lot with cool funny fighting scenes and ridiculous setups. I really like this, as it disarms the audience and also gives breathing room before the heavier stuff comes back for the bigger plot moments. I'm rewatching it without english subs, and the comedy is so visual too that its super enjoyable just to watch in general even beyond the dialogues.
The only small weak points I might give it, is that the actors aren't particularly well known - they did amazing in my opinion though! Especially the lead 2 characters, they did phenomenal layered performances and packed a ton of character building into all their scenes. The other characters did well, though they had less time for their character arcs - still did equivalent or better if I'm comparing them to Buffy the Vampire Slayer/In the Flesh etc type shows. The main lead being someone I didn't know was a big reason I wasn't sure about this at first - he comes off really comedic and relaxed and not like a typical lead AT ALL at first, but his personal growth arc ended up being ridiculously relatable to me and probably many other people with abandonment fears/who tend to just put on a persona and reserve being genuinely themselves because its hard for them. The lead actress was INTENSELY good, I had no idea who she was before this but now I'd probably watch anything she's in - her character is incredibly unique, but the main struggles in the character arc are something I think most people with societal or family pressures will probably find big parts to relate to, and her acting was also so good with the nuance of emotions revealed versus fears/struggles being hidden. Both leads were fantastic at conveying the depth of what was going on throughout with their characters and their roles in the world of the story.
The other maybe tiny weak point I'd give - BECAUSE so many small seemingly mundane plot points end up contributing to the end-main plot, upon rewatch a lot of the twists are going to be much more obvious to catch. I think its fine for rewatchability, because its cool to see HOW they do connect in real time, now that I saw their payoff. But for some people the way the ending comes together will have a bit less impact on rewatch.
Anyway, this show was so freaking good. One of my favorite shows ever. If you've ever loved Buffy the Vampire Slayer, X-men, Star Trek, In The Flesh, Guardian, then this show is probably going to hit a LOT of what you love in a story. For me in particular, the WAY it told the story so tightly in it's writing helped even more - its enjoyable, well written, uses sci fi for real world issues, and does it in a concise way so you can enjoy it without too much time commitment. I'd love if more people found it and had the chance to experience it too. ;w;
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I was hesitate at first to watch this because the male lead was someone I have never seen before. SO I watched this with an open-mind. And I gotta say I do not regret it one bit. I went in with no expectations but I came out changed. Anyways on to the plot: the storyline was fresh and new, with the cast being so good at what they do. Also it was so consistent. What one character would mention in one scene it might show later on (as mystery/criminal/investigative dramas go). Let's not even mention the funny scenes that happened. They happened out of the blue sometimes but it was both surprising and welcome.
Overall, it was new and enticing and once I took a bite, I could not get enough of it. I have never seen anything like this -both before and after this drama. Ya'll should definitely give this a try. I promise you will not be disappointed. ^-^
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Why don't I rate it higher, then?
Well, in all honesty, the subs are a bit of a hit or miss (some episodes are well done, but some are of rather poor quality, to the point that several lines are barely comprehensible, unfortunately) and this, alas, hinders a bit the viewing pleasure. And the same can be said of the script: some episodes are little masterpieces, seriously...but others are just "meh". Generally speaking, I mostly found the last third of the series to be of lower quality, compared to the previous two thirds (and also a bit too dark and depressing - whereas one of the strong points of this drama had been, until there, its humor).
The cast did a very good job, with honorable mentions for Chen He among the main cast, and Charlene Chen and Maggie Lee among the guests.
The music is top-notch, and so are direction, photography and editing.
Not *absolutely* perfect, but still very enjoyable. 8/10
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Worth the wait
BOT had a great review from AvenueX but at the time there were no English subs so I put in my plan to watch.***So very glad I had rechecked.***
This show is first and foremost funny, quirky and has a type of teenagers take on humour.
Sometimes the sets are excellent and other times they remind me of earlier Dr Who shows.
Consistently surprising episodes that kept me interested whilst the individual characters gradually get fleshed out to reveal their 'monster' forms and personalities.
There is a slow burn love interest by the two, excellent, leads that is also given a complication worthy of this off beat drama. They carry the show and the supporting cast give more depth to the narrative. What is surprising is the directors and screenwriters are not very experienced yet manage to put in many layers and the dialogue pacing is good.
I feel this is a hidden gem that gets better as you persevere with each episode. I really got to like and care about the characters which, for me, shows off the skill of the actors.
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So much fun!
Utterly surprised by this one: every single character is unique, humane, and interesting. At the beginning, ML seemed somewhat flat and overly comedic for me, but revealed himself to be full of depth and intellect and humor. FL also unfolded from a bad-ass-serious-cop stereotype to someone much more unexpected.There are heart-warming moments, laugh out loud moments, terrorism, explosive killer farts, and all the heartbreaks of real life well-lived. The music is also great?! Fantastic, highly recommended. I wish they would have a season 2 w/ the same actors and writers!
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