This review may contain spoilers
So underrated
What a ride! This drama was so good! I felt I was chasing this mastermind along with the leads! Both ml were so good with their role and the bromance was perfect! They really know how to work together!I’m not too fond of the fl, it took a while for her to settle for me, but she wasn’t too annoying. I’m just not a big fan of her.
This drama can get pretty suspenseful, it also scared me with some jump scare. There are lots of disturbing scenes, if you’re not into murders and child abuse, this might not be for you.
Ml cracked me up plenty of time! I love his playful mischievous role!
Hi highly recommend this drama.
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A Dark Psychological Thriller
This drama will keep you spellbound. It opens with Jiang Shuo being rescued from a graveyard pit, alive but stripped of his memories, as if he has returned from the edge of death. He is later arrested and accused of murder, yet a calm and incisive Dr Qin overturns the charge, revealing that the time of death makes the crime impossible. From this eerie beginning, Jiang Shuo, Dr Qin Yi Heng, and Yuan Mu Qing, the daughter of the formidable Marshal Yuan, are drawn together to uncover the truth.Jiang soon reveals an unsettling gift: he can hypnotise others and enter their psyche. This power becomes their key to probing suspects and accomplices, with Qin accompanying him into these shadowed inner worlds. Each descent is perilous, for one wrong step could leave them trapped within another mind, unable to return.
As their investigation deepens, the murders multiply, culminating in their confinement on a remote island. There, alongside four others, they are presented with a chilling ultimatum: kill each other, and only the sole survivor may leave, rewarded with immense wealth. The game echoes a similar incident from a year earlier, one that may explain the mysterious disappearance of Qin’s father. Survival now depends not only on courage, but on intellect and restraint.
Gradually, a hidden hand emerges. A brilliant and malevolent mastermind named Liu Zhi orchestrates a web of revenge killings, manipulating others to murder those who once wronged them. He is always one step ahead, faceless and unreachable, slipping away just as the net tightens. Even more unsettling is the growing sense that Jiang Shuo is intimately connected to him. Both can enter the human mind, both understand its darkest corners. But who is Liu Zhi, and why is Jiang at the centre of his designs?
The drama thrives on this sense of mysticism. Although the ability to truly enter another psyche is fictional, it casts each crime in an uncanny, almost supernatural light. As Liu’s game escalates to threaten the lives of those they love, the tension becomes relentless, and his twisted, psychopathic nature is laid bare.
A clever final twist reveals an unexpected bond between Jiang and Liu. The only misstep lies in the ending, which leaves it unclear who ultimately emerges from the capsule as victor. I prefer a decisive triumph of good over evil rather than such ambiguity. With a clearer conclusion, this drama could have earned a solid 9 on MyDramaList, rather than its current 8.1. Personally, I would have given it a 10 instead of a 9.
Even so, it is a gripping and haunting watch, and I highly recommend it.
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It’s normal.
I love the cast. The acting is good, and the storyline is thrilling. I took off so many stars, because, in general, the editing was really choppy. Most of it felt very abrupt, and they could have done better. I was debating giving it less stars, because I personally hated the ending. Really hated it. I was crying at the end for not happy/sad reasons. It was anger reasons.I wish the whole story was a little more detailed. The murder mystery plot progressed well, but I also wanted more interactions and story between the characters. Again, everything was a bit abrupt. There was a lot I liked and a lot I didn’t like. The show just left me with a feeling of the whole show deserved better than it got. Better effects, better editing, more cohesive story, better character development, etc. We as viewers also deserved better.
However, I generally enjoyed the first 33 episodes. It’s definitely worth watching at least once. I’m going to watch it again, because I do love the acting. It’s so good. Hou Minghao for the win once again.
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This review may contain spoilers
The first watch is pure entertainment, but you need a second one to truly "get it."
The storyline is completely interconnected, so you have to watch it until the very end. Spoiler Alert: In that subconscious world, everything is actually real. However, once the protagonist wakes up, it all turns into a dream. The second personality is trying to lure Jiang Shuo into staying trapped in a deep subconscious state so he never has to wake up again. But if Jiang Shuo doesn't wake up, he won't be able to save Dr. Qin, which would lead to the doctor’s death as well.Was this review helpful to you?
Good show occasionally ruined by silly romance
I'm all for romance but this is just annoying, mainly because Idk what to make of the two leads. Jiang Shuo is supposed to be smart and talented but he always ask "What are supposed to do?". Yuan Mu Qing is sometimes awesome badass sometimes she can't move her finger to save herself, with a mood swing and random tanthrum. The bromance was much more enjoyable. I can see the show quality declined toward the last couple episodes, then at the end, it seems like the writer didn't know how to end this show so the last episode is very out of place.Was this review helpful to you?
This drama is absolutely mental
First of all, I just have to say, the production value of this show is INSANE.The acting was awesome. I could really feel the chemistry between the cast members. There isn't much romance in this drama; the romance got somewhat annoying in the middle of the drama, but it was quite touching by the end.
The "psychological" tag on there is not a joke. There's some serious mindfuckery in this drama. It took me a lot longer than it usually does to finish dramas just because I had to keep pausing to understand what's happening and the greater significance behind it all.
Additionally, the different arcs of the greater storyline tell really important messages, and they really left me thinking about the important things in the world that we need to care about. Some of the arcs are pretty predictable (it was pretty easy for me to guess what characters would be dying soon), but the way the themes are presented never failed to blow my mind. I really feel like I took something away from finishing this drama.
I really appreciate being able to watch a Chinese republican era drama that isn't centered around war, and I also appreciate having a strong female lead (even if she gets annoying at times, she can at least hold her own). Psych-Hunters incorporates a lot of Chinese superstitions, and I did learn quite a bit about a part of Chinese culture that isn't talked about as much in modern days.
The ending really leaves me wanting a second season.
tl;dr: Overall, this is an amazing drama with stellar production, suspiciously good bromance, a cool (but sometimes annoying) female lead, well-incorporated republican era setting and Chinese superstitions, and, of course, so much absolute mindfuckery. Definitely not for the faint of heart; I would give content warnings for gore and psychological elements. A good drama for you if you want to think about life through a thriller.
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Psychology and Mystery, But a Missed Opportunity
Sorry folks, but this drama took a disappointing turn for me. I was really enjoying it at first—the opening was unique, blending psychological sci-fi elements with spiritual folklorism. I especially appreciated how the narrative revolved around a central mystery, with each episode working toward solving it while also exploring smaller cases that tied into both the main and a secondary storyline. As someone who enjoys detective dramas, this structure was right up my alley.What set this one apart was its approach: instead of traditional investigations, the show delved into the psyche of different characters and suspects. It was a refreshing take on the genre and kept things compelling—at least for the first half. However, by episode 19, once the secondary case was wrapped up, the show started to lose its spark for me. Although the characters continued tackling smaller cases leading toward the central plot, they felt flat and lacked the intrigue of earlier episodes. As a result, the pacing dragged, and the story started to feel stretched thin.
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This review may contain spoilers
If you liked Inception, you will like Psych Hunter.What I loved about this drama was that the whole drama long, you think it's about one thing and then comes the twist in the second to last episode and suddenly, it's about something else completely. And I loved. that. so. much! It was so smart, such a fantastic twist, and looking back, you can see all the hints pointing towards what was really going on dropped throughout. I planned on giving the drama 8/10 but this elevated my rating to 9/10!
I admit I found the female lead quite annoying from time to time, it felt like the writers couldn't decide if they wanted a cute teenybopper or a tough police woman. But that can also be attributed to the twist because whereas Qin Er had a very consistent personality for reasons that were revealed at the end, Muqing felt all over the place. When you think about it, no wonder, really.
And speaking of Qin Er. Jiang Shuo's friendship with Qin Er, their devotion to each other - inexplicable at first but explained at the end - made the drama so good. The way they helped and protected each other was a thing to behold, really.
Bromance, mystery, an ending that's so out there it leaves you gaping... Awesome!
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Good series- so far
I am barely half way through the drama, but I am loving what I have seen so far. Usually I stay away from anything horror related or republican era dramas. However, this drama is an exception as the episodes I've seen so far didn't scare the crap out of me nor is it as depressing as most republican era dramas. There are certain parts that gave me a bit of a scare, but nothing too bad. However, if you do scare easily, it would be best to watch in morning or afternoon.Also, I find the psychological part of entering into an individuals subconscious to find answers a very interesting and unique part of the story plot. Yes, it's a bit far fetched from reality, but this is a drama so anything can happen and it is pretty cool. I am also really enjoying the team of three working together to solve the cases, while trying to uncover the really identity of the mystery force that is popping up everywhere.
I may be biased in my ranking, but I do believe that this drama is way better than the 7.5 rating. If you are an individual that likes or can handle the lost tomb series or the candle in the tomb series, then I would recommend you to give this drama a try and see if you like it or not.
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Such an interesting story! Highly recommended
Who's five years late to watch and review? MeeeeeeeeI got this drama as a recommendation in the app and holy guacamole this was the best recommendation ever.
The story.
If you liked the 2010ish film Inception, you'll like this drama. Hypnotising people and entering their subconscious to solve crimes is pretty unique. The setting in the historical period gave this drama quite the charm in terms of costumes and ways of crime solving. No recent uber action defying laws of physics (which I became tired of in the recent action films). Crime series, if written well, are always good and this particular one had kept me in suspense throughout all 36 episodes. Hats off to the writers.
The costumes, setting, camera.
I always love historical costumes. I especially loved the steampunk touch when Jiang Shuo and Qin Yi Heng were in the subconscious world. The subconscious world was also designed amazingly. The only thing I missed in the story and setting was the fading out of the Feng Shui as the episodes progressed.
The cast.
Neo Hou is always incredible. Zhu Xudan and Liu Dongqin felt a little stiff at times, but they embodied the personalities of their characters well. The rest of the cast was great too, especially the actor who was Bai Kai.
The music.
I LOVED the intro song. You don't hear a rock/ metal (I hope I got the genre right) opening theme often. Instant love.
Overall, I really loved this. When the story got to episode 35, I thought I would not like the ending but it was still incredible. 11/10 would watch again.
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This review may contain spoilers
Really want to like it but it was just too slow and confusing for me
I really wanted to like Psych-Hunter (2020). It has the mystery, thriller, action, adventure, investigation, bromance, and romance. Plus the three leads have good chemistry and are not annoying. But it was just so freaking confusing and slow. I gave up during the 6th case: Game of death. I was just so confused with what was happening in that case that I skipped to the part where one of the main characters EXPLAINED to the other main character what the heck happened during the case. Like thanks for the recap, but it still didn’t make sense or make it any better. Skipped to the last episode and like everything was in Jiang Shuo‘s head???I didn’t not sign up to work that hard to understand this drama. I thought it was going to be a fun crime solving drama with a dash of fantasy, not a head scratcher. Dropped it after watching 16 out of 36 episodes.
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Interest snagged!
This series is really my cup of tea :) The series should at least have an overall rating of 9, in my opinion. It's a very interesting & unique story so far dealing with a bit of the supernatural, hypnosis & memory loss - all nicely intertwined. There are some semi scary parts, but to me, all done in good taste. I love the early era setting, makes me think about western style steampunk scifi. It has confusing parts but more so with the way they delve into the psyche of Jiang Shuo. They did great with everyone else, but we get exposure to/insight into Jiang Shuo's without notice. Perhaps in later episodes it will be smoother. Maybe a little work on transition... The opening music is addictive and I'm already trying to find the artist/OST! The leading actors have great & adorable chemistry. There are some parts where the acting could use work, but very little of that is needed by the leads. You should watch this series <3Was this review helpful to you?
