I'm aware that it's probably cliche at this point to have romance-driven revenge and undercover Chinese shows are certainly not new. However, I can say that there's 0 romance in terms of development. The show is as simple as it comes (drugs, boss, undercover agent, police, gangs) but it is also neither black nor white in its portrayal of the main characters. You'll fall in love with some you shouldn't be and you'll hate some that you shouldn't be. Personally, I'm very attached to the characters, and knowing them, I fear the ending as soon as I grew attached.
The most important aspect of this show, to me, is the relationship between the two male leads. There're lies, truths, deceptions, covers, and twist and turns that you might never see coming. But through it all, it only melds the two together. Their relationship is more or less build on lies, as expected between a drug leader and an undercover police officer, but it's exactly that that makes the whole story satisfying yet difficult to watch at times.
So if you're looking for some thriller/crime/action without it being entirely romance-driven, or having the main character be pulled astray by a female character, or losing excitement, or lacking 'human' characters, then this show is definitely perfect to add to your watched show collection.
also the male lead is perfectly competent without being naive like some random rookie officers. (MILD SPOILER) Honestly, gwad, no wonder all the drug dealers want him to work for them.
Edit: While the ending does fall a little flat, I'm still very pleased by the drama and the whole ride it took me on. It's not a bad ending, don't get me wrong, it just is flat compared to how amazing the other episodes were.
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I loved the past message of the daily fight by the cops fighting drugs, but in my view also raised many questions and why's: Why are the laws so heavy in china, why not give a second chance to those who really didn't have a choice to go to the drugs?.
Deep down watching this drama we will eventually feel that not everything is certain sometimes people take certain directions because they have no option.
Now speaking of the characters, I loved the 4 main characters, and the romance was something I didn't miss.
The agent (lead actor), is smart and has a good development throughout the drama, it must be for this reason that everyone wanted to work with him. Also I need to praise his sense of empathy for others around him, even if they were his enemies.
Two others are the drug-dealing brothers who show that life is not always easy, that often the lack of a family bosom, and being born in a poor environment makes us want to survive, often choosing and following the wrong ways. It is noteworthy the love and loyalty of both characters, even trafficking, both remained loyal to each other and especially liked the younger brother Tao. I can't wait to see more dramas with these actors.
Finally, you will be shocked by the ending, and I think if you give yourself a chance to see this drama you will not regret it.
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This review may contain spoilers
One sided Bromance story that force you to love the villain and feel sorry for him
First of all this drama is really unique to modern Chinese crime dramas ,,, It's not too violent ,, doesn't have gory scenesIt has very good story to tell not draggy or boring and has very very talented actors that made me fell in love with them
doesn't have useless romantic story ,, It's one of those dramas that you will enjoy watching even if you don't like the crime genera
My friends recommend it to me because of the Bromance element in it ,, I wasn't disappointed but it was one sided Bromance
I mean the villain actually loved the undercover cop as a brother and of course the undiscover policeman is playing him deceiving him for his own reasons even if he put his life in danger to complete his mission so many times ,,, he was doing his job perfectly without a slip ,, one of the best things I loved about this drama that the plot was really good
may be I was restless a bit with the other gangsters deceiving each other killing each other but it's all came together for the undercover mission
I loved the acting so much of every one especially the two male leads
I loved the villain who was so kind to his new best friend even when he discovers the truth about the undercover cop he didn't want to hurt him and wanted to protect him ,, that's Loyalty
I felt so sad at the ending it was a bit rushed ,,, I wished to see tao the imprisoned friend after that talking to the cop or what is the cop's stand from him but that what have been useless of how the finale went
also I wished to see the adopted kid with cop at the finale but that didn't happen either
any how ,, this is a very very good drama that will make you feel so many emotions and make you get attached to the characters after it's finished
I recommend it so much
so underrated
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This review may contain spoilers
Never say never
The most amazing police and gangs show i have ever seen i saw alot of this kind of dramas but this one attracted me , the story ,the actors, the acting every thing was amazing
I really enjoyed watching this drama. At first, I was expecting it to be like any other drama about the police and drug gangs, but the story was very well plotted. The cast was also great. I loved all the good guys and bad guys. every on acting like they really like this in reality i don't feel like it's acting
The undercover policeman (i really loved him so much 3>), Fang Mao's performance, was close to reality, especially in the scenes of injuries ep 9 ,ep 22 ,23 . As for the scene of drug addiction in ep 32 to 35 , it was one of the most amazing scene I have ever seen . The screaming and the pain gave me goosebumps. The actor played the role very professionally, to the point that I replayed these sences several times and each time it gave me goosebumps.
The scene of Fang Mao's injury and Gu Tao's worried and afraid about him was so amazing
You can say the bromance between a police man and gang leader was amazing
The head of the gang, Gu Tao, although he is a criminal
, but at the same time he was very kind and loving to his friends, he take care of them
you can't hate him،You just can't help but love him, I promise you (( yes sometimes we love the bad guys ^_^))
I loved him so much especially his hair style ^3^
He always worried about Fang Mao as if he was his little brother, and even when he knew that he is undercover policeman, he couldn't kill him or hurt him because he loved him, but also tell him to leave the police and come back with him.
The series was a top of magnificence and many scenes will remain stuck in my memory for a long time
If you ask me if i want to rewatch this drama again i would say yes because i really liked this drama and got attached to all the characters
And I felt like this drama was a part of my life and I was so sad when I finished it
Because I didn't want it to end
I am now looking for police dramas that are as strong or stronger, but i can't found one yet T-T
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Consistently great, marred by an unsatisfying ending
LONG REVIEW WITH NON-DETAILED SPOILERSI really really enjoyed watching this series, I basically binged watched the whole thing in a few days. This is coming from someone who has never watched a drama involving a long-term undercover operation before, so I had no expectations on this genre. I started watching this as I'm a bromance fan, and I could see the potential. Like I mentioned, this drama was consistently great, none of the episodes felt dragged out/rushed, or out of place... until the end, where things seemed to be wrapped up quite quickly (and the criminals given no resolution).
- Story
The story is not complicated, which I actually appreciated. There weren't annoying and random subplots happening, things progressed fairly linearly (Best of all no romance!!! I really dislike romance). First few episodes are setting the scene for (MC) Fang Mo's undercover operation, and from there the drama focused first on Gu Tao's drugs/arms smuggling, then Ma Sijie's smuggling operations. Throughout this, MC does a brilliant job of gaining the criminals' trust and discovering the truth behind his gf's death. It was utterly captivating to watch not only the way the criminals operate, but the way the police go about handling them. (Thank the lord for this drama showing the police as competent.) There were a few great plot twists as well.
As for the ending... very mixed feelings. On one hand, it was expected. Some might say the death penalties were too harsh, but you have to realise that the number of drugs these criminals smuggled and distributed seriously ruin lives, with long-standing effects. And while yes, circumstances beyond their control lead these characters to a life of crime, however in the end they do it for money and noteriety, and they don't care about the consequences of their actions. The only sad thing is that these criminals are characters we have come to know and love, and we can't help but feel for them.
On the other hand, there wasn't much resolution between MC and the criminals he became brothers with. We spend over 30 eps watching the bond between the two grow, how much Gu Tao trusts and cares for MC. And MC does care about Gu Tao too, even if he's undercover and planning to arrest Gu Tao. Honestly, it wouldn't be strange to suggest that Gu Tao falls for the MC (but of course they instead push the brother/family agenda). There is a pretty good confrontation when Gu Tao discovers the truth, but after that? They don't meet again. Ok, I can understand that, he is the cop that deceived and ultimately got him arrested. But then what about Gu Tao and Ma Sijie? These two deserved to have their own resolution, but that isn't shown at all. It just feels like as soon as the criminals were caught, they were no longer important, no longer people worth acknowledging. All that was shown is their trial/sentencing. They didn't talk at all, and there was 0 follow up to the ones that were given lighter punishments.
- Characters
The MC Fang Mo is definitely one of my favourite characters from any show. He is smart, competent, and all-round badass. He's extremely committed to bringing down the bad guys and never wavers in his ideals, but still shows a lot of understanding towards the criminals. He goes to pretty extreme self-sacrificing measures to complete his mission and gain Gu Tao's trust, and it works. Plenty of whump :)
Gu Tao is a character you can't help but like. He's a criminal, yet he shows so much care and loyalty to his friends/brothers. I will say he tends to trust a bit too much, the progression of accepting Fang Mo was a bit fast. The naivety was a little unrealistic considering he has just found a mole (MC's gf). I really felt bad for him, knowing that the person he has poured so much trust and care into is an undercover cop deceiving him. And then when he finally finds out the truth about MC, he still loves Fang Mo so much he begs MC to stop being a cop and remain with Gu Tao, and can't bring himself to hurt Fang Mo even while feeling the pain of betrayal.
Jin Lanlan is my least favourite character in this drama. She just feels so fake, and so unnecessary. Not much else to say tbh.
Ma Sijie was interesting. He only really shows up in the latter half of the drama. His character felt a little unstable at times, but his care for Gu Tao was undeniable. Other than that, not super memorable.
The other side characters were generally quite well written and helped to drive the plot.
- Acting
Phenomenal! Except maybe Jin Lanlan's acting, which always felt sickeningly fake and put on.
- Music
Honestly didn't pay attention, which isn't a bad thing.
- Rewatch Value
The problem with these kinds of shows is that it loses much of the rewatch value once you know what's going to happen. Nonetheless, entertaining enough that I would likely enjoy rewatching in the distant future.
Conclusion
Regardless of the ending, the drama is still fantastic and well worth watching. The highlight is the way MC goes about his undercover operation, with the back and forth conflict between police and criminals attempting to outsmart one another.
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I am conflicted about Fang Han/Fang Mo helping him with his predicaments or sending him to prison.
Even with all the hypes and the huge budget “The Thunder” got; I find that this drama “Never Say Never” has a much better execution, dynamic and flow.
The storyline, the production and the general acting of the entire cast are really well done.
Qin Jun Jie is really consistent with his character and he is a far much better actor than Johnny Huang (Sorry Johnny).
I watched “The Thunder” because I had enjoyed “When a Snail Falls in Love;” however, “Never Say Never” is by far my favorite.
*On a Side Note:
China hands death penalties like they were handing candies...
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This review may contain spoilers
the end of the story
I really enjoyed this drama. when watching my heart always beats hard, I like the fangmo character who is good at hiding something, and also I don't think that daxia is a cop and the fat guy hasn't died yet. The problem with this film is that Huqiang doesn't show up at the trial and doesn't know how he's doing, and neither does Zhao Haoran. In the drama, several chemists who worked with Zhao Haoran were not arrested, Dun Nuo was also not arrested. at the time the chief of police said that there was still a fang mo mission to complete it was still a mysteryWas this review helpful to you?
