Black & White Forest (2024)

Great Acting but the Storyline was a Choppy Mess & the gun was STOLEN not lost!

I only came about this series last minute because I had previously watched DYX in 4 costume dramas this year so wanted to see him in a totally different genre. Now he and the rest of the actors (some I've seen while others I haven't) did a phenomenal job at their characters but the script was just a choppy mess and I was so sick of them talking about the gun being lost and how he had to take responsibility when the dude was knocked out and the thing stolen off his person.

Pros: Honestly, just the acting of the actors; DYX did a wonderful job, just wish the script was strong. Every character was believable and did their part for as long as they were needed. DLE or as I called him the Hawaiian shirted gangster was literally the comic relief of the show. How everyone was able to convincingly speak in whichever dialect of mandarin that was, was very cool. Mastermind was truly cruel and used everyone to his advantage. The worst was NF; because he killed her father but made her believe he was her benefactor until right before she was shot by the SWAT team. He manipulated this poor girl her entire life into becoming a spy and assassin for him and then called it her atonement for what her father did. Losing LTY, then her, then Bao Ge (though that was inevitable) was hard. But the mastermind being very smart that he planned everything for something like 12 years and his actor played him well. Sad part was that LTY didn't like nor trust him from the beginning but no one believed him and than he was killed by the guy, that one hurt the most.

Cons: The storyline was a mess. Ok there's a mastermind that had ML's gun STOLEN but that was constantly referred to as a lost gun and he was suspended over it not to mention yelled at because all of these other cops SML included would somehow be super human if knocked over the head with a metal pipe and be able to retain his service pistol. That was a crock of shit. The cops themselves couldn't catch a bad guy red handed if he came to them on a silver platter which included whole departments, SWAT included. Meanwhile WBB (ML) and his best friend LTY were always in the path and somehow either slowed the person getting away down or caught him for said flailing cops.

Furthermore, no one could really tell when ML met NF; one moment you think they just got to know each other a little while ago and he just has a crush on her and then a few episodes later you find out he’s been in love with her since they were young. That’s what I mean by choppy and messy. There was absolutely no need for romance in this drama or even the slight possibility of it. And the way it was written, was screwed up as well.

For 26 or so episodes, the bad guys were running circles around the cops. They couldn’t put 2 + 2 together to save their lives. The flashbacks in the beginning were slowly necessary more or less to piece together who the mastermind was and why (he was of course right under their noses) but his why was just a self justification for the bad things his "nephew" did and why his sister and husband died. I also had problems with the way LTY and even NF died; they weren't given proper deaths; like ok killed, next scene. At least Bao Ge had a funeral but the main antagonist's death was a total copout happening in literally the last 5 minutes of the series with the reinstatement of WBB as an officer before stupid words about characters being charged (who cares, this was fake!) and role credits.

Would I recommend it? Honestly only for the acting because the storyline was just really dumb especially when you start to realize what's happening. It's a good in between anticipated dramas show but that's it. DYX did a good job; hope he gets better scripts for modern dramas in the future.

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the plot could not be saved

To be honest, I started this without much expectations so after watching the first 1~3 episodes I was actually interested to see where this goes. But really even at episode 10 it was going nowhere only in circles…there was no progression to the story and the writing was really bad. To the extent where policemen were as good as regular citizens they had no upper hand at all.

The crime part of this drama is practically nothing. There isn’t any exciting mystery to solve. Halfway through the drama, it changes to a business orientated show where suddenly everyone is fighting for the business.

The reveal of the villain was build up in a very obvious way so there wasn’t anything shocking (sad…cause i felt like they could have executed that portion in a much better way). There were wayyyy to many side characters I couldn’t even keep track of who is who because they tend to use nicknames instead of full names.

I watched this for Ding Yuxi, so his acting made me push through till the end. But it’s not a drama I would recommend >< It was a good challenge and interesting genre to take on which could have excelled if the writing was good.

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DYX isn't the lead as they promoted, slow progression as first, but great twists later.

Things I Like
The picture, camera work, mood, and music are really good. They build up excitement despite the slow progression in the first half of the series. I like the backstory cuts. There are plenty of puzzles, plot twists, and unexpected unraveling, especially in the second half of the series, where it becomes really good. There are a lot of secrets you won't be able to guess, and it keeps you excited to know more. If you are still doubting, give it a try. I still think it is worth watching. You might feel frustrated at police in the beginning but just keep trusting that there will be reasonable explainations later and it will get better. The business, the fraud makes it more interesting to me. The plot is not just about fighting and investigating. It's fun to see characters take turn to outwit each other both in business and crime cases.

What Could Be Better
The Plot
The puzzles, plot twists, and unraveling are actually great. Starting from Episode 19, the story progresses much better. If we were to rate the series from there, it would easily score a 8.5-9.5 because you finally see both the officials and gangsters working together toward the same truths, leading to progress and some success in the investigation. It would have made a huge difference if this had started earlier.

The plot could have been way more interesting if Binbin were the center of the story, connecting business (Wen Zixuan), gangsters (Bao Chen Yan), and officials (Xing Liang), secretly building collaboration and planning the investigation from all sides. I think that was the producers' original intention, but they failed to show it. Instead, it was filled with unnecessary drama and meaningless tension between these three sides—a total waste.

Characters
DYX (Binbin): If you are a fan of DYX, you will be very, very disappointed. Honestly, he is not the main lead—not even close. DYX has very little screen time, and his role is just as little significant as Tianyi's, which is purely supportive in the overall investigation. The producers clearly used his name and popularity to lure viewers in. The claim that "the lost gun" is central to the story is the biggest lie in the promo. The story is not about Binbin or his gun. To make matters worse, his character is portrayed as just a spoiled, and sensitive boy with no charisma as a young, promising police officer. Even when he finds information and evidence, it doesn’t come across as "genius techniques." Instead, it’s just "he’s friendly and talkative." So WARNING: If you watch this expecting DYX to appear and take the lead, it will ruin your mood. This series is not that bad if you watch without the expectation about DYX's role. The key is this will give him oppotunities for wider range of roles.

Xing Liang: XL is not the main lead either. His character is boring, with no depth. He’s simply an inflexible, rigid, and upright police officer—that’s it.

Bao Chen Yan: The real main lead is BCY. Though labeled a "supporting role," the entire story revolves around him—from his background, his rise to power, his friendships, his enemies, his hopes, his business, and his loved ones. This isn't that his acting outshined others either, it's just the plot making it this way. His character isn't built for ML and to have whole series about him like this. He is pretty dumb and shallow. It just shows that the screenwriter and director have lost in a completely wrong direction. Also, his accent feels overly pretentious. Younger BCY seemed much more natural and didn’t act too recklessly.

Dian Lao'er is my favorite. He is funny and helps is audience A LOT to go through the first half. This character is perfect, plot or acting. Dian Lao'er with his weird eyes is on point, very believable.

SL and WZX's Daughter: I get that she’s not important to the plot, and we may pretend adults don't allow her to hear about adults' issues, so she stays in her room. But the couple made so many fresh-cooked meals.. lol and she’s not allowed to join them?? There are a lot of character inconsistencies. Characters like Tianyi and Dian Lao'er inexplicably have the same hairstyle and hair color for 10 years. (but someone comments about this "perm on this new haircut"). They used a young cast for BCY nine years ago but the older cast for scenes 11 years ago. lol
Alright, I'm being too picking on this, we can still ignore these minor issues...

But gangster credibility though... the director fails to convince me that these gangsters or mafia are "cruel." They just hit each other with sticks and tools. Sun Chang Hai running around and jumping off windows is supposed to make him a "skilled assassin" and "tough"? Come on. For people with so much money and illegal activity, not even one of them owns an illegal gun? Ridiculous. Some of the fight scenes aren’t realistic. A big group of gangsters can't even fight against 2 simple guys, whole station of police and SWAT can't catch anyone. (Only person SWAT team can shoot down is the one who shouldn't be dead.)

Script
The director tries too hard to give the characters complex relationships, but it just makes them annoyingly unreasonable and contradictory.

- When BCY reminded Binbin about his dad's wish for him to be a police officer (a weird obsession in itself), Binbin said, "No one cares whether I am comfortable being a police," but later said, "This is my only goal in life."
- XL is almost useless at times with his favorite line, "This is the rule." I’m fed up with all his blaming Binbin for losing the gun. Binbin was attacked during an operation. He should be given compensation and a new gun, not blamed. Sometimes XL tells Binbin, "Remember, you are still a police with responsibilities/ Find your gun," and other times, "Don't ask, don't come, don't do anything," Like.. what do you want him to do???
- WZX is incredibly annoying. She gets mad at XL for being a crime suppression police but also wants XL to support his brother stay in police position. She never listens to her husband’s advice but later blames him for letting her in danger.

Acting
Most of the actors did well—too well for such a silly plot. From XL's wanting to be the police to prove he can save his family, WZX overconcern about XL's safety being a police, to Binbin don't want to disappoint his late dad. These reasons are not enough to be so emotional. Good acting with these plots only makes them seem overly dramatic over nothing.

I am a fan of DYX but I have to admit that some of his scenes feel a little forced, for instance, his first few breakdowns, and his idol-series acting style—with a cute angry-sulky face when arguing with his bros—doesn’t fit this genre. Tianyi sometimes acts more naturally and more mature than him. However, DYX’s acting improves over the course of the series. I was particularly impressed in the final few episodes.

However I still feel like I can watch it again.

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I thought I could never be so disappointed again.

I waited for this show and was excited for Ding Yu Xi. I had no high expectations or anything like that but the first episode was already so bad. I kept hoping that it'll get better but it didn't.

My main problems:

The script: The script is a mess. The whole "it's Binbin's fault" is so annoying. It's not his fault that he got knocked out and his gun got stolen. He can't protect himself or his gun when he is unconscious! That's so dumb.

Xing being a completely asshole and an idiot and then the script tries to justify it and say that he does a lot of good with a forced scene with his brother. 'Even tho his salary is small he still lends money to ppl in need' 🙄😒 His wife is rich af. His house is big af. He isn't lacking money. It's nothing for him and the fact that ppl do charity work doesn't change them from being assholes and act like jerks to a boy that lost his father and feels so guilty and ashamed at an accident. Which I repeat IS SOMETHING THAT WAS OUT OF HIS CONTROL!

It isn't consistent at all. Binbin is saying 'I'm not gonna contact you again' just to contact them a second later. I can't take his anger seriously when he is acting like nothing happened a second after.
Lots of emotional moments were rushed that I couldn't feel anything for the characters cuz Idk them well enough.

Also some basic things like the police not waiting outside the location of the killer. Like wtf? He escaped through the window or back doors before. Three times he got away cause no one was waiting outside the building. WAIT OUTSIDE! WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM?

I can keep going forever about the ridiculous knocking Binbin out when he is angry (in a scene that wasn't bad and Ding showed the frustration of his character so well) just so Bao can make up with him. And on and on. It's just a mess.

Acting and Casting: I can never be convinced that Xing and his wife are husband and wife. Terrible chemistry. She's too pretty and young compare to him. They're supposed to be around the same age. They knew e/o when they were young. The actors have 14y difference. It just doesn't work.

Ning Li did not convince me that Xing is actually a good guy. He hates Binbin and it's obvious. That's the end of it. There's no tough love. There's only hatred in his heart, voice and eyes.

Bao's dialect is so forced.

Only good things from the main cast are Ding Yu Xi, Fei Li Qi, Xu Hong Hao.

Fight Choreography and Directing: The camera work is good but besides of that it's bad. Just bad. Some moments are better but the knocking out scene and even a simple moment of Bao being angry and making Binbin sit back down when both are emotional and Binbin is breaking down. It feels so forced.

I can go on and on and I didn't even finish this show.

In short, it's bad. I wouldn't recommend, unless you want to scream at your screen with frustration. I'm so disappointed cause I was excited to see Ding in a police drama but this is a mess.

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La tragica vida de Ding Yuxi, el policía suspendido

No puedo decir que amo esta serie, pero al menos te entretiene un rato. Por momentos la trama te puede ofrecer misterio policíaco pero en otros, simplemente sigue un guión muy predecible y repetitivo. Lo cual es común en series de acción, pero ojalá hubieran tenido más creatividad para enmascarlo. Es tan predecible la trama qué me pregunto si lo hicieron así a proposito, porque no había visto algo tan obvio desde Squid Game.

El personaje de Ding Yuxi está lejos de ser el policía resolvedor de crímenes que te quieren hacer creer y aunque probablemente este a finales de sus 20's, principios de sus 30's, como es el más joven en su casa lo tratan como a un adolescente (? Su personaje más bien es el de un joven maestro regañado por perder su arma (de lo cual no tuvo la culpa). Es un hermano menor, un cuñado y un amigo, pero como personaje propio es difícil de ver, ya que la trama se centra en sus relaciones y no en el mismo.

Las escenas de acción están bien coreografíadas y los efectos son lo suficientemente buenos para hacerlo creíble. Honestamente, el trabajo de los actores es lo que levanta a esta serie, si no fuera por ellos la hubiera abandonado hace mucho, porque la historia es demasiado simple, ciclica y aburrida. Le agradezco inmensamente a los actores por su buen trabajo, porque sin ellos la historia probablemente sería horrible.

Una de las cosas que más lamento es que parece que la policía no sabe hacer su trabajo. Wen Binbin siempre logra dar fácilmente con los culpables (a pesar de que esta suspendido) y no importa que en cada ocasión le avise a las autoridades, siempre se les escapa el delincuente. Literal el protagonista puede hacer el trabajo de todo un departamento de policías y en cada ocasión los delincuentes se escapan por la misma p*ta razón. La primera mitad de la serie se trata de ese juego del gato y el ratón entre el protagonista y los criminales sin llegar a ningún plot twist relevante. Hasta después del episodio 15 las cosas empiezas a tomar otro camino.

Debo quejarme por la muerte de la chica que le gustaba a Binbin, porque se muere por un disparo en el brazo ¡El brazo! y nunca se aclara para el resto de personajes como participó en los delitos. Binbin simplemente llora su muerte esperando que lo que le dijeron no sea cierto. Así como eso, hubieron varios huecos en la trama que usaron a su conveniencia pero que después abandonaron y nunca explicaron.

Si embargo, ojalá Ding Yuxi reciba un premio por tremenda actuación en el capitulo 11 y 23 (si recuerdo bien), porque hay tanto dolor y vulnerabilidad en su interpretación que es difícil de ver en actores chinos, quienes siempre tratan de lucir guapos y fuertes cuando lloran, al diablo con eso, los hombres que expresan sus sentimientos son sexys. DYX ha dejado una fuerte impresión en mi y ha levantado mis expectativas sobre lo que busco ver en un actor. Sobre su actuación no tengo ninguna queja, al contrario.

Si los dramas policiales y conflictos callejeros son lo tuyo, creo que te gustará un poco este drama. Si esperas romance o caras bonitas, bueno... quizás debas de buscar en otro lado. Cumple su función de entretener, pero eso es todo.

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