Kanousei
Nothing's perfect, but this is close
So I've never written a review before, and I posted this in the comments section, then was suggested by a commenter to put this in the review section hahaha. So here I am, with some editing done to this review I originally wrote. The only 'spoiler' is whether it has a happy or sad ending for this drama, but I wouldn't categorise the rest as spoilers.
First off, let's just say nothing's perfect, but if there's something close to perfection, I think this one is close to it for its genre. I'd 100% rewatch it. In fact, I just can't find another mystery, crime and romance drama quite like this one right now and am currently in a slump, watching random dramas that just doesn't give me the same feeling as this one, and even contemplating rewatching if I can't find any others (and probably will rewatch it soon).
Some say the ending is rather rushed, and while I agree somewhat, I think it's still a great ending. The balance between mystery, suspense, humour and romance was great. I can't say it was excellent, but I'd give it a 9.5/10 for this show over all, particularly for its fast-pace that really made every moment interesting. Kudos to the scriptwriters because the script and plot were amazing! (I mean, I heard that apparently one of the scriptwriters was the writer of the novel this was based on. But the drama is actually better than the novel, and you can consider the novel as a draft and the drama as something that was based on that draft. That's what I heard anyways).
I love all the characters (the actors did a great job portraying them! The really deserve more credit than they are and I wish them al the best in their future dramas!) The story doesn't follow the bad cliches, and is honestly a hidden gem. They resolved everything, tied everything up, mysteries and details were consistent and made sense, no annoying cliches between females, honestly didn't drag at all, and it had a very happy ending. The romance definitely wasn't the focus, but it was definitely there, and I say it's GOOD romance. Respectful male lead and mature female lead with a cute face (and personality), but ACTUALLY USEFUL and NOT annoying. The mystery is all linked together and it's interesting until the end, at least in my opinion.
Honestly, for those who are looking for something with a bit of everything, but most importantly, wonderful characterisations, no cringy humour, great side-plot romance (for those who avoid romance because it's usually bad, well, there is absolutely NO NEED to worry about that here AT ALL!) with a focus on mystery, then this would be your cup of tea. I personally like stories with romance, but I will avoid anything that has bad romance. This had a great plot and a great mystery, but if it had bad romance, I wouldn't watch it. If it had no romance, then I can consider it - in short, I avoid any drama with typical, annoying depictions of romance.
But seriously, it's a series that shows that a plot can be INTERESTING and CAPTIVATING without all the useless and stupid relationship drama or other cliches that are sometimes used to drive the plot. With well-packed mysteries and fun dialogue, avoiding most cliches (and leaving the good ones) it's honestly praiseworthy. I looked at the recommendations list for this drama and none of the shows on the list is quite like this one.
Special note: THE MUSIC. There was one episode where it the ost was just PERFECTLY times and used. There's also a song called 此生来了 (This Life is Not Over) in the drama and I'm in love with it. Unlike perhaps most others who have perhaps hundreds, or thousands of songs on their playlist, my current playlist only has 9 songs HAHA. I've had dozens of songs before, but then I cut it down to 21 specific songs. Then I cut it down to around 8 this year, and now it has 9 because I added this song HAHA. I do have my personal reasons for being this picky with songs, but either way, it managed to be picked by me and I've been listening to it on repeat ever since XD I only gave 'music' a 9.5 because it wasn't perfect all the time in the drama, and same with the acting. But honestly, the plot is the tightest plot I've been exposed to with really not a moment of boredom, though there is one moment I could think of that made me actually go UGH but that was just a very, very brief few minutes and can be over looked. I'm perfectly fine with rewatching the scene when I rewatch the drama again.
The reason I gave it an overall 10 is because it is close to perfection in my heart. Like I said, I believe nothing is perfect, so a 10 is my way of saying it's the closest to perfection.
My one biggest wish was to see a bit more kissing scenes because there's really not a lot, but their romance is wonderful without it still.
Anyways, give it a try at least. It might not be everyone's cup of tea, but you never know until you try.
First off, let's just say nothing's perfect, but if there's something close to perfection, I think this one is close to it for its genre. I'd 100% rewatch it. In fact, I just can't find another mystery, crime and romance drama quite like this one right now and am currently in a slump, watching random dramas that just doesn't give me the same feeling as this one, and even contemplating rewatching if I can't find any others (and probably will rewatch it soon).
Some say the ending is rather rushed, and while I agree somewhat, I think it's still a great ending. The balance between mystery, suspense, humour and romance was great. I can't say it was excellent, but I'd give it a 9.5/10 for this show over all, particularly for its fast-pace that really made every moment interesting. Kudos to the scriptwriters because the script and plot were amazing! (I mean, I heard that apparently one of the scriptwriters was the writer of the novel this was based on. But the drama is actually better than the novel, and you can consider the novel as a draft and the drama as something that was based on that draft. That's what I heard anyways).
I love all the characters (the actors did a great job portraying them! The really deserve more credit than they are and I wish them al the best in their future dramas!) The story doesn't follow the bad cliches, and is honestly a hidden gem. They resolved everything, tied everything up, mysteries and details were consistent and made sense, no annoying cliches between females, honestly didn't drag at all, and it had a very happy ending. The romance definitely wasn't the focus, but it was definitely there, and I say it's GOOD romance. Respectful male lead and mature female lead with a cute face (and personality), but ACTUALLY USEFUL and NOT annoying. The mystery is all linked together and it's interesting until the end, at least in my opinion.
Honestly, for those who are looking for something with a bit of everything, but most importantly, wonderful characterisations, no cringy humour, great side-plot romance (for those who avoid romance because it's usually bad, well, there is absolutely NO NEED to worry about that here AT ALL!) with a focus on mystery, then this would be your cup of tea. I personally like stories with romance, but I will avoid anything that has bad romance. This had a great plot and a great mystery, but if it had bad romance, I wouldn't watch it. If it had no romance, then I can consider it - in short, I avoid any drama with typical, annoying depictions of romance.
But seriously, it's a series that shows that a plot can be INTERESTING and CAPTIVATING without all the useless and stupid relationship drama or other cliches that are sometimes used to drive the plot. With well-packed mysteries and fun dialogue, avoiding most cliches (and leaving the good ones) it's honestly praiseworthy. I looked at the recommendations list for this drama and none of the shows on the list is quite like this one.
Special note: THE MUSIC. There was one episode where it the ost was just PERFECTLY times and used. There's also a song called 此生来了 (This Life is Not Over) in the drama and I'm in love with it. Unlike perhaps most others who have perhaps hundreds, or thousands of songs on their playlist, my current playlist only has 9 songs HAHA. I've had dozens of songs before, but then I cut it down to 21 specific songs. Then I cut it down to around 8 this year, and now it has 9 because I added this song HAHA. I do have my personal reasons for being this picky with songs, but either way, it managed to be picked by me and I've been listening to it on repeat ever since XD I only gave 'music' a 9.5 because it wasn't perfect all the time in the drama, and same with the acting. But honestly, the plot is the tightest plot I've been exposed to with really not a moment of boredom, though there is one moment I could think of that made me actually go UGH but that was just a very, very brief few minutes and can be over looked. I'm perfectly fine with rewatching the scene when I rewatch the drama again.
The reason I gave it an overall 10 is because it is close to perfection in my heart. Like I said, I believe nothing is perfect, so a 10 is my way of saying it's the closest to perfection.
My one biggest wish was to see a bit more kissing scenes because there's really not a lot, but their romance is wonderful without it still.
Anyways, give it a try at least. It might not be everyone's cup of tea, but you never know until you try.
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