This is one thoroughly enjoyable series. Watch this if you’re mystery buff. Watch it even if you’re not a mystery buff. It’s not quite polished, but still a good step towards bringing more of the whodunnit subgenre to Asian viewers.

The murder cases themselves aren’t exactly mind blowing, mainly because the source material (Kerry Greenwood’s Miss Fisher) isn’t the best. The way the screenwriters work the clues into the dialogue is clumsy and very obvious. If you are truly a mystery buff, you will correctly guess the murderer every time. There are flaws in the logic, but the story moves along so fast you'll hardly have time to dwell on them. The show wants viewers to think, but not overthink.

A lot of effort goes into the sets and costumes. I just can’t get used to this Candyland version of Shanghai. The colors are oversaturated and downright fake. The sets look too busy, especially the inside of Miss Su’s mansion (that portrait in the main hall scares me). Instead of appearing classy, it comes off as cheap. The same goes for the clothing. If the designers would tone it down just a tad, the dresses would have been perfect.

The acting is mostly competent, if not a little unnatural at times. What makes this show a must-see is the sexual tension between the main leads, Ma Yi Li and Vengo Gao. As Miss Su and Detective Luo, they are a rare gem of a couple. Neither is the other one’s first love. They never say “I love you” outright. They don’t even declare their feelings. Their relationship builds slowly from case to case, culminating in the moment where Detective Luo pummels the bad guy, definitively saying “How dare you hit my woman!” And there’s nothing more intimate than a woman tenderly shaving a man who clearly does not need shaving. These two don’t need to lock lips to show that they are hot.

I love the series’ catchy theme song. It’s a jazzy instrumental that pays homage to the original Miss Fisher series.