Most Memorable Drama & CP of 2021 So Far!

I have more than a decade of experience watching asian dramas and nowadays I don't really get hooked on a drama anymore before moving to the next one. Killer and Healer managed to do the impossible and I have been unable to forget it since I watched it last month. The cast, acting, music, and production etc. together make this one of most impactful and memorable drama for me (and the best in 2021 so far).

Acting:
I can't praise the acting of the main leads enough. Mao Zi Jun and Ian Yi were both amazing in showing the complex emotions of their characters. They also have amazing chemistry and were able to convey the "soulmate" relationship of their characters so well through their eyes, expressions and gentle touches etc. This is quite difficult to do given the strict censorship in China. Even though a lot of their scenes together were cut, it didn't diminish their chemistry at all. All the supporting cast also did really well for their roles especially the actors for Jun Bai, Boss Yu, Chu Ran, Song Rong, Sun Yongren, Jin etc. I was drawn in by all the performances and hope this underrated drama gets more popular because the cast deserves it.

Story/Production:
The background of the story is based on the opium trade in the turbulent Chinese republican era so the story has quite a lot high stakes. Each character is multi-dimensional (even the main villain). The director and producer were able to show the complex relationships of the characters quite well. The story was a bit rushed in the end but that was because of time constraints and low budget. Still these flaws in the story didn't reduce the impact of the drama for me. Even though the drama did not have a high budget, the production did really well with the sets and the costumes (I love the fashion). The drama was originally filmed in 2018 so I believe the entire crew and cast had to put in a lot of work to finally manage to bring it to the viewer. Really appreciate their efforts!

Music:
The OST for this drama is superb and really brings out the underlying theme of the drama and the complex relationships between characters. I still listen to the songs often.

Re-watch value:
I haven't been able to move on since I watched this drama so I go back to re-watch different moments in the drama everyday.

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