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Jina

United States

Jina

United States
Killer and Healer chinese drama review
Completed
Killer and Healer
23 people found this review helpful
by Jina
Apr 8, 2021
37 of 37 episodes seen
Completed 3
Overall 10
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10.0
Music 9.5
Rewatch Value 10.0

For full enjoyable experience, PLEASE watch the cut/trimmed scenes and the second ending

If anyone have watched any dramas from MGTV, you'll know that they suck, especially when they put it on YouTube. MGTV doesn't always provide Eng subs, they will cut audio if it means avoiding music copyright issues, and they also edit and cut/trim down scenes a lot. Sadly, they're not like the wonderful YOUKU with "Word of Honor." YOUKU has been giving such an wonderful experience for fans of Word of Honor. MGTV could never because they're too cheap.

With all that said, Killer and Healer is still an enjoyable drama despite being butchered like that but if you want the full experience, please make sure to watch the cut/trimmed scenes and watch the second ending. You can find all of those clips on YouTube if you search "Killer and Healer highlight" and "Killer and Healer ending."

Killer and Healer is a Republican Era, cop/doctor action detective drama with the cop, Jiang Yuelou, trying to solve and get rid of opium in Jing City. By chance, he meets the doctor Chen Yuzhi and they form a cooperation and then an unbreakable friendship/relationship helping each other while trying to break through the cases and find out and stop the main villain of the drama. At the same time, Chen Yuzhi tries to help Jiang Yuelou with his PTSD and bipolar disorder which has begun to affect Jiang Yuelou's reactions/decisions in the field.

YES, THIS IS A SOULMATES DRAMA. Look, if you know anything about Chinese dramas by now, you know they censor LGBTQ+ content. That means that directors and scriptwriters etc. have to find a way around it and I think this drama did it wonderfully. The main leads, Jiang Yuelou and Chen Yuzhi, have an incredibly deep relationship with so much loyalty and trust, along with warm and tender exchanges and interactions. ESPECIALLY IF YOU WATCH THE CUT/TRIMMED SCENES, you can witness that even more. There is so much explicitly said AND implied, you have to know how to read between the scenes/lines. And I want to clarify that, though yes they have a female character here and she does catch feels for one of the main leads, she is never used to block the two guys nor is she ever an annoying character. She's so wonderful and I will fight anyone who hates on her. Her character was used in some way to downplay the LGBTQ+ vibes but you can always tell how important and critical Jiang Yuelou's and Chen Yuzhi's relationship is to each other.

Anyway, it's fairly fast-paced and yet also does very well with angsty and sad scenes that makes you cry. The OST is also really good too and truly makes you feel the emotions of the scene. There are some plot choices that I question, but overall, I still enjoyed this drama a lot.

Mao Zijun as Jiang Yuelou and Ian Yi as Chen Yuzhi were such a delight! I hadn't really seen them before in their previous dramas (and I believe Killer & Healer is their first real drama as leads), so watching them here was refreshing but also so enjoyable! Mao Zijun is my absolute favorite because he is able to balance looking cool and handsome and also painful scenes where he's hurting and is crying so much. I am seriously impressed with Mao Zijun as it can be difficult to pull off a character who can be aggressive but also sympathetic too. He's able to show off how Jiang Yuelou can be tough but also be so vulnerable. Such great acting and good character.
Ian Yi did a perfect job of being the gentle and caring doctor Chen Yuzhi. There are other supporting characters that are pretty great too, such as the female character Chu Ran, who wasn't annoying at all and was just so level-headed, calm, smart, and cute. I adore the supporting characters like Song Rong and Sun Yongren.
There's the second "couple" characters--Zhan Junbai and Yu Tangchun--who are so fascinating but sadly don't have as many scenes as the main leads. However, their relationship is intriguing still and quite heartbreaking. I adore both of the actors for these roles and enjoyed watching their interactions and relationship.

To summarize, you might like this drama if you like these things:
-Two complex and competent male leads who value and care for each other so much that it's practically romantic (but due to censorship, it's "bromance"). (Even MyDramaList tag this as "homoerotic subtext" and they're not wrong.)
-A competent and smart female character who is never made annoying or as a "block" to the main leads
-A complicated and intriguing relationship between the supporting "couple" characters
-Endearing supporting characters who serve as comedic relief and also as commentary to the two male leads' relationship
-HURT/COMFORT!!! This is one of the best things about this show. It's about the angst and hurt and being taken care of by the other!!
-UNWAVING FAITH AND LOYALTY of the main leads!!!!!
-Suggestive and flirting looks (what can I say, Mao Zijun just oozes such casual flirtatious style, okay.)

Things that you might not like or feel comfortable with
-Depiction of mental illnesses. Personally, I think they did a decent job with Jiang Yuelou's bipolar disorder and PTSD but I don't know too much about bipolar disorder. I know PTSD though and Jiang Yuelou definitely have a lot of that from his difficult background. However, I know some viewers may feel it difficult to watch when Jiang Yuelou is going through this.
-Deaths. This is a Republican Era drama, so typically, a lot of people will die, especially in this line of work as a cop/detective working to fight mob bosses.

Possible content warnings:
-depictions of addiction behavior and trauma-related behavior like aggression and violence
-depictions of domestic violence and abuse
-depiction of PTSD and bipolar disorder
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