Umair Ahmed
Islamabad, ICT, Pakistan
Its a typical procedural episodic crime drama with hints of an over arching plot to be solved at the end. The crimes are in fact a mix of cliche and original plots. Investigations are captivating but marred by stupid writing and unrealistic plot progression. The scientific theory and forensic autopsy part stands out more than anything else. Though the gory details could have been toned down. It is a bit too much for some people (not me though!).
The most glaring plot holes are the shoe horned feelings of attachment and care between the investigative unit. They all were like people working together with no other feelings and then at the end they were like some long lost friends or some people working for years with each other...
It seems that every episode happened after many days of time difference in the timeline but their behavior does not substantiate such. I felt extremely lost in the last 2 episodes.
Characters/Acting:
Characters are stupid, except for the main lead who is an omnipotent genius. Chinese novel readers should know that it is the same OP MC story line that they have red in hundreds (if not thousands) of Xianxia novels. The universe serves the male lead character. Romance and friendships are shoe horned where needed.
In fact, the plot is so contrived that with only the main lead, they could do everything. That makes you question the viability of such a unit and how it solved cases before him or why the other doctors haven't been fired yet. The others including the female lead are just 1D characters. The whole world of the drama is made only for the male lead to shine, all else is just decoration.
I mean the male lead can do all the medicals better than all the others. Their could have been silent characters helping him out, no need for these foolish, no consequence characters, just there to show a more wholesome team. The female lead could have been their to provide protection and other police work, may even serve as a romantic interest with a sassy demeanor (she is already a bit sassy). It is a tried and true formula, I have seen many popular shows with such a plot going successfully for more than 5 seasons.
The last 2 episodes were really the bottom and reminded me of the over 1000 episodes of CID (Indian Drama) that my household hated and only my little brother loved.
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An unfortunate victim of weak and indecisivs plotting
This is essentially a romance drama, the other more prominent parts of the story reach their conclusion midway. The past timeline is given a larger share of screen time except the last two episodes.Throughout there was only SML around the FL. This puts all plots into disarray as the viewer mistakes them to become a couple. The ML has infinitesimal screen time, popping here and there. The SML and FL are cute together, the chemistry was explosive.
And then in the ending things take turn for the worse. We have rapid fire conclusions that come out of little substance and then the romance drama annihilating fail turns its head:
The ML becomes the boyfriend because of the butterfly effect...
Yeah, you read that right, there is ZERO COURTSHIP and it is just like ZAP they are a couple!!! No kiss, no confession, nothing at all!
The ultimate conclusion is that the screenwriter was confused and did not know what to do and when to do it.
Alas! It had so much potential!
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This review may contain spoilers
Its a show which is great at political intrigue and fascinating complicated schemes. All else though has a lot to be desired. Mostly it suffers from unnecessary extra plot lines like romance and some really shallow supernatural elements.The cliche of protag is always right and everyone accepts and follows him really makes this drama boring. It just devolves into a power fantasy. At first at least he had a friend.
- Romance -
In the beginning the story starts with a heavy influence of a romantic sub plot. Unfortunately, later when the ML gets the girl, the girl becomes a meaningless show piece which turns up for small glimpses. The girl is also really meaningless in the whole scheme of things and ends up as a cliche pawn for others' use.
I do think having a harem would have tantalized this or if the main girl was a lot more active, apart from her supposed beauty. But beauty is subjective, as I found the actress not special at all, completely undeserving of the role. Almost all other love interests around ML were far more beautiful actresses, who would actually even help the ML and be more meaningful part of his life.
- The World -
The overall world also gets a back seat, we don't get much clarity of what the country is about, how it is organized, who it borders etc. Rather we get one or two lines thrown here and there about some front line, some province etc.
- Martial Aspect -
The martial power levels are loosely defined, actually only the the top 3 are ever mentioned throughout. Apart from some supernatural differences of the top level, nothing is clear. Out of thin air the protag mentions a breakthrough but of what, constitutes of what or to what end is never described.
- Story Background -
The story describes the nature of ML and his mysterious mother in a way which in my opinion is similar to shooting oneself dead:
"The past humankind actually died in a high tech era from a Great Ice Age, meaning thousands of years from now. Then this race came about and progressed much like ours till the state in the drama, against infinitely incalculable odds, the world after millions of years, went in the same trajectory as before!"
This supernatural aspect was a botched attempt. I guess, the author realized its premature nature and didn't immediately follow it through as well but its position in the plot made the TV production also unable to move it around.
All the improbabilities to impossibly making the world like ancient China. Even though this mankind is completely different from the humans of past like our ML.
But I understand from experience that rarely Chinese novel authors ever give attention to world details as long as things seem fantastical.
- Overall -
The second half only has its schemes that keep it interesting, there is no strong overarching goal. This is essentially a slice of life drama where we look at how the lead lives his life without any main goal or definite end to attain.
Still this drama, if you care to ignore all its fallacies, is a good one time watchable affair.
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This review may contain spoilers
A second chance story done right!
Great drama!It had many things I wanted to see in the drama like an Ex-GF getting humiliated properly after a bad breakup initiated by her. Or an Ex-GF seducing the ML when he tries the friendship card I so despise.
Yes, the romance was spectacular with a lot of well placed cliche troupes.
Though it has its fallacies too like it took too long for them to get together by K-Drama standards or how it really got boring afterwards. The episode they did get together was great but immediately after the passion just fizzled out like they aged many years all of a sudden...
The SML's story was quite boring and I wasn't able to get vested in it though the drama did give him a lot of screen time in the second half. Same with the second couple as well which ultimately was a lost cause.
Essentially a recommended watch!
Though watch out for the fallacies as they may ruin it for you. I for one will cut them out and have the glory of watching the series without!
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Twisted dream then reality based romance for teens
Its an odd drama, I both like and hate it. Perhaps because it targets a younger audience, teens to mid tweens so there is no realistic grey been good and bad.There is a high degree of idealism with the legal system being a white horse and going the cliche route of vilifying the more grey aspects of it. A realistic view of it with witty interactions between defendants and prosecutors would have been more interesting but the plot used the cliche illegal countermeasures instead of the real nitty gritty law battles using law intricacies. Those might have worked in a gangster world but we are talking about a law firm and a corporate here, things can't be concluded by just dealing with the direct belligerents... I felt like the show downgraded to a 90s Indian film.
Romance is nothing phenomenal and is just OK. As per the known Chinese predicament, three is a reset after the fantasy part which spanned longer than half the drama.
This writer does the same thing they vilify in their story as some pitch black evil thing; going against the original intention/spirit behind a law. They play with the Chinese fantasy law's spirit by ending it early, using the same stories inside it as material for plot progression in real life, thus, legitimizing its existence and possibility.
For me, it really just went more of the same and by episode 27, I was bored out of my mind.
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This review may contain spoilers
Very fun drama to watch throughout. I didn't find the FL attractive which really urged me to drop the series in the first episode but I forced myself due to the rating here and it was good.Great support cast with back stories and real involvement. The programming scene is spicily presented, not true to purpose but good enough for general consumption.
For once a villain was born from ML's mistakes, his grievances were not wrong frankly. An unaware giant swallows its own without regard which was the exact case here as well. Just because of the futility of the situation created by the author he went the evil route, in reality, he would have many options to separate himself and be successful.
Romance well lacks passion for majority of the series and they don't act their age, its more like innocent high school style first love. Kisses are a rare breed. There is tension but its not enough to cause anything. This stays true for 33/36 episodes! Total disappointment.
Overall a good one time watch.
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