Reviews

bananakim (first review)is trash and false so here is the real info...

"The Wanted Detective" is a captivating Chinese crime drama that blends mystery, action, and emotional depth into an enthralling viewing experience. From the very first episode, the show grips you with its clever storytelling, well-written characters, and a refreshing take on the classic detective genre.

The story revolves around a detective who is not only solving crimes but is also a fugitive himself. This duality makes for a highly engaging narrative. As he solves each case, he is also running from the law, hiding secrets, and trying to uncover a larger conspiracy tied to his own mysterious past. The pacing is tight, with each episode ending on a hook that keeps you coming back for more. The drama does an excellent job balancing episodic crime-solving with an overarching storyline that grows darker and more personal as it unfolds.

What sets "The Wanted Detective" apart is its character development. The lead actor delivers a powerful performance, portraying a man torn between justice and survival. He’s flawed, complex, and entirely human. You can’t help but root for him even when he makes questionable choices. The supporting cast is equally strong. Each character, from the determined police officers chasing him to the civilians caught in the crossfire, is given layers of personality and motivation.

Visually, the series is polished. The cinematography is sharp and atmospheric, often using shadow and lighting to enhance the suspense. Action scenes are well-choreographed without being over-the-top, lending a sense of realism to the drama. The urban setting, often gritty and moody, fits the tone perfectly and helps ground the story in a believable world.

One of the show's biggest strengths is how it explores moral gray areas. It poses important questions: What does it mean to do the right thing? Can a person be both a hero and a criminal? The detective’s journey forces viewers to think beyond black and white justice. It’s this psychological and emotional depth that keeps the show from being just another procedural.

The writing deserves praise too. Dialogue is tight, and each case is thoughtfully constructed. Clues are cleverly planted, and the reveals are satisfying without feeling forced. The show also avoids dragging its plot with unnecessary filler, making every scene feel purposeful.

Another standout element is the soundtrack. The music heightens the tension at just the right moments and adds emotional weight during character-driven scenes. It complements the story without overshadowing it.

In conclusion, "The Wanted Detective" is an excellent Chinese drama that offers much more than standard crime-solving. It’s a mix of thriller, mystery, and emotional storytelling done right. With strong performances, a gripping plot, and thought-provoking themes, this drama is definitely worth watching. Whether you’re a fan of detective stories or just looking for a compelling drama with depth and excitement, "The Wanted Detective" will not disappoint.

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Just adorable

Okay so I don’t like crude humour, so I dropped this show in episode 1, only to pick it up again and grow to love it.

The plot is light, fast paced, humorous and romantic. This drama is the ultimate antidote to a stressful and hectic life. It has a great heart, excellent character acting, and is actually deeply romantic. It is one of the most comforting and reliable dramas I’ve seen.

While I love all of the characters, Ma Tan with his Mr Darcy type persona was my favourite and his love line was very sweet. I’m at episode 10 so 🤞I just hope that he gets the girl because she’s amazing too. Looking for a warm-hearted hug of a drama? Look no further, this one’s for you.

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STOP COMPARING THIS TO SEASON 1

You need to understand that every drama has it's own place....I know, we all have our own opinions on what we like or not, but one thing we can all do is, not compare stuff...
I don't have a lot to say besides this,

but I wanna talk about the MOST AMAZING cameos this drama is offering...Every single episode had me like "😲Them too!!!!!????"....

The cases in this drama are interesting in a sense that, they're not about money now, they're about REVENGE...and that makes all the cases interconnected... I find that super interesting but I've read comments of people not liking this concept....


Overall, if you wanna see our fantastic cast of Player get revenge from the bad guys, this drama is for you....

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CONTENT
- A female character with very little personality, bravery and cowardice, intelligence and stupidity and the superpower of visualizing very faint sounds.
- A male lead who strongly respects the law but curses, threatens, yells and physically hurts people a lot.
- A "psychopath" murderer with a very superficial diagnose and very adventurous symptoms.
- Corrupt people with power and informative side characters with somewhat of a spark.

This drama contains a lot of blurred gore and insane deaths. There will be blood and what they claim are "smashed heads", a lot of fighting scenes, stabbing, shooting and punching. There is no romance, and chances of crying are low. Medium if you're sensitive.

Not very bingeable. I got tired of it easily when some episodes felt dragged out and predictable.

Some scenes were very powerful and dark and really made it hard for me to sleep. They had some very creepy elements and the director did a good job sparking discomfort in the viewer. I liked the concept that every episode had a new, smaller case, that lead the main characters closer to the person they were trying to catch. Although some scenes were very unrealistic and this drama contains a ton of mistakes, some cases were very exciting to watch and kept me at the edge of my seat.

I have to say though, this is not the best crime drama I've ever seen. Most of the time, I was annoyed with the characters, disappointed with the twists, and calling plot holes. I can't praise the actors too much either. The only person I think did an amazing job, would be Kim Jae wook. He played his role perfectly until the end.

If you want a daring crime drama without romance, but don't care too much about details. I guess this drama is for you.

ENJOY!!

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Love Wins

I really wish this could have been a full-length drama and not a short-episode series.

I would have loved to see the back stories of our ML & FL - two flawed, broken people who come to know and accept love despite their past. I loved the chemistry between them. I loved that he was the weaker of the two, but he loved her enough to let her go. I loved how no matter how much she denied it at first, she finally let him love her till she was able to love him too.

Their love scenes were tender and sweet, even with the chaste kisses. The cinematography added to the unspoken romantic interactions of the lead couple and was quite appealing and effective.

Loved the interjection of the time traveler and her sweet (well-deserved) ending. Hilarious!

I will definitely watch this one over and over again.

*Update - I had to amend the rating I originally gave this drama because I have come back to rewatch so many times! I hope there will be a Season 2.

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The best ending, power couple with a child and both their families' blessings

What makes interesting from start to end is having a power couple. Yining who used to be an outcast when her mom died met Shen Yuan who was also an outcast at that time because his mom was a maid and his father never accepted him. However, when they solve cases, they make the best pair. The male lead knows martial arts and became a scholar's student and the top scholar himself. He has book knowledge, sword skills, and business skills. In his family, he is ordinary but outside, at nights, he's the most dangerous assassin you wouldn't want to meet. Yining is a smart female lead and didn't have to be the-princess-needs-rescuing-type all the time. In other dramas the family matters usually take time to unfold and be solved becoming draggy but things are fast paced for Rise of Ning.

The second male lead's obsession is dangerous. He won't take No for an answer. He was an eye sore because he can't move on and kept pestering the female lead. The only thing I find skipable were all those flashbacks of him and Yining as Mei in the past, I think it's too much. I wasn't sad when he shielded Yining from the arrow because I think he was the target but yeah they gave him a redemption arc.

Yining using kindness to melt her stepsister's heart is one of her best traits I love and we did not have to see her and her stepsister destroy each other and drag on the episodes .This is one of the reasons I love this drama, things go fast paced and solved
I love the two families. I was nervous I thought he lost Duke Ying, her real father when I was growing find of him as her father. On the other hand, throughout the story, there's always a behind the scene.

Rise of Ning has different themes of love included, mother-daughter, father-son, siblings, grandparent-grandchildren, and romantic partners.
One of mother-daughter scenes were the situation of the sixth lady and her mother. Her mother had good intentions as a mom but used the wrong methods. She became too obsessed with her children's marriages without regards to their happiness. Yining's mom became a victim of her jealousy and false assumptions too. she got what she deserved

My favorite people beside the power couple and the grandmas of both families are the second couple and the goose, Madam Lin the best mom for both Yining and Shen Yuan and Duke Ying is the father of the year.
Ren Min's make up is beautifully done, when she lets loose her hair, it's much better on her. I love her as Yining and her chemistry with Zhang Wanyi as Shen Yuan. I love Zhang Wanyi's acting here, when he fights, he looks awesome. They are both magnificent.
, don't miss this out, slow burn but mixed with comedy and is not drama heavy, transitions were smooth, the ending is not rushed, story is wrapped up well,

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I wanted to write this review while my feelings are still fresh! If you're not in the mood for an emotional trip, this is the wrong drama for you. The story is about trauma, and recovery. It's about love, but also pain, and healing. There's no intricate plot with twists, instead there are beautifully complicated relationships. I couldn't wait to watch the lives of these characters each week. It's a different kind of escapism. The kind where you see beautiful moments in an often painful and unfair world.

The story revolves around a Mall's tragic collapse 10 years ago, and the plans to rebuild a new mall in the same spot. In the beginning I thought I would get bored by that plot pretty quickly, but the real story is all the characters directly or indirectly affected by this tragedy. Yes, it's also a great love story, but there are so many other interesting characters besides the main couple with their own struggles, romances, and personal battles.  The characters are also extremely diverse as far as their circumstances (age, status, abilities...), but they all deal with their own frustrations, and self realizations. The cast is basically perfect.

Lee Jun Ho and Won Jin Ah were amazing together. I was impressed by how realistic their pain, angst, and chemistry felt. They never felt melodramatic or over the top, no matter how heavy the story got. Moon Soo has a cool no matter what personality, while Kang Doo has a dangerous charm, and both are frustrating at times, and heartbreaking at other times, but also incredibly cute together. I will say that Jun Ho was exceptionally good, and I was extremely impressed by his range. Whether he was tough, sensitive, smirking, crying, sickly, seductive, or just charismatic... he nailed every single emotion.  I guess this proves once again that you can't underestimate someone by their past boyband status. I look forward to seeing many more awesome roles in his future!

This is the kind of drama where it's hard to pick out a few members of the cast because the whole cast is stellar. This review would be pages long if I tried to mention all the reasons why, just know that they are all realistic, sympathetic, imperfect, and that I genuinely cared about all of them. I will mention one MVP of the cast, which is saying a lot considering how good everyone was, and that's Kim Kang Hyun as Sang Man. There were many times that I thought his humor, wisdom, and emotional observations stole the show. It may be a stereotype to have the slowest person be in many ways the smartest, but he executed it so well. I loved Sang Man way too much not to mention him specifically.

I know I keep giving a lot of credit to the cast, but the writer and director deserve much of the credit too. The whole story feels extremely intimate. We get a sense of the Mall collapse's impact without it becoming too melodramatic.  The images were also more haunting than gruesome, which gave them a stronger impact. The writer also avoids having everything work out perfectly, or making everything doom and gloom, which is part of why it all felt so realistic. Even during moments where the story felt a little slower, everything still felt connected, and necessary. There was one point where a character kept repeating the same frustrating action, and just as it was about to drive me crazy, they explained why they kept doing it and it all made sense. There's also enough balance in the story where it's never too sad, or too happy, for too long. If you like character driven stories, you will definitely not be disappointed.

The question of whether I would watch this again is tricky. While it's certainly good enough to watch again, you have to definitely be in the mood for this kind of story. Some of the suspense in wanting to know what decisions characters would make would be gone, which may make some episodes feel slower. Still, the cast is so phenomenal  that I would enjoy watching these characters again even knowing the outcome.

I also really enjoyed the soundtrack. It was mellow, and moving, without being too distracting. I though that was perfect for a drama like this.

Overall, this is a must see drama, but be prepared for some tears... or many tears if you are a crybaby like me. With a story surrounding so many different characters, know that the ending is extremely satisfying (which I was worried about), as far as not leaving any characters hanging or forgotten about. I expected to be depressed when it was over, but instead I felt inspired to appreciate each day, even when life isn't exactly what I want it to be.  From the beginning until the end I was totally invested in "Just Between Lovers", and I'm so glad I took a chance on it when I had no idea what to expect.

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Story of a girl (Zanilia Zhao) who has no family love. Her father blame her for her mom death and does not love her as he thought that his beloved wife pass away after giving birth. Her step mom is very evil and always make used of the girl and make her suffer. She does not believe love and only obey his father. She finally met a guy ( William Chan) who care and love her but because of many rivals in between they finally broke off. She finally understand love and show her love but because of her father background, they cannot be together. The actor and actress chemistry in this drama is extremely good. Should have a better ending.

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A REALLY GOOD DRAMA, a heroic drama yet touching with a wisdom

Burning Flames is really soaring high on the list of my FAVORITE DRAMA

As someone who watched both the anime and the drama, I dare to give 10 points to this drama, it's so well-executed!!!  I think I will write a long essay, so please bear with me.

To be honest, I underestimated this drama a little because it is an adaptation of a big IP anime (we can see that it needs a lot of cg, the anime is complicated with many characters, how can they execute it) and the drama production team is from Thousand Years For You (I was a little disappointed with that drama), but all those worries were blown away by the quality of the drama. Burning Flames. IT IS REALLY A GOOD DRAMA.

The drama is presented very well, I can't say anything else about the extraordinary CG, cinematography, and editing that is like an anime/comic, as if the anime/comic came out in a real life, plus cool fighting scenes and good color grading as well as a great ost which makes watching this drama feel exciting and you don't want to miss even a single scene.

Kudos to the script-writer for writing such a good, detailed, well-written script, and well-written characters. Burning Flames presents a solid story from start to finish, a heroic anime story, which has been successfully developed into a story which is of course heroic, but also touching, beautiful, and which definitely provides a very strong moral message for the audience, "you must control your fate, you can find your own path, only by surviving can there be hope", I think that is the rope that holds the story together from beginning to the end, until finally Wu Geng and his friends managed to win. Each arc is a moment of character development for the cast, for Wu Geng, Bai Cai and friends. Not a single arc is zero, they are written in great detail and have the goal of achieving something, to gain somethig, becoming stronger, becoming more unified.

All the characters are written very well from beginning to end, every character in this drama is written very very brilliantly, details and will shine in their own way. So, it's not only Wu Geng story, but it's also their story. Without misunderstandings, there is only work together to achieve one common goal until the end of their lives that make our hearts, the audience, also break when these heroes die. Including the villains are also written in a good way, Xinyue Kui's love which turns out to be just a futile obsession and Heilong who destroys the universe just for the person he loves, they are villains but they also feel very miserable, which also makes us feel touched and of course  makes us cry.

Wu Geng, the main character is very very well written, even better than the original anime/manga. The team changed his character in the drama, the anime version he is more arrogant and cocky (at first), but in the drama even though he is a little arrogant and impulsive but from the first day he was a benevolent prince, ready to fight for his people. Wu Geng's relationship with his parents is also changed in the drama version, and needs to be given a thumbs up, because their excellent relationship (which is very touching) is a reminder of Wu Geng's motivation that he must continue his father's legacy to save his people (this is also slightly different from the anime/bcs Wu Geng relationship with his dad wasn't good, in the anime there's a part where he does this to take revenge on his parents, but not for Wu Geng in the drama, he does it for the peace of the world, his Dad's dream for the people). Wu Geng's character growth is extraordinary, from being a spoiled prince, he had to survive as a slave, understanding the suffering of the people, had a hard training in Shenyin's tribe, gained comrades in every place, until finally he was able to show his charisma as a leader, the chosen one, the real god of war of the human race. A character who never gives up, smart, strong, and kind (who wouldn't fall for him). Until the end, even though he was considered the right leader for the 3 realms, he still humbly rejected it, and preferred to travel around the world looking for his lover, because he loved Bai Cai, because she was his home, but he would always be ready to help the world peace. I also like the change in the story of Agou, Agou in the anime is an ordinary human, but in the drama it is changed to a shell created by the Wu Geng mother to save her child (the detail is amazing). And as always, we need to praise Ren Jialun's acting a lot in this drama, because he managed to present a very expressive character, from sad, happy, angry, cheeky, gentle, even a cute, silly and innocent Agou. And we need to talk about Ren Jialun's chemistry with every of his co-stars, even with child-stars. It's really amazing. He's really a good actor.

Bai Cai is a very weak character in the anime, but was successfully transformed into a strong character in the drama with her cheerful strength, kind heart and of course Crystal Glory, who always accompanies wugeng/agou wherever and whenever they are. It is really match with Xing Fei's sunny character. I really like the addition of Crystal Glory details to Baicai, because she is one of the key contributions and links from what happened 100,000 years ago to the war in the final. Her tacit understanding with Wu Geng is also very good, she understands and accepts Wu Geng/Agou as its form, whoever it is, and will never stop being Wu Geng's support system, bein Wu Geng's home.

The relationship between Wu Geng and Bai Cai, I think it's really beautiful, a healthy relationship, without misunderstanding, always discussing everything together, "wherever you go, I'll follow". They are each other's home. Bai Cai has no family and Agao is his home, while Wu Geng lost his family and he met Bai Cai who kindly helped him, supported him, was willing to protect him, endured Wu Geng's tantrums, until she succeeded in making Wu Geng fall in love and she is his home now, "whatever happens, I will always protect you forever."  The mutual trust and understanding of this couple is extraordinary.  So every time they part, we can feel the pain they feel and every time they meet again we can feel the touching butterfly effect (it's not a romance drama, but I do feel their romance, their relationship, their bond is very strong, once again bravo to the scriptwriter). And I can say that Ren Jialun and Xing Fei's chemistry in this second collaboration is truly extraordinary, is very good, is very beautiful.

A Lan (I fall so hard for this girl), if everyone has 2nd ML syndrome, I have 2nd FL syndrome.  I love her character so much. She who was previously cold in the anime, was changed to a character who (although also cold) is also an ordinary woman who likes a man, and will very sincerely protect him, not only because Wu Geng is her mission, her disciple, but also a man who really she loved. She will do everything to keep the person she loved safe and happy, even though she won't be able to be with him and she knows there is no place to ask for love because she believes that love between humans and gods is a curse and she knows Wu Geng loves Bai Cai, if she expresses her love, him will also be hurt more. Silent and unrequited love is indeed a very beautiful love story and I always fall into its pit. And what's more, Ren Jialun and Zhu Xudan's chemistry is insanee, just when their eyes met each other, there is a spark of feeling that cannot be expressed. Ren Jialun was able to portrays his adore, respect and care to his shifu, while Zhu Xudan was really good at portraying her love in silence. "I will protect you even if I die" and she really did, protecting Wu Geng until the end of her life. I cried so hard when she's gone.

If talking about each character (though I really want to do it) would be very long, Nitian Erxing, Ziyu shushu, Shi Xing and also every couple in this drama is also written very well and touches the hearts of the viewers. Plus the family relationship between Wu Geng itself and his parents, Chen Jing and Zha Zha, Lilt Dragonfly and her father, also shows the value of human's relationships with our family and the people we love.

The end of the story, I'll say that the last 4 episodes are the best episodes, feelings of sadness, destruction, pride, happiness, all mixed together. So devastated to see Wu Geng's dearest ones fighting until the end of their lives with their beliefs that they would win. Proud because of all the work they worked hard on, they finally won, they gained their freedom. Sad to see Wu Geng once again lost his beloved one, Bai Cai. Happy, because I know Wu Geng managed to find Bai Cai in the end (I know that they will live a happy life now, though actually I want to see their hug even just 1 in the ending).  Even though Wu Geng lost many of his loved ones, he still upholds all the moral messages left by them and will always maintain the world peace. Burning Flames really has a GOOD ENDING. It's also not a rush ending, because they show how good the life of each tribe is, how beautiful life will be after they gain freedom and peace.

I still want to talk about a lot of things, but it will get longer. Burning Flames team aims to give a moral message to the audience, and I agree that there are many moral messages with much wisdom, that we can take from this drama, never give up, we control our destiny, if there's a will there's a way, if we become leaders put people first, we have to protect our loved ones and so on. It's really nice, beautiful, heroic yet touching drama.

This drama is included in the ranks of the best dramas on my list, I do love this drama so much. Congratulations Burning Flames, I'm proud to have been a part of your journey. I will miss you guys so much, our HEROES ♡

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(This contains spoilers but they're inside asterisks, so you're safe.)

I feel like this is one of those overrated shows.

Honestly, the story wasn't very interesting and some parts were kind absurd.

In my opinion, the leads had minimal chemistry, and I didn't like the male lead at all, I felt like he was unnecessarily rude to her at times and it bothered me that he was so cold all the time.

As for the female lead, I felt like she was the savior of this show, although, some situations were kinda pitiful and I hoped she was a stronger character.

The side characters didn't interest me that much and I didn't like them. It was bothering that (spoiler inside asterisks) *the second male lead imposed himself on the female lead the whole show and never got over her until the end*.

The ending was another thing why I didn't like this show and the main reason for it. The crucial question about the male lead wasn't answered. (spoiler ahead) *how the male lead got to and from his planet since he couldn't do that for all those centuries, how did he do that all of a sudden at random times at the end and why was he dying on earth* Also their situation at the end ended up not being an ideal one (spoiler) *he kept going back to his planet out of the blue leaving her alone and coming back whenever*

So nope I would not recommend watching this one.

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This show is a masterpiece!

Okay, so this show is not for everyone, but please - if it's not your thing, don'y bash it. just step away kindly and let the unhinged ones enjoy their crazy. ty!

This show leans heavily into the absurd and if this is your thing, then I cannot recommend it enough.

The acting is excellent, the story is so much fun, and EVERY THING you see on screen is 100% planned and thought out. non of it is unintentional. The only issue I have is that not all the random mumbling is translated, so I hope it gets fixed because it is funny as hell (also quite easy to understand if you get basic Thai).

To sum up, this is not a 5.7 show.

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Self-sabotage your life…

It’s a character study on a really unlikeable character, dare I say unlovable person? By the end of the show I felt empty and following Go Yeong’s life was simply exhausting. While most dramas highlight the good traits of the characters, this one puts on the spotlight all the flaws and makes you feel uncomfortable.

I honestly cannot really say much good about Go Yeong. His egocentric nature, not learning from his own mistakes, double standards, unrealistic expectations, lack of motivation, constant negative thinking made me just sigh as I watched him self-sabotage over and over again.

And then you start to see all the unfortunate things that happened to him, all the small and big tragedies, events that completely changed his life and you feel bad for him. He was rather… pitiful, but one that you just did not know how to help, even if you had a chance.

Never learning from his mistakes was his biggest flaw. He understood many times what went wrong, he clearly reflected on his behaviors… and then when the time came to make a different decision, he followed the same wrong path. Over and over again.

He was surrounded by people, yet so alone.

What made this drama work for sure was the directing and the acting. They sell the story for me. I think we can all agree that Nam Yoon Su did a phenomenal job as Go Yeong, but I also want to talk about Jin Ho Eun as Sim Gyu Ho. There was something so… vulnerable about that performance I was honestly in awe.

Episode 3 and 4 were visually stunning - probably the best use of light I had seen compared to the other episodes. Visually it perfectly captured that part of Go Yeong's life - romanticized feelings of falling in love to then crumble into pieces.

On the bad side though, there were some storytelling aspects I did not enjoy at all. Inconsistencies about how important or unimportant specific plot points were, how much impact they had on character lives, what were the true reasonings and motivations for some actions.

Still, what a gripping story. Not enjoyable, but that was never the point of it. It’s not really a love story if you ask me. It’s a life story.

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He remembers

It's quite a straightforward premise but the attention to details is simply unbelievable, the plot is really precise from the start till the end, taking audiences onto the journey of a man's last mission. The intention of the protagonist unfolds just like him remembering his past as he latches onto the next target, with action sequences that will blow minds. As always Lee Sung Min never disappoints with his masterful class acting, but the more surprised performance from Nam Joo Hyuk really steals the scene a lot, the chemistry between them works so well it just makes the closing scene highly emotional, exactly like how a bittersweet remembrance should be.

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