The plot was pretty good. There were many twists and turns that kept you on the edge of your seat for the first half of the drama. However, they recycled the same pattern of events several times to the point where by the end it was quite predictable. That's why it is pretty fair to say that the first half of the drama is far superior to the second half of the drama. I don't want to say too much more about the plot, I don't want to reveal anything that would ruin the experience for those thinking about watching this drama, which by the way, you should. The plot is probably the strongest aspect of the drama as other aspects were quite disappointing which shows just how strong the plot was because it could stand by itself most of the time. However, the romance that was woven into this plot was a little lacklustre. Yes, they had super cute moments but what I want most from a thriller/ romance drama is the subtle intimacies. Like, holding hands, hugs, slight touches, glances, you know, all the kyeopta stuff. They did do some of these things but it was when they were alone and a full scene was dedicated to each romantic action. To be honest, these just felt like fillers as a break from the complicated plot. Less than half way into the drama, they were officially a couple which I thought would mean there would be more subtle romance throughout the rest of the drama. Sadly, that wasn't the case and they just continued with the short scenes of romance. Still cute, just a little lacking for me.
Characters were decent. The strongest character (development wise) was definitely Bo Jinyan. First I'll say WHAT AN AMAZING ACTOR!! Damn son you rocked the slightly psychopathic detective. Anyway, in the beginning he was very introverted due to his superior intelligence compared to others. His only close friend was Fu Ziyu (my fav character) who was pretty much his assistant. In the first half of the drama, you're in awe of Bo Jinyan's intelligence and love watching him slowly open up his heart to those around him when he gets close with Jian Yao. Though unfortunately, by the second half of the drama, we see less of Bo Jinyan doing his job and more watching the events unfold and then getting a brief explanation afterwards when everything is solved. The first time this happened, I didn't mind, it was pretty cool. But that gets old pretty quickly. Don't get me wrong, I loved his character. Watching him experience his first love was super adorable and he always looked so awesome when solving crimes.
The biggest disappointment for me was Jian Yao. In the beginning, she was smart, observant, independent and strong. Everything I love in a female lead. Then half way through the drama, she becomes the typical damsel in distress. We see less and less of her which I can understand to a point, but Bo Jinyan emphasised so much in the beginning that he needed her as his assistant. But it's like that point is completely forgotten and she just sits at home waiting for her man to return from war. WHY? She was so headstrong, I loved that, but no, she just sits at home longing for her man being of absolutely no help to anyone when she contributed SO MUCH IN THE BEGINNING. Sorry got a bit angry there but comE ON. Yeah anyway she was a huge disappointment, I expect a lot from the female leads, I hate it when they just go along with anything the male lead says. BE A STRONG INDEPENDENT WOMAN.
Anyway, FU ZIYU! MY FAV! He was so cute I loved him. Seeing his reactions to Bo Jinyan finally coming out of the dark isolated corner he closed himself off into was amazing. He looked so happy and proud of his friend. I love his relationship with Jian Yao as well, you can see how much he cares for her and that's always nice to see. No romance implied, just a genuine girl and guy friendship. GUYS AND GIRLS CAN BE FRIENDS PEOPLE.
Then there's Li Xunran. The childhood friend. BUT THE BEST SECOND LEAD EVER! HE COULD SEE THAT HIS FRIEND THAT HE WAS SECRETLY IN LOVE WITH WAS HAPPY WITH HER NEW MAN AND HE TOOK A STEP BACK AND LET HER CHASE THAT HAPPINESS! WHAT A GREAT GUY! Then suddenly he disappears for several episodes and you just sit and think for a second and you're like "Wait, where is he? What happened to him?". That's the same for Chen Mo, Bo Jinyan's pet tortoise. You'll see what I mean when you watch the drama. So random.
I won't mention the american actors since they were mainly to keep the plot moving forward, there wasn't really any character development for them. Though for an Asian drama which usually have terrible English actors, they weren't half bad.
Now for the villains. Not bad. We follow a chap called Xie Han who is you're typical psychopath. Eccentric, whispers when he talks, occasionally smashes things or yells to make you jump. Again, I don't want to reveal too much of the plot but basically whoever you think the main villain pulling all the strings is, it's not them lol. I will say though, I wish they spent more time with the main villain. When you watch the drama, you'll understand what I mean about this.
Wow ok this is a really long review, kudos to you if you're still reading lol, I'll wrap it up now.
OST. Nothing special. There was some cool rock music that played in the background whenever a new plot point was discovered. But that's all that was memorable for me.
Would I watch this drama again? Probably not. I did enjoy watching it and I would recommend it but unfortunately there was no consistency to the intrigue factor for the entirety of the drama to tempt me to watch it again. There were some great moments, but they were spread pretty thin in 24 episodes. Not enough butter for the toast sadly.
Overall, a good drama and a good watch. If you're like me and love thriller/action dramas then you should definitely watch this.
That's all for now, enjoy the show, bye lol.
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
Story:
The story was the strongest point of this drama. It was REALLY a well written and executed drama. One needs to watch it till the end to get every facts correct. Also you should pay attention to every little detail of the drama to be up to date with the story. I loved the suspense, the thrill, the romance- damn it was just sooo great! The romantic angle of the story didn't seem to forced and jelled well with the story. Unlike many so-called suspense drama where the romance takes a front seat and thrill takes a back seat- this drama is a perfect example of how it should be made. It was great!
Acting:
This was my first Wallace Huo drama and I am well prepared to stalk him for next few months. His expressions, awkwardness, dilemma, confusion, love, hate- everything was on point. He portrayed a complex character of Bo Jin Yan with such ease that you would trust in every word he speaks, it was as if he was living this character. I am a fan for life now. Ma Sandra was also great as Jian Yao. I think she did great with emotional scenes. Her presence in Jin Yan's life seemed so effortless that you start shipping them instantly. Also I loved her character, it was good to see a smart and sensible women in dramaland after a long time. That said Fu Zhi Yu was my favorite character. I loved his chemistry with Jin yan. They were friendship goals seriously. He was like a substitute wife/mother for Jin Yan and it was ADORABLE to watch them together. All the other actors were great too. Not even a single actor seemed miscast or did bad at his role. I did wish Wang Kai's character could have been more than it was, but nevertheless all was well.
Music:
Apart from the ending theme which was absolutely great, this drama had an excellent choice of background music. It has such a Gothic feeling to it and helped the audience to build up the suspense.
Re-watch value:
I hardly re-watch any suspense drama 'cos I already know the ending but I would love to watch the romance scenes from this one. It was so cute and awkward that you would fell in love with them immediately.
Overall:
Go watch it today. Or NOW! I swear you won't regret it.
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Could Have Been Better
I really like the beginning of the series. I thought the episodes flowed really well and the Bo Jin Yan's characterwas very interesting. I liked how his relationship with Jian Yao developed. I loved too that Jian Yao wasn't meek and shy and stood her ground with Bo Jin Yan. Fu Zi Yu was a great friend to have. I enjoyed his and Bo Jin Yan's bromance.
The earlier episodes had a murder of the week vibe that was good with the overarching main serial killer case. I think the show started to get slow and boring b/c they tied all the murder cases to that main serial killer which was unnecessary. I also hated the 11th hour BS dual ending. It's one of my most hated tropes. I mean this show has 24 episodes and in the 22nd episode they decided to make someone else the puppet master behind Xie Han and while I kinda figured who that was earlier than revealed, I DID NOT like that bullshit!
Wallace Huo was absolutely fantastic though as was Ma Si Chun. I really liked the majority of the cast but Terence Yin was not that great especially after the big reveal.
3/14/25
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Look for the turtle…
Just okay. But then again, it’s because I’m not new to this field of work. So, I definitely have different expectations. It’s akin to my being picky when I eat out at Asian restaurants. I just know what it’s supposed to taste like so I can say my judgment is rather biased.Trust me, everything was way too predictable. But, maybe that’s because I know what to look for? Btw, I understand it’s a drama and I must give allowances for quick settlements of cases. I get that. But, despite all that, many simple things were just not believable. The FL suddenly a cop? No forewarning that she was seeking that route… She seemed content to stick with her day job then suddenly she’s an officer?! I can’t recall if she ever handled a gun before that! Her innocent demeanor changed not one bit. I didn’t buy it. One would think because of her new line of work, she’d evolve into more of a badass as the series continued but no, she was just as weak and useless. Her countenance never changed throughout the story. Just flat. Then, too often, they all would show up at stings without any safety gear??? Really? You’re tagging along with the SWAT team and you are in a dress/skirt?! Oh, and the lack of chemistry between her and the ML. Goodness, I know it’s not a romance novel but still! Wallace Huo is handsome. Don’t get me wrong but there was just no palpable chemistry between the leads. Anyway, I digress. Simply put, there were just too many plot holes to name. Oh, and the bad acting with the Americans. The dialogues between the languages were excruciating.
In all honesty, if this is your first experience with something like this, I can see it might be intriguing/thrilling. But, if you’ve watched enough dramas, you’ll come to expect many repeated themes and storylines in similar genres. Ultimately, it’s all about how the unique story is told. In this case, especially towards the end, the story unraveled hastily and was just too much. What’s with the alternate lenses? Made no sense. Whatever the case, regardless of the storyline and scene planning, characters should be dynamic, exciting, likable. Sadly, I was mostly bored and everything was just unremarkable. But, I loved Yin Zheng and Wang Kai. I mostly stayed for them. And, the little turtle.
The last shot was not surprising… I love their implication but Dissociative Identity Disorder is extremely rare. Sure; I’ll believe it. But not enough to endure another round. Certainly not with the FL. Cringe. Did I mention she was blah?! Anyway, I’m glad to be done and to give my two cents. In sum, it’s way over-rated. Again, if you’re new to this genre, you will find it interesting enough but it did nothing for me. Still I do hope others will give it a try and enjoy it. Btw, if you’re interested in this stuff, then read John Douglas’ many publications. He’s a retired special agent and is one of the first criminal profilers.
Was this review helpful to you?
The first 1/3 of the series are a bit okay for me, but after that it's too difficult to digest. This is not because of any gory scenes. I'm used to it with CSI & Criminal Minds. Didn't bother me at all. Gory scenes came hand in hand with mystery detective stories, it's to be expected. But the story for me is a bit confusing and all over the place. What irritates me the most is how they can communicate with each other using two different languages! That is to me just doesn't makes sense and that alone takes my rating down to 1 (or maybe -1 LoL). The handsome-ness of Wallace Huo is not even enough to justify this part and kept me focus on watching this series. I did finish it, but i did not wholeheartedly watch it.
With character in the series who supposedly studied and lived in the US but unable to speak English just doesn't make sense to me.
The turtle is cute though :)
Was this review helpful to you?
Someone recommended this and I started watching.
OMG! It's an amazing drama and the rewatch value is EPIC! If you love CRIMINAL MINDS, you will totally love this. And if you love putting clues together to try and guess who the badguy is before the main character, you will TOTALLY love this. I spent most of the time flailing and screaming things like "OMG! DON'T GO IN THERE!" or "RUN!!" or "Okay, she's about to die!"
Wallace Hou is new to me. This is the first drama I'd ever seen him in and his acting is fantastic.
Sandra Ma is also new to me as well but her character Jian Yao aka Yao Yao was amazing. She wasn't at all annoying. That was one of the things I asked for--the female lead could not be one of those whinny annoying types of female. Yao Yao was anything but. Sure, there were times when she was sad or scared but she is what we on this side of the world call a Ride or Die chick. She had a strong backbone.
The bromance between Jin Yan and Zi Yu was everything. It was beautiful to see the build of their relationship. Zi Yu made me smile and my heart broke for him during the hospital scene. I can't remember yelling "RUNNN!" more.
The writing was superb (I can't believe I'm saying this about a Chinese drama) but the ending was amazing--I just enjoyed this so much and would love to have a season two - I hear there is a second book.
The truth is, if you enjoy a good mind-twisting series with romance, a strong and gorgeous male lead, a smart, amazing, strong female lead, a bromance for the ages - you have to watch this.
I'm going to rewatch it with my niece the second we can get together after the pandemic. It deserve a rewatch!
Was this review helpful to you?
Flawed but fun
“Love me if you dare” feels a little long at times and has several flaws, but I liked the cast and did have a generally good time with it.The romance was what I came in for, at first. There’s a bit of a “beauty and the beast” feel to it: a big house, scared “villagers”, a mysterious tenant, and a female lead that sees past the exterior to see the beauty inside (though tbf Wallace Huo’s beauty is also very much showing on the outside) and is gonna bring out that beauty. In Jin Yan’s case it’s pretty clear the dude is no monster, he’s just not very good at being social. They develop a fun dynamic, they have nice chemistry and I like that there’s a domestic side to them. Everything wasn’t rosy, though. I did find the male lead was at times too pushy and intrusive for my taste (I get he’s not good at relationship, but it was still frustrating to see him get his way), and while the progression of their relationship felt organic at first, it suddenly got very rushed, which disappointed me. I did still like them together, but it could all have been done better.
I will also admit that while I really like Wallace Huo, I sometimes found him too wooden, even for a character that is, granted, quite closed-off. He was very cute in his awkwardness, but I wish he'd emoted just a little more in some scenes, and felt he got overshadowed by Wang Kai (in a very likeable role that sadly got inexplicably forgotten by the drama midway ? it’s like they didn’t know what to do with him anymore, despite some very powerful scenes) and Andrew Yin that I was seeing for the first time and thoroughly enjoyed in his bff role.
I really enjoyed our female lead also. At first, I don’t know if there was a sound issue, but Ma Si Chun seemed to mutter all her lines which made the character feel a little flat, but it either got better or I got used to it, and I liked Jian Yao a lot. She’s not made to be a bad-ass but her softness doesn’t make her less strong, and she’s a very empathetic person, which makes her a great partner for Jin Yan. I liked that she does, in fact, contribute to the cases. Jin Yan is still the one doing most of the work because she’s a rookie, but she does participate in the profiling, the interrogations, and contributes.
For a drama with a lot of action, serial-killers and torture, with high stakes, I found that “Love me if you dare” was a weirdly relaxing experience. It’s probably just a “me” thing, but it didn’t feel that intense, except for a few scenes here and there, and I actually liked that.
Now for things that I found less good:
• some pacing issues: I found the drama was at times repeating stuff too much or stretching things. The times where Jin Yan would explain his conclusions would almost always feel uselessly long to me. Also Wang Kai’s character got weirdly dropped so I’m even more bitter since instead of reconstituting a murder scene three times, the time could have been used to develop his character.
• Bo Jin Yan is *too* good at times. I get that he’s very very clever, but he felt borderline magical in some cases.
• the drama is dishonest at times. It happens only twice (I think) but the drama shows us things that did not happen to later surprise us with “haha it did not happen”. Since an unreliable narrator was not established, there’s no reason for this and the drama is not cleverly tricking us, but just *lying* to us, which I find lazy and annoying.
• the drama has several American characters (most of them badly acted) and it was a bit weird to hear them talk in English to Jin Yan and him always answering in English. That, however, was only amusing, not really an issue.
• the last developements in the show did not quite work for me, and the ending didn’t feel satisfying. It does not undo the drama, it just doesn’t make for a good conclusion. It prevents the drama from feeling really complete, at least to me.
That being said, I still did quite enjoy “Love me if you dare”. The cast is good, and I had fun. Some scenes are actually quite moving as the actors do a great job, in particular Ma Si Chun, Andrew Yin and Wang Kai. Also I’m very superficial and Wallace Huo's face is super pretty so that helped. It could have been better, but I’m glad I saw it. Sorry the review ended up so long ;;
P.S. there’s a turtle in that drama and the characters are handling it very poorly and I feel so bad for that poor animal, I was stressed everytime it’dcome on screen T.T
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Mystery, suspense and a madman's revenge
This was my first time watching both Huo and Ma, and I found their acting to be tepid, and I am not entirely convinced that it was the character's traits. Huo's character was aloof, withdrawn, conflicted, dispassionate, anti-social, unemotional, and methodical. His acting was essentially reading the dialog, and having close-ups to show his EQ. Ma's character was intelligent, diligent, semi-curious, amenable, and willing to follow the leader. I felt that her acting was essentially reading the dialog, and having close-ups to show her EQ. The romance between the lead characters was bland, but it was necessary to reinforce the title of the drama. I did not expect grand passion because of the censorship police, but they could have conveyed their emotions with their eyes and facial expressions.I was confused once the drama switched continents. The whole team, including the non-sister and her boyfriend traveled on some mission. The hospital location also did not look like New York City, but a neighboring borough or city in New Jersey. (I lived in NYC for thirteen years.) I had no idea that the ultimate destination was California, since I was losing the drama momentum. My favorite characters were Wang Kai's character and Andy the Car. The Chinese police teams were very efficient. I despised the main psychotic villain, and my BP rises whenever I see this actor in a drama or movie, even if he is very handsome. The female FBI Director/actor spoke "American" English badly, her acting was bad, and she needed a new hairstyle. The drama production style has some British and American drama elements. Huo's character is similar to the lead characters of Sherlock, Touching Evil and Wire in the Blood.
Was this review helpful to you?
For me Wallace did a fantastic job balancing the roles of the adorably infuriating know-it-all, a doofus-in-love, a genius profiler, and mysteriously scary Allen.Sandra Ma came across as over exaggerating in her crying scenes at the beginning but she won be over towards the end with her solid performance.I also enjoyed the fact that her character wasn't the typical plucky energetic heroine which I think definitely added to her charm.
The OTP was great as their romance was strong whilst be subtle and understated which is hard to pull off.Andrew Yin was the comic relief in this and I think that contributed to the success of this drama as well,I'll be looking out for him in the future.And overall all the other characters were solid as well.
Like I mentioned before I had to be patient at the beginning since the first few cases weren't really my cup of tea.I think what got me hooked was when the cases started to focus on Xie Han and that was the moment that we truly entered the suspenseful climax of the story.I won't spoil anything but there were some scenes/actions which happened to hastily for my liking,the twist at the ending didn't make much sense to me...
However if you're a long time kdrama fan wanting to dip your toe into the ocean of cdramas I would definitely recommend Love me if you dare (as long as you don't mind crime thriller moments).The love story between the OTP makes up for some of those first cases as well as the many twists they provide.
Was this review helpful to you?
