Thoroughly engaging investigation mystery drama
My attention was completely caught by this drama as I started watching, it reminded me of Reset in that way how I just couldn't stop watching and wanted to know more about was was happening.I loved each case in this show, every episode always featured a new way to showcase Shen Yi's skills as a portraitist, and although some of his skills seemed a bit far fetched to me, I didn't really care or focus on that and was just looking forward to see the cases be solved. Also really liked the relationships between the members of the Police team, they all worked well together.
Some plot points were closed a bit too quickly and abruptly for me, specifically Hong Ge's case but overall it's a well written and very engaging series. Till the end, my attention did not wane; from Eps 18-20 more so, I was even more hyped because of the change of pace as we were heading towards the climax, truly nail biting stuff towards the end that made me feel tense and kept me on my toes.
Great series, and I'm excited to check out S2!
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An artist solves crimes by drawing plus good friendship between the Leads
This drama has unique way of solving crimes never seen before in any other detective drama ,, the male lead is a brilliant artist also a very smart person who uses his creativity in his drawings to expose criminals and solve difficult crimes but he has mysterious past that wasn't ever revealed in the drama also he's some what lonely , polite and very calm not arogenate geniusthat's what I love about the male lead ,,he's not just a genius artist no he also a genius detective ,, psychological profiler and very polite towards people around him , he wasn't ever arogenate nor condescending as the other male lead
There are a lot of un answered questions in this drama about the male lead
like
was he an orphan ?? what is his background ?? they didn't mention but the incident that turned him in a detective artist and his teacher's case that's it
also the friendship was lacking alot and the director wasted so many good scenes to show proper friendship or Bromance
they are two detectives who are in danger most of the time and they save each other rather quickly then move on with no much of friendship talk scenes or caring scenes as if they were wrong to happen between them
but there were good friendship scenes towards the end nothing big just some jokes and ordinary friendship
also
The cases were really smart for the first half of the drama and really intriguing very fast paced ,, they didn't drag any case but they used too much time to confuse us in every case
this drama is one of the best detective chinese dramas and it's light with absolutely no romance to ruin it
I hope there is a second season for it
this drama will get you hooked from the start to finish but it has so many holes and rushed scenes unfortunately
but I recommend it to anyone likes friendship and unique detective drama
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This review may contain spoilers
ORIGINAL SYNOPSIS
What I like about this? Original story, different synopsis from any C-drama, Tan Jian Ci and collaboration of the casts, ordinary people with real contribution in life. One of good drama in 2022....trust me on this.1. Original story, different synopsis from any C-drama
Shen Yi (Tan Jian Ci) was still an art student when a man came to ask a drawing what a child would look like as an adult. He did so well that later caused the death of an undercover agent Lei Yi Fei. A young policeman Du Cheng (Jin Shi Jia) was raging mad of Shen Yi, he accused him for the cause of the death of his long-time friend and mentor. Out of guilt, Shen Yi accepted the invitation of Director Zhang of the Public Security Bureau and became a portraitist of the Interpol Team in five years later. By that order Du Cheng had to accept reluctantly Shen Yi to became a colleague with annoyance and uncooperative assistance toward Shen Yi’s drawing to solve cases, and the two became the “ticking bomb” in the team. The strange thing is that, no matter how hard Shen Yi tried of recall for a few years, he couldn't draw the face of the man who asked him to paint the child's photo. Eventually, Shen Yi helped out to uncover many mystery of crimes with his drawing including the biggest case of his involvement 5 years earlier.
2. Tan Jian Ci and collaboration of the casts
As a talented criminal sketch artist (Forensic Artist) he's a character that could translate details from witnesses at the crime scene, to make sketches that police and the public may use to identify and capture criminal suspects. Teaming with Du Cheng (Jin Shi Jia) was kind of frienamy - they knew they're depending to each other and respect their own field but because of mistrust and grudge, Du Cheng found it hard to get along with him. Lots time working solo, Shen jin forced to endure 'cold reception' from the team until proven to be successful. All the casts did well, Tan Jian Ci acted he's the real artist.
3. Ordinary people with real contribution in life.
All actors didn't have visibly make up like they're just ordinary people that doing their job well in real life; sweating, panting, running, angry, protest all done convincingly just like the real investigators.
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Last arc was disappointing
This will be a very simple review i am not a professional when it comes to thisHand down best thing about this drama for me shen ye he is such a complicated character the drama overall was very good the acting was on point almost all the mysteries were intriguing my personal favourite was the second one if you like dramas with a dark vibe and mystery you will like this one
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10/10 no notes
This is how you make a good show!I loved everything about it. The chemistry between the leads is amazing and both of them are amazing actors and bring so much to the table. I couldn't imagine a better casting choice than those two. The way they just compliment each other is just chef's kiss.
The writing was also so good, you can tell they did their homework. The cases were all interesting and all had so many deeper levels to unpack. There was no bad episode in the whole season, which is rare. The quality is there from the start and keeps that level. Also just because that barely gets a mention but the camera/scene framing work in the series is simply stunning. There is just so much thought behind it and I really enjoyed that on an artistic level.
Speaking of art: My only tiniest critique would be that Shen Yi's clothing and fingers are way to clean for someone who paints, especially with his lighter wardrobe.
I also love all the other members of the team. They all compliment each other so well.
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Binge worthy crime drama
This is a new take to crime dramas centered around a portrait forensic artist, instead of just a policeman. It gives the crime solving plot a different feeling, which was very refreshing. I love art myself, so seeing art used as a way to solve crimes is so intriguing. I don't know how much of this is real though. Maybe it's too exaggerated in some cases? I think they could have toned done how "genius" Shen Yi is with his portrait accuracy.Talking about Shen Yi, the actor Tan Jianci, did a really good job portraying his character that was mentally, psychologically scarred by a crime that changed his entire life. He had this baggage that I felt in his eyes. He acts with his eyes, and subtle facial expressions. One scene when he cried, a tear ran down his face. I actually felt the sadness. I am impressed. I've never seen any of his other works, so I'll be interested to watch more of him. It could be that this character finally gave him that break through. I'll give him a 10/10 on acting.
Du Cheng's character is the typical rash policeman, so nothing special about this character. I didn't feel Jin Shi Jia's acting, which was usually sprinkled with loud and exaggerated actions. hence why I dropped acting down from a 10. The reason was in his "sad expressions", when someone dies or some sad scene, I can't feel his sadness. In some scenes, he looked like he was smiling not frowning. The tip of his lip was supposed to angle downwards, but it twisted upwards a bit. His facial expressions seem hard and stiff.
The story started with the main "crime" that interweaved throughout the story and of course ended the series. It was well paced and told well overall. No major plot holes which are common in Chinese dramas. The lighter crimes sprinkled throughout the series had their pros and cons. I liked the high school crime story most because it had a sad theme around the whole situation, that feels realistic (except how Shen Yi got to the victim's portrait!). The small crimes were mainly there to show different situations of portrait forensic artist's job. At the same time, it built up the trust between Shen Yi and Du Cheng. Their character relationship development was built up in a well paced manner. I felt their bond, especially in life and death situations. It was believable.
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Good script
I have now watched a few Cdramas andI havent been disappointed . I knew who Tan Jiance was as he is a great talent in Cpop world his vocals are beautiful..Hes a dancer..a rapper and even sang "You
raised me up" in perfect English and another arrow to his bow he can act. I
thoroughly enjoyed this series..the acting was great..the storyline was well thought out.Tan played the part of a forensic profiler adept at sketching people's faces from descriptions given by the victims. I enjoyed it more knowing TanJ was in it so Im biased to watch it but overall the actors..
Scriptwriter..Director and the storyline made it a great series.
TanJ is also great in Lost you Forever..fantasy drama wbere he plays a not so pleasant vampire...
.
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Must watch for Thrill lovers!!!
You will be missing out on so much if you haven’t watched this drama.This is my first Chinese crime investigation drama. I had only watched rom-coms till now but after watching this one I’ll be trying more. I am glad I saw this.
1. The casting was amazing. This is my second drama where Tan Jian Ci is in the lead role. And after seeing this one, I fell in love with his acting. He is a versatile actor. He portrayed Shen Yi so beautifully. Because of this drama, I came to know so many new things.
2. I wanted Du Cheng’s character to shine through the drama. But the character got lost midway and took a back seat at some point. But then shined again in the last 3 episodes.
3. Love the writing of the drama. The cases were so well written. The catch for me was how all culprits became victims of the cases at the end of their confession. It was so sad. The culprit was predictable from the start but I was still on edge about their backstories and that's where all the twists came for me.
4. Kudos to the artists who drew every sketch and painting. I love how perfectly they blended different styles of art with the cases. My favourite was thread one on the wall.
5. My only disappointment was the main case of human trafficking. I did not expect it to wrap this fast. They built so much tension from the start for this case because this was the major plot of this drama. I was expecting more twists in that case because of the villain’s dialogue delivery in episode 19. I mean he spoke like he had so much on his sleeves to save himself and the next minute he was caught.
All in all, this was a perfectly written drama which will be going on my top list.
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This review may contain spoilers
Amazing crime drama with wonderful cast & intriguing cases
I wanted to watch more non-romance dramas this month so I picked 'Under the Skin' because this show was highly recommended on a few reddit posts. I enjoyed it immensely.What I liked:
1. Acting - I have watched dramas of Lu Yan Qi and Baby Zhang but was unfamiliar with Tan Jianci and Jin Shi Jia. I was very impressed by their acting and supporting cast too. Some guest roles made an impact on me for example Jiang Ge (episodes 1-3), Qu Lan Xin & Ren Xiao Xuan (episodes 3 - 5), Chu Tian Qi (episodes 10 & 11).
2. Character development - I really enjoyed watching Shen Yi's growth as an artist and as an individual. He was like a superhero whose power is sketching & painting. Captain Du Cheng also had some growth as a police officer.
3. Drawing - I love seeing the sketches done by Shen Yi although I found him to be too perfect. Like he's a savant. I also enjoyed the drawing on the blackboard especially the one in the last episode.
4. Pacing - I liked the format of this series - thank gosh it's not one case per episode because most cases were complicated and needed more time to be investigated.
5. Supporting characters - My favourite is Du Cheng's sister. She appeared after halfway mark of the series but her appearance were integral to the main arc. I also liked Jiang Feng, He Rong Yue and Li Han.
6. Music - The score reminded me of Queen's Gambit score. Anyway I liked the score a lot!
What I disliked:
1. Supporting characters - Baby Zhang's character was very interesting so I wish she had more screen time.
2. Rash - Shen Yi made a few rash decisions in order to catch culprits. It's silly because he was a rookie cop and inexperienced in handling dangerous suspects & culprits.
Favourite scene
When Shen Yi led a case instead of Captain Du Cheng
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Art importantance in crime
The individual cases were layer up until the last one making the audience comfortably enjoy the complexity of human nature and the unfortunate circumstances the victim and perpetrator ended up with. It shows human behavior and how art is used to show that as it not only identified suspects but was a vital part of Shen Yi and who he isShen Yi is a very perspective individual who noticed the little things that made breakthroughs in cases making him highly popular among the police force which for me made but likable with his empathetic nature toward others
There is character development as at first he is a little unsure of himself and his position but slowly warms up, especially with Du Cheng whose past is linked to him with a tragic event.
Du Cheng, I believe he is a great officer but at times reckless with his decisions endangering other's lives
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对剧情有个疑问？Have a question about the plot?
GOOD DRAMA. ENJOY WATCHING VERY MUCH. Will recommend to others to watch this stand.Have a question about the plot?
Why take out a picture of a child and hope he can draw what the child in the picture will look like as an adult? Since Officer Lei was investigating the case and hindered the criminal, the criminal should know his appearance. This was not elaborated upon.
为何需要拿出一张孩童的照片，希望他能画出照片上的孩童成年后的样貌？ 既然雷警官是在查案中，阻碍到犯罪人，犯罪人就应该知道他的样貌吧。 这点没有详细说明。
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This series is mind-blowing!
I've always rewatching this first season because I am amazed by how they execute the History, Philosophy and Arts in one series. As an artist and a writer, every episode is so creative and you know, you can gain knowledge about it. The cast portrayed very well their fields. Also, I love the bond they are forming each episodes. Applause to the creator of this series!Was this review helpful to you?
