The Bionic Life

REFRESHING to see in cdramas!

I support cdramas going into new genres vs. the often over hyped costume dramas or over produced rom-com. I also love shorter dramas like these because they don't drag and waste your time. Yes the story is not perfect, mostly because they had to edit and cut a lot in order to get pass censorship but this director Leste Chen at least tried. I also love his filming style. All the actors are well cast and gave solid performances. Song Weilong is able to prove his versatility and show depth in his acting with this new look and character. Vicky Chen is young and talented creating great chemistry with the male lead. I think it's about time cdramas do something different and I give them a lot of credit for it.

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Interesting but oversimplistic

The Bionic Life started out very well. I was very impressed with the plot and characters seemed to have a lot of potential. I was especially impressed by SWL's new look and acting.

Very quickly you realize that there is a different story each episode. This helps us understand the impact of human's decisions. Some stories were very touching and got me teary eyed. However, at some point, it started to feel a bit redundant. Once new characters were introduced, you can predict what will happen. The explanation on the origin of humanoids was also very vague. It's a shame for the wasted potential as the writers opted for a very simplistic route, like they couldn't be bothered.

Many times, the cut from scene to scene was very abrupt, making for a noncohesive flow. For example, the leads would be in a suspect's house asking questions then it cuts to An Qui asleep at home and dreaming. It reminds me of very old movies where scenes are cut and pasted together without regard for transitions.

Despite all of the above, it was still an enjoyable watch until the last few episodes where one of the leads started acting out of character and made some very questionable decisions. It frankly ruined my enjoyment and I couldn't stop rolling my eyes, hoping for it to be over. In the last ep. some issues were swept under the rug and the show was tied in a pretty bow to wrap things up.

If you are someone who takes things at face value, you may really enjoy show. I'm rating a 7.5 because it started out very well but the last few episodes were rather disappointing. Also some things needed more fleshing out. It definitely needed more than 12 episodes or at least each ep. should have been longer than 30 mins.

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A refreshing concept

This is probably the first drama I've seen that puts romance in the backseat and I think it really worked out in its favour. The story and concept are pretty akin to something like "Blade Runner", just without the cyberpunk element. Therefore, it is not entirely unique but in the realm of dramas and especially mini dramas, it is executed quite well. In terms of acting, I think both the ML and FL are on par with each other. In some moments their delivery works, but in others it falls flat. I think they both need to work on their range. Harkening back to Greek concepts of love, the drama trades off the typical eros love for something more centred on agape, philia, and storge. I think this decision complemented the story well and provided a lot more depth. It also leaves a stronger message for the viewer to think about after they finish the show. I also thoroughly enjoyed the production of the drama.

In terms of cons, I do agree with other reviewers that it could have been more flushed out. I also think around the halfway point it starts to become more predictable.

Overall, I still recommend this drama if you're looking for a drama that isn't a cookie cutter love story.

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Not Android but SubHuman Engineering

I support this kind of Sci-Fic Chinese Drama where the main lead is still young. Despite their age, they really nailed the character they played. I hope Chinese Drama Industry will making more of science fiction Drama. The ending music is quite good but the director need to add more music into some scene. It need season 2 for afterstory. I hope they keep the cast.
I will rewatch it again but not in the meantime

It is scary to think that our neuron and brain tissue can be manipulated and engineering like the story, but it is one possibility of humankind future.

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Binged this in a span of two days. I didn't have much expectations when I watched it but I ended up thinking that this story was actually done quite decently. While watching, I was wondering what was the writer's purpose for creating a drama involving humans and humanoids. At the end of the final episode, I think viewers will definitely understand why - the message is very simple and serves as a lesson for all humans. The drama had some touching moments that did make me tear up. I found Sun Yao and Yinian's story to be particularly memorable and very touching. The main casts and the various supporting roles really did a great job. However, I still feel that this isn't a perfect drama and the story could definitely have been better developed with more depth for the relationship between humans and humanoids as well as for the relationship development between the two leads Cheng Nuo and An Qiu.

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It is good crime investigation drama about intelligent humanoid. Good watch.

The Bionic Life is another light-on-series from iQiyi, and they are the leader in this type of short series. I have watched many of their light-on-series, and they are excellent, and this drama is another good one.

The plot is about investigating which humanoid is the killer of humans. Song Wei Long and Vicky Chen are this drama's lead actors/actresses.

The acting is good for both the lead and supporting cast, especially Vicky Chen. She is young and talented, especially in this type of genre. Song Wei Long acted his best in this drama compared to others he was in.

I enjoyed it and highly recommend you check it out. My only complaint is that humanoids are intelligent robots, so why is their blood when they die? Not realistic. I give it an 8.0 rating.

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An interesting and underrated gem!!!

The plot is all about the era of humanoids, and the order to recall them back and variuis stories revolving around them and humans.
Set in 2035,the future, The Bionic Life, is a MUST WATCH drama for me, because of the new concept of focusing on the emotions and the relationships between humans and humanoids.
On the other hand, it also gives a strict message that humans should stop experimenting and creating new things, which could bring disasters to the world.
I liked how the cases were nit only about finding humanoids, but rather focussed on the emotional bonds that humans have formed with the humanoids. All the cases were good and 2 were quite emotional also, imho.
Song Weilong, as Cheng Nuo, has delivered a very good performance. From carelessness to emotions, he balanced everything perfectly.
Vicky Chen, as An Qiu, is very impressive. Her acting skills were very good. She is very patient, kind, hardworking, smart and intelligent too. I liked her acting very much!!
All the other cast did good in their roles.
The production was good too.
Overall, it is a very good watch and I highly recommend to watch this drama, for its message that technology should never be misused and
Why to create something that would be destroyed by my hands?
A superb watch and an underrated gem!!!

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C-drama another attempt into futuristic/ scientific genre

It had potential of being a good drama.

Its either limited time or the writer and producer couldnt figure a proper ending in tying the loose ends.
The production to the series seems like there wasnt enough effort in differentiating a bionic person and a real person. what was the reason for hatred between the two. Also is this euphemism between foreigners vs residents intermingling with each other. (maybe cause they make it in a way that real people were the superiors and the bionic people were the inferior...)

We see a bionic person raising a child better than a biological parent. Two bionic people falling in love and and out of love, and one ending the life of their counterpart. The man-hunt of illegal biotic peoples. (this part did not make any sense, as where did that come from???).
Where did these bionic people come from, at first the story makes it sound like they were made in a lab. They are then sold into the market as nannies, lovers, workers, etc.
The next they just happen to be there , and you can alter a bionic person's memory into thinking that they are a real person from the beginning.
Another issue was that, telling the difference between a real person vs. bionic person. As side from a little programing "magic" and their eyes turned white. Otherwise you really cant tell them apart. Really disappointing that they didnt put any effort in that part to make it obvious.
The whole series was just a incomplete and had too many stories with many plot holes and not alot of time to properly answer them.

I was hoping that they were able to answer as to why, where, what cause the rift between the two species. With soo few episodes to this drama. It doesnt make it a proper drama. They just jumble some stories together and left it like that.

Dont get me wrong, the acting between the two leads were fantastic. Them stepping out of their comfort zone, I give them props. I just felt unfortunate that they were given a half-written script and had to act and guess/ab-lib the rest to present this so-called "drama"

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Well Written SciFi Series

first of all, I seriously don't understand why this drama has a low score. its such a well written, well detailed non idol drama,with no cliches at all,

The ML Cheng nuo, is a human with SciFi tendencies,The Fl is strong,although annoying sometimes but it didn't take away the uniqueness of this gorgeous series.

I highly recommend to people who are not used to idol romance to try and watch this,absolutely good story with good storyline. I'm not much of a review writer but this drama deserves at least an 8!!! hope more people discover this gem soonest.💓

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A Great Short Sci-Fi Thriller That Doesn't Deserve Its Low Rating

Let me start by saying that The Bionic Life absolutely does not deserve the low rating it has on here. I understand that most people probably watched it because of Song Weilong since he pretty much blew up after the release of Shine on Me, and it's possible their expectation was for something completely different since he's mainly known as a romantic drama lead. But I appreciate his desire to act in something different for a change. He nailed the role regardless.

The Bionic Life is a 12-episode sci-fi thriller set in the nearest future. It follows a hot-headed investigator, Cheng Nuo (Song Weilong), and an empathetic agent with a background in psychology, An Qiu (Wen Qi), as they hunt down bionic humans. The premise is simple but interesting enough — it explores the blurred lines between human consciousness and artificial life humans created and now they’re trying to get rid of it. The idea is thought-provoking and will stay with you long after you finish watching.

While there are various stories in each episode that Cheng Nuo and An Qiu are investigating, there is also a central storyline that runs through the entire drama, which keeps things interesting. The individual cases and the overarching mystery work together to keep the pace fast and engaging.

I think this is one of those dramas that could actually use a few extra episodes. I just don’t know if there was any budget for it. I would have liked a little more insight into both main characters — their personalities, their dynamics — and probably a few more scenes between them to show the change in Cheng Nuo more gradually. That said, the last episode, where he finally comes full circle, is extremely emotional. Both characters, despite the foreboding feel of the drama, get a satisfactory ending.

For fans of Song Weilong coming here after his romantic roles — fair warning, this is not a drama that has any romance. But both main characters care about each other deeply, and you might enjoy the ending they get regardless. But don’t expect any courtship or anything of the sort. Their stories are set up in a way where even without romance, it's compelling to watch because it's an extremely emotional and high-stakes situation for both of them to overcome.

As far as production goes, this was done well. It wasn't anything extraordinary, but it had good quality cinematography and color grading that fit the atmosphere and kept the drama at a noir feel throughout. It kind of reminded me of early seasons of The X-Files. Yep, I said it.

Overall, The Bionic Life is a great short drama you can finish in a couple of days if you want to try something different. Go into it with an open mind and you will enjoy it. Ignore the lower ratings — the stories and the central mystery keep things moving, and the last episode will hit you harder than you expect before we get to the very satisfactory ending.

I truly enjoyed this more than I thought I would.

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