Wing3dBean

Let not the rewatch value fool you, I will NEVER rewatch this. Once was simultaneously perfect, but also too much. I cannot handle sitting through this story a second time.

When I saw Netflix add this to the 'coming soon' line-up, I expeditiously added it to 'my list' simply because of Tseng Ching Hua. So far, I've seen him in 5 shows, and he hasn't once let me down with his incredible acting skills. The man is incredibly talented — and the fact that he's beautiful to look at doesn't hurt either.

Moon Lee is also another actor that I wanted to watch. Just coming from binging both seasons of 'The Victim's Game', I wanted to see more of her acting. Who knew that her character, Chiang Hsiao Tung, would rip my heart out the same way that Chiang Hsiao Meng did in the previous shows? Ok, why do her characters have such similar names?
PS. I also just realized that I've seen her before in the movie 'I Am the Secret in Your Heart'. But seeing that I chose to wipe that entire story from my brain —because what the hell was that ending?—, I should be excused for forgetting her.

As for the plot in it's entirity, it's hard for me to write a proper review.

All I know is that my heart felt heavy throughout the 10 episodes. As the other reviews say, this isn't an easy story to get through. I went in thinking that it was a simple run-of-the-mill serial killer plot, and 2 episodes in, I knew I had to pace myself. This wasn't a story I could sit and binge in one or two nights. It took me almost 2 weeks to complete this 1st instalment, as all I could handle in a go was one or two episodes.

I literally finished watching 2 animated movies, one anime, and 2 seasons of 'How to Train Your Dragon' in the time it took me to complete these 10 episodes. I needed some palate cleansers after them.

When my heart wasn't feeling like someone was ripping it out and tap dancing on it, I was angry. Save for Chiang Hsiao Tung and Li Jen Yao, I was angry at everyone. From Li Jen Yao's mother (there's a special place inhell for mothers like her) to his dad (he should've been burned at the stake, to the teachers, the corrupt cops, plus other law enforcers, some of their schoolmates, and the parents of those disgusting boys. Everyone made me angry.

No matter how many times Li Jen Yao tried to save himself from drowning in the mess that was his life, they found ways to keep him down. To push him further in and suffocate him. And then they did the same to Hsiao Meng, all because she fell inlove with someone they deemed less than. Trash that they could bully, play around with, and throw away. Honestly, episodes 8 and 9 hurt in ways that I cannot begin to describe.

All in all, this is an incredibly well-done story, albeit a hard one to get through. The topics highlighted are important, and in a way, I have a deep respect for the actors, screenwriters, directors, and everyone who worked on this story. They did not pull any punches, and my heart and soul are black and blue from it.

PS. Some scenes made me sit and wonder how the actors, especially the two main ones, got into and out of the headspace required to express those emotions. Yoh....🙆🏾‍♀️

Now, I'm off to part 2. A part of me feels like it'll be cathartic, the other part feels like they'll just hurt me more. I feel like they aren't done wringing my heart out just yet