This review may contain spoilers
A good mystery show with a twist
So the plot could be sumarize like this: a dog investigates haunted houses. It sounds like a Scooby-Doo adaptation, but it's something very different. For starters, the dog transforms into a human whenever the less-than-skillful FL needs his help with one of the cases. Surprisingly, this is the only supernatural element in the series: the haunted houses (or stigmatized properties, as they are more properly called) always have a rational explanation. The detective side of the show has strenths but also weaknesses: on the one hand, the initial presentation of the mysteries as rational impossibilities is very intriguing; on the other, the small number of suspects makes it easy to identify the culprit in each episode.But the best part of the drama is the dynamic between the leads; it's very rare to find two leads with such chemistry without sexual tension. Both characters are somewhat extreme: Wakamiya's clumsiness and nervousness can be exhausting at first, and the same can be said for Inugashira's dry delivery and strange aloofness, but both become more appealing as the episodes go on. Detective Arimura's comedic touch is brief enough to be enjoyable. And let's not forget Masahiro, who is there to give the viewer a dose of sentimentality related to why Inugashira protects him.
In the end, you'll want to spend more time with these characters, and luckily the ending is open-ended enough to allow for a second season. Fingers crossed.
P.S.: The Kokuchi Jiko Ari Drama Special is loosely related with this series:
https://kisskh.at/787952-kokuchi-jiko-ari-sono-jiko-bukken-de-okiru-koto
Miyase Ryubi's character and Inuta make a couple of guest appearances there. Be warned: that Drama Special focuses much more on horror and the supernatural than this series.
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Underrated
I don't usually write reviews, but I'll do so this time because I completely disagree with this series' rating. It's undoubtedly among the best short C-drama series in terms of story, production quality, and acting talent. We have two short c-dramas regulars, Lin Ze Hui and Hu Bo Wen, who this time present characters with traits that allow them to stand out (blindness in LZH's case; an interesting and complex personality in HBW's case). Carmen Tong, the FL, whom I hadn't previously heard of, also gives an excellent performance.I won't say much about the story; it's a classic revenge story, and it benefits from having three strong main villains to keep it interesting. Also noteworthy are our blind ML's action scenes; the creators of this show must have been watching Zatoichi or Daredevil movies...
It has its flaws, too: some cheap narrative tricks: twice, the viewer is led to believe the bad guys have caught up with the good guys' car, only to later be revealed that the good guys were actually in another car; and there's a rape scene that turns out to be a nightmare.
I suppose the low rating is due to the violence depicted, which is more graphic than usual in this type of series, and also to the somewhat sad ending. But for me, both elements contribute to, not detract from, the overall quality of the series.
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An absurd short fiction c-drama
It's a difficult series to rate. I'm giving it a positive rating (7.5) because I had fun watching it until the end, and isn't that the main purpose of this series? But if you compare it to other revenge dramas of similar characteristics, the ridiculousness of the characters and plot situations should deserve a lower rating.On the positive side, as I said, it was fun, the FL is a good actress, and her character is likeable and you root for her. Also, for once, the disabled character doesn't magically get cured at the end.
On the negative side, much of the story didn't make much sense, starting with the first episode and the way she tries to make amends with the ML by framing him for a crime (?). In a later episode, she gains the villain's trust by taking a bullet for him... in the chest... without any consequences (I've seen people more affected by mosquito bites). And let's not forget that scene where an actor takes off his mask and turns out to be the ML in disguise, like Tom Cruise in a Mission Impossible movie.
In short, if you want a serious revenge drama, look elsewhere; this is for people who like off-kilter dramas.
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A short c-drama shonen?
I'm surprised no one has written yet a review for this series, and also that it has such a low score for the standards of this site (it currently has a 6.6 when I'm writing this, which in MDL usually means "don't touch it even with a stick").Look, this is a short c-drama, so it has low budget production shortcomings that has to be expected, but if you accept that, I think this should be enjoyable for people who like shonen manga or anime, cause this show has a lot in common with that kind of story: likable, juvenile, silly except when it counts ML; 3 beautiful girls helping him and showing interest in him in different ways; and a lot of "battles", that in this case consisted in stone gambling competitions (something that I didn't even know existed before watching this show).
It has a light tone, except for some episodes towards the end when it sudenly becomes too dramatic, but it comes back to the light side for the ending.
It also has a mystery villain, other laughable villains, a missing grandpa, a femme fatale, an annoying rich girl and many, many stones.
What more can I say? I had fun.
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