This review may contain spoilers
Underwhelming & overhyped Female Detective saved by her ever-capable Husband | Light ON! *Grins*
"No matter how trivial the detail, or how close the suspect is to you, do not be afraid to doubt them. Be brave and seek verification. Trust could also be a drive for investigation." - Chen Wen (Yan Xing's Master)
More than anything else, what truly baffled me about this story was Yan Xing’s (FL) investigation and problem-solving skills. Although she was highly regarded and praised for her expertise, her performance during those cases was either weak or mediocre at best. I don’t think she ever resolved a single case on her own; most of the time, she succeeded only with the help of those around her—whether it was her Master, her friends or most often, her husband, Shen Du.
Her overall capabilities as an investigator and coroner are average and simply do not live up to her reputation. Watching her receive constant praise for her "excellent skills" felt ridiculous because she wouldn't have solved those cases without her support system. Not to mention, the amount of time it usually took her to reach a conclusion was far from impressive.
On top of that, she lacks social awareness—a crucial trait for any investigator. She is often clueless about her surroundings. It is bad enough that her investigative skills are only at an intermediate level, but they are further hindered by her lack of social connections and situational consciousness. This brings to mind a comment from the Director of the Ministry of Justice below:
"The wives of other high-ranking officials are adept at dealing with people to learn secrets that may be useful for their husbands. Who else would be silly enough to bury their head in files and stay in the morgue all day long?" - Director of the Ministry of Justice
That said, I’m giving 90% of the credit to Shen Du. He does most of the heavy lifting and keeps Yan Xing safe 99.99% of the time. Without his impenetrable protection, our FL would have been dead the second she was targeted by the enemies she offended. He really is a true knight in shining armor!
The plot was interconnected nicely, which helped brew the main conflict of the story. I particularly liked that the focus of the minor cases was related to the main conflict; they didn't deviate into unrelated cases, which helped keep the storyline's buildup on track. Although the plot was well-woven, I have some reservations about a few specific elements:
• Is the sudden off-screening or exclusion of important events. It happened several times; while it didn’t negatively impact the overall plot, it leaves me wondering what actually occurred during those scenes, as the story jumps straight to the resolution while omitting the climax. It was strange because even though the plan had been laid out, we were somehow left behind the scenes—completely unaware of the process and only shown the end result. This really bothered me because those scenes are vital to the plot. Cutting them out left me totally confused, thinking: "What the hell just happened?" (I'm referring to the ending of Gannandao Arc)
• The act of keeping some information hidden in order to use for the climax of the story—I'm referring to Pan Chi discovering that it was Lai Luo Zhi who tricked Saintess Daisi but never mentioned it on his letter to Yan Xing—which didn't get utilize anyways. Like, what's the point of revealing it ahead of time if they're not gonna use? The leads even have to know the truth through Jin Cang (Yan Xing's Musician uncle). What a waste!
• When It took her 14 episodes to realize her husband had night blindness, despite all the clues and their house being excessively lit. Surely that goes beyond just being afraid of the dark. I don't know why it took her so long to figure it out.
• The out of blue sickness of Empress Dowager. It happened all of a sudden that I didn't know if she was just acting because she was emotionally unstable, poisoned or forced by Lai Luo Zhi, or is devising a plan to catch the Lai Luo Zhu. It was hard to determine what was happening with her because she was being extra melancholy those times. I am glad it ended satisfyingly though.
• When Shen Du tricks Yan Xing into another wedding, but this time with a proper Wedding ceremony after she continuously rejects his reconciliation attempts. I find it inconsiderate of him especially after he disregards her threat to cut ties with him if he faced the Empress Dowager alone. I honestly feel like he should have groveled more and exerted more personal effort to win her back. One reason I feel this way is that they off-screened so many of the "winning her back" and "constantly rejecting him" scenes. /Sighs/
Lastly, I was frustrated at first that we were more than halfway through the story and the leads still weren't vocal about their feelings. But then, episode 25 finally happened. Although it took a while to get there, it was worth the wait. I loved the tension and the sincerity of their emotions during the hot spring scene, though the 'amateur-coded' kiss was a bit of a letdown.
P.S. The greatest plot twist of this drama was how genuinely innocent Prince Xian and Grand Princess Runing were. The show did a great job insinuating malice in their actions, only for it to be revealed that they had nothing to do with anything all this time. Job well done!
Story - 9.0, I honestly find the plot build-up to be great. My main issue with the story is the baseless reputation and feats attributed to Yan Xing. She has some skills, I admit, but she is definitely not at the 'expert level' the drama proclaims her to be. It might have worked if they had allowed her to grow over the course of the show, instead of having Shen Du back her up in every single situation. Additionally, I’m dumbfounded by the way they handled certain information; they off-screened, skipped, or omitted several scenes that were crucial to the story.
Acting/Cast - 9.0, I should be satisfied for the mere reason that I discovered Deng Enxi through this show and enjoyed her performance very much. However, I just can't swallow the cringeyness I felt watching some of the supporting cast, namely Xiao Yan and Song Fangyuan. I understand that this is an idol drama, but their performances are simply annoying to watch. It honestly may be their characters' lack of depth that drags them onto my bad side. How I wish they were written a little better. P.S. I just wanna mention how I love Deng Enxi's eyes—viibrant and indulgent.
Music - 9.0, While the soundtrack as a whole was not particularly memorable, I found the insert themes to be quite moving, particularly the music used during the more sentimental moments.
Rewatch Value - 7.0, While I enjoyed the series, it lacks rewatch value for me personally. However, I’d still recommend it, especially for those who follow Ding Yuxi’s work.
Overall - 9.0, The plot is clear, compact, and flows well. While the show over-hypes Yan Xing’s skills and some scenes feel omitted, the rest of the drama is solid and worth watching.
IF you find my review helpful please let me know.
More than anything else, what truly baffled me about this story was Yan Xing’s (FL) investigation and problem-solving skills. Although she was highly regarded and praised for her expertise, her performance during those cases was either weak or mediocre at best. I don’t think she ever resolved a single case on her own; most of the time, she succeeded only with the help of those around her—whether it was her Master, her friends or most often, her husband, Shen Du.
Her overall capabilities as an investigator and coroner are average and simply do not live up to her reputation. Watching her receive constant praise for her "excellent skills" felt ridiculous because she wouldn't have solved those cases without her support system. Not to mention, the amount of time it usually took her to reach a conclusion was far from impressive.
On top of that, she lacks social awareness—a crucial trait for any investigator. She is often clueless about her surroundings. It is bad enough that her investigative skills are only at an intermediate level, but they are further hindered by her lack of social connections and situational consciousness. This brings to mind a comment from the Director of the Ministry of Justice below:
"The wives of other high-ranking officials are adept at dealing with people to learn secrets that may be useful for their husbands. Who else would be silly enough to bury their head in files and stay in the morgue all day long?" - Director of the Ministry of Justice
That said, I’m giving 90% of the credit to Shen Du. He does most of the heavy lifting and keeps Yan Xing safe 99.99% of the time. Without his impenetrable protection, our FL would have been dead the second she was targeted by the enemies she offended. He really is a true knight in shining armor!
The plot was interconnected nicely, which helped brew the main conflict of the story. I particularly liked that the focus of the minor cases was related to the main conflict; they didn't deviate into unrelated cases, which helped keep the storyline's buildup on track. Although the plot was well-woven, I have some reservations about a few specific elements:
• Is the sudden off-screening or exclusion of important events. It happened several times; while it didn’t negatively impact the overall plot, it leaves me wondering what actually occurred during those scenes, as the story jumps straight to the resolution while omitting the climax. It was strange because even though the plan had been laid out, we were somehow left behind the scenes—completely unaware of the process and only shown the end result. This really bothered me because those scenes are vital to the plot. Cutting them out left me totally confused, thinking: "What the hell just happened?" (I'm referring to the ending of Gannandao Arc)
• The act of keeping some information hidden in order to use for the climax of the story—I'm referring to Pan Chi discovering that it was Lai Luo Zhi who tricked Saintess Daisi but never mentioned it on his letter to Yan Xing—which didn't get utilize anyways. Like, what's the point of revealing it ahead of time if they're not gonna use? The leads even have to know the truth through Jin Cang (Yan Xing's Musician uncle). What a waste!
• When It took her 14 episodes to realize her husband had night blindness, despite all the clues and their house being excessively lit. Surely that goes beyond just being afraid of the dark. I don't know why it took her so long to figure it out.
• The out of blue sickness of Empress Dowager. It happened all of a sudden that I didn't know if she was just acting because she was emotionally unstable, poisoned or forced by Lai Luo Zhi, or is devising a plan to catch the Lai Luo Zhu. It was hard to determine what was happening with her because she was being extra melancholy those times. I am glad it ended satisfyingly though.
• When Shen Du tricks Yan Xing into another wedding, but this time with a proper Wedding ceremony after she continuously rejects his reconciliation attempts. I find it inconsiderate of him especially after he disregards her threat to cut ties with him if he faced the Empress Dowager alone. I honestly feel like he should have groveled more and exerted more personal effort to win her back. One reason I feel this way is that they off-screened so many of the "winning her back" and "constantly rejecting him" scenes. /Sighs/
Lastly, I was frustrated at first that we were more than halfway through the story and the leads still weren't vocal about their feelings. But then, episode 25 finally happened. Although it took a while to get there, it was worth the wait. I loved the tension and the sincerity of their emotions during the hot spring scene, though the 'amateur-coded' kiss was a bit of a letdown.
P.S. The greatest plot twist of this drama was how genuinely innocent Prince Xian and Grand Princess Runing were. The show did a great job insinuating malice in their actions, only for it to be revealed that they had nothing to do with anything all this time. Job well done!
Story - 9.0, I honestly find the plot build-up to be great. My main issue with the story is the baseless reputation and feats attributed to Yan Xing. She has some skills, I admit, but she is definitely not at the 'expert level' the drama proclaims her to be. It might have worked if they had allowed her to grow over the course of the show, instead of having Shen Du back her up in every single situation. Additionally, I’m dumbfounded by the way they handled certain information; they off-screened, skipped, or omitted several scenes that were crucial to the story.
Acting/Cast - 9.0, I should be satisfied for the mere reason that I discovered Deng Enxi through this show and enjoyed her performance very much. However, I just can't swallow the cringeyness I felt watching some of the supporting cast, namely Xiao Yan and Song Fangyuan. I understand that this is an idol drama, but their performances are simply annoying to watch. It honestly may be their characters' lack of depth that drags them onto my bad side. How I wish they were written a little better. P.S. I just wanna mention how I love Deng Enxi's eyes—viibrant and indulgent.
Music - 9.0, While the soundtrack as a whole was not particularly memorable, I found the insert themes to be quite moving, particularly the music used during the more sentimental moments.
Rewatch Value - 7.0, While I enjoyed the series, it lacks rewatch value for me personally. However, I’d still recommend it, especially for those who follow Ding Yuxi’s work.
Overall - 9.0, The plot is clear, compact, and flows well. While the show over-hypes Yan Xing’s skills and some scenes feel omitted, the rest of the drama is solid and worth watching.
IF you find my review helpful please let me know.
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