This is actually not bad considering it's produced by Netflix (in terms of maintaining Japanese style and flavor). The first episode will remind you of typical death game show but as the story progresses it is totally a different thing albeit the plot is still, "not that unpredictable". It looks like though, this could potentially be spanning into several seasons (perhaps more than 2) judging from how they wrapped the last episode...lol So please be warned if that is a problem for you.
Some of the ridiculous things in spoiler below. Please don't open if you haven't watched this series.
Actually this is a good binge-able drama. The duration for most of the episodes are less than 40 minutes so it is a good candidate for single sitting watch (although I personally watched it in several days). What I don't like about this is how "gimmicky" it was on certain parts of the drama like some scenes during the first episode, as well as the predictably cliche plots (some are laughable lol) despite the better writing and production. Non acting was okay-ish. She looked "over-doing" in some parts but that's okay. The Shogi part was minimal so it is okay if you know nothing about it before watching this drama.
Okay the first episode was slow and felt a bit directionless. But starting from Ep2 it turned into the usual 90's Jdramas (that people love). The plot was more on the people than the crime cases. The comedy was satirical (to the 90's era) without being slapstick. May not be suitable for people who are looking for investigation or mystery.
One of the reasons why I really don't care for Japanese dramas is one: the flow of the episodes...I just watched…
The first episode of this drama is indeed slow and this might not be the best drama to be watched in this era, but I wonder how many Japanese dramas you actually tried to watch to come to that "generalized conclusion".
Imagine I watched 3 random bad Korean dramas and saying the same thing (that I don't care for Korean drama based on my bad experience with 3 random dramas and used the word EVERY in capital letters) at the place where Korean fans gather.
This is surprisingly interesting because it does not follow the typical route. I mean the characters are fresh and how they response to situations are unpredictable. It is mystery and dark but at the same time cozy and family centric. If you want something unique that focus on unique couple/family relationship with a slice of mystery and quirkiness, then this drama might be for you!
This is basically thrash to say the least. I know some earlier comments crying over the low MDL rating, but in all honesty this does not even deserve more than 5/10. As a person who's generous in rating I gave this 4.5/10.
To sum it up, this drama is kind of deceiving by claiming it's a Higashino Keigo adaptation but at the same time did not have a mystery vibe at all. Only the last 2 episodes containing the "claimed" mystery elements (with last episode showing excessive amount of romance flashbacks) making audience perceiving this drama as okay-ish while it's actually not. And the police investigation was so amateurish it's criminal for a mystery drama.
Objectively speaking, the first 8 episodes were dead boring with nonsense plots and fillers to drag the series. The romance part wasn't that interesting either as the couple know from day1 they would end up together. So, more of superficial kind of romance. The business was superficial too and the family fight for the inheritance was the generic one we have seen before.
Episodes 9 and 10 were slightly better as the introduction to the main mystery in the last 2 episodes. In the end there was effort in making a twist (than the novel) albeit a not so good one.
Overall a good drama with good production value (writing, visual, BGM, direction). I loved the psychological aspect…
I totally agree with Duan Hongshan judgement 14 years ago. Li Mu Feng was just unlucky that his response in defending himself resulted to the Zhou Lin's death. I guess he could get away should he stabbed the non dangerous body part of the attacker.
The 4 years jail sentence also seemed fair for him instead of a more heavier punishment. Like what Duan said, Li Mu Feng case was the precedent that could heavily cost future verdicts of the same situation, if it was not dealt properly.
Li Mu Feng on the other hand never had guilty conscience and too fixated on his "justifiable defense". He was basically did not feel sorry about the death of the other person, which made him prone to doing more future crimes like what we saw in the drama. Heck, he was a stalker anyway before the attack.
Li Mu Feng also should blame the society instead of Duan Hongshan. Even if his 14 years ago case handled by a different prosecutor, the same judgement might be given. The society is the one that should be educated not to stigmatize and discriminate ex-convicts.
On a different topic, I personally think the investigation of the case 14 years ago was not done properly. It is weird the police did not interview all the people around Li Mu Feng, Zhou Lin, and Mei Zheng. Instead they used single statement from Jiang Ting who was 1 year younger from Mei Zheng and Mu Feng, and she barely know Mei Zheng and Mu Feng.
The police should have asked the noodle shop owner at least as well as the students who Mei Zheng tutored. If they did the latter, they should have stumbled on Zhang Yuan and he bullying Zhou Lin might have been exposed.
14 years later, the motive for Zhou Lin's father to take revenge was not so convincing. He saved the person who killed his son, but blaming Duan Hongshan for not giving heavier punishment for the killer. I mean why did you save the killer in the first place?
Zhou Lin's father reporting on Duan Hongshan over Jiang Ting case was also not making sense. How in the world this information got leaked? Why the prosecutor department did not take this matter seriously?
The suicide attempt of Mu Feng was too plot of convenience because it was happened in 2022 (which is 1 year or less before the kidnapping). During this time he supposedly already did well with his life and already used to the stigma.
The flashback scenes of Mu Feng and Zhou Lin's father revealed that they have been to fishing center quite some times. That makes it weird the police did not get the information from eyewitness about the two. They also could have traced the CCTV involving the car movement and could have captured the identity of the people in the car.
The relationship between Duan Hongshan and Mei Zheng was not revealed at the end of the drama. They seemed like have been meeting 4 years before the drama timeline, which too earlier than the time she met Tiang Jing with baby at bus stop.
On a different note, it is interesting that there's such thing as public hearing in China. I wonder what credibility a fishing center owner has to determine the judgement of a legal case....LOL
Overall a good drama with good production value (writing, visual, BGM, direction). I loved the psychological aspect of it (thanks to the acting) and its heavy commentary on legal system. This is my first time watching a drama about Chinese legal system, which is a bit different than the one we're familiar with, so it was a nice experience. However the criminal aspect could have been made better. I personally find the motives for the crime were a bit weak with questionable investigation procedures (more in spoiler below), that they were just felt like plot of conveniences. The drama seemed to focus more on the interpretation of the law instead of investigation.
Typical episodic police drama involving some fancy department. It is an alright watch with decent crime cases and some (very) light comedies in between.
Yeah, I realized after I wrote this that by “sound” they could’ve been referring to just style of playing…
I mean during the complete band performance, like the one used for the stage scene. The individual short practice/or single instrument could be done by themselves. To play in ensemble is more challenging.
No worries about late replying. Real life is our priority.
I watch less kdrama but I somehow watched the Korean version last year. Never thought it will get Japanese adaptation.
Anyway, I liked Korean a bit better but the Japanese version was more straight to the point with less filler scenes and less stupid police. The lacking in Jdrama is the underdeveloped Kidnapper-Kid chemistry. Otherwise it would have topped the Korean original.
This was entertaining. I just wish the latter cases were not that sloppily edited. where there were some awkward story progression. The good thing is, this drama did not force the plot twist, which most mystery dramas tend to do for the sake of "tricking viewers" but at the same time ignoring the plausibility factors.
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1 
Some of the ridiculous things in spoiler below. Please don't open if you haven't watched this series.
Imagine I watched 3 random bad Korean dramas and saying the same thing (that I don't care for Korean drama based on my bad experience with 3 random dramas and used the word EVERY in capital letters) at the place where Korean fans gather.
To sum it up, this drama is kind of deceiving by claiming it's a Higashino Keigo adaptation but at the same time did not have a mystery vibe at all. Only the last 2 episodes containing the "claimed" mystery elements (with last episode showing excessive amount of romance flashbacks) making audience perceiving this drama as okay-ish while it's actually not. And the police investigation was so amateurish it's criminal for a mystery drama.
Objectively speaking, the first 8 episodes were dead boring with nonsense plots and fillers to drag the series. The romance part wasn't that interesting either as the couple know from day1 they would end up together. So, more of superficial kind of romance. The business was superficial too and the family fight for the inheritance was the generic one we have seen before.
Episodes 9 and 10 were slightly better as the introduction to the main mystery in the last 2 episodes. In the end there was effort in making a twist (than the novel) albeit a not so good one.
The 4 years jail sentence also seemed fair for him instead of a more heavier punishment. Like what Duan said, Li Mu Feng case was the precedent that could heavily cost future verdicts of the same situation, if it was not dealt properly.
Li Mu Feng on the other hand never had guilty conscience and too fixated on his "justifiable defense". He was basically did not feel sorry about the death of the other person, which made him prone to doing more future crimes like what we saw in the drama. Heck, he was a stalker anyway before the attack.
Li Mu Feng also should blame the society instead of Duan Hongshan. Even if his 14 years ago case handled by a different prosecutor, the same judgement might be given. The society is the one that should be educated not to stigmatize and discriminate ex-convicts.
=============================================================
On a different topic, I personally think the investigation of the case 14 years ago was not done properly. It is weird the police did not interview all the people around Li Mu Feng, Zhou Lin, and Mei Zheng. Instead they used single statement from Jiang Ting who was 1 year younger from Mei Zheng and Mu Feng, and she barely know Mei Zheng and Mu Feng.
The police should have asked the noodle shop owner at least as well as the students who Mei Zheng tutored. If they did the latter, they should have stumbled on Zhang Yuan and he bullying Zhou Lin might have been exposed.
14 years later, the motive for Zhou Lin's father to take revenge was not so convincing. He saved the person who killed his son, but blaming Duan Hongshan for not giving heavier punishment for the killer. I mean why did you save the killer in the first place?
Zhou Lin's father reporting on Duan Hongshan over Jiang Ting case was also not making sense. How in the world this information got leaked? Why the prosecutor department did not take this matter seriously?
The suicide attempt of Mu Feng was too plot of convenience because it was happened in 2022 (which is 1 year or less before the kidnapping). During this time he supposedly already did well with his life and already used to the stigma.
The flashback scenes of Mu Feng and Zhou Lin's father revealed that they have been to fishing center quite some times. That makes it weird the police did not get the information from eyewitness about the two. They also could have traced the CCTV involving the car movement and could have captured the identity of the people in the car.
The relationship between Duan Hongshan and Mei Zheng was not revealed at the end of the drama. They seemed like have been meeting 4 years before the drama timeline, which too earlier than the time she met Tiang Jing with baby at bus stop.
======================================================
On a different note, it is interesting that there's such thing as public hearing in China. I wonder what credibility a fishing center owner has to determine the judgement of a legal case....LOL
**My opinion about Limufeng also in spoiler below
No worries about late replying. Real life is our priority.
Not all people who read the comment section have watched the Korean version.
Anyway, I liked Korean a bit better but the Japanese version was more straight to the point with less filler scenes and less stupid police. The lacking in Jdrama is the underdeveloped Kidnapper-Kid chemistry. Otherwise it would have topped the Korean original.