Between Qi Sizhe and hotpot, Zhu Qing Yue and corn, plus Han Feng with his nuts, that's a hunger-inducing BTS…
The Director is clinically precise with how he's been steadily micro-altering and subtly-shifting the gravity for the emotional core of this drama, in order to adjust relationships between the three leads. He's quite deft with many little details. After watching 11 episodes, he's achieved what I expected him to do on that subject. By episode 13, I should be able to finalise the answers to my two questions.
He's also improved on his previous efforts such as "The Victims' Game" (An 8-episode taiwanese drama available on Netflix, about a senior forensic investigator with Asperger's Syndrome solving mysterious murders linked to his estranged daughter).
Yesterday, the original scriptwriter of The Truth Within (Peeling Cocoon) revealed that the script was written…
That's wonderful and heartening to hear, given how it difficult it can be to get a project approved. At episode 10, and I find it interesting as to how the emotional core is evolving and bridged.
Xuanhuan. Though you could say, with some xianxia elements.
Xuanhuan is present with xianxia elements. Some people have wondered about the wuxia elements. I have highlighted three classical literature sources involving Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism which is heavily prevalent throughout the drama to explain the strong wuxia elements, with one specific reference for the sonic techniques of Tang Lici, Liu Yan, Fang Zhou and Hong-guniang:
This is really good, highly recommended! I watched the first 5 episodes and they flew by just like that! There's…
A great summary! Considering this was filmed 8 years ago, its quality is impressive. The humour is incredible, skilfully relieving tension at intervals even as the stakes keep getting higher and risks keep getting worse. Silent Tides and The Guardians are excellent dramas, and it's always great to have gems added to the same genre (I haven't watched Lost Identity).
Zhang Ning is a very talented actress. I'm happy to see her in this drama with Edward Zhang. Both of them are proof that great acting is timeless.
This also gives me hope for other dramas that have not yet aired but already surpassed four years since filming XD
I don't see her coming across as dumb and rigid. She's shocked and afraid in certain situations, because of abrupt…
The reason why I use the ballroom analogy is simple:
In that 80% who panic, it definitely includes the most competent professionals such as typical lawyers, doctors, accountants etc. The only ones who won't panic are those people with backgrounds or experience in handling weapons such as guns and/or knives, military, security, espionage, experience dealing with corpses, and some other interesting occupational habits that would lead to the likelihood of doing something different to stop a live shooter.
I wonder if this drama lost anything in editing due to censorship. Currently-airing forensic investigative drama "The Truth Within" lost 3 episodes due to censorship. And thank you for your well-wishes!
It's a lovely Friday! Sunny for completing laundry XDSilent Tides is pretty good and heart-wrenching in a different…
Enjoy binging on all the leads! Zhang Yishan is my favourite there, but the other two are also so good that at times, it's impossible and unnecessary to choose but just enjoy the smorgasboard of their professionalism XD
People who have lived through World War II in countries of East Asia and Southeast Asia are particularly sensitive to atrocities committed by the Imperial Army of Japan. My grandparents did not want to speak of what their parents shared with them. This is something a Western audience may not understand, unless they look at the lenses of suffering through whatever their ancestors suffered under the Nazis or any genocidal events such as the Holocaust.
Rape, torture, humiliation, and destruction of families was commonplace. Therefore, the powers that could best free the suffering populace was the choice of the people. Between the KMT and CCP, mistakes were made on both sides but especially under Chiang Kai-Shek of KMT, when people had to increasingly rely on the guerillas of the CCP to fight and survive the Japanese colonial invaders.
Forgetting all this and/or ignoring all this, when some viewers see the CCP being praised in a drama, they don't realise the CCP of a specific past versus present generations should be considered differently and accordingly as per the circumstances. When they don't, everything positive about CCP in a drama inevitable set during a time of being invaded and occupied and needing fellow Chinese citizens such as the CCP to survive and win becomes wrongly labelled as propaganda.
Republican-era C-dramas can be done very well with top-notch acting, script, directing and cinematography. I have just watched 5 episodes of "River Sunset" (another World War II espionage thriller now with a mission to save a certain individual, set against the events of Pearl Harbour): https://kisskh.at/27149-sunset-in-glory
Zhang Yishan, Han Dongjun and Zhan Tian Ai excelled in their roles for "The Guardians". Edward Zhang and Janine Zhang are also excellent in the currently-airing drama that took 8 years to finally see the screen. Hilarious, heart-wrenching, amazing, unforgettable.
I don't see her coming across as dumb and rigid. She's shocked and afraid in certain situations, because of abrupt…
Here's why I reckon she reacts badly, even though she signed up for this.
Regardless of loyalties she has pledged and her party activities, she appears to primarily be a doctor who has seen the horrors of wounds and deaths caused by shrapnel and worse, where it seems soldiers follow her orders with the wounded. When she signed up for this in a last-minute manner, she was assured she would be a doctor for a specific mission, and she demonstrated signs of stress. Defiance was one way of coping.
The ability to compartmentalise when one is doing a job you're familiar with is completely different, when the circumstances becomes fundamentally disturbing.
She has zero training as a spy, plus her temperament even after 5 episodes is clearly completely unsuitable for espionage.
When she encountered the abrupt brutality of a fellow chinese citizen being shot by Japanese soldiers less than 20 seconds after bolting, she was terrified into not being able to answer. She would have died, if she didn't have help. Many men and women would react badly after seeing and/or hearing someone get shot within 20 seconds of running away, because being shot and killed for no legitimate reason in such a dismissive way is frightening when one is powerless and at the mercy of invading colonisers.
Being told she is the equivalent of a dance hostess at a dancehall instead of a doctor is very jarring. She suddenly finds herself in constantly-changing situations that she has no idea how to adapt successfully and fit in, she has to remember details of a fake persona she hasn't accepted, she's forced to wear clothes that make her feel uncomfortable in a profession she doesn't respect, a man accosting her and pawing her after she had to accomplish a simple but stressful mission of obtaining a pen utilising a persona she hasn't figured out, a dangerous situation she quickly got herself and ML into due to shoving away that man- And then she has to pair up with someone she doesn't know in a seemingly "lover-like" fashion and stay overnight with him.
She basically coped however she could, as I'd expect of the typical civilian and for someone of her temperament: Treading water but nearly drowning at times.
If she was going to be comfortable and competent, she needed at least 6 months of training instead of being thrown into this very dangerous situation.
War time makes for poor preparations in unexpected urgent circumstances. All this will make her more wary. When ML was giving her tips of what a Japanese military interrogation would be like, her fear was palpable.
If someone fired a gunshot inside a ballroom of 200 people, I believe at least 80% of people will panic, shout or scream, and start running for an exit. Whether one falls in that 80% or the minority to do something different depends on life experiences and/or occupational habits. Nothing wrong with being part of the 80%, as long as one is clear about oneself.
The important fundamental is that FL becomes aware of her shortcomings, and remedies her attitude as best and as fast as possible. Otherwise she'll be getting people in her hometown killed. I hope she and ML have happy endings even if they might not wind up together. I would be happy if they did, but I have no idea how this will turn out.
Happy New Year! May your 2026 be a blessed abundant year of goodness and great dramas!
I am a little disappointed with the way the FL character was written. She is supposed to be inexperienced but…
I don't see her coming across as dumb and rigid. She's shocked and afraid in certain situations, because of abrupt brutal reality she wasn't expecting (just like other civilians around her). She's very curious, definitely naive and headstrong on some fronts that could have been fatal, if it weren't for certain people with her. And she's definitely a complete greenhorn relative to what she's been asked to do. To adapt so quickly and totally isn't easy.
But she is smart and level-headed. In episode 5 when she recites a significant section of her choosing from Homan Lai's book, it has beneficial consequences. Looking forward to seeing how the next five episodes unfold :)
5 episodes in, the only word that comes to mind for it all is "Exhilarating!"
Edward Zhang is a charismatic enigmatic chameleon impossible to look away from. Hard for me to believe Zhang Jun Ning was that scheming consort in "Empress of China" but once again, she is superb in a totally different role as Ye Biying who needs to learn some ropes super-fast while being almost too headstrong at times.
I've gone from being somewhat terrified for certain people in certain moments, experienced moments of anguish, unexpectedly guffawing at the interactions of our leads- And it's satisfying to see convincing portrayals of military officers, whether they are from USA or Japan. English and Japanese is expressed fluently, and soothing to the ears.
That said, history being accurate hits too close at times. What Japanese troops did to that family of brother, sister and father was beyond awfully sad.
Finally, I will never look at broomsticks the same way ever again XD
She's riveting on-screen, and all three leads are rocking it. Episode 8 shows a bit of Qi SIzhe's backstory, Episode 9 shows a bit of Han Feng's backstory, and I'm guessing a bit of Zhu Qing Yue's backstory will show up after episode 11.
Recently, it seems to me that LYX’s dramas are seriously underrated. I can’t tell whether his anti-fans have…
I enjoy this drama because it is technically superb with tight pacing, but getting past censorship meant some episodes had to be lost. 9 episodes later, I'm eagerly looking forward to the next episode because it is right up my alley!
Not paying protection money wrt Douban leads to getting thrashed there, including the bot issues. They also attacked his 2025 drama.
But you should see the stats shared by kwanto and Dramfun29212 for that LYX drama which finished airing in 2025. After looking at all three categories of Terrestrial/Satellite TV + OTT (Mango, IQiyi, Youku etc) + IPTV, is #1 C-drama of 2025. The first episode of that drama was at least 160 million views for satellite tv dramas, as per CVB data. Mango TV (the second category) exceeded 4.9 billion views in December 2025 for all episodes of that drama. Oh, and the viewing hours per CSM report: "total viewing hours" = 384 mil vs. 225 mil for Joy of Life 2 in 2024 (which was the top drama of 2024).
Happy 2nd day of the NEW YEAR, Shifu! Ooh, I am watching this show now. A bit more confident to watch War shows…
It's a lovely Friday! Sunny for completing laundry XD
Silent Tides is pretty good and heart-wrenching in a different manner from this World War II drama. The acting is on another level here because of the strength of the overall cast, with the supporting cast putting on several unforgettable performances. Both dramas capture the heart in different ways but one thing's for sure of both dramas: We'll never forget the men and women who stood up against colonising invaders and valiantly did everything possible to protect their loved ones and country.
YES! I think Qi Sizhe doesn't even carry a gun or anything, and he just happily went into that tunnel on his own,…
"Unnatural Fire" is a drama I didn't like because I thought it was draggy, although I can see how its style would be very likeable to some viewers because it also involves departmental politics. The first episode was already too repetitive for me, when a certain ML kept referencing his parents. Once at the beginning of the episode is enough. I don't like to feel like I have to be handheld if its a forensics investigative drama, so I dropped it after several episodes.
In my reply to Sharlottka under spoiler tags before your comment to me, I said: [ My question for TTW is what the Director wants for the three leads (as individuals and as a trio) and how the cases relate to what the Director wants us to remember about this series. Liu Ya-se is very under-utilised so far. She's a very good actress. ]
It pains me to say this but as someone who likes Zhang Yunlong's work, I really didn't like him in that drama and I couldn't stomach 38 episodes. Zhang Yunlong's character and Luo Yunxi's character are also fundamentally different.
Mobius and Reset are two dramas in the time-travel genre but with different focus on entertainment areas. Reset is definitely more emotionally-heavy but plot-wise more straightforward, because you only have one major problem for repeated loops. Mobius is more technical and complicated with different changes in multiple loops and I preferred the brainwork it gave me. It took me 8 episodes to grasp the entertainment focus of the Director for Mobius, out of 16 episodes.
I'll need 12 or 13 episodes to get what this Director is going for, and I'm sure he knows his technicalities. I can't classify this yet as a psychological thriller because I want to know the answers to two angles, which I have shared above and quoted here. From what I can see, the team in this drama is technically highly-competent, and the cases have tight deadlines (specifically case 2). The Director uses specific cases to have the team realise the importance of certain human elements in solving cases, and not just focusing on technicalities and procedure. That in turn changes the relationship between two of the leads.
In episode 2 of "Unnatural Fire", Mao Mao asks Xu Tongsheng for help, and Xu Tongsheng obliged. Music used in the background annoyed me to no end throughout episode 2. I also didn't find it funny or endearing, even though the music during the first four minutes of episode 2 wanted the viewer to have a specific sense of the interactive scenes there relative to Mao Mao. One gigantic pet peeve I have with any investigative dramas is to OD on music and then I have a harder time taking it seriously. I always drop those types of dramas.
We probably have very different taste preferences for investigative dramas.
It was nice of another viewer to share a review of this drama's Peeling Cocoon (ep 1–4) by a well known forensic doctor. I quote what the viewer said: [ He praised the forensic scenes as realistic and true to actual procedures. He commented on LYX, nailed it—calm, composed, reacting only to evidence, just like a real forensic professional. ] - https://weibo.com/7563543395/5249180608234345
I'm a technical person first and foremost for investigative dramas and if they don't get me with the pacing and details that I expect, I will drop the drama. During the first three episodes of this drama, I was already nodding my head at the details pertaining to medicine. Some people need emotional connections in an investigative drama to resonate first, and that's fine too.
YES! I think Qi Sizhe doesn't even carry a gun or anything, and he just happily went into that tunnel on his own,…
I wonder if the Director intends to expand on recklessness as Qi Sizhe's blindspot, because I don't know what he was like before the accident.
My question for TTW is what the Director wants for the three leads (as individuals and as a trio) and how the cases relate to what the Director wants us to remember about this series. Liu Ya-se is very under-utilised so far. She's a very good actress.
Jiang Qi Lin is doing very well in micro-emoting that I can't take umbrage at him. I don't dislike him. I like him because he's humane. He's not arrogant. He's carrying a chip on his shoulder, but I don't know what it is from. I had a lot of fun in Mobius drama page discussing theories with someone else, because I managed to use what I know in psychology to get more than 80% of the plot and characters correct.
I've met all sorts of people and I have a bit of experience handling cadavers in a lab. The forensics is spot-on.
Binged 7 episodes today. Diving into the first episode, I happily thought I was in HK of the 90s. Gritty, neon club vibes or harsh street lights, and what an introduction in the first ten minutes!
Without fast-forwarding anything, the pacing and plot of this drama is enjoyable for me, while the clash and mesh of the characters from the get-go in episode 1 give me a map of relationships easily remembered. Director Zhuang Xuanwei also being in charge of the script carefully threaded an important fundamental that reminds of my favourite investigative dramas: The characters are treated with compassion. They have their flaws, and they can change.
Criminals are not whitewashed. Their motives are allowed to unfold in the clues pursued by our investigative team. And in pursuit, our leads learn lessons about humanity that they never expected. Director is old-school in the best ways possible, utilising camerawork that allows your mind to mentally build upon what is presented, hence heightening creepiness and atmosphere. There is no meaningless gore or violence or flashiness, grounding this drama so we can focus on many details without being unnecessarily distracted.
All the different medicines and drugs being utilised in multiple ways is very interesting, and I found myself nodding in approval at the details and usages of those medicines I am familiar with. The first two episodes were the easiest for me.
As to the spider-related case, it is a well-chosen contrast after the first case. Adore the psychology being explored. But every time Han Feng or Qi Sizhe peel away from the team and dash off by themselves into a dark or abandoned- It was funny to catch myself going "OHNODON'TDOTHATPLEASE-" XD
Jiang Qi Lin as Han Feng is killing it with micro-expressions, and so is Liu Ya-se. Wolf-weary jaded tension between Qi Sizhe and Han Feng can only be created by two actors who understand their characters and bring their portrayals of two very-different personalities to the fore. Luo Yunxi easily conveys dark undercurrents of a past he intends to rectify, in a combination of subtleties that has me a bit impatient to know about his past.
At this point, my biggest complaint is wanting to see Luo Yunxi, Jiang Qi Lin and Liu Ya-se interact more as a trio. These three have me wondering about their individual characters and what makes each of them tick, and I want to see that!
I think they did an amazing job of pulling off a problematic story idea. I mean, how do you build any suspense…
It's emotionally lighter than Reset, and does well for its focus of investigative suspense mixed with action and entertainment. Mobius and Reset have different aims in terms of entertainment, despite being classified together in the same genre. Always great to see a squad work together so well too!
I watched it when it aired, and engaged in a lot of guesswork with another viewer, as we discussed theories and suspects. It was fun for me to get at least 80% of my guesswork correct XD
2 
8 
3 
5 
1 
2 
1 
1 
1 
1 
1 
He's also improved on his previous efforts such as "The Victims' Game" (An 8-episode taiwanese drama available on Netflix, about a senior forensic investigator with Asperger's Syndrome solving mysterious murders linked to his estranged daughter).
You can read a review here: https://kisskh.at/profile/Alfendi/review/73959
That said, he's made me very hungry due to paying attention to details (including the BTS you shared), so I ate a lot of campanelle for dinner XD
https://kisskh.at/755725-shui-long-yin#comment-24569086
Zhang Ning is a very talented actress. I'm happy to see her in this drama with Edward Zhang. Both of them are proof that great acting is timeless.
This also gives me hope for other dramas that have not yet aired but already surpassed four years since filming XD
In that 80% who panic, it definitely includes the most competent professionals such as typical lawyers, doctors, accountants etc. The only ones who won't panic are those people with backgrounds or experience in handling weapons such as guns and/or knives, military, security, espionage, experience dealing with corpses, and some other interesting occupational habits that would lead to the likelihood of doing something different to stop a live shooter.
I wonder if this drama lost anything in editing due to censorship. Currently-airing forensic investigative drama "The Truth Within" lost 3 episodes due to censorship. And thank you for your well-wishes!
People who have lived through World War II in countries of East Asia and Southeast Asia are particularly sensitive to atrocities committed by the Imperial Army of Japan. My grandparents did not want to speak of what their parents shared with them. This is something a Western audience may not understand, unless they look at the lenses of suffering through whatever their ancestors suffered under the Nazis or any genocidal events such as the Holocaust.
Rape, torture, humiliation, and destruction of families was commonplace. Therefore, the powers that could best free the suffering populace was the choice of the people. Between the KMT and CCP, mistakes were made on both sides but especially under Chiang Kai-Shek of KMT, when people had to increasingly rely on the guerillas of the CCP to fight and survive the Japanese colonial invaders.
Forgetting all this and/or ignoring all this, when some viewers see the CCP being praised in a drama, they don't realise the CCP of a specific past versus present generations should be considered differently and accordingly as per the circumstances. When they don't, everything positive about CCP in a drama inevitable set during a time of being invaded and occupied and needing fellow Chinese citizens such as the CCP to survive and win becomes wrongly labelled as propaganda.
Republican-era C-dramas can be done very well with top-notch acting, script, directing and cinematography. I have just watched 5 episodes of "River Sunset" (another World War II espionage thriller now with a mission to save a certain individual, set against the events of Pearl Harbour): https://kisskh.at/27149-sunset-in-glory
Zhang Yishan, Han Dongjun and Zhan Tian Ai excelled in their roles for "The Guardians". Edward Zhang and Janine Zhang are also excellent in the currently-airing drama that took 8 years to finally see the screen. Hilarious, heart-wrenching, amazing, unforgettable.
Regardless of loyalties she has pledged and her party activities, she appears to primarily be a doctor who has seen the horrors of wounds and deaths caused by shrapnel and worse, where it seems soldiers follow her orders with the wounded. When she signed up for this in a last-minute manner, she was assured she would be a doctor for a specific mission, and she demonstrated signs of stress. Defiance was one way of coping.
The ability to compartmentalise when one is doing a job you're familiar with is completely different, when the circumstances becomes fundamentally disturbing.
She has zero training as a spy, plus her temperament even after 5 episodes is clearly completely unsuitable for espionage.
When she encountered the abrupt brutality of a fellow chinese citizen being shot by Japanese soldiers less than 20 seconds after bolting, she was terrified into not being able to answer. She would have died, if she didn't have help. Many men and women would react badly after seeing and/or hearing someone get shot within 20 seconds of running away, because being shot and killed for no legitimate reason in such a dismissive way is frightening when one is powerless and at the mercy of invading colonisers.
Being told she is the equivalent of a dance hostess at a dancehall instead of a doctor is very jarring. She suddenly finds herself in constantly-changing situations that she has no idea how to adapt successfully and fit in, she has to remember details of a fake persona she hasn't accepted, she's forced to wear clothes that make her feel uncomfortable in a profession she doesn't respect, a man accosting her and pawing her after she had to accomplish a simple but stressful mission of obtaining a pen utilising a persona she hasn't figured out, a dangerous situation she quickly got herself and ML into due to shoving away that man- And then she has to pair up with someone she doesn't know in a seemingly "lover-like" fashion and stay overnight with him.
She basically coped however she could, as I'd expect of the typical civilian and for someone of her temperament: Treading water but nearly drowning at times.
If she was going to be comfortable and competent, she needed at least 6 months of training instead of being thrown into this very dangerous situation.
War time makes for poor preparations in unexpected urgent circumstances. All this will make her more wary. When ML was giving her tips of what a Japanese military interrogation would be like, her fear was palpable.
If someone fired a gunshot inside a ballroom of 200 people, I believe at least 80% of people will panic, shout or scream, and start running for an exit. Whether one falls in that 80% or the minority to do something different depends on life experiences and/or occupational habits. Nothing wrong with being part of the 80%, as long as one is clear about oneself.
The important fundamental is that FL becomes aware of her shortcomings, and remedies her attitude as best and as fast as possible. Otherwise she'll be getting people in her hometown killed. I hope she and ML have happy endings even if they might not wind up together. I would be happy if they did, but I have no idea how this will turn out.
Happy New Year! May your 2026 be a blessed abundant year of goodness and great dramas!
But she is smart and level-headed. In episode 5 when she recites a significant section of her choosing from Homan Lai's book, it has beneficial consequences. Looking forward to seeing how the next five episodes unfold :)
Edward Zhang is a charismatic enigmatic chameleon impossible to look away from. Hard for me to believe Zhang Jun Ning was that scheming consort in "Empress of China" but once again, she is superb in a totally different role as Ye Biying who needs to learn some ropes super-fast while being almost too headstrong at times.
I've gone from being somewhat terrified for certain people in certain moments, experienced moments of anguish, unexpectedly guffawing at the interactions of our leads- And it's satisfying to see convincing portrayals of military officers, whether they are from USA or Japan. English and Japanese is expressed fluently, and soothing to the ears.
That said, history being accurate hits too close at times. What Japanese troops did to that family of brother, sister and father was beyond awfully sad.
Finally, I will never look at broomsticks the same way ever again XD
Not paying protection money wrt Douban leads to getting thrashed there, including the bot issues. They also attacked his 2025 drama.
But you should see the stats shared by kwanto and Dramfun29212 for that LYX drama which finished airing in 2025. After looking at all three categories of Terrestrial/Satellite TV + OTT (Mango, IQiyi, Youku etc) + IPTV, is #1 C-drama of 2025. The first episode of that drama was at least 160 million views for satellite tv dramas, as per CVB data. Mango TV (the second category) exceeded 4.9 billion views in December 2025 for all episodes of that drama. Oh, and the viewing hours per CSM report: "total viewing hours" = 384 mil vs. 225 mil for Joy of Life 2 in 2024 (which was the top drama of 2024).
https://kisskh.at/people/11095-luo-yunxi#comment-24652802
Silent Tides is pretty good and heart-wrenching in a different manner from this World War II drama. The acting is on another level here because of the strength of the overall cast, with the supporting cast putting on several unforgettable performances. Both dramas capture the heart in different ways but one thing's for sure of both dramas: We'll never forget the men and women who stood up against colonising invaders and valiantly did everything possible to protect their loved ones and country.
In my reply to Sharlottka under spoiler tags before your comment to me, I said: [ My question for TTW is what the Director wants for the three leads (as individuals and as a trio) and how the cases relate to what the Director wants us to remember about this series. Liu Ya-se is very under-utilised so far. She's a very good actress. ]
This is the Douban review that resonated with me for "Unnatural Fire" (loopholes and all): https://movie.douban.com/subject/36402118/
It pains me to say this but as someone who likes Zhang Yunlong's work, I really didn't like him in that drama and I couldn't stomach 38 episodes. Zhang Yunlong's character and Luo Yunxi's character are also fundamentally different.
Mobius and Reset are two dramas in the time-travel genre but with different focus on entertainment areas. Reset is definitely more emotionally-heavy but plot-wise more straightforward, because you only have one major problem for repeated loops. Mobius is more technical and complicated with different changes in multiple loops and I preferred the brainwork it gave me. It took me 8 episodes to grasp the entertainment focus of the Director for Mobius, out of 16 episodes.
I'll need 12 or 13 episodes to get what this Director is going for, and I'm sure he knows his technicalities. I can't classify this yet as a psychological thriller because I want to know the answers to two angles, which I have shared above and quoted here. From what I can see, the team in this drama is technically highly-competent, and the cases have tight deadlines (specifically case 2). The Director uses specific cases to have the team realise the importance of certain human elements in solving cases, and not just focusing on technicalities and procedure. That in turn changes the relationship between two of the leads.
In episode 2 of "Unnatural Fire", Mao Mao asks Xu Tongsheng for help, and Xu Tongsheng obliged. Music used in the background annoyed me to no end throughout episode 2. I also didn't find it funny or endearing, even though the music during the first four minutes of episode 2 wanted the viewer to have a specific sense of the interactive scenes there relative to Mao Mao. One gigantic pet peeve I have with any investigative dramas is to OD on music and then I have a harder time taking it seriously. I always drop those types of dramas.
We probably have very different taste preferences for investigative dramas.
It was nice of another viewer to share a review of this drama's Peeling Cocoon (ep 1–4) by a well known forensic doctor. I quote what the viewer said: [ He praised the forensic scenes as realistic and true to actual procedures. He commented on LYX, nailed it—calm, composed, reacting only to evidence, just like a real forensic professional. ] - https://weibo.com/7563543395/5249180608234345
I'm a technical person first and foremost for investigative dramas and if they don't get me with the pacing and details that I expect, I will drop the drama. During the first three episodes of this drama, I was already nodding my head at the details pertaining to medicine. Some people need emotional connections in an investigative drama to resonate first, and that's fine too.
My question for TTW is what the Director wants for the three leads (as individuals and as a trio) and how the cases relate to what the Director wants us to remember about this series. Liu Ya-se is very under-utilised so far. She's a very good actress.
Jiang Qi Lin is doing very well in micro-emoting that I can't take umbrage at him. I don't dislike him. I like him because he's humane. He's not arrogant. He's carrying a chip on his shoulder, but I don't know what it is from. I had a lot of fun in Mobius drama page discussing theories with someone else, because I managed to use what I know in psychology to get more than 80% of the plot and characters correct.
I've met all sorts of people and I have a bit of experience handling cadavers in a lab. The forensics is spot-on.
Without fast-forwarding anything, the pacing and plot of this drama is enjoyable for me, while the clash and mesh of the characters from the get-go in episode 1 give me a map of relationships easily remembered. Director Zhuang Xuanwei also being in charge of the script carefully threaded an important fundamental that reminds of my favourite investigative dramas: The characters are treated with compassion. They have their flaws, and they can change.
Criminals are not whitewashed. Their motives are allowed to unfold in the clues pursued by our investigative team. And in pursuit, our leads learn lessons about humanity that they never expected. Director is old-school in the best ways possible, utilising camerawork that allows your mind to mentally build upon what is presented, hence heightening creepiness and atmosphere. There is no meaningless gore or violence or flashiness, grounding this drama so we can focus on many details without being unnecessarily distracted.
All the different medicines and drugs being utilised in multiple ways is very interesting, and I found myself nodding in approval at the details and usages of those medicines I am familiar with. The first two episodes were the easiest for me.
As to the spider-related case, it is a well-chosen contrast after the first case. Adore the psychology being explored. But every time Han Feng or Qi Sizhe peel away from the team and dash off by themselves into a dark or abandoned- It was funny to catch myself going "OHNODON'TDOTHATPLEASE-" XD
Jiang Qi Lin as Han Feng is killing it with micro-expressions, and so is Liu Ya-se. Wolf-weary jaded tension between Qi Sizhe and Han Feng can only be created by two actors who understand their characters and bring their portrayals of two very-different personalities to the fore. Luo Yunxi easily conveys dark undercurrents of a past he intends to rectify, in a combination of subtleties that has me a bit impatient to know about his past.
At this point, my biggest complaint is wanting to see Luo Yunxi, Jiang Qi Lin and Liu Ya-se interact more as a trio. These three have me wondering about their individual characters and what makes each of them tick, and I want to see that!
I watched it when it aired, and engaged in a lot of guesswork with another viewer, as we discussed theories and suspects. It was fun for me to get at least 80% of my guesswork correct XD