liddi

Please do give Beyond Evil a go even if it is not procedural - it is truly excellent. Cold Case (both the original and J-adaptation) is great too. Have not tried Insect Detective. Have you tried Special Affairs Team TEN or Tunnel? How about Hello Monster?

Taking down Congressman Jang before he knew of LJH's existence would require the timeline to loop all the way back to before or soon after the Injoo rape case. Unfortunately, I am not sure whether it is possible for them to prevent the rape but definitely, it would be great if the Injoo rape gang were made to pay for their crimes. And perhaps we can hope that in this timeline, they finally saved Sun-woo as well...

Off the top of my head... Beyond Evil is excellent. I love Missing Noir M too, though it is not predominantly about serial killers (still waiting for a S2!) Sign (also by Kim Eun Hee). Under the Skin S1 & 2 (not necessarily about serial killers either but well executed).

I don't really know what to expect. Keeping an open mind, and trusting Kim Eun Hee to wow us as she did with the original. The J-movie diverted from the original and brought us on a different route with their reimagined version of how things unfold. I haven't watched the Thai and Hindi remake, so am not sure how closely they followed the original to begin with. Have you?

You're welcome. And YES! So excited that Signal S2 "The Second Signal" is finally confirmed and expected for 1st half of 2026, with the original trio! 8 episodes from what I hear, but after a 10-year wait with so many red herrings in between, this is truly awesome news indeed.

Department corruption is still retained in this version. But yes, it was unfortunate that they did not adapt the Injoo rape case, which was very painful to watch in the original. I felt that what it was replaced with was very much watered down. However, one of the cases here dealt with domestic violence, and was very confronting to watch as well. To be honest, the drama is not perfect, with some rough edges in terms of script and performances, but it should be lauded for its courage to depart from a blatant re-enactment of the original. Some of the songs and BGM would be familiar from the original, including the Chinese version of "Road" and "Waiting until Flower Blooms"

This is the playlist:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLY3lRL85yesGPCAUfSt6duxvVZiO_Oivq

Some of the cases are similar with variations, while others take a vastly different route from the original cases, with at least one that is based on a real unsolved case in Chongqing. Ultimately the cultural and historical references are distinct to China, and even the overreaching theme is different from the original.
Case 1 (Eps 1-4) - similar to the Kim Yoon Jung case but with marked differences
Case 2 (Eps 4-10) - amalgamation of South Gyeonggi and Hongwon-dong serial murders cases
Case 3 (Eps 11-14) - similar to Gaesu-dong serial burglary case
Case 4 (Eps 14-17) - adapted from Chongqing's Boy in the Red dress cold case
Case 5 (Eps 18-23) - slightly inspired by Shin Da Hye case but takes a very different route
Case 6 (Eps 24-32) - very different from the Injoo school girl rape case

Yes, it is the official C-remake of Signal. I recapped about it in Soompi roughly 5 years ago when it was first broadcast.

At long last, WeTV has finally provided the full English subs for this drama, available on Youtube on their official channel. Hope it wins more international fans as a result!

Yes! Half the fun is looking for the LYF references, while the other half is feeling a ridiculous ache in the heart when I do find them. Even the bronze acupuncture figure reminds me of Xiao Yao. Jing Ye's latest schemes has me unreasonably thinking that even in this lifetime, she is on a sabotage mission on behalf of her master lol. It's so good to see WHY here. His banter with TJC on Weibo was hilarious, referencing their rivalry in their previous LYF lives, and how this time round, it is not the same as the past and he has emerged as the MVP. When TJC replied that previously he was the MVP so this time he let WHY win, WHY rebutted, saying that after he was reincarnated, he easily defeated his opponent haha.

Agreed. Their character development is one of the highlights for me, and the fact that they learnt to see beyond their initial kneejerk impressions of one another, to bypass the initial prejudice and gradually build up a sense of camaraderie which drew them closer as fellow comrades and even friends, before any talk of love for the person behind the literal and metaphorical mask is tabled.

Hi there @plor20! Thank you very much for your kind words. The drama has been a very welcome change in pace - to be honest, its premise is one that I could not see myself enjoying when I first read about it. So glad that the script and execution has put many of my concerns to rest. I just hope that this trend continues when we veer into more serious, sombre territory based on what the trailers are showing us.

Tang Qi's "是吗？" ("Is that so?") in Ep21 trailer and I am reminded of Xiang Liu once more when he first interrogated Wen Xiao Liu - the gentle, even tone a stark contrast to the chilling disbelief underlying the words.

Am very late to the party and not quite up to date yet. Enjoying the drama very much so far, which strikes a wonderful balance between the comedic mayhem, and the moments and themes that hit hard, even as early as Ep1 with SCC's repeated "It does not matter" after the unwitting humiliation at TQ's hands during the school reunion, which had me tearing up with her. The drama has been wonderfully anti-trope thus far. Love that both SCC and TQ are portrayed to be very human, with their individual baggages and idiosyncrasies. It is truly refreshing to see a FL who is not perpetually 恋爱脑 lovelorn, but actively works to improve herself and her situation in life, who has a real life that she tries her hardest to balance in the midst of the madness she finds herself in. TQ is so relatable in his behaviour and thought process, even as he tries to comprehend the incomprehensible attraction to a steady flow of characters, one that has him doubting his own morality and sanity. I love that they both have bosom friends and/or family that they can confide in and rely on; and those extended characters have their own arcs which is both welcome and makes them believable. Not to mention that there is a sense of believability in the dynamics of the universe, a method to the madness that makes the drama such a fun ride.

And the LYF easter eggs, which is such a bonus! The familiar OST, the dialogue, and the cast from the LYF alumni (as well as Go East's Yu Deshui), all serve to bring wave upon wave of nostalgia of a universe I have not truly been able to move away from, while enjoying the new world that Tong Hua has given us. Every episode has been a source of mirth and reflection on the larger themes that it presents, and I hope to catch up some time soon.

In short, love it thus far, and keeping fingers crossed that it will go from strength to strength all the way.

Truly thrilled how well the first 4 episodes delivered! Was gripped from the get go, and the 2nd case in particular was painful to watch in certain scenes, and had me in tears by the end of it. While I am a little skeptical at how Shen Yi managed to visualise the monster that terrorised the perpetrator of the 1st case, no suspension of belief marred my immersion in the subsequent case. With 28 episodes and currently 2 episodes per case, are we expecting 14 cases across the entire drama? Either way, an excellent reintroduction to the UTS universe, and keeping fingers crossed that it remains excellent to the end.

It is interesting that in the concept posters, Yuwen Yue 宇文玥 has reverted back to his original name in the novel Zhuge Yue 诸葛玥。 Likewise princess Yuan Chun 元淳 is now known by her original name Zhao Chun'er 赵淳儿. Meanwhile Chu Qiao and Yan Xun's names remain unchanged. Wonder why that's the case? If this is indeed a direct sequel, it feels a little jarring to change the name of some of the main characters. Wish they had retained the original cast. As it is, fingers crossed the sequel will live up to the hype and expectations and the younger cast will deliver.

Thought this sounded familiar and sure enough, the C-movie Shop of the Lamp came out end of last year, which I truly enjoyed. Looking forward to seeing this adaptation, which should be far more fleshed out with 8 episodes.

Very excited to see the latest trailer. Hope it airs soon.

Very articulately presented, most of which are pretty in line with my own interpretations as well - thank you very much for sharing. I am curious why you felt that the life he gave after the 梅林 assassination happened when he revived her? My impression had always been that he used that one life at the very beginning when he had to resort to extreme measures to keep her alive and start the healing process after she had reverted a state of limbo. My theory has been that the 本命精血 infused over the 37 years had been gradual rather than excessive to ease in her healing process without causing even greater strain to her injuries (her gradual recovery of her cognitive abilities seems to indicate it) until the last night of healing, he infused her with far greater 本命精血, which ripped her apart before fusing her back, and waking her up at last.

Interesting choice of having a female 高辛少昊 Shao Hao as the right person for Cang Xuan to be with. I always felt that Shao Hao is a far better father than he is a husband. I would rather Cang Xuan had a fast friend he could fully trust and rely on (the kind of brotherhood he enjoyed with Feng Long), and a consort with whom he could let his guard down and be himself. Of course the ideal would be if they were the same person, but even two separate people who meet his different needs would be good too.

Truly pleased to see 平凡的荣耀 finally available on Netflix, making it more available to international audiences. While it did not manage to upstage the original for me, it admirably held its own to the end, incorporating local elements that makes it relatable to its domestic audience while being faithful to the spirit of the source material. Now to find the time to rewatch...