A drama that deserves more love but that also kind of messes up.
Overall, I think this drama is enjoyable and has many good ideas. Cases are very intriguing and original, I liked and got invested in almost all of them. The fire-based crimes investigation thing is not something I've seen a lot and it's well done so I was hooked pretty quickly. The logic is relatively OK in most cases, although regarding the main plot, there are obvious, big plot holes and unanswered questions. This is even more obvious with a rewatch. You should really not think too much. The pacing however is impeccable, nothing drags or goes too fast. A few minor things and choices here and there aren't to my personal tastes (like the long static shots on actors' faces or slow motion scenes - gosh I hate these stuff) but I guess these are subjective.
The biggest issue is the ending. I won't spoil so I won't elaborate but something just wasn't right in the way it was done. In my opinion. Not necessarily in the choices they made for the story (although that's also debatable, and I could see at least 2 more different ways the story could have gone). But mostly in the way they unravelled it, how they arranged the sequence of events from around episodes 30 to 38. I'm not satisfied at all. Basically, I could rewatch but then stop the drama at episode 31, focus on the main plot, ignore the ending of the episode and everything that is happening on the side and call it an underwhelming and plot-holes filled but OK day, OR watch until the actual finale and have an entirely different experience that leaves me more logically satisfied (more or less) but emotionally even more confused and empty. As I said, I don't necessarily disagree with the choices they made for what happens to the characters, it's more in the way it's, idk, chronologically organised, built up and presented...?
To talk about the characters, the trio is extremely lovable, as individuals and as a group. Jin Chun is probably one of the very few female characters I genuinely love with all my heart, all stories combined. She's great on every level. She's such a mature and complex character, with a great personality but also flaws and quirks. I also appreciate the fact that there is no romance and she isn't there to be a love interest but a character of her own (even though there are two instances where it could be implied that both MLs wouldn't mind a romantic relationship with her, but that's up for interpretation and officially they are more like fated best friends/found family). Basically I really appreciate what they had with her and sadly the moments her character shines the most and reveals her depths are in the last few episodes, the same ones I'm unsatisfied with.
The themes they raised through Shen Ye were also very interesting. His story is... heartbreaking. I don't know how to put it any other way. When you think of what he's been through, your heart will ache. He's a pretty dual character, very childlike and vulnerable in some aspects but at the same time he's very solid. I would be a total wreck if I were him. However I think the way they handled his character and his arc was insufficiently developed and underwhelming. That's too bad because I think they really have something unique there.
Xu Tong Sheng suffers more or less from the same problems. Supposedly, his character arc is the glue that brought and kept the three of them together and his quest for truth is the main point of interest for the plot. In that sense he's technically the "protagonist". I think. Yet he's the least developed and likeable of the three. He is likeable. But he's pretty much unsurprising. Which can make him appear less interesting than the other two. At the same time, it also kind of makes sense that he's this way and I think this makes up for his seemingly one-dimensional nature. In my opinion. Still I expected a somewhat more emotional conclusion and release to his story and his trauma.
As a group, they work great. I loved their interactions and reunions. They grew in trust and affection for each other but sadly their final conclusion was terribly lacking. So that part was also disappointing - because I think this was the most important thing in the entire story. Their unique bond deserved much more.
On the external aspects of this drama, all actors do their job well, including side characters. Dai Xu is very good, Cai Wen Jing is also wonderful. I love the way they played with lights, shadows and colours. I think this drama is very beautiful. There's nothing too extravagant but I'd say it's clean and efficient. The OST is great. I also really loved the little fire safety videos during the end credits.
So yeah. I definitely recommend this drama for its many good points, ideas, its characters and their relationships. But I also want to warn you that, chances are, you may feel like it falls short of whatever you may have hoped for in its conclusion.
The biggest issue is the ending. I won't spoil so I won't elaborate but something just wasn't right in the way it was done. In my opinion. Not necessarily in the choices they made for the story (although that's also debatable, and I could see at least 2 more different ways the story could have gone). But mostly in the way they unravelled it, how they arranged the sequence of events from around episodes 30 to 38. I'm not satisfied at all. Basically, I could rewatch but then stop the drama at episode 31, focus on the main plot, ignore the ending of the episode and everything that is happening on the side and call it an underwhelming and plot-holes filled but OK day, OR watch until the actual finale and have an entirely different experience that leaves me more logically satisfied (more or less) but emotionally even more confused and empty. As I said, I don't necessarily disagree with the choices they made for what happens to the characters, it's more in the way it's, idk, chronologically organised, built up and presented...?
To talk about the characters, the trio is extremely lovable, as individuals and as a group. Jin Chun is probably one of the very few female characters I genuinely love with all my heart, all stories combined. She's great on every level. She's such a mature and complex character, with a great personality but also flaws and quirks. I also appreciate the fact that there is no romance and she isn't there to be a love interest but a character of her own (even though there are two instances where it could be implied that both MLs wouldn't mind a romantic relationship with her, but that's up for interpretation and officially they are more like fated best friends/found family). Basically I really appreciate what they had with her and sadly the moments her character shines the most and reveals her depths are in the last few episodes, the same ones I'm unsatisfied with.
The themes they raised through Shen Ye were also very interesting. His story is... heartbreaking. I don't know how to put it any other way. When you think of what he's been through, your heart will ache. He's a pretty dual character, very childlike and vulnerable in some aspects but at the same time he's very solid. I would be a total wreck if I were him. However I think the way they handled his character and his arc was insufficiently developed and underwhelming. That's too bad because I think they really have something unique there.
Xu Tong Sheng suffers more or less from the same problems. Supposedly, his character arc is the glue that brought and kept the three of them together and his quest for truth is the main point of interest for the plot. In that sense he's technically the "protagonist". I think. Yet he's the least developed and likeable of the three. He is likeable. But he's pretty much unsurprising. Which can make him appear less interesting than the other two. At the same time, it also kind of makes sense that he's this way and I think this makes up for his seemingly one-dimensional nature. In my opinion. Still I expected a somewhat more emotional conclusion and release to his story and his trauma.
As a group, they work great. I loved their interactions and reunions. They grew in trust and affection for each other but sadly their final conclusion was terribly lacking. So that part was also disappointing - because I think this was the most important thing in the entire story. Their unique bond deserved much more.
On the external aspects of this drama, all actors do their job well, including side characters. Dai Xu is very good, Cai Wen Jing is also wonderful. I love the way they played with lights, shadows and colours. I think this drama is very beautiful. There's nothing too extravagant but I'd say it's clean and efficient. The OST is great. I also really loved the little fire safety videos during the end credits.
So yeah. I definitely recommend this drama for its many good points, ideas, its characters and their relationships. But I also want to warn you that, chances are, you may feel like it falls short of whatever you may have hoped for in its conclusion.
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