This is one of the rare Chinese dramas that I completed without fast-forwarding (much) during these past years. It really deserves its high rating in all platforms.

* PLOT
I think the best thing about this drama is its plot. It’s really fast-paced, which managed to keep the viewers’ attention till the very end. The cases were not exceptionally difficult to solve but they were well-written and well-linked. All the out-smarting-each-other moves were convincing and everyone in this drama was smart in their own ways. Even the King, whom I thought was completely useless, wasn’t as clueless as he acted. No character was created only for the sake of plot-moving.

** CHARACTERS
The set-up of the characters wasn’t anything new but it didn’t feel forced. The four main characters’ chemistry worked really well together. I think supported both the main couple and the supporting couple equally.

*** RECAPS
I think the recaps were very interesting modifications because they were not merely re-showing all the things the viewers had already known. They were told by one of the main characters from their point of view, and I actually enjoyed watching these short summaries.

**** ILLUSTRATIONS
Whenever the female lead explained her autopsy, there would be drawings and animations on the screen. I didn’t know how scientifically or medical correct they were but they definitely help the viewers to imagine things more easily. They also made the whole explanation more informative without being lengthy and boring.

***** NATURAL FILTER
Any series without the skin-smoothing filter would automatically receive pluses by me.

This series was without its flaws, as far as I’ve heard it’s because of its low budget.

*PROPS
Not surprisingly, the props, despite the crew’s effort, still looked very unrealistic. I could even see the line between the wig and the male actors. In addition, I especially hated the costumes with its unnaturally vibrant colors.

**EDITING
The edit was choppy at places, many scenes were deleted, which sometimes left me confused. There were a couple of times I actually had to go back and see whether I had skipped anything important because I couldn’t understand why the characters were suddenly there doing whatever that they were doing.

*** ENDING
I’m sure most people who followed this drama to the end would be mad about the two final episodes. The big ending was too rushed. Everything was solved tooooo fast. The bad guy got such an easy way out. Most importantly there were absolutely no extra scenes between the couples. I remembered myself asking “That’s it????”. I had to resort to watching some behind-the-scene takes to quench my desire for more episodes.

**** ACTING
The acting was more than average but there were definitely rooms for development. The male leads were the strongest actor too me. The female lead was ok for her role but she still appeared plain to me.

To sum up, I could forgive most of the problems of the film because of its plot and its pacing. It’s worth checking out this drama.