Ye Lin Shen Tan (2021)

Another Historical CSI

Just as I was lamenting what a summer slump this month is with no good dramas to watch, kaboom! this unexpected drama landed on my lap, with all 24 episodes released in one go. For some reasons, it’s being split into 2 seasons, with 12 episodes each. The very first episode is intriguing enough to draw any discerning viewers to continue with the journey of a brilliant investigator, a super good-looking police chief, a skilled martial arts female constable, and a spoilt little brat.

As a genius investigator, Jun Wujiu (Li Xizi) has a very sensitive nose like a canine, and his observation to details is unmatched by anyone. He’s able to place himself in a crime scene and reconstruct the crime with his imagination. Though knows no martial arts, he uses his wit and overcomes all dangers that come at him. Besides him is always Su Wenyue (Yang Fuyu), there to protect him. She is a constable and the best fighter around. She is tomboyish, has a simplistic mind and her temper can be explosive, and yet she works well with Jun Wujiu. They banter a lot and their dynamics together are sweet and cute with a lot of teasing from Jun Wujiu. They are both the most valued assistants to Cheng Yang (Chen Ziyou aka Run Chen) who is the head of the investigative team. Calm and serious, he is level-headed with an analytical mind and works seamlessly with Jun Wujiu to solve crimes after crimes. Chen Ziyou has an air of Zhang Binbin (Vin Zhang) and looks like a younger Jia Nailiang (Jerry Jia) with the same good look, I really like his portrayal of the Cheng Yang character. A drama will not be complete without an annoying character. Here, we have Ouyang Chuchu who is utterly spoilt by her father and doted by Cheng Yang whom she is in love with, but he treats her as a little sister. The character does grow and later becomes quite lovable. The romance for all main leads is still in its early stage and hasn’t really blossomed yet.

All the actors are new to me. Their acting is pretty good playing their individual roles convincingly. The criminal cases are interesting, with a lot of twists, and with unexpected discoveries and eventual outcomes. When a case is thought to be solved and closed, new developments compel it to reopen, and more mysteries ensue. There could be plot holes here and there, and some murder/mystery cases may be too simplistic with forced logic, but it’s still rather an enjoyable watch.

Overall, after the first 12 episodes (season 1), this drama is not exceedingly exciting but not bad either. In times of drama depravation, I am rather grateful for such a drama. I'm savoring it.

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Great story, cliché characters; season ends very abruptly

This unknown gem is actually one of my favorite dramas of 2021. It's all unknown actors,* which suggests that it's a low-budget drama, but the leads are cute and production value is very high. The sets, costumes, and martial arts choreography are all top-notch, and they put more effort into the injury makeup (gore) than many high profile dramas.

The best part is the cases, the most important part of a detective drama, and they are all very convoluted with lots of unexpected plot twists. The crimes are original and well thought out, they keep things suspenseful, and don't insult our intelligence with really obvious plot holes.

It's not really clear who is the first male lead and who is second, but the two men are the brains of the operation. Cheng Yang, the deputy-commissioner of police, is the most well-rounded character of the bunch, being both intelligent and a skilled martial artist, but can be a bit uptight. Analyst/consultant Jun Wugui is physically weak, with no fighting skills to speak of, but by far the smartest, and also a bit eccentric, which is expected for a genius detective. He's also supposed to be a playboy, but they never show him with any girls other than our female lead.

Speaking of which, Inspector Su Wenyue is the pure muscle. Her martial arts are incredibly strong and so far none of the bad guys can beat her. Unfortunately, she's not the brightest crayon in the box, and her personality can be a little too feisty sometimes, to the point of being annoying. But all is forgiven because she's such a babe when kicking ass!

As for the second female lead Ouyang Chuchu, the commissioner's daughter, I really hope she goes through some major character development, because so far she's just been acting like an immature, spoiled, crybaby princess, with no useful skills to speak of. Her character seems to have no purpose other than to look super cute while annoying us with her clinginess and obsession over Cheng Yang.

So yeah, the characters are pretty cliché. Tropes like the eccentric Sherlock Holmes, the feisty tomboy, the spoiled girl who's desperately in love with a guy who only thinks of her as a sister... they're all here. BUT none of it detracts from the quality of the drama because it's awesome where it truly counts: the story.

By the way, this is a review of only the first "season," which consists of 12 episodes. I have no idea why they decided to split it into two seasons when 24 episodes is already pretty short for a drama. Season 1 does NOT end at a logical break in the story. Instead, it ends randomly in the middle of everything. I was literally waiting for episode 13 to come out before I did some research and realized it was "over."

*With the exception of the police commissioner, who is played by an actor who is in almost every drama I watch. Recently he was Fei's father in Legend of Fei, and Minister Han in The Imperial Coroner.

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