Watch All Three Seasons

After spending 28 days in Chinese quarantine, I needed something to pass the time with :P So I ended up watching all three seasons of this series on Iqiyi 's website (https://www.iq.com/play/1qjg1dgygck). I really, really enjoyed this show and watched all of the episodes in about a week.

Basic Gist: Dong Q. has the kind of childhood that makes for a great sob story. Orphan. Sees ghosts. Alone. But he's also that character that makes for a great Chinese 'damsel in distress' kind of person . . . - 'forever hopeful, incessantly optimistic, has all the faith in the world in spite of its flaws, GOOD in all caps' kind of hero. Much to his surprise (and to his great exasperation), he finds himself employed at Convenience Store 444* under the charge of owner Zhao Li.

The same Zhao Li who also happens to be a ferryman for the underworld, bringing lost souls across to the care of the Queen of the Dead. Zhao Li who is a whole lot of arrogance hiding a kindness that got subsumed in centuries of loneliness. Zhao Li who is determined to make use of Dong Q.'s ghost-seeing abilities but keeps finding himself drug off track with Dong Q. being all heroic and stuff. Resolving last wishes, finding lost loves, passing along final messages. It's a problem for him 😂

Accompanying them on ghostly adventures is Xiao Ya. . . a girl as lonely as the other two and looking for someone who is open to loving her as much as she want to love them. In the end, it's not a romantic story really. It's about friends. Lonely people living lonely lives who somehow find each other and form a family. Being there for the holidays, celebrating promotions, watching KDramas together, having BBQ. Cherishing memories and building a life together.

*4 is the Chinese number of death.

Observances:

- It's spooky but not scary. Sometimes funny, sometimes serious but not like a horror film. The cover is a bit misleading. Smoke, night escapades, creepy music, evil laughter. . . that kind of creepy.
- The first season is episodic (each episode or two is a new plotline / ghost). I get the feeling it was meant to run for one season as a kind of fun holiday sort of show that became popular and got deeper as it went. The first season was fun, but you only got hints that there was some bigger plot behind everything. It could be watched alone I think, but you'd miss a lot if you did.
- The second season starts off weird. . . it took me like two or three episodes to really figure out what was going on. It seemed like a whole different storyline or parallel world, and to some extent it was? Again, I think season one was a stand alone, and the next season they had to shift or back-track on some things so it could re-start the plot again. Just don't look two deep and roll with it. The storyline moves on pretty quick.
- Third season made me cry. A lot. You see so much character growth through all the seasons and by the time it gets to the third season they really are a family and it's precious.
- Second season is a lot of anti-Japanese rhetoric. Pretty heavy on the nationalist propaganda too🤷‍♀️
- If you watch it on Iqiyi, the last episode of each season doesn't belong to the series; it's like a 'Christmas special'. Same cast, but a self-contained plotline.

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Watch every season!

MAYBE SPOILERS? I DONT THINK SO? DUNNO. . .

After spending 28 days in Chinese quarantine, I needed something to pass the time with :P So I ended up watching all three seasons of this series on Iqiyi 's website (https://www.iq.com/play/1qjg1dgygck). I really, really enjoyed this show and watched all of the episodes in about a week.

Basic Gist: Dong Q. has the kind of childhood that makes for a great sob story. Orphan. Sees ghosts. Alone. But he's also that character that makes for a great Chinese 'damsel in distress' kind of person . . . - 'forever hopeful, incessantly optimistic, has all the faith in the world in spite of its flaws, GOOD in all caps' kind of hero. Much to his surprise (and to his great exasperation), he finds himself employed at Convenience Store 444* under the charge of owner Zhao Li.

The same Zhao Li who also happens to be a ferryman for the underworld, bringing lost souls across to the care of the Queen of the Dead. Zhao Li who is a whole lot of arrogance hiding a kindness that got subsumed in centuries of loneliness. Zhao Li who is determined to make use of Dong Q.'s ghost-seeing abilities but keeps finding himself drug off track with Dong Q. being all heroic and stuff. Resolving last wishes, finding lost loves, passing along final messages. It's a problem for him 😂

Accompanying them on ghostly adventures is Xiao Ya. . . a girl as lonely as the other two and looking for someone who is open to loving her as much as she want to love them. In the end, it's not a romantic story really. It's about friends. Lonely people living lonely lives who somehow find each other and form a family. Being there for the holidays, celebrating promotions, watching KDramas together, having BBQ. Cherishing memories and building a life together.

*4 is the Chinese number of death.

Observances:

- It's spooky but not scary. Sometimes funny, sometimes serious but not like a horror film. The cover is a bit misleading. Smoke, night escapades, creepy music, evil laughter. . . that kind of creepy.
- The first season is episodic (each episode or two is a new plotline / ghost). I get the feeling it was meant to run for one season as a kind of fun holiday sort of show that became popular and got deeper as it went. The first season was fun, but you only got hints that there was some bigger plot behind everything. It could be watched alone I think, but you'd miss a lot if you did.
- The second season starts off weird. . . it took me like two or three episodes to really figure out what was going on. It seemed like a whole different storyline or parallel world, and to some extent it was? Again, I think season one was a stand alone, and the next season they had to shift or back-track on some things so it could re-start the plot again. Just don't look two deep and roll with it. The storyline moves on pretty quick.
- Third season made me cry. A lot. You see so much character growth through all the seasons and by the time it gets to the third season they really are a family and it's precious.
- Second season is a lot of anti-Japanese rhetoric. Pretty heavy on the nationalist propaganda too🤷‍♀️
- If you watch it on Iqiyi, the last episode of each season doesn't belong to the series; it's like a 'Christmas special'. Same cast, but a self-contained plotline.

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Write Your Own Ending

Other people have already reviewed this show probably better than I can, but here are my two cents.

I watched this show because A) I'm obviously into mystery / crime shows and B) I recognize both of the male leads and appreciate their work. I had seen Ronald Zhai before but I'm not sure where; I just remember being impressed with his work. Andrew was wonderful in Love Me If You Dare (*he did not get enough credit for his part in that drama). So I already knew their acting would be excellent going into this, and they did not disappoint. The other supporting cast were all pretty good: the post-mortem examiner, Andrew's younger partner, etc. They played their roles well and maintained the emotions / presence their parts required. Andrew was really good too - to bounce between the eternally chipper soul in Love Me If You Dare to the somewhat overly emotional character in Winter Begonia to this solemn fellow is excellent acting. You can see a bit of his role in Winter Begonia coming through with his almost innocent / child-like inability to manage human relationships well, but it was a different character and he pulled it off. I think Ronald was really the just 'wow' factor in this show. He plays both thug and soft emotional son / friend so very well. His emotional parts in no way undermined his strength and almost arrogance the rest of the time which is really hard to accomplish. He moved smoothly between the two and really got to your heart strings. The girl who acted opposite him was AMAZING as well. I often dislike Chinese portrayals of women because in an attempt not to make them weak, they make them annoying as hell, arrogant, demanding, self-absorbed witches you want to slap more than relate to. She was NONE OF THOSE THINGS - she was strong and kind and sweet, a great support for Ronald's character where he needed her. She really added to the plotline.

The cases I though were pretty good. You sometimes knew who the criminal was but had to prove it. Sometimes you weren't sure (or weren't supposed to know) and had to figure it out. I love mysteries and don't spend my time pulling apart how good the mystery was cause it ruins my fun time. That said, they weren't like brain twisters, but they were better than average and carried out pretty well. They dealt well with both the fact that you need justice and that sometimes it just isn't going to happen. Life sucks. . . it isn't fair. Sometimes society needs to confront the people the police cannot, even if it's something like shaming them in the future. I liked that the ending credits changed each time a mystery was completed.

I loved it and binge-watched it pretty quickly. A few cases dragged a bit or the endings weren't quite satisfying, but overall it was good. I'd watch it mainly for the interpersonal relationships - not just the partnership between Andrew and Ronald, but their relationships with their colleagues and families. It has romance, but not much (a nice balance I thought). Then watch it for the cases as a second thing.

**************************

*THIS PART MAY HAVE SPOILERS - I TRY NOT TO, BUT . . . .

The ending SUCKED . . . . I understand there is a season 2 coming which is great because it needs it. The problem was it left so many core plotlines unfinished. One of Ronald's core themes was his need to build loyal, lasting relationships. Then just when he's finally there, they dropped everything at the end. It wasn't completed - his story is left feeling like it hit the cliffhanger and then just stopped. There's also the fact that the main crime was left undealt with. If they don't get season 2 out, it really needs a fanfiction writer to finish it up.

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The Story Gets Deeper Each Season

After spending 28 days in Chinese quarantine, I needed something to pass the time with :P So I ended up watching all three seasons of this series on Iqiyi 's website (https://www.iq.com/play/1qjg1dgygck). I really, really enjoyed this show and watched all of the episodes in about a week.

Basic Gist: Dong Q. has the kind of childhood that makes for a great sob story. Orphan. Sees ghosts. Alone. But he's also that character that makes for a great Chinese 'damsel in distress' kind of person . . . - 'forever hopeful, incessantly optimistic, has all the faith in the world in spite of its flaws, GOOD in all caps' kind of hero. Much to his surprise (and to his great exasperation), he finds himself employed at Convenience Store 444* under the charge of owner Zhao Li.

The same Zhao Li who also happens to be a ferryman for the underworld, bringing lost souls across to the care of the Queen of the Dead. Zhao Li who is a whole lot of arrogance hiding a kindness that got subsumed in centuries of loneliness. Zhao Li who is determined to make use of Dong Q.'s ghost-seeing abilities but keeps finding himself drug off track with Dong Q. being all heroic and stuff. Resolving last wishes, finding lost loves, passing along final messages. It's a problem for him 😂

Accompanying them on ghostly adventures is Xiao Ya. . . a girl as lonely as the other two and looking for someone who is open to loving her as much as she want to love them. In the end, it's not a romantic story really. It's about friends. Lonely people living lonely lives who somehow find each other and form a family. Being there for the holidays, celebrating promotions, watching KDramas together, having BBQ. Cherishing memories and building a life together.

*4 is the Chinese number of death.

Observances:

- It's spooky but not scary. Sometimes funny, sometimes serious but not like a horror film. The cover is a bit misleading. Smoke, night escapades, creepy music, evil laughter. . . that kind of creepy.
- The first season is episodic (each episode or two is a new plotline / ghost). I get the feeling it was meant to run for one season as a kind of fun holiday sort of show that became popular and got deeper as it went. The first season was fun, but you only got hints that there was some bigger plot behind everything. It could be watched alone I think, but you'd miss a lot if you did.
- The second season starts off weird. . . it took me like two or three episodes to really figure out what was going on. It seemed like a whole different storyline or parallel world, and to some extent it was? Again, I think season one was a stand alone, and the next season they had to shift or back-track on some things so it could re-start the plot again. Just don't look two deep and roll with it. The storyline moves on pretty quick.
- Third season made me cry. A lot. You see so much character growth through all the seasons and by the time it gets to the third season they really are a family and it's precious.
- Second season is a lot of anti-Japanese rhetoric. Pretty heavy on the nationalist propaganda too🤷‍♀️
- If you watch it on Iqiyi, the last episode of each season doesn't belong to the series; it's like a 'Christmas special'. Same cast, but a self-contained plotline.

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Although this drama may not be everyone’s cup of tea, as an accountant and prior ethics professor, I found the show absolutely amazing. So for this one, I’ll have a lot of thoughts to share 🤣. In a pleasant surprise, I genuinely enjoyed not only the accounting and crime-fighting aspects of the show, I also enjoyed how it gave a unique perspective on the battle of good versus evil.

Although the drama initially focuses on developing Ho-Woo’s plotline, it is ultimately the integrated story of many individual characters. It’s the story of everyday people facing what feel like impossible ethical dilemmas. People forced to confront their bottom lines and establish how far their limits can be pushed. Can these individuals act against their own interests for the sake of the public good? And in the face of powerful and wealthy manipulators, to what extent can humanity be driven to act against their better instincts?

One amazing aspect of this show is the diverse display of ‘ethical’ people throughout. Many Korean shows feature the theme of an individual or small group of ‘morally good’ people working alone to re-establish justice while the wealthy and powerful antagonist holds everyone else immobile through fear or greed. It is the oft repeated tale of David and Goliath, Robin Hood robbing the wicked rich, and the ‘white collar worker saves the day.’ Rather overdone at this point.

“Numbers” does not take that route —instead, Ho-Woo finds support from those amongst all socio-economic backgrounds. From bank presidents and corporate chairmen to national journalists, government officials, prosecutors, small restaurant owners, and the general public; each has a representative in the ultimate crowd of ‘good guys’ by story’s end.

In a highly uplifting message, it becomes clear that the heroes far outnumber the bad. Ho-Woo comes to understand it is insufficient to rage against unfairness and corruption if your rage is not backed with action and where many take action (and there are many good people), there is little they cannot accomplish.

Ho-Woo (and all those around him) are depicted as intelligent and competent individuals, well versed in the laws and regulations and able to wield them as weapons when needed. We loved that the female cast are also portrayed as bright, emotionally stable people who work together with their male colleagues with few if any gender discrimination issues arising. It was a pleasant change and allowed the characters to build an amazing repertoire as a team.

To that end, the screenwriters also expect the viewers to be intelligent, educated individuals as well. The crimes were complex and involved actual issues in the accounting profession (from stock manipulation to hiding assets in the financial statements). It is not the sort of drama where you put it on and go about your business with it in the background. You need to listen and pay attention to their explanations to understand how the crimes are being committed and how the accountants are able to bring it to an end.

From a social perspective, we thought this was an amazing way to introduce the public to accounting issues and how those decisions can impact the general economy (e.g., a bank run).

Slight Possible Spoiler Below I Suppose. . .

Some people did not enjoy the ending of the show because they feel it leaves things somewhat unfinished; however, that was to me quite natural for the flow of the story. . . The fight between ethics and corruption in society is not the simple open and shut case of books and films. . . it is an ongoing struggle with new issues and new attacks launched daily in all aspects of the financial industry. The importance lies in continuing to fight anyway.

The cast has significant experience among them and some have worked together in other dramas which allowed them to have comfortable chemistry on screen. Choi Jin Hyuk and Choi Min Soo are always excellent actors and bring a high level of professionalism to the wide range of characters they have played. It is nice seeing Choi Jin Hyuk as a mature actor having seen him develop over the years.

I can’t name a single character who did not do a wonderful job with their role their written portrays were very well developed. The technical aspects were well done though it didn’t require any major scenes beyond the big fire in one episode. I can’t recall the music so it didn’t leave a lasting impression, but that’s neither good nor bad.

Overall, definitely one of our few five stars!

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Cool Forensics Crime Show with Interesting Cases

The show is relatively PG for most of the season with the more gruesome imagery (largely blood splashes) not appearing until the last couple of episodes. The show was episodic until the last two episodes as each told the story of a different victim. Within each investigation was greater discourse into a societal concern, such as bullying, ethics in journalism, vigilante justice, family relationships, and abuse of employees in the workplace. 

As with most Japanese detective shows, there is a significant combination of psychological and scientific elements to each investigation. The team frequently is forced to better understand both the victim and the assailant to identify the potential cause of death; then they turn to science to prove it. Or perhaps they identify the cause of death and use this information to provide the families with better insight into why their loved one passed on. 

In addition to the main UDI team, there is a wide array of assisting characters including the two lead police detectives who often work with UDI; the funeral director who frequently directs cases their way and assists as needed; and various medical professionals who provide their expertise or access to various public records. The acting amongst the side characters was pretty decent, and the cast as a whole was largely relatable. You come to really, REALLY loathe the main villains, but that is a sign of good storytelling. 

I will say that Misumi occasionally got on my nerves with her ‘holier-than-thou’ approach, especially towards Nakado. She puts her nose into things and follows people around when it really goes beyond her professional role which is never attractive to me. She makes demands as the story progresses when she is not his superior and is not in a position to take that stance. While her rigid code of ethics is worth praising, she is also relatively unapologetic when that code of ethics harms her friends. Sometimes taking the ethical stance should also be accompanied with recognition and empathy for how one’s actions impact others. 

One interesting ethical commentary the viewers took away from the show was the theory that truth is more important than justice for forensic professionals. Their job was not to be responsible for the outcome of their findings but rather to present the scientific facts for the lawyers to handle. This reminds me of the recent real world case where famous forensic scientist Henry Lee was found to have fabricated evidence in multiple cases. Unfortunately, this now calls into question his testimony at more than 8,000 cases over the years.  

The show is short but interesting; the technical effects were decent for its production level. It had some comedy mixed within but was largely a serious drama, little of the over-embellishments or over-acting that sometimes appears in Japanese shows. Certainly was a fun watch for the family of an evening and the crimes themselves were relatively well written. Some loose ends (especially at the end — I won’t go into those because I don’t want to spoil it), but by and large the causes of death and motives were unusual and it offered something new. I think I still like Galileo or Mr. Brain better in terms of ‘scientific-themed’ mysteries . . . but this was still a cool drama to watch.

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Part Psychological Thriller, Part Criminal Investigation

This film is part psychological thriller, part criminal investigation. It jumps back and forth between character perspectives, centering on no single character. Su Cheng receives the majority of screen time, but often through other's perspectives of him.

There is some confusion in that it leaps back and forth between the present and past in Su Cheng's perspective, but that seems to be part of his psychosis to some extent. His trauma stems substantially from his childhood and past interactions with Wang and Lin Jing so their presence in his life now naturally triggers flashbacks.

There is a constant sense of the unreliable narrator in all perspectives, largely driven by everyone's mistrust of each other combined with Su Cheng and Mo Chao's psychological disorders and Lin Jing's seemingly irrational faith in her husband. This unreliability drives the story as every detail you are given has to be reassessed in terms of the person introducing it. You sympathize with the police's frustration in the investigation as they are constantly given only part of the information by witnesses.

Unless you were paying very close attention, the film does throw you a curve ball in the end. The mystery of how Wang died and who killed him really was very well performed and written. Although the film itself was relatively slow moving, sometimes confusing in the way scenes were sliced together, and wasn't anything award winning the end. . . the overarching mystery itself was unique and interesting.

Su Cheng and Mo Chao both played their roles very well, although some of the other character's roles left something to be desired. It was interesting how Lin Jing comes across as a victim but ultimately is not particularly a sympathetic one. It isn't clear if that was intentional or a result of poor acting, but it did contribute to the overall plot in some ways.

Nothing too graphic in our opinion, although you may be squicked by the dead bodies with burned faces and the one scene where XXXXXX is burned. Not for kids certainly. 🕵️‍♂️

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Interesting Plot but with a Squick Factor

My Summary (based on watching the film & no spoilers): The story takes place during the historical Ming Dynasty. Late one evening, the cries of a baby were suddenly heard in Lin'an County Cemetery and two corpses lie in a grave one on the other. Murder is clear, but the means not so much and a local medical examiner Song Shao is called in to investigate. What's wrong with the city hot springs and why is a man torn in half lying on his autopsy table? These questions and more drive Song Shao, his apprentice, the commissioner, and Shao's wife to dive into this dark and dangerous investigation.

This film is actually a sequel to Post Mortem Examiner (haven't seen the prequel - oops!). We were lucky enough to view this movie on IQIYI with English subtitles, but we have to admit the subtitles were questionable. It was enough that we generally understood the plotline, but there are perhaps some nuances we weren't able to catch. To be honest, we re-watched the ending three times to make sure we understood everything - the end (especially the very last scene) went really fast and a lot was thrown at you at once. But in the end, we think we knew who did what and when.

Nonetheless, the film itself is an interesting watch, though quite squicky at times. The graphics are good, including the murdered bodies themselves. The autopsies are pretty vivid actually, so be prepared to cover your eyes. We had to look away quite a few times. The crime is also particularly gruesome and involves some cannibalism which made for a creepy, evil villain - that part was not shown, just referenced though. Thank goodness.

That said, the fact that the graphics were so well done as to be icky means the non-icky parts were also really well designed! The crime is fascinating and had a very unique aspect; the investigation was well done and the performances were well put together. We don't particularly care about the quality of the CGI / setting as long as the plot is interesting, and we'd give the mystery itself a 4/5 stars for being unique with a fascinating investigation process.

The comedy seemed over-the-top occasionally, but the characters and storylines were amusing and interesting enough. The film actually centers around Song Shao and his female apprentice more than him and his wife, but there is no romance between them. It ends up being a cute 'teacher-student' training session as she shares his tips and practices with her.

Overall, the show isn't going to win any awards as a top ranking film, but it was a really fun watch for an evening at home. Better than some mysteries we've seen - well produced and we actually were caught by surprise with the crime as the truth was revealed. 🕵️‍♂️

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