Love Me If You Dare (2015)

Amazing performance. My first Wallace Huo drama! Wow, this drama seriously impressed me. I have high expectations for mystery/crime dramas since I watch a lot of American mystery/crime shows, like NCIS, which is super famous in the States. The style in this drama is different- more high-tech, gory, and psychological. I loved it!

Wallace lives and breathes his role as Bo Jin Yan. He's adorably awkward when it comes to romance, and level-headed when it comes to his job as a criminal psychologist. Wallace also plays his 'split personality'; very well, showing that he's a versatile actor. I think Sandra was the perfect cast actually. She's pretty, and yet she gives off a girl next door vibe, complementing Bo Jin Yan (Wallace) fabulously. In a way, their relationship reminds me of Edward and Bella from Twilight- cool, seemingly emotionless male lead and sensitive yet observant female lead that brings the warmth out of the male lead. In my opinion, they have great chemistry and Bo Jin Yan's cheesy lines were hilarious. I can't forget Jin Yan's love for fish. He loves to eat fish so much that it was part of the storyline-kind of cute. I actually didn't guess the ultimate Big Bad so I was shocked when the twist came out. In that respect, this drama did a great job because it kept me on my toes.

The cinematography was gorgeous as well, the fish eye lenses were a cool touch, and I loved the car, Andy. So high-tech, and hilarious-Andy's like part of the cast! The cases were interesting and not too predictable. Every case was drastically different so it didn't get boring. I especially liked it when Jin Yan does his criminal analysis because it's so interesting to listen to. The cases flowed well together and connected with one another, each case spanning around four episodes, and led up to the Big Bad storyline. Though it seemed like each case was separate, they were all ultimately connected to the Big Bad, and the drama explores the deepest aspects of human desire through the cases. All the leads had a backstory as well, lending more depth to the story, making the drama come more to life. It was a little graphic but not too intense/gory either.

I loved Zi Yu (Andrew Yin), he is the ultimate best friend. Their bromance was fun to watch and a good comedic relief from the serious tone of the crime investigations. Xun Ran (Wang Kai) was a good second lead but the drama never really gave him a chance to be a serious romantic threat to Bo Jin Yan. Nevertheless, I admired his dedication and willpower as a cop- his acting was also spot on. The beginning was a bit slow but it was needed to set up the story. It starts rapidly speeding up after around three episodes. This drama didn't drag that much; rather, it went by quickly in 24 episodes.

The music kept me barely breathing in lots of suspenseful moments so it definitely did its job! There was a lot of orchestral music which was a nice change from usual dramas.

Re-watch? YES! I will most definitely re-watch this and so far this is my favorite Chinese drama! I recommend this drama if you're into suspense, crime scene investigations, and lots of romance. I wouldn't recommend this if you don't like romance intertwined with crime scene investigations. That said, this drama was fantastic in all respects so I recommend it to everyone. (10/9.75)

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