“Don’t judge a book by its cover.” We’ve probably all heard that line at some point. Likewise, you should NEVER judge a drama by its synopsis.
When I first read the synopsis, I didn’t think the drama seemed worth my time. I mean, okay, so there’s two completely different cops, milkshake-drinking killers who are twins and an abnormal President and local triad. So what?
However, once I actually starting watching (due to a phase of boredom), this drama absolutely blew my mind!
The cast was great; everyone played their role well and I thought that Vic (as Chen Zai Tian) and Mark (as Wu Ying Xiong) were very strong foils of each other. Indeed, they were “different as day and night.”
All the characters had their own reasons and their own stories which caused them to be who they were and act the way they did.
The music was very fitting, especially the opening and ending themes. They were very “powerful” and I thought that suited the mood of the whole drama.
In general, this drama can only be described by “there’s more to it than meets the eye.” It’s not just about two very different police officers or anything as ‘simple and plain’ as that. As the English title says, it’s (about) “Black & White.”
For me, everything seemed to happen so subtly that by the time I realized it, it had already hit me in the face. The minute I thought I had everything more or less figured out, I was shown pretty quickly that I was wrong. Dead wrong.
I wasn’t expecting anything when I started watching it but by the time I finished watching it, I didn’t know what to expect anymore. That’s probably why I liked it so much – it’s just so different. It’s also not much of a romance-drama possibly because focusing too much on the romance would’ve reduced the impact of their REAL message, but that in a way kept the whole series at a ‘practical’ level because it didn’t have to take time out to build and establish romantic-fantasies on the side. I absolutely loved the themes, ideas, concepts that this drama presented to me. To say any more would just give everything away.
(After watching, I thought “maybe that’s why the synopsis was so bad. To say any more would have suggested something about the true intentions of this drama.”)
So in the end, all I can say is this:
This drama isn’t just about that little handful of characters mentioned in the synopsis. Rather, I felt that it was about much, much more.
The most important part of it for me were definitely the underlying themes that came out of it all, but that’s really just something you have to see and figure out on your own. It had a huge impact on the way I think, but it may or may not do the same for you.
It’s about “Black & White.” But what do you think this “Black & White” is about?
-Please keep in mind that this is all based on personal opinion.-
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Despite my torn opinion of him as an actor (damn your managers for steering you to more crap roles than good), "Black & White" has firmly asserted Vic Zhou into my mind as a "actor" and not a "Idol actor".
Yes I liked him in "Mars" and "Sweet Relationship" but it was his portrayal of the not-so-by-the-book "Chen Zai Tian(Pi Zi)" that made me go back and re-watch those dramas to confirm to myself; "Was he always this good?"
In this we have him playing a cop with more going on under the surface than meets the eye, partnered with a straight laced kind of cop, "Wu Ying Xiong" played by Mark Chao.
First of all, the dynamic between these two was bloody brilliant.
I love how "Zai Tian" was like the Captain Jack Sparrow of policing, down to the little walk and womanizing. Vic Zhou had us rolling our eyes and laughing at every wink, saunter and hushed seduction While Mark Chao's "Ying Xiong" had us busting stitches at every foiled seduction attempt he smote like some cock-blocking god.
But with every laugh they got us with every dramatic scene too, not overly done, nor overly drawn out, which was a godsend because some dramas can wring out that angst for all it's got and still ask for another bucket.
While the characters were a good symmetry for each other, the story writing and editing and directing were just as perfectly matched.
You don't feel rushed while watching it, and you don't feel it's too slow. Just the right pace, coupled with great actors putting it to the best that they can push it made "Black & White" the best Taiwanese produced drama I have ever had the pleasure of watching.
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Lets split the romance aspect and mystery aspect into two. The romance aspect of this drama was just terrible. I had no clue why this person liked this person, and so on and so forth. It wasn't even a love triangle, it was like a huge relationship web mess. This person liked this person but changed their mind and began to like someone else then they stopped liking that person and started crying for yet another person. Did that sentence really confuse you? Well, that's how I felt about the relationships in this show. I love romance dramas;they're literally my favorite drama. However, since the relationships in Black and WHite were so messy, I would've preferred no romance at all then or just focus on one couple. Unlike Love Me If You Dare, the romance wasn't balanced well at all.
Apart from the romance, the mystery plot was really tight and suspenseful. The show kept me guessing with them every step of the way. They wanted me to suspect one person? I totally fall for it then boom the bad guy was someone else. Is that really the truth? Nope, plot twist right ahead of you. When everything finally came together, I was mind-blown at how big the deceptive web reached. You really need to watch every episode to get all the seemingly meaningless clues that add up when you step back and finally see the whole story.
Cast was amazing. Seriously. Mark Chao and Vic Chou were both very versatile in their acting since they had to portray many conflicted emotions. Neither one is what they seem on the surface; they're the black and white, Ying Qiong (Mark) seems to be the straight laced, honorable cop while Zai Tian (Vic) seems to be the goofy, careless cop. Though true to some extent, this drama flips all their ideals around and throws them obstacle after obstacle. The female cast was strong. I loved Ivy Chen's portrayal of a misunderstood mafia's daughter. And contrary to popular opinion, I liked Sonia's character. Janine did well too. On a whole, every actor/actress fit their part perfectly.
I'm a little conflicted about the soundtrack. In some scenes where they play the upbeat songs I thought I was supposed to feel happy but the scene ended up being very serious. So although I liked the songs, they clashed with the emotions of some scenes.
In the end, I think this was a wildly unpredictable with a stellar cast, and the plot did not drag at all. On the negative side, the romance plot was too all over the place. Re-watch isn't high purely because there were so many plot twists and knowing them now, it wouldn't be as interesting the second watch around. I highly recommend this drama, especially to those drama viewers out there where you like to try and link the clues together. If you want good romance, however, this isn't the drama for you. (8.5/9)
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From a PERSONAL perspective, this is a very good Taiwanese drama! Although, I am not the action/police drama junkie which is why I had originally decided not to watch this drama, this show was an attention keeper and great watch for me. I think people who love romantic comedies may end up liking this drama too because there is some romance and there is a whole bunch of comedy in this.
I'd like to start by mentioning that the story of this drama is very well prepared and well written. The stories of each character mingle and mesh so beautifully and so unexpectedly. Each character is unique, and third dimensional. The watcher will really enjoy the stories and the bromance of the male leads, Chen Zai Tian and Wu Ying Xiong. Many viewers might feel that at a certain point in time, the story was too twisty but I have to disagree. That's what makes this drama fun to watch!
Next, the music is well-coordinate with the themes of the show. The opening by COLOR and Mark Chao is a nice song representing the show and it was presented nicely. The ending by Jason Zou which is sung in ENglish and there's another song by him which is used throughout the show also fit the themes of the show.
The ACTING was fab, like fab from almost most of the cast. This is my first drama with both Vic Zhou, Mark Chao, and Janine Chang. All these three did a great job. I adored Vic Zhou's character and I must say Mark Chao has a lot of talent. It is hard to believe that this was his first full drama! I was already familiar with Ivy Chen from Extravagant Challenge and I liked the way she portrayed Chen Lin. She did what she needed to do. I want to make a special mention to Kingone Wang (kya~) who did a fantastic job as Gao Yi. He played a chemist and an addict like no other.
As for the rewatch value, I gave it a 6 because the thrill will be gone the second time. There will be no suspense which is why I don't really watch police dramas/mystery dramas again. But there is one romance scene I really like between Zai Tian and Cheng Lin which will go in a mv someday.
Overall, if you want something unpredictable and different in Taiwanese dramas or Asian dramas in general, this is a great choice. It's refreshing, it's exciting, and has a whole package of many different genres like action, comedy, friendship, and a slight hinge of romance.
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Honestly, I was never a fan of Zai Zai in terms of his acting. I always found his acting to be stiff but this drama totally changed my perspective of him.
Both leading actors did a great job flushing out their characters. Not only were their acting superb but their individual storyline makes sense making their individual choices in the drama realistic and believable. There were a lot of good bromance between Zai Zai's character and Mark's character which made the drama even more enjoyable for me.
The leading two ladies of this drama were also quite close to my heart. These ladies are not your average, weak, princesses in distress. No, these ladies know how to handle their own which I couldn't have asked more. Overall, I don't think I have ever enjoyed the chemistry amongst this leading cast than any other dramas I've watched so far.
Overall, I really enjoyed this. This will probably my favorite Taiwanese drama so far. Would recommend this to everyone who enjoy a complex storyline, good acting, well written, believable characters, and a pretty cast.
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It was my first time watching a drama that is about crime and stuffs. I don't usually watch these kind of dramas cause it ain't my thing, I'd prefer watching romance comedies! However, this drama blown me away!
I was hesitant as to whether I should watch it or not, but by the end of the 1st episode, I was totally hooked! Who cares if the theme is crime work and police, the plot was great!
I finished this drama in just 3 days! The plot isn't as simple as what you read on the sypnosis. Throughout the whole drama, there were plot twists everywhere! As to who are actually the bad guys & the good guys, the family background of both Pi Zi and Ying Xiong, etcetc. You would have to watch the drama to know!
I have always been a fan of Vic Zhou and the dramas that he has starred in. And thus this was one of the reason as to why I decided to watch this drama. His acting in this drama was really good. Him as Pi Zi had me on the verge of tears sometimes, and then at times I was laughing my head off at his "Pi Zi" characteristic/antics. I heard that this drama was the acting debut of Mark, and wow, he sure did a good job here! Due to the great acting of these two male leads, I gave the 'Acting/Cast' a 10 (:
However, I'm not a big fan of the music in this drama! Maybe it's my own taste haha. The theme song didn't really get on me when I first heard it, I felt that it wasn't catchy enough! However after a few listens I started getting used to it and liking it! :) I think my favourite song in this drama would be its ending theme song, I like it a lot!
Overall, I gave it a 9. One of the reasons is that I think there wasn't much about romance in the later part of the plot, so viewers actually wasn't really clear as to who actually ended up with who. However, this drama is really worth the watch! Don't be put off by the fact that it is a police drama, I'm sure the acting, plot and some of the nice music will make you hooked to the show!
P.S. Haha it's my first time writing a review of a drama! So pardon me if I make any mistakes or anything ^^
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Lots Lots Lots of Twists!
This drama is probably a drama that has the most twists in it. Just when you thought this is the truth, they gave you another twist to something that you thought its the real truth. I'm actually surprise no one has ever remake this drama despite its rich storyline. It was nicely done without things being too predictable since all the twists and turns are fits into the story and characters perfectly.I have to hands this to Mark Chao as this is his first ever role and he got the prestigious Golden Horse Best Actor Awards for this drama. Has anyone ever manage to do this before? First role and they managed to beat the other veteran actors in the same category? I personally thought he over-reacted in the first few episodes but his acting skills improved tremendously in the later episodes that made me think that he actually deserved that award. And Vic Chou really surprise me here. The last time I saw him is ages ago in Meteor Garden and he's like a different person here since his acting skills have improved so so so much. I cant believe he is the same person lol. And his character is really interesting and a delight to watch.
Aside from all this positive points, it is also worth to note that this drama has one of the most interesting love storyline that cant be found in other Asian dramas out there. Everyone is basically in love with different people so the relationship dynamics turned out to be very interesting and refreshing.
But despite this, I still have complain since I feel like the storyline when they took the law in their hands was very distasteful. This is because if police officers start doing things that didnt follow the law (no matter how innocent are they), it makes them very hypocritical since they wont let anyone else do the same. If police officers start to run away from the law, then how can we trust the justice system? I'm all for dark knight / robin hood kind of justice but as a police officer, they have principle that they need to uphold and those principles apply to them and not just EVERYONE else except them.
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When I started watching it, I was engaged, hooked and majorly invested. Contrary to every one who said that the starting is a slow one, I thought it was well paced and precise. The introduction with the characters, the beginning of beautiful friendships (BROMANCE!) and some romance was just that- the beginning. The fourth episode is probably among the best episodes I have ever seen in a drama. My expectations escalated from then on- exorbitantly. I am laughing now because I expected nothing short of a masterpiece from this drama because it had impressed me so much. I was addicted so badly that I couldn't even study for my exam.
With all due honesty, there were several MAJOR times when I was regretting that I was invested in a drama like this. I didn't want to continue it after episode 11 or 12 because there were melodrama-like moments. The action had disappeared and I was frankly sort of bored. The only reason I kept going was for my love of the cast. Let me say- deciding to stick with this drama and all the little nonsense in between was an awesome decision. At that moment I was hanging by a thread. It was all worth it, I know now. This drama follows the 'Save the best for last' policy. Till then, in between it gets dull and feels like it has strayed off the path completely. However, if you found the first half interesting the new slow yet, dramatic developments will keep you hooked. The action-less part in between is actually baby steps leading to the bigger picture- something you will definitely not see coming.
I was cursing the writers a hell lot while watching it. I thought they were definitely overdoing stuff and confusing us. And yes, it was definitely overdone and highly fictitious (so very much). But it is the imagination of the writers and the fact that they dared to do it the way they wanted deserves applause. Frankly- it was their show and they did whatever they wanted with it. And what they did is that they took big risks and broke out of the shell of regular Asian dramas. I have to praise the writers for their talent (one of them is a Golden Bell award winner). I can see that everything was done with a purpose. There were sub-plots that I felt were forced but even those played a major role for the ending. In spite of the inconsistencies, it was very well connected in the end. I daresay this is a fairly original drama.
I am generally pretty good with predicting stuff and this drama proved me wrong every episode- several times. Whenever I went like, 'Okay, that must be it' they do something that just explodes right in your face. After you reel from it, they undo it and twist it again in another way. LOL. What can I say? I was only able to predict only two very small things. I partially guessed the bad guy but then it turned to be a hell lot more. So- the point is, it is definitely not predictable.
Alright- enough of that. This is a splendidly directed show. It has very fine camera work and the shooting locations are superb. They also have a very good cast who are appealing to watch. Vic Zhou and Mark Chao are both not the best actors in the world but I definitely liked how they played their roles. Vic had more of a challenging role and as far as I know he put an end to his 'idol star' career with this one. Mark needs some polishing but it is hard to believe that it was his debut. I also liked Ivy Chen and Janine Chang in their roles.
The show also has some seriously good action. They used cool guns and chasing around bad guys in cars was entertaining and fun. Plus fighting in weird places like subway trains, shipyards, rooftops or any other place you can think of (like the office or even bathroom) was also great. As I said- great direction. Also the ending is a little open-ended and yet satisfying. It was fulfilling and surprising in every way. We don't know if there is a certain couple but the romantic hints remain till the end. Romance aside, I had goosebumps during episode 23. Some really good stuff takes place in that and around those episodes. So not predictable!! (As I said- I'm still reeling)
If I go for the cons- it is just that the characterizations were over the top. It frustrated me when they dragged out some stuff. The romance is lousy. It was like you have a good cast, they all have chemistry with each other and you can ship who you want. But again- romance was never the focus of the whole plot. It is rather just a mere sub-plot with messy entanglements. I can also complain that it was too much of a complicated plot in general. But what the heck? I want to rewatch the whole thing again and see if I can put two by two again. This is a bit hard to keep up with.
Just a mention- the soundtrack was good. I liked the background music in all places.
All in all- definitely a watchable drama. It has its shortcomings and will test your patience but the ending makes it all worth it.
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Zai Tian and Ying Xiong are totally different, but then I see many similarities.
Actually, I don't notice any defects in the drama. The cast worked well.
and OST! - amazing...!
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Black & White was not on my “got to watch anytime soon” list just because it’s not a genre I'm really interested in. I even dropped it the first time after watching 3 episodes because I got bored. After picking it back up again and actually completing it I have to say it is the most unpredictable Taiwanese drama I’ve seen!Story- Funny, suspenseful, dramatic, action packed. That’s a lot for a drama to take on but this one managed to pull it off. The plot for me was a little slow for the first 4 episodes but then it started to pick up. About half way is when the plot really started to thicken and I could not stop watching. There were something’s I had a problem with though. One was the twist having to do with both our male leads. It got twisted and it got overused. By the time the truth came out I just rolled my eyes cause I was so over it. Another thing I didn’t like was how they wrote the love lines. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a drama that had 5 people who were connected that had a one sided love. Seriously the love lines get twisted every which way even till the end. Okay, I wouldn’t have had such a problem with this if it weren’t for the fact there was no payoff in the end. Small Spoiler: That’s right no one ends up with anyone! I felt the writers pulled my heartstrings all the way through only to be let down in the end. I know this is not a romance drama but if you’re going to write it in there, it shouldn’t be used to tease the audience, just saying…
Other than that the ending is kind of open with some loose ends and new revelations. Another thing is be ready for a ton of deaths, betrayal, good guys turning bad vise versa throughout the entire drama. Like I said this drama is really unpredictable.
Acting/Cast- From the big players to the supporting characters everyone fit their parts perfectly. Newbie Mark Chao was really impressive, this being his first role and all. He was able to keep up with Vic and in some scenes even out-shined him in my opinion. Speaking of Vic, this role was definitely a change from other stuff Ive seen him in. He has had a lot of growth. I liked Ivy Chen’s character in the beginning but then she began to annoy me with her selfish/wishy-washiness. Janine Chang played my favorite character, who was quite underused. Her character was awesome but I felt bad for her in the end.
Music- Loved the score really fit and heightened scenes. The OST was good but nothing I'm interested in listening to outside the show.
Rewatch- This is rewatchable but I cant say I’m interested just because I wasn’t completely satisfied with how some things developed.
Overall Black and White is entertaining and at times addicting. I just can’t say I thoroughly enjoyed it to the point I’d give it such a high score.
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