Bery good story and cast
I will be completely honest when I say I dropped this drama mid-episode 2 because of the really cheesy childish antics. But something told me to return to it and listening to my instincts and asking some people who kept watching, I did just that. And I'm very glad I did because this is one of those very few cdramas that actually got better with each episode especially after 5 or 6. So I'm very glad I trusted my instincts to finish watching. It was friendships formed through intertwined meow-stries. See what I did there? ;)Pros: At first it seemed each of the cases were separate but as you continued to watch, you understood they were all connected to the original case and story from three years back and LB losing his father to some unknown organization of mask wearing assassins and being turned into a cat. The story revolves around him and his group of subordinates (SB, WQ, CB, and Alibaba) in the CJR with an extra kid (CS) who becomes LB's little brother of sorts plus QQZ who used to be LB's childhood best friend but due to a misunderstanding those 3 years ago that is only really resolved in the second to last episode they appear on opposite sides. In reality QQZ infiltrated the organization that's trying to gain immortality through murder and to overthrow the Empress. Favorite character is hard because the main gang is great plus QQZ who I wish appeared in more episodes so they could have properly fleshed out his and LB's friendship. CS knew of LB being a cat first (not counting QQZ of course though he didn't know or ask for that to be done) and it didn't bother him and then towards the end when the others found out about it, they still stood by him calling him a "Cat Hero", which was so awesome.
The old fart society, though they were the main villains, you also had YZH who though started out just as helpless as anyone was fed to some demon cat but got the upper hand and became a demon cat himself, morphed into a sociopathic loony that killed people, turned LB into a cat, caused the domino effect that got LB's father murdered, and ultimately killed QQZ just for a stupid game in his own mind. Same went for CS's brother CJ aka Black Rakhasa who was the actual murderer of LB's father as he was hired by the old fart society because though he cared for his brother, after being bullied in Shendu, instead of helping others, he chose to be a predator. LZS got karma not once but twice; got killed once, brought back by the old fart society, used until he no longer was needed and killed by them for his blood. Whoopsie; now thats seriously cold karma.
This show had many layers that you had to peel back like an onion to understand. People did come back to life but none were immortal save for YZH and LB; though LB gave the only antidote to YZH as a deal for his testimony at the old fart society's trial which was before his own. QQZ wanted the antidote for LB and he essentially died for it. I did tear up because the way LB keened over QQZ as they finally made amends officially--though LB had long suspected that QQZ didn't really turn bad--just before he passed was only seen when he lost his father. When finding out just how much evidence QQZ had found out on his own even before LB's father was killed and his father knew QQZ had successfully infiltrated but didn't tell LB. Maybe if he did, then their misunderstanding wouldn't have happened upon his murder; LB was very smart even back then and he would have left him alone.
But in the end it was CS who saved LB and the gang; the kid that started out illiterate and very naive, brought the city folk together to save his best friends through the haunting final words of the now gone QQZ copied hundreds of times and distributed to the people of the city.
Wow, I feel like I've fallen back into the story. Let's move on. The costumes (save maybe the Walmart wigs and beards of the foreigners from Alibaba's country), OSTs, scenery, fight scenes were really great, plus appropriate comedy was all very nice and fit everything.
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The Best Friendship and Bond
I want to tell those who watched the first episode and felt it wasn't for them: keep watching until episode 5; it gets much more interesting. I also paused after two episodes, thinking it might be a cheap, childish story. However, it really picks up in the second half. After episode 25, the pace quickens to the point where you can't stop watching. The earlier events and mysteries start to get resolved beautifully. It was truly fascinating. Cheers to the best drama and their friendship!What makes this drama great is how everyone overcomes their pasts and traumas and grows together. Without unnecessary romance, the friendship and comedic interactions at Dali Temple are heartwarming. The characters are unique and lovable, supporting each other and deepening their bonds, which touched me deeply. Especially the bromance between Libin and the General was incredibly wonderful. The lead actor, Ding Yuxi, was truly fantastic and charming! It was the best!
Here's a spoiler for the ending!
The General's death at the end shattered my heart. I had a feeling he might die as the story progressed, which is common in Chinese dramas, but I couldn't help hoping otherwise. My wish didn't come true. I cried out loud, it was so sad. I want him to be brought back to life. If there's a second season, please use the cat's power to revive him.
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Not the best, but also not that bad.
I have been watching this for almost a month now, and that explains how the series went for me. Its a good one. It started so strong, like the way Li Bing's character was being introduced and the introduction of Li Bing and Qingzhi's past friendship was good. But gradually getting a bit boring at the middle part to the near end, it feels like a lot is happening but nothing is happening all at the same time. Yes, its cases after cases, but tbh, some cases they solved wasn't even solved clearly and got me so confused. Tbh, the last 2 episodes caught me back liking this.One thing that is commendable in this series was the cast. Casts is so good, the way their chemistry worked and seeing myself rooting for their journey is just amazing, esp Yuxi and Miles, love them.
Will definitely miss the gang. Overall, this is somehow still a good watch. Not the best but also, not a bad one.
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Interesting title with lots of action and a miniscule hint of romance
I have been putting this title off for other titles for so long. Some of the reasons are that the title didnt look convincing and I didnt know any of the main actors other than Ren Min (which I fail to like her performance in The Longest Promise). Well apparently I’ve been delaying for no reason. This show turned out pretty good, definitely beyond my expectation.Tells a story of a son of an assassinated Minister of Judicial Review on a journey to find out the reason of his father’s demise and the mastermind behind it. ML had been a sickly kid as he was growing up, because of this he spends most of his time reading until he met Qiu Qingzhi, a runaway slave. They formed a strong bond and ML started building a reputation of a rising genius for solving criminal cases and dumping the perpertrators at the door of his father’s office. As they grew up, ML sent his best friend QQZ to join the army so he could build a name for himself and escape the fate of a slave. Upon QQZ’s return, ML’s father was assassinated and ML went missing while en route to return to his father’s hometown. 3 years later, QQZ has emerged as a respectable general of the Jinwu Guards, while ML made his first appearance by solving the high profile Demon Cat Case which caught the attention of the empress. She appointed ML as Vice Minister of Judicial Review Ministry, working alongside Vice Minister Shangguan Qin, an only female in the lead cast. They started to unravel mysteries and strange cases that lead to the real mastermind behind ML’s father’s assassination.
This is not the typical cdrama that I’ve watched. The casts are male dominated, Ren Min being the only prominent cast of the opposite gender, but gladly enough she was not set there as love interest for ML. Yay. But I have to say that her character is really just a decor. The story would do well even without her. It’s refreshing to see a show without romance of the leads. I like this setting very much.
The casts gave a stellar performance, although i must say the dubbing for Alibaba is overly done in trying to portray his bad mandarin accent as a foreigner.
I like how the ML looking mysterious with his facial expressions. He sometimes comes off as conniving with some ulterior motives. However i think Chen Shi sometimes overacts with his calling “Bing ye (Master Bing - the ML), Bing ye,” whenever theyre in danger. It’s really annoying.
There are filler stories as to build up the other main characters, telling their backgrounds and personalities as such.
The hand to hand combat here is pretty well done. Sword fights are excellently executed. The action choreograph team has done a great job here. i really enjoy the action.
The plot twist is rather expected, but it is good nonetheless. I enjoyed watching the show.
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An attempt to break free from cliches.
The show starts off with a very cheerful soundtrack and then introduces us to our clumsy, silly and naive mc, Chen Shi. We are then introduced to the other members of the Court of Judicial Review, who each have their own quirks that distinguish them from each other. The ending brings in the main protagonist, Li Bing who has a secret- he can transform into a cat.The plot starts off strong, with interesting cases and each character was equally important in solving them. But, the plot is also what let down the entire drama.
Firstly, lets discuss the pros-
The cast- Couldn't have asked for a better cast. They were all so good! Great chemistry and expressions. I was surprised to learn that Chen Shi's actor is actually rather young. The level of maturity in his style is rare in actor of this age group. Yi Zhi Hua's actor also managed to bring out the perverse insanity of his role.
Then we have Ding Yuxi. I have heard that there are often animal imitation classes in acting schools. I think we know who was top of the class when the subject was cats. I am convinced that he is a cat in a human's body. His acting is filled with details, even in scenes that don't explicitly show his feline nature, he still adds those quirks that remind you he is actually a cat.
The OST- Most of the tracks are refreshing and filled with energy. I have no complaints with the soundtrack.
The characters- I have already talked about the characters, but I'll praise them as many times is required. The characters were well modelled, each had their own story and characteristics unique to them. The only thing is, Qiu Qingzhi's character didn't have enough screen time. The writers attempted to make him a very complex character and even succeeded to some extent. But, we didn't get to see much of his sides before the last few episodes. Any time before that was utterly confusing and I get that it was for the big reveal later on. So, I guess this counts as an open door.
The anecdotes in credits of the last episode were hilarious. I have rewatched them twice already.
Now, the only con here was the Plot- While the cases were interesting and so was the idea of someone intentionally leading them, the plot stopped functioning properly in the last quarter. Negative characters kept popping up like they were the final villain and then died and then suddenly revived only to be killed again. Like what was going on??? It felt like the writers couldn't decide who should be the main villain. While everything made sense in the last two episodes, it was simply too late. It could not compensate for the confusion created by the previous episodes. Especially when it brought back more confusion itself in the form of Lai Zhongshu.
Lai Zhongshu was an extremely annoying character, not because he was a negative one, but because I didn't see the point in killing him so soon after he transitioned into a potential villain from just a side character and then reviving him when the dust finally settled on his corpse.
The Yong An Pavilion was the final boss, of whom we were given a glimpse of in the first half and then poof! They disappeared for god knows how many episodes. Then the Empress, she was said to be involved with the Pavilion as inferred from what an elder said to QQZ when he asked to become a part of the Pavilion. She was also said to be suffering from an illness which made her look younger as grew older. This was also never addressed properly. She was a major plot hole.
Another plot hole was the lack of boundaries that distinguished the duties of the Court of Judicial Review, Jinwu guards and the Ministry of Justice. The three fought for every second case.
The cases were although, all tied together to the underlying case of Yi Zhi Hua. But, the screenplay simply lacked coherence.
The first half built high expectations. The third quarter struggled to maintain them and the last completely failed. It could have been one of the best shows this year, but it just lacked some sense of direction in the overall and especially in the last few episodes. A good show, but it just failed to hit the mark.
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Purr-fect Detective Uncovers Pawsome Plots
I have been a fan of Ding Yu Xi for a while now and was excited to see him in another cat based role. However, I would have to say I probably will not be rewatching this series as a whole. Personally I don't think there was nearly enough fight / action scenes in this series when you compare it to the how intense some of these cases were. If there was more action other than chasing the criminal down or running away from other authorities, I definitely think I would've been more intrigued.In saying that I really love series where the main character is either extremely smart or strong, both of this can define Li Bing. The cases that they solve are interesting and I do say that I am glad that he was an extremely smart character from the start and didn't just receive this blessing once he transformed into his cat like state.
The overall story was good with a lot of information being fed to us throughout the series. Nearly all the cases and investigations lead to the final plot and offered support to the main characters development and story conclusion. We also got information and back stories of all the main members, which allowed us to understand the overall side characters better.
** Characters **
I believe the actors in this series were great, but the poor character planning and development sort of let me down. Let me explain:
My biggest let down for this series was Vice Minister Shingguan (Think that was her name ;) ). I would've loved to see her become a stronger and more reliable character in the end of the series.
I also found that the side detectives were definitely the comedic relief for the first 3/4 of the series with their roles only becoming more interesting and useful in the last 6 - 7 episodes. I found some of these side characters to be annoying at the start due to the lack of progress they were making as detectives.
The main roles of Li Bing and Qing Qui were definitely the highlight of the series (as intended) which their roles being clear from the start. Maybe a little too clear if you ask me. If you pay close enough attention for the first 4 episodes, you can essentially identify the overall plot of the whole series.
** The Transformation **
Originally I was thinking that the series would use a common trope of adding a tail and ears to the person to signify that they were a cat demon. So needless to say when I saw a full blown cat head and paws on top of Li Bings body, I can't really say that I was a fan. I find these sorts of Anthropomorphic transformations to be difficult to watch and often find them cringey.
On the opposite side, the slight transformations of the eyes and cat like characteristics when in human form was definitely a fun and interesting side of the story that offered some uniquely fun comedic relief to the story.
Overall I believe this to be a decent watch. As I said, I probably wouldn't be rewatching due to the Anthropomorphic transformation and side characters. But would still recommend anyone to watch this as a side series / filler series.
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Fantastic friendship!!
I liked this drama particularly for its focus on friendship.Court of judicial review and it's six detectives and the bond between them is the main highlight of this drama.I liked how Chen shi,Wang Qi,Alibaba,Cui Bei and Sun Bao always stood in support for Li Bing even in his weakest and hardest times.
Also,I liked how each of the six members had an incident which was related to the main plot.
Each and every one of them had their own story.In particular,i liked the total episode of Cui Bei.
The plot was intriguing and though was confusing at some times,but still had a good ,warm ending.
All the cast were excellent in their acting.
Overall,it's a worth watching drama, especially for its friendship theme.
Go for it?
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Except for the superb fighting scenes, the rest were a boring dupe of a crime investigative genre
It will always be a challenge for any writer and director in the production of the same genre to be favored by the eyes of the onscreen viewers. Very few succeeded in crossing the comparison and they truly are gifted in their crafts.Forgive me for saying this because this drama was a failure of those efforts. Among the elements I appreciated the less are the following:
1. The crime cases and the investigation process were predictable. It was not doing the effect of cracking my impression.
2. The funny scenes were not funny at all. Something was off with the timing and dialogue.
3. The characterization of the six main members of the Judicial Review Office was jeopardized by the poor story execution. It was a total waste for such a unique balanced composition of roles.
And so there, boredom strikes me here and dropped it all the way. Didn't bother myself anymore finding out the mystery of Li Bing's character turning into a white cat.
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