I just finished this drama and I'm reeling. This drama is such a big ride. I am still trying to sink in the feeling that it's over. 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.