User Reviews

I was amazed at the quality of this series. It was so good in the cinematography, the locations, the acting, and the choreography of the fight scenes. I was not expecting this quality from China. I most commonly watch Korean dramas which I find are very well done, and noticeably better than those from other Asian dramas, and this was up among the best of the Korean dramas. The reason I marked it down was just something about the story that felt a little off kilter, and maybe it was just that Xu Youyi (played by Nan Zhang) was too much of a spoiled child at certain times, and then you would get the really strong character. There were what I thought were a few awkward scenes that demonstrate to me the writing could have been better, such as when Xu Youyi goes upstairs of the photography shop followed by the assassin Yan Wei (played by Yihan Sun). There Yan Wei has to keep Xu Youyi from being killed by the traps while also keeping her ignorant of them. That these traps exist are used later on when detectives break into the shop, but is really is not necessary. A few parts seem too slow, and it does a good job of throwing new twists into the plot.

This appears to take place somewhere from about 1930 to 1950, and this was a puzzle since during this period the situation in China was really bad with the revolution, and the Japanese invasion, and China was still struggling badly into the 1950s. There was not sense of the upheavals in the series. The conditions seemed more what you would expect in the west, not in China. I could be very much mistaken, but I think it really is not a good representation of Shanghai during this period. But I can understand. Putting it back in time gives the producers a lot more leeway in the story, given that it was before the current government, and it also adds charm. But I like to think I learn a little about history when I watch historical dramas.

If China can continue to produce shows like this it will be able rival Korea as a source of entertainment. And maybe with more success internationally by Chinese production companies, the producers will be given more latitude in the contents of their material. It would be good if Chinese entertainment companies could produce popular material that take place in the current era, but maybe with time that will be possible. China certainly has proven to me that it can produce top notch material.