Se Tiver Coragem, Me Ame (2015)

CRIME FANS UNITE. HORRIFIC CRIMES IN AN ASIAN DRAMA? SIGN ME UP. TO WATCH. NOT TO DIE. PLEASE.

This was made six years ago, yet I've never watched any c-dramas like this. This is my first taste of a Mandarin c-drama with crime, horror, thrills, action and romance. Back when I was younger, I loved Hong Kong crime dramas. They were literally my childhood. I thought China usually stayed away from gritty things, but this drama completely proved me wrong. I never watch Asian crime dramas, but I always watch western crime shows. This was like both worlds coming together.

Yeah, it's been sitting on my "to watch" list for a while, I know. Do I regret letting it sit for so long? Yeah. I seem to let thrillers sit for way too long... *cough cough* like I did with Flower of Evil. I really should watch more of these. So far I'm two-for-two though!

This seriously is a hidden gem. Nice amount of everything. It'll make you smile. It'll make you cry. It'll make you laugh. It'll make you die. Well, I didn't mean for the rhyme, but you know what I mean. So many emotions. Even if you're not into this drama—I'll give this a recommendation. You'd be a fool to not at least try.

Leia Mais

How twisted do you have to be to profile twisted minds?

If I was just grading the plot on the first 2/3s or so, I would give the story a 9.5

On the surface Simon Bo, brilliant, troubled psychological talent from a wealthy, well-connected family, has nothing in common with Jenny Jian, a sweet gifted university student. But it turns out that they have complimentary talents - Simon Bo can get into the head of perpetrators, while Jenny Jian has a talent for getting into the heads of victims and their families.

But as the plot takes off in the second half, Jenny Jian largely gets left behind and the case gets increasingly convoluted and absurd.

The acting is top notch, I never even felt like the main characters or secondary characters were 'acting.' The old friendship between Simon and Fu Ziyu, and Jenny and Li Xunrun are realistic, friendly and comfortable. The tension and relationship between Simon and Jenny is slow moving while becoming increasingly more familiar. For all the seriousness, there are lighthearted moments and joy between the two.

The music is competent and works to set the mood. It doesn't have to much rewatch potential - as a lot of the tensions come from the mystery elements.

Complex Themes -9
(Where is the line between understanding the enemy and becoming him? What is your responsibility to use your talents for the greater good and at what cost? The show leaves a lot of this open ended but does explore it in detail)
Character Growth -8
(Jenny grows a lot over the first 2/3s of the series, as she learns her own strength and grapples with evil/horrors that can exist in the world. Simon Bo doesn't grow as much but softens a bit and becomes a bit more humble as well - but unfortunately as the plot gets more chaotic their growth/development stalls out)
Nuanced Women -6
(Jenny is really nuanced but she is practically the only female character who isn't just there to move the plot forward (the other two female characters being a US gov't agent and Simon Bo's sister)
Cinematography/Production Values -7
(Lots of filming in the real world, and good camera work. Costumes/settings etc. are competent. Major negatives for not recognising their limitations and attempting to set part of the show in the United States whilst not finding competent actors).

Leia Mais

I absolutely loved this series!! Wallace Huo was amazing in this. I've always loved his performances and he didn't disapoint me this time. The storyline for this series was well written and the casts made stunning performances to bring everything to life. The plot was edgy and intriguing. There was a lot of suspense in each episode with each case. It wasn't predictable at all and I was usually surprised. I also loved the supporting characters as well they were funny but they also had really good roles to play and I felt that the romance of the main characters didn't overtake the main plot or the cases that they were on.  

Leia Mais

Don't see this if you have read the book. Like every book adaptation, the show made amends. They changed the script a lot from what that was in the original story. Still the story depicted here is great. It was a little annoying for me at parts because I had already read the book and things are very different. But if you haven't read the book then it is really great. The actors did a really nice job. The personalities of the character were shown amazingly. ML's acting is too good, not to mention that he is extremely handsome ????. FL's acting is great too. But I still can't understand how does all the American in this show understand Chinese. That is a bigger mystery than the flower cannibal's identity????.

Leia Mais

I started watching this drama in between two 50+ episode Chinese historical period dramas and finished it in just a few days. Love Me If You Dare has been on my watch list for a while ever since it showed up on my recommendations after watching the drama Hello Monster. When I first started watching this drama, it gave me Sherlock vibes. The two main characters go around solving cases that initially seem to not connect. However, later on it is revealed that in fact all the cases that they have been solving have that common red thread that ultimately lead to the villain (just like Sherlock). Speaking of the villain, there is always a question as to WHO the villain really is. This question is consistent between all episodes and stays there until the very last one. If you like suspense dramas that focus on all the right elements and not things like love triangles and misunderstandings between the lead couple, THIS is the drama for you. I will not lie and say that there weren't parts where I was kind of bored and skipped a little to get back to the meat of the plot. However, these skips were few and far between. Personally, I do wish that there were a few more romantic scenes between Simon and Jenny as they had such great chemistry. However, the few scenes that they did have were really cute and romantic. The music was alright. It did its job and didn't distract the viewers from the story which was good. I will say that after watching this drama, I'm going to need to watch a comedy or something light and fluffy to recover. Overall, the drama didn't drag along too much and the episode length was a good one.

Leia Mais

Typical “criminal minds” series with a remarkable Wallace Huo

PLOT: the ML, a brilliant but tortured profiler, meets the FL who will become his assistant. Together they will solve cases and fight against twisted and evil criminals (of whom the ML is the target).

PROS:
+ excellent actors (Wallace Huo, Wang Kai, Sandra Ma, etc.)
+Efficient and rapid execution
+ Permanent suspense
+Excellent OST (well suited to the scenes)

CONS:
- some rather violent scenes
- the part located in the USA is not always credible, in particular the way of proceeding and the weight of the FBI
- Villains a little too Machiavellian and sophisticated to be realistic criminals.

=> Excellent series, which keeps the viewer glued to the screen.
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Série type "esprits criminels" avec un Wallace Huo remarquable

PLOT: le ML, un profiler génial, mais torturé, rencontre la FL qui va devenir son assistante. Ensemble ils vont résoudre des cas et lutter contre des criminels tordus et diaboliques (dont le ML est la cible).

PROS:
+ excellents acteurs (Wallace Huo, Wang Kai, Sandra Ma, etc.)
+Réalisation efficace et rapide
+ Suspense permanent
+Excellents OST (well suited to the scenes)

CONS:
- quelques scènes assez violentes
- la partie située aux USA n'est pas toujours crédible, notamment la façon de procéder et le poids du FBI
- Villains un peu trop machiavéliques et sophistiqués pour être des criminels réalistes.

=> Excellente série, qui tient le spectateur collé à l'écran.

Leia Mais

This starts off really atmospheric as we meet the main characters. Then the story goes into a couple of cases and then things get really twisted as matters get complicated and personal.

I really enjoyed the ensemble parts of this with the three main leads. All of them play their roles well and are a lot of fun. The super complicated second half with the big serial killer was a bit too much for me when I really wanted them to get back to the characters and less on the story. I like Wallace and Sandra so I was hoping the end story would also include them more, but it’s really plot focused.

People who love crime thrillers will undoubtedly like the second half more than I did.

Leia Mais

Adrenalina e un protagonista magnifico

Una produzione adrenalinica, che conosce pochissimi punti morti e una solida trama, per quanto forse leggermente troppo allungata nel finale. A parte la solita logica che vuole sempre permettere ai cattivi di fare il loro discorsetto e ai buoni di spiegare quanto sono stati furbi a incastrarli (spesso permettendo a detti cattivi di scappare), uno dei pochi punti negativi di questo drama risiede negli ultimi 10 secondi, che vorrebbero – forse – gettare una nuova luce su tutta la vicenda. Dicono tutto e niente. Dato che non esiste una seconda serie, propendo per il niente.
Altra cosa fastidiosa è il fiorire gratuito di tante coppie negli ultimi 5 minuti, ma accettiamo la cosa in nome del lieto fine. Si tratta comunque di quisquilie.

La solida realtà è che questa produzione è sicuramente una tra le migliori che abbia mai visto. Il Big Boss finale non è che non possa essere mai sospettato, e in effetti l’idea viene, durante la visione, ma così come si sospetta di tantissime altre persone. Semplicemente, la storia è complessa e ben condotta a livello di sceneggiatura. Il commento musicale aggiunge pathos alle scene più pregnanti, è veramente ben fatto.

Ma, soprattutto, è la recitazione a rendere indimenticabile questa serie. Non solo Wallace Huo è molto piacevole da guardare, è un attore coi controfiocchi e i pappafichi. Sandra Ma ha recitato alla grande e Yin Zheng, per essere all’epoca praticamente un novellino, se l’é cavata benissimo. Anche gran parte dei comprimari e secondari ha recitato sopra la media, pur se qualche finto americano lasciava un po’ a desiderare. Alcuni possono aver trovato sconcertanti i dialoghi mezzi in inglese (non ottimo) e mezzi in cinese. Posso capire lo scombussolamento, ma essendo italiana per me sono tutti stranieri e, seguendo comunque i sottotitoli, la cosa non mi ha disturbata più di tanto.

Avendo seguito questa serie a botte di 10 episodi al giorno, mi sento ora in crisi d’astinenza. Le vicende si svolgono in maniera pressante, incalzante, senza lasciare allo spettatore il tempo di tirare il fiato, si arriva alla fine ansimando… L’unica cosa che veramente mi delude è il fatto che ci sia una stagione sola. Ho adorato il complesso di superiorità del bel Bo, che ne ha ben d’onde: un Q.I. di 180 non si trova ovunque. Pazienza. Dovrò cercare qualcosa di simile. Buona fortuna a me.

Leia Mais