Hey all!
I don't usually watch Chinese dramas, but this one seemed a little shorter so I gave it a try when it was new and trending: When a Snail Falls in Love!
The romance wasn't all that, sadly! I know that these are the actors in Ode to Joy and have chemistry, which is evident in this show. They seem subtly attracted to each other in a few cute scenes as the show progresses. But the romance isn't the focal point of the show (even though in my opinion it is advertised to be. I mean, A snail falls in love). The characters are all police officers.
We get to the action pretty soon when someone I thought would be an important character romance-wise gets brutally murdered.
But my problem was that even the whole murder action plot-line was relatively predictable and not as exciting. The action scenes were alright, but the overall story was not as exciting.
I will say, the story has a lot of twists and turns, and follows one large narrative of the murder plot and all the dirty business that a corporation is trying to cover up in its wake. One thing leads to another, which leads to another, and perhaps that audience is left hoping the whole thing will end.
And at the end it's hinted they want a sequel... On the bright side, watch it while you're bored and doing something else, it's decent if you watch it occasionally as it plays in the background. Harsh? Maybe... :')
I commend the show for having rather strong female leads. The main character is a tiny cute sociopath who enjoys drawing, played by Wang Ziwen (who really is so small oh my gosh). She is the department's psychological investigator (think Holmes, but not as well played-out).
She acts well! It's a convincing role as XuXu. She's constantly protected by Ji Bai, though, who is this super macho tough "show no emotion" type of bad boy hero with a conscience, the head of that police squad(?). He's a charming guy played by Wang Kai, and I enjoyed looking at his jawline. However, beyond that slope, his character development was left off at high kicks, judo flips, and being the tough guy.
There are times of the show when the main character and plot really does impress you. Xuxu is the only one who undergoes any character development, from her reserved shell to doing some pretty daring things that end up saving the day. She doesn't whine or cry a lot despite her "cute" archetype, which is a blessing.
While the female characters are all strong and hold their own, the friendship between them really isn't developed well... I guess this brings me to a vice of this drama. Other than the female lead I didn't see much character development from anyone. The side relationship was a little forced too, even though it was cute as a crush in the beginning of the show.
The show really advertises the cute drawings aspect of the show (omg it's like a comic book story of a snail falling in love with a lion!) - that's not the case. The romance can get a bit dry and sudden at the end because they don't really build up to a true romantic relationship. It's more of a mentor-mentee relationship, and that wouldn't have been such a bad thing either, but not what was promised, and not what it becomes.
It's an interesting story, though! All in all, it's a relatively short drama (21 episodes, 30~ minutes each), so it's not a huge waste of time or anything. Can be a been-there-done-that drama. I've never watched Ode to Joy but it seems well-received, so I'd probably rather watch that.
The action in this show really gets down in the second half, and I almost wish the whole thing was a nicely made movie. Would've been cute! The character relationships could have been better developed, the lead would have still had her spotlight, and the main pairing might have built more momentum and not been so sudden (or one-sided... we had no clue the guy liked her back for a long time there).
To summarize, it's not what it advertises, so you might be disappointed if you're expecting one thing but getting another. But yea! I'd give it a 2.5/5 rating, so watch it if you really just have that much time to spare :')
Tell me what you thought about it - whether you agree or disagree! All opinions welcome.
Luv and Hugs,
Ritz
