My roommate is a detective/民国奇探 review

Summary
The story follows Lu Yao who at the beginning of the story was a broker. He got implicated in a case and was forced to help Qiao Chusheng, the captain of the police to solve the case. He also came in contact with Bai Youning, a journalist. After, they solved the case, Bai Youning wrote badly about him in the press, causing him to be fired from the bank where he worked. Because he needed to pay rent, he accepted Qiao Chusheng’s offer to be the consultant on the cases. Bai Youning also moved in with him, becoming his roommate. He was forced to accept that because he couldn’t afford the place himself with his meager salary. So, the three of them would work on many cases and bromance and romance formed. All the cases where linked to the main plot of taking Mr. Bai, the biggest mafia boss down.

Review
This is the fastest paced detective serie that I have ever watched. There were so many cases in it that I lost track. Most cases were solved in one or two episodes. This could be a good thing and a bad thing. A good thing because the cases wouldn’t be draggy. However, because of the fast-pacing, I barely got immersed into a case when another was already presented. Besides, some of the cases were so “complicated/illogical” that I didn’t understand how it happened. Some crimes were so not well-thought off because of the fast pacing. I think the producers preferred quantity over quality. So, I dropped the serie after nine episodes. Then, boredom got the better of me, I picked it up after a few weeks. I finished the serie and got somewhat used to the pacing of the cases.

Hu Yitian as Lu Yao
Lu Yao is a wimpy person. This causes for a lot of comedic moments. He is also so cheap even when he came from a rich family. He had a fallout with his father and ran away from home. He likes the better things of life which most of the time caused him to be short of money. He was described as a genius. However, I find his character very unrealistic. He is good at being a broker, a detective, a pathologist, a forensic, what else can he not do? It was just too much. Compared to him, the rest of the cast seemed like fools which made his character unlikable. This is the first time that I have watched Hu Yitian’s acting. It was okay. Not mind-blowing and not bad.

Leon Chang as Qiao Chusheng
He is the more mature one of the group. Before he became a police officer, he was a thug under Bai Youning’s father, the head of the mafia. Mr. Bai wanted to “white wash”, so he made Qiao Chusheng a police officer. He has a great sense of responsibility and tried to keep the two others out of trouble. What irritated me was that in order to make Lu Yao a genius, they made this character so dumb. He always arrests the wrong people and wants to close cases without further investigation. I wonder how he survived in the mafia with that brain of his. However, he is very loyal to his friends and will do anything to protect them. This is also the first time that I saw Leon Chang’s acting. It was also okay, nothing out of the ordinary.

Shane Ye as Bai Youning
She is the bully of the group. She likes to bully Lu Yao very much and takes advantage of him. She is a hateful character because of her willfulness, arrogance and spoiled personality. It was said that everyone spoiled her for being the daughter of the biggest mafia boss in Shanghai. She is used to getting her way and when she doesn’t get it, she throws a temper. Her willfulness also causes for a lot of trouble. Usually, the two male characters has to go save her. Very unlikeable character. Shane Ye acting is also okay.

Vera Lu as Meng Xiaoyun
She is the landlord of the place that Lu Yao and Bai Youning rent. The comedy of the show. She likes to tease Lu Yao. This is the only character of the show that I liked. Vera Lu looks so much like Fan Bing Bing and I find her very beautiful. I would prefer her over Bai Youning if I was Lu Yao.

The cases and bromance of the serie was a big let down. The romance was also not well-developed. I don’t even know how they have fallen in love. They bickered all the way in the serie and connected on the emotional level as both lacked the attention from their parents. Usually, when it involves bickering couple, it is cute to watch and I usually wishes for them to end up together. That is totally not the case here. One way or another, it felt wrong and annoying. I think that because gay romance is not permitted in China, they just inserted romance in the serie.
There was just too many cases to get immersed in one. After a while, I got tired of case after case. More so when the cases are dumb and not well-thought. None were memorable.
The situation with Lu Yao’s family was also bizarre. Lu Yao’s family are royals and part of the fallen Qing dynasty. They look down on the mafia and wished for a better wife for Lu Yao. But out of nowhere, Lu Yao’s big sister accepted Youning. I didn’t understand that all. It was said that his family has immense army power. Didn’t see much of that either. Overall, I felt that this serie lacked substance and likable characters. A rating of 2.5/5