TV rec: Black & White (2009 Taiwanese drama)
TV show: Black & White, 2009 (AKA Ruffian Hero AKA Pi Zi Ying Xiong)
Genre: Police | Action | Romance | + a smidge of comedy and oodles of hoyay
DramaWiki plot synopsis: Pi Zi and Ying Xiong are two cops who are as different as day and night. One does nothing except for drinking coffee and living a luxurious lifestyle while waiting for information from dubious sources to crack his cases. Another believes law and justice are the pillars of society and is constantly on the street catching criminals… a little overzealously for his superior’s liking. When a case brought these two top crime solvers together, sparks flied and a little light peeked into this dark city where the nation's President is on friendly terms with the local triad and twins kill people while drinking milkshake. -- Source
Why's this worth watching? On the purely shallow visual level, we are talking about epic levels of pretty. Not just the lead actors, but the cinematogrpahy, production values, etc. It's also good entertainment, a smooth mix of action, humor, angst & romance. The plot seems simple at first but is full of twists (and I'm not talking the lame, WTF sort of twists we got in Heroes). Likewise, the characters of the two male leads seem stereotypical - black & white - but gradually reveal hidden depths. Perhaps the ruffian is really the hero, and the hero is really the ruffian? Or perhaps there is little of each in both of them. The lines between good and bad, reality and hallucination get blurred. Relationships change, loyalties are tested... And, if you can tear your eyes from the slash-o-rama of the Happy Duo, you can enjoy a few strong female characters, a disturbingly/ridiculously over-the-top villain and some gorgeous cars.
Quotes from other reviews:
"Feel like a clever cop show? Then this is for you... I have just started a Taiwanese drama Black and White, about two rather different cops who end up paired up to investigate a drug-distribution deal which turns into a giant conspiracy. [...] I highly recommend it, even if you are not normally into dramas - slick production values, twisty plot, strong women, the mob, two awesome cops etc etc - I can see this as a British series. All that, and endless possibilities for slash." -- dangermousie
"So far the series has lived up to its generally positive hype. The production has a coordinated overall look, with colours drawn from film noir with perhaps a dash of the futuristic borrowed from post-apocalyptic sci-fi films or computer games. [...] The series has just enough realistic elements[...] to provide some genuine suspense and drama[...].
The secret of success of the series so far, however, centres on Zai Zai’s performance. His Zai Tian is a creature of rapidly shifting moods and attitudes, sometimes languid, sometimes focussed; laconically intense then garrulous; irritating but sometimes thoughtful; flirtatious then chivalrous. Shortly after a police forensic scientist accidentally discovers he has tested positive for the new hallucinogen, Dreamer, Zai Tian conducts a late night, deeply felt, one sided conversation with his fax machine. Zai Zai’s acting is nuanced enough to suggest that it might not be the effects of Dreamer at work here: perhaps Zai Tian is burnt out or just personally warped enough to be like this anyway. Viewers may begin to believe that the earnest and hardworking Wu Ying Xiong may indeed have a loose cannon on his hands." -- neveridol
By the way, both the above reviews have more interesting insights + picspam, so check them out by clicking on the links (no real spoilers)!
Caveats: It's not in English. The series is in mid-run, so there's always some chance that it won't maintain the same level of awesomeness. Or that one or more of my bbs will die in the end. Umm... the very first scene is meh-ish? I'm struggling here. Oh, sometimes Vic Zhou overdoes his comic acting schtick. But otherwise, it's almost perfect entertainment.
Slashability: Slashiest thing I've laid eyes on since Merlin (see above). They've even got their own version of the Slash Dragon, in the shape of some old dude who works at the police station.
Picspam & more info*:
Wu "Ying Xiong" (= "hero")
I'm going to start with my bb Ying Xiong, though I heart Zai Tien and Chen Lin almost as much. He's the "good" cop: methodical, dedicated, brave, reliable, has excellent fighting skills. He's got morals and he cares. He cares about solving his cases, ridding the city of crime, protecting his people. I know, that sounds a bit boring. But: a) he's intense; and b) you get the feeling underneath this perfect exterior, there are some things that aren't so perfect. He has quite a temper and can be obnoxious when he wants to (poor Zai Tien can attest to that). I'm just waiting for it all to explode. It will be glorious.
Mmm pretty.
Ying Xiong receiving some bad news. That's been happening a lot since he met Zai Tien.
*pets*
Aww he's so hardworking. And lost in his dark!disturbed!thoughts. LOL.
Chen Zai Tien, AKA "Pi Zi" (= "ruffian" or "punk")
I'm very curious to know why Zai Tien became a police officer. He likes wearing improbable outfits (for a policeman), flirting with everyone and everything, pouting, making funny faces and generally making a nuisance of himself. He clearly doesn't like working: he was the top crime solver in his unit, but he did it all by getting faxes from an anonymous informant. On the other hand, he can be pretty sharp once he applies himself. And he wants to prove himself to Ying Xiong and the others. Then there is everything else - his mysterious past, shady motivations and unclear future.
Mmm more pretty!
I just love this expression.
And this one...
And this one :)
Universally Unbeatable Amazing Super Detective Team AKA Happy Duo**
The first time these guys met, Zai Tien pulled a gun on Ying Xiong, interrupting an undercover operation and costing him $500,000 and the chance to bust an elusive drug lord. It went downhill from there. To top it all off, Ying Xiong was forced to become Zai Tien's partner in solving the very same case. When all he wants to do is squeeze his head like an orange. Or beat him senseless. Or kiss him Or something. He settles for glaring at him, insulting him, manhandling him, smacking him, and pulling his pigtails threatening him. He doesn't trust that Pi Zi one bit. But as they work together, he learns that Zai Tien can be useful when he wants to. Albeit very, very annoying.
=> Team Awesome!
Check out those interrogation techniques.
No wonder they keep getting reamed by their boss.
Nope, not happy boys.
A typical Ying Xiong/Zai Tien interaction.
Fortunately, they grow closer over time.
Much, much closer***!
Seriously though...
Chen Lin
Chen Lin kicks ass. Literally. First time she met Zai Tien & Ying Xiong, she flipped one over the hood of her car and almost overcame the other as well (guess who). She's only daughter of the head of the San Hui Lian crime family. She looks tough and careless, but she's got a soft side and a strange sense of humor.
Chen Lin responds to the Happy Duo's pathetic attempts at interrogating her.
Nice decor? (It's getting late, my IQ is dropping)
Ying Xiong pays Chen Lin a visit. In case you were wondering, they're my alternate OTP for this show. (That is, Other True Pairing.)
Lan Xi Ying
In many ways, Xi Ying is the opposite of Chen Lin. She's quiet and shy, focusing on her work. But you get the feeling that this character has hidden depths as well.
I have a weakness for female scientists.
Even too skinny ones.
Xi Ying's probably the closest person to Ying Xiong at work.
ZOMG, It's a Merlin-esque love quadrangle!
* I'm just doing these four because I'm too lazy to do all the characters + I don't want to spoil. As the series progresses, more plot twists and characters come to light and things get quite complicated....
** Yep, that's their official name. Their boss has a twisted sense of humor & what may be quite an impressive sadistic streak (after all, he did abuse Ying Xiong by sticking him with Zai Tien. Or is it the other way 'round?).
*** This isn't a manip, and neither are the pics in the banner. They don't actually kiss, but what happens is even better. It's a scene that's at the same time tense, hot and hilarious. And so them!
How to get your paws on this: You have two options to watch this series if you don't understand, um, Mandarin (I think it is. Or Cantonese. I dunno).
1) DL the RMVB video files + soft subs (SRT), which you can do here (on MegaUpload and SendSpace), courtesy of SUBlimes. They've got the first 10 eps out already. The downside is that they don't translate lyrics, previews, making-of specials, etc., and the translation sometimes quick & rough.
2) DL the AVI video files that come with hard subs, which you can do here (on MegaUpload), courtesy of intangiblefs. The plus side is that it's an AVI (more standard than RMVB) and that they do great subs, subbing *everything* + adding comments sometimes when necessary. On the other hand, the vid quality is somewhat lower and they put it inside this larger frame, meh. They're slower to release episodes, so far releasing only episodes 1-3.
TBH I'm obsessed enough to watch both versions :)
PS - Hello my darlings. Long time no post. *hugs*