Under the Skin (2022)

Surprisingly bland.

I wanted to love it, but there was truly not that much to love about it. I feel awful saying that. The fact is, the drama barely made me feel anything.

The bromance was fine, the cases were fine, the stakes were fine. But I felt like the whole show lacked... emotions. With the rather diverse variety of the cases, victims and perpetrators, it seemed like the majority of them reacted the same subdued way. Even for situations that would validate a proper rage, despair, fear - there was barely anything. I felt like the whole show lacked... emotions.

As I said though, we do get quite a variety of different cases that focus on different social struggles and dilemmas - social and workplace discrimination of women who struggle to secure their place despite presenting outstanding skills, loneliness of the youth, desperation that comes from love, social stigma towards victims of sexual abuse and how it can lead to not seeking justice, cyber crime against seniors that uses their lack of technological literacy and love for their families against them and many more.

What’s more to love? The acting was amazing, I give it to them. Tan Jian Ci might be one of the most diverse young actors in China right now. The way he can deliver a baby girl energy here, and edge lord energy in Lost You Forever alone should be the proof. He truly becomes the character he is playing - nothing about his performance seems fake.

While he truly became the star of the show, I do want to give props to the casting director. Crime procedural shows have a lot of guest roles for all the witnesses, victims and perpetrators - it’s not easy to have good actors play every role. Under the Skin managed to achieve that.

I think my biggest issue was how unrealistically good Shen Yi was at his job. I understand that professional forensic artists can do this, but he was not one when he took the job for the first time. The level of skill he showcased fitted more the “about to retire, working criminal cases for past 50 years” scenario. If they made him make some mistakes, maybe I could accept that, but they truly made his skill borderline supernatural.

So it did not matter how much I loved his character, when I could not stop laughing every time he started to sketch. I don't even want to talk about the prosopagnosia case, because that was a bit of a clownery. While it’s clear the production team researched a lot about forensic art and art overall, I cannot say the same about various other topics that were presented.

What’s more? Bromance was not truly bromancing for me. There were a few scenes here and there, but overall, I don’t think Tan Jian Ci and Jin Shi Jia have that much chemistry on screen, or maybe it was the issue of directing their scenes? I guess we will see in the second season.

Overall, something did not click right with me when I was watching. I was enjoying it, but I was not obsessed, even though on paper it seems like a drama I should want to binge watch in one sitting, forgetting to eat, sleep and pee…

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the movie

I really appreciate the author of this series, the story was smooth and easy to understand, it gave a little learning about how the police work and the psychological world, I'm very impressed.






















I really appreciate the author of this series, the story was smooth and easy to understand, it gave a little learning about how the police work and the psychological world, I'm very impressed.



























I really appreciate the author of this series, the story was smooth and easy to understand, it gave a little learning about how the police work and the psychological world, I'm very impressed.

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Multifaceted Mind of a Sketch Artist

Had watched "Are You Safe?" with TJC and was very impressed with his acting so wanted to see more of him and this was recommended by some trusted sources. He didn't disappoint and this 20 episode drama really was a breath of fresh air in terms of sticking to a flowing storyline. Seeing his character use his strengths in the face of some pretty hard blows, was awesome. We really see inside the multifaceted mind of a sketch artist.

Pros: Favorite character was, of course, the lead SY played by TJC. Even in his hardest moments of dealing with a repressed memory and PTSD, he was this calming force. His iron willpower and acknowledgment that he was able to do amazing things was one of the many things that helped his character be as plausible as he was. I'm very much hoping there will be a season 2 given the open-ending with the same cast especially him.

The storyline never dragged, each character was there for as long as they needed to be. SY's partner or DC at the bureau definitely started off being a cynical grouch for all the right reasons but it was great that he thawed fairly quickly and their friendship was built on trust, respect, and even their rough history. All those hardships helped build them to be what they became by the midpoint.

Loved how interwoven the main plot was with the sub plots that were very well and handled properly; the antagonists were also placed very well and even the big bad behind the original murder that brought everyone together, was expertly placed and executed. All OST's, CGI, explanations behind how a sketch artist worked, and other procedural techniques were very understandable. It even had a few bits of comedy where SY would always fall asleep in the car as DC would be explaining a case to him or when he would bolt out of a room without telling anyone and people would just be left staring like "what just happened?" This was a great crime drama.

Cons: This drama was on its way to get a rare perfect score from me but it had just one problem I couldn't get beyond. SY was a sketch artist, a fantastic one at that, probably a prodigy in art and in his field but when they gave him a gun, strapped a vest on him, put him in the field, or had him interrogate suspects, get evidence for them, basically made him a Jack of all trades, it was very unrealistic. There's no way a sketch artist in any police department of any country would ever be a detective, interrogator, etc. Everything else was wonderful but that one portion just took a bump down; they should have just kept him in his element; even teaching makes sense but not that. Like when did he get training? He never went to a police academy.

Would I recommend it? 100%! That one negative doesn't negate an excellent story, characters that make sense, no forced anything. If you like good acting, great writing, and crime dramas, this show is definitely for you. Very glad I watched it.

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Brilliant. ❤❤❤❤❤Highly Recommended.

Love it.
Already craving for Season-2 .

I love everything about Under the Skin, especially the flow of plot in every mysteries while Shen Yi struggled to find that mysterious woman who took advantage of his art.
Love the way SY (TJC) never gives up.

Tan JianCi did a Wonderful job of portraying SY. Would love to see JianCi as SY solving mysteries again.❤❤❤

It has a satisfying cliffhanger ending.
I hope they makes S-2.

The painting slashing in SY apartment by that mysterious person, gives goosebumps in a good way. It Gives excitement for more.

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Unique talent/focus of the artist is the biggest draw of the show.

Completed - 5/26/2022

I am not sure how accurate the portrayal of police sketch artists is in this drama and if they are really that smart and fascinating in real life. However, the biggest selling point of this drama is Shen Yi. I am in awe of his techniques, perceptiveness, and intelligence in solving crimes using his art. Can you really sketch someone's face by deducing what's behind a mask from an unclear CCTV footage? Or from skull and bone structures? Or from the restructuring of facial muscles and tendons? It's really fascinating to watch all of Shen Yi's scenes and to learn from him and what's going on inside that brain of his.

The length of each case is just right. Oftentimes, cases are either too long and you get bored, or they are too short and start back-to-back that I feel like I couldn't catch a breath. Some of the cases in the first 1/3 of the show are more exciting to me than others. I was hoping these cases will slowly provide clues of the main overarching storyline of the murder case 7 years ago. However, aside from that one case and the last arc, the drama seems to have completely forgotten about this general plot. Even though I enjoy most of the cases, I was never on the edge of my seat. I am missing mini climaxes throughout the drama. Because of this, the drama lost my attention in the middle.

A personal pet peeve, I was very irritated when the psychologist disclosed patient confidential information. How unprofessional is that? She's giving out both diagnosis and treatment information without the patient's consent. On another note, why was the crime scene medical examiner be called to assist another station with a rape patient? Don't they have hospital doctors to do that?

We also have a slow burn friendship/bromance going on. I was actually expecting better chemistry, as I saw so many feeds post about the male leads when this drama was airing. The development of the friendship happens towards the last 1/3 of the drama. Other than that, the leads are just like regular co-workers working side by side. I am not feeling the connection of the characters and am missing the human side of their stories. I don't dislike anyone, yet I don't particularly like anyone either.

The beautiful drawings/paintings, and the uniqueness of Shen Yi's talents are what kept me interested in the drama. Unfortunately, I don't share the same excitement of this drama as other watchers.

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very clever!

This is my first thriller/suspense type of drama, mainly checking on TJC works after watching LYF, and i have truly enjoyed it!

I never thought how much is done behind a crime in terms of sketching a criminal and, with the use of the fast developing AI in every industry, thsi drama has shown how dangerous it would be to solely rely on it as it could be easily manipulated by interested parties.

Every crime is keeping the viewer highly engaged as it is given 2-3 episodes to be solved.

We have a satisfying ending.. but.. there is a 'but'.. the last scene.. is opening new opportunities for a second season... which is in discussion as of today's date 🥰🥰🥰

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I honestly adore this series. I found it while looking for good dramas to better my failing Chinese LOL. But this entire series got me hooked from the first episode.

I love how they portrayed Shen Yi, a genius from the very beginning, but managed to make him an empathetic and warm character. Du Cheng is almost his antithesis, while Shen Yi is calm and often collected, Du Cheng is brash and it shows in his interrogation scenes.

My only problem with the show is that my small brain got confused during the middle and end. But that can honestly be looked over because it all gets explained later.

The actors all captured my heart, there were only one to two criminals that didn't allow me to feel empathy for. And the main team are all likable and have their own part of the story. Tan Jianci and Jin Shijia stole the show with their performance, Shen Yi and Du Cheng's relationship and trust in each other was an amazing thing to see.

All the subplots in the story give it an almost slice-of-life feel. I enjoyed pretty much every episode that I watched.

The music gave me chills every time, haha. I think that even with the limited music selection that they chose, they created the correct atmosphere for each situation and episode.

ANYWAYS 9.5/10 SHOW!! Hope there's a season 2! :D

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Wow this had no Romance!

The storyline was very well done. I'm impressed that this had two main male Chinese actors. I was also impressed that I finally got to see a Chinese drama without romance or competition of female leads for the male lead or vice versa. I love art, the producers were perfect with how their direction regarding sketches, drawings, and what made me very happy is that they showed face blindness having autism. Thank you for bringing attention to autism disorders. Tan Jian Ci who played Shen Yi was excellent with his acting displaying a sketch artist and oil paintings. Very handsome actor. Jin Shi Jia who played Du Cheng, for a minute I thought he was a real detective/police. JSJ was very believable. I thank all the actors/actresses in the characters that they played to make the storyline more believable. This is a rewatch for me!

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More than skin deep

Composite art, image modification (age progression), facial (post mortem) reconstruction - the 3 main disciplines of forensic art. These are the 3 main elements that’s used in identification, assessment and resolutions of the cases in Under the Skin through the gifted Artist Shen Yi and his reliable partner Detective Du Cheng.

And they are used masterfully in UTS.

Truth to be told, Under the Skin was a difficult series for me to sit through. Not because the story is crappy. On the contrary, it is often because of the disturbingly humane reasons of the perpetrators when revealed why they did what they do. UTS highlights the social issues that’s plaguing our current society - gender equality, view of beauty in society, bullying and feelings of outcasts, human trafficking, identity fraud, abuse, rape, organised criminal, and of course murders. All heavy topics. All too real. All grey. All more than skin deep. The cases may have concluded, however, the underlying social issues that spark the cases…not so.

Besides the heavy utilisation on forensic art in solving the cases, one of the things that stood out about UTS was Shen Yi’s character, as the gifted artist. Usually, gifted characters are stereotyped to be eccentric because they are gifted with a special ability that normal people can’t understand, pun intended. Like Sherlock Holmes. I appreciate that UTS made Shen Yi a gentle, calm, smart introvert who relates well with others. And often, he shows an empathy to the perpetrators in ways that others can’t. Through Shen Yi’s eyes, he helps bring out the humanity side of the cases.

One fun fact that was brought out by this show is the amazing ability that certain gifted people have. I thought UTS exaggerated the ability of Shen Yi in facial reconstruction with the little information he had to go by. (Age progression technique is popularised by app in recent years, so more “believable”.) And through others’ reviews and comments, I got educated on a real world person who has this ability - a retired Chinese police forensic artist Lin Yu Hui who can sketch image of a person based on few clues. He helped solved a high profile murder case in US back in 2017 and now establishes his own studio to draw portraits of missing people, usually children, and martyrs. Inspiring and admirable.

Another fun fact is the various arts and stories behind them where Shen Yi used to teach the university students. More than art, they symbolise the messages that Shen Yi / UTS wants to relay to the students / audiences. Such as the female artist who drew Judith and Holofernes and gifting the portrait of Marie Curie to one of the perpetrators.

All in all, the forensic art aspect of UTS is like garlic and onion in Chinese dishes. On its own, garlic and onion can be rather blend and not something we will have as the main dish. With other dishes though, they bring out the flavours and make for appetising meal.

Not sure why I use food analogy to describe a crime fiction story. Long analogy short, UTS is a story that peels into the complexity of social issues through forensic art.

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woahhh it's really good

story:
this is not a common storyline, and i'm pretty sure the director/screenwriters came up with this one and it's not based off of a book (i think). the cases were really interesting, and it was like a giant case going on during the whole entire drama, with smaller ones in each episode. also they left us off on a cliffhanger and i saw on 微博热搜 that they're filming season 2? sooo i'm excited!

acting/cast:
the acting was pretty good imo, crying scenes were great, just overall good actors. i didn't really recognize anyone in this drama before watching it, so i had no previous knowledge. however, 檀健次 had become really popular from this, and douyin's about him were all over my fyp, so i decided to watch this, nonetheless i was not disappointed!! his acting is really good, and he's also super talented? the other cast were also really good

music:
i think 檀健次 sang the ending song? not sure tho, i don't really pay attention to modern drama osts, i'm more of a historical ost person. but the songs were decent

rewatch value:
i don't really rewatch dramas, unless they're like 封神, so i wouldn't really take this rating into consideration.

overall:
good drama! stoked for season 2 :)

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Detective Story

Shen Yi was young and talented with potential to become a great artist as according to his art tutor. Additionally, he had the ability to read very accurately human behaviours.

One day, a woman approached him to draw what a child on a photo would look like as an adult. This unfortunately led to the death of a detective Lei Yi Fei who was undercover to investigate a human trafficking ring.

Driven by guilt, Shen Yi joined the police force to help investigate into this case and to help solve serious crimes with his skills. There he met Du Cheng who was a subordinate and close friend of Lei Yi Fei who was killed. Du Cheng hated Shen Yi because he was unable to recall the face of the woman who approached him. As a result, they were unable to solve the case for over 5 years. However, the duo was forced to work together.

As with a lot of detective stories, this drama held a lot of mysteries, surprises (or not so much of a surprise), and suspense to hold your attention. However, in some, it felt a bit shallow and a bit simplistic. Nevertheless, it is still entertaining.

Each crime story ended as the culprit was captured without any mention of what happened in court or the sentencing. I suspect this was to be very diplomatic and not to be drawn into any controversies.

I am typically generous with my ratings and my rating usually ends up higher than the average rating on mydramalist if I like the drama. I am a fan of Tan Jian Ci and I chose this drama because of him. An average rating of 8.7 is very high on mydramalist.com; this would place it among the top rated dramas. However, on my rating scale, it is worth 8.5 which to me is very good, but not among the top league of dramas I had watched.

Still, I say, it is worth watching if you like detective stories.

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