Derailment (2023)

Es un drama entretenido y tiene un buen mensaje sobre perseverar en lo que respecta a tus sueños.

En lo personal pienso que me gustó, me entretuvo bastante, tuvo una trama interesante y me hizo sacar muchas teorías locas que al final no tuvieron nada que ver con el resultado final. Pero bueno, si he de ser sincera hubieron cosas que no me terminaron de convencer y eso fue el comportamiento violento de Qi Lian hacia Jiang Xiao Yuan en el principio, el como empezó a descubrir la verdad Qi Lia, no lo sé, me pareció algo forzado y bueno me decepcionó un poco que no se tratara realmente de viajes en el tiempo, pero después de eso, creo que es un buen drama y lo volvería a ver.

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Time-travel drama with a suspenseful plot, but too draggy and repetitive that I lost interest

Derailment is a romance, time-traveling drama involving killing people to shake the life gaming system.

The Synopsis: Do you believe that countless parallel universes exist that are exactly like the world you live in?

Jiang Xiao Yuan struggles with her identity as she travels across parallel universes that never seem to intersect. In her original world, she is an invincible, wealthy daughter. Still, she becomes an ordinary working girl with absolutely nothing in another place. Along the way, she meets the mysterious Qi Lian, and together, they search for the truth involving the mystery surrounding her. Stripped of wealth, family background, appearance, and education, Jiang Xiao Yuan sets herself on a journey to find pieces of her "real" identity.

I am giving this drama a 6.0 rating for the following reasons:
1. Lin Yi plays different roles. He played a nice but also ruthless character.
2. The FL acted well as a newcomer to the entertainment industry. This is her first drama, but she has acted in various movies since 2020. She is young and has good potential.
3. The story started interesting but spiraled into repetitiveness and confusion, with too many minor characters to drag the drama longer. I lost interest along the way between episodes 15 to the end.
4. I ended up skipping an FF with 1.5 to 2.0 speeds.
5. The acting is good, and it could have been better if it cut to 20 or 24 episodes.

I would not recommend this drama, but if you are interested in time-traveling with some suspension, You may want to check it out.

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IF THERE WAS ACTUAL TIME TRAVEL

i loved the drama up to eps 15-20. after that it got boring, for one the fact it wasn't time travel really turned me off because that was the main reason i started to watch this drama and sure the aspect of memory altering is nice and all but it's not as interesting as time travel but even if it there wasn't any ... at least it was interesting with what the producers did. the other thing is overall it got messy and overall boring with where the plot was going which was basically nowhere until the last few episodes which were ehh. i just wished they did time travel, ik i'd like it more.

the acting was very good though and the main leads were both gorgeous. the ml has my HEART (he's ughh ), and the outfits umm YESS. those aspects made me stay which is reasonable. i applaud the main actors and supporting actors in this drama because they all did a amazing job. i'm happy they were picked for this. this drama is a good one for anyone who is looking for something similar to time travel i would say, it's interesting and the romance is nice, so if you like both, this is it.

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Novel adaptation that is so great idk what to say

Usually I am not attracted to this kind of genre (time travel, scifi) because I do not want to be sucked into overcomplicated plot, but derailment managed to make it not only enjoyable, but also one heck of a ride.

Decisions of every characters were all humane and logical. Plot is progressing perfectly the first 20 episodes pocketed, not even a single thing being dragged. But the rest... I find them boring so I skipped most of it. As expected with this kind of genre, there are parts where the narrator was unreliable and there are a lot of red herring, but that's the beauty of scifi genre. We dont know who to trust.

The acting of the main leads are all very commendable as well. Lin Yi really embodies the perfect dark-outside-but-sweet-inside gentleman with his microexpressions and subtle gesture. I would say the screenwriter has certain moodboard and idea dedicated to his character here! Liu Haocun also steals the spotlight, it seems like she could turn on and off of her tearduct in a blink of an eye. She is a pretty crier, i want to comfort her when she cry.

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Time travel again, but wait, the intrigues and mysteries here would fix you seated at your screen

I thought it was an exaggeration when I read someone reviewed this drama saying, “Who cares about sleep when Derailment exists” and I agree. It was a solid of everything to my standards of a strong drama that I possibly could enjoy. The writer was cunning in a good way to manipulate the complexities without ruining the structure of the story. Each episode would keep you wondering and no trail of clues was present to even answer your question in mind. As a result, it was killing your curiosity, and wanted to watch more to the extent of sacrificing your sleep. Yup, I know that’s living a poor health lifestyle but come on, we do all come to terms with that sometimes. Anyway, that was how effective this drama was in affecting its viewers.

From the time I saw Lin Yi in “Put Your Head On My Shoulder” and here, I could see his acting has matured and it was recognized obviously with proofs of a couple of projects lined up for him. Liu Hao Cun, playing the FL, in the same way, emerged and matched up strong acting with him. I could tell their chemistry was not picture perfect but it did do magic to the persuasion of the story and to the characters they were playing who were always on the opposing ends.

This was an adaptation and I don’t have any knowledge about the original since I didn’t search further. Whether this drama was a complete version of that or revisions has been made, I really can’t make a validated comparison. One thing I’m sure about was I enjoyed the results of their efforts to take this drama to its limit of etching a lasting value, something that would linger in your memory when a similar subject about time travel comes into discussion which in this case it was a staged time travel as part of a brain science experiment.

I deducted a point from my initial rating of 10 because the last two episodes failed to sustain the power chain of this drama. Despite that, I still highly recommend it for you not to miss it.

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Good plot and acting

This drama has good plots and unique concept.

If you are looking for a good romance, its not your cup of tea but its nice to switch to new genre from time to time. The leads have good chemistry but fl's role was quite stubborn. The acting was on point and composed of good plot.

This series is good if you are invested in mystry. They have hate to love relationship.

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Distracting subplots and mediocre acting—I watched it for Jiang Bo and the mystery

'Derailment' tried to create an emotion-packed series, incorporating themes like romance, grief, self-discovery, slice of life, thriller and mystery. However, the subplots veered off in different directions and none of them built on each other, resulting in mostly an unsatisfying mess. Despite Wanyan Luo Rong's goose-bump raising performance as Huo Bo Yu, it was quite a disappointment in the thriller department. The aspect of the villain trying to get closer to FL and catch her was more of an annoyance than anything else. Not only was the romance not explored enough, but the slice of life seemed to drag out the mystery, which should have been quick-paced to keep the audience on the edge of their seats.

Subplots aside, the show's ending strategically and successfully tied up the ends of all the build-up of mystery in the series. Its mystery was amazing and its deliverance well accomplished. However, it felt as if the mystery was competing against the slice of life and both aspects took away from each other. It was a good idea to fuel the mystery with the FL's journey to self discovery and reconciliation with her old self, and the slice of life with who she is in the present day and the person she is working towards being. But despite the series’ effort to balance them out, they didn't fall together into an enjoyable watch. Instead, the many tropes make it confusing to know where to steer your attention towards. Viewers may not know from where to gather hints, what it seems the show expects for them to be doing with their ‘time-travel’ trope that would keep one guessing. Because of many elements such as the FL’s hairdressing experience and the focus on Jiang Bo and his possibility in being a second love interest, it's hard to guess the conclusion that everything will lead to.

The first episode was especially overwhelming because it dives into the heavy ‘sci-fi’ elements right away. Consequently, viewers don’t have the chance to connect with the characters. Before properly developing the story, the series hints at potential possibilities for the mystery’s solutions. It puts forward clues without even providing a base for what has to be solved. Since the truth isn’t yet revealed, the characters are hard to be trusted in the face of all these possibilities, especially considering how little is presented of them. A viewer may not be tempted to continue on with the next episodes because it’s hard to process what’s going on, and at this point into the series they wouldn't have connected with characters. The show would have benefited from showing the characters before and without the context of the Lighthouse mystery disrupting everything. This would allow viewers to get a bit familiarized with the setting and the characters amidst the dizzying elements of mystery.

Maybe then would character development also be more evident, if it were to be incorporated. Instead, the character growth is very minimally depicted and only subtly scattered throughout episodes. For example, when Jiang went from forcefully denying her true identity to accepting the truth. Then there’s the time where Jiang got a new year’s gift from her friends, showcasing her first true, worthwhile friendship with other girls. Or how even though she kept her stubbornness all along in the series, she later on used it to stop others from getting in her way, prompting her to reach greater heights in her career instead of letting it be an annoying personality trait.

‘Derailment’ doesn’t delve into romance but rather skims the genre with its few stereotypical romantic scenes. The ML has proven to be very protective towards the FL, as shown when an old friend splashed her with a cup and he went to block her. He showcased his caring side by offering the FL his jacket to cover her period stain. Despite these moments, the chemistry was obviously lacking, and it seems that they tried to make up for this by heavily leaning into visual appeal. The many zoom-ins on the ML’s hands or closeups to his face were unnecessary for the series. Also, although there’s no reason for the ML to wear professional attire 24/7, he wears a suit all along the series’ 30 episodes and always has perfectly styled hair. These techniques were used to improve his visuals and attract viewers looking for eye-candy, inevitably attracting fans of romance. The advertising is misleading, a lot of people who have watched the show wanted romance because of the scenes that were used to promote the series and it seems to have missed the target audience. Instead, fans of romance were left searching the series for heart-fluttering moments and got disappointed in the end with only a few bland scenes.

The series steers more towards the mystery of the plot rather than exploration of the characters themselves, stopping the romance from developing. Self-expression is necessary for romance, and including a relationship was not a good choice for characters who don't have depth. Additionally, the opening song is mysterious, with colors giving off futuristic vibes, in contrast to the soft and light ending song that showcases the leads’ special moments together. Though it’s fitting for the romantic clips that are played, it sounds like an anthem for defeat in the theme of thriller and mystery. Regardless of how much of an enthralling watch the mix of romance and mystery would have made, ‘Derailment’ failed in successfully balancing them. The series should have leaned into its main genre rather than attempting to blend in various storylines.

Furthermore, it doesn’t make sense that the ML and FL’s attraction towards each other is put on pause whenever mystery overtakes the plot. Their actions, motivations, and interactions are only for the sake of the plot. The main characters are empty and don’t have a mind of their own, which is why the incorporation of romance is off-putting. The FL’s personality is a prime example of the leads following the plot instead of it building on their actions. Jiang is confident and has pride in herself all along, all that changes in the second half is that she ends up having the right to be so because the plot gives her reason for it. Something that additionally backs this lack of character is the ML’s sidekick, who doesn’t seem to exist without him. He sticks around at all times and does whatever he’s asked. Even though he doesn’t have any other interactions with the ML other than in the context of mystery solving, viewers are told that the both of them are best friends and forced to believe it without any proof. He’s completely dropped towards the end.

Another thing that doesn’t make sense is that despite being the boss of a hair salon studio, the ML somehow has the most practical connections anywhere he steps foot. There are always random people who are willing to risk it all just to bring him the information he needs.Also, the ML appears by the FL’s side whenever the plot calls for random romantic moments. More than anything, they just seemed forced and seem out of place with their empty personas that are there for the sake of the complicated mystery storyline.

At some point, a group of guys appear at his house, foreshadowing the ML’s past experience in being a fighter, However, this was very subtle and needed to be reinforced to be properly understood. His situation with his parents can be confusing at first, but his little encounters with his Dad and the absence of his Mom become important parts of his development. His severed relationship with his parents is needed to understand his past. It also plays a crucial part in explaining his relationship with the FL as they slowly delve into their pasts together. The past is important because the series shows the consequences left by actions that were taken during a rough time in the leads’ lives. The events that take place in their current lives are led on by these impactful choices, which are only revealed towards the end. Despite its many incoherent ideas, the show succeeds in giving viewers the perfect amount of time to come up with theories for their future based on hints from the past. The only advantage to the many new conflicts that happen over the main ones is that they allow you to stay captivated in the moment.

The show’s continuous focus on the after-effects of big decisions is strange considering all the characters’ trains of thoughts that lead to nowhere. As a hairdresser salon’s boss, the ML pulls some strings for the FL and makes things work in her favor. They make you think things will change by breaking this consistency when he makes her fail the test she takes to get promoted, only to then request the opening of a new makeup branch under the company for the sake of her promotion instead. In addition to this, they show a scene where Qui Lian seems to sympathize with Jiang for also having no parents, but then don’t show the aftermath of this train of thought.

The characters can only be learnt about through their actions and those around them. This exploration of the main leads isn’t enough just on its own and doesn’t give them much of a realistic image. There is still much that remains unknown on their subject. Not because there are still things to learn, but because there’s nothing else to them than the way they are seen through others’ eyes.

From gathering hints from those he grew up with, the ML can be made out as a selfless individual who prioritizes others instead of his own self. We know this from the time his friend group from back in highschool shared their gratefulness towards him. They admitted that he helped them in starting their successful careers. The years he’s spent hooked on Xu’s case even though police were telling him there was no one by such name also show his determination and care towards his loved ones. However, a few of his moments with the FL highlighted an inconsistency within his character. He would use her for his own benefit and would become toxic whenever she disobeyed him. Then again, it is evident throughout the series that all he cares about is answers and resolutions. The ML is always on the search for new information and obsesses with any question mark that reveals itself. when Jiang appears, he starts taking care of her, even with her refute. These actions of his are led on by his curiosity as to why she claims not to remember him despite their time spent together in high school.

It’s clear that he knows himself only through those around him. Without the reassurance of others, it seems that he’s unsure of his own knowledge. This is obvious in how he’s always asking the police for answers even though he already has them. His obsession with satisfying his curiosity reflects the relationships he chooses to keep with other people since he benefits from them for the sake of solving the mystery. It’s almost as if the ML can’t exist on his own without his friends, and his personality is broken into pieces between them. Without those around him to carry his personality, he lacks one. His protective nature is seen through the FL, his determination through Xu Jin Yang, dedication through the policemen, and his hardworking personality through Chen Fang Zhou. It brought tears to my eyes to see how much he was losing his sense of self as those he cared about the most were slipping from his fingers. This emotional impact his grief had on viewers is the only advantage to how deeply he is affected by those around him.

Unlike the ML, the FL leaves an imprint on her environment. Her motivation to prove herself worthy of her place shows itself through the massages offered at the hairsalon and the competition between employees that arises from it. The theater is set free from someone holding them back thanks to her outspoken trait, and her dedication to get what’s best for everyone can be made out of her bickering with Jiang Bo. Also, her helpfulness was shown through how she helped fellow makeup artists pass their tests. So though it may have dragged out, the atmosphere of hairdressing was crucial for viewers to get to know her better.

Huang Sheng Chi, who played Jiang Bo, delivered an exceptional performance with his acting skills, and his role of which became of much importance later on, carried the show to its ending. His talent really stood out in comparison to the other characters, making it seem unbalanced. Next to him, Lin Yi who took on the role of the ML and Liu Hao Cun who played the FL were underwhelming in terms of acting. Liu Hao Cun’s facial expressions and tone of voice were over-exaggerated, making it hard for me to sink into the show without feeling like it's scripted. As for Lin Yi, he barely expressed any emotion on his face and seemed to lack many crucial characteristics in making a character appealing to viewers. He seemed like a filler character, which is not convenient because he should be the most interesting one and capture the viewers' attention because of all of his screen time. Even though Jiang Bo’s character was barely explored in comparison to how much of the main leads’ lives were shown and all the time spent on them, he simply gave off the vibe of his character, even when he wasn’t talking or taking action. This showed true embodiment of character and showcased his amazing skill in acting, which made me feel more things than the leads themselves.

Personal enjoyment aside, the show is definitely below average for its genre but my awe for Huang Sheng Chi’s exceptional embodiment of Jiang Bo and the Lighthouse system’s unique mystery is so strong that it overshadows all else, securing it a good 6.5/10.

With their choice of promotion and poor execution of many subplots, the question up for debate is, did everything happen for the sole appeal of the show towards the audience, or was there really something to be learnt from the show, or to admire the characters for? If you were to watch an actually good series, there'd be no need for this question to be asked.

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A few small issues, but overall a fun drama

Overall I really enjoyed this drama. I pretty much immediately got hooked on it and finished it in a few days because I was so invested, although not without a few slight issues.

One of my biggest issues with this drama was I felt like the ML was incredibly underdeveloped. I like Lin Yi as an actor and enjoyed his performance in this, but I spent the entire drama feeling like I knew nothing about his character. The FL was incredibly vibrant and I feel like we got to see a lot of her personality shine, as well as find out a lot of her backstory, but this was lacking a lot for me with the ML. I still became invested in his character and their relationship in general, but I wish he had been fleshed out a bit more.

I also think this drama spent far too much time, especially at the beginning, fleshing out the whole make-up/hairdressing story. While I appreciated getting to see the FL figure out what she was passionate about and make friends, the vast majority of this plot was just simply unnecessary to the drama as a whole. They could have lost a good 5 episodes if they had cut this down, and it would have been a much more concise and clear story.

My only other slight issue with this drama is that I wish they had gone in a bit harder with the romance aspect. The leads genuinely had good chemistry and I feel like they could have done a lot more with that, but it was kind of wasted potential. I was super invested in their relationship regardless, but I would have liked that element to be a lot more intense and I think it would have made the drama better overall - especially considering it's allegedly a romance drama.

All that said, I still really enjoyed this drama a lot. I enjoyed the performances of both of the lead actors - Liu Haocun especially blew me away as I had never seen her in anything before and she really really sold her character and all her emotions to me. I personally do not understand the criticisms of Lin Yi being a bad actor or having no expression - while I do agree that his face is on the more stoic side, he still sold to me everything that his character was thinking and feeling and across all of the dramas I've seen him in so far, I've never been left feeling like he did a poor job.

I also really enjoyed the OST for this drama and have had a couple of the songs stuck in my head non-stop since watching it.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this drama - especially if you enjoy Sci-Fi or mystery type shows. I'm personally not a massive Sci-Fi fan, but it wasn't too overwhelming for me and I enjoyed the mystery element to it and the fact that it kept me on my toes the entire time. While the romance was somewhat lacking, I would still recommend if that is the reason you're interested in watching this as the chemistry between the lead actors was good and I was very invested in their relationship the whole time.

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Science fiction story about time travel

There was a lot going on in this drama, and I don't even know how to start writing a review about it! This series has many very good point, but there are a few things that bothered me. I don't think this drama deserves a 7.9, I think it should be higher. The plot is really unique and kind of disturbing (in a good way). There is a lot of pain and confusion, but Jian Xiao Yuan always tried to persevere. The suspence in this series was really overwhelming for me, thus I binged watched all the episodes, otherwise I could not concetrate on other things without wondering what would happen next. However, although there is romance I found the suspence and the main plot line to overshadow the romance, therefore, even though I began the series for the romance, in the end it turned more into finding out the truth behind the female lead's time travel mystery.

What I liked:
I thought this would be more of an innocent sci-fi + romance series, but it was not like that at all. It was pretty disturbing and shocking, and one could really sympathise for the female lead's painful confusion about her existence. The actress Liu Hao Cun was impressive, like it overshadowed Lin Yi's acting! He wasn't bad though, she was just very good at showing her feelings.
Jian Xiao Yuan is a strong character, she is confident, optimistic and resilient. But she also suffers a lot, mixed with the acting, I felt so sorry for her. Qi Lian was always supportive of her, and helped her.

What I disliked:
The series was extremely engaging until about ep 20. Afterwards it started to become draggy, and kind of annoying.. I enjoyed the makeup/hairstylist plot line in the beginning, it added a bit of lightness to the intensity of the story, but in the last 10 episodes it just became more of a way to make the series longer, instead of just finishing it. The ending felt very underwhelming, like the drama started off with soo many good and interesting plot twists, but the ending was just okay. Nothing special. To be honest I skipped some scenes in the last four episodes because of that.

Overall I recommend this drama. But I think I have to warn you before watching, that if you're not in the mood for something intense then maybe don't watch it.

!!Light Spoilers!!
The friendship between the male lead and female lead started off fine, but later on, still early in the story (like ep 6 or 7 I think), there will be a very emotional and traumatising situation between the leads. He will become a bit aggressive and it was hard to watch. It was hard to get over that later, as he never really apologised to her, in my opinion. I like that the series doesn't romanticise the situation of the two main characters but that episode really felt too much.

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The FL will be known by everyone soon!

Derailment has a very compelling premise and a pretty good twist so I was entertain and engaged throughout the whole series despite some lows for the show as a whole.
1) The actress playing the FL is INCREDIBLE. She will be well known soon and I will watch everything she is in moving forward. She is incredibly talented and a big part of why I stayed engaged with the story the whole time. I recommend watching just for her performance.
2) Speaking of acting I don't know if the actor playing the ML was the best choice. I've seen him in other romances and never had a problem with his performance but I don't think he pulled off the smooth and collected guy-in-charge part of the role. In the moments of warmth, kindness, and caring with our FL he did great and I think his previous experience translated to that part of the role.
3) The main sci-fi and mystery element got a little overshadowed by the FL's day to day in the later part of the show which I think displeased viewers who were mainly there for that. I however, like seeing these parts of the FL's character because it was the first time we get to see her happy with her life. However, it did feel like they rushed back to the main storyline for the last episode.
4) Romance is a part of the story but it's not a major component and there's not much lovey doveyness to the romance so if you want to watch it for the feels I'd pass.
Overall, I liked the show the whole time I watched it; I was never bored and don't regret watching it. Although, I doubt I'd watch it again. So if it seems interesting to you, I'd recommend trying it. It's definitely not a hard pass but it's not something I want everyone I know to watch.

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