The Disappearing Child (2022)

Gave me the chills!

OVERALL
China has blessed us with good thrillers this year, and this drama is definitely one of them. Watch it if 1) you want loads of suspense (I would even say kind of creepy vibes), 2) you like when characters are all smart and figuring things out properly, 3) you're looking for a hint of romance. Think twice if 1) you want to see a well-developed love story, 2) you don't like ensemble dramas (dramas with several overlapping storylines), and 3) hearing about certain crimes make you uncomfortable.

THE STORY
The Disappearing Child in many ways was what I expected. A missing child, intrigue, police investigation. But in many ways, it really surprised me. I didn't expect the drama to focus on so many different characters (some episodes are barely about the missing child haha), but it does and it's cool because even though all these stories feel very disconnected at first, you eventually see how they are all linked. Something else that I did not expect was for the drama to have so many uncomfortable things happening, things you wouldn't expect to see in a drama. I think it's good, dramas can't always be all rainbows and unicorns. They need to delve into all the messed-up shit that happens in the real world. And yet another thing that surprised me was the hint of romance (warm and cute though surrounded by pretty dark stuff), I really wasn't expecting it.

Overall, the drama has an amazing opening sequence, a good pace, a great production, smart characters, and a satisfying ending (not rushed too, yay!). The mystery also isn't revealed (or easy to guess completely) until the end, which is awesome. The only problem I see with this drama is that the characters are not particularly endearing (they're not dislikable, they're just not likable) so you don't care too much about them. But it's okay, the suspense is enough to keep you going! I also think one character is a bit too stereotypical, but I'm a harsh viewer.

THE ACTING
Good stuff. Didn't know anybody except the mom (she was in Sword & the Brocade), but I liked everybody's acting.

THE MUSIC
Song-wise, I can't remember a thing, but the instrumental soundtrack was ON POINT.

REWATCH VALUE
Honestly, not super high. I might rewatch it, but I think it won't be high in my rewatch list. It's just a bit too heavy haha

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Another Underrated thriller mystery cdrama!!

I don't usually write reviews but since no one wrote anything about this drama I'm writing the review for this one .

If you like slow paced thrillers like The Bad Kids then this drama is just for you.
Initially it would look like a time and space travel story but then later you will realise that the mystery behind the disappearance is something else.

Story : Though it starts slow (since it's about someone's disappearance) but in the second half of story it picks up its pace. Everything starts to because clear and the mystery
unfolds.

Acting : All the actors did a good job in portraying there characters but the child actors did a commendable job.


There are only 12 episodes so please give it a try!

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A Bizarre and not so easy to watch Drama

Nice Intro.Music well chosen to fit the mood.Decent Direction & Cinematography.Good acting,actors delivered the heavy and dark vibes this Drama has.Technicalities is a strong point here but everything is basically focused on the story and the characters.
I can say this series is closer to the Japanese style and the way of JDramas presenting a story.

So the Story is building up mostly through the flashbacks.The characters are introduced to us through their past and we get to know them and understand the connection between them.

One day a child is missing.Gone within few minutes almost infront of his parents' eyes.And this is how the Drama starts.
The main story(missing kid)is tied and connected with the other 2 Main chars, their stories and their lives, although all seem irrelevant at the surface.
Something happened in the past and that was the fuse to ignite the unfortunate chain of events.Everything is vague which leading us to think multiple theories and scenarios about who is who and his/her part in this story.
All characters,victims or perpetrators,are not likeable.I didn't sympathize anyone because all were too shady in my eyes.For me that was an extra reason to like it more.

They are(...not)ordinary people.
You can(...not)trust your neighbor,friend,husband,kid.
There aren't(...???)monsters among us.

The Policewoman who is in charge of the case is very efficient at her job.She has a smart thinking,she pays attention to details and she follows all the clues. Totally opposite of the usual police portrayal.

The Disappearing Child has a very slow pace.Occasionally slower than slow!And yes,sometimes feels boring and you are tempted to drop it!I was close,too!Many repetitive scenes.Half of it has the same scenes,driving you crazy!Actually the scenes from previous episodes complete those from the current.Sometimes overlapping or adding few new details.As the Drama goes,though,those scenes are necessary for us to understand better the time-line.(Which in the first place seems way too messy) But somehow the mystery is piling up enough to keep you hooked despite the snail-pace.Lol.


This one is a weird Drama.The weird kind which confuses you and you don't know how to rate it,whether to recommend it or not and at the end you still don't know if you liked or hated it.During the first half i felt like a masochist,enduring such a slow drama not only in story telling but slow in filming too.(Not that it gets faster in the second half,Lmao). If you can restrain your urge to break your laptop/tv screen,then go for it!But as i mentioned, it has a twisted appeal and beauty,and you keep watching although you don't feel like wanna continue watching!It is depressing and sad.A slice of a hard life.Definitely,not for everyone.If you are in a bad mood,don't watch it.It won't cheer you up.Though,the last episode gives a ray of hope and light to warm the hearts.Was really sweet.

Aside the jokes,this is not a negative review.It is an interesting Drama,in its own way.If you decide to watch it,give it extra time and patience.It is a nice journey.

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if you like mysteries and thrillers -- watch this

this was really a good mystery and thriller drama.

firstly the story was so so solid.. the 3 disparate "cases" and how they tie in together into one giant thing was amazing. i was just hooked on this.. trying to figure out how they can merge these 3 cases together.. and man what a cascade it was..

the logic.. shown.. the investigation by both the police and the ppl in the cases was great.. they didnt make any one group smarter or dumber than the other.. that was refreshing..

how it kept shading or foreshadowing the biggest explaination to this whole thing and it turned out be a giant red herring.. was so much fun..

the cast did their roles well.. i was sucked in on each persons portrayal of their characters.. and the changes they went through.. throughout the show.. from where each character started at the beginning of the show.. to flashbacks of how there were in the past ... to how the ended finally at the end of the show...

just wow...

music was ok.. didnt overwhelm or distract

as with these types of story once u see it once theres no replay value.. cause u already know but.. its so good that first time

also as a side note and ending.. after u finish this show.. go to utube and look up avenue x final review for this show...

it will tell you the difference between the show and the book.. and that change.. that was done.. makes u appreciate this adaption even more and makes u think even more about how the show went and the characters in a possibly different lite

one character in particular

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Almost but not quite A MASTERPIECE

I have NO IDEA why users aren't AMAZED by this production. It's so close to PERFECT it's painful.

The story, acting, filming, music -- are you kidding me? I've seen about 10 Chinese Dramas at this point and it shoved its way up to #2 under RUYI'S ROYAL LOVE IN THE PALACE.

The reason why this series didn't trounce RUYI is it didn't stick the landing. It appears to do so but once a day or so passes you realize there was something off about the end of the story.

About halfway into EP 11 the plot resolves itself. But for the story not only requires another 30 minutes to resolve itself but all of EP 12 to do so. Normally shows wrap up a little fast after the plot resolution and sometimes you feel ripped off because of how hurried the wrapup is. (I'm looking at you GREAT CRAFTSMAN.)

So why did THIS take so long. According to AvenueX on YouTube, the novel this story is based on ends with a dark tone. One of the characters has had a hidden agenda. This final episode looks like it was going to reveal it, since said character eluded to ALSO having secrets, but then -- no secrets revealed.

AvenueX implied that the real ending wouldn't get past the censors. As a writer myself I believe this production did shoot the dark ending and the censors said, nope -- too dark. And so they had to reshoot the ending to be less dark, which in turn makes the final episode seem a little aimless, long, and pointless.

Even if you're unaware of that angle or the book's ending, my wife said, "Wait. That girl was so perfect despite her parents not being so perfect. Really?!?" And therein lies the problem with the series is that the Tutor character simply isn't believable. Her acting is great but the writing is... undecided.

This knocks DISAPPEARING CHILD out of Masterpiece work into NEAR MISS and ALMOST territory. What a shame. That said, SEE IT ANYWAY you lazy couch dumpling!

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Different take from your normal suspense dramas

Pacing felt slow on this one however I did enjoy the overall story.

What makes this drama different:
There are 3 different stories that ties to each other
Many episodes starts off with a different person's narrative. It reveals their inner thoughts and reasoning, sometimes justifications for their wrong actions
Each character expressed different types of loneliness and the inability to connect to the rest of the world

Ending was 20/80 bitter sweet
"Perfect parents do not exist in this world, nor perfect children. We still chose to believe"

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Un excellent thriller

Ma critique sera (pour une fois) courte. Il serait dommage de vous dévoiler des indices, aussi infimes soient-elles, je m'en voudrais de vous gâcher le suspense. Car suspense, ce n'est pas ce qui manque à ce drama. Un enfant disparaissant entre deux étages presque sous les yeux de sa mère et de son père. Il n'en fallait pas plus pour piquer ma curiosité.
Contrairement à "Bad Kids" dont l'ambiance étouffante et lourde avait tendance à me freiner par moment, ici l'ambiance, bien que parfois tragique, ne sera jamais suffocante. Bien au contraire. Ici, c'est presque un hommage à la force des liens. Familiaux. Amoureux. Au final, tous ces protagonistes, bien que différents et malgré tout liés, ont tous un point en commun : la force de leur amour. Cet amour qui permettra de se battre et de vivre. De vouloir changer pour devenir meilleur. De tomber dans la folie. Dans cette solitude qui quelque part nous tend les bras.
Le scénario est astucieusement construite et nous mène presque par le bout de nez. La gestion du temps et la narration peut paraître complexe, mais nécessaire à la conclusion. Prêtez attention aux détails, bien que cela ne soit pas du niveau d'un Sherlock Holmes, les rebondissements sont intéressantes et la réponse à ce mystère satisfaisante.
J'ai tout particulièrement aimé les protagonistes. Bien que dépeints comme des êtres baignant dans les problèmes quotidiens, ils ne tombent jamais dans le pathétique. Chacun, à sa façon veut survivre.
L'officier de police Tao Fang est une femme remarquable. Son opiniâtreté ainsi que son sens de l'observation, le calme indécent dont elle faisait preuve et sa compassion ont fait d'elle un des meilleurs officiers de police de ces dernières décennies.
J'éviterai de parler des autres protagonistes, au risque de vous dévoiler involontairement des indices. Sachez, que tout prends un sens logique au fur et à mesure que l'histoire progresse.

Petite note : L'opening est super intéressant et donne des indices, ne le "skippez" pas, amusez-vous à le décortiquer.

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