This review may contain spoilers
Black & White was not on my “got to watch anytime soon” list just because it’s not a genre I'm really interested in. I even dropped it the first time after watching 3 episodes because I got bored. After picking it back up again and actually completing it I have to say it is the most unpredictable Taiwanese drama I’ve seen!
Story- Funny, suspenseful, dramatic, action packed. That’s a lot for a drama to take on but this one managed to pull it off. The plot for me was a little slow for the first 4 episodes but then it started to pick up. About half way is when the plot really started to thicken and I could not stop watching. There were something’s I had a problem with though. One was the twist having to do with both our male leads. It got twisted and it got overused. By the time the truth came out I just rolled my eyes cause I was so over it. Another thing I didn’t like was how they wrote the love lines. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a drama that had 5 people who were connected that had a one sided love. Seriously the love lines get twisted every which way even till the end. Okay, I wouldn’t have had such a problem with this if it weren’t for the fact there was no payoff in the end. Small Spoiler: That’s right no one ends up with anyone! I felt the writers pulled my heartstrings all the way through only to be let down in the end. I know this is not a romance drama but if you’re going to write it in there, it shouldn’t be used to tease the audience, just saying…
Other than that the ending is kind of open with some loose ends and new revelations. Another thing is be ready for a ton of deaths, betrayal, good guys turning bad vise versa throughout the entire drama. Like I said this drama is really unpredictable.
Acting/Cast- From the big players to the supporting characters everyone fit their parts perfectly. Newbie Mark Chao was really impressive, this being his first role and all. He was able to keep up with Vic and in some scenes even out-shined him in my opinion. Speaking of Vic, this role was definitely a change from other stuff Ive seen him in. He has had a lot of growth. I liked Ivy Chen’s character in the beginning but then she began to annoy me with her selfish/wishy-washiness. Janine Chang played my favorite character, who was quite underused. Her character was awesome but I felt bad for her in the end.
Music- Loved the score really fit and heightened scenes. The OST was good but nothing I'm interested in listening to outside the show.
Rewatch- This is rewatchable but I cant say I’m interested just because I wasn’t completely satisfied with how some things developed.
Overall Black and White is entertaining and at times addicting. I just can’t say I thoroughly enjoyed it to the point I’d give it such a high score.
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