Taiwan does its take on Nancy Drew

[dangermousie]

I have been craving a Taiwanese drama recently, but not one of its many OTT confections.

Solution - checking out Pi Li MIT (The Clue Collector/Mysterious Incredible Terminator), starring Aaron Yan and Gui Gui.



The plot? Sheng Yen school is well-regarded but all sorts of troubling things have been going on there recently - attempted murders, ghost appearances, God knows what else. So Teacher Cherry, this school's graduate and a member during her school days of a formerly notorious "MIT" team which was rumored to protect school from evil, decides to reform the MIT team with the school's currently 4 most suitable students in order to protect the school and solve mysteries. Throw in some teenagers with deduction skills, issues, and relationships and you have a drama that I have wanted to watch for ages.

Plus, it has an OTP which looks like it's set to hit all my kinks.



He is an icicle son of a famous detective who's been denied a career path he wanted, and she is a detective writer on a school blacklist who is so forthright as to be almost a straight line. Bring it on.

Have a shippy MV!

It is 16 eps and is available all the usual places under one of 3 names listed.

ETA: Ahahahahahhaaaa, the OTP's first meeting is pure gold. She impersonates a corpse as a practical joke and he busts her for not being meticulous enough. And then she is all "can I ask you something?" and he tells her "I already have a girlfriend so it's impossible between us." Her response? "That's not what I wanted to ask! have you ever seen a real killer or a dead body?" LOLOLOLOLOLOL OTP.

Comments

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

I've had this one DLed for a while, but haven't made it to it yert.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I am halway into the first ep and I really like it, even though it's not like my usual fare at all - for one the myster(ies) are clever, but for another I really like all the characters.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

I've liked most of the mystery jdramas I've seen (Mr. Brain is the only exception so far-couldn't make it through the first ep, despite a lot of the cast being actors I really like, though I may still watch Nakama Yukie's episodes-that I can immediately name, though I think there have been a couple others over the last 5 years) but i'm not sure I've seen any non-jdrama mystery series. (Most of my mystery viewing is BBC and 80s shows and their spiritiual successors.)

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I enjoy BBC mysteries and a number of mystery writers but I've never been tempted to check a jdrama mystery for some reason. I know jdramas do a fair number but Korea dn Taiwan not so much at all. Pi Li MIT is the only Taiwanese one I know about except for Black & White (which btw is something I think you would love - twisty plot and incredibly strong women).

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

I have B&W on my very long list. (Accidental year long break was such a mistake.)


You might like Meitantei no Okite in doses.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Is your icon from DDLJ? It was my gateway drug :P

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

Yes. (I havbe a thing for dancing in the streets.) I've seen the first...2~ hours? A friend and I were watching it last night, but stopped because there was the possibility that I'd fall asleep watching. So far I'm reacting to it about like Fanaa, where I liked Kajol and her character in the first half, but didn't get interested in the plot until the second half.

I suppose Magadheera was my gateway drug, even though it's Tollywood and not Bollywood? Because I thought the couple Bollywoods I saw before that were good, but they didn't send me off to watch more, and I've watched four BW movies since watching Magadheera.

[ambergold.livejournal.com]

oh my God! the MV sold me so madly!! you always point out good-looking dramas to me:) I"ll download this once I finish my currently-watching ones:)

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I am about half an ep in and I am so madly in love so far - it's so twisty and entertaining and shippy. Gotta love Taiwan for their dramas - when they get it right, they get it really right.

I also love that all the main characters are definitely good guys and girls. They may have issues or quirks but they are cool people which yay. So much more attractive then jerks.

The main otp has ridiculous chemistry even if (obviously) there hasn't been much chance to develop the otp so far.

Plus, I love the funny moments which are not ridiculously ott.

Btw, if you dl from doremii's blog, the vid quality is amazingly crisp.

[salimbol.livejournal.com]

Oooh, I like the sound of this! And I have a soft spot for Aaron ;-). This is going on the to-watch list.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I am an ep in and it's very entertaining.

[timescout.livejournal.com]

Don't tempt me! ;P I eyed this one ages ago and then promptly forgot all about it. I haven't watched a TW-drama in ages, so maybe this could fit the spot. I like mysteries.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

It's very good and I think something you'd like - romance is secondary, plot is solid, it's a little spooky, and no insane mugging in sight.

[timescout.livejournal.com]

OK, I'm sold! (was there ever any doubt...) ;P

[singing-tree.livejournal.com]

This looks really good, I like mysteries:) Does it have a bit of a quailty though? Most TW dramas feel a little low-budget to me, especially compared to Kdrama.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

It's in HD which was a pleasant surprise. It does look more expensive than your average barebones twdrama (the fact that they are largely in a school thus their set needs are limited helps). Still, if you are looking for IRIS-level budget, it's probably not there. However it is crisp and I like the cinematography. Perhaps more of a jdrama look than a kdrama one. But it looks good enough to me. I am going to post some caps later and maybe that will help.

[singing-tree.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Yea I don't expect them to make a drama with that kind of budget anytime soon. I do think the budget of Iris was unusually high though, even for Kdrama.

[aliaspiral.livejournal.com]

ahhhh, I've had this downloaded forever to watch! I love Gui Gui (the actress) — she is awesomely hilarious.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

She is awsome here

[saturnhime.livejournal.com]

This is on my list of dramas to watch, just haven't gotten to it yet ;3

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

It's really good

[ambergold.livejournal.com]

OMG I HATE YOU. I should've been writing this afternoon but instead I've spent at least half of it marathoning the first four eps of MIT. Funnily enough I didn't even like the first 2 eps particularly and almost dropped it but fell in love in ep 3 and ep 4 OWNED MY SOUL(have you watched it yet?? the OTP WILL OWN YOU).

I'm so frighteningly hooked!!

[ambergold.livejournal.com]

also, interestingly, it's becoming more and more intense the further I get into it - it stared out so ridiculous and OTT but they're upping the danger and angst with every episode so that by the time episode 6 rolls around I think I'll be in quite intense twdrama territory.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I am only on ep 5 (rl stuff) but I am addicted too

[myrna-nora.livejournal.com]

Oooo, this looks like great.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

It was

[mishane.livejournal.com]

ETA: Ahahahahahhaaaa, the OTP's first meeting is pure gold. She impersonates a corpse as a practical joke and he busts her for not being meticulous enough. And then she is all "can I ask you something?" and he tells her "I already have a girlfriend so it's impossible between us." Her response? "That's not what I wanted to ask! have you ever seen a real killer or a dead body?" LOLOLOLOLOLOL OTP.

OMG THAT SOUNDS FUCKING HILARIOUS!!! WHERE ARE YOU WATCHING THIS?!?!?!

Oh great. Another one to add on the list.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

doremii's blog has it