Copycat Killer

A killer is targeting women in Taiwan in a way that ensures maximum media coverage in the 1990s. This includes making calls to a specific news station. The crime shares distinct similarities to a previous apparently solved murder. The prosecutor in charge becomes convinced that the cases are linked. As the series progresses we follow the prosecutor, and his police colleagues, as well as characters at the TV station. Tensions raise when somebody close to a member of the investigating team is snatched on a night out.

I thought this was a really good addition to the crowded serial killer genre. The identity of the killer becomes obvious a little earlier than I expected but that wasn't a problem as watching the authorities working to catch him was still gripping. We get a nice twist with a few episodes to go; this is neither too obvious nor unbelievable. The cast do a really solid job making the characters feel believable. I enjoyed the nineties setting; modern enough not to seem dated but old enough to avoid certain modern technology that would make solving the case easier. Things do get a little melodramatic towards the end but not enough to spoil my enjoyment. Overall definitely worth watching if you like the genre.

These comments are based on watching the series in Mandarin with English subtitles.

What a nice surprise!! I didn't think I would see such a good Chinese series, and I'm saying it because I'm not a big fan of Asian series, maybe it's the language.

For me it's absolutely necessary to always see them in the original version with subtitles. And from the first episode I lef wanting more, the tension, suspense and the theme are so different.

The acting is also very good and the editing is very well done. I didn't realize who the murderer was until a few episodes had passed, and besides, it wasn't entirely clear to me, they got me confused, and that made me appreciate and like the series even more!!

The prosecutor and main role was fantastic in his role, I really liked him, finally someone who cares about the victims and their families and wants to go all the way to catch the murderer. All the characters are quite varied and some of them very interesting and some funny, others very boring, especially the female roles I like less. I hope I'm not going too long, but I had to say it, the series reminded me a little of the Spanish movie Thesis(1996), but only a little, I had to think about it during this series, and it's been many years since I saw it, it's one of those that you can't foget, like this series, strong, full of suspense and very realistic.

What I liked least about the series is that it's too long and the flashback moments are sometimes unnecessarily repetitive. Also the names of all the characters are confusing at times, being in Chinese it is difficult to remember them.

I recommend it without a doubt, it does not disappoint.

This Series Left me speechless by the end, with multiple twists and turns shifting the expectations again and again. Chris Wu being the lead is what truly solidified my rating as his character was much different from what I'm used to. In a role where the director would apply more pressure for sympathy, Hsiao-Chi Kuos Traumatic past takes a backseat while still being prevalent. Where other titles would make this character very vulnerable Copycat Killer Lets Hsiao-Chi Kuo be a more stoic and stable character throughout the majority of the series. Every Character is given the opportunity to grow and learn from the experiences in the series that makes you care about them. The killers motives were very unique as well with Jia-Wun Shens Character being particularly heartbreaking. By the end every characters story ended at the perfect time with the right outcome leaving no extra weight for an unneeded cliffhanger.

The show was good overall and worth a watch. However there were a few issues that held the show back from getting to the next level. I feel like the last 4 episodes were kind of unnecessary. They could of stopped the series halfway and I would of still enjoyed it. The villain's logic was flawed and the way the killer was brought to justice was lazy writing. The show seemed to drag a bit from time to time within episodes too.

There was a lot of positives though. Without giving too much away, I liked some of the motives to the villains. It seemed as a way to help redeem them in some way. Some of the twists were creative with a good storyline.

This show started off very promising until it became clear that the writing was just not upto the level expected of a good serial killer drama show. All the major characters involved in solving the crime/s i.e the Prosecutor and Police Task Force act illogically and irrelevantly throughout the whole show making the viewing rather infuriating.

The directing, production values and cinematography are all top notch however. The acting is generally pretty good except for a couple of actors.

There is a good show hidden underneath but unfortunately the creators were unable to execute it successfully due to subpar writing.