This is a short 12-episode series from Taiwan currently broadcasting on Netflix – short & sweet, and totally captivating from the start. The first episode itself is already a mixed of main introduction to key characters, an extremely tragic accident, and the lingering sound of mysterious events. The English title is totally not representative of the Mandarin version, which literally translates into “lousy exorcist of obsessions”.
The series revolves around Pu Yi-yong, a 17-year teenager who is caught in an accident that took the life of his beloved father and landed his grandfather in a coma. Yi-Yong himself is in a coma for nearly 2 years before he finally wakes up to a totally different environment. He is previously a trouble-maker at school, not really doing well academically but very much into drawing comics. Coming from a family of calligrapher, he doesn’t seem to fit into the traditional hobby of his grandfather.
Muse #1 – Pu Yi-yong’s surname Pu is quite the rarity, a quick guess being the same surname as Pu Song Ling – the author of Strange Tales of Liao Zhai. Quite apt for such strange tales in modern times.
Muse #2 – Pu Yi-yong has really great family supporting him, each with their own personality. A protective but knowledgeable grandfather who is ever patient in helping others. A softer but kind-hearted father who is lovely with the wife, father and his son. Good people always die early. And of course, Cheryl Yang portraying the mother! I love her personality the best. Such a strong character, moving on and in such cheerful manner. And still being kept in the dark while his son is now the exorcist master!
Holding out his grief in his own way, Yi-yong doesn’t want to continue with his studies but take on part-time jobs. In between time, he gets to know Chen Chu-ying a rookie policewoman and Chao Guang Yan a nerdy ex-classmate studying to be a doctor who was previously bullied by Yi-yong.
Muse #3 – I didn’t really like Chen Chu-ying’s character, a little naïve but think highly of herself. Especially detest the way she uses Yi-yong’s connections to get her promotions.
Muse #4 – Although I do have a soft spot for Guang Yan, the nerdy guy. Bullied by Yi-yong in school due to a misunderstanding, but struck up a great friendship post his coma. I love the scene whereby Yi-yong has such confidence in Guang Yan that he goes over to his home to avoid an obsession.
He starts having “visitors” who is only visible to him, and to others if he draws the portrait and shows to them. Not understanding the new-found ability, he is now sucked into curious cases which seems to link to crimes and murders. Over time, it is more apparent that these visitors are not ghosts but lingering obsessions that arose from mankind. With the help of his friends Chu-ying accessing the police files and Guang Yan providing linkages and medical expertise, Yi-yong and friends embark on investigations leading to surprising truths to the unsolved mysteries.
The first case is the “protector of the flooding river”, whereby the being takes over a dead pharmacist. The protector’s request is pretty simple – to be rescued from the bottom of the river to access freedom. The communication with the river protector links towards the bullying of the dead pharmacist, whereby his death is caused deliberately by his colleague’s action of exchanging his medicine.
Another case involves a Japanese ancient lady, which is a manifestation of a tattoo on John Doe’s corpse kept in the lab for more than a decade. The investigation to find the name of the John Doe’s corpse leads to themes on loneliness and societal acceptance of an introverted person.
Subsequently, another obsession case relates to the obsession that links to the safety of children and walking lanes. A father who feels guilty on his negligence that caused his son’s death takes away a manifestation of a child, leading to his own attempted suicide. Saved by Yi-yong, the guilt-stricken father finally realises that going forward with good memories spent with his son is a better way forward.
The other case of a mother’s obsession with her grief for her kidnapped daughter manifests into a doll that turns life-like. The investigation leads to the jealous employee who kidnaps for monetary rewards, leading to a kidnap gone awry and the poor little girl dead.
Then another case of the connection between twin brothers, whereby one survived and another died in abuse by their father. The obsession to protect each other from the surviving brother leads to a different conclusion that the death is actually caused by another culprit instead of their father.
The final case links the twin brothers’ killer, in the unlikely culprit of the volunteer cum baker, who is going after Chu-ying. Their altercation causes the police to catch up but Yi-yong is injured and is comatosed again. Only to be awaken a year later and continue his journey as an exorcist master to these obsessions.
Muse #5 – The relationship of Yi-yong’s grandfather and Granny Lu is special, and showcases the need for freedom for everyone.
Conclusion (8/10)
What is so good about the series? It is short, and packed with strong storylines. Luring the audience with questions about mankind’s obsessions, linking with conscience. Actor Tseng Jing Hua who portrays Pu Yi-yong is the soul of the series, bring in a little comedy a little confusion and a little stubbornness.
I like his interaction with his family, and his friends. It helps that he has a smart friend in Guang Yan who concludes quite well based on the clues that they find, while the persistence of Chu-ying as the fumbling naïve policewoman pushes them towards the finishing line. As he indicated the main difference between his grandfather and him – he has his friends to rely on to investigate & help to exorcise these obsessions.
The way the story is being told to hook the audience in. The one-liner punchlines are great. Binge this over the weekend. If you are a scaredy-cat like me, perhaps watch this during daytime. And ponder over the themes that they bring out on man’s obsessions – guilt, jealousy, social needs for acceptance and many more. Not so deep to make us depressed, sprinkled with the comedic one-liner.
Cheng's Musings 