I can’t be the only C-drama viewer out there blindsided this week by the unexpected and sudden premiere of Incisive Great Teacher. This was the period comedy drama starring Liu Shi Shi and Nicky Wu filmed after they reunited on the turd Bu Bu Jing Qing, but since BBJQ just aired it’s weird to see Incisive Great Teacher following on its heels. I’m glad I didn’t stick with BBJQ past a few horrific first episodes otherwise I might be in need of medical assistance and also overdosed on too much Nicky and Shi Shi. As is I still have the bandwidth to check those two out, the question is whether Incisive Great Teacher is any good? The first teaser posters last year were a-dorable, but a few months ago I watched the first teaser trailer and ran away screaming. It was soooo bizarre with the rapping music and the cartoony feel transitioning into a straight up wuxia melo. Shi Shi and Nicky were really on fire with the chemistry but the story and execution was leaving me cold. When the drama premiered this week, I gamely checked out the first six episodes and have decided to park myself with it until it either goes off the rails or stays cute until the end.

Incisive Great Teacher isn’t incisive or great in any way, but it’s genuinely funny and quite charming. I found myself laughing out loud many times and smiling at the earnest silliness. I felt the same way watching Perfect Couple so that might be a good point of reference. Nicky and Shi Shi play against type from Bu Bu Jing Xin – Nicky is a government agent sent to go undercover at a teaching institution to ensure that the new government decree to admit women is implemented while Shi Shi is an on-the-shelf feisty daughter of a martial arts master who butts heads with Nicky and decides to become a teacher at the same school to hound him. The story revolves around the school with Gui Gui and Ye Zhu Xin leading a pack of mixed gender students who bicker and banter their way to growing up, getting an education, and predictably pairing up and falling in love. Same goes for Nicky and Shi Shi as rival teachers who also find themselves battling a greater government conspiracy. What makes Incisive Great Teacher fun to watch is the mile-a-minute dialogue coupled with goofball antics. The entire episode 1 consisting of a mistaken martial arts battle followed by a street confrontation over a smushed baozi versus a shattered priceless heirloom hits all my funny buttons. Hope this ones stays good but it’s definitely worth a look. Continue reading →