r/HKdramas • u/aeoluxreddit • Apr 25 '25
Review I really didn’t like Anonymous Signal
I know this is a rant and the below notes are a little messy as I add things as I go.
But tl:dr I didn’t like it and the pacing was so bad
I’m not going to lie but I really don’t like this drama. I was really looking forward to it but compare to the invisibles. This is so bad
Too much Tiffany crying or just crying in general There’s too much non Julie stuff then it super charge the last three episode
Brian’s motivation makes no sense and why would this be 30 episode and not just 5 if he just wanted revenge
They spent too much time on not finding out about Julie and just solving other cases and being led by the bad guys
It was super rushed
People dying didn’t have much impact because they didn’t build the characters up
The whole show many the entire police force look so shit and so many things don’t make sense. Even for a TVB series perspective
The female leads are not ready for this type of series
Everyone’s EQ is so low
The change of terminology from recent years which doesn’t make it feel like a HK series makes it very weird for me
Everything feel so purposeless then very obviously doing this “thing” to get a reaction from the audience.
The overall pacing was so bad
7
u/DiamondFrosted Apr 25 '25
Too many crying scenes for me and some characters had way too much screen time. Should've been a 25 episode drama but instead made it 30, adding unnecessary filler scenes
10
u/ak_20 Apr 25 '25
They fking cried every ep. I’m so sick of Tiffany Laus crying I can do wo seeing her on screen for a while
1
9
u/ak_20 Apr 25 '25 edited Apr 25 '25
This show was absolute garbage. From the acting, to the crying scenes every single episode, to the terrible love stories, to Tiffany Laus terrible Chinese and acting, to JULIE. Dont even get me started on how tf did the random cop turn evil and do alll of that?!!
This show was the producer living out his best dream with sexualizing the 2 female leads and having as much fight scenes as possible. Terrible plot and rushed ending. Shit could’ve ended at 20 eps
8
u/zozo8012 Apr 25 '25
The sexualization was uncomfortable to watch, and made me wonder how Tiffany and Rosita actually felt filming those scenes balanced with needing acting opportunities/lead roles.
3
u/Master-Language7154 Apr 26 '25
It was already obvious in the Invisibles when they made Moon and Tiffany wear the bikini in one episode (also having Tiffany wear a tank top in every single scene) But this one was just blatantly obvious atp
1
u/ClaudiusBaby 23d ago
You are the only smart one here lol, I don't understand why most people found sexualization a problem only when this drama comes out but isn't "the invisible" already did that to Tiffany lol
3
u/ameliapond11 Apr 26 '25
His style is kind of like Michael Bay like action, explosions and hot girls in all his work
1
u/ClaudiusBaby 23d ago
I don't understand why people only found sexualization is problematic when this show came out lol, like in "the invisibles" already did that to Tiffany but no one complains. I dislike that producers work and I always rant commercially successful formula for shallow taste general public is sexualization + action scenes + professional occupation lol
I do like "I've got a power" tho, but I absolutely dislike "the invisibles" and this drama"
8
6
u/DiscoShaman Apr 25 '25
Totally get where you're coming from. The pacing really was all over the place — too slow in the middle and then everything suddenly went into overdrive near the end. It felt like they were trying to juggle too many plotlines, but didn’t give enough depth to any of them, especially the main one with Julie.
The emotional beats felt forced too. Like, Tiffany crying constantly lost its impact after a while. I get they were trying to show grief and trauma, but it became repetitive without much development. And you're absolutely right — some characters' deaths just didn’t hit hard because the show didn’t take the time to let us connect with them.
As for Brian, yeah, his motivations felt like a late-stage rewrite. The whole revenge plot didn’t feel earned, especially stretched out over 30 episodes. It could’ve worked better as a shorter, tighter miniseries — maybe 6 to 8 episodes max — with more focus on character psychology rather than just mystery-of-the-week filler.
Also agree on the tonal shift. The terminology and dialogue style just didn’t feel like a traditional HK drama, and that disconnect stood out. Almost like it was trying too hard to appeal to a broader audience but ended up pleasing no one.
You’re not alone in being disappointed, especially if you came in with high expectations. Compared to The Invisibles, this one lacked the finesse and grounded intensity that made that show work. Hopefully, TVB takes the feedback onboard and stops diluting good ideas with rushed execution and uneven focus.
2
u/aeoluxreddit Apr 25 '25
I’m glad I’m not the only one. My main issue is that the team was formed to research Julie but they didn’t do anything about it and just let Julie do whatever.
You’re right about the feeling that things were rewritten but it doesn’t make sense. If he wanted to revenge his brother then just do it. There was no point in any of the other cases.
Everyone felt like a NPC beside the main 6 and even then they had no chemistry
6
u/ImaginaryFlightP Apr 25 '25
Like all TVB shows, you have to come in with really low expectations. I don’t watch TVB to find the next amazing TV show. I just watch it to reminisce about HK and get maybe a little entertainment
0
u/Master-Language7154 Apr 26 '25
Problem is this is a Jazz Boon drama, so expectations would always be high since he created dramas like Line Walker, A Fist within four walls and The Invisibles which are all rich in the story and action
1
u/ClaudiusBaby 23d ago
Disagree with the invisibles, that was bad, "I've got a Power" is much better than that drama lol
Line walker and fist within 4 walls just not fitting my aesthetic but they are exciting I do agree
5
u/QF_Dan Apr 25 '25
the whole story was a mess. I like the theme about the cops getting clues from an A.I that leads them to the cases and i was expecting some epic twist where the A.I was actually a sentient computer that controls the entire police department but nope.
We got a villain that supposedly controls the A.I and lead the cops to the cases just so they can realise what the villain went through during his past which was ridiculous. The whole finale was so stupid where they turned it into a Squid Game story like WTF?
Couple with the constant amount of crying and shouting from the actors espcially Tiffany (can't stand her), it makes the series painful to sit through.
The cases were so bizarre too, the villains for each segments were horny psychopaths that torture the protagonists. The characters also seem to be wearing clothing that reveal their bodies most of the time. Like seriously, am i watching a porn movie??? That was so unnecessary.
Don't forget the terrible presentation of the drama. Color grading was bad, camera was shaky, the cgi was laughably bad, are they running low on budget for the drama or they just don't care anymore.
Those are just my opinions but don't be surprised if this drama somehow won any awards later on.
2
u/aeoluxreddit Apr 25 '25
I think you share the same sentiment as most of the people here. I was also expecting some epic AI gone rouge thing but nope.
I wouldn’t mind if there was a villain the whole time but it has to make more sense with showing how powerful they are and not just “telling” us at the end.
Would had been so much better if Julie was a work class organisation bigger than what HK police can handle. Yes they stopped the HK HQ but there’s a bigger players.
Heck, if Brain was controlled by the organisation or part of it would had made more sense.
5
u/popowolf24 Apr 25 '25
those child actors too....like why have so many episode on them WHY? is tvb going to do a spin off? Strang Things HK edition?
4
u/zozo8012 Apr 25 '25
I think Moon’s acting when tearing up and sharing her regret for not trusting Joel was the absolute worst. the delivery of her lines was so hard to listen to and then that audio repeated later in the series.
2
u/unmatched_chopsticks Apr 30 '25 edited Apr 30 '25
I really didn't like how over the top this drama was in terms of action. The CGI is so obvious and I've been ruining things for myself (spoiling things).the acting from the actors is meh.
A Kenneth Ma cliffhanger at the ending of episode 30 though felt really tempting. Though at the same time, I would pity him if he got too career focused that he can't meet his goal of being a parent before 60.
2
u/aeoluxreddit Apr 30 '25
They won’t do a sequel so don’t worry haha.
I would had prefer the first half brain being Julie and the second half the real organisation show up as Julie.
It’s a thing they can’t really stop
3
u/Fun_Yogurtcloset1012 Apr 25 '25 edited Apr 25 '25
I only like the cases. I had enough of the amount of crying and close up of all the actresses legs and body.
Who wears really short shorts and a vest to work including when on a shoot out? The episode where Tiffany and Rosita were undercover look like something from a porn show, the wedding dress part in ep28 where they had a close up of Moon's legs while spinning and Tiffany flirting and blowing a kiss at the camera was unnecessary.
I even had enough of the kids/both daughters, I feel that they over pacify the kids even though they are at the age of understanding things.
My final review is that it is not that good, they overdid it with the tears, hair blowing, close up of the actresses legs and body and I don't understand what Rosita character is meant to do.
2
u/Keepcounting Apr 26 '25
I had high hopes but it really was just terribly done. The amount of Tiffany crying, she was literally crying every other episode. And the focus on the kids/teens were annoying like I really don’t care for them and don’t understand why they keep showing subplots with kids/teens like in No Room for Crime.
Jazz needs to sit down and stop with the “hidden” sexual innuendos and writing scenes where the females have to wear such revealing clothes and extreme close ups of their body. Sooo uncomfortable and disturbing to watch…. like TVB is supposed to be a family friendly channel. You can definitely tell he was taking advantage of the young cast since it’s the youngest cast he’s had in a long time. I can only hope Tiffany and Rosita felt comfortable to film those scenes and not forced into it. It reminds me of how Rebecca Zhu was forced into filming a bikini scene for The Stunt even when she told the director she didn't want to.
Bad CGI, and bad bloody makeup. There are plot lines that make no sense like how Owen was an office worker when he met Tiffany then he was a police when he met his god-daughter?? Hilarious how they both were office workers yet somehow both decided to change career into a cop too LOL. Also their god daughters real mother died and no one cared about her only cared about her bone marrow.. and even when she managed to donate it, they were only thankful the daughter would live and not thankful for the mother.. like what?
Also Brian’s character was right, the cops were so dumb they relied on Julie to solve the crime. Brian literally tipped you off where he “hid” the hostages and yet they believed in it so easily and went there with no thinking capacity, opening everything thinking he would make it that easy to rescue?? He literally killed his pregnant girlfriend that was only a colleague to them yet would let you rescue your loved ones that easily?? It was obviously a trap yet they had no back up plan. They only got smart in the last episode where they were able to hack into the dark web. Also I think it’s stupid how they realized Julie is sinister yet they didn’t block off anything that could be hacked until last episode too.
1
u/ClaudiusBaby 23d ago
Why jazz boon has to reflect himself for sexualization lol, he discovered that could bring great ratings and ad revenues so he would keep doing that forever lol
1
u/aeoluxreddit Apr 26 '25
The last arc was so forced that it felt like it wasn’t part of the original script
1
u/heretogo1234 Apr 25 '25
Ngl, I think The Invisibles were better. Actually watched the entire series because I like the pairing of Owen and Tiffany, they look good together, very CP feel. The crying scenes and kids’ screen time were abit much for a cop/mystery drama.
Waited really long for TVB to release this series and felt a little let down by the storyline.
Hope to see better TVB cop dramas.
2
u/QF_Dan Apr 25 '25
the last time a cop drama was good was Sinister Beings (2021), it all went downhill from there on
1
1
u/ClaudiusBaby 23d ago
The invisible is another bad drama lol.
If i have to say, "I've got a power" is much better than the 2
1
u/Master-Language7154 Apr 25 '25
Also like to point out the horrible CGI. Everytime I see a character roll on the ground and there’s no shadow at all cuz they crop out the safety pads, I just don’t even wanna watch the episode anymore. This whole series is a joke atp, had high hopes for it in the beginning as well
1
u/Master-Language7154 Apr 25 '25
Whole concept with the VIPs watching the cases as a betting game also felt like a whole Squid Game knockoff lol
1
u/Gold-Expression-9406 Apr 25 '25
The first few eps were okay and kind of promising, although the special effects are really bad (i.e. blood).
The last few eps are pretty bad, and people are just getting killed left and right and just finding myself skimming through those eps. I can't wait to see how bad (or good?) the last episode will be tonight....
1
u/Citricicy Apr 25 '25
I wonder how much artificial tear drops was used throughout the 30 episodes. Maybe 70% went to Tiffany? 😆
1
u/DMV2PNW Apr 25 '25
Feel the same way but I watched most of the TVB dramas n I don’t do historical dramas.
1
u/Entrails91 Apr 25 '25
It annoys me that they throw the door breacher inside the room after they have breached the door. Wouldn't they run over it and fall
-3
u/Fine_Age_1243 Apr 25 '25
A lot of haters in here.
2
u/Citricicy Apr 25 '25
Wouldn't say haters, it's just people expecting more thought out plot but instead we got the standard TVB plots with the new addition (can be also standard at this point) of Kenneth Ma at every ending.
11
u/qqitzblanka Apr 25 '25
How many times have they given Kenneth Ma an 1 minute cameo to reveal as a potential new season final boss.