For those of you who don't know, Detective Investigation Files , or DIF in short, is a tv serial in Hongkong, back in the mid- to late 90s. It is a police investigation series, where the main characters try to solve the complex murder cases and find/arrest the murderers.

Of course, what's a tv series without a love story? =) The main characters of the series are Dai Yung, played by Michael Tao, and YiJai, played by Joey Leung. Dai Yung falls in love with a smart, beautiful reporter Jessie, played by actress Kenix Kwok. Meanwhile, YiJai falls for Dai Yung's childhood friend Gigi, played by Louisa So.

DIF was so famous when it was first released that TVB produced the sequels, DIF2 and DIF3.

In DIF2, Dai Yung and Jessie are very much in love, but because of their stubborn nature, they are usually quarreling, especially later when a fellow police officer, Carmen (Amy Kwok) falls in love with Dai Yung. Of course, Dai Yung loves only Jessie. They get back together, they get married, but Jessie falls into a coma on their wedding day, and when she woke up, she had amnesia. She left Hongkong with her family, and Dai Yung promises to wait for her forever.

Meanwhile, YiJai and Gigi are very happy together, even though they have a couple of major fights. Just after they've made up and they are celebrating their wedding anniversary, Gigi is hit by a car, and she dies. YiJai has a hard time getting over her death, but he eventually moves on with his life.

In DIF3, Jessie still has amnesia, but Dai Yung is still waiting for her. They get back together but they still encounter a lot of problems in their marriage. Their relationship is further complicated by the arrival of En Tong, who also falls in love with Dai Yung. Meanwhile, YiJai is torn between two girls, Si Lung (Margaret Chung) and SaSa.


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DIF has something for almost everyone. If you like suspense/action type movies, the murder cases Dai Yung and YiJai have to solve involve a lot of guessing (whudunit?!), and there are also some scenes where the cool cops run across town with their guns, chasing after the villains. =) If you like comedy, DIF can also be very funny, especially the first 2 parts with Louisa So.

But if you like love stories, DIF is one of the best there is! The love triangles are complex and frustrating, but not overly so. There are lots of things which keep the couple apart, but of course, in the end, they are still together, because they love each other enough to go through all that together.

If you're looking for great acting, DIF also has some of the best actors/actresses in TVB. Michael Tao and Kenix Kwok are two of the best actors in the industry. I think both of them are perfect for their roles as Dai Yung and Jessie, especially Michael Tao. If you're like me, if you think that if an actor cries/laughs, and you cry/laugh with him, then he's a great actor, then I think you'll love Michael Tao. He's not the best looking actor in the world, but he's one hell of an actor.


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NOTE: For those who are interested, there is also a DIF4, but partly because Michael Tao had already left TVB to go freelance by then, and besides, the story of Dai Yung, Jessie, etc had already ended by then, the entire cast and story was changed in DIF4. Among others, the cast of DIF4 include Louis Koo, Sunny Chan, Charmaine Sheh, Lee SanSan, and Jessica Hsuan.

PICTURES:

Click here for some pictures of Dai Yung, Jessie, YiJai, Gigi, etc.

I recently made a new page, for readers of my Ranma fanfic Waiting For You. This page contains pictures of the crystal rose in DIF2. Crystal Rose page

MOVIES:

Click here for some movies from DIF parts 1-3!

REVIEWS:

For more details regarding the plot and my opinions regarding DIF1-4, read my reviews. Hear me rant! =)

DIF1
DIF2
DIF3
DIF4

LINKS:

M&M Minis DIF Page
Investigation Files
DIF1 By Peter Fong
DIF by Ingrid
DIF forum


Kenix's movie clips
Serial Database (reviews, etc)