Healthy and Strong Romance, Weak Criminal Cases
If you're looking for a light, easy watch that's relatively drama-free and focused on romance, Love is All is an adorable historical romcom. The series shows how Tan Lingyin and Tang Tianyuan solve different criminal cases together, and come to love and rely on each other along the way. This relationship is extra sweet, especially when Tan Lingyin discovers that Tang Tianyuan is actually her childhood idol. While the drama has its strengths in terms of the main romance, however, it also has some of its issues in relation to its stagnant plot and storyline.I'd therefore highly recommend having a watch if you like these tropes:
♡ Healthy Romance Between a Magistrate and His Subordinate: There will be many comparisons to the relationship between Lu Yi and Jian Xia in the 2019 drama Under the Power, which I believe is accurate, as our main love line is also very natural and adorable. Both Zhang Ruonan and Zhang Haowei have incredible chemistry together, and showed how Tan Lingyin and Tang Tianyuan are not only very innocent in love, but also eventually grow to deeply care for each other. Tang Tianyuan also never uses his powers to overpower or control Tan Lingyin, but instead to help her and to encourage her to become a better advisor. Both characters thus begin with a bickering relationship, where Tang Tianyuan is more careful and strategic, while Tan Lingyin is mischievous and reckless. However, they also always consider each other’s well being and put their partner first, and have many heart-melting scenes that will make you feel “squishy.”
♡ A Focus on Women in History: The drama uses many instances to show some of the struggles that women face, especially to be respected and recognized for their work. While the historical aspects of such scenes may not be completely accurate, I did like how the show explored how Tan Lingyin’s abilities are questioned because of her gender. These conflicts are not only shown in the way the men in the drama speak about women and their roles, but also through side characters such as Zhou Zhengdao, who disguises herself as a man to work undercover in the Magistrate’s office. This is by no means a drama that deeply delves into these problems; but its attempts to highlight and incorporate some of them should be recognized.
♡ A Funny and Lovely Side Cast: I was surprised by how much I liked some of the supporting characters, and how much life they added to the drama. I absolutely loved Tang Tianyuan’s brotherly relationship with Zheng Shaofeng, and how both of them worked together to pursue the women they loved. I even loved Zhu Dacong — the silly fiance who Tan Lingyin attempts to run away from, because despite the fact that he was often the “fool” in the series, he was absolutely loyal and respectful to her even when she continuously tried to get rid of him. Most of all, while our second male lead Duan Feng does not get much screen time, he was incredibly handsome as a roguish bandit and was fun to watch as well.
♡ Cute Edits and Comedic Humour: This drama uses a lot of slapstick comedy, and uses cute extra-diegetic edits (i.e. whiskers, blush, funny cutscenes, etc.) as well as techniques such as breaking the fourth wall, that add to the lighthearted tone of the series. Overall, it’s meant to be a very fluffy and humorous series, and while the comedy may not work for all watchers, it’s nice to see as a break if you are watching more plot-heavy or emotionally investing dramas at the same time.
However, there are also some things you might not like about the drama:
♥ Major Logical Inconsistencies: There is a need to watch this show with quite a healthy amount of suspension of disbelief, and to not take the drama or its events seriously. There are a lot of issues from the outset, including characters that are supposed to be incredibly smart, yet unable to see the obvious (i.e. how the drama ridiculously implies that Zhao Zhengdao is completely unrecognizable when she dresses as a man, with her disguise being apparently so effective it can fool Zheng Shaofeng — who supposedly is great at gathering intelligence — for a solid ¾ of the drama).
♥ Somewhat Ineffective Genre-Mixing: Unfortunately, I don’t think the combination of crime and comedy in this series, especially when Love is All veers more on the comedy side, worked very well together in this drama. I think the main problem is that the cases themselves seemed very inconsequential, in that nobody seemed to be at serious risk or danger at any moment. Most of all, sometimes it also seemed as if characters, while demonstrating adherence to their moral beliefs, acted in unprofessional ways or sidelined their cases for their personal life. I admit I also did find myself sometimes fast-forwarding scenes where they were discussing cases, since I found them rather uninteresting. Thus, if you’re looking for a drama that depicts the solving of intricate crime scenes with interesting and gripping stories, this is not a show for you. However, if you really want something with a focus on romance, where the crime solving is just part of the background plot and helps to minimize filler scenes, then you may appreciate these aspects more.
♥ For A “Crime-Solving” Drama, Can Be Boring To Watch: Unlike other crime dramas, where villains may be more compelling and give the impression of being “evil” or “dangerous,” this drama didn’t really ever venture into this territory. Moreover, the length of the drama seemed to be too long, considering how little time was spent on cases, and cases often felt anti-climatic rather than exciting or mysterious. I emphasize that this is a light drama that really focuses on the romance between the different characters, and it has a very fluffy tone and colour palette. Consequently, while this drama never satisfactorily builds up any moments that can be considered high-stakes or life or death for the main characters, the lack of angst may be something that you appreciate if you want something that’s less heavy to watch.
I'd highly recommend you watch this if you liked dramas with a precious romance between the main characters, and you want something that’s light and binge-able. This is a great watch if you want something to take your mind off for the day, or to unwind and smile over at how comedic and meta the series is. While the comedy certainly will not work for all viewers, and some may find aspects of the plot boring and draggy to watch, the adorable romance between the characters is sure to make your heart warm if you want to see a couple with incredible chemistry.
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This C-drama is really my cup of tea! The story is simple and light. Very entertaining. I love all the characters they are handsome and funny.. except the noble lady.. haha.. she is cunning. For the main lead ? he is so handsome, i like his character in this drama.. eventhough he is arrogant but he is smart and also funny and romantic at the same time.
For the female lead, yes she is a little bit annoying sometimes.. and childish.. but its ok, she is cute and refreshing. She is suitable to act as a clumsy girl.
The second lead, also have a great character.. i love their bromance!!
About the case, its a little bit boring.. and for the ending.. i expected to see their wedding day.. the main and second lead.. but at least happy ending. And none of them separate or die due to solving the case.
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Female lead's go getter attitude and being a feminist way back when
Looking for cute shit? THEN this is your cute shit. Ruonan as Tan Ling Yin is such a cutie with tomboyish personality but defo wears the cutest frocks. She's the kind of person who actually thinks, not some lovesick noisy human.Loved the mystery they brought about the identity of the male lead. Kept things a wee bit interesting most especially when another girl who knew him arrived in town.
Women really has a big part in keeping the story afloat. First off is Ling Yin's talent/job as a writer which is not entirely accepted in those times but still she went for it because she has the ability to and she needs money. She firmly believes that women can do anything. Big plus is she's a goofball and literally I was laughing my ass off at that. Second was Ru Yi's dual role where as a girl she's the most graceful dancer but when she pretends to be a man she turns into a ruthless martial artist and I think that's beautiful. Ok I want to trip Jiang Mu Chun and kick her in the mud puddle but let's face it she is a decent schemer and a pitiful woman of "elegance". I must admit she made things spicy.
The story was linear and easy to catch up to if you're not binge-watching it. It wrapped up nicely in my opinion.
The second couple was not an eye sore either. It is a nice balance.
The ost is all kinds of catchy, too!
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A simple, adorable, with almost no melodrama rom-com
I think the show deserves a higher rating on MDL, but I can understand why it may not be everyone's cup of tea. Despite being a period drama, there was a modern feel to it, which I enjoyed, and it was the perfect show to binge watch.What I liked the most:
* Slapstick humour and use of comedic cartoon effects: Instead of being annoying, the visual effects managed to hit the right notes during the comedic moments and added to the hilarity.
* Cheesiness and fluff.: This show was definitely fluffy, but I was looking specifically for a show that was all about the romance and less about the melodrama. The simple, light-hearted plot was perfect for a binge session.
* Endearing romance between the leads: the "hate to love" romance between Tan Lingyin and Tang Tianyuan was adorable. The chemistry between Zhang Hao Wei and Zhang Ruonan was palpable, so much so that even little innocent kisses between them were enough to make me smile. There was just so much sweetness in their interactions.
Zhang Hao Wei stood out as the very handsome, intelligent, savvy magistrate who was the perfect counterpart to the female lead who was more rash and reckless. Typically the rational and calm one, Tang Tianyuan was also very consistent in his love for Tan Lingyin. He may tease her a lot, but it was obvious that he cared for her and constantly supported and encouraged her. He never gave up on their relationship, even during the rough patches. Zhang Hao Wei's acting was good, and he emoted well. You can see his love or pride whenever Tan Lingyin showcased her smarts.
Zhang Ruonan portrayed the mischievous, plucky, and cute Tan Lingyin perfectly. I liked that she was a strong female lead who was determined to be recognized and respected despite the social expectations of women at that time. Tang Tianyuan, as Lingyin 's childhood idol and inspiration, was a nice touch to the story.
* It was not all about love: The show did focus on the romance between the main and secondary (Zheng Shaofeng and Zhou Ruyi) couples, but there were mini-arcs about the supporting cast that drew me in. Unlike many c-dramas, which lose steam and get draggy towards the end, I was still engaged as the show drew to a close. Also, I appreciated the consistent portrayal of the female lead, who did not give everything up for love. Tan Lingyin remained steadfast in her desire to achieve her own goals, and Tang Tianyuan went up a level of swoon-worthiness when he promised to to respect her wish and come back to her.
* Awesome supporting characters: It was a good-looking cast for sure, and there were a few characters that added the extra oomph to the show. The bromance between Tang Tianyuan and Zheng Shaofeng was used effectively to highlight the different approaches the two men took to pursue the women they loved. Other characters I liked: Qing Chen - Tan Lingyin’s adopted brother whose character tempered her rashness; Duan Feng - the dashing bandit whom I would have shipped with the female lead in a heartbeat if Tang Tianyuan was not such a charismatic male lead; and Zhu Dacong which I thought was going to be the annoying second lead but ended up being one of my favourite characters because of his earnestness, his love, and respect for Tan Lingyin.
* Great OST – there were only 3 main songs that I believe were highlighted in the show but I liked all of them. Fortunately I was able to find them on YouTube music. The songs were memorable and the show used them effectively during the poignant scenes between the main and secondary couples.
My main gripes would be that
* The plotline about the ‘gold case’ was not that exciting, and the villains were rather one-dimensional.
* The second couple had more steamy kisses than our main leads. I noticed that lately in most dramas (be it Chinese, Thai or Korean), the main couples were always more restrained compared to the secondary couples.
Overall, I enjoyed the show and would recommend it to anyone who just wants to unwind or binge-watch over a weekend.
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This is a period web series that has action, comedy, and cute romance storylines. The drama is about county magistrate Tang Tian Yuan and the sassy daughter of a wealthy family, Tan Lingyin. They start working together solving different criminal cases, and falling in love along the way. Although the drama is about the romantic relationship of the main couple, the leading lady is portrayed within a duality of character contradiction (smart vs. really stupid) and quite fickle compared to the leading male’s character. Their romantic scenes are warm and sweet but they lack intimacy. A couple from the supporting cast, Ma Wen Yuan as Zheng Shao Feng and Baby Zhang as Zhou Zheng Dao/Ru Yi, had better chemistry on their romantic scenes, which is a disappointment since this is a drama focused on romance. Overall, the drama is nice, light hearted, and an easy watch while waiting for a great one to come. Enjoy it! Was this review helpful to you?
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The only good thing is the female lead!
Should you? Would you? Could you?You should watch this one (MAYBE! )
You would recommend this to others. (MAYBE!)
You could watch this again. (NO!)
The only good thing about this drama is the female lead who is a delight to watch. It's not a bad drama but its v lengthy and boring in parts. I fast-forwarded a lot of it. It's a historical love story with a mystery to tell. It has lots of funny moments thanks to the female lead. I would recommend watching it if you are in limbo and want to see something extremely light. Another drama that will go into my fluff category.
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Good light watch
This drama was a good light watch that remained consistent throughout the show that made me watch the next episode to the next episode and the next...... I actually watched from beginning to end without skipping and doing fast forwards. I liked that it's only 26 episodes long too.The love story of Tang Tianyuan and Tan Lingyin had a very subtle development, starting from a supposed pretend relationship into becoming a real one naturally and they just became confident that they were already a couple. Yes, petty jealousies are there but in a healthy way and does not drag on unnecessarily.
I liked the character of Tianyuan, she was confident and smart. It's good that the writers did not make this character to be those typical naive and supposedly innocent that becomes really annoying that is mostly seen in historical dramas. Zhang Ruo Nan played the character just right, not too over top in comedy and can act when the scene calls for being serious.
Thank goodness, we did not get the typical mean main lead from Tianyuan's character. He was funny through facial expressions that came with his lines. Zhang Hao Wei also played this character well.
The two other actors that caught my attention were:
Chake Lau who played Zhu Da Cong. I thought he was going be the arrogant, rich spoiled brat who wanted to marry the female lead. Well, yes, he was and he did. But I actually liked his character. He was very sincere and truly loved Tan Lingyin. I was cheering for him in parts of the show but of course it was never going to be. He was great in transitioning from being a dork to being serious and being a dork while actually being serious. I look forward to watching more dramas from him.
Ma Wen Yuan who played Zheng Zao Feng I found to be a good actor too. I thought he was just going to be goofy but when the scene called for being emotional he delivered.
There was only one unlikeable character in the whole drama - I guess there's gotta be one. Good thing she does not get too much screen time but when she does grrrr she is super annoying. Oh well.....
All in all, good drama to watch, cute romantic moments and no angst - that was what I was after.
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LSS (Light, Sweet & Soft) Romance with Mediocre & Puny Criminal Cases.
I have mixed feeling about this drama. It started as 'okay' and is consistent in giving that good feeling but will eventually feel dark, irritating and ridiculous whenever they're solving and discussing criminal cases. Those scenes created a significant setback to this drama as a whole, and honestly this drama will survive even without them in my own opinion.I understand that the main theme of this drama is about solving cases but the viewers in general just doesn't feel like it. We're here for the romance the entire time!! The selling point of this drama is the lightness & Fluffiness of its love stories; so whenever they try to focus in solving some cases it will immediately look and feel forced and unnatural. Not to mention how bad and ridiculous those scenes are. OH GHAD! Full of plot holes and very open to so much criticisms and judgments. It even made me ask "What the hell is the problem with the Writer and Director of this show?"
Moving on, the best qualities of this show is probably the Love Stories and the way the actors executed their characters in a Naive, dorky yet chick and cool ways. Gotta commend the best guys of this show 'Zhu Dacong' his character showed so much maturity, discipline and respect and I love him for that. I just love how positive and lighthearted the entire drama is. I would've rated it higher IF not for the ridiculous execution of the criminal case at the last 6-8 episodes of this drama.
Story - 8, Despite my rants about the Criminal Cases the drama itself is decent enough. If we could only remove those parts this show would even be better. This drama was salvaged by the cute, fluffy and funny scenes created by the couples. Their dynamics are on point and was carried out wonderfully.
Acting/Cast - 9, Acting is Fine and understandable considering the theme of this drama. I never really expect them to go all out and so does made me feel comfortable with their performances. Cast are perfect for each roles and they delivered their characters spectacularly. I think the problem is definitely with how the writer wrote the characters and how the director agreed to them being like that.
Music - 10, No discussions needed, it's a Perfect 10. The songs weren't even available on Spotify so I have to download it using a 3rd party website and I enjoy listening to it on repeat these days.
Rewatch Value - 7.5, Watching it once is enough. I don't wanna feel irritated by enduring those ridiculous scenes all over again. But if they've decided to do some revisions by cutting those scenes out, why not?
Overall - 8.5, I contemplated a little about this rating but I feel like it's the rightful and most justifiable score for this drama as a whole. It definitely isn't Bad and is only lacking in 3-4 aspects so does make it a Good drama for me.
IF you find my review helpful please let me know.
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Cute, simple and lovely love story
Islt is not like so called historical drama having very very strict rule against love story between rich and poor class people that you can make as your concubine but not a empressess .Just like CID/CIA based drama ,solving criminal cases along with it is story of girl who inspired by a words of a boy who proved her father innocence and left the hometown to seek for him actually he fall for him and his goodness.
All characters are good even those two who around the lead actor one of them told him defination of love.the one who played his brother's role also very good. Her fiance also very good little connect emotionally with this character.
And leads are the best they look so cute together and their love story also so cut .
Very light and simple drama
Who like love story must watch it .
Little funny too.
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Had potential to be better
This had so much potential to be better than what it is. It was a nice lighthearted series with romance and detective work but I feel like the second FL and ML had a better romance than the first FL and ML.The plot became boring near the end with uneccesary drama. There were moments when obvious signs were ignored in the plot which ruined a bit of the story given how smart the main characters are portrayed. Besides this, the OST was top notch and I really loved the male characters especially Duan Feng, Shao Feng and Da Cong(bless his heart).
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