Legally Romance (2022)

Twisted dream then reality based romance for teens

Its an odd drama, I both like and hate it. Perhaps because it targets a younger audience, teens to mid tweens so there is no realistic grey been good and bad.

There is a high degree of idealism with the legal system being a white horse and going the cliche route of vilifying the more grey aspects of it. A realistic view of it with witty interactions between defendants and prosecutors would have been more interesting but the plot used the cliche illegal countermeasures instead of the real nitty gritty law battles using law intricacies. Those might have worked in a gangster world but we are talking about a law firm and a corporate here, things can't be concluded by just dealing with the direct belligerents... I felt like the show downgraded to a 90s Indian film.

Romance is nothing phenomenal and is just OK. As per the known Chinese predicament, three is a reset after the fantasy part which spanned longer than half the drama.

This writer does the same thing they vilify in their story as some pitch black evil thing; going against the original intention/spirit behind a law. They play with the Chinese fantasy law's spirit by ending it early, using the same stories inside it as material for plot progression in real life, thus, legitimizing its existence and possibility.

For me, it really just went more of the same and by episode 27, I was bored out of my mind.

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I enjoyed every minute of this drama

This drama is captivating from beginning to end. It's important not to miss details...small things mean a lot. It'd be fun to watch it again to see what I missed the first time.

Things I liked:

1) Female lead. I liked her much better in this drama than in "To Fly With You" (can't seem to get past ep 29 in that skating drama...) I like when she breaks the 4th wall. She does a great job in this drama, playing herself in different ages convincingly.
2) Male lead. At first, I thought it was an interesting casting choice. It's still interesting, but interesting in a very good way. The actor is perfect for this role. He's very natural in it. After finishing the drama, you really can't imagine anyone else playing the ML.
3) Story. I like what if stories, but sometimes they can be done wrong. I like how the overall message reiterates that as much as you might want to live in the what if, reality is where you need to be and where you can make a difference.
4) Good handling of "others." I don't like dramas where the "others" are constantly trying to sabotage the mains' relationship. There might be some competition, but it's not petty.
5) Ending. Justice prevails, and there is hope. I like that.

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It's worth your time!

Yes, I know you're here to check if this is really worth watching for. And I can say, 100% of all who watched this will agree with me that this is worth your time! The chemistry between the two leads is on point! You cry when they cry, you laugh when they laugh, and your heart will skip a beat on their romantic scenes. It's like you're one with them. You can see it in their eyes. You can really feel that they had enjoyed their time filming this drama together -which in return would make the drama viewers enjoy their time watching too.

If you're in for a family, friendship, school, time-travel, and rom-com drama, then this is for you! I highly recommend it! Kudos to everyone who make this possible! ?? I'm so #proudtobehailang ?

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It’s never too late to start over

How many times have we watched dramas where the second male lead wishes he had met the female lead first? Or had confessed first? They always lament “if I had met her first or had made my move on her first then she would be with me now. I know I would have made her happy.” Well this drama starts out with that unique idea. The second male lead meets the female lead first then confesses and becomes her boyfriend right before the male lead is about to confess. But does meeting someone first or confessing first really make a difference? Is it all up to chance based on who meets who first or is there more involved? And if you meet the wrong person first and miss out on being with your ideal mate, can you go back and change things? Can it be fixed? I love the journey this drama takes us on as it explores the answers to these questions.

One thing that is important to take note of before you watch this drama is that you will be very confused as to what timeline the female lead is in during her coma if you don’t pay close attention. It switches between present events and past memories frequently. And since it’s all happening in the same college setting, her clothing and appearance is almost identical. The best way to tell the difference is in her appearance. During current events she has much shorter hair and her ponytail barely goes past her shirt collar. But in her memories of her past she has much longer hair and her ponytail trails down the middle of her back. So watch for her hair length. Shorter hair is current events and longer hair is memories of her past.

The storyline for this drama is very unique and interesting. In college the female lead is so focused on competing academically with the male lead that she never thinks of him as anything but a rival. Unfortunately this leads her to being in a long term relationship with the second male lead who is all wrong for her. He’s a nice guy but they don’t have the same goals or dreams in life. She ends up getting sidetracked by him and puts him and his needs above her own. Her grades, academic achievements, and career choices suffer because of it. So the drama starts out in the present time which is 10 years after the female lead met the male lead and the second male lead. She’s still in a relationship with the second male lead but is miserable and her life is a wreck. She’s regretting a lot of her life’s choices and wishes fervently that she could go back and do it all over again. It’s at this time that she is injured and goes into a coma. And during the coma she finds herself back in college. Her wish comes true and she gets to go back and correct all of the mistakes she made in the past.

I like the female leads personality. She’s not a pushover nor is she one of those cheerful happy little airheads either. She’s a very hardworking goal oriented person with very high moral standards. She has a very strong sense of justice and fights intensely for those in need. I like how it’s her life’s goal to make a difference in this world for the poor and the needy. Her biggest problem though is that she got sidetracked by love and made some very poor choices that had a huge negative impact on her life. To make matters worse, she doesn’t correct those mistakes so her life continues to go nowhere. But she finally realizes that it’s never too late to start over. She makes some tough choices but it’s for the best. Seeing her character grow and mature was a joy to watch.

The male lead was unique. He wasn’t some cold domineering CEO like you usually see in office romances which was refreshing. He’s been in love with the female lead for 10 years protecting her and taking care of her the best he can. But his pride and fear of losing her keeps him from ever confessing to her. On the outside he’s proud and confident. Yet on the inside he’s in constant turmoil as he worries over her and deals with his unrequited love. He’s a tortured soul that you can’t help but root for. So when he finally finds the courage to open his heart to her, I was very touched.

I like the the underlying theme this drama had. We often wish we could go back and correct all of our past mistakes. But that’s just a pipe dream, an impossibility. Dwelling on past mistakes that can’t be changed will only bring us down. Wiping the slate clean so to speak and starting over is a really tough choice, especially after investing 10 years into a relationship like in the female leads situation. But starting over romance and career wise was the best choice for her. Many others in the drama had to make similar choices and do what’s right which meant letting everything go and starting over. But in the end it was the best choice they had ever made. We often think it’s too late to start over but its never too late. So don’t dwell on the past but work on making a better future for yourself, even if it means having to wipe the slate clean and start from scratch.

The romance in this drama was pretty good. There were lots of very realistic kisses, hugs, and cuddles. You could also feel the emotional connection the leads had together. The analogy of how the right person is like a puzzle piece that fits perfectly into the right spot in your heart was so true. With the wrong person your life can go downhill really fast. But with the right person things flow so smoothly and you’re so much happier. Choosing the perfect mate for yourself makes a big difference in your overall happiness in life. This wasn’t a spicy drama romance wise but it was very sweet, cute, and endearing.

My only complaints would be that this is advertised as an office romance but two thirds of the drama is spent in a college setting. I felt like I was watching a college romcom, not an office romance, so the title and description are a bit misleading. So for that reason I took off a point. The other issue I had with this drama was the confusing jump from present time to the past. In both situations the female lead is wearing similar clothes and hairstyles and it’s in the same college setting. So I spent quite a bit of time trying to figure out where she was, past or present, and what was going on. A drama shouldn’t confuse it’s audience like that. So for this reason I deducted another point.

Overall I’d definitely recommend this drama. It has a very unique setting, it teaches a lesson, the romance is sweet, and the acting is superb. Just be aware that it’s a college romance the majority of the time and keep an eye on the female leads hair so you don’t get confused when she has flashbacks of her memories and you’ll be fine.

Spoilers ahead
(Was it all really just a dream?)

How do we know it was a dream and not a parallel universe or time traveling as some suggest? When the female lead comes out of her coma in episode 23 the title of the episode is “You And I Were In A Dream.” And from then on they consistently refer to it as her dreams. They never say she time traveled or was in a parallel universe. The doctor said it was normal to have very realistic dreams while in a coma. And when the female lead wakes up from her coma, she even says it was nothing but a sweet dream. Then episode 24 is entitled “The Gap Between Dreams and Reality.” She asked the doctor why she had dreams of stuff she had no knowledge of. The doctor said the nerve damage from her fall injured her brain. So while she was in the coma he told her family and friends to remind her of the past. This would help to trigger and activate the damaged neurons in her brain. They most likely told her of things that she didn’t know about or wasn’t aware had happened since they were speaking from their own personal experiences. Then these new tidbits of information were incorporated into her dreams. Which in turn drastically changed the choices she had previously made. Realizing that the male lead had been her protector, not her rival, made her choose him instead. Knowing that the second male lead would choose his career over love made her reject him. All of this helps her to realize that she needs to make some big changes in her life moving forward. Even though she can’t change the bad choices she made in the past she can make better choices for her future. So her comatose dreams were very helpful and helped her to grow as a person.

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best romcom of 2022 u wldnt want to miss

I watched pretty good amount of romcoms my entire life and I must say this is rly very hard to beat.. the story and plot is very unique I think many would expect the drama to be mainly about law but no, 2/3 of the show is about their University life~ which I love, I enjoy watching the interactions between ML and FL as well bec they have the kind of banter type of relationship so it wasn’t cringe for me esp towards the end when they got tgt heheh FL is also so pretty??? ? I feel like I laughed a good amount of times throughout the 33eps ?????? Nth too sad that will make u ball ur eyes out so it’s good

The drama is also about unrequited love at the start which I luv so much bec I feel like it’s the purest form of love. U can rly see how the ML loves FL without needing reciprocation. Not sure if it’s a spoiler but it’s a happy ending!! :) u don’t have to worry about being heartbroken

DEF WORTH A WATCH

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I had read the reviews raving about this drama and was quite excited to follow it. However as I had just finished watching Lighter and Princess, Legally Romance did not work for me. The basic plot held a lot of promise but the execution fell flat. The first half of the series which had Qian Wei reliving her school days was quite draggy with side plots which were boring. I wanted to give up but preserved to see whether there was merit to be discovered. The series only got a bit interesting in the middle episodes but the ending episodes were rather melodramatic (with schemes to murder included) and seemed to be incongruous with the earlier part of the series and especially with a light romance. The story had little tension and I could not detect the CP between the leads. The best part of the series was Qian Wei's relationship with her father and how she came to terms with her father's death by returning to the past to bid farewell. Furthermore I just could not get past the ML's haircut. Now if only the ML had been played by Chen Feiyu or Wang Anyu.............

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The chemistry and story was amazing.

This was so much better than I could have expected. I was so captivated, interested from the first episode to the last. I haven't watched a drama like that in so long. Every episode was interesting, it truly felt like i was finally watching something new. I got to 33 episodes without realizing it, like this is new for me. I usually don't like lengthy modern drama, but i could have watched some more of this show. It was very well written, the acting was great, the chemistry was on point, the couple was just perfect together. Everything was wrapped up well. Not much angsty scenes at all. It truly is probably the best of my 2022 so far.

What I also liked about this show is the leads, when they were in law school and after, the way they were emerged in their roles was very interesting to see, the legal terms and everything they said pertaining to the law, they did a great job, they definitely came of as they knew what hey were talking about, many times you watch a law show or doctor and it somehow doesn't get integrated well, but this show the actors, romance and story was well written and put together. Even the story of second leads, i usually don't go for second couple but everything was interesting and well written. I will definitely miss this show and i usually never say stuff like that.

Maybe because my expectations was quite low, but i usually don't go into shows with a high expectations, this one definitely supercede what i thought it would be like. Thumbs up ? ? ? ❤

Edit:
I forgot to mention that the SML Li Chong Wen the actor Garvey Jin, I've seen him in second lead roles and lead roles, in my opinion this was his best role yet and his acting didn't make me cringe at all. Thought he needed a S/O ?

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Heart warming, Cute, AMAZING!

okay so being frank I want expecting anything from this drama but this drama just blew my mind out.
This drama don't have any cliche moments .
finished watching the drama 3 days ago. The most important thing about this drama is that you find yourself in a different world. The characters next to you, as if real, as if you can touch them. Full immersion in a romantic atmosphere, in naive youthful love, in the love of parents, in the beauty of almost every scene. I still feel the aftertaste of this drama. It's interesting, it's beautiful and fun. I am very happy to see the new level of Huang Zi Tao's acting. Favorite artist improves, becomes a professional - the pleasure of the drama is twice as much!
I just loved how the critters fooled us two times with their confession to each other .
The quality of their chemistry, acting - fooling around each other, making mature decisions, caring about each other was just dope.
I even cried when the FL's dad died I was emotional .
This series is totally different from the usual plot of a typical drama, the story is well-written, the turns were unexpected, and it keeps giving us surprises in every episode. ADMIT IT, the ending was also different from what you were thinking, but it sure was A LOT BETTER than what we had in mind.hihi. This so far is the best series for this year 2022.

KUDOS TO THE WHOLE PRODUCTIONS TEAM, from the actors, writers, and director; ya'll did a great job!

Now that it ended, what are we supposed to do? Shall we wait for Season 2? Or wait for ZTAO's other drama..ahhckkkk..i still can't get over this series.....

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A different time travel romance

I was really taken by this thrilling drama which took us high in the Ferris wheel and low in the hidden haunts of modern criminals, and back and forth in space and time to sweep away the misunderstandings that pushed Qian Wei into her first 2022 predicaments.
This story was very satisfying for me and I enjoyed the mix of modern real life, "long gone" past of 2011, and a dash of mystery, even magic with the destiny changing ring, "seeing" the future and use the warnings to avoid disasters despite events sometimes being unavoidable.
Song Zu'er, playing the shrewd staccato fire talking lawyer's paralegal and Z.Tao the star lawyer of the firm, with his unmistakable deep voice, are very good actors; the rest of the cast did not put their work to shame.
It was not a mere love story, though, and it was interesting to learn about the evolution of some laws and regulations in China from 2011 to present day, and Chinese college of law life where the students competed for first place, debated, participated in community work, amateur theater, were hired by law firms, worked on intellectual property cases and less obvious ones; and also how justice was served and how criminals were sentenced.
There were a lot of twists in the sub plots that ,ever strayed too far from the main story. The aspirations of the characters were varied, in the field of law but also business, music, media producing... There was food for thought including about food!
The OST is of course very good, with songs penned by Z.Tao.
So even though it was 33 episodes long, it was not boring and the end could even have been spinned further for the ones who, well hooked on this drama, were relunctant to see it come to an end after having been kept on tenterhooks for the best part of the last few episodes until today.
Now, I'll move to rewatch for the small details that were unavoidably missed!

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