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Legally Romance chinese drama review
Completed
Legally Romance
9 people found this review helpful
by JulesL
May 23, 2022
33 of 33 episodes seen
Completed
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.0
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 8.0

Love Me for Me , Not for What I Have Done for You

There are already many reviews, but I felt compelled to add mine so that it can show up on people's radar again and hopefully get more viewers to watch this gem of a show. So here's my short review highlighting why this show deserves some notice.

1) Great acting all around - kudos to the casting director since everyone truly delivered!
Our lead actors, Zi Tao as Lu Xun and Song Zu Er as Qian Wei, have such great chemistry. They paired off so well and comfortably as our main couple that most of the time, I felt that they were not even following a script, and instead they were ad-libbing. TBH, I was not expecting much from either one, and with Zi Tao being a singer, I thought it would be more of an idol drama. However, these two completely surprised me with their talent. They pulled off the more emotional scenes well and can also do comedy.

The only idol-like part was perhaps Zi Tao's hairstyles - not sure how I feel about it, LOL

Overall, the dynamics among all the cast members were terrific, and their interactions were so organic that I could feel the love, warmth, and camaraderie among the different characters. Watching Qian Wei's family and Lu Xun's parents was time well spent, and their colleagues, especially Lao Tao, the boss at their law firm, were hilarious. Qian Wei's sismance with Liu Shi Yun and Mo Zi Xin was heart-warming, and I love that Qian Wei and Zi Xin did not let any boy get in the way of their friendship.

No SLS for me but I did feel for Li Chong Wen, the SML - his backstory was touching and his actions while condemnable, were also understandable. Garvey Jin was a little stiff at times, but he did a good job portraying our suffering SML who tried to regain his true dream and self in the end.

2) Well-written script - This show was comedy, romance, and drama done well. The show swung from romantic to dramatic to funny quickly and smoothly, keeping the entertainment level high throughout. It was lovely but not too light, fun but not too fluffy with poignant and emotional parts dealing with love and loss that touched my heart and made me tear up. From Lu Xun's and Qian Wei's points of view, inspiring messages were delivered throughout the show.

For a story that was partly based on a college romance, there were little silly childish drama and filler scenes. Without the unnecessary drama, the show is a great stress-less option when you just want to relax and enjoy the sweetness of a non-cringey romance with some legal cases and action thrown. There were times I wanted to shake Lu Xun for being so obstinate about his "concept of love" - doing so much for Qian Wei because he was in love with her but not wanting her to love him for all that he had done. However, I admire his wanting for a visceral love, for Qian Wei to love him just because of him, not because of his actions. Isn't that what dramaland true love should be about?

Perhaps some side stories like the one about the SML and antagonists were watered down, but the resolution or outcomes were still realistic and nicely played out. Not only that, the dialogue was witty, and the comedy was on point.

3) Enjoyable music - seriously, the soundtrack is delightful! Each piece fit the scene and added to the mood or emotion appropriately. For posterity, I have included the soundtrack below.

Overall, I highly recommend this drama. Do give it a try!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5IAxJacwUM
Fate 命中注定 - Wu Yonghuan 巫咏欢
Fragments 碎片 - Gao Jialang 高嘉朗
Hear the Inner Voice 听见内心的声音 - Zhang Muxi 张沐溪
It’s You for the Rest of My Life 余生都是你 - Huang Zitao 黄子韬
We Are Not Together 我们没有在一起 - Liu Ruoying 刘若英
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