I've watched enough dramas in my life at this point to know that they have a habit of falling apart, and the longer they are, the more chance there is of that happening. It's part of why I've always avoided longer dramas. I can't handle that level of investment if it's all just going to end in disappointment. I was wary going into Legally Romance, as 33 eps is way longer than what I typically am willing to watch. (16 or less is what I tend to stick with.) And at various points while watching, I was unsure how well the writers would be able to handle the story they had created. There are a lot of moving parts to this drama and a lot of elements that have to be done just right for the story to succeed.

And I'm happy to say that not only does Legally Romance succeed, it's also a damn good drama. Consistent from start to finish with absolutely wonderful characters, a use of law that actually makes sense (I mean, I understood the things they said, so that's already a plus), a very moving plotline involving family and loss and grief, two SWOONworthy romances, literally laugh-out-loud comedy, and so much cute I feel like the little girl and her stuffed animal from Despicable Me, I really can't offer up any complaints. I was unsure how they were going to make the transition from Qian Wei's dream world back to her real-life, as we spent a really long time in her dream-world, and if the story were going to fall apart somewhere that would definitely be the place for it to happen. Thankfully, they handled the transition very well, and you don't feel like you're suddenly watching a different drama.

I will admit that once we were brought back into the modern day, non-dream world, I had to make more of a conscious effort to stay invested in the story. The dream-world and the real world have very intentionally different tones, and I LOVED the tone of her dream-world. Qian Wei's dream-world is very colorful and fun and almost straight comedy. There's a lot of cute bickering and romantic development and character development and situational comedy, and it's all just so deliciously pleasant to watch. Her modern-day life, however, is a lot heavier with a lot of focus on law/business machinations, Qian Wei having to reckon with the fact that her dream world was only a dream world and her real-life could use some TLC, and some genuinely emotionally wrought situations. I do prefer Qian Wei's dream-world, but only because it was just so much fun. Both parts of the story are equally compelling and tightly plotted/written, and my preference is just that, a preference.

Speaking of law, it really felt like the laws they referenced and discussed were real laws in China. Whether they are actually followed or enforced is another matter, but they were realistic enough for me think the writers might have consulted with actual Chinese lawyers. I also couldn't help but wonder if the writers were subtly trying to raise Chinese citizens awareness to Chinese law, something I really appreciate if it's true.

And one last note, but I'm very surprised this drama got by the Chinese censors. There were so many references to foreign pop cultures, even a Japanese pop culture reference! I don't know how the writers got away with it, but they were really fun little asides, and I'm glad they put them in.

This is definitely a 10 out of 10 drama, and if you're curious to check it out, I would highly recommend.