The Best Partner (2019)

This is my first time writing one of these, I apologise if it is rough.

The one thing I can promise you is that should you watch it, you'll find it hard to dislike any of the non-villainous characters. It is also important to note that there isn't an arc or end per se, the format is episodic and very 'plot-of-the week-y'. Your fondness for the characters is what is meant to keep you watching. As I am very fond of the characters, I did not mind this. So although the story isn't epic, it is not boring either. Certain aspects, especially the slow-motion cuts were, laugh out loud funny moments for me.

I can't praise the cast enough. They were all superb. Lyric Lan, in particular, shines as Dai Xi. I also appreciated certain character touches from the costumiers, for example, Dai Xi's fashion starts off urban casual: sneakers and blazers. But under the influence of her co-staff and an in-show use of her boss's credit card, she goes up-street over the course of the show. It was an attention to detail I appreciated.

I understand that the episodic format isn't for everyone, but honestly, this was one of the few Asian dramas where I did not tune off at some point due to heavy padding. Not that they were immune, as the season wound down, flashbacks galore ensued. Annoying.

All in all, this has my seal of approval. >>>Suits. Sue me!

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Edit: now i am seriously disappointed with this and i wasted my time on this drama.
It looked really promising but till the end it didn’t even justify the title of the drama.

Ending looked rushed, no absolutely no character development. The writer was high on something while writing each episode. None of us interested in such in -depth law knowledge but it was forced down to our throat.

It started with a bang and afterwards just failed to attract.

I am honestly really disappointed with this drama.

What a waste of time!

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When i was watching the original Suits i always used to think what if Mike would have been a girl. How the story would have turned into? Watching best partner is like watching Suits all seasons in one go.

I absolutely loved the cast. Everyone is doing such a brilliant performance. What I don’t like is the way everything is moving so fast. Story changes with every episode which is kinda annoying. Daixi and meifi relationship was not explored much and suddenly they broke up. Absolutely no reaction from Daixi was shown which is quite difficult to digest after her breakup.

LiNa is an interesting character but since she is not a main lead n her love is one sided thats what I believe for now. I have issues with the less screen time of the two main leads. They look so beautiful together, the way they contradict each other at the same time suit each other. I always left with this feeling why there is so less screen time between these two. Zero romance but i am hoping just like any Chinese drama slow burn romance things will change in upcoming episodes, if it don’t than i will be very disappointed.

I am on ep 18 now and i loved the way things are moving ofcourse i skipped most of the unnecessary law scenes in each episode. I just hope the two main leads will get more screen time together and a little romance. If that happens this show is a BIG HIT. ?

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I'm not a technical reviewer just a plain drama viewer. I enjoyed this drama. It is, IMHO, an intellectual drama and I guess that's why I liked it. Granted there doesn't appear to be much high drama but there were interesting sub-plots that were always popping in and out. Granted also, there isn't much character development but that didn't bother me as the story to me was about everyday people's stories. For me, as an American, I was very interested in the real life events of people's lives and how Chinese law works on their behalf and in society. I think the character Da Xi is the most interesting character in the drama and as a woman with some fashion sense, I loved Li Na, her wardrobe, her cool, collected, and knowledgeable attitude. After all, she is "Li Na". There were instances where I cried and I laughed. I liked this drama.

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Hard pass

Maybe my taste are changing but I found this series very uninteresting. I honestly feel that it’s not a “pull you in” type of series. Each episode felt like a stand alone episode with no significant connection to the previous one. No excitement, mystery or chemistry.
In terms of the story I honestly felt like there was no story. What I saw was many episodes of Lawyer talk and client complaints and concerns. There was no plot or anything remotely taking place that seem to tie into the title of the series itself “best partner..” The series is titled best partner so naturally I assumed that the series was about someone finding their mate or someone that found someone that is so compatible with them they know that this is just it. I would’ve loved for there to have been a connection between someone or anyone for that matter in terms of partners but up to episode 36 I still have no idea who the best partner is and there are only 46 episodes. The supporting cast who I can only say is the secretary appears to get just as much screen time if not more as the main lead of the series. The supporting leads face is all over the place and I have to tell you after watching so many episodes she has become famous for swaying her hips aka catwalking. It also appears that the directors or whoever decide on what the cast wears gave more attention to the supporting lead in her wardrobe than they did with the main lead. They consistently had the secretary a.k.a. supporting female lead dressed up fancy and attractive while they left the female lead wearing just random things. It just seems like something wasn’t right. It just feels like another season of “law and order” without all of the serious crimes of course. Each episode brought on a different issue or a different client so don’t get your hopes up on trying to establish a relationship with any one person. There are consistent members in the series and those people are the cast members who are most likely been highlighted as the stars of the show. There is one possible love interest and one we’re really not certain of. Up to this point the male lead has shown no interest in the female lead at all other than recognizing that she is smart. All the women appear to be smart so no worry about the naive female floating around.
The acting of all cast members have been good.
The music is OK. There is a consistent upbeat tune that plays whenever we are to assume something big just happened however it is usually nothing big so the music just doesn’t work. At least not for me it’s sort of like playing music for a grand entrance and there’s no one to enter. This one is definitely not on my rewatch list. The truth is it’s not awful but because of how it was scripted you will really not get a sense of attachment for any character. Although you won’t hate them you won’t really care what happens to them either because you really don’t see a connection with any of them. At least for me it was hard to try to find a connection with the individual and what they are going through. Even the relationships were not very clear so you really couldn’t hope for anyone to get together or say “oh, they would make a cute couple.” Chemistry most certainly did not make an appearance which is also why this is on my will not watch again list. Even if the directors decide to build a relationship in the last 8 episodes it is far too late for someone to like anyone or to say that anyone has an amazing chemistry in that short amount of time. It’s just a big no for me. There is no real insight into the leads past or interest. He just says lawyer stuff arrogantly and people get stumped. Again the acting was great but a series without a plot is aanh. Hard past!

Great acting-yes
Chemistry- no
Good plot- no
Action-no
Excitement-no
Mystery yes/no
Romance-no
Revenge -no
Plotting- yes
Intelligent- yes
Drama- not really
Legal-yesss

If you really feel up to a legal drama, try lawless lawyer instead but a series without a plot is aanh. Hard past!

Great acting-yes
Chemistry- no
Good plot- no
Action-no
Excitement-no
Mystery yes/no
Romance-no
Revenge -no
Plotting- yes
Intelligent- yes
Drama- not really
Legal-yesss

If you really feel up to a legal drama, try lawless lawyer instead.

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Underrated, hilarious legal drama

I stumbled upon this drama by accident and I'm glad I did, because this entertained me and made me laugh a lot more than I expected. This drama does not have a major plot that aims to take down an "ultimate" villain, but it does have several "villains" that the lawyers deal with. It does not have a ridiculous, far-fetched painful backstory that tortures the male lead. It does not have over-the-top unrealistic plot devices that portray lawyers as superheroes or super rebels against the organisation that gave them a job. Rather, this drama is made up of realistic everyday life cases that stack up for the lawyers to work through. It is a workplace slice-of-life drama ala a legal firm setting.

The male lead is Luo Bin (portrayed by Jin Dong), a lawyer who finds almost everything other than work and winning cases a colossal waste of time. He is the ace of Quan Jing. Dai Xi (portrayed by Lan Ying Ying) is a genius at law - she knows the law like the back of her hand, but lacks a formal qualification. Because of an incident during her law school years, she dropped out and never obtained her degree. Like 9/10 dramas out there, male and female leads do not get along at the beginning, but they eventually begin to respect and understand each other's point of view, and grow together in their profession. There were some playful moments between the leads, but it didn't achieve the outcome I would have liked. The drama also takes us on rides into their personal lives, their past experiences, their families, romances, and the little things that mould the characters into who they are. If this drama has a Season 2, I would definitely watch it -- but I doubt it. In my opinion, this drama is way better than Suits (both the English and South Korean version) and many other legal dramas out there .

Dialogues are fast-paced, the actors and actresses are impressive at their roles, and the "friendship" between Luo Bin and He Sai can be hilarious and enraging at the same time - depending on whose side you choose to take. This drama is for those who are truly interested in knowing about how the law works in the real world. It examines the thought processes and ethical side of different lawyers, and how the lawyers choose to use the law to defend their clients. The law can be used to defend the rich and powerful, or it can be used to help the poor and vulnerable.

As the lawyers grow as people, their empathy and mindsets influence the way they choose to defend their clients. This is a drama that made me laugh a lot and I cannot stress that enough. That being said, I find it a pity that the drama has many subtitling issues. Many things have been lost in translation, and some subtitles are just outright wrong.

The drama also suffers from several scriptwriting hiccups. Most of the cases involved their friends and family, so it was as if almost every single character in the drama has come in trouble of the law and their only options were either Quan Jing (the main law firm in the drama) or Long Ke (the rival law firm in the same building). It's unrealistic. The female lead, Dai Xi, having been employed without a degree and having to hide that fact from HR for all 42 episodes of the show - is also unrealistic. The male lead, Luo Bin, who had been the drama's most "normal" and consistent character, acted inconsistently in the final episode. But of course, that inconsistency was waved away and quickly explained in passing. I just feel hat the final two episodes leave much to be desired.

Nevertheless, I would still recommend this drama. If you understand Chinese, and if intellectual, realistic legal dramas are your cup of tea, I definitely recommend this.

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