The cast is slightly altered and as opposed to the arch nemesis Miki in the first season, we gain the pretty boy Hanyu who will challenge Komikado in court.
The drama is still very charming and hilarious. Komikado is his over the top satirical self that still captivates you through the whole season. The writing is decent and is still comedically very strong, however, let's get down to the flaws. Some events felt ill planned and made the script feel just a tad loose. I'm a fan of plot twists when done right but this left me a little underwhelmed and felt quite forced. It felt like a "hey, let's connect shit and make it look like we planned it all along." Yeah, it just wasn't riveting.
Furthermore, I felt the legal and philosophical aspects in this drama were not as crisp as the first season. Especially, in regards to Hanyu's character. His goal is to make everyone happy through law but I expected the drama to tackle that issue more creatively. I mean really what the hell does that even mean? It may sound like a dumb question but I have to hold myself back on going on a rant of what exactly happiness is if not bursts of temporary feelings induced by different things. Should we use a utilitarian perspective to determine happiness? I digress, but really, most of the time, Hanyu's happiness philosophy made me want to throw my hands up. It eventually just made me accept his philosophy as nothing more than a word. After all, to create a utopia, you must first understand and define what exactly a utopia is. Nonetheless, let's let that slide.
I really liked the growth of both Komikado and Mayuzumi but it wasn't enough. I still lust after Komikado's personal history and should there be another season, I really hope we get more than crumbs about his history. In fact, it was one of the things, I really wish was touched upon in the first season more. I want that history! However, in terms of Mayuzumi, I felt her character developed the most. She becomes clearer about what her goals are and is much stronger in court.
Nonetheless, this drama still makes me anticipate another season because the characters still remain very well done. While the plot is not as solid as the first season, it is still very decent. I still marvel at the ability of the writers to consistently be humorous yet very strong. I look forward to another season.
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The first one was funny, but Legal High 2 had me rolling. I'm still laughing just thinking about it. Not only that, but I felt the message much more deeply this time around. Love ugliness, that's what Komikado told Hanyu, the idealistic "antagonist" this season, if you wish to truly change the world. I couldn't agree more. Mayuzumi's desperate need to always search for and find the truth is truly admirable to me. And all the characters are so adorable this season i can't even handle it. I've never shipped a pairing so hard in a jdrama before (Komimayu), and it's really so much fun.
Legal High 2 is a bit ridiculous, and it has it's problematic moments. Like there was this one instance that I just couldn't get over, but the drama is so enjoyable and it's message overall is a good one, so I chose to ignore that little hiccup. Komikado's antics this season were enough for me to recommend this drama to others, but his truth bombs that he be spittin left and right is my favorite thing about Legal High 2. And, of course, Mayuzumi's growth and development. I really need a third season. I usually dislike sequels, but this is definitely one of the better ones. I highly recommend this drama. Please, please watch it. I promise you'll be entertained if nothing else.
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All the characters were a fortitude of awesomeness, Komikado Kensuke was amazing, annoying, intelligent and a complete dick-but you can't help loving him.
Hanyu Haruki (Okada Masaki) was delightful, quirky, and a unique character that you don't see often enough.
Legal High 2 has made me see the world in a new and fun light.
I've learnt that there is no such thing as winning or losing, or a win-win situation. We should accept the ugly and the beautiful, and always aspire to do our best, and never be defeated. :)
Can't wait to watch the first Legal High!!!!!
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Some parts may be a bit hard to digest for eg. how he manages to sit with his feet up even during a Supreme Court trial, or that the judges allow Komikado and his opponents to engage in long verbal and sometimes hilarious duels. It is nonetheless equal parts suspense and comedy.
What works for it mostly is the protagonist's unwavering in his ideal that the truth doesn't matter - it's the money. You may even end up buying into that philosophy because all throughout the series the writers keep justifying why it is a better one even if it is admittedly flawed.
Hanyu on the other hand has the unenviable role of playing a loving antagonist. He keeps smiling and spouting his philosophy of "win-win." The writers had to make him an anti-hero who had huge flaws that were ultimately torn down, and this ultimately felt like a bit of a let-down.
The climax felt a bit ridiculous with how Komikado and Mayuzumi managed to get themselves re-instated through a rigged trial. But all in all it seems to work out well.
Watch it for some sharp writing and brilliant acting as well. This show has an appropriate rating and definitely has re-watch value. You won't find any slow moments though some of the clichéd emo-music parts are typical J-drama fare.
Watch out for the surprise twist at the end.
Watch, laugh and recommend to others. LOVE AND PEACE!
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Just my personal opinion.
There is a saying in Saudi Arabia, "Sequels are not always good. Just because you liked a thing for the first time, does not guarantee that you will like it for the second time too."Having really liked the first season of Legal High, I was kinda happy to see that there is a second season waiting for me. I mean I enjoyed the banters of eccentric Komikado, asadora heroine Mayuzumi and Miki firm trio along with the lovely Hattori-san and Ranmaru so much that despite belonging to the anti-sequel cult, I decided to watch jump upon the chance and continue the fun ride. Yes, it was a bad decision.
I mainly had 2 problems. First was the repeated stupidity for the sake of Komikado's winning streak. Now I know that it is exactly what makes this show and it's ultimate charm but honestly what was interesting and fun in the first season became kinda dull and boring in the second season. The way logic was completely thrown away in some of the cases was just painful to watch and endure. You already know that everything is a set-up by Komikado and everyone else is just plain stupid. And let me tell you being in the same field yourself doesn't helps at all.
The second and the main reason was Mayuzumi's character. It felt like she got all the negative traits of Komikado and Hanyu while being her annoying self. In the first season, Mayuzumi was this self righteous and justice oriented character who, although a bit cliché, formed an interesting duo with the contrasting Komikado. This made their banters really fun and their dynamics were just perfect. But in the next season she felt really different to me. She still had the self righteous traits in her but all the while she was becoming more and more like Komikado. So she did all types things while being her preachy and annoying self. It's like she had completely lost her goal and was just a tool to highlight Komikado's shenengians. Moreover, Komikado became a complete womaniser and honestly some scenes were really cringe.
Let me mention though, there were things I also liked. Unpopular opinion, but I enjoyed Hanyu's character. He was a nice addition and his vague and far-fetched morals formed an interesting combination with moral less Komikado. His ideals were both good and dangerous (as highlighted in the 5 th ep and the Ando Kiwa case) and brought about how ambiguous goals can lead to bad outcomes and no one should be responsible for deciding one's happiness.
I also really liked the cases in ep.3 and ep8. They were a perfect example of human hypocrisy and greed and how one should be accountable for their own desires. Moreover, Judge Beppu, although really random, was an intriguing character and her interactions with the rest of the characters were fun.
It is not that I hated the show. I still enjoyed it and I will still recommend it to the fans of first season. But it's just that somethings are enjoyable only to a certain limit and more than that can be a bad experience for some people.
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