I really thought people were exaggerating, but unfortunately they screwed up everything on final episodes. The only thing that was outstanding in this drama was the mature and understanding relationship between the main leads. They always solved everything through talking to each other but in the last 4 episodes the writers just thought were a good idea changing this amazing couple dynamic. It made no sense that Yang Hua, who always were straightforward about his feelings, simply not being able to answer QS twice when she asks who he would choose between her and Yao Yao.
Then, instead of talking about the problem, YH just came with the stupid jealousy game to make QS come around with her feelings, he even let her thinking he was that boy's father. That was so out of character and the last no sense was that reunion. YH wanted her to admit and tell that she love him but in the end they get together and she still never confesses her feelings. That separation seemed so meaningless. I feel the writing was just messy, a lot was obviously cut and the end was completely unsatisfying. It's a shame because even though I skipped a lot, until episode 34 the drama was good and the main leads romance was one of the best I ever saw. Yang Hua is simply a perfect man, so precious, I will just keep this in my memories and forget that stupid end.

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So cute and funny

This drama is a comedy, I don't understand how there are so many people that can't get this and keep complaining about no historical accuracy or that the characters behave in a absurd and unbelievable way for royal standarts. You see, this is a comedy, absurdity is a great part of this genre as well as overacting and misunderstandings. And I loved how the humour was in the whole show, it's very common for cdramas start very humorous and suddenly change its climate and becomes very dramatic. In The Legendary Life of Queen Lau we don't have this, even in dramatic moments there is much comedy, the drama is light and fun from start to end.Even the controversy about the costumes I think are not valid at all because the story takes place in a fictional kingdom, with a lot of anachronical customs and technology, the mix of styles is something that I don't think it cause weirdness.
The romance part could have been better, but I don't feel that this would discredit the drama. I'm very used to japanese dramas that have very little to none kisses and skinship, so I didn't found so strange the couple's lack of intimacy. Actually, I found they were very intimate, always hugging, holding hands and showing affection even without kisses. Differently from some I didn't feel that the Emperor was suddenly in love, it was very gradual and we can see his interest in her growing, the dreams and daydreams he have about her are so sweet and funny.
I loved all characters but the Queen is the indeed the owner of the drama! She can be considered ugly but her self esteem and confidence are beyond amazing. I became a Jackie Li fan and already want to see new projects of her.

There are a lot of editing problems and messy plots but this is sooo common in cdramas so I'm already used to it XD

My conclusion:
It is a amazing drama, very light and funny that made feel very happy and smile almost all the time. If you start it having in mind that this is a comedy first, a romance later and palace drama never, if you stop keep searching for logic and understand that the lack of logic is part of the fun, I think you will enjoy as much as I did.

PS: I really hope there will have another season with more antics, craziness and love between the queen and her husband! And who knows, even a child. I would love this so much XD

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I'm too lazy to write a proper review but I want to register my opinion:
Wow, what a lovely drama!!! I liked from the beginning to the ending, probably the most natural couple I've seen in a cdrama. They talk to each other about their feelings, they kiss, they have sex.
I didn't see much problem at the last 3 episodes, maybe felt a little rushed, but I prefer this than a dragged drama. The proposal was beautiful.
No villain, no evil parents, no love triangles, no silly misunderstandings, no break ups and what I think I liked the most: no secundary couples! For me in the majority of cdramas the secundary couples are very much unnecessary and sometimes annoying and I tend to skip their scenes. In this drama I didn't skip nothing. Simply adorable and enjoyable.

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Cute couple, silly humor and lots of fun

I was probably one of the few who loved this drama so much. It's really silly, shallow and even childish, but it's a lot of fun. It's a light-hearted drama with slapstick humor that's good for distracting yourself without thinking too much.
ML and FL are very cute together, both have shortcomings and aren't the most intelligent people, so to speak hahahaha
In my humble opinion, this is probably the FL most wronged by the public on this site that I've seen so far. A lot of people hating on her for whatever she did but I realize that no one ever tries to see her side. She's a teenager (it's not said how old she is, but I don't think she's older than 15 or 16) who's been pampered and protected by her family all her life, she acts very much like a teenager: she doesn't want to be bossed around, she doesn't care much about anything that doesn't revolve around her, she's inconsequential, impulsive and thinks she can do whatever she wants. If you see her for what she is, a teenager who wants to avoid an arranged marriage at all costs, you won't find the things she does so absurd or evil.
And unlike what many people thought, it's clear to me how much she's grown over the course of the drama.
The pace of the story is really strange, there are many episodes with FL still infatuated with SML, from the rhythm it seems that it would be a drama with about 50 episodes. The revelations and solutions to the problems were accumulated for the last 6 episodes, which ended up being a bit rushed.
In short, a cute main couple with a lot of chemistry, especially when it comes to comedy. By the way, the actor who plays ML is extremely charismatic. I also liked the friendship between FL and SFL. It's just SML who's so dull, always looking constipated and gloomy.
Finally, I suggest you ignore the low ratings and harsh comments and try to watch it and come to your own conclusions.

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I'm just writing this review because I see this is a very underrated drama.
I simply love this kind of story where normal people accidentally commit a crime and get caught in a spiral of shit as they try to conceal their guilt and get involved with real big criminals. Actually this drama reminds me a lot of Fargo but without the the dark humor.
This short length format really benefits the story, no boring moments, only what's relevant. I wish more cdramas would use this format.
The acting is very good, very on point, Qin Hao is a excellent actor. People say The Long Night is the sequel to Burning Ice but this Yan Liang is a completely different character with a completely different personality.
Cinematography is great and I liked that there was no dialogues preaching moral lessons as is very, very common in crime cdramas. We see through all that happens that crime doesn't pay and one can't hide the truth forever, we don't need anyone saying this. This way the viewer's intelligence is not offended and the screenplay becomes richer.

My conclusion
If you like crime stories just ignore the relatively low rating in this site and watch this great drama.

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Flaws, clichès and some very powerful moments

This drama starts as a whodunit. Unreliable narrator and many sides of a story told through the view of different people is something I like very much, but the second half we see the drama is less a mystery and more a sad story with a strong social commentary. By ep 10 it was already obvious the suicide and that everybody was working together trying to taking down that scum. The pedophilia, domestic violence, rape are very strong themes but somehow I felt it could had been better worked.
Differently from many I think the drama could have less episodes. They spent too much time showing too meticulously the characters background stories that in the end were almost all lies and felt like fillers because they showed things to us that were not said by the characters and even these were lies just to mislead us what I don't think makes sense, it seemed a lazy write device.
Many things doesn't make sense, like the the blackmailing using photos of abused children as if its disclosure would be worst for the victims than the criminal. For god's sake if you possess photos of abused children you are automatically incriminating yourself, even if they couldn't proof he was the culprit he was the adult responsible for them! They would never be the wrong ones in this situation.
Many things in this drama are too frustrating, like, why they never recorded that man's threats? They never tried to get proofs?
I think the more frustrating of all is that int the end the abuser won. It's showed almost as a happy ending but he had it all. He destroyed the lives of the mother and the children and ultimately the victim that was abused her entire life had to die to him finally go to jail! The doctor's carreer was destroyed, the brother lost his memtal health
and his sister that was the most important person in his life, all the neighbors gone to jail even if for a short period.
As a cdrama, it's only approved by the censorate if in the end the law is served and no culprit of any crime goes unpunished, this spoils any chance of a good story of revenge or scheming for justice, because this drama would be much better if they had united with a good plan and sent that scum to hell and managed to keep the truth hidden.

As a good thing I can say I liked the women protecting and helping each other. I liked the feminist points even though the discourse was clichè. I don't know how to explain but I felt that many serious themes in this drama were showed in a way just... shallow. The two detectives seem a caricature most of the time. I really think the writing was lacking in some aspects.

This is a drama worth to watch but is far from a masterpiece, in my opinion. Has a lot of flaws but also some very powerful moments.

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This is NOT a BL drama

Be warned that this is NOT a BL drama! This way you won't be disappointed and post hateful comments because you don't like the fact that the ML and the FL can end together.

I saw so many hate towards the FL and when I ended the drama my thought was "we watched the same drama??" I just loved Youming! She is brave, smart, determined and will do everything to protect Lu Yao, who is a genius but lazy, weak and coward. They are perfect together. I just loved the three leads, their friendship. I've already watched a numberless of detective dramas, series etc, and for me, the protagonists and their dynamics are almost more important than the cases and My Roommate is a Detective delivered both: very likable characters and enjoyable cases.
The drama has its flaws but overall is very funny and a I think you should give a chance if you like detective stories.

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I finished this very uncomfortable to watch dorama. The FL is so unlikable, she seems a absolutely empty person: no personality, no backbone, no friends, no talents, no brains, no common sense. She thinks she can't live without a man.
The dorama makes a social commentary on the social pressure on women to marry and have children, about this mentality that a woman is incomplete without a husband and children. This may be part of what made the protagonist so pathetic but in anyway justify her actions.
She is a completely fucked up person and this is clearly shown already in the beginning when she smells that boy's neck. Only a fucked up mind would remotely consider she would have any future in a "relationship" with a 15 old boy.
I completely disagree with people here saying the dorama makes apology to an adult making sex with a minor. It's said several times that she was committing a crime and more important: it's shown how screwed was all that situation. The boy obviously wasn't mentally mature to take the situation and we see how broken he became.
The scene where she goes to his school and sees him playing with his friends is so uncomfortable, it's so absurd she thought she would have a place there... again, completely fucked up.
At the same time I don't see the dorama making apology to the FL actions that happy end didn't seem right at all, because that fucked up woman fucked up that boy's life and mind and in the end everything was ok and I was like "wtf, I can't believe it will end this way". It ended that way.
One last reminder: this is not a romance, it is a story about a fucked up woman who screwed a boy's life because of lust. If you are overly sensitive don't watch.

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I saw so many people complaining about the end but I was like "can't be that bad" but turned out that it is very very bad XD
Until the last arc the drama is truly outstanding! I didn't feel bored at all, loved the chemistry, loved the FL that is strong, intelligent and not childish, loved the feminist touch with women's place in society being constantly questioned. Cinematography, acting, music, costume... everything so above the average. But the last arc was so stupid as a whole, I don't know what happened with the writers, why did they come with such dumb resolution to a good story.
But I have to say, I don't regret watching and I think you should try too, the end may be ridiculous but the whole path to it is very good, very enjoyable. All in all is a watch worthy drama.

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Unexpected good!

This drama was a pleasant surprise for me. I wasn't expecting anything, in fact I was expecting something very cliché but it was totally different. No villain, no obsessed SML, no annoying SFL trying to separate the couple, no parents wanting to rule their daughter's life, no jealous co-worker, no stupid disagreements... just a lovely romance with likeable, fun characters. Although the romance is not "hot" but more youthful and innocent, it is very sweet to see the main couple, totally cute. I loved SFL, so mature and determined and FL's mother always supporting her daughter. All in all, a drama that made me smile and made me cry. It's so good when we don't expect anything but receive everything. ☺️

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Worth for the unintentional comedy only

I'm really surprised with those positive reviews and comments, I feel like I just watched another drama. Seriously, this was very bad in all aspects: horrible acting, horrible dubbing, horrible music, ridiculous editing and transitions, plot full of holes and absurds. Everything looks so amateur that I could think it was made by college students.
It's sad because the general idea is good, could have been a great drama if it was done right.

I have to say that from episode 10 to the end things become much more interesting and I laughed so hard with the unintentional comedy, especially with the faces the abusive husband does, widening eyes, overacting all the time. The kind of thing that is so bad that makes a turn and becomes entertaining because of the ridiculousness! ?

If I recommend? I would say you should see for yourself and make your own conclusions because as you can see here this drama seems to be hit or miss thing, a love or hate, so maybe you should give a try. ?

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Better than a lot of western series of similar genre.

I must say this is better than a lot of western series of similar genre. This drama is very fast paced, so much happening in every episode and I didn't feel bored any moment. I liked the concept and the mix of themes although the plot being predictable many times the development can keep us interested.
The acting is good but unfortunately the dubbing drag the dramatic moments down taking away most of its weight.
In terms of acting the highlight to me is Dai Xu, he impressed me a lot! The first I saw him was on A Dream of Splendor where he plays a dumb man-child and seeing he on Last one Standing just blowed my mind, he is a excellent actor. And his character is far more interesting than the ML because of the duality. ML is just plain good, lawful good and this become irritating sometimes. I prefer more ambiguous characters.

Things that I found problematic
- the unnecessary repetition of the same flashbacks over and over
- the romance was cringy and seemed forced. I didn't ship ML and FL even for a second LOL
- they spent 4 months eating few little pieces of that biscuit a day and still there was almost any fight for food and anyone seemed physically affect by all this time of malnutrition. The hungry factor and competition for food is one of the most powerful causes of human degradation. Here I think it was underused.
- well, this is a cdrama so because of government regulamentations of course it will have moral lessons on good and evil and how the good always prevail, how human beings are inherently good and the humanity has flaws but is amazing because of love and hope and yada yada yada
- the CGI is funny XD

My conclusion:
Its sad to see how this drama is so little-known and altough the flaws it is very entertaining and a total watch worthy for the sci-fi, survival, "zombie" fans.

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