The Legendary Life of Queen Lau (2022) - Final Review

Final review/rating: The Legendary Life of Queen Lau (2022) - Laugh out loud comedy with a Queen of Hearts 

This is 8/10 stars ✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮ from Pandafan🐼

Overall rating:         8 Stars Plot:                       7 Stars Acting/cast:            8 Stars Couple chemistry:   7 stars Music:                    9 Stars Re-watch value:      8 Stars Enjoyment factor:   9 Stars

The Legendary Life of Queen Lau (2022) is a palace-slice-of-life drama, that will have you in stitches of laughter.  An absolute joy to watch, helmed by the very funny Li Jia Qi/Lamu Yangzi as Queen Liu Jin Feng, this drama combines hilarity with plenty of heart and a wonderful OST with tunes so catchy they will have you dancing along with the cast! 🕺💃😊

 SPOILERS AHEADS

Comedy Central plot 

The premise is a simple one - click 👉here for my spoiler free synopsis. Essentially, our heroine Liu Jin Feng is a chubby village girl with sass who is in love with her longtime pen-pal, Yuan-lang (aka the famously good looking Emperor Duan Yuan Zhang). But the letters that she has been getting have actually been written in Yuan-lang's name by Jin Feng's best friend Yu Zhang Ya, at the behest of Jin Feng's erstwhile absentee father who is the Chancellor (and de facto regent).  

Not knowing that she has basically been catfished, Jin Feng heads to the capital to marry her Yuan-lang, thinking their love is mutual.  The Emperor marries her (mistakenly thinking she is her beautiful sister Liu Bai Yu and also because he fears the "dastardly" Chancellor). Chaos and comedy ensues... as well true love between this seemingly most ill-matched of pairs💕

As well as being a romcom, The Legendary Life of Queen Lau is also a coming of age story, in which the young Emperor grows up with Jin Feng by his side, under the deft tutelage of the Chancellor (who is of course only acting as a baddy to hone the Emperor into a worthy leader). 

Comic Cast

I think a drama like The Legendary Life of Queen Lau is what happens when everyone in the cast has comic timing...   

Li Jia Qi is so darn funny as Jin Feng, effortlessly transitioning from lovestruck seductive lady to vengeful wronged Queen (who uses the palace PA system to announce to all and sundry that the Emperor is seriously overrated), and who starts a group dance exercise trend at the palace that will have you off your couch and on your feet dancing to the catchy tune. 

She is such a breath of fresh air, it is completely unsurprising that her Emperor and the rest of the palace falls for her.  Who wouldn't? 

Li Hong Yi also impressed as Emperor Duan Yuan Zhang in this one, as he shows a funny side that I have not previously seen in his other works. He handles the gradual switch from horrified bridegroom-trying-to-escape-on-the-wedding-night to how-did-I-fall-head-over-heels rather well.  

There's quite a few hilarious fantasy dance sequences and romantic scenes that also only happen in his over active imagination 😆

As for the rest of the cast, there are also some wonderfully funny moments with:

• the Emperor's hilarious retinue / fan club (his eunuch, head guard, chef, doc, and doofus little brother), 

• Yu Zhang Ya the preening peacock that is the second male lead (who is also devoted, sincere, and good), but acted as camp as they come by the hilarious Bai Shu and never without access to a mirror   

• Jin Feng's hilarious parents (who can definitely show the leads a thing or two about romcom courtship).  The Chancellor, in particular, is an absolute scene stealer!😍 

Final Thoughts 

The director really had fun with this one and it shows - we get communications via cartoon missives, a turnip emperor jade seal, and group dancing galore.  Peace treaties with foreign adversaries can be secured with racks of roast lamb and a song, if Jin Feng is your queen...  

There are plot holes aplenty and some rather shonky editing (notably at episode 23 where the director just cuts an entire attempted assassination scene out) but who cares?  This was so much fun, I didn't really mind the occasional blips.  

In short, this palace-slice-of-life romcom was a joy to watch.  It is a pity that it has been removed from Chinese platforms (due to perceived Japanese influences in the costuming and styling etc), but that should not deter international audiences. It is funny, moving, and the wonderful soundtrack will have you singing and dancing along with the cast.  

All romcoms should end like this one with a big group dance to a bopping beat!! 

 A solid 8/10 stars ✮✮✮✮✮✮✮✮