Zheng Dang Fang Wei (2025)

Law is a social construction

"You're not handling a case, but someone's life"

I thought Justifiable Defense would be another investigation drama, mainly focusing on who is the real culprit and how the crime was committed.

In the end, it seems like it was never about finding the big bad wolf, but about how complicated people can be, how experiences shape their personalities and their actions and how there is truly no black and white when it comes to law and justice.

The series manages to make the audience think about what constitutes justifiable defense and whether the law is almighty.
What this drama hints at is that the final verdicts and conclusions will always be affected by personal beliefs and biases and that in itself is the vulnerability of the law, which, after all, is a human fabrication.

It's a well written series, with good directing, interesting plot and characters. Without it being overly complicated or shocking, it portrays masterfully multi-faceted characters focusing on their psyche.
I do think the music was overused and the acting could be better in some parts, but that is negligible for a series that is undeniably a gem and a must watch for people enjoying character-driven stories.

Lastly, I firmly believe that there would be differences in some parts of the plot, if the drama didn't have to pass the censorship board. Some things felt a bit too idealistic, and forced to follow a specific route. However, it wasn't something that ruined the final result and it wasn't as evident compared to other series of the same genre. Nevertheless, I do think that people having a bit more freedom in these types of series would create not just good dramas like this one, but unforgettable stories that will linger in one's mind for a long time.

"Absolute justice exists only in concept"

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