Rising Justice (2026)

Sword of Justice: What it means to be lawyers

I want to start off by saying this was a wonderful drama from beginning to end. Some dramas can fumble in the middle and even have a weak final, but this drama was strong from beginning to end.

The characterization of this drama was exceptionally well written. Our female lead, Xiao Longnv is a competent lawyer whose goal is to stand up for the common people. Usually, this type of character can come off as just brash and even naive, but Xiao Longnv is bold AND intelligent. She understands when she needs to back down and is able to accept and make up for her own biases. She is an actual working adult that is actually EXCELLENT at her job.

Our male lead, Li Xin, is another competent lawyer and serves as the FL's friend and rival (and also in love with her). His values align with Xiao Longnv, but he works within the system to try to better policies in big companies in the long run for the common people. Though he serves as the "opposing" side of FL with sometimes different perspectives, he is not set up as a villain and instead a comrade who also became a lawyer to serve the people.

The leads' dynamic with each other is very charming and despite their surface differences, they understand and respect each other greatly as fellow lawyers and rivals. They have great banter with each other and truly made from the same cloth even down to their personal conflicts with their fathers (which gets explored and gives the viewers even more of an understanding of their journey to becoming lawyers).

The supporting characters are also written very well. Both FL and ML have their own teams; FL with her gang of misfits and ML with his gang of junior lawyers. They all have their little quirks and provided funny gags. And if I did not mention it enough already, they can all do their job! Then there are the legal cases that are actually based on real-life cases from China. The legal cases were all explored and given importance of why some laws needed to be change and the progress that can be made. I also appreciated seeing other lawyer characters and their different values too.

Overall, this was a great drama with good exploration of different legal cases, funny scenes, and very likable characters. The romance is subtle, yet viewers can't help but swoon at the longing. I am looking forward to a possible season 2.

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True Gem!

Sometimes the dramas that get almost no hype end up being the best ones.

I started watching this mainly for the cast and wasn't expecting much, but I got hooked right away. The dialogue is sharp, the comebacks are nonstop, and every character feels well-written.

What I liked:

No forced romance. There are a few hints here and there, but the story doesn't rely on kissing scenes or romance to keep viewers interested.
Elvis Han was great. I've seen him in romantic lead roles before, but this is actually my favorite character he's played.
The characters all have depth, whether they're leads or supporting roles.
Wang Hao completely nailed his role. I loved him in Later I Laughed and was happy to see him get more screen time here.
The female lead was fantastic from start to finish.

The writing is what really stands out. It feels fresh and smart instead of rehashing the same tired drama tropes.

I enjoyed every episode and would love to see a Season 2.

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