This review may contain spoilers
"Arsenal Military Academy" is a drama about Xie Xiang, a girl who dresses as a man to enter a military academy in place of her deceased brother. There, she meets Yan Zhen, who not only becomes her partner, but also the person she falls in love with!The romance between Xie Xiang and Yan Zhen is incredible; they're cute, fun, and passionate together. At first, it takes a while for Xie Xiang to accept Yan Zhen's feelings, especially since everything he did seemed like a joke, that he wasn't taking her seriously, but then Xie Xiang realizes how much Yan Zhen loves her. I lost count of how many times he confessed his feelings to her, even when everyone thought she was a man. HAHA'
It's a shame there isn't even a kissing scene between them... I think there should have been at least one.
In fact, the drama's biggest selling point is the love triangle between Xie Xiang, Yan Zhen, and Jun Shan. I loved seeing all of Yan Zhen's jealousy over Xie Xiang and Jun Shan's closeness, and after Jun Shan discovers the truth, he tries to seduce Xie Xiang, who becomes trapped between the two! It's so much fun to watch.
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This review may contain spoilers
****A FEW MINOR SPOILERS*******I have watched a lot of gender bender dramas and movies. But I will have to say this is the best one and here is why:
1. Acting
Everyone nailed their roles. Especially the female lead. The main hurdle of gender bender dramas is that the actress leads to pull off a boy role. Bai Lu did an incredible job passing as a suave boy and a sweet girl. Also I really loved Xu Kai in this drama. This the first drama I saw of him and I was not disappointed. The rest of the cast did a great job as well.
2. Story
The story was really interesting but there a few unexpected deaths that made me heartbroken. The most cool part of this drama for me was the time period. It wasn't really ancient but i think was during the 1900s. Everything fit in perfectly with the time period. I also enjoy strong female leads with funny and sarcastic male leads. Bai Lu and Xu Kai's chemistry was no doubt incredible. Though i didnt have the second lead syndrome i really like the 2nd lead too. He was such a kind character. I also like how the 2nd female lead was not antagonized. Manting was a really funny character throughout the show and im glad she got her own happy ending.
3. Music
The sound track was really beautiful and the lyrics were really touching.
Overall:
If you want to see a good gender bender drama then I would highly recommend this one. Romance, action, and a handsome cast is all part of this amazing drama. I would really rewatch this drama again.
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#Philippinnes
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I wish to see the future of the two champions together like other members But this does not detract from the beauty of the series
This is the first time I watch Chinese drama and i love it ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
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Rewatch? It's a must!
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This review may contain spoilers
A drama tackling the seldom told history of China under Japanese influence
This is a drama tackling very serious topics that affected China in 1911-1912. Following the Xinhai Revolution and the end of the Qing Dynasty, there is political and civilian unrest. Hence, as Viki states, this is a drama. Not a comedy. Not a romance. A real drama. And a very good one.(China lost against Japan in 1895, and since then, Japan and Russia gained some influence in China…, for Japan esp. in Manchuria, Mongolia and Shandong , which significantly reduced the Chinese people's trust in the empire, fueling Chinese nationalism. The sentiment was strengthened by the failed political reform, where the desire to form a constitutional monarchy resulted in the establishment of the Prince Qing's Cabinet with the majority being part of the imperial family in May 1911)
The « 21 demands » mentioned was signed between 1915 and 1916. It would result in a long-lasting animosity nationwide towards Japan. (Resulting in boycott etc)
That is the context of the drama.
It isn’t clearly told at the beginning, but I believe foreign viewers will gain in appreciation of the drama if they know that before starting to view it.
Because of that, the drama does show violence, and deaths.
Very smartly, the underlying dark tone is counterbalanced, as the drama follows the events and topics of importance at that time through a group of military students in their daily lives at a military academy, bringing some light and funny moments, esp. since they introduced a FL disguised as a man as part of the military students…
For me, the drama starts showing its true Colors and intentions starting ep. 15. From then on, it is very well paced.
The production and cast are outstanding. The storyline very well thought.
Special shout-out to Xu Kai who brings life to a welcome witty and shining character, very smart and caring under the presence of being carefree, self boasting and mischievous,…(he proves his versatility with this drama, displaying the wide range of emotions and expressions required by his character and his growth along the drama)
My second shout-out to the 2nd main FL playing the role of the singer/actress, awesome Wu Jia Yi, who stole the show in an unrequited love with Xu Kai.
I normally love Bai Lu (esp. in « one and only », « forever and ever », in which she’s just perfect. Here, she’s good but not the star of the show, wincing a bit too heavily at Xu Kai. I would have loved a bit more subtlety in her acting expressions in these moments, Also I am not fond of the indecisiveness of her character pertaining to her love interest between the 2 ML. She makes XK’s character suffer and I surprised myself thinking at some point that she doesn’t deserve his love… the good thing is that it happened in the very episode where she ultimately realised her true feelings (ep. 38)
Because the love stories are all unrequited during majority of the drama, however lovely it is often tackled, for those seeking first and foremost a fully blossomed romance drama, this is not for you.
Spoiler: Xu Kai’s love for the FL remains unrequited almost until the end (watching him falling in love and expressing his love is nonetheless a real treat. You will root for him)…. All other love stories are also unrequited during the majority of the drama. Because this is first and foremost a historical drama that chose to alleviate its darkness by balancing it with lighter moments, I get it that Fully blossomed romance would have been out of place. We however get good closures in the end, as two couples mixed in unrequited love go to their « right » partner in my opinion (they were too blind and immature to see and understand during the majority of the drama however …)
A great watch.
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The female lead made one of the more convincing males in this story which added to the realism of it, instead of finding the story bizarre and outlandish I found myself loving how strong she was in and out of school! Not to mention how quickly I found myself attached to the other characters, all of whom were portrayed by great actors who all had amazing chemistry.
All in all I'd say this is one of the best dramas of 2019 and you'd be missing out to not give it a go!
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disappointing second half
this show was an interesting watch, but would i watch it again? no, because it is just too long.learning about the history was interesting since i had never heard of the military academy before this. but plot wise, some side characters really did not need so much development and screen time when their presence contributed almost nothing to the main storyline. they simply were not interesting enough to justify so many scenes.
damn this show… i feel so conflicted. some parts of the plot made me go “wtf” because it felt like conflict was created for no real reason, and again, certain side characters were given way too much focus. they were likeable at first, but the more screen time they got, the more tiring they became.
i genuinely do not understand how shen jun shan’s character changed so drastically in the second half. he started off as smart, capable, and someone who trusted xie xiang from the very beginning. during the bomb scene, he believed in her judgment even when the male lead doubted her. he was always there when she needed help.
then suddenly, he goes completely out of character and loses all sense of judgment. he starts questioning xie xiang’s theory and even stands by the villain’s side. like seriously, where did the logical, capable, and trustworthy second male lead from the first 20 episodes go? it honestly felt like the scriptwriters forced this change just to create conflict and push the female and male lead together. did they forget how they wrote his character in the first half? it was very disappointing and completely unnecessary.
considering what the second male lead became in the later half, i honestly think the female lead should not have ended up with either of them. the male lead was basically a bully, and the second male lead felt like a completely different person by the end.
acting wise, it was pretty good. the actors handled their characters well. even though i did not like the male lead’s hair and character in this show, kudos to him for his acting. same for the female lead, her character was charming, and it was interesting seeing bai lu in this hairstyle. but please… that wig should be removed and thrown far, far away because what was that?
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Republican-era Mulan
Welcome to the Republican-era Mulan. Arsenal Military Academy is a gem. Seriously. Usually c-dramas drag on forever (ie, the Legend of Fei...), but not this one.TL;DR Brotherhood, action, realistic depiction of female trying to disguise as a guy, strong leads, good character development.
Why I like AMA:
1. Brotherhood--Xie Xiang/Liangchen and her relationships with her classmates is such a brother bond. They treat her like one of them and she treats them like her brothers. If you watched Mulan 2020 and was disappointed in Mulan's relationship with her crew, Bai Lu's performance shows what should've happened.
2. Action--the suspense and action is plentiful. Although not realistic (especially cleaning a loaded gun ??? maybe I'm just being critical) it is entertaining to watch a girl fight equally alongside men and deal the same damage.
3. Realistic depiction of females--The FL Xie Liangchen could pass for a feminine guy or a tomboy. Although Xie Liangchen was strong compared to the other girls, in the academy, she struggles to keep up with her male classmates. She deals with humility for being "weak," but it only encourages her to work hard to pass physical tests. In shooting she excels. She deals with periods, with loss, and emotions, but she's a REAL, STRONG GIRL and PICKS HERSELF UP. Girl got grit.
4. Strong Leads--Hands down, Bai Lu played Xie Liangchen so well. Liangchen is tough, emotionally and physically, and can go from polite female to tough guy within minutes (depending on how fast she can change clothes lol). She endures hardships but overcomes them. The ML, Gu Yanzhen (Xu Kai), is a playboy and likes to do what he wants. He's rich and from a powerful family, and he doesn't mind losing face. Although he seems to not care, he has his priorities to which he is loyal.
5. Development--as the drama progresses, the characters mature. Gu Yanzhen learns the reality and cost of fighting for what you believe in. Xie Liangchen realizes that secrets become sticky. Shen Junshen (Li Cheng Bin) learns that power can corrupt and people change. Even annoying characters learn what it means to put others before yourself.
Summary: Arsenal Military Academy is about a girl named Xie Xiang (Bai Lu) whose brother attends a military academy. He dies before his graduation, so she joins the academy when it reopens to honor her brother and country. She takes her brother's name (Xie Liangchen) and disguises herself as a boy. At the academy, she makes friends (or enemies) with her classmates and they go through a lot together. Life for her gets difficult as she struggles to keep her hidden identity. If she is discovered...
Verdict: Watch this Republic-era Mulan. Do it! You won't regret it!
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This review may contain spoilers
This is my first movie of Xu kai and Bai Lu! loved the acting. At times it felt though female is kick ass character she is still sissy. It was more like she just came to AMA without giving much thought about she will be day and night sharing her space with guys. For e.g. when there was a shower scene and she who is too short was still hiding and feeling shy which was hard to understand. Also female lead came across as she wanted to please everyone. She is going on dates with HS and SJS at the same time and she knows she has no interest in either of them why mislead them??? couldn't understand. Towards the end when she made her decision that she likes our ML i liked her resolution and she standing by him. Also it was refreshing to see what a ML always don't have to be standoffish and serious. It's okay to be silly and impulsive too. That was breaking the pattern of all powerful ML's. Over all a good watch. Was this review helpful to you?
Really viewable for those who are interested in Chinas history of the early 20th century
Although (of course) this series comes along as love story with nearly everything we can expect from a Chinese drama series, this one is different. For me with less (to no) knowledge of the history Chinas that led to e.g. the revolution, the timeline in 1915 with the political complex situation, the relationship to Japan etc. brought me to learn a bit more about it.The storyline is of course dramatic with all we can expect to see. From bloody warlords, samurais, the brave hero's of the play, royals and important families you have nearly everything; love, fight, tears, comedy, adrenaline and adventure. Embedded in the look of the beginning of the 20th. century (i guess we see designs of the 1920th).
Is a 48-series worth the time to follow the story? Yes. I am currently at no. 40, but really enjoying it.
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There were a lot of chatacters but they all had amazing potential in a war and politically tensed context.
The first part of the drama, bascially the first 20 episodes were really light and fun, and the chemistry between the leads was amazing and hilarious.
The cross dressing part was also much more realistic here than in any other drama ive seen.
The second part of the drama focuses on the war context with a very patriotic propaganda which i would have been fine with if the plot actually had a focus.
I felt like the drama was teared in bits and pieces with a little bit of romance mainly embodied through the love triangle that i found incredibly annoying,
the scattered events only showing that chinsese are good and japanese are bad,
and the side storyline of each character which kinda got lost in the sauce.
I couldnt get through the entire drama, the scattered narative with only patriotism as focused outline of the story bored me. Which is super sad cause the two main leads did an amazing job and their personal dilemma and will to protect their loved ones facing a war context could have been an amazing development from light to dark times in the drama.
I think its still worth watching for the actors performance and chemistry, but i got frustrated when i lost interest.
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