My most favourite drama ❤️❤️❤️
It's a must watch drama ....the plot , the story , the actors , the entire cast was completely mind-blowing...I love each and everyone in this drama . I even cried, laughed, got angry so many emotions i felt while watching this . This C drama teaches alot of good things like ..women empowerment, friendship bonds, building trust , staying loyal to one's nation , love , sacrificing for the country , fighting against the evil and traitors . It has highlighted the bitter truth , and so many other things ...apart from all these things I really loved Xu Kai , Bai Lu , Tobby Lee , I loved everyone in this drama . This drama I would consider as rarest gems . I'm not Chinese but I love China so much and its rich history alot ❤️Was this review helpful to you?
Good story, Great cast, lotsa death and Little-to-no Romance
Started this after The Legends cuz I loved the on-screen chemistry between Xu Kai & Bai Lu.I binge-watched up until the last few episodes & then needed a break cuz they did one of my fav characters dirty. It's a show w/heavy pro- Chinese/anti-Japanese propaganda since it was set in the early 1900s, lots of military-style operations & plot-developed events that developed pretty decently, plotting & back-stabbing & power struggle, great natural comrade-chemistry w/a bit of love-sick pursuit tossed in alongside it and really strong female characters. Our main girl is NOT the strongest character, even. There are actually two other more mature FLs who nail the different ways of being a bad-ass lady boss. The men are attractive in addition to XK & I think I have a new crush on the chairman in glasses. (That one sure snuck up on me; dang!)
Sadly, even though the chemistry was simply adorable between the leads, there was little romance. I say this because I will be 100% up-front about the fact that I watch dramas for the romance but if a story is good & the characters are good, I'll stay to watch even if my original intention isn't fulfilled. :) A good story is a good story. :) For those in disagreement, I will say he DID romance her as he was pursuing her, sure, but they cut out all the kiss scenes & even though he helped her & protected her as a mature man might, I never got the grown-up-guy-in-love vibe from him. Yes, their chemistry was super cute. But he was like a little puppy, wanting to chase her round and give her licks to show he liked her and get attention from her. It was cute but it went nowhere during the show, mostly due to editing & other plot developments. I did enjoy the way he teased her, though. OML. It was just too long of a show since a) I usually don't care for military dramas and b) I wasn't satisfied with the way they eventually got together BUT I finished it because all the other characters were GREAT. I mean, really great. The story started to lag in the last 1/3 (typical) but then things progressed quickly at the end, as the cadets teamed up to take care of business. Satisfying explosions, people die who should die & it's all wrapped up neatly in a bow.
Opening credits song is pretty cool & some other decent OSTs help but I would not watch this again. I didn't skip much, though, which is really sayin' somethin'...
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This review may contain spoilers
Aside from the visual candy. the overall storyline was interesting to watch. It typically focuses on a military training, patriotism, love triangles and friendship. Barely any typical romance or skinship. The cast did a wonderful job, they're all great actors.
However there were a few things that irked me.
Gu Yan Zheng played by Xu Kai. Don't get me wrong, I wanted to watch this drama because I finished The Legends where Xu Kai and Bai Lu were also main leads. I was also a fan of Xu Kai, however, I really dislike his character here. I've never disliked a main lead so much to the point I don't want him as lead. Why? His character's personality is very irritating, immature and annoying. He doesn't care much about the consequences of his actions at all. He's basically blinded by love. He also annoys the female lead like a 10 year boy crushing on a girl. Its ridiculous. Sure, they're cute but I rather have Xie Xiang with Jun Shan than Gu Yan Zheng. Aside from his irritable personality, I really love his hair styling here; even the clothes from this era looks marvelous on him! When Gu Yan Zheng is serious, he gets serious and is able to kill people with accuracy. His skills are top notch despite his laziness and goofiness. I admit sometimes I like his character when he's goofy but there were times when I really think he needs to stop. haha
As for Xie Xiang played by Bai Lu, her character was interesting. It was funny to watch her run back and forth as herself and as her "brother." I like that she somehow reminds me of Mulan, she may be weaker than the other military comrades, however she has the speed to knock you out! There was even a mission she managed to handle all on her own! BRAVE and STRONG woman! I like that she's able to fight back with men and not be your typical weak, timid, female lead.
She's not the only girl who showcased how strong she is. :)
The cinematography is beautiful. I don't usually like this era because of the war talk gets boring but I love the clothes, the old, rustic buildings, the cars and even the home decor! Although there were some scenes I notice were filmed with a green screen which was a bit disappointing. haha I guess its to be expected.
I recommend this drama if you like military hot guys, watch girls whoop ass, and love between friends.
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My first review
Story: That's super epicCast and their Performance: Except the main hero Xu Kai, all others did well. In this drama, Gu Yan Zhen (Xu Kai) was depicted as a drunkard and useless loose talker. It is surprising that Xu Kai, the most fan-friendly character on the show, plays such a small role in such a serious combat battle series.
Performance Appraisal: I think Bai Lu (Xie Liang Chen), Gao Yu Er (Oda Hiroshi) and Liu Min (Huo Xiao Yu) did a great job, and they are the series' leads. Liu Si Bo (Huang Song) and Toby Lee (Shen Jun Shan) are also highly committed to their roles. In this series, Hong Yao (Shen Ting Bai) is my hero without a doubt. As always, he performed his role to the best of his abilities. Despite having a lot of screen time, Jia Yi (Qu Man Ting) had little opportunity to show off her acting ability.
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Utterly brilliant writing leads to a mesmerising experience
Set against the turbulent times created by the Japanese 21 Demands, you will be sucked into this story from the get go.On the second time of watching (for me), my daughters and I cackled, sniggered and outright belly laughed during the first episode and then like me they were hooked though they weren’t very amused at some of the plot twists.
The pairing of Xu Kai and Bai Lu is brilliant as they navigate their way through from hateful roomies to besties and beyond and their characters (like all the others) are well rounded and well acted. Little nuances help make the characters even more believable (Xu Kai looking at his watch as the CO droned on about the rules and regulations in the first episode for example) sets the tone for the characters.
There’s love, laughter, poignant and gut clenching moments throughout the plot and the set is incredible.
Bravo
Rewatch value? 100%
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This review may contain spoilers
Happy ending but simple
Story was based on the Chinese and Japanese conflicts which happened in the 20th centuries. So it may be a true story so if I see it as a true then I can't say much about the which I don't like because director also becomes helpless at this situation . He has to show the way story was .Bit if it is not a true story and director pick the concept of Chinese and Japanese conflicts and how much Chinese people suffer because of this so he could give some more romantic scenes among the couple and her brother's story also . Except last two -three episodes ,it was not clear that who got female lead though by poster of the drama we can guess but still this had create confusion.
My favourite chay of the drama is Qu Man Ting . She was just Fabulous in the drama.
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Pros:
- the chemistry with the cast is undeniable. Even the 2nd lead has great chemistry with Bai Lu (lead girl)
- action-packed
- great acting from everyone, especially the main antagonist and Xu Kai (just in scenes where he’s not phoning it in)
- great main and supporting characters
- for the ladies and the gays, the amount of good looking men in this series is just unreasonable. Even their extras are oozing with looks and sex appeal. It’s like they put all the good looking men in mainland china and added them to this show.
Cons:
- it can get quite dragging considering the amount of episodes.
- the development for some characters are not that much, but some development for other characters are quite good.
- ending for me is quite rushed which I think could have been improved if they did not drag a few episodes before. This is I think is one of my biggest disappointments of this drama. A lot of characters just didn’t appear in the ending anymore. And the lead couple’s ending was just too rushed.
General points:
- if you’re looking for a lot of romance like similar shows like Love in the Moonlight, you will be a bit disappointed. While it is marked as romantic, and the lead couple are known to be paired always, it is taking a bit of a backseat to the plot (which is about the Japanese encroachment, and the danger that it’s causing in Shuyuan)
- it’s about 30% true romance, about 20% comedic romance that isn’t really romantic, and from buildup of the love triangle. But do not expect any abundance of romantic displays like other dramas. 50% of it is about character exploration for other cast members, and of course the main plot.
- great acting from the cast. The only thing disappointing is Bai Lu’s lack of effort to be manly. She’s so obvious sometimes, which is unrealistic.
- do not take it seriously. That’s the main rule. This is not to be compared to other dramas that pride themselves with top-notch plots and storylines. It’s still a romance/comedy/action type of drama but a lot of fantasy to it (like Bai Lu passing as a man). It also has a few plot holes and stupid subplots like a lot of typical dramas of this caliber.
It is still enjoyable and is one of those dramas that is a feel-good watch. There will be deaths, and they’re going to hurt. But overall, it’s still a light drama For me. The action is icing on the cake.
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So beautiful gender bender drama.
Best drama i have ever seen of this genre..this is an emotion.. I couldn't get out of this for many days ..in my mind the scenes played for two weeks..i love this drama from the core of my heart..the casts are very talented.. The actors are very very talented.. Bai lu is a very strong actress.. I feel grateful to watch this.. But why it is so underrated?..people should watch this masterpiece.. In this drama you can find everything comedy,soft and deep love, romance, thrill, adventure, patriotism, a beautiful friend circle and so on.. Sometimes you will laugh loudly and sometimes you will cry out.. Thanks for giving us such a masterpiece drama..Was this review helpful to you?
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This drama is a masterpiece.
I love the story overall. I watched it for about seven times already and I still enjoy it. I love the characters really especially on how Bai Lu fits the role. The flow of the story never disappoints me. I highly recommend this drama to anyone who loves rom-com, yet the drama is more on the mixed genre; action, romance, comedy, thrill, and adventure. More KaiLu drama please.I love the story overall. I watched it for about seven times already and I still enjoy it. I love the characters really especially on how Bai Lu fits the role. The flow of the story never disappoints me. I highly recommend this drama to anyone who loves rom-com, yet the drama is more on the mixed genre; action, romance, comedy, thrill, and adventure. More KaiLu drama please.
I love the story overall. I watched it for about seven times already and I still enjoy it. I love the characters really especially on how Bai Lu fits the role. The flow of the story never disappoints me. I highly recommend this drama to anyone who loves rom-com, yet the drama is more on the mixed genre; action, romance, comedy, thrill, and adventure. More KaiLu drama please.
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This review may contain spoilers
Courage, Love, and Loyalty in Uniform
*Arsenal Military Academy* is one of those rare dramas that has *everything* — heart, humor, action, friendship, and love — all wrapped around a powerful story of courage and sacrifice.The drama follows a young woman who disguises herself as a man to join the military academy in memory of her late brother, who was killed before he could begin training. What starts as an act of loyalty becomes a journey of self-discovery, bravery, and love for both country and comrades.
The story is beautifully written — full of excitement, emotional depth, and perfectly balanced moments of tension and laughter. The chemistry between Xu Kai and Bai Lu is electric, both in their playful banter and their quiet, heartfelt moments. Every character shines in their own way, from loyal friends to fierce rivals, creating a cast that feels real and memorable.
The cinematography and pacing are top-notch, with every scene crafted to pull you in. The OST is another standout — catchy, emotional, and so well matched to the tone of each scene that it lingers long after the final episode.
Rewatchable? **Absolutely, without hesitation — 100%!**
*Arsenal Military Academy* is a drama that stays with you — inspiring, touching, and heard to forget.
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Bai Lu Is The Star of The Drama
This is the first Republican drama that I have watched. I absolutely loved it. Xu Kai seemed to be born to play the role of Gu Yanzhen. The casting was amazing. I loved the personality of the 2ML more. I felt his character was more stable for the FL. Sorry, I loved the FL with the 2ML more. The cinematography was really nice. Bai Lu gave it her all. I loved how her character was portrayed. She was the star of the drama for me.Was this review helpful to you?
